SHS Weekly Newsletter #9
10/21/22
Message from Mr. Mitchell
Well, that was a sudden transition from late summer to fall!
As we continue to navigate our budget issues, please rest assured that we will always provide an incredibly high level of education to our students and families. If you have any concerns, please visit our district webpage for more information, or reach out to us if needed.
Additionally, I'd like to re-encourage our families and students to be safe and efficient getting to school. In our school parking lot, please, please, please, pull as far forward as possible to drop your student off in front of the building. On the days that I've been out there to help move traffic along, the line at the light has been significantly shorter when kids are dropped off further forward. Also, with the rain, please remember to drive a bit slower, give a bit more room to the cars around you, and watch for students walking to and from school. Thank you for your help in keeping our school and community safe!
Have a great weekend and Go Bowmen!
Mr. Mitchell
Important Upcoming Dates
11/2 - Picture retakes
11/11 - NO SCHOOL Veteran's Day
11/21-25 - NO SCHOOL Thanksgiving Break
Fall Mixer Dance Friday 10/28
Tickets are on sale now for the Fall Mixer Dance Friday October 28! The dance will be right after the football game against Liberty and in the upper commons. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased on Parent Vue ahead of time or $5 cash at the door. Please enter at the top lot. No outside guests.
Halloween at SHS
Students are welcome to come to school on Monday, October 31st, wearing their Halloween costume. This is a fun tradition at SHS and we support students in celebrating this holiday with their costume if they choose to do so.
To ensure that this day maintains an inclusive and respectful environment on this day, here are our school guidelines when selecting costumes that will be worn at school:
Students need to be identifiable and visible to ensure safety. Face masks, coverings, or make-up that results in staff being unable to identify students should not be worn. Full-face masks are not allowed and Covid-19 precautions are to be followed at all times.
Costumes that are provocative, revealing, sexual in nature or employ questionable props will not be permitted on school grounds.
Costumes that depict violence, alcohol or drugs are not appropriate. Fake weapons should not be brought to school.
Costumes that could be offensive or perpetuate a stereotype of someone’s culture, gender, heritage, religion, or other aspects of personal identity are not permitted.
Thank you for following these guidelines and supporting our school community in maintaining a safe and inclusive environment.
FFA Tailgate Fundraiser
Retake Picture Day is Almost Here
Retake day is quickly approaching. If we did not see you on picture day or you would like a new image, Dorian Studio will be taking pictures at your school again soon. Do not miss out on ordering pictures of your student.
Orders may be placed online by searching for your school name at mydorian.com and selecting the green Order button next to your school retake day event. Online orders are available up to 4 days after retake day.
If you already ordered and want a new picture taken please be sure to return your original picture packet to the photographer on retake day.
Fall Musical - Tuck Everlasting
What would you do if you had all eternity? Eleven-year-old Winnie Foster yearns for a life of adventure beyond her white picket fence, but not until she becomes unexpectedly entwined with the Tuck Family does she get more than she could have imagined. When Winnie learns of the magic behind the Tuck’s unending youth, she must fight to protect their secret from those who would do anything for a chance at eternal life. As her adventure unfolds, Winnie faces an extraordinary choice: return to her life, or continue with the Tucks on their infinite journey.
The performances are November 17th, 18th and 19th at 7:00pm at the SHS Performing Arts Center. Ticket prices are $12 for adults and $10 for students and senior citizens. Buy tickets on-line here: http://bowmentheatre.com/tickets/
October Awareness Month Lesson - LGBTQ+ History Month
Sherwood School District continues to take steps to more fully engage students, families, and staff in activities and information related to the diverse identities, cultures, and experiences in the Sherwood community. In order to accomplish this goal, the Sherwood School District utilizes the Oregon School Board Association’s awareness calendar, which highlights information related to widely recognized awareness months that have been proclaimed or adopted through a governmental process. Please help us celebrate and honor the diversity within our school communities while we foster environments of understanding, respect, and belonging.
In September, we had a homeroom lesson celebrating Hispanic and Latino/a/e Heritage month, and this month we will be recognizing LGBTQ+ History month. The lesson will explore the history of LGBTQ+ people and significant events related to their community and their rights. Our goal for this lesson, as well as all of our awareness month lessons, is to teach students about the history, culture, experiences, and strengths of the communities that make up our nation. We recognize that our Sherwood community, like all communities, has a wide variety of perspectives and values. In these lessons, we center respect, cultivate an understanding of each other, and encourage our students to participate in creating an inclusive environment for all of our students.
If you have any questions about this lesson or would like to opt your student of the lesson, please fill out this form (click here for Spanish version of form).
Special Education Parent Partnership
AP Coordinator
This is a reminder that AP fees are due on Oct 21st. Thank you to all of you who have paid already. For those who haven't, you should be able to pay through Parentvue.
If your family needs financial assistance there are a couple options. If your family qualifies for Free and Reduced Meals, the AP fees are waived. Please also fill out the form to "share information". The link to apply for this program is: https://sherwood.k12.or.us/departments/nutrition-services/forms/
Sherwood also offers payment plans. The link for this form is: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oC3X7DSj_1SY3Fv0I6YtkbUBirA60aGZ06MMda-T9bg/edit?usp=sharing
If you know your student is not planning on taking the AP exam (in May) please let me know. Feel free to contact me with any questions - bfarwell@sherwood.k12.or.us
College Visits Next Week:
Tuesday, 10/25 - Lewis & Clark College
Thursday, 10/27 - Linfield University
Seniors, make sure you are on top of your college applications! See our attached Senior Resource Packet for information about using Naviance, requesting transcripts, FERPA waivers, financial aid, and more.
