News

For more than a year, the School Board has been working on a bond proposal that would update existing schools and construct new classrooms to address current and future needs.

Their goal is to send a proposal to voters in the May 16, 2017 election. The process has included a comprehensive review of facilities by the community-based District Facilities Advisory Committee (DFAC), which resulted in a recommendation to the School Board. They also hosted a series of community forums in October to gather input from community members. Before finalizing a proposal, they will commission a survey of voters to gauge support for potential projects.

The School Board’s plan will balance costs to voters with the growing need to upgrade existing, aging schools. Most of the District’s schools were built to keep up with growth after World War II. Seventeen schools were built between 1948 and 1977. Those buildings need critical improvements to protect the community’s investment in the facilities and to upgrade the learning environment to meet today’s educational standards.

Only two schools – Timber Ridge and Albany Options – were built to meet modern educational standards. They are the only two GAPS schools built after the invention of the internet.

The list of potential bond projects would make critical improvements to schools, allowing the District to maintain its investments in the facilities, and construct new space to accommodate high projected enrollment growth and address educational deficiencies.

More details will be available when the Board develops a proposal in January.

Find more information about the bond planning process and potential facilities projects.

The West Albany High School Performing Arts Department invites everyone to the annual holiday gala concert on Monday, Dec, 12 and Tuesday, Dec, 13. Both Shows are at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door or online.

Concert details from Stuart Welsh, WAHS Director of Bands:

There are six combined band and choir piece that have over 100 student musicians performing together.

These concerts feature a wonderful variety of music from our Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, A Cappella Choir and Rhythmix Choir. We will also feature piano soloist Zoe Ames, soprano vocalist Marissa Fieland, The West Brass Quintet and The Lake Family Trio. You will hear lots of holiday classics, along with selections from Polar Express, The Prince of Egypt, The Pentatonics, Beethoven, and Rachmaninoff’s Vespers.

This is a fantastic evening of music and a great way to celebrate this time of year with some amazing students.  All are welcome!

Friendship is an important theme at The Groves schools this year. The focus started with a student whose best friend was absent. From there, it grew to a school-wide kindness effort that includes a book, student illustrations, friendship benches and student fundraising to pay for acts of kindness.

Principal Jerrie Matuszak shares how the kindness initiative started:

“It started when a student, Anna, did not have a friend to play with during recess because her best friend was gone that day at a dentist appointment.  She asked several kids if they wanted to play, but she couldn’t find anyone to play with. So she told her mom, a local author, the sad story and they talked about the idea of a friendship bench at school, which led to the book and then to the student illustrations.”

The book is The Friendship Bench, written by author and Fir Grove parent Whitney Dineen and illustrated by Fir and Oak Grove students.

All grades were able to illustrate a page in the book if they wanted. All student work that was submitted is included in the story section or in the back of the book.

It is available on Amazon.com. “We are selling the books to use the proceeds for acts of kindness in our school and community,” said Matuszak.

The benches were built by Bill Jantzi, who will present them to the school in January. “We are  doing a whole Kindness Challenge week in January full of fun activities,” said Matuszak.

“We will use the funds for acts of kindness in our school and community like for donating to charity or supporting families who are in need,” she said.

An immigration presentation is scheduled for Dec. 10 to share information about immigration, parent involvement with schools and legal rights.

The meeting will be held in Spanish on Dec. 10 from 5-7 p.m. at the Welcome Center, 701 SE 19th Ave., Albany.

For more information, please contact the Welcome Center at 541-704-2376 or email david.jazmin@albany.k12.or.us.

Read the flyer

Read the flyer – Español

Presentation by Emma Thomas, 5th Grade