Good afternoon Canby High School Students and Families!

Everyday, there are many positive activities at Canby High School: students are learning; athletes are training and competing; artists are performing. In my weekly newsletters, I highlight these activities and the students who make a positive impact on our school and community.

It is unfortunate that I lead today with a discussion of the events on Monday. Without going into details, concerns arose on Sunday regarding possible threats to our school. Canby Police and our admin team were able to determine we were safe, and this information was communicated to the community. Despite our findings, there were still concerns, and many students stayed home.

This entire event was precipitated by a person who used social media in an ill-conceived manner. It rapidly evolved into cyberbullying and statements made were perceived as threats to students’ safety. Our school community was deeply disrupted, and extensive school and police resources were used to address this problem. There are serious consequences for these types of actions.

In the shadow of the most recent school shootings in Michigan and under the continuing stress of the COVID pandemic, there is heightened sensitivity and many are struggling to cope with daily stressors. Events like this only add to the challenges. I encourage all our students to use social media responsibly and understand the impact your posts can make on your classmates. For our parents, please monitor your students’ activities online and have the conversation on what is appropriate. Also, understand that the Canby School District and Canby Police have well established processes to assess threats and respond to keep our schools safe.

Now, back to the positive…The Cougar Dancers wrapped up their fall competitive season at the Dance and Drill Coaches Association Category Championships on Saturday, December 4, at Sherwood High School. The team qualified their three fall routines - Modern, Contemporary, and Novelty by placing 1st at all local competitions. The top teams in the state met on Saturday to determine the Champions in each category. The team took 2nd place in the Novelty division and earned the Championship in Small Contemporary, the largest division of the day, with eight teams competing for the honor. And for the 9th consecutive year, the Cougar Dancers are the Modern Champions in the state! Great job!

Finally, it is that time of year! Our leadership students are working with the Kiwanis Club to support some of our less fortunate members of the community. Please see the information below if you would like to contribute to our “Giving Tree.”

Happy Holidays, Canby! Go Cougars!

Greg Dinse

Principal

#CanbyProud

The Class of 2022 is posted! As students determine their plans for post-high school, the wall will be updated with symbols representing their next steps in college and careers.

12/8, Wednesday: Wrestling, Away, 4:00 pm, Boys Basketball @ Home, 7:00 pm

12/8, Wednesday: Choir Concert, 7:00 pm

12/9, Thursday: Swimming @ Home, 4:00 pm and Choir Concert, 7:00 pm

12/10, Friday: Girls Basketball @ Home, 7:00 pm and Boys Basketball, Away, 7:00 pm

12/14, Tuesday: Boys Basketball @ Home, 7:00 pm

12/15, Wednesday: Band Concert, 7:00 pm

12/20 - 1/3 - NO SCHOOL - Winter Break

Report cards are being mailed this week for 9th graders only. All grades are posted online through StudentVUE and ParentVUE. Next week, we will provide a link to a form for those who want to have report cards mailed in the future.

Holiday Concerts are here! All concerts will be presented in the FAC and COVID protocols will be in place. Please note, due to the large number of students involved in the Choir program, seating is limited to tickets students have received and we will not be able to invite extra visitors for our holiday performances this year.

• Choir: December 8th and 9th, 7-9pm

• Band: December 15th, 7-9pm

Upcoming! The Canby Theater program, under the new direction of Ms. Sullivan Mackintosh, presents The Importance of Being Earnest

• January 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, Fine Arts Center at 7:00pm
• January 15 and 22, Fine Arts Center, 7:00pm with matinee performances at 2:00pm

More information about tickets is coming soon.

Winter Sports have begun! Please visit www.registermyathlete.com to make sure you are fully registered prior to participating in practices or games. Please contact chs-athletics@canby.k12.or.us for more information.

Canby Junior basketball is now offering a co-ed rec program for 9th-12th graders that are currently not on a school program roster. The tentative schedule will be Saturday evenings from 6-8pm from January 8th to March 12th. Format for rec league will be dependent on participation levels and could vary from open gym pickup games, to structured 3v3 or 4v4 competitions with season ending tournament. All gameplay will be within Baker Prairie or Ackerman. The fee will be $50 for all players for the 10 week season. See www.canbyjuniorbasketball.com for more information.

The Giving Tree

In the Main Office, you can find this year's Giving Tree. Each year, we put up the Giving Tree in the Main Office as a way of collecting gifts for kids in our community that could use a little extra holiday cheer. We partner with the Canby Kiwanis, and they give us a list of items that they need help purchasing for holiday gifts.

