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 Dear FGCS Families and Friends –
I'm happy to report that plans for developing our play yard are finally moving forward! Thanks to grant money and generous donations from many of you, our students will see some exciting changes when they return to school in September. You can get a sneak peek at what we have planned by following the link on the home page of our web site at www.fgcschool.org.
You may already have heard from your students about the play deck that has been installed under the magnolia tree. The deck has already become a very popular place to play quietly and hang out in the shade. We've also planted three blaze maple trees in the south end of the yard. These are fast-growing trees that will provide much-needed shade, create a more natural feel in the yard and display beautiful fall colors. A water line with a spigot has been installed to make it easier to water the trees and other plantings that will go in this fall.
Over the summer, we will install monkey bars, a tether ball set and a variety of freestanding equipment for climbing, jumping and otherwise burning off energy. Mosaic paving stones created by Level 3 students will be laid inside the entry gate, with benches in the play yard and picnic tables in the outdoor classroom area near the Level 3 modular building. We've taken care to leave plenty of open space for soccer, kick ball and running around - all popular recess pastimes with our students - and plan to set up two basketball hoops on the hard surface behind the main building.
Some of you may be wondering what became of the play yard design created for us last year by the Portland-based Communitecture firm. That conceptual design was based on student, staff and family input collected at public meetings, with students voting on their favorite elements. Unfortunately, play yard plans had to be put on hold last summer while we devoted time and money to acquiring new classroom space to accommodate our growing student population. We got back on track this spring when Level 3 students began working with Steve O'Day to develop a detailed site plan that included suggestions for play equipment and other features that we could purchase or build. Some student favorites had to be abandoned for safety or other reasons; other features, such as the beautiful tree house climbing structure, are still goals, but will require additional fundraising and city building permits. Our play yard will continue to be a work in progress, but we'll be off to a great start in September.
We're all excited about creating a safe, beautiful place for our students to play. Thanks to all of you for your patience as we've worked on this challenging project.
All the best,
Karen Torry, director of school operations
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Forest Grove Community School
1914 Pacific Ave.
Forest Grove, OR 97116
503-359-4600;503-359-4622(fax)
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