FGCS Updates

August 26, 2008

Dear FGCS Families:

The first day of school is less than two weeks away and
teachers and staff are busy preparing for the arrival of students on
Monday, September 8. We're writing to update you on the status of
building plans and to ask for your help in preparing for the new year.

Building Update – Level 3 and 4 parents, please take note: Plans for
placing modular classroom buildings for Levels 3 and 4 continues at a
fast pace - however, we hit a snag when the Planning Commission
delayed final approval of our city permit until Tuesday, Sept. 2.
Because of this delay, the 'mods' may not be ready for our first day
on Sept. 8, so we have secured temporary classrooms nearby at the
Forest Grove UCC Church and the Senior Center.
We are eager to have our entire community together on one campus and
so we aren't thrilled at the prospect of starting the year with some
of us in temporary spaces - please be assured that we are working very
hard to get everyone settled in their permanent school homes. We
expect to need these temporary spaces for a short period of time, if
at all, but parents should plan on delivering students to the
temporary locations for the first day of school. Teachers and staff
will work together to make sure students have a positive experience
whatever the physical location of their classrooms and staff. Thanks
for your understanding and patience. If you have any questions, please
contact Karen at 503-359-4600 or k.torry@fgcschool.org.
Here are the details about our short-term temporary spaces:
Level 3 students (7th/8th) will meet at the Forest Grove
Senior Center, 2037 Douglas St. To drop off students, turn onto
Douglas from Pacific Ave., drive past the senior center parking lot to
21st Ave. Teachers will be waiting to greet students at the building
doors on 21st Ave. starting at 8:35 a.m. Students will dismiss from
the center at 3:20 p.m.
Level 4 (9th/10th) students will meet at the Forest Grove UCC,
2032 College Way, across the street from Pacific University, just two
blocks from FGCS. To drop off students, take Main St. to 21st Ave.,
turn east on 21st Ave., then turn right on College Way. Teachers will
be waiting to greet students at the entrance on College Way starting
at 8:35 a.m. Students will dismiss from this location at 3:35 a.m.
We will keep you updated, so please check email regularly or
contact Karen Torry (503-359-4600 or k.torry@fgcschool.org) if you
have questions.

All Hands on Deck – FGCS needs help getting the building, grounds and
classrooms ready for the first day of school. Here are times and
ways that you can help:
Thurs., Aug. 28 and Fri., Aug. 29, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. We need
people to move classroom furniture (we have a freight elevator that
makes it easier), shelve books, pull weeds, pick up trash, take items
to the recycling center or Goodwill, and do miscellaneous other tasks.
Contact Karen Torry at 503-359-4600 or k.torry@fgcschool.org if you
can help – or just stop by.
Weds., Sept. 3 and Fri., Sept. 4, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Help art
teacher Teresa Perrin organize the art room. Call 503-359-4600 if
you'd like to let Teresa know you can help – or just show up. Electric
drills and hand tools (screwdrivers, wrenches, etc.) would be helpful.

Fri., Sept. 5 or Sat., Sept. 6 – Help parent volunteer David
Cebula get our computer lab ready for students. Please email Dave at
d.cebula@fgcschool.org to volunteer.

Pick up and Drop Off
Parents dropping off and picking up students have two options:
park and walk your student to school or use our school drive-through.

If you park nearby and walk: Please park on the street or in
one of the nearby free city lots. Please do not park in the bank or
other private business lots – your car may be towed.
If you drive through: For morning drop off, turn onto A Street
from Pacific Ave. or 19th Ave., stop at the designated spot and make
sure your student exits your car safely. Please note that there is no
supervision for students outside the school building before school
begins. Students must remain in the building once they enter, even if
class has not yet begun.
For afternoon pick up, please follow the same route. Teachers or staff
will usher students to cars. Please observe a one-way traffic flow and
do NOT attempt to pass other vehicles. If you have students dismissing
at different times, please arrive at the later time or park and walk
to pick up your student – this will minimize traffic backing up onto A
Street. Finally, please turn off your engine while you are waiting to
reduce emissions.
Questions? Contact Karen at 503-359-4600 or k.torry@fgcschool.org. A
traffic flow and parking mat will be included in the Student-Family
Handbook you'll soon receive and will be posted at our web site.

Reminders
 High school students and their parents are invited to meet
teachers and discuss personalized learning plans on Tues., Sept. 2 or
Weds., Sept. 3 from 7-8:30 p.m. at school. Please come and meet our
high school team and talk about plans for the coming year. Teachers of
students in Levels 1-3 will contact parents for family visits.
 School supplies lists are posted on our web site at
www.fgcschool.org

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Fwd: FGCS News & Updates

From: Forest Grove Community School <Forest_Grove_Community_School@mail.vresp.com>
Date: Tue, Aug 19, 2008 at 10:02 AM
Subject: FGCS News & Updates

August 14, 2008


Dear FGCS Families:

We are sorry for the delay in getting this newsletter to you. Sending
messages to our large all-school email list has proven problematic. We
are trying to solve the problem but, at this point, we are unable to
send attachments to the whole list - for that reason, school supplies
and class lists are NOT attached here. Supplies lists will be posted
on our web site at www.fgcschool.org as soon as possible, copies will
be available at school OR you can email Karen at k.torry@fgcschool.org
for an individually emailed copy. Class lists will be posted at school
OR you can call the school office at 503-359-4600 to ask about your
student's placement. Thanks for your patience and understanding as we
deal with these 'technical difficulties.'

