Olivia Johnson
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- Beginning today (10/21), the autodialer will call parents to inform them if their student has missed any of the live Zoom meetings, so we wanted to remind families of attendance protocols under Comprehensive Distance Learning:
If your child is sick, please contact the school office at 541-935-8230 so we can excuse their absence for that day. If you called before 11 AM, we can excuse the office before the computer picks it up for the autodialer and you won’t get a phone call. The same goes if your child has an appointment or is going to be out of town, etc.
If your child misses their live Zoom meeting for a class, they have 24 hours to make up that class up so we can remove that absence from their record. Each teacher records and posts by 4 PM their Zoom class for students who miss it- whether they miss it because of a conflict or an internet issue or other reason. Each teacher has reviewed with students how to demonstrate that they have watched the video so their “alternative attendance” can be counted. We have also posted a table with each teachers methods on our website under “Alternative Attendance”. Click here for a link to that information.
Just a quick note about progress reports that were mailed out today for FRMS Hybrid students:
As you already know, this has not been anywhere close to a normal year for FRMS staff or families. Because of the late start and the time teachers spent training students in Google Classroom and Zoom, this progress report may not reflect what your child is capable of doing academically in that subject area. Instead, this Progress Report will tell you whether your child is attending their classes, completing their assignments, and turning that completed work in. All of these are critical if your child is going to be successful in Distance Learning.
It’s important for you to carefully look over your child’s progress report and talk to them in a positive and supportive manner about their progress and how they are doing in this Distance Learning environment. Let them know that there is time before the quarter ends on November 13th for them to turn in missing assignments and work to improve their grades. If they and you are feeling comfortable with distance learning, are able to access their Zoom live classes, are turning in assignments, and know how to ask their teacher for help that’s huge and more important at this point in the year than a letter in a grade book.
We also recommend that families monitor students’ grades throughout the school year in Home Access and on Google Classroom. Click here for information on how to use Home Access.
Parent Conferences will be by appointment only on October 26th from 4:00 to 8:00 and on October 29th from 4:00 to 8:00. Please contact the front office at 541-935-8230 if you would like to schedule an appointment to talk to your child’s teacher. Appointments are limited so call soon.
Teachers can also be reached by phone or by email anytime you have a question or a concern about your student. Click here for staff extensions and emails.
Please don’t hesitate to call or email if you have any questions or concerns.
Thank you,
Olivia Johnson
FRMS Principal
541-935-8230
FRMS will hold parent conferences through Zoom on Monday, October 26th from 4 PM to 8 PM and Thursday, October 29th from 4 PM to 8 PM.
Unlike previous years, parent conferences this year are by appointment only. Families are welcome to contact our school office at 541-935-8230 to make an appointment with the teachers they wish to meet with. They can also email Tammy Eutsler at teutsler@fernridge.k12.or.us to make an appointment.
Conferences are a great time for families to ask questions about how their child is doing in class and get more information from teachers on how they can help their child improve their performance in school.
We will be posting the link to the Zoom Conference meetings for each teacher on the website. Families may have to wait in the Zoom “Waiting Room” for teachers to admit them into the Zoom meeting. Please be assured that the Zoom conference itself will be private between the family and the teacher. Families are also welcome to conference by phone. Just please let the office know you want a phone conference when you schedule your appointment and what would be a good number for the teacher to call you at.
Progress reports will be mailed home on the 20th. Parent Conference sign ups will take place October 19th to October 23rd. Slots are limited. The end of the quarter is November 13th.
If you can’t make it to parent conferences but want to talk about your child with their teacher(s), please connect with the teacher(s) you want to meet with to set up a meeting. Click here for a list of phone extensions and emails for our staff.
And just another reminder that parent conferences are by appointment only this year.
Please call if you have any questions. Thank you!
FRMS will hold a Virtual Open House on Wednesday, October 21st at 6:45 PM. The event will start with a live Welcome/Q and A with Principal Olivia Johnson, Assistant Principal Eric Carman, and Counselor Ryan Chambers. This will be an opportunity for families to ask questions about FRMS – whether its about Comprehensive Distance Learning or what school will look like when we are back in the building under the Hybrid model. Following the live Q and A, families can access videos from classroom teachers where they give parents an introduction to who they are, the content they will teach, and classroom policies and procedures.
If you can’t attend Wednesday night, the whole event will be posted on the FRMS website for “on-demand” access.
Below is the access information for the 6:45 Zoom Meeting:
Topic: FRMS Open House
Time: Oct 21, 2020 06:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Click here to Join Zoom Meeting
Or cut and paste this into your address bar on your browser:
https://fernridge-k12-or-us.zoom.us/j/83278746284?pwd=VTdtRkd5bCtBM0drL1dhb2dpcVA2UT09
Meeting ID: 832 7874 6284
Passcode: 466082
One tap mobile
+13462487799,,83278746284# US (Houston)
+16699009128,,83278746284# US (San Jose)
Just a reminder:
In partnership with Chartwells and our food service staff, the district is preparing to start a new opportunity to deliver meals to meet the needs of some of our families who are not available to visit either EHS, or one of the drop sites during the school day. This opportunity will occur every Monday evening, from 5-6 PM in the North (back) lot at Elmira High School.
Come to the High School at this time, and you can/will receive a breakfast and a lunch for the entire week, for each child/student 0-18. We will still use the drive through model, and you still just need to give your last name. The students do not need to be present.
