Principal's Newsletter
Sam Barlow High School ~ January 2022
Sam Barlow High School
Website: https://www.gresham.k12.or.us/sbhs
Location: 5105 SE 302nd Ave, Gresham, OR, United States
Phone: (503) 258-4850
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sam-Barlow-High-School/106146596083423
Twitter: @BarlowPride
FROM PRINCIPAL BRUCE C. SCHMIDT, JR.
I wanted to take this time to wish you all a happy 2022! I hope the holiday season gave you the opportunity to enjoy friends and family and to give the most important gift of all, time spent together.
Over the next few weeks, students will be completing first semester work while preparing for final exams in each of their classes. Please be sure to access ParentVue in order to monitor your student’s progress, as well as touching base with them to see how they feel about the end of the semester. Final exams will be taking place the week of January 24th, with no school on Friday, January 28th, as teachers will be entering and submitting semester grades. We have included the schedule for final exams in this newsletter so please be sure to make note of this adjustment. We realize that this time presents some challenges with the increase in case rates of Covid, so staff will be working with students individually as needed to support them if they should be quarantined or ill.
Students are able to access their second semester schedules through StudentVue. We are working through some scheduling changes at this time so there may be minor changes in the final version of their second semester schedule. We will have this work done by January 21st. If schedule changes are needed, please see the section outlining the process within this newsletter.
On January 5th you received a communication from the Gresham Barlow School District regarding the potential for short term shifts to comprehensive distance learning if we face significant staffing challenges due to illness. I want to assure you that a move such as this will be a last resort and will not be made in relation to other schools. We will only move to a distance learning model if we are unable to staff Barlow in a safe manner. We are utilizing the "Test to Stay" and "Test to Return" protocols for students and adjusting our extra curricular programs to minimize the impacts of the Omicron variant. We want to ensure that we keep our doors open to kids as we know this is the best place for them and their education.
I am hopeful that you all have a great 2022 and Go Bruins!
SCHOOL CALENDAR REMINDERS
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day: No School on Monday January 17th
- Final Exam Week: Special Schedule January 24th thru January 27th
- Grading Day: No Students on Friday, January 28th
- Start of the Second Semester: Monday, January 31st
FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE
During the week of January 24th through January 27th Sam Barlow High School will be administering final exams using a special schedule. Each class is expected to either give a final exam or facilitate a culminating activity with their students. Students will be on a half day schedule taking two exams each day except Wednesday where they will only take a single exam. We encourage you to talk through this schedule with your student, discuss how they might structure their time to effectively study for their exams, and to inspire them to do their best. Sometimes there is a bit of anxiety around these exams, but we really want to have our students focus on putting in the work, organizing their time, and doing the best they can. With that in mind, we hope to coach our students through the process of preparing and taking an exam.
We fully understand that students are getting sick with the seasonal cold or flu or may be affected by the Covid virus. In either case, teachers will be working with students who are absent due to illness to get them caught up or worst case take a late exam. Please be sure to have your student communicate their needs directly to their teachers through email, or access materials on Canvas.
Please use the following links as needed:
SECOND SEMESTER SCHEDULE
At the start of each semester it is normal for small changes to occur with your student's schedule. We are continuing to make minor changes at this time and plan to have all schedules finalized by Friday, January 21st. Our primary goal, even if changes are needed, is to maintain yearlong core classes (Math, Science, Language Arts, Social Studies) with the same teacher for consistency and to retain elective courses that have been chosen by your student. All schedules can be seen by accessing either ParentVue or StudentVue accounts.
If a student is requesting a general schedule change, please complete this form: Class Change Request Form. You must be signed into your school Gmail account to access the form. Change requests will be addressed according to priority.
Please see of the following regarding schedule changes:
Our first priority is to serve students who have a missing period (hole) in their schedule.
Class changes will be made due to an error on our part related to the entry of course requests.
Schedule changes will be made to meet specific academic needs and/or to fulfill graduation requirements.
Some courses may not be available due to enrollment limitations and/or conflicts with other courses.
Changes to schedules will not be made simply to obtain a different teacher, rearrange class periods, or switch elective choices.
Thank you for your partnership in this process.
PARENT PICK UP AND DROP OFF
A major component of our construction project was to build a designated bus loop that removes them from our main parking lot. This feature will significantly improve traffic flow for student pick-up and drop-off. While we always encourage students to take the bus to school, we also understand that there are times when students must be dropped off or picked up from school.
The student pick-up and drop-off will be located in the Main Parking Lot. Please be sure to review the Parent Pick Up and Drop Off Diagram that outlines the process before you head to school. Understanding the procedures will be critical with respect to improving traffic flow. The more people who follow the procedures as detailed the better. Please follow the guidelines in the diagram and DO NOT cut through aisles in the lot as that poses a safety risk for student drivers and creates traffic jams in the lot. Thank you for your help and support.
TEST TO STAY and TEST TO RETURN
Over the course of the year many families have been affected by both a positive Covid case with their student or having to quarantine their student due to an exposure. For students who are fully vaccinated there has been no need to quarantine due to exposure, which has enabled them to continue to attend school without breaks. Fortunately we are now able to implement the use of Covid testing to either completely eliminate the need to quarantine OR to return sooner based on the type of exposure.
There are two protocols that will be used based on the manner in which your student has been exposed. Location matters. Please see details below:
- Test to Stay: This protocol is used when a student is exposed at school where masking and social distancing are being utilized. For example, in a classroom exposure (please note that this does not apply to athletics or activities where students are participating without masks). If a student is exposed, they will test two times within 3-7 days of exposure. If the test is negative, and they are not showing symptoms, they may Stay in school.
- Test to Return: This protocol is used when a student is exposed in the community or while participating in athletics or activities when the wearing of masks can't be guaranteed. In this case, the quarantine time can be reduced to 7 days (rather than 10). If the Covid tests show they are negative, and they are not showing symptoms, they may Return to school.
- Please see the Images Below for graphical descriptions.
The Test to Stay program will begin in the Gresham-Barlow Schools right after Winter Break and students must have a permission form on file to participate. If you would like your student to be eligible for the program, please turn in a signed permission form to the office. If the exposure occurs at school, testing will be provided at no charge to families. We are looking forward to maintaining access to in-person learning when Covid-19 exposures occur in our school!
COVID AND COLD AND FLU SEASON
As we enter the cold and flu season there is often confusion when determining the differences between a cold or the flu and Covid. If you have questions or concerns trying to tell the difference, please reference the infographic in this section. If that does not answer your questions, you can always contact our school nurse, Miriam Ward, at 503.258.3716 and she will work through your symptoms to help determine if your student needs to be tested for Covid or if they are suffering from a cold or the flu.
If you student is going to be absent, please do the following:
- Please call our Attendance line and excuse your child's absence.
- Teachers may have different late work and grading policies when students have excused or unexcused absences. It benefits your child to have the absence excused.
- If a student is staying home because they were in close contact of a positive COVID case, please call our office to report it. We will excuse the absences.
- If your child is sick and does not feel well enough to be at school, please encourage them to stay home.
- If you have any questions about whether or not your student should stay home, please call the school and we will connect you with our nurse.
KNOW YOUR SCHOOL
In order to connect with our school community, Principal Bruce Schmidt will be hosting a monthly parent meeting on the fourth Monday of each month. During this meeting, Mr. Schmidt will present on a variety of topics to inform participants of what is taking place at Barlow. These meetings are never "one way" as Mr. Schmidt will gather input from parents and guardians to help make the Barlow experience quality for all.
The meeting dates for the 2021-22 school year are: 1/24, 2/28, 3/28, 4/25, and 5/23. The meetings begin at 7:00pm and end at 8:30pm and will be conducted virtually through the use of Google Meets. Each month an invitation will be sent to you with an agenda via email outlining the topics for discussion along with the link to the Google Meet. We look forward to seeing you at the end of this month.
COLLEGE AND CAREER CENTER NEWSLETTER
Sam Barlow High School is home to an amazing College and Career Center. Patty Neuenschwander, our College Coordinator, is consistently finding ways to connect students with scholarship opportunities, hosting presentations from colleges and universities, and helping students with the college application process. LindaLee Frazier, our Career Coordinator, works to provide students with exposure to career opportunities by linking local businesses to classrooms, hosting presentations from business leaders, and connecting students to apprenticeship programs, the military, and local job options. These two work tirelessly to provide opportunities for your student.
Please see their newsletter for incredible details and current opportunities:
MAIN OFFICE FAQ'S
What are the office hours?
7:00am - 3:30pm daily
Closed on holidays and some inservice days
What is the main office number?
503-258-4850
Can I leave a message for my student?
Yes. If necessary, we can take messages from a parent or guardian only. Messages will not be delivered to class except in an emergency, but will be held in the office. Students are paged during designated paging times, and it is the student’s responsibility to pick up the note.
Can I bring a present or send flowers/balloons to a student?
We are unable to accept gifts, flowers/balloons for students. We will refuse all attempted deliveries.
Can I deliver coffee/specialty drinks to my student?
No. We will not accept any Dutch, Black Rock, Country Coffee, etc.
Can I have delivered Uber East, DoorDash, or other food delivery services to my student?
No. We will not be accept the delivery of these types of things from outside vendors, but we will accept a forgotten lunch or school items.
Additional questions?
Please call us! 503-258-4850
WHO CAN HELP?
If you have concerns about your child’s schedule or other issues, the following are the staff to contact. Email is a quick way to get answers to the questions you might have.
COUNSELORS
A-D Shae Morris morris62@gresham.k12.or.us
E-K Erin Boelow boelow@gresham.k12.or.us
L-Ra Oscar Rethwill rethwill@gresham.k12.or.us
Re-Z Molly Ninneman ninneman@gresham.k12.or.us
LICENSED SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER
Kimberly Louvin louvin@gresham.k12.or.us
HS SUCCESS COACH
Paul Quirke quirke@gresham.k12.or.us
ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST
Ryan Alexander alexander9@gresham.k12.or.us
ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS
A-G Celeste Pellicci pellicci@gresham.k12.or.us
H-O Jason Bhear bhear@gresham.k12.or.us
P-Z Kelly Hart hart29@gresham.k12.or.us