Message from Superintendent Parker February 17, 2023

Dear FGSD Families,

Last week I shared some important information regarding the critical nature of student attendance and the impact it can have on a student’s academic performance. In today’s message I will continue to share important information on this topic. 

Below you will find an image that shows the overall district attendance rates from September 6, 2022 to February 2, 2023. From this chart, we can see that 62% of students, across grade levels, have greater than 90% attendance. When a student has less than 90% attendance, the district considers that student “chronically absent.” Currently, this means that 38% of our students are chronically absent and are missing critical instruction in the classroom which leads to lower student achievement. While these percentages vary slightly from grade level to grade level, they remain fairly consistent.

This is one of the reasons that we are increasing our emphasis on the importance of regular attendance. We want our students to be at school as much as possible in order to learn. When a student is gone they miss out on critical instruction they need.  As was mentioned in my last newsletter, attendance positively relates to student success.

We need your help in improving the attendance of our students. We view this as an important partnership that can help our students find success in school and in life. As we work together to emphasize the importance of regular attendance, we know we can increase the academic performance and accomplishments of all our students. 

Below you will find several basic, helpful tips that may help to encourage your students to regularly attend school. We understand that each student’s circumstance is unique and that you know your student the best.   

• For younger children, set a regular bedtime and morning routine. They need 9

to 11 hours of sleep.

• It helps to lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
• For older children, help set homework and bedtime routines that allow for 8.5

to 9.5 hours of sleep. Make sure that when the lights go out, so do the cell

phones, video games and computers. Consider keeping technology in another

room at night.

• Get to know the teachers and administrators. With younger children,

introduce your child to teachers before school starts and keep in touch with

the teachers. For older students, school officials can help you stay on top of

academic progress and social contacts to make sure your child is staying on

track.

• Set clear guidelines. Show that attendance matters to you and that you won’t

allow an absence unless someone is truly sick.

Finding a Sense of Belonging

On Thursday, February 23rd join us to explore the impacts of social media, gangs, and drugs on teens and tweens. This parent seminar will be held at Neil Armstrong Middle School (1777 Mountain View Lane, Forest Grove) at 5 pm to 8 pm. Dinner and childcare will be provided. This will be an opportunity to learn more about what your students are facing and get connected with school and community resources. All district families are welcome to attend. 

Bond Oversight Committee 

FGSD is actively looking for applicants to apply for the Bond Oversight Committee. All meetings of the committee will be open to the public. The Committee will convene quarterly or as needed to review the progress of the Forest Grove School District Bond Measure 34-320. 

The Committee will be composed of Board members, up to 10 community members and two high school students. Applications for membership need to be submitted by February 20, 2023. Community members with experience in construction, finance, auditing, public budgeting, banking and general business are highly encouraged to apply. Members of the committee will be appointed by the School Board at their regularly scheduled meeting on February 27, 2023.

For more information and to complete an application please visit the district website. 

Sports Physicals

We're reserving the entire day February 20 for sports physicals at the school-based health center. This is a no-school day, so perfect for kids who are needing their sports physical for spring sports! We also have lots of availability throughout the week for students who rely on buses for transportation. Appointments are preferred, but we do our best to accommodate walk-ins.    

New this year! Sports physicals are at no cost to the student! We have received grant funds to cover the out-of-pocket costs for our students. Any student in the Forest Grove, Banks, and Gaston school districts have access to these sports physicals. 

To make an appointment, students can come by the health center or call 503-359-4057. We are open from 8am - 4:30pm Monday through Friday, closed 12-12:30 pm for lunch. Students aged 15 and above can be seen on their own without a parent/guardian present.

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Estimadas familias de FGSD,

La semana pasada compartí con ustedes alguna información muy importante sobre la naturaleza crítica de la asistencia de los estudiantes a clase y el impacto que puede tener en el rendimiento académico de un estudiante. En el mensaje de hoy seguiré compartiendo información importante sobre este tema.

A continuación, encontrarán una imagen que muestra las tasas generales de asistencia del distrito desde el 6 de septiembre del 2022 hasta el 2 de febrero del 2023. En este gráfico, podemos ver que el 62 % de los estudiantes, en todos los grados, tienen más del 90 % de asistencia. Cuando un estudiante tiene menos del 90% de asistencia, el distrito considera que el estudiante está “crónicamente ausente". Actualmente, esto significa que el 38% de nuestros estudiantes están crónicamente ausentes y carecen de suficiente instrucción crítica en el salón de clases, lo que conduce a un rendimiento estudiantil más bajo. A pesar de que estos porcentajes varían ligeramente de un grado a otro, podemos decir que en general se mantienen bastante consistentes.

Distrito Escolar de Forest Grove 

Tasa de Asistencia

06/09/2022 - 02/02/2023