Columbia River Weekly Newsletter
September 17, 2021
Columbia River High School
800 NW 99th ST.
Vancouver WA 98665
360-313-3900
Principal/ Head of School - Alex Otoupal
Associate Principal/Curriculum - Rob Duncan
Associate Principal/Activities - Ken Roberts
Associate Principal/Athletic Director - Nick Davies
A message from the Principal
Greetings River Community,
We have had a very busy week on campus this week! I am pleased to report that we presented the many clubs and activities that we offer here at Columbia River High School this morning in an asynchronous presentation. We want each student to participate in these opportunities and find a sense of belonging in our community of learners. We have linked the presentation in this newsletter for everyone. You are all invited to take a look as well.
Thank you in advance for your flexibility as we make schedule changes in the effort to reduce class sizes. Please follow this link to a letter we distributed earlier today related to this effort.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Sincerely,
Alex Otoupal
Principal/Head of School
Activities
Please click on the links below for information on the 2021-2022 Activities and Sports Fair.
Athletics
Masks will now be required for some outdoor events. This will impact all football games. Thank you for your understanding!
Continue to check ArbiterLive for schedule updates
Swim Schedule *note - no spectators are allowed at Saturday’s event.
Cross Country Schedule (with results and invitationals)
Healthy Youth Survey
On 10/12//2021 10th and 12th graders will take the Healthy Youth Survey. 10th graders will take the survey in their English classes. Seniors will take the survey in their CWP classes.
Senior Parking!
Class of 2022 please complete this needs assessment: access form here.
Junior Parking!
Class of 2023 will receive a similar survey on Tuesday, Sep 14, 2021
State Assessments
October will be a busy month for assessments. For more information, click here.
Student Technology & Resources
Any student who still needs to check out a school chromebook for class should swing by our indoor concessions stand between 7 am - 2:15 pm to check one out. Students can also get school devices repaired and renewed at the indoor concessions stand.
Every River student needs a signed Responsible Use Policy for the year. If you haven’t had time to sign it yet, you can access it here or we have paper copies available in English, Spanish, Russian and Chuukese.
We encourage students to update their chromebook password if it is still set to their birthday so they can secure their school Gmail and other accounts. Students can update passwords any time they need to here. It will change their Canvas and Google passwords but not their Skyward passwords. Students can find more information on how to use their school chromebook in the Columbia River Toolkit in Canvas. Our tutorial videos are also available here if you have access to YouTube on a personal device.
Parents and guardians can sign up to be an observer in their student’s Canvas account. You will need to use a pairing code that is within your student’s account. If you signed up as an observer last year, your account is still active. You can find more information here.
Students who need to return materials from last year are welcome to swing by indoor concessions to drop off books, calculators and other items on their library account.
Student Schedules and Classes
One of the challenges of starting off the school year is attending to student schedules and the school master schedule. Our aim is honoring student course requests from Forecasting in the spring, while creating effective class sizes. As you and your students may have noticed, some classes are quite large these first days of school. We anticipate that in the coming weeks we will need to add additional classes and make adjustments to student schedules. We will notify students and families when this change occurs. Our goal is to make changes that will impact class size and honor student course requests.
Future Monday Early Release Days for the 2021-2022 School Year:
September 13, 20, 27
October 4, 11, 18, 25
November 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
December 6, 13
January 3, 10, 24, 31
February 7, 14, 28
March 7, 14, 21, 28
April 11, 18, 25
May 2, 9, 16
PSAT October 26, 2021: Free PSAT for all 10th Grade
This year in an effort to maintain and increase access and equity for all students, Vancouver Public Schools will again pay for all 10th grade students to take the PSAT (Preliminary SAT). The PSAT is a practice college entrance exam most closely linked with the SAT.
Columbia River will be hosting the PSAT for it's students on Tuesday, October 26,2021. Testing will occur during the school day at Columbia River, starting at 7:30 am. All 10th grade students will be automatically registered and expected to participate in the PSAT, unless they choose to OPT OUT. 10th grade students and parents will be emailed later this month with the link to the OPT OUT form and more PSAT information. This is a great opportunity for students to take a version of the practice college admissions exam.
