In honor of Veteran’s Day there will be no school on
Monday, November 11, 2019
Below is the Annual Notice for Statewide Tests. If you have any questions regarding the tests that will take place later in the school year please feel free to reach out to your building principal.
Our November employee of the month is Mr. Scott Shannon.
Mr. Shannon has been an educator since 1989. He forever changed Fern Ridge when he joined the teaching staff of Elmira High School on August 31, 1999. As a teacher, co-worker and coach he always brings his unique perspective, love of kids and sense of humor everywhere he goes. He has taught social studies, health, and food/nutrition classes.
In addition to teaching, he has also coached countless student athletes for over 30 years. In his time with Fern Ridge he has served as an assistant baseball coach, head girls soccer coach and head wrestling coach. Mr. Shannon has given up countless summers and time away from his own family to take many wrestlers on the long road trip to Fargo, North Dakota to compete in the tournament that is held there every year.
When he is not teaching or coaching he enjoys golfing, being a “Papa” to his grandson, Oliver and “Papa Scott” to William.
A bittersweet congratulations as he has announced that 2019-2020 will be his final year of teaching in Fern Ridge. We will miss the antics and fun times that he brings everywhere he goes and wish him the best of luck!
Over the past few months we have been working on identifying a mission statement. The district has a vision statement:”Provide excellence for every student so that each will reach their greatest potential.”
A vision statement outlines WHERE an organization wants to be, the “end-goal.” A mission statement identifies HOW we will get there.
Our process for creating our mission statement has included research and brainstorming by a group of administrators who looked at data and identified a couple of different mission statement options. Those two options were forwarded to the four buildings in our district and reviewed by each ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) team. These teams include staff and parents who were asked to provide feedback. In recent days we have taken that feedback and identified a proposed draft mission statement.
We are now looking for community, parent, and student input on this mission statement before we come out with a final adopted version. You can provide that by clicking here to take the short survey. Thanks in advance for your participation!
Community members and families may notice unusual activity in the parking lot of Elmira High School today and tomorrow. This includes a simulated crash scene with law enforcement presence and a life flight helicopter landing on campus. These activities are part of a drunk and distracted driving prevention program “Every 15 Minutes” that high school students and staff are participating in for the next two days. Information has been on the High School website, and communicated to EHS families. Below is a link to that information that went out. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact EHS, or the District Office.
click this link to the information post from the Elmira High School page.
Fern Ridge School District is looking for 3 community members who are NOT officers, agents or employees of the district to serve on our budget committee.
The budget committee will begin work on the important job of reviewing our 2020-2021 budget soon. Currently there are three open positions:
Position #2 (Term expires 6/30/2022)
Position #4 (Term expires 6/30/2022)
Position #5 (Term expires 6/30/2022)
While the time commitment is minimal, there are a maximum of three meetings in the spring of 2020, the contribution you would be making to the future of fern ridge students is invaluable.
To be eligible for appointment the successful applicants must live in the district and not be an officer, agent or employee of the district. Applications are available by clicking HERE. Applications will be received at the District Office until the positions are filled.
For more information please call 541-935-2253 ext 1203
This post is intended to inform and remind folks about the free and reduced lunch program. Please take advantage of it if you qualify, and if you are not sure, please fill out the application and find out! It is a tremendous asset to our families and students. As a reminder, if you qualify for Free or Reduced lunch, breakfast is ALWAYS FREE! Alan Fullerton our food service director, in conjunction with his staff, have been working hard to provide healthier and more made from scratch meal options. Even if you don’t use this service consistently, having the option of knowing that your child can receive free breakfast on those mornings when you are running late, is a great deal!
There are two ways to apply. Go to this link (click here) print off the application, fill it out and drop off in the front office, or go to this link (click here) and apply directly online.
As a final reminder, you must apply each year. Those that were eligible in 18-19, remain eligible through September 2019, however beginning Oct 1st if you did not reapply, charges are accruing. Get your applications in ASAP. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact Renee Ota at rota@fernridge.k12.or.us or 541-935-8218 Ext 2
Lane County Public Works wants to be sure that parents have a voice in potential herbicide use near school bus stops. You can enroll your child’s bus stop into the No Spray Area program by filling out a short form available on the Lane County website at www.lanecounty.org/vegetation or by calling 541-682-8521 to request a paper application.
Click here to view the PDF Letter to the Parents of Lane County School Bus Riders
Fern Ridge Middle School and Elmira High School students do not have school Thursday, October 10 due to parent/teacher conferences.
Fern Ridge Middle School Conferences will be held Wednesday, Oct 9 from 4pm to 8pm (in the commons – no appointment necessary) & Thursday, Oct 10 from 8am to 12pm (in individual teacher classrooms – no appointment necessary.)
Elmira High School Conferences will be held Wednesday, Oct 9 from 4pm to 8pm (in the cafeteria – no appointment necessary) & Thursday, Oct 10 from 8am to 12pm (by appointment only – you can contact the high school office at 541-935-8200 or email your student’s teacher to set up a time)
Friday, October 11 is a non-school day for all district students due to a state-wide teacher in-service day.
Have a great weekend!
Students in Fern Ridge will begin to see changes in their breakfasts and lunches starting this month.
The food service program is renewing its focus on ensuring all pre-made items, such as chicken nuggets, are whole gran rich and nutritious (under USDA and ODE guidelines)
Fern Ridge students will notice the addition of several new made from scratch lunch entrees throughout October which will incorporate more whole food ingredients in the meals.
If our students enjoy these new entrees we will look at adding them to our menu cycle throughout the rest of the year. We will also be taking notes on what styles and concepts are more appealing with students and adjust our focus accordingly.
In addition to the made from scratch meals, turkey and egg breakfast sandwiches will be offered as a choice to elementary school students on Tuesdays and Thursdays to replace some of the higher sugar content breakfast options.
Also, the food service program, in conjunction with the District food advisory committee, have made some changes that reduce waste by eliminating the “single use packs” containing a napkin, straw, and spork moving instead to individual utensil choices. In addition this group recommended eliminating chocolate milk at VES for the first month of the school year. This decision will be reviewed by the building ESSA team at VES, made up of staff and parents, to decide if they would like to continue with that model, return chocolate milk to both breakfast and lunch or simply eliminate it as a breakfast option.
We want to thank Chartwells, our food service provider; Alan, our food service director; and all of the food service staff who work hard each day to provide healthy food for our students!