All of the meal “kits” will be made fresh that morning, and include the following three bags:
- One containing milk for breakfast and lunch for five days
- One containing a selection of fruits and vegetables for both lunch and breakfast
- One containing five sandwiches and five breakfast items (such as muffins, breakfast bars, etc..)
Something that would be tremendously helpful with planning and preparing the meals would be to get an idea of how many folks will be accessing this resource. You can do that by one of two ways. Either emailing the food service director Alan Fullerton at afullerton@fernridge.k12.or.us with the subject of “Monday Night Meals” and include the number of students/children in the line as well. For example: Monday Night Meals – 3. Or you may call your school secretary and give them the information and they will pass it on. The sooner you “sign up” the better. You won’t need to do this each week, just the first week to give us an idea of how much product to order, and how many meals to prep.
Please help spread the word!
We are committed to helping to support our students and their families with Distance Learning. We know that these are tough 
times, that distance learning is not easy for students or families, and that we have to work together and help each other through this. Our goal is that our students stay healthy and safe, that the well-being of families and students is as important as academic learning, and that students stay connected to their teachers, to each other and to our school community.
To that end we want to remind students and families of the following:
FRMS has started drop-in tutoring after school Tuesdays thru Thursdays from 2:30 to 3:00 in Social Studies, Language Arts, and Math. No appointment is necessary. Your student just needs to follow the link in the Google Classroom and there will be a teacher waiting to help. Science teachers are available during this time by appointment. For more details click here: Drop In Tutoring
FRMS teachers are are also available to help before school (8:00 to 8:20) or after school (2:30 to 3:45) and can be reached by email or by phone. Click here for a complete list of FRMS Staff extensions and emails Continue reading
FRMS has set up an after school tutoring program for our students from 2:30 to 3:00 Tuesdays thru Thursdays via Zoom for students to get help in Math, Social Studies, and Language Arts. Each department has created a Zoom link for a recurring, drop-in tutoring session via zoom where teachers will be available to provide extra help and support. The links for drop-in tutoring will be posted in the Google Classrooms. All a student needs to do if they need help during that time is click on the link- no appointment needed. Teachers are standing by waiting to help.
While we were not able to set up a recurring tutoring time for Science, please know that our amazing Science teachers can be reached by phone or by email if your child needs help or has a question. Or students can ask for help during class and set up an appointment to get help during our school office hours from 2:15 to 3:00.
If you have a Chromebook that looks like this for your student enrolled in Kindergarten through 8th grade …….
AND your power adapter (charging cord) has markings that match this picture (look for the “Chicony” label)
Please come to the FRSD District Office at your earliest convenience and exchange it (JUST THE CHARGING CORD) for the proper adapter for that model chromebook. If you have any questions, please call 541-952-7030. If you cannot come to the District Office, let us know and we can schedule a home visit to make this swap. It will help us out tremendously to get these back, and get the correct ones to you. These chargers were only given students in Kindergarten through 8th grade, they were not issued to high school students.
FRSD District Office
88834 Territorial Rd
Elmira, OR 97437
In partnership with Chartwells and our food service staff, the district is preparing to start a new opportunity to deliver meals to meet the needs of some of our families who are not available to visit either EHS, or one of the drop sites during the school day. This opportunity will occur every Monday evening, from 5-6 PM in the North (back) lot at Elmira High School.
Come to the High School at this time, and you can/will receive a breakfast and a lunch for the entire week, for each child/student 0-18. We will still use the drive through model, and you still just need to give your last name. The students do not need to be present.
All of the meal “kits” will be made fresh that morning, and include the following three bags:
- One containing milk for breakfast and lunch for five days
- One containing a selection of fruits and vegetables for both lunch and breakfast
- One containing five sandwiches and five breakfast items (such as muffins, breakfast bars, etc..)
Something that would be tremendously helpful with planning and preparing the meals would be to get an idea of how many folks will be accessing this resource. You can do that by one of two ways. Either emailing the food service director Alan Fullerton at afullerton@fernridge.k12.or.us with the subject of “Monday Night Meals” and include the number of students/children in the line as well. For example: Monday Night Meals – 3. Or you may call your school secretary and give them the information and they will pass it on. The sooner you “sign up” the better. You won’t need to do this each week, just the first week to give us an idea of how much product to order, and how many meals to prep.
Please help spread the word!
Our current distance learning schedule provides students with a 90 minute break for lunch. Part of our goal in having an extended lunch, was to give students a chance to take a break from school- to ride their bike, walk the dog, help around the house, etc. We also know how important it is for students to keep connected with friends and school socially and to have the opportunity to engage in fun activities that interest them.
This week FRMS staff will start offering different activities for students to participate during their lunch break. These are strictly optional for our kids. Our first activity came from Mr. Wondra wh started “TED Talk Tuesdays,” where he will share different “TED” talks that range from the fun to the thoughtful. Today’s topic was a lighthearted TED talk on how to be happy.
Other topics this week include Chess Club, Karaoke, Musical Pop Culture, Physical Challenge, and De-Stress and Relax. Activities will differ each week. Students can find more information in their teacher’s Google Classrooms.
Our goal is to continue to think of fun ways to engage students and help foster those important school and peer connections. We welcome suggestions from parents or students of different activities or clubs they would like to see happen.