This year the Kiwanis needs help purchasing the following items -

• Gloves

• Lip gloss / chapstick

• Winter Hats

• Art supplies / cool pens

• Backpacks

• Gift cards for local restaurants

If you would like to help purchase some gifts this year, here's how the Giving Tree works -

1. Go to the Main Office

2. Take a paper ornament off the tree

3. Purchase that item (new)

4. Wrap that item

5. Return the wrapped item, with the paper ornament taped to the outside.

6. Feel warm and fuzzy inside knowing you did some good!

School Safety Officer

School Resource Officer Michael Manns has resigned from the Canby Police Department to pursue other interests. He has been a great officer over the last five years, and he will be missed. We have already started the process of selecting a new School Resource Officer to start full-time on January 4, 2022. From now through December 17, 2021, Canby Police plan to have a patrol officer assigned to cover the SRO duties at the high school. Thank you Officer Manns for your years of service and thank you, Canby PD, for the support!

Winter Weather Prep

Please subscribe to Canby School District on FlashAlert.

As the temperatures continue getting colder, it’s time to start preparing for winter weather and the snow bus routes, school delays, or closures that can come along with it.

When inclement weather strikes, the district will make decisions about school as early as possible -- sometimes even the night before, but our goal is by no later than about 5:30 a.m. on the day of the weather event. The message will go out via FlashAlert and will then be reported on most news websites and TV stations.

To make sure you’re set to receive the information, again, please subscribe to Canby School District on FlashAlert. Now is also a good time to update your text preferences online by listing your phone number. For more information, please see our inclement weather page.

CSD COVID Updates

https://www.canby.k12.or.us/covid-19-information-ea60611d

SafeOregon Program

Canby School District is now offering the community a simple way to report student safety threats. SafeOregon is a 24-hour anonymous tip-line individuals can use if they see or hear about instances of bullying, violence, threats, drug use, suicidal thoughts and more. The goal is to keep students safe by preventing threats from coming to fruition.

There are a number of ways to report, including:

• Texting or calling 844-4-SAFE-OR (844-472-3367)

• Emailing tip@safeoregon.com

• Online at safeoregon.com

• Via the SafeOregon app

Please help us keep Canby’s kids safe by utilizing this program.

Cougar Store is Open Online

Check out new apparel and CHS Cougar items in the online shopping mall, https://canbyhs.canby.k12.or.us/en-US/the-cougar-shopping-mall-36c32d45

Join Us-Employment in Canby Schools

While parent volunteering continues to be on hold until further notice, we do have employment opportunities in our schools for part-time positions like instructional assistants, nutrition services, custodians and more. We are also seeking on-call substitutes for those positions, which would provide even greater flexibility. Visit our employment website to view all current opportunities.

Attendance and Sick Students

To ensure the accuracy and efficiency of our attendance process, please remember the following guidelines:

• To report an absence, call our attendance line at 503-263-7210 or email chs-attendance@canby.k12.or.us.

• Please report an absence as soon as possible and no later than 48 hours after the absence.

• If your student needs to leave class for an appointment, inform the attendance office as soon as possible. This will help us ensure that your student receives a note to leave class in a timely manner.

Remember that attendance matters and students who attend class regularly are more likely to stay on track, graduate on time, learn deeply, and get the most from their high school experience. Please partner with us to ensure great attendance and to remove any attendance barriers.

Bus Transportation

• If you have any questions or problems with school bus transportation, please email Student Transport of America (STA) at canbyschoolbus@ridesta.com.

CHS Media

Some helpful links to our social media sites:

CHS Website

CHS Instagram: @canbyhighschool, @canbyASB

CHS YouTube: @CHS Announcements

CHS Principal’s Twitter: @Canby_Principal

Spanish Speaking Resources at Canby High School:

Bilingual Main Office Secretary: Jessie Muñoz (503)263-7200

Attendance Office: Stephanie Cavazos (503)263-7210

Migrant Coordinator: Karent Robles (503)263-7229

English Language Development Coordinator: Alex Frixione(503)263-7200 ext 5405

9th Grade Counselor: Elizabeth Sommo (503)263-7200 ext 5341

REACH Center: Jeralyn Gonzalez and Veronica Martinez (503)263-7429

Free Food Resources

CHS Free Food Site Links

For Mental Health Resources

**Emergency Services- for life threatening emergencies - 911**

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 1-800-273-8255

Clackamas County Emergency/Crisis Mental Health Services - 503-655-8585

Non-emergency: 503-742-5335

Crisis Text Line - Text HOME to 741741

National Alliance on Mental Illness - Text NAMI to 741741

Oregon Youthline 877-968-8491 or Text teen2teen to 839863

Trevor Project (LGBTQ+) -866-488-7386 or text START to 678678

Call to Safety: If you are an adult and worried about your safety at home. Interpretation line available.1-888-235-5333

Proyecto Unica: Spanish version of Call to Safety. 503-232-4448

DHS Hotline (Oregon Department of Human Services) If you are worried about the safety of a child, Interpretation services available. 855-503-7233