Lisa Leatham, Principal
A huge thank you to all the community volunteers who came out Saturday to get the ball fields at Veneta Elementary ready for play. Donations of trucking, excavation work, dirt, and much more made this a VERY successful day.
Big thanks to JT Excavation, Delta Sand and Gravel, Alan Jeffers Trucking, B&R Sheet Metal, TSP, PALS, lots of parents, and some very helpful kids for making this day happen!
As many FRSD families may have heard by now, the U.S. Department of Education recently denied the Oregon Department of Education’s request for a waiver of summative testing for the 2020-2021 school year. Due to this decision, the Fern Ridge School District is currently beginning the process of readying our staff and students for state assessments.
ODE’s window for state assessments is April 13-June 11, however, each individual school will set their own testing dates within that window. Due to the nature of this school year, ODE has shortened the blueprint and the time each assessment takes, as well as reducing the number of required assessments at each grade level. The table of required assessments, optional assessments, and approximate test time frame is below. All students will have the opportunity to take all available grade level assessments.
If families do not want their child(ren) to participate in state assessments this year, the link to opt-out of the Math and ELA assessments is below. Please fill out and return to your child’s school as soon as possible. They will be accepted until the day before testing begins (dates vary by school). Science has a separate student exemption procedure. See note below for an explanation of that process. If you are not opting your child out, your child will participate in the required (not optional) state testing with their grade level. If you wish for your child to participate in the optional assessment opportunity, please contact your child’s teacher and/or school.
Thank you for your continued support!
Oregon Department of Education Summative Assessment Administration Information:
| Grade Level | Required Administration (except students opted-out of ELA and/or Math per ORS 329.479 or exempted from Science per OAR 581-021-009) and Approximate Testing Time per ODE (Hrs: Min) | Additional (Optional) Assessment Opportunity and Approximate Testing Time per ODE (Hrs: Min) |
| 3 | English Language Arts (ELA) (1:10) | Mathematics (1:00) |
| 4 | Mathematics (1:00) | ELA (1:10) |
| 5 | Science (1:20) | Mathematics (1:00)ELA (1:10) |
| 6 | ELA (1:10) | Mathematics (1:05) |
| 7 | Mathematics (1:05)ELA (1:10) | N/A |
| 8 | Mathematics (1:05)Science (1:20) | ELA (1:10) |
| 11 | ELA (1:00)Mathematics (0:50) | Science (1:30) |
Opt-Out Link for ELA & Math Assessments:
https://www.fernridge.k12.or.us/?page_id=6919
If choosing to opt-out your child from state testing, please fill out and return to your child’s school before the start of the testing window (as designated by your child’s school).
Information on Exemption from Science Assessment from ODE’s Website:
Oregon Administrative Rule (OAR) 581-022-1910 allows school districts to excuse students from a state required program or learning activity, including state testing, to accommodate a student’s disabilities or religious beliefs. This rule governs exemption requests for the state tests in Science and Social Sciences, the English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA21), and the Kindergarten Assessment.
- Are there eligibility requirements? Yes. Parents may request exemptions under OAR 581-022-1910 based on the student’s disability or religion.
- What is the process for a parent to make this request? The authority to exempt students from state testing belongs to local school districts. In order for a school district to excuse a student from testing under Oregon law, the student’s parent or guardian must submit a written request to the school district listing the reasons for the exemption and proposing an alternative individualized learning activity for the student that meets the same goals that would be accomplished by participation in state testing. Appropriate school personnel must evaluate and approve the parent request.
Veneta Elementary School’s Kindergarten Information Night is Thursday, April 15th, from 6:00-7:00pm
We will be holding our information night in a virtual format this year, and we hope you’ll join us!
