News

South Albany High School Principal Brent Belveal has been chosen by the Oregon Music Educators Association to be this year’s Outstanding Administrator. He was nominated by music teachers Brett DeYoung and Andrew Isaac.

“Brett and I nominated him for his tireless work during the fire rebuilding efforts on behalf of all the teachers who lost their classrooms and program materials,” said Isaac. “Through his work with the insurance company and donors and Albany Public Schools Foundation, architecture firm and general contractor, Brent championed his teachers, students and school and brokered the best deal he could for our programs and students.”

Brent will be publicly honored at an awards presentation at OMEA’s annual conference banquet in Eugene this Saturday in front of hundreds of music educators from all over the state.

“Way to go, Brent and way to go Rebels,” said Isaac. “Thank you for your dedicated service, Brent!”

Safety is our number one priority, and it is the main consideration when deciding school closures due to weather.

The district carefully evaluates road conditions and weather forecasts both the night before and early in the morning of a school day. The Superintendent and Director of Transportation start driving the roads around the district starting at 4 a.m. They consider the conditions of the roads, sidewalks and parking lots in Albany and the outlying areas.

They don’t make decisions lightly, but they choose to err on the side of caution in order to keep the more than 9,000 students and staff members safe.

It is not an easy process, and we understand that it can be frustrating for many parents. Making the decision is not an easy call, but we make that decision with the best possible information available and in the best interest of student, parent and staff safety.

Read the District statement about deciding school closures due to weather:

School Closure Process

School Closure Process-Español

Faith Wilson, the Linn and Benton Counties Dairy Princess Ambassador visited kindergarten, second- and fourth-grade classrooms at Tangent Elementary School. The visit was arranged by kindergarten teacher Sadie Tempel, a former Dairy Princess.

Ms. Wilson told the children about different breeds of milk cows, how much milk cows produce (an average of 7 gallons per-day), what they eat and how much they eat (100 pounds per-day). She told them that cows drink the equivalent of a bathtub of water each day. She also described how cows are milked and the steps that are necessary in getting the milk to market.

The princess impressed students with her crown and left them with some practical tips for healthy eating habits.

On Monday, the School Board honored Student All-Stars from North Albany and Periwinkle elementary schools and Timber Ridge School for earning the highest scores on the 2015-16 state assessments in reading, math and science.

Timber Ridge students (pictured from left) are Natalie Burch, fourth-grade math; Kaitlyn Marines, third-grade math; Kenneth Hodges, fifth-grade math.

Not pictured: Adrienne Dickmann, third-grade language arts and Corin Wells, fourth-grade language arts.

On Monday, the School Board honored Student All-Stars from North Albany and Periwinkle elementary schools and Timber Ridge School for earning the highest scores on the 2015-16 state assessments in reading, math and science.

Periwinkle students (pictured from left) are Brayden McKay, fourth-grade language arts and math; Drew Baker, third-grade math; Renae Poe, third-grade language arts; Noel Coty, fifth-grade language arts; and Leanne Parks, fifth-grade math.