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1st week update; transportation challenge
Oregon Trail Families, It has been great to have students back in our classrooms for full-time in-person learning. Nearly 4500 returned this September, with about 95% physically returning to classrooms and 5% participating in full-time virtual or online instruction. Most o f our students quickly readjusted to the health and safety protocols they learned during Hybrid instruction last spring. We had hoped for less stringent requirements, but we've all learned to adapt to the moment. We know there will be cases of COVID, quarantines, and limitations to some of our usual activities, but the best type of teaching and learning – face to face - is happening in a robust fashion. Our promise to every Oregon Trail student is that we will continue to work hard to sustain the outstanding learning opportunities they deserve. Please remain vigilant and keep yourself and your children healthy. Student Transportation Transportation was a challenge during our first week back, but improvements were made each day. We appreciate our bus drivers' efforts to safely transport our students amid the uncertainty with some routes and schedules, as well as a driver shortage. Their fortitude is commendable, and we couldn't ask for a better group of people to rally around a cause and help normalize life for our students. We continue to work with STA management and administration as they correct their data, routing sheets, and schedules. There will continue to be some combined routes until STA can engage additional drivers. Several are currently being trained and licensed. Last week while STA worked to improve student pickup and delivery, and principals mitigated traffic concerns at their schools, our district office worked with Konell Construction to reduce traffic and improve parent drop off and pick up at Firwood Elementary. Our thanks to Konell for responding immediately to the urgent need. We were also able to move the OTA charter school parent drop-off and pickup to Meinig Park, and we want to thank the City of Sandy for consenting to our use. It is anticipated the days and weeks to come will bring more COVID cases that will require isolation and quarantine. We encourage everyone to engage in practices that you believe will keep you most protected from the spread. We will do everything in our power to keep our schools open daily and continue to provide every student with the opportunity to attend face to face with their teachers and their peers. Sincerely, Aaron Bayer, Superintendent
Tuesday, Sep 14 2021
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Fall 2021 health protocols
Oregon Trail Families, Visit our Fall 2021 FAQs and Protocols webpage for information about health protocols and answers to your most-asked questions. Remember, the best way to keep students safe from the COVID-19 virus is to keep the virus out of our schools. If your child is not feeling well, please keep them home and contact your school office. See you on the 7th!
Friday, Sep 03 2021
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New cafeterias are ready for kids
Kelso students will dine this year in their new cafeteria. The school’s media center has been relocated. Boring Middle students get to stay at their school for meals this year. No more trudging across the field to eat in the Naas cafeteria. The school’s refurbished outdoor gym will serve a dual-purpose – gymnasium and cafeteria.
Wednesday, Sep 01 2021
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Find your child’s bus route on ‘Ride 360’
We're excited to see our students on September 7! Visit our Transportation webpage to see your child's bus route and stop times. Select ‘Routes & Stop Times,’ then ‘Traversa Ride 360.’ You will need to enter an email address and password to establish a user account. Then be prepared to enter your student ID and birth date to connect and retrieve information. For students assigned to small specialized buses : The transportation office will call families directly to confirm routes and times. Health protocols for bus transportation: Face coverings required for students and drivers Seating charts will be implemented Passive visual screening for symptoms as students enter the bus Students exhibiting symptoms will be seated at the front, then isolated & monitored at school while waiting for parent pickup Buses will be sanitized between routes If you need help finding your child’s route, call the Transportation office at: 503-668-8855.
