Thurston Colt Round-Up
Weekly Student and Family Newsletter
From the Principal
Dear Colts and Colt Families,
We hope you all had a great winter break and are recharged for the sprint to the end of the semester. As the Omicron variant moves across our state and community, we want to remind you all of the importance of adhering to the safety protocols in place on school campuses. Aside from vaccination, masking, sanitation, and maintaining social distance are the most basic ways to prevent the spread or contracting Covid. Due to the rapid increase of cases in our community, the three local school districts have implemented some new protocols for extra-curricular activities.
In This Newsletter:
-Covid Protocol Update
-End of Semester Information
Covid Protocol Update
This letter was shared with families today on the THS website. I am copying it to this email as well.
Dear Springfield families,
As COVID-19 begins to circulate throughout our community at increased rates, Springfield Public Schools is working with our partners at the Eugene 4J and Bethel school districts to plan for how we can mitigate impacts of the virus on our schools.
Currently, we are continuing with our extracurricular activities and are reviewing protocols and safety measures. It is a collective top priority in all three districts to maintain in-person learning while also working to limit the spread of COVID-19. All of the districts share a desire to continue to provide extra-curricular activities to the greatest extent safely possible.
In an effort to continue to offer winter athletics and be in alignment with current safety measures recommended by OSAA and OHA, the athletic directors from the Bethel, Eugene 4J and Springfield school districts have collaboratively agreed to the following protocols for games at Eugene and Springfield schools. These temporary changes will be effective starting Monday, January 10:
Attendees must follow and enforce OHA-mandated indoor masking rules at all times.
This means that everyone over the age of 5 must wear a mask at all times. Masks may be removed only by student athletes while actively participating in a competition, band members while actively playing a wind instrument, and athletic officials while officiating a competition that requires a high level of physical exertion by the official. These participants must wear masks at all times when not actively participating in the competition or performance.
Spectators will be limited and tickets will be required to attend events to allow for increased distancing. Each student participant will be allocated a set number of “tickets” depending on whether they’re playing a home or away game. Each student participant will be given four “tickets” for home games and two “tickets” for away games. Athletic directors in each district will work directly with families to provide information about how to obtain tickets.
Concession stands will be paused; no outside food or drinks will be permitted inside.
Hand sanitization will be required upon entry of events.
Even with these protocols in place, families need to be aware that participating in extracurricular events increases the risk that a possible exposure could result in students needing to quartinine. Please also be aware that away games in other districts may follow different protocols and have different risks.
Please know that the decision to temporarily limit spectators was not made lightly. Keeping our students in school and participating in extracurricular events is dependent upon everyone doing their part to limit the transmission of COVID-19 in our community. These decisions were made in adherence with local and state public health guidelines. With these new protocols, it is our goal to prioritize the health and safety of our students and staff while attempting to preserve their winter sports season.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we implement these COVID-related changes for extracurricular activities. We will continue to monitor pandemic conditions and revisit protocols with the expectation that the above restrictions will be lifted as case rates decline.
Sincerely,
Springfield Public Schools
Bethel School District
Eugene School District 4J
Your Admin Team
End of the Semester Information
End of Semester
It is hard to believe that the year is almost half over. We have 14 school days left before finals week. That means we have 7 A days and 7 B days left to get missing assignments turned in and tests retaken. Your semester grade is highly important because it is when credit is awarded in high school. If your student is behind, now is a great time to have them connect with our tutoring center or their counselor. The final day to turn in any assignments is the 28th.
Final Week
Finals week will take place Monday, January 31st to Wednesday, February 2nd. During finals week we will have a unique bell schedule. We will get the new schedule out to all students and families in the upcoming weeks.
Cookies ‘N’ Cram
We will be holding our Cookies ‘N’ Cram event on the afternoon of January 27th from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. This is a great time for students to study for their upcoming finals. We will have teachers and cookies available in the cafeteria.
Lost and Found
During finals week, we are going to be putting out our lost and found. Over those three days, please instruct your students to stop by and pick up any item that is theirs that they have misplaced over the course of the first semester. Following the three days of finals week, all remaining items will be donated.
Month at-a Glance
-1/14 Early Release
-1/17 No School
-1/27 Cookies N' Cram
-1/28 Early Release
-1/28 Last Day to Turn in Assignments
Check Student Grades
- Visit our district ParentVUE webpage.
- Download the ParentVUE app on your phone or visit the ParentVUE website.
- Activate your account (first-time users) or login.
- To get your activation code (first-time users only) call Sharon Morris in counseling at 541-744-5193.
- Check your student's grades, attendance, schedule, etc.
From the College and Career Center
SAIL Mentors On Campus
Starting this week, we now have SAIL mentors from the University of Oregon working on campus. SAIL mentors can help with college and scholarship applications, filling out FAFSA/ORSAA, resume building, career exploration, and more. Please see Ms. Roach in the college and career center to get connected with a SAIL mentor.
Available Now:
FAFSA/ORSAA opened on Oct 1st. If you plan on attending a trade school, 2-year community college, or a 4-year college, fill out your FAFSA/ORSAA soon!
Apply for the Oregon Promise for students graduating between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022.
OSAC opens! Lots of scholarships are available with just one application!
Upcoming College visits are announced each day. Virtual visits are during lunch. Students can participate in presentations in the College and Career Center.
From the Counseling Department
Students should have access to grade-level google classrooms. If you have not yet accessed your grade-level google classroom, ask your counselor how to sign-up.
Naviance
All students can access assigned Naviance tasks. These help students prepare for college and career from assessing career interests to creating a post-high school plan. More information is available on grade-level google classrooms. Don't wait to get started!
Counseling Department (541-744-5193)
Last Names A-De - Moria Golub moria.golub@springfield.k12.or.us
Last Names Df-K - Stacy Tindall stacy.tindall@springfield.k12.or.us
Last Names L-Re - Connor Hennessy connor.hennessy@springfield.k12.or.us
Last Names Rf-Z - Amy Stranieri amy.stranieri@springfield.k12.or.us
Thurston High School
Thurston Office (541-744-5000)
Chris Reiersgaard, Principal - chris.reiersgaard@springfield.k12.or.us
Kimberlee Pelster, Assistant Principal (Last Names L-Z) - kimberlee.pelster@springfield.k12.or.us
Jeffrey Thompson, Assistant Principal (Last Names A-K) - jeffrey.thompson@springfield.k12.or.us
Thurston Student Services
Attendance Hotline (541-744-5027)
Jared Taylor, Dean of Students - jared.taylor@springfield.k12.or.us
Email: chris.reiersgaard@springfield.k12.or.us
Website: https://www.springfield.k12.or.us/ths
Location: 58th Street, Springfield, OR, USA
Phone: 541-744-5000
Facebook: facebook.com/ThurstonHighColts
Twitter: @THSColts