Our virtual meeting will provide you with all sorts of details about Veneta Elementary-from our curriculum, to our school schedule, to everything else you can expect when you enter our doors. We can’t wait for you to meet our kindergarten teachers and see their classrooms, as well as see videos from around our school. At the end of our night’s presentation we will have a Q & A with our kindergarten teachers: Ms. Bliven, Mrs. Connolly, and Mrs. Peirce. If you have any questions before or after the information night, feel free to call the VES office at 541-935-8225. We’d love to answer your questions and talk to you about our awesome school!
We’re looking forward to seeing you on April 15th at 6:00pm!
VES Kindergarten Information Night
Apr 15, 2021 06:00 PM
Join Zoom Meeting
https://fernridge-k12-or-us.zoom.us/j/81943748049?pwd=Y1RraEpVZWQrZkRORno1eVBZWFNVdz09
Meeting ID: 819 4374 8049
Passcode: 023661
Our VES picture day(s) will be Tuesday, March 30th, for A day students and Friday, April 2nd, for B day students. Options students also have an opportunity each day to get pictures taken. Options student times are: Tuesday, March 30th, from 8:30-9:00am and Friday, April 2, from 11:00-11:30am. Come to the office and we’ll get you taken care of!
Picture packets are going home this week with in-person students. If you’d like to order online before picture day you may do so at:
https://my.lifetouch.com/mylifetouch/#/
Picture Day ID: EVT2G324X
Veneta Elementary will be holding a Family Reading Night next Tuesday, March 16th, from 5:30pm-6:45pm to celebrate National Reading Month.
The night will start with a parent session (kids are welcome, too!) hosted by our own first grade teacher, Angie Pebworth. Angie will be presenting on how children learn to read, from emerging kindergarten readers to our older grade level readers. Following Angie’s presentation, Caitlin McMahan, the Youth Services Coordinator at the Fern Ridge Public Library, will share a short presentation for parents and students about all the great things happening at the library. Following Caitlin, staff members will be reading their favorite books. A book giveaway will end the night. Come join us for the whole evening, or just the session you’re interested in. The times will be as follows:
5:30-6:00pm: Parent Session (kids are welcome to listen also!) with Angie Pebworth
6:00-6:15pm: Student and Parent Session with Caitlin McMahan, Youth Services Coordinator at the Fern Ridge Library
6:15-6:45pm: Student Session (parents are welcome to listen also!) with staff members reading their favorite books
6:45pm: Book Giveaway!
Family Reading Night Zoom
Time: Mar 16, 2021 05:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://fernridge-k12-or-us.zoom.us/j/83014582729?pwd=eXowZ0l4Vlp4NmlsQVJBN3Y1TGV2dz09
Meeting ID: 830 1458 2729
Passcode: 732847
Starting Monday, March 8th, FRSD’s food service will begin offering an additional weekly meal pick-up option.
Families with students who have returned to in-person learning are able to order an Add-On Meal Kit which will supplement the hot lunches our students are able to receive during their in-school days.
Each meal kits include 5 breakfasts & 3 cold lunches. We hope this will help to alleviate some of the logistical concerns for families’ meal options on their student’s non-school days.
If you’re interested in an Add-On Meal Kit for your family, please email Food Service Director, Alan Fullerton at afullerton@fernridge.k12.or.us and include your last name, how many kits you would like to order and if your student(s) are on an A or B day schedule.
These Add-On Meal Kits will be available for pick up during our normal weekly pick-up time in the back EHS parking lot on Monday evenings from 5-6pm.
To minimize waste, we will only be producing as many of these kits as are pre-ordered so please be sure to reach out if you would like to participate!
We have two special days this week!
CATCH Day is Wednesday, March 3rd, for B day and Thursday, March 4th for A day. Wear athletic gear because Mr Greene is taking everyone out to the track to run!
In addition, our Cougar Spirit Day is scheduled for Thursday, March 4th, for A day and Friday, March 5th, for B day. Wear purple OR your VES gear!
Apologies to A day students who have both special days on Thursday! Feel free to wear your CATCH gear OR your purple VES gear! I promise we’ll think that out better next time. 🙂