This morning we had a bus go down with a screw in the tire which resulted in the combining of a couple of bus routes. Route 6 for Veneta Elementary School will be running late this morning.
All school buses will be on their normal routes this afternoon.
Buses will not be traveling on Jeans Road between Cornerstone and Houston due to a law enforcement situation.
Oregon State law (ORS 327.103) requires that all public schools and districts must meet standards set by the State Board of Education. By January 15 of each year, school district superintendents are required by OAR 581-022-1610 Operating Policies and Procedures to report to their communities the district’s standing with respect to all of the standards for Public Elementary and Secondary Schools as set out in Oregon Administrative Rules Chapter 581, Division 22. Continue reading
Please come join us for the Holiday Luncheons on Friday, December 18th at Elmira Elementary School and Veneta Elementary School. Student’s families, including parents, grandparents and other extended family members are cordially invited. Please contact the schools for more detailed information. Hope you can attend!!!!!
With the 2015-16 school year well under way, we wanted to take a moment to provide some important information about this year’s state tests.
Last spring, Fern Ridge School District students took new state tests in English Language Arts and Math, called Smarter Balanced. The tests move away from previous fill-in-the bubble exams that focused on rote memorization, to a format which asks students to explain their reasoning and write out their answers. These new tests measure more complex, real-world skills such as critical-thinking, writing, and problem solving so that your child can successfully transition from grade to grade and be prepared for his or her next steps after high school. Continue reading
Noti and Walton buses will be on snow routes this afternoon. All other buses are operating as usual. 11/30/2015
This morning the Fern Ridge area was hit with icy road conditions at the worst possible time, after all the buses were out on routes and had students on them. The first bus leaves the bus barn at 6:00 AM, and the last one leaves at 7:00 AM. Unfortunately, this mornings weather not only arrived at the worst possible time, but it was the worst kind of weather for driving, freezing rain. The District wants to remind parents that not only this morning, but EVERY morning throughout throughout the school year, you are the best judge of the safety of the roads in your area. Our District has diverse topography that can see severe differences from downtown Veneta to the top of Badger Mountain. If your student can’t make it to school due to weather, simply call the school and inform them and their absence will be excused. The District will always defer to parents and trust their best judgement in this regard.
This morning, and every morning when there is the potential for weather, our Bus Barn supervisor drives the roads. At 4:30 this morning there was no issues, and the sky was clear, which we felt was a good sign. At around 6:45 with the reports of freezing rain in the outlying areas we went to snow routes in Noti and Walton. By the time bad driving conditions arrived in town we had a decision to make in regards to changing course and going with a delay or cancelling school, or staying the course. Both Terry and I felt like the safest thing at that point was to stay the course. Terry and our bus drivers did an outstanding job this morning. They pulled over and stopped when they needed to, and while there were some areas they could not reach, all students picked up were delivered to school safely and all buses have returned to the bus barn. Hindsight being 20-20 both Terry and I agreed it would have been great to announce a 2 hour delay last night. Unfortunately, it is often a guessing game and the timing of this morning weather was the worst possible in regards to making this decision easily.
If your student didn’t make it to school today due to the weather, or because the bus couldn’t safely make it to your house, please contact the school and notify the secretary, or send your student with a note tomorrow and it will be excused. Thank you to our bus drivers and District staff for managing a challenging morning commute very well. Rest assured the District continues to make student safety its highest priority, and we will be reviewing ways we could have reduced anxiety and communicated better with our patrons this morning. Feel free to contact me if you have questions or concerns you would like to share.
Gary Carpenter (Acting Superintendent)
The Fern Ridge School District is seeking people who enjoy helping children learn and would like to become a part of our Educational Assistant Substitute pool. Educational Assistants work under the direction of administrators and licensed teachers. The wage for a Substitute Educational Assistant is $12.00/Hour. Educational Assistants need to be Highly Qualified (see below). If you are interested and would like more information please contact Debbie Moore at the Fern Ridge Schools District Administration Office, 88834 Territorial Rd, Elmira or via phone at 541-935-2253 ext. 1203.
Highly Qualified = 1) Have an Associate’s Degree or higher, 2) Have completed 72 quarter hours (48 semester hours) of coursework at an institution of higher education, or 3) Passed the District’s paraprofessional assessment demonstrating knowledge of, and the ability to assist in, reading, writing, an mathematics. Assistance to pass the paraprofessional assessment is available. To take the paraprofessional assessment, please contact dmoore@fernridge.k12.or.us.
Bus #1 was rear-ended on Hwy 126 at mile post 28.5 this afternoon. The bus driver was the only person on the school bus at the time of the accident. Emergency personnel responded to the accident. There were no injuries. The driver of the other vehicle was cited by law enforcement personnel.