All School Photo for Sale

The all-school photo taken at Ash Street Field is on display in the school office and copies are available for sale. An 8 x 14 sells for $12, an 8 x 24 for $25.  You may order a copy of the photo in the office. Please make checks payable to Craig Huston Photography. Orders are due by 9 a.m., Tues., June 3rd.

 

 

 

Future of FGCS

Dear FGCS Families: It was good seeing some of you at our discussion on the future of FGCS at the city library last week. We covered a range of topics, from development of our high school program to homework to the importance of physical activity and the arts to our children's education.

For those of you who were unable to attend, I'm sending a link to a document I handed out at the meeting that covers most of the topics we discussed. http://www.fgcschool.org/documents/index.php (Find the FGCS Future Prospectus document under the Mission and Planning heading) .

If you're unable to access the link directly, please go to the Documents page at www.fgcschool.org or ask for a copy of the document in the office.

A couple of highlights:

Start Time: We have decided to begin the school day earlier next year to make it possible for our middle/high school students to participate in after-school sports and activities at other district schools. School will begin at 8 a.m. Release times will continue to be staggered: Level 1 will release at 2:15, Level 2 will release at 2:30, Level 3 (7th and 8th graders) will release at 2:45, and Level 4 (9th and 10th graders) will release at 2:45 as well. This was a difficult decision to make, recognizing that research shows that adolescents and teens need more sleep and might benefit from a later start. However, it is this same age group that has expressed interest in participating in district sports and activities, so we are trying to balance competing needs. We will assess the change over the next school year and, as always, welcome your feedback.

Homework: In response to feedback from parents, we are modifying our homework policy. Students, parents and teachers will work together to determine what homework students will be expected to complete.

Please feel free to contact me at v.gray@fgcschool.org or 503-359-4600 if you have any questions.

Vanessa

Correction

FGCS Theater Performance        

The performance is this Friday, May 30, at 7pm at Theater in the Grove, located at 2028 Pacific Avenue. 

 

 

 

FGCS News Items

Students Painting/Allergy Alert

Students will begin painting wooden silhouettes of their classroom birds the week of 5/26 as part of an outdoor art project being directed by our fabulous art teacher Teresa Perrin. Painting will take place during regularly scheduled art classes over two weeks' time.

Please make sure your students wear grubby clothes on the day they have art class (schedule below) because they will be painting with non-washable outdoor paint. Important Note: Students will be using latex paint - if your student has an allergy to latex that would preclude him/her from participating in the project, please notify the office and the student's classroom teacher immediately. Questions? Contact Karen at 503-359-4600 or k.torry@fgcschool.org.

Art Class Schedule

Monday - Veronica's Class

Tuesday - Sherry's Class

Wednesday - Rachel's Class & Level 3*

Thursday - Charlie's Class

Friday - Level 3*

John's and Megan's classes alternate art class on Wednesdays and Fridays - please contact John and Megan to verify art days for your students over the next two weeks.

Family-School Committee Meeting Weds., 5/28

Wednesday, May 28th, is the final Family-School Committee meeting for
this school year. We would like to invite you to meet in Rachel's
room for one hour, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

We will be discussing the development - for next year - of four
subcommittees. Some of these sub-groups will be helping with events
all year, but some are only for a couple of events.

We will be looking for adult family members to join at least one of
the folllowing subcommittees of the Family-School Committee: Family
Resources, Socials, Celebrations & Recognitions, and Classroom Support
(Room Parents, etc.). Each group will determine how often they need
to meet, how they will communicate, who will report back to the
Family-School Committee, and for which tasks they will be responsible.
Each group will have support from the general Family-School Committee
and staff members.

Please join this effort to develop our school community - hope to see you on Wednesday!

FGCS Theater Performance

You are cordially invited to a free theater performance presented by a group of our Level 2 and 3 students at 7 p.m. this Friday, May 3, at Theater in the Grove, located at 2028 Pacific Avenue. These students have been participating in an after-school theater class led by Jeanna Van Dyke, director of the TITG School of Theater Arts. Please note: The performance is a series of monologues and vignettes dealing with bullying, rumors and other issues in the lives of adolescents and teens, so may not be suitable for for younger children.

Update Items

Lost & Found: Like Himalayan blackberries or dandelions, no matter how much we try to get rid of it, the Lost & Found pile keeps coming back. Please stop by the foyer on the main floor this week to check for those missing jackets, sweaters, sweatshirts, jackets and miscellaneous items. Anything unclaimed will be donated to our Out & About closet or a local clothes closet serving disadvantaged families. Questions? Contact Karen at 503-359-4600 or k.torry at fgcschool.org.

P.S. One good way to help you student avoid losing jackets, etc., is to label them with his/her name - that way I can return the item to the right person.

Spirit Day: This Friday, May 23rd, is Spirit Day and this month's theme, selected by staff, is Hangin' at the Beach. In Oregon, we're more likely to wear fleece jackets than bikinis at the beach but please make sure your student knows that whatever they wear should be 'school appropriate,' meaning that outfits shouldn't expose a lot of skin and should be something the student can comfortably wear to the library for All School Meeting. Contact Karen at 503-359-4600 or k.torry at fgcschool.org with questions.

Book Fair Volunteers Needed

The Scholastics Buy 1-Get 1 Free Book Fair is coming to FGCS next week. Volunteers are needed Tuesday through Friday to set up the fair, sell books and pack up again at the end of the event. Volunteer sign-up sheets are posted in the west hallway (where students enter in the morning). Questions? Contact Shannon Carskadon at shannon_carskadon at msn.com.

Volunteers Needed for Outdoor Art Project

Dear FGCS families and friends:

Teresa, our art teacher, is heading up an ambitious outdoor art project with our students and she needs your help. The project entails creating wood silhouettes (one for each student!) of the six birds for which our classrooms are named: barn swallows, tree swallows, peregrine falcons, kestrels, great horned owls and barn owls. The silhouettes will be painted by students and mounted on the fence surrounding our play yard.

Here's what Teresa needs:

1. Volunteers who own and know how to use scroll saws to help cut out the silhouettes (Teresa has templates to make cutting the shapes easier).

2. Donations of colorful outdoor paint (preferably low- or no-VOC) for students to paint the wood silhouettes.

3. Volunteers to help install the silhouettes on the fence, probably during the last week of school.

Please email Teresa at t.perrin at fgcschool.org or call to leave a message for her at 503-359-4600. Thanks for your help!