GOPHER PARENT NEWSLETTER
GRESHAM HIGH SCHOOL, DECEMBER 1st, 2021
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Dear Gopher Family,
I want to begin by thanking all of you for your support during the reopening of schools. I feel extremely fortunate to be the principal of a school with such wonderful students, a motivated and dedicated staff, and parents who work with us to create an environment that facilitates student learning through a wide variety of innovative and collaborative methods and activities.
The excitement of having our students back on our campuses has reenergized education! Our faculty and staff are highly committed to providing the most rewarding education possible and making the process of learning an enjoyable experience. Your students' education and safety is our top priority!
Yesterday during our Advisory period I provided students with the expectations and consequences moving forward with regards to bathroom use. Our goal is to re-open all bathrooms, but before we do we wanted to introduce the following guidance:
Disciplinary action for inappropriate bathroom conduct includes, but is not limited to, the following:
1st Incident
Parent Contact
1-Day ISS
Seat-belt (loss of bathroom pass- only emergency situations)
Loss of off-campus lunch (1 week)
2nd Incident
Parent Contact
1- Day OSS
Seat-belt (loss of bathroom pass- only emergency situations)
Loss of off-campus lunch (30 school days)
3rd incident
Parent Contact
3-Day- ISS
Edge "Vaping" lesson-completed
Seat-belt (loss of bathroom pass- only emergency situations)
Loss of off-campus lunch (semester)
Inappropriate conduct includes the following, but not limited:
Multi persons in one bathroom stall at any one time
Vaping, smoking, or using any substance or inhalants at any one time
Skipping or leaving class without a pass
Vandalism
Fighting
We are currently opening all bathrooms during our passing periods. We will continue to monitor the appropriate use of restrooms and will keep you apprised of any changes or adjustments as we look to open all restrooms, all day.
Mask Guidance:
On November 23, 2021, Governor Brown and representatives from the Oregon Health Authority announced a change to current mask guidance. GBSD District Office leadership met that same day and decided the following.
Masks outdoors at GBSD schools and programs are now optional
This change applies to recess, outdoor instruction, and outdoor PE.
Parents are asked to continue to wear masks as often as possible when around students and certainly when inside of the school.
Masks remain mandatory indoors.
Unvaccinated students & staff will still be required to wear masks outdoors
During the Advisory meeting yesterday I also emphasized masks and the importance of wearing masks properly covering both the nose and mouth. The following will be consequences moving forward for refusing to wear masks appropriately when being asked:
Loss of off-campus lunch
Parent Meeting
ISS (duration TBD)
12 WEEK PROGRESS REPORTS
At the end of November, GHS held family conferences and students received a 12-week progress report that can be viewed in the report card section of ParentVue. Thank you to all parents and caregivers who connected with GHS teachers and staff to support students!
While progress reports are not final grades, they are a good indicator of how a student might finish the semester if they continue current habits. Semester 1 grades will be final on January 28th and students will earn credit towards graduation for grades of A,B,C,D, and P. As a reminder NG and NP grades do not earn credit and may create a need to retake the class in credit recovery or summer school.
Prior to Winter Break is a great time for students to connect with their teachers to learn actions they can take to improve grades. Attending, engaging, and turning in work now can set a student up for success when we return in January.
SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH
SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH
Tell us what you think!
The Gresham-Barlow School Board needs your input to help with the process of selecting the next superintendent of schools.
The Gresham-Barlow School Board is conducting a superintendent search to replace Dr. Katrise Perera who resigned on June 30. While the board conducts the search, James Hiu is serving as Acting Superintendent.
Your participation is essential
The school board needs your input to help with the process of selecting the next superintendent. To gather feedback, the school board is using a tool called ThoughtExchange so as many people as possible can participate. You can participate in a variety of languages including Spanish or Russian.
The School Board wants to know:
What should the new superintendent know about our District, and what important skills and qualities would help them be most successful in the role?
To participate, visit: bit.ly/GBSuptSearch
WHO IS MY COUNSELOR/ADMINISTRATOR?
COUNSELORS:
A-B & ACTIVE ELL - Julie Conroy, Counselor conroy@gresham.k12.or.us
C- HA - Andrea Parra, Counselor (parra14@gresham.k12.or.us
He-M - Contact Laura Blaser
N-R - Kathryn Sayer, Counselor sayer@gresham.k12.or.us
S-Z - Laura Blaser, Counselor blaser@gresham.k12.or.us
Kate Poland, Social Worker: poland2@gresham.k12.or.us
ADMINISTRATOR:
- A - Go Tori Maehara maehara@gresham.k12.or.u
- Gr-O Cheeri Schacht schacht2@gresham.k12.or.us
- P-Z Erika Beddoe-Whitlock beddoe@gresham.k12.or.us
SCHOOL CALENDAR
To access our school calendar please click on the Gresham High School like below this article. This will take you to our home page on our website. Our calendar is located on the left hand side of the page.