Oregon City School District

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The students of the Oregon City Learning Service Academy participated in a Make A Difference Day event on October 25, 2008. In partnership with the Oregon City Parks and Recreation Department and Clackamas Volunteer Connection, over 30 students and volunteers met at the Clackamas River, cleared invasive brush (English Ivy) and planted 30 evergreen seedlings at the town's Clackamas River Bike Path. The project was designed and carried out by Adam Paltrineri's 9th grade Advisory class at OCSLA.

Using service learning as the instructional model OCSLA students studied invasive species and their effects on the Oregon environment prior to actually performing the community service. Follow up lessons were taught after the project was completed.

The project accomplished a number of goals. First was the replacing of invasive plants with native species. The project also provided erosion control on the banks of the Clackamas River through the new trees planted. Finally, the volunteers helped block the view of the Tri-Cities Waste Treatment plant from across the river.

Sixteen OCSLA freshmen and their families, as well as a dozen volunteers from Northwest Service Corps and Milwaukie First Presbyterian Church turned out on a beautiful Saturday morning for a day of service. This project took place on Make a Difference Day, a nation-wide day of service for volunteer groups.

For questions or comments please contact Melanie Marrone, Principal, Oregon City Service Learning Academy, 503-785-8443

The Oregon Food Bank, (OFB) is a non-profit, charitable organization. OFB recovers food from farmers, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, individuals and government sources. It then delivers that food to 20 regional food banks. OFB also works to eliminate the root cause of hunger through advocacy, nutrition education, learning gardens and public education.

Gardiner Middle School students and parent volunteers have the opportunity to help others by volunteering at the Oregon Food Bank. Five dates were set up for our students to volunteer at the Oregon Food Bank during the 2008-2009 school year. We have completed our first volunteer experience and are looking forward to the remaining opportunities to help others.

Permission slips were signed, we met at 8:15 to get on the bus and travel to The Oregon Food Bank that is located in Northeast Portland. When we arrived we were told our task for the day was to package carrots, weigh them so that they were in five pound bags, and then place them in a large crate. After putting on hair nets, aprons, and washing our hands, our group was ready to work. The students and adult volunteers worked for two and a half hours packing carrots. While we were working we also had time to talk about what we were doing and the impact it would have on others. There was also much laughter and fun as we packaged the carrots that came in a surprising series of sizes and shapes. We also toured the Oregon Food Bank Warehouse and were amazed at how many empty shelves there were. We also saw the food that still needed to be packaged by future volunteers. At the end of our time at The Oregon Food Bank we packaged 4100 pounds of carrots, providing meals for 3154 families, which was an average of 78 meals per volunteer! We left feeling tired but energized by what we had accomplished to help others.

Gardiner Middle School parents please note we will be going 4 more times (November 4th 2008, February 3rd 2009, March 3rd 2009, April 7th 2009) if you would like to help volunteer. For general and/or volunteer information please contact Dianne Shewbert 503-785-8170

Information shared at Monday night's school board meeting indicates that the Oregon City School District could be facing major budget shortfalls for the next two school years.

"As with a lot of people right now we're having to tighten our belt," says Superintendent Roger Rada. "With enrollment down and the increased cost of doing business, we have some tough decisions to make."

The state allocates funding on a per student basis and with current enrollment declines for the district those dollars add up quickly. For example, this year's enrollment is 62 fewer students than expected resulting in a loss of $372,000 in state funding. Over the last four years the district has lost nearly $3.6 million in revenue due to declining enrollment. Add to the equation increased expenditures due to rising utility costs and the cost of maintaining aging facilities as well as an economy in recession and you quickly have a significant financial challenge.

"The projections are not best-case or worst-case scenarios," Rada says. "They're conservatively realistic." Rada is quick to note that the district is fortunate to have a business manager who's been with the district for more than twenty years and has a great understanding of the district's financial history and Oregon school finance. "As we prepare to make some difficult decisions it's good to know we have someone of Wes Rogers' expertise to support our decision-making process."

The district began to feel the financial pinch last year when it made reductions to its budget and used one-time sources of revenue that together added up to a nearly $2.2 million impact on its budget. The district is out of one-time revenues and may need to make reductions of nearly $5 million in next year's budget in order to get ahead of the financial downturn.

The district's budget committee will begin meeting in January with public information and input sessions slated for February. The School Board typically adopts the final budget in May.

For more information, visit http://www.orecity.k12.or.us/school_board

Oregon law requires the following shots for school and child care attendance*

A child entering Preschool, Child Care, or Head Start needs:

• 4 Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis (DTaP)
• 3 Polio
• 1 Varicella (chickenpox)
• 1 Measles/Mumps/Rubella (MMR)
• 3 Hepatitis B
• 2 Hepatitis A—New Requirement!!
• 3 or 4 Hib

A child entering Kindergarten needs:

• 5 Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis (DTaP)
• 4 Polio
• 1 Varicella (chickenpox)
• 2 Measles
• 1 Mumps
• 1 Rubella
• 3 Hepatitis B
• 2 Hepatitis A—New Requirement!!

A student entering Grade 1-6 or Grade 8-12 needs:

• 5 Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis (DTaP)
• 4 Polio
• 1 Varicella (chickenpox)
• 2 Measles
• 1 Mumps
• 1 Rubella
• 3 Hepatitis B

A student entering 7th Grade needs:

• 5 Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis (DTaP)
• 1 Tdap—New Requirement!!
• 4 Polio
• 1 Varicella (chickenpox)
• 2 Measles
• 1 Mumps
• 1 Rubella
• 3 Hepatitis B

* Doses required varies by a child’s age and how long ago they were vaccinated. Please check with your child’s school or healthcare provider for details.

If you have any questions you can call your child’s doctor, school or district health services.

Download a printable Immunization flyer (PDF)

Scott Curtis, 39, has been named the new principal of Beavercreek Elementary School. Curtis comes to Beavercreek from St. Helens Middle School, where he was principal. Prior to that he was the assistant principal at McBride Elementary School in St. Helens. He has taught science, math and physical education at several schools in Oregon and California and was a youth pastor at Northside Community Church in Newberg. He earned a BS in physical education teaching from George Fox University in 1991 and returned there for his MAT in elementary education which he earned in 1994. He and his wife are the proud parents of three.

"I'm really looking forward to getting to know the families of Beavercreek and continuing the great work that was being accomplished under (retiring principal) Roberta's (Stennick's) leadership" Curtis says.

Thank you to local businesses for their support!!

This year's classes were held at the Jackson Campus and included trainings on Playground Hazard Assessment, General Hazard Assessment, First Aid/CPR, Fall Protection, Confined Space, Asbestos Awareness, Lockout/Tagout, Hazard Communication, Blood borne Pathogens, HVAC Systems, Floor Cleaning and Floor Waxing. There was also a customer service class presented by Clackamas Community College. The custodial training classes this year were a great success, with help from some very generous donations from the following local businesses.

Mazatlan Restaurant - Oregon City
Haggens - Oregon City
The Grocery Outlet - Oregon City
Shari's Restaurant - Oregon City
Subway - Oregon City
The Olive Garden - Clackamas
Winchell's - Gladstone
Sodexho - School Nutrition Services Program

Thank you to everyone who helped make our training classes a success!!