Gladstone School News Blast
Gladstone Schools • Growing Great People • 2.9.23
Register now for fall kindergarten
If your child will be five by September 1, it’s time to register for kindergarten in the 2023-24 school year. Register online now. For information call Heidi Smith at 503-496-3939. The Gladstone district welcomes transfers from other districts.
Beyond reading, writing, and math, each Gladstone kindergarten student also has weekly music, physical education, Discovery, art, and technology instruction. An extended day program offers onsite childcare before and after school.
Kindergarten classes are at the Gladstone Center for Children & Families [GCCF]. The spacious and secure classrooms, playgrounds, and facilities are specially designed for the district's youngest learners. Preschools and many family services are located there, too.
Save the dates for our Connect to Kindergarten orientation sessions on April 24 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.; on May 9 at 4:30 and 6 p.m.; or May 24 at 4:30 and 6 p.m. You must be fully registered to attend.
Kraxberger leadership class holds food drive
Kraxberger's leadership class has launched a February food drive to benefit the Gladstone School Food Pantry. Their goal is to collect two tons of non-perishable food donations in two weeks.
To kick off the event, Food Pantry Manager Alex Van Pelt visited the class to tell students about the difference their project will make for local families.
"We have made it a spirit contest between each grade level to see which grade can collect the most donations," said leadership advisor Dave Carrell. "We hope to make this an annual event each February, and we are excited to help the community we live and work in."
The community is invited to drop off canned food donations during school hours through February 17. Donors can choose which grade level they would like to donate to for the school's spirit contest. The school has collected 297 pounds of food in the first 3 days.
Gladstone High robotics team takes second, wins award
The Gladstone High School robotics team Exabyte competed in one of Oregon's largest VEX robotics tournaments in Salem, finishing second in a field of 64 teams from across Oregon. Gladstone also honored with the Sportsmanship Award,following a vote by all judges and participants.
"This was the first of five competitions for us this season," said Coach Dusty Long. "Right now our bots have a good chance to qualify for state."
Wetten's Battle of the Books wins grant
The program for fourth and fifth grade students encourages reading a wide variety of genres, from biographies and mysteries to graphic novels and historical fiction. Teams compete in a contest each spring to see who can correctly answer the most questions about the 15 titles featured that year.
Gladstone Head Start offers free preschool
Run by the Clackamas County Children's Commission [CCCC], the program serves 60 children from ages 3 to 5, providing both half day and full day classes. The preschool uses an investigation-based curriculum focused on math, language, and literacy.
"Kindergarten readiness is at the core of our mission," said Education Supervisor Allison Schmeidel. "That includes building social emotional skills."
Besides preschool, CCCC also provides weekly home visits with a family educator to support parenting skills, assess children's developmental milestones, and connect families with social services. They also provide programs for parents to learn financial literacy and parenting skills, as well as social gatherings that bring families together.
To find out more, visit https://clackcokids.org/services/