🚍 A school bus is transformed into a greenhouse, plu...

Grants Pass Glimpse April 2025 Upcoming Dates & Events April 18: No School - Professional Development Day April 22: School Board Work Session (Policy) April 29: Community Listening Session w/ School Board May 1: 2025-26 Registration Begins May 8: Free Parenting Workshop May 13: School Board Meeting May 26: No School - Memorial Day May 27: School Board Work Session (Policy) May 29-30: Graduations More events... Calling all healthcare professionals! We are excited to be hosting an industry tour of our Heath Sciences program at Grants Pass High School. This is an opportunity for business and industry professionals to learn about our course pathway and find out how you can partner with us to ensure we are building a strong workforce for our community. Information will be shared about classes offered at GPHS, college credit students are earning while still in high school, and industry certifications we are working toward. Date: Tuesday, April 29, 2025 Time: 4:00 - 4:45 p.m. Location: Grants Pass High School, room 404 RSVP: sbland@grantspass.k12.or.us The School Board wants to hear from you! The Grants Pass School District 7 School Board invites all staff, students, parents, and community members to a Community Listening Session on Tuesday, April 29 from 6:00-7:30 PM in the Grants Pass High School commons. This is your chance to share your questions, ideas, and feedback directly with the school board. No RSVP is needed—just come and join us for round-table discussions that help shape the future of our schools! Date: Tuesday, April 29, 2025 Time: 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. Location: Grants Pass High School, Commons Discover, Explore, and Read with Destiny Discover! Students and families, ready to unlock new worlds through reading? Every school library in Grants Pass School District 7 is filled with books, cozy reading spaces, and friendly librarians eager to help you find your next favorite read! We encourage parents to support their child’s love of reading by exploring our Destiny Discover Library Catalog. Browse our collection, check availability, see what’s new, place holds, and plan your next library visit - all from home! Visit the Library/Media Program link from any school website or the "Students" link at the top of any district/school webpage to find the Destiny Discover Library Catalog button and get started. Happy reading! Stories to Share From school bus to greenhouse! Gladiola High School’s gardening program is growing! With limited greenhouse space, students in Mrs. Dinkins's class are transforming a retired Grants Pass School District 7 school bus into a fully functional greenhouse. Read more... What do you want to be when you grow up? Mrs. Harden’s first graders at Redwood Elementary spent time dreaming about their futures during Career Day. They also visited an assisted living facility to ask residents about their former careers. It was a special experience that connected generations! Read more... ​ ​ Stay connected to Grants Pass School District 7! Like us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram Subscribe on YouTube ​​ ​​​We Are GP! A learning community committed to excellence and success for all.

Wednesday, Apr 16 2025

Upcoming dates to know, plus, why do we update curri...