Onto the news and updates …

Family Visits: Remember that the first week of September is devoted to
family visits – classroom teachers will contact you to schedule a time
and place to meet. If you no longer plan to enroll your student at
FGCS (or if you don't wish to receive this newsletter), please notify
the office immediately at 503-359-4600 or v.gray@fgcschool.org.    We
have waiting lists for most ages and need to notify families of
openings as soon as possible. When you call or write, please provide
your student's name, your name and your email address so we can take
you off the mailing list.

 School Supplies: Many of you have let us know you're eager to take
advantage of back-to-school sales.  Please note that the lists are
specific to level. As you do your shopping, we encourage you to keep
in mind our school mission of stewardship. There are many 'green'
options available for many of your purchases, from notebooks
containing 100% recycled papers to 'tree-free' paper and pencils to
canvas (rather than PVC-containing vinyl) lunch bags. Sometimes (but
not always) these items cost more but, if possible, we ask you to
consider making a more sustainable purchase. Here are links to just a
couple of online resources (if you Google 'green school supplies,'
you'll get 2 million hits!):
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?ForestGroveCommunity/ff292ad7fc/5d8f77155b/3b088a8244

http://cts.vresp.com/c/?ForestGroveCommunity/ff292ad7fc/5d8f77155b/7d73d0ac5b



Back-to-School Picnic  4-6 p.m. Sunday, August 24th at Lincoln Park
pavilions 1 and 2:  Let's come together as a school community – visit
with old friends, make new ones and find out more about plans for the
school year.  Please bring an entrée and salad or dessert to share –
we encourage you to take advantage of our local bounty with food from
your garden or local farmers markets if you can. Bring your own table
service (plates, cups, utensils, napkins) and a picnic blanket or
chairs. Frisbees, soccer balls and other outdoors toys would be
welcome! Iced tea and lemonade will be provided. We'll have
information about student clubs and after-school classes, as well as
volunteer opportunities at school. If you'd like to help with set up
or clean up, please contact Donna Van Dyke at d.vandyke@fgcschool.org
or 503-359-4600.

Building Update: Work continues to secure two modular classroom
buildings for our middle/high school classes. We hope and plan to have
these classrooms ready by the first day of school but have secured
temporary classrooms in local churches as a back-up plan that we hope
not to need. We will update you as more information becomes available.
If you have questions, please contact Karen Torry at
k.torry@fgcschool.org or 503-359-4600.

Schedule/Early Release Fridays  - School will start at 8:50 a.m. for
all students. Level 1 students will be released Monday through
Thursday at 3:05 p.m., Levels 2 and 3 at 3:20 p.m. and Level 4 at 3:35
p.m. Please plan to pick up your student promptly at the release time;
if you are delayed for any reason, please call the office as soon as
possible. All students are released at 1:05 p.m. on Fridays.

No Lunch on Fridays: We are trying something different this year to
preserve more of our early-release Fridays for learning activities.
Rather than providing a full lunch period, we will provide a short
snack time in the morning. Please plan to send your student a healthy,
filling snack rather than a full lunch – good options include cheese,
fresh fruit and nuts.

Calendar: An eagle-eyed parent alerted us that there was an error in
the school year calendar we sent earlier this summer. The days off
circled on the calendar were all correct but the wrong dates were
listed below in one or two places. A corrected calendar has been
posted on our web site at www.fgcschool.org. Again, please note that
our calendar varies slightly from the District calendar – please
always refer to our web site for our schedule.

"Dress for Success"- At FGCS, that term means coming to school ready
for work and play that is active, often outdoors and may involve
getting wet or dirty. Student dress should be casual and comfortable.
Waterproof or water-resistant walking shoes or boots are ideal in many
settings, particularly for Out & Abouts. Students should always bring
a waterproof or water-resistant jacket to school (even if it's sunny
in the morning) because we go outside for recess and Out & About rain
or shine (OK, we might stay in if it's a torrential downpour and
definitely if there's thunder or lightening). We do keep a supply of
back-up gear on hand, but students who come to school without clothing
or footwear appropriate for the weather or activity may have to miss
out if we don't have the right item or size that day. We do not yet
have room for students to keep boots and jackets at school but
students are welcome to store these items in their backpacks in case
they are needed.

Calling All Volunteers – FGCS depends on the involvement of family and
community members to thrive. There are many opportunities to volunteer
– from supervising recess and chaperoning Out & Abouts to serving on
our technology committee or board of directors. We have a pressing
need between now and September 8th for help setting up classrooms and
getting our school buildings ready by September 8th – this could
involve moving furniture, installing shelves, clean up and
organization. To help with these tasks, please contact Karen Torry at
k.torry@fgcschool.org or 503-359-4600.