Wednesday, Sep 01 2021
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We're ready for students
August 25, 2021 Oregon Trail Families, We’re ready for students! Oregon Trail schools are prepared for students to return full-time to a healthy learning environment. Our health protocols include: Access to hand sanitizing or washing throughout the schools Classrooms, restrooms, and common spaces cleaned and disinfected regularly Effective ventilation & airflow to minimize transmission of airborne pathogens Face coverings, as mandated by the state NOTE: A face shield may be worn instead of a mask if an individual cannot wear a mask for medical reasons. If your student has a disability or medical need that precludes them from wearing a mask/face covering, please contact your school principal. Virtual or online instructional options are also offered. Three feet physical distance between individuals, to the extent possible NOTE: When students are at least three feet apart and everyone is wearing a face covering, students who are in close contact with someone with Covid-19 don’t need to quarantine unless they have symptoms. Isolation and quarantine protocols, when necessary NOTE: Fully vaccinated people do not need to quarantine unless they develop symptoms. COVID-19 testing for symptomatic or exposed students and staff, upon request State mandates : Governor Brown has mandated that all students and school employees wear face coverings in all indoor instructional settings. Brown has also mandated that masks/face coverings be worn in most public outdoor settings, effective this Friday. The Oregon Dept. of Education has declared that schools cannot serve a student in person if they or their family choose not to wear a face covering. All school employees must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. School Open House events are scheduled to occur on September 1 and 2 and will be virtual. At this time, we don’t want to hold large group events that are vulnerable to the spread of Covid and conceivably could cause a delay in the start of school. We are committed to providing our students with the best educational experience possible - despite the ever-changing mandates - and are working hard to ensure that happens, whether in-person, virtual, or online. We look forward to working with students and families again on September 7. Sincerely, Aaron Bayer, Superintendent
Thursday, Aug 26 2021
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Online Enrollment & Student Verification is now open
Oregon Trail School District online enrollment and student verification is now open at: oregontrailschools.com/enrollment . If your student is currently enrolled or is re-enrolling, please complete the online student verification. This will help ensure the family information on the student’s account is up to date. If your student is new to the district, use the online enrollment system and follow the prompts to set up a new account to enroll your child. New Sandy High students only: After completing the online enrollment form, call the counseling office at 503-668-8011 X7125 and leave a message stating that you need to register. When the counseling office opens on August 20, they will begin returning calls to schedule registration appointments. Any questions encountered during the online enrollment or verification process may be directed to your school office. Fall 2021 Instructional Choice When choosing an option for instruction, families are commiting to the selection for the semester. If circumstances change before the first day of school or during the semester and you hope to transition to a different type of instruction, please reach out to your school principal. Please respond as soon as possible so we can prepare. Elementary School In Person Instruction: OTSD K-5 students will attend school in person 5 days per week. Virtual Instruction: Students will virtually attend school from home, synchronously or asynchronously through Google Classroom 5 days per week. Classes will be limited to what is taught in the general education classroom by OTSD teachers. This will not include specials such as PE, Music or Media. Teacher interaction and/or assistance will only occur outside of class time by Google Meet, email or phone call. If you do not have an internet connection or a computer at home, please contact the school office after August 25th for assistance. Families are responsible for lost or damaged devices. Please review guidelines here . Middle School In Person Instruction: Students will attend school in person 5 days per week. Virtual Instruction: Students will virtually attend school from home, synchronously or asynchronously through Google Classroom 5 days per week. Recordings are limited to course instruction that can be recorded in a classroom/lab by OTSD teachers. Not all courses will be available virtually. See list of available courses here. BMS , CRMS , WMS Teacher interaction and/or assistance will only occur outside of class time by Google Meet, email or phone call. If you do not have an internet connection or a computer at home, please contact the school after August 25th for assistance. Families are responsible for lost or damaged devices. Please review guidelines here Full Online Instruction: Students will work independently off campus to complete their schooling using Edmentum. Students will be able to Google Meet, email or call if they need assistance. https://www.edmentum.com/ High School In Person Instruction: Students will attend school in person 5 days per week. Virtual Instruction: Students will virtually attend school from home, synchronously or asynchronously through Google Classroom. Recordings are limited to course instruction that can be recorded in a classroom/lab by OTSD teachers. Not all courses will be available virtually. See list of available courses here. SHS virtual courses Teacher interaction and/or assistance will only occur outside of class time by Google Meet, email or phone call. If you do not have an internet connection or a computer at home, please contact the school office after August 25th for assistance. Families are responsible for lost or damaged devices. Please review guidelines here . Full Online Instruction: Students will work independently off campus to complete their schooling using Edgenuity. Students will be able to Google Meet, email or call if they need assistance. https://www.edgenuity.com/
Wednesday, Aug 18 2021
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Sandy High schedule change for 2021-2022
O regon Trail Families, Many times, over the years, Sandy High School students have requested a later start time. After careful consideration and further evaluation of the impacts of COVID on our high school students, we have found a viable solution to create both a later start time and provide high school students with a greater opportunity to focus on course work and find success throughout the year. We believe the following combination of modifications will create greater opportunities for all students to succeed. Block schedule: Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday, 8:40-2:45, three classes & Advisory Traditional/early release schedule: Wednesday, 8:40-1:45, six classes Prep time: All teachers prep their classes at the same time of day. How would a modified block schedule benefit students? Sandy High’s new schedule: Supports 90+ minute classes that enable students and teachers to have time for in-depth learning such as labs, hands-on activities, and more. Benefits students who are in AP, college credit, or support classes. Gives students more opportunity to have an elective that inspires and engages them throughout the entire year. Helps students remain more focused on their subjects because they have fewer classes per day and less information to process. Research has found students retain information longer. What’s the benefit of teachers having common prep time? This will afford students greater access to courses during the day and reduce class size. When prep is spread throughout the school day, as it has been, it decreases access to teachers. Will this impact other schools in the district? This schedule shift for Sandy High will not impact other school’s bell schedules. However, bus routes may be slightly modified to adjust for the new schedule. The last 16 months have taken a toll on everyone. While it is vastly important that we address supporting all students as we roll out of this pandemic, it has been glaringly apparent that our high school students continue to face a great degree of tumult as they try to navigate their budding adult lives and attempt to graduate from high school while planning for their future. We have no doubt the changes shared herein will aid in advancing our high schoolers through this troubling time and find them on the path to the future they deserve. Sincerely, Aaron Bayer, Superintendent
Monday, Jul 19 2021
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Hopes for higher education
Sandy High, Oregon Trail Academy graduates talk plans for post-high school life Despite the difficulties created by the pandemic and virtual schooling, more than 300 students graduated from Sandy High and Oregon Trail Academy this year, each one set off on a unique path to college, trade school or the workforce. The Post had the opportunity to catch up with three Sandy area graduates (Andrew Hokanson, Parker Meyers, Juliette Dunn ) after the pomp and circumstance died down and talk about their plans post-high school. Read the full Sandy Post story by Brittany Allen, Reporter
Wednesday, Jul 14 2021
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Looking forward to fall 2021
Oregon Trail Parents, I hope you are having a safe and restful summer. We have reviewed the Oregon Department of Education’s new Resiliency Framework and are pleased that it includes some flexibility with the advisory guidelines. As we solidify our plans for welcoming students back to full-time in-person instructi on this fall, we recognize that our students need to experience some normalcy and continuity to thrive. Our plan for fall 2021 has been developed in consultation with Oregon Trail parents, educators, and local public health. It considers the health and safety recommendations made by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and the Oregon Department of Education (ODE). Still, its focus is keenly on reconnecting with one another, reengaging kids in their education, and meeting the academic needs of our students. We will continue to implement our established protocols for the following, as recommended by ODE/OHA: School cleaning and disinfecting Hand washing and sanitizing Student cohorts and 3-feet physical distancing, to the extent possible Isolation and quarantine, when necessary COVID-19 testing for symptomatic or exposed students and staff provided upon request We will provide: Full-time in-person instruction Synchronous and asynchronous learning options for K-12 students Online program option for grades 6-12 only Meals served in school cafeterias Recess breaks We will support personal choice regarding face coverings: While we recommend face coverings for all unvaccinated students and adults, face coverings will be optional Please note: Face coverings are currently required on school buses , as mandated by the CDC More information will be forthcoming as we receive updates from our state agencies and hone our plans for the fall. In the meantime, please enjoy the rest of your summer. We look forward to seeing your children back in our schools on September 7. Sincerely, Aaron Bayer, Superintendent
Saturday, Jul 10 2021