​ ​ Grants Pass Glimpse March 2025 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Upcoming Dates & Events ​ March 21: No School - Clerical/PD Day March 24-28: No School - Spring Break April 3: Free Parenting Workshop April 8: School Board Meeting April 8-10: Free READY! for Kindergarten classes April 18: No School - PD/Teacher Collaboration Day April 22: School Board Work Session More events... ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ New Student Registration Now Open! ​ For the first time, Grants Pass School District 7 is opening new student registration in March, giving families more time to plan for the 2025-26 school year! 🎉 If you know a family with a kindergartner or a student in grades 1-12 who wants to enroll in our district, let them know new student registration is now open. This earlier timeline helps new families get connected and allows secondary students more time to select their classes. Current student and families: Returning student registration will open in May. Transfer request applications (for those who live outside the district but want to attend our schools) will open May 19. Thanks for helping to spread the word! ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Why Do We Update Our Curriculum? ​ During the recent English Language Arts (ELA) adoption process for middle school, someone asked during the public input period, "Do we really need a new curriculum?" We appreciate this question because we know others may be wondering the same thing.   When we adopt new curriculum materials, we follow a thorough and transparent process, including recommendations from an adoption committee of highly qualified staff, approval from our Parent Advisory Council, a public review period, and final approval by the School Board. But why do we need a new curriculum in the first place?   Curriculum updates are essential for several reasons:   ✅ Staying Aligned with State Standards – The state reviews and updates learning standards every seven years. When this happens, publishers share materials that align with these new expectations, ensuring our students receive up-to-date instruction.   ✅ Providing High-Quality, Consistent Materials – A standardized, district-approved curriculum ensures that all students receive a strong foundation in their education, no matter which school they attend or which teacher they have.   ✅ Supporting Our Teachers – Teachers don't always have the time or resources to find and evaluate materials independently. A district-adopted curriculum ensures they have the tools they need to focus on instruction rather than searching for materials.   ✅ Ensuring Access to Modern Resources – Many educational programs now include valuable digital tools that enhance learning. In the case of our recent middle school ELA adoption, our previous program is being discontinued, making this update necessary to ensure continued access to effective resources.   Following a careful and community-involved adoption process ensures that our students receive high-quality instruction that meets today's educational standards while supporting our teachers in their important work. We always welcome questions and input from our community. Thank you for being involved! ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Celebrating major progress on the Performing Arts center fundraising campaign ​ One year after launching a $1 million fundraising campaign to preserve the Grants Pass High School Performing Arts Center (PAC), we're proud to share the progress made. More than $225,000 has been raised to date, allowing for significant improvements to the PAC’s safety, accessibility, and technical capabilities. Read more... ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Teach One to Lead One ​ Fourth-graders in Mrs. Vieira’s class at Riverside Elementary have been learning about compassion, respect, humility, and teamwork through weeks of lessons and conversations with Teach One to Lead One, a mentorship program that helps students develop strong character and leadership skills. As part of their learning, students decorated pillowcases for U.S. military members serving overseas. See more... ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Stories to Share ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ GPHS seniors traveling around the U.S. ​ 20 Grants Pass High School seniors will be traveling around the country this summer, hanks to the American Exchange Project! This incredible program gives high school seniors a free, week-long trip to a completely different U.S. community, broadening their perspectives and building connections with people from all walks of life. Read more... ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Helping shelter pets find their fur-ever home! ​ All year long, Lincoln Elementary’s second graders have been using their artistic talents to help local shelter animals find loving homes! Each class takes turns creating adorable drawings of adoptable pets, hoping to catch the eye of a future family. Check out some of their latest artwork... ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Stay connected to Grants Pass School District 7! ​ Like us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram Subscribe on YouTube ​​ ​​​We Are GP! A learning community committed to excellence and success for all. ​ ​ ​

Friday, Mar 21 2025

🏈 GPHS announces head football coach, plus a new Eng...

