News

The transportation department will work with all elementary and middle schools in October and November to practice emergency evacuations. The emergency plans for all of GAPS schools include the option to evacuate students and staff to the Linn County Fair and Expo Center.

This is a required training at all Oregon schools in the first eight weeks of the school year. A second training will be in spring.

In the event of an emergency, students and their teachers would be bused to the Expo Center and stay there until they could be picked up by their families. The school would provide supervision for the students and supervise the release of students to families. Parents would use the Expo Center parking lot when picking up their student/s.

If a school evacuation to the Fair and Expo Center is necessary, families will be notified. If the situation at the school is such that the building is to be evacuated, law enforcement personnel will likely close off the surrounding neighborhood and prevent anyone from accessing the school campus. Emergency responders will instead direct family members to pick up their child at the Fair and Expo Center.

The drill will help students who are non-bus riders become familiar with buses and reduce potential anxiety about transportation during an actual emergency.

During the training, students will load the buses and be taught bus safety by the drivers. The buses will not take the students anywhere during this drill, but the idea of the training is to practice loading for the same reason students practice leaving the building for a fire drill.

Hygienist Ann Ossinger is making her annual rounds at local schools, offering voluntary dental screening to first and second graders. Ossinger is part of a mobile dental hygiene service funded by the Oregon Health Authority.

The program is reaching out to students who may not have regular dental screening. The early grade levels are the focus because that is the age when young children get their six-year molars. Her first stop was at Tangent Elementary School on Monday, Oct. 2.

Parents must provide written parent permission for the screening. She offers dental sealants to students who have their molars. If they need additional dental care, Ossinger refers them to a dental clinic, including a free children’s dental care clinic operated by the Boys and Girls Club of Albany.

Pictured (from left): Dental assistant Edith Ibanez and registered dental hygienist Ann Ossinger

The boys’ soccer team at South Albany High School are using their skills to give back to their community. The team has launched Futcare, a project to incorporate community service into their team culture.

Their first effort will be on Saturday, Sept. 30, at South Albany Stadium. All proceeds will be donated to Global Giving to benefit victims of Hurricane Harvey and the earthquake in Mexico. All proceeds from these events will be donated to charity.

Several activities are planned:

• Youth soccer clinic for ages 5-12. This bilingual clinic will be coached in partnership with Total Futbol Academy and run from 5:00-6:30. The $10 fee will also cover entry into the men’s leagues
  championship match.
• Men’s leagues championship match. Jalisco (Eugene league champions) vs Villalobos (Salem league champions). $5 entry fee. Match sponsored by the South Albany HS M.E.Ch.A Club.
• High school skills contest sponsored by No Dinx. During halftime of the men’s match local area high school soccer starts will engage in various soccer skills!’
• Refreshments provided by the South Albany Boosters Club and Taco El Machin.

For more information, read the flyers:

Futcare Clinic
Futcare Championship Match between league champion teams from Salem and Eugene
Futcare Skills Contest

Architects are nearly done designing the exterior of the new elementary school near Timber Ridge School. The school is scheduled to open in the fall of 2019 with a 600-student enrollment capacity.

The new school is funded by the bond measure passed by voters in May 2017.

South Albany High School students in Carla Streng’s science classes are combining instruction and service learning. Since 2014, students studying biodiversity have volunteered their time and labor to improve local watershed habitats.

Three of the students presented information about the project, which started in 2014, to the School Board on Sept. 25.

Pictured (from left): Terran Swope, grade 12; Pippa Richardson, grade 10; Ms. Streng; and Angeline Huntington, grade 11.

The project involved work at Bryant Park and included clean-up efforts to restore the natural habitat and remove invasive species.

“A lot of invasive species are crowding out natural species,” said Terrance. We worked with the City of Albany to clean out invasives and remove blackberry vines.”

Angeline said the goal was to remove invasive species and garbage from the park. “To be able to clean that up and preserve our environment into the future is so important,” she said.