Superintendent Parker's Message -- Oct. 29, 2021

Dear FGSD Families,

After last week's K-8 parent conferences, we received great feedback. Teachers and principals expressed how wonderful it was to meet with students and parents to review how students are doing. We sincerely appreciate your partnership as together we strive to provide our students with the learning and resources they need to succeed. Parent involvement is an absolute critical part of meeting the needs of our students. Thank you. 

Conferences for grades 9-12 will be held next week (November 3-5) with no school for 9-12 students on November 5th. 

With the rainy, fall weather that we have been experiencing as of late, now is the time to review the district’s inclement weather policies. Last year with students in CDL, we had minimal interruptions to our regular schedule. However, with students back in the buildings we will return to our regular protocols. Please take a minute to review the information below on how the district will communicate inclement weather updates. 

Inclement Weather 

During hazardous winter weather conditions, Forest Grove School District administrators drive roads and make decisions on safety of bus travel by 5:00 a.m.  Please keep in mind that weather and road conditions can change between the time the roads have been checked and when students are picked up.

Our district covers approximately 200 square miles. Within this area we have about five different weather zones.  We may have a road problem in one area and not in others.  We have identified roads within specific areas that historically have been affected during snow and ice conditions. Our snow routes include only those buses necessary for valid safety concerns.  You will be receiving a snow route chart via U.S. mail in the next few weeks.  Please review the chart to see if your student’s bus route is affected.  If snow routes are in effect, the district will announce “Full Snow Routes”. When weather conditions affect some bus routes and not others, the district will announce those specific snow routes.

In case of severe weather, school could be cancelled for the day or there could be a two-hour delayed start.  With a delayed start, buses pick up students two hours later than the normal time and school starts two hours later than usual.  School ends at the regular time.

When severe weather conditions are expected, please check the district website (www.fgsdk12.org) or listen to the radio or TV for school closure on bus route announcements.  The announcements usually start at 5:30 a.m.  You can also sign up for email notifications through Flash Alert (http://flashalert.net/news.html?id=105).  The district office will also post a recorded phone message announcing closures and bus route information (call 503-357-6171).

Additionally, there are several important items below, including our girls and boys soccer teams hosting first round playoff games. Please be sure to read through these important announcements. 

Have a great weekend,

Dave Parker

Superintendent 

Important Information 

FGHS Girls & Boys Soccer

CONGRATULATIONS! Varsity Boys & Girls Soccer teams for making it to the 6A State PLAYOFFS!  Forest Grove High School will be hosting the first round of playoffs THIS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30th at Dick Hendricks Stadium. 

The OSAA State playoffs are 100% digital ticketing.  There will be no physical credit card or cash transactions the day of the event at the high school.  All Digital tickets may be purchased up until game time through the HomeTown Ticketing on the OSAA website, www.osaa.org/shop/tickets, or through the OSAA Live Mobile App, www.osaa.org/app. Have your QR code ready for scanning at the entry gate, on your phone or paper copy.

There will be no free or discounted entry for students with ASB stickers or Senior Citizens.  If you wish to attend both games, you will need to purchase tickets for both.

Here is the game schedule you will select when purchasing your tickets:

SOCCER – GIRLS SOCCER – 6A – Forest Grove vs. West Salem 1pm - Adult General Admission $8/Student General Admission $5

SOCCER – BOYS SOCCER – 6A – Forest Grove vs. Southridge 4pm Adult General Admission $8/Student General Admission $5

Gates will open 1 hour before game time. Per OSAA and district policies, masks are required. 

Hey all you Viking Fans - Who is the top defender in Oregon high school boys soccer? If you would like to show your support for FGHS senior Jose Diaz you can follow this link to vote.  Jose is a three sport athlete, a great teammate in soccer, track and wrestling and an amazing young man. Voting closes November 5th.

Upcoming We Care Deeply Parent and Caregiver Events

The FGSD We Care Deeply series consists of free parent and caregiver education opportunities throughout the school year. Events will focus on student resilience and caregiver empowerment in supporting their students behavioral health and wellness. Upcoming events in November and December include PAX Tools for elementary parents and caregivers, and QPR suicide prevention training. Further information, including registration details, can be found here.

FGHS Veterans Day Project

Due to the current social distancing requirements, the high school is unable to host a Veterans Day assembly to honor those who have served in the Armed Forces. However, as a reminder, they are creating a video to commemorate veterans within our community. We will be sure to share a link to the video when it is finished.

Food Pantries

The FGHS Food Pantry is open on Mondays from 4-5:30pm. It is in its new location in front of the school by the Basinski Center. Additionally, there is a weekly food pantry located at NAMS each Friday at 3:45pm - 5:45pm.

COVID-19 Dashboard

The district is tracking the number of positive cases we have throughout the district. This is a real time compilation of all of the cases districtwide broken down by building. This list is updated every Friday. 

Ralph is still missing - please continue to keep a lookout for him.