Fall Sports Playoff Information
https://www.osaa.org/shop/tickets
*All venues are asked to have a cash option available.
*General admission ticket prices for 1st Round through Quarter Finals: students $6, adults $10.
*Senior citizens are required to purchase a general admission ticket (no free admission for playoffs).
*Students are required to purchase a general admission ticket; students with ASB will not get into the playoffs for free.
*If you have any questions, please call Connie @ 503.825.6008 or email at cpollock@sherwood.k12.or.usWinter Sports Registration
Winter sports (basketball, wrestling, swimming) registration is open! The deadline for registering is Friday, Nov. 11th, 2022.
All athletes must have a current cleared physical on file in order to participate. If you are unsure about a physical expiration, please email Connie at cpollock@sherwood.k12.or.us. Physicals must be on the OSAA form and submitted to the Athletic office prior to participation.
Registration and physical form link can be found HERE.
SHS Swim Team
Swim Team information meeting for Parents and Athletes Nov. 1st at 6 pm in the Community Room @ SHS.
Join Sherwood Ski Team!
Do you love mountain air and spending time with friends? Do you like to improve an old
skill? If so, ski team might be for you! Beginner and intermediate skiers to experienced
racers are welcome on Southwest Mountain Alpine Ski Teams, the training team for
Aloha, BASE, ISB, Mountainside, Sherwood, and Southridge Ski Teams! We invite
Sherwood High School skiers to join us for a winter of fun, hard work, and maximizing
your skills as skiers and ski racers. Info nights will be held on October 20th and October
26th. Sign-up night is November 8th. Dryland practice begins November 14th, and on-
mountain training begins in December. Six league races will be held in January and
February. Check out our website at southridgeskiteam.org, or contact Head Coach Jason
Hattery for more information and invite links. (503) 475-5015 /
SHS Athletic Booster Club
Sherwood Booster Club is busy gearing up for the 2022 Annual Auction! To kick things off, we are having a raffle for FIVE $100 Chevron Gas Gift Cards. Raffle tickets are $25, only 100 will be sold!
Visit our website at www.sherwoodboosterclub.com today to register for the 2022 Auction, purchase raffle tickets, and learn how you can donate for this important fundraiser.
Save the Date: Virtual Auction!
The 2022 Booster Club Auction kick-offs online bidding and donating on October 27th and culminate with a one-hour livestream on November 3rd showcasing our student athletes and their accomplishments as we come together to FUEL THE TRADITION of BOWMEN ATHLETICS! The donations raised from this event are used to support all of our athletes – from athletic trainer machines, weight room supplies, uniforms and more. Follow this link to register and start seeing the great merchandise and packages you can bid on (hello court-side Blazers tickets!): 2022 Booster Auction link https://event.auctria.com/c2a724ce-53a4-4c73-be50-490ddb5d2cda/
SRO Corner - Officer James Wolfer, Sherwood Police Department
Let’s talk about fentanyl. In a post last March on the Sherwood Police Department Facebook page, we talked about how fentanyl related deaths continue to surge across the country. The US experiences around 100,000 overdose deaths a year, with the majority of those being opioid related. In 2021, Oregon saw roughly 745 opioid-related deaths, a 57% increase from 2020 (472 deaths) and a staggering 166% increase from 2019 (280 deaths). 90% of overdose deaths are from fentanyl.
Earlier this year, two High School juveniles in Portland died from fentanyl, likely from pills made to look like relatively safe pharmaceuticals such as OxyContin, Percocet, or Xanax but are actually counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, since it is cheaper and stronger than pharmaceutical grade drugs. These pills look identical in color, shape, and labeling to those produced by labs. Teens never know what they’re getting, and just one fake pill can kill them. Usually, we see these as blue “M30” pills.
You may be thinking to yourself, “my child isn’t caught up in the drug culture” or “my child wouldn’t even know where to get something like that.” Does your child have a cell phone? Is your child on social media platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, or Instagram? If the answer is “yes,” they likely do know about teen drug culture and may have access. Teens who are not addicts and who are not involved in the drug culture may still purchase pills -- often to deal with mental health issues, pain from an injury, or maybe just seeking a high for the first time. Much like the vaping epidemic that we have been experiencing since 2018, parents are often the last to know. Please see my previous posts on the SPD Facebook page about Snapchat, smart phones and drugs for some of the ways we’re seeing teens utilize social media to hide things from their parents.
As an aside, we are starting to see “Rainbow Fentanyl,” which are counterfeit pills dyed in multicolor. I’ve gotten a few inquiries about this, as recently a few news articles erroneously attributed these pills as being specifically targeted to young kids and adults as a marketing ploy. I want to reassure parents that this is not the case -- opioids are expensive, so dealers are not looking to “waste” them by giving them out to kids. Additionally, research has shown that dealers aren’t making them “rainbow” colored to attract children, but as a way to “mark” them as containing fentanyl and being of “high quality” for their customers, as well as an attempt to disguise the drugs from law enforcement.
I’ve attached pictures of common fentanyl pills. If you see these in your child’s room or possession, please call 911 immediately.
As always, partners in parenting,
SRO Wolfer
Grad Night 2024
Thank you for joining our first planning meeting, Grad night 2024. We have many opportunities, please reach out for volunteer and committee leader activities. 50/50 Raffle help needed 10/28. Check out our new website for additional information. Like us on Facebook@SHS Gradnight2024. Follow us on Instagram @SHSGradnight2024. Contact: shsgradnight2024@gmail.com , https://sites.google.com/sherwood.k12.or.us/grad-night-2024