Wolverine News
January 10, 2022
West Orient Middle School
Website: gresham.k12.or.us/woms
Location: 29805 Southeast Orient Drive, Gresham, OR, USA
Phone: (503) 663-3323
Twitter: @WOMSwolverines
Dear Families,
Please take a moment to review the new articles this week on immunizations and girls basketball.
Here's a look at important dates in the month of January:
- January 4: PTC Meeting, 6:30 PM, Virtual. (Link will be shared on our school website)
- January 17: Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School
- January 27: Trimester 2: Midterm
- January 28: Teacher Meeting & Grading Day - No School
If you ever have any questions or concerns, I can be reached via email at catanese@gresham.k12.or.us or via phone at 503-663-3323.
Go Wolverines!
Ms. Elise Catanese
Principal
Wolverines are EPIC (Engaged, Persistent, Intentional, Career & College Ready)
Immunization Exclusion Day
Immunization Exclusion Day is February 16th, 2022. Your student(s) should be up to date with any of their required vaccinations to remain in school by February 16th.
If your child has recently received their vaccinations, or if you would like to check the status on your child's vaccination record, you can email Tamara Cochran @ cochran20@gresham.k12.or.us or feel free to contact the office at (503) 663-3323.
Here are some available School Based Health Clinics.
Girls Basketball Starting Soon
If your 7th or 8th grade student would like to participate, they will need complete the Out of School time form and have a current sports physical on file. Forms are attached below. Doctors/physicians may use their own physical form in place of the GBSD Physical Form.
OST (Out of School Time) Form - English
OST (Out of School Time) Form - Spanish
Homework Club
Homework Club is back this week on Tuesday, January 11 and Thursday, January 13.
To participate, students/parent must complete an OST (Out of School Time) form. Please complete and return to the office as soon as possible!
OST (Out of School Time) Form - English
OST (Out of School Time) Form - Spanish
Please call the school office if you have any questions, 503-663-3323.
Keeping Students in School Safely
Test to Stay and Test to Return Programs
With low in-school transmission of COVID-19, the Gresham-Barlow School District has been exploring ways to maximize access to in-person learning while continuing to keep our COVID-19 numbers low. Beginning in January, we will start a Test to Stay and Test to Return Program so students exposed to COVID-19 can stay in school safely. Learn More About these Programs
Spanish
Mantener a los estudiantes en la escuela de manera segura:
Programas de Prueba para permanecer y Prueba para regresar
Con baja transmisión de COVID-19 en la escuela, el Distrito Escolar de Gresham-Barlow ha estado explorando formas de maximizar el acceso al aprendizaje en persona sin dejar de mantener bajos nuestros números de COVID-19. A partir de enero, comenzaremos a utilizar un Programa de Prueba para permanecer y Prueba para regresar para que los estudiantes expuestos al COVID-19 puedan permanecer en la escuela de manera segura.
Más información sobre estos programas.
Test to Stay & Test to Return Consent Forms:
Updates about Covid and our school safety protocols
As we return to school from Winter Break, the new Omicron variant of the Covid virus is spreading rapidly across the country and our state. This new variant is highly contagious and is capable of infecting both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.
Current modeling from OHSU shows that Oregon will likely experience a significant COVID-19 surge, driven by the Omicron variant, beginning in January and continuing through February. This surge is likely to be much steeper than the Delta variant surge we have experienced. The state expects impacts on workforce stability in schools, hospitals, and other sectors. Hospitals may be impacted even more severely than they were in the fall.
Based on the emerging experience of other countries, states and school districts, the Oregon Department of Education(ODE) and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) expect rapid transmission of the Omicron variant in indoor settings in which people do not adhere with purpose and intention to masking requirements and other layered mitigation safety protocols.
As Oregon fully experiences the impacts of the Omicron variant over the next several weeks, student access to in-person instruction is under serious threat. Layered mitigation safety protocols (including vaccinations, boosters, face coverings, physical distancing, ventilation, frequent handwashing) are more critical now than at any other time during this pandemic.
For all of these reasons it is extremely important for students, parents, and staff to take all the steps possible to minimize the spread of Covid and to protect themselves and others from this virus. Our plan for student and safety includes all of these safety practices:
Masks must be correctly worn at all times when indoors. Correct wearing of masks requires covering both the nose and mouth.
Masks can only be taken down when actively eating or drinking (not just when holding a water bottle or piece of food) or when outdoors.
Maintaining physical distance between other people - at least three feet apart.
Frequent hand washing or sanitizing.
Staying home when feeling sick.
Following all quarantining or isolation procedures when necessary.
For families and community members:
We need your help to maintain in-person instruction for children across Oregon. When community spread increases, more COVID-19 is introduced in our schools and causes disruption of in-person learning due to quarantine and isolation. ODE and OHA shared these ways that you can help:
If your child has COVID-19 symptoms, do not send them to school. Seek a COVID-19 test. COVID-19 symptoms can be found on page 9 of the Planning for COVID-19 Scenarios in Schools A Toolkit for School Leaders and Local Public Health Authorities.
Get vaccinated now if you’re not. Vaccination remains the best protection against serious illness from COVID-19 and reduces spread of the disease. Get Vaccinated Oregon.
Get boosted if you’re not. If you’re eligible for a booster, make your appointment today. Boosters provide an extra layer of protection needed to slow spread of the omicron variant.
Families with school-age children and educators should limit gatherings and non-essential activities with people from other households to the extent possible throughout January and February. Before getting together with family, friends and loved ones, ask if attendees have received their COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters, and consider postponing visits if many attendees are not up to date with recommended doses. If you are visiting people from another household, you should wear a mask, maintain a physical distance of at least 6 feet, and keep activities outdoors as much as possible.
Library News
Thanks to our successful bookfair, we have lots of new books to "check out" in the library! Kick-off 2022 by reading a great book!
Legacy Health Vaccine Clinics
Dear Families,
West Orient Middle School would like to provide as much information as possible on opportunities for our students and their families to receive the COVID-19 vaccination should they choose to do so.
Legacy Health will be holding COVID-19 vaccine clinics at North Gresham and East Gresham Elementary Schools during December and January.
See the Flyers below for details:
If your child has received updated Immunizations, including Covid, please send or email your documents to our Health Assistant Pamela Mattecheck at mattecheck@gresham.k12.or.us.
You can also FAX them directly to West Orient at (503) 663-2504. If you have any questions, please contact the main office at (503) 663-3323.
Covid Notification Letters
If there is a positive case of Covid in our school, you will receive a notification letter sent via School Messenger indicating that there has been a confirmed positive Covid case in our school. This is just a notification. There is no further action needed on your part.
If your child was exposed or in close contact with someone with Covid while at school, your child may need to quarantine. Close contact is described as closer than 6 feet without a mask for 15 minutes or longer. If that is the case, you will receive a phone call and a separate letter with quarantine details and timelines.
As always, please feel free to contact the school office if you have any questions. 503-663-3323.
Covid Testing Consent Forms
Dear WOMS Families,
We are required to have Covid testing consent forms on file in the event we need to test your child for Covid.
Please note: Testing kits are only available for students that are symptomatic. We are not a COVID testing clinic and do not offer testing to families and community members.
Please complete a form and return or email authorized forms to mattecheck@gresham.k12.or.us
Covid Testing Consent English (Fillable)
Covid Testing Consent English (Printable)
Rights & Responsibilities Handbook
Dear Parents,
The Parent/Student Rights and Responsibilities handbook for the 2021-2022 school year is available to review.