Student Handbooks
Student Handbooks were distributed. Here is a link to the Handbook Quiz for any students who have not completed the quiz.
Safe and Healthy Classrooms Update
The school district will be posting specific COVID-19 case notifications on our website, river.vansd.org. You can find the information on the bottom right of the page. The district will be doing the same thing on the district website through the VPS COVID Dashboard. Additionally, here is a link to the district’s detailed health and safety plan.
Playbook
School Supplies
New Logo Information
Rapids Branding Guide - Detailed information on our logo and how to use it.
CLASS OF 2022 GRADUATION DATE
Varsity Academics
Featured Scholarships
Do you love history? If you are looking to study history and political science, this is an amazing opportunity to experience firsthand how our government works. Application deadline is September 22.
As a reminder, if you are interested in scholarships that you may qualify for, fill out this questionnaire by 9/20/21.
Upcoming Events
Clark County Latino Youth Conference
Every year this conference is held to bring young people and community leaders together to create an event that inspires and motivates Latino and BIPOC youth to seek positive community engagement, higher education and technical career paths, and much more. With our second year going virtual we are grateful to continue to support our local Latino and BIPOC communities during these challenging times.
This year's theme is Rising Beyond Adversity: navigating what's now, and what's next. Students will have the option to choose one workshop to attend during each of the three planned session times! Workshop is October 9, 2021 9am-1pm. Register here.
PSU College of Education Open House
Connect with faculty, hear about PSU support services, and get valuable information on your program as you make important decisions for your career. Register now so you don't miss out on this great event! October 15, 2021 3pm-5pm
Calling All Interested in Fire Science and Emergency Services!!
The Fire Sciences Program through Cascadia Tech Academy has a handful of openings. The High School Fire Cadet program is for Juniors and Seniors who are interested in a career in emergency services. It allows students to explore a career in public safety with emphasis on developing fundamental skills in the fire and emergency medical fields. In addition to studying fire science and emergency medicine, cadets are taught skills in team building, decision-making, and problem solving. While the course is physically demanding, students split time between classroom lectures and learning hands-on skills, side-by-side, with experienced firefighters. A grade of “B” or better may result in college credit through Portland Community College.
If you are interested, come visit us in the Student Pathways Center.
Looking to make some extra cash?
We are in need of workers for athletic events, specifically, middle school Flag Football and ticket takers for High School events. If you interested, please let us know! Must be 16, and complete the Student Hiring Packet with the Athletic Director of the school you are interested in.
Flag Football Officials
Pays $30 per game (games are limited to one hour).
Games are Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (you don't have to work all days)
Game times are approximately 4:45 and 5:45.
Some familiarity with football is helpful, but we will train you on the rules.
If interested, please contact Sara Tackett sara.tackett@vansd.org and Sean Ryan sean.ryan@vansd.org
Ticket Takers/Sellers
Pays $13.50 per hour
Games are at various dates and times.
Contact individual High School ADs if you are interested.
Columbia River - Nick Davies nick.davies@vansd.org
Hudson's Bay - Greg Roberts greg.robers@vansd.org
Fort Vancouver - James Ensley james.ensly@vansd.org
Skyview - Julian Williams julian.williams@vansd.org
Looking for Scholarships?
NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATION
The Vancouver School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, including gender expression or identity, age, families with children, honorably discharged veteran or military status, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts of America, and other designated groups. You may also contact any of the following people by writing to them at Vancouver School District, PO Box 8937, Vancouver, WA 98668-8937, or by calling 360-313-1000: 504 – Steve Vance; Civil Rights and Affirmative Action – Janell Ephraim; ADA and Title IX – Kathy Everidge; Title IX Elementary Schools – Kristie Lindholm; Title IX Secondary Schools – Jim Gray.