​ ​ Grants Pass Glimpse February 2025 ​ ​ ​ ​ Upcoming Dates & Events ​ February 25: School Board Work Session March 6: Kindergarten Launch March 11: School Board Meeting March 13: Free Parenting Workshop March 21: No School - Clerical/PD Day March 24-28: No School - Spring Break More events... ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Congratulations GP grads! ​ The Grants Pass School District is proud to announce improvements in graduation rates for the 2023-24 school year. These improvements highlight our vision of excellence and success for all. For the second consecutive year, Grants Pass High School (GPHS) has achieved its highest graduation rate on record, reaching an impressive 93.9% for its four-year graduation rate—significantly surpassing the state average of 81.8%. Grants Pass Flexible Learning EXperience (GPFLEX) achieved a graduation rate of 82.9%, providing flexible learning opportunities for students to reach their full potential. Gladiola High School, the district’s alternative education campus, saw significant improvement in its 4-year completer rate, which rose to 71.7% from 65.55% just one year ago. As a district, Grants Pass School District 7’s 4-year graduation rate was 79.4%, the highest on record, with a 4-year completer rate of 88.4%. While there’s always more work to do, every improvement is a step closer to ensuring all our students graduate ready for college, careers, and life. Huge congratulations to the Class of 2024, and the staff and families who helped them cross the finish line. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ English Language Arts textbook adoption ​ Grants Pass School District’s School Board is considering an adoption recommendation from the middle school English Language Arts Adoption Committee. The recommended materials would be used in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade English Language Arts classrooms starting in the fall of 2025.  The recommendation from the ELA Team is: Into Literature by HMH Curriculum The program can be previewed by using a Chrome browser and entering the credentials listed on this Google form link. Materials are available through March 11, 2025, for digital review and input. Please call 541-474-5709 for more information or if you are having trouble accessing the link. Hard copy materials will be available soon at the District Office, 725 NE Dean Drive. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ How are we doing? ​ Grants Pass School District 7 has partnered with the national nonprofit, YouthTruth, to help us hear feedback from you about what we are doing well, and how we can improve. From now until February 28, 2025, the YouthTruth Family survey will be open and we want to hear from you! The survey should take approximately 15 minutes for you to complete online. Your response is anonymous and will be combined with responses from other parents and guardians throughout the district. Thank you for your feedback! It is a gift that helps us continually improve. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Kindergarten Registration - March 6! ​ On Thursday, March 6, 2025, from 6:00-7:30 p.m., we will gather the newest future cavers to get them registered to launch into kindergarten! Each of the district's 6 elementary schools will have an orientation program for parents and activities for the children.  A child must be five years old on or before September 1, 2025, to attend kindergarten next year. Visit our website for more information and a list of items to bring on the evening of March 6. ​ ​ ​ ​ Stories to Share ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Grants Pass High School announces new head football coach ​ The Grants Pass High School athletic department is excited to welcome Matt Kennedy as the new head varsity football coach for the Cavemen! 🏈 A dedicated GPHS teacher and coach, Kennedy brings 20 years of coaching experience and a passion for developing student-athletes both on and off the field. "Caveman Football is about more than the game—it’s about building young people into the best versions of themselves." – Coach Kennedy Read more about Coach Kennedy... ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ A playground for ALL ​ Today, we celebrated the completion of our brand-new accessible playground for the Early Learning Program! With an ADA-accessible rubber mat surface and age-appropriate play structures, our preschoolers now have the perfect place to grow, explore, and have fun together. Our Early Learning Program offerings are completely FREE for families and include parent-child playgroups, inclusive preschool, kindergarten readiness classes, parenting workshops, and preventative health screenings, all designed to give young children a strong start in their education journey. Learn more... ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Stay connected to Grants Pass School District 7! ​ Like us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram Subscribe on YouTube ​​ ​​​We Are GP! A learning community committed to excellence and success for all. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Friday, Feb 21 2025

Learn about our Parent Advisory Council, plus upcomi...

​ ​ Grants Pass Glimpse January 2025 ​ ​ ​ ​ Upcoming Dates & Events ​ January 28: School Board Work Session January 29-31: No School - Elementary Only (Clerical Day & Conferences) February 6: Parenting Workshop February 11: School Board Meeting February 14: No School - (Clerical/Professional Development) February 17: No school - Holiday More events... ​ ​ ​ ​ Spotlight on reading ​ This fall, the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) chose Grants Pass School District 7 to be part of their Fall Literacy Tour, shining a spotlight on our literacy education. A team from ODE visited Riverside and Parkside elementary schools to see our core literacy instruction in action! Through the state’s Early Literacy Success Initiative grant, we purchased a new English Language Arts curriculum and invested in professional development to support staff with its implementation. Watch the video above to hear from our students and staff. We will have mid-year data in February which will show us how students are making progress. This data will be shared with the Grants Pass School Board on February 11, 2025. ​ ​ ​ ​ PowerSchool Data Breach ​ You may have heard about the recent PowerSchool data breach affecting schools nationwide, including here in Oregon. PowerSchool is the Student Information System (SIS) we use in Grants Pass School District 7.   Thanks to proactive safeguards implemented by our GPSD7 Information Services (IS) team, our district's data was not impacted in this breach. Hackers did not gain unauthorized access to our student information. Maintaining the security and privacy of our students' data is a priority and our IS team is routinely looking for ways to enhance our systems to ensure their protection. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Did you know? Parent Advisory Council ​ For several decades, the Parent Advisory Council (PAC) has provided a platform for parents to engage with district leaders on a wide range of issues, from new curriculum and instructional resources to federal programs and district improvement goals. The PAC is made up of parents from every school in our district and members meet throughout the year. The PAC plays an essential role in ensuring that the needs and priorities of our families are heard and considered. In January, the PAC approved planned course statements for new classes at GPHS, including health science courses, a new early childhood education pathway for students interested in teaching, and more. The PAC's recommendations then went before the Grants Pass School Board for approval. If you're interested in representing your child's school on the PAC, please watch for openings in the spring. Your school's principal will send out more information if there is an upcoming vacancy. PAC members typically serve two-year terms, and this is a great way to get involved in shaping the future of our schools! ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Stories to Share ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ New bleachers! ​ We're excited to share that both North and South Middle Schools have installed brand new bleachers! The old bleachers had several safety issues, including broken panels, faulty welds, and sections that couldn't fully open or close. With multiple safety concerns and their age, they were well past due for an upgrade. These upgrades are part of our ongoing facility improvements, made possible by the debt restructuring plan approved in 2023. See more photos... ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Art to support students! ​ Grants Pass High School art teacher Joshua Morton is inviting local businesses and organizations to partner with him in supporting the One Sweet World scholarship fund. Morton is offering to create custom artwork for local businesses in exchange for donations to the scholarship, which has helped Grants Pass students pursue post-secondary education since 2013. To learn more or to contact Mr. Morton visit our website. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ New activity bus! ​ Did you know we have activity buses? While our familiar yellow buses take students to and from school, our activity buses transport students to athletic events, extracurricular activities, and other special events. Our district recently added a “new-to-us” white activity bus to our fleet. We were able to purchase a gently used bus with low mileage from another school district for just $55,000—significantly less than the $225,000 cost of a brand-new bus! To make it even more special, we had the bus wrapped for $8,500. This investment, funded by transportation dollars, ensures that our students will have reliable transportation for the next decade. We’re excited to see it hit the road for all the events that make our school community so proud. We are GP! ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Stay connected to Grants Pass School District 7! ​ Like us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram Subscribe on YouTube ​​ ​​​We Are GP! A learning community committed to excellence and success for all. ​ ​ ​

Wednesday, Jan 29 2025

Cell phone survey results and free kindergarten read...

​ ​ Grants Pass Glimpse December 2024 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Upcoming Dates & Events ​ Dec. 23-Jan. 3: No School - Winter Break January 6: No School - Elementary Only (Professional Development Day) January 14: School Board Meeting January 17: No School - Secondary Only (Clerical Day) January 20 - No School - Holiday More events... ​ ​ ​ ​ FREE Kindergarten Prep Class ​ Do you have a four or five-year-old entering kindergarten this fall? It's time to get ready for kindergarten! Plus, join us this winter for session 2 of READY! for Kindergarten. This FREE class teaches parents and guardians the important skills a 5-year-old should be familiar with when they start school. Dinner and childcare are provided.  Date: January 21, 2025 - January 23, 2025 (Please attend one night that works best for your schedule.) Time: 5:15 PM - 7:30 PM (If you attended session 1 in October, you can arrive at 6:00 PM.) Register today! ​ ​ ​ ​ Cell Phone Survey Results ​ On December 10, the Grants Pass School Board received a presentation of the recent survey results regarding the district’s cell phone policy. This included responses from staff, students, and parents. We greatly appreciate the time and effort everyone took to share their thoughts and feedback. If you would like to review the summary data in detail, it is available on our website and separated by staff, students, and parents. Thank you once again to all participants for their valuable input. ​ ​ ​ ​ Stories to Share ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ The smiles say it all! ​ Marlo Z., a community member, spent the last year handknitting hats for students so they would have something warm to wear this winter. Mrs. Harden’s class at Redwood Elementary and Miss Harden’s class at Riverside Elementary had the joy of gifting them to their classes. Thank you to Marlow for spreading warmth and kindness to these students! See more photos... ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Kindergartner has skills! ​ Check out this video of Johnny from Lincoln Elementary School! This talented kindergartner's love for drumming started at an early age when he got his first drum set and was inspired by watching the Grants Pass High School marching band from his stroller. He practices all the time, learning from videos, and perfecting his skills! Looks like we may have a future GPHS drumline star in the making! ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Have a safe, restful, enjoyable winter break. We'll see you in 2025! ​ ​ Like us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram Subscribe on YouTube ​​ ​​​ We Are GP! A learning community committed to excellence and success for all. ​ ​ ​

Friday, Dec 20 2024

Winners of the 2024 Holiday Card Contest

Congratulations to the following students whose designs won the 2024 Holiday Card Contest! District-Level K-1 Ryder B., Lincoln 2-3 Zoey D., Lincoln 4-5 Juliette W., Highland 6-8 Skyler P., North 9-12 Peerada G., Grants Pass High School People's Choice K-5 Juliette W., Highland 6-12 Peerada G., Grants Pass High School Purchasing 2024 Holiday Cards 15 card variety packs are available for purchase locally; no shipping available . Customers  must  be able to pick up in person at 725 NE Dean Drive, Grants Pass. Cards can be picked up weekdays from 7:30 am - 4:00 pm, December 4-December 20.  Please bring your ID or the payment card used to purchase online.

Monday, Dec 02 2024

Survey, Art Contest, and Budget Committee Info

​ ​ Grants Pass Glimpse November 2024 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Upcoming Dates & Events ​ November 27-29: No School December 3: Policy Committee Meeting December 10: School Board Meeting December 12: Parenting Workshop More events... ​ ​ ​ ​ Reminder: Cell Phone Survey ​ The Grants Pass School District 7 School Board is gathering feedback from students, staff, and families regarding cell phone use and related policies. Your opinion matters, and we encourage you to participate in this short survey. Survey Link: https://forms.gle/X6qtzh5U1hRmyonK6 The survey will remain open until Tuesday, November 26, 2024. Your responses will help inform future decisions regarding cell phone use in our district. Thank you for sharing your thoughts! ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Holiday Card Contest Voting ​ It’s time to cast your vote in the Grants Pass School District 7’s Holiday Card Art Contest! For the fifth year, we are featuring student artwork on the covers of our district's holiday cards. Designs have been submitted by K-12 students, and we need your input to select the winners. How to Vote: Review the submissions and vote for your favorite designs in the elementary (K-5) and secondary (6-12) categories. We encourage you to invite others to vote as well! Voting Link: https://forms.gle/uuztBhX4w1KCHHBw6 Voting Deadline: December 1, 2024 Winners will be announced Monday, December 2, 2024 and limited quantities of variety packs will be available for purchase. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Budget Committee Vacancy - Apply Now! ​ The Grants Pass School District 7 Board of Education is seeking applicants for a vacant position on the District’s Budget Committee. The position is for a three-year term, ending June 30, 2028. The Budget Committee consists of the seven members of the Board of Education, as well as an equal number of qualified electors from the community. Eligibility Requirements: Must reside within the Grants Pass School District. Must not be an officer or employee of the School District. Must be qualified to vote in Josephine County within the District’s boundaries. How to Apply: Stop by the District Office to pick up an application form or download it online. Completed applications must be submitted to the District Office by 4:00 PM on Monday, December 9, 2024. The Board will make the appointment during the regularly scheduled meeting on January 14, 2025. For more information, or to submit your application, please contact the Superintendent’s Office at: Email: tdoane@grantspass.k12.or.us Phone: 541-474-5700 Mailing Address: Grants Pass School District No. 7, 725 NE Dean Drive, Grants Pass, OR 97526 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Tis the season for holiday meals! ​ At each of our elementary schools, families are invited to enjoy a delicious holiday meal with their students, complete with all the festive fixings. This year, we’ve been fortunate to have extra helping hands from our Grants Pass School Board members, Grants Pass Police Department, Grants Pass Fire, and our amazing parents who pitched in to serve meals. Read more... ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ACT program hosts a Thanksgiving meal! ​ Adult Community Transition (ACT) program participants hosted a Thanksgiving meal for their peers and families! From shopping for ingredients to cooking the perfect holiday spread, they practiced valuable life skills while celebrating the season with loved ones. This hands-on experience empowers young adults with disabilities to grow through real-world learning. See more photos... ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Stay connected to Grants Pass School District 7! ​ Like us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram Subscribe on YouTube ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ We Are GP! A learning community committed to excellence and success for all. ​ ​

Tuesday, Nov 26 2024

REMINDER: Our School Board wants to hear from you!

The School Board for Grants Pass School District 7 would like to invite you to a community listening session. This is your chance to share your questions, ideas, and feedback directly with the school board. Whether you have thoughts on cell phone policies, questions about the dress code or budget, suggestions for improving our school facilities, or feedback on current school programs, we want to hear from you. Date:  Tuesday, November 19, 2024 Time:  6:30 PM - 8:00 PM Location:  Grants Pass High School Commons An RSVP is appreciated but not required. If you have any questions about the event, please reply to this post or contact Tonya Doane at 541-474-5700.

Wednesday, Nov 13 2024

Join us for a listening session with our school boar...

​​ Grants Pass Glimpse October 2024 ​​​​ ​​​​ Upcoming Dates & Events ​ November 1: No School - Clerical/Professional Development November 11: No School - Veterans Day November 12: School Board Meeting November 13: Community Data Walk and Talk November 19: Community Listening Session w/ School Board More events... ​​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ What's on your mind? The School Board wants to hear from you! ​ The Grants Pass School District 7 School Board invites all staff, students, parents, and community members to a Community Listening Session on November 19, from 6:30-8:00 PM in the Grants Pass High School commons. This is your chance to share your questions, ideas, and feedback directly with the school board and district staff. Whether you have thoughts on cell phone policies, questions about the dress code or budget, suggestions for improving our school facilities, or feedback on current school programs, we want to hear from you. No RSVP is needed—just come and join us for this important conversation to help shape the future of our schools! ​​ ​​​ Test of Urgent Alert System ​ We will be conducting a TEST of our urgent alert system on Thursday, November 14, 2024, at approximately 5:30 p.m.   The alert will be sent through our school and district communication platform, ParentSquare, and should be received by all parents and guardians via email, text message, and/or robocall.   This test will ensure our system works as expected. It also serves as an opportunity to ensure our Student Information System has the most up-to-date parent/guardian contact information in the event of a winter weather delay or closure this school year.   As a reminder, decisions about winter weather are generally made after 5:30 a.m. on the day of the weather event. Messaging about delays and closure are then communicated via ParentSquare, our website, and local radio and TV stations.   If you haven't already, now is a great time to download the ParentSquare or StudentSquare app (Apple/Google) and confirm your contact information. If you need to make any changes or updates, please contact your student's school(s) directly. For more information about our inclement weather procedures please visit our inclement weather webpage. ​​​​ Fentanyl, Naloxone, and Educating Students ​ Our schools hold student wellbeing at the heart of the work that we do. We are writing to share concerns about fentanyl and opioid drugs. These drugs are harming people in our community. We hope this information will help protect students. Teen drug use has been decreasing over time. However, data shows that there has been an increase in overdoses, mainly due to illicit fentanyl in the drug market (NIDA, 2023). Many teens are attempting to acquire Adderall, Percocet, Oxycodone and Xanax pills when in fact they are getting fake pills made from a cheap, deadly and more potent synthetic drug called fentanyl. It is crucial to educate students and young people about substance use risks, including the potential of fentanyl in illicit pills and other substances. It is also important to raise awareness about opioid antagonists (such as naloxone). What is an opioid? Opioids come from the opium poppy plant and include drugs like morphine, oxycodone, dilaudid, heroin, and fentanyl. They attach to receptors to block pain and increase pleasure. Overdose is a common risk associated with opioids and can be intentional or accidental. Fentanyl is a powerful opioid: a dose as small as a few grains of sand can make a person stop breathing within minutes. Why do people use opioids? Opioids may be prescribed as pain medicine. Some young people try drugs because they are curious. Some people use drugs to avoid feeling difficult emotions. Opioids are addictive. If you’re a parent and are thinking to yourself, “my kid isn’t a drug addict,” know that most teens who use pills do not fit our dated notion of a drug user. Often, teens are seeking out what they think are real pharmaceutical pills to deal with anxiety or other mental health struggles. Others are looking to experiment or have “some fun.” But the days of harmless experimentation are over when one pill can kill. ​​​​ What is an opioid antagonist? Opioid antagonists are medications (naloxone is the most commonly known opioid antagonist) that can be delivered by a nasal spray or injection to quickly restore normal breathing for a person whose breathing has slowed down or stopped because of an overdose of fentanyl, prescription opioids or heroin. Naloxone onset occurs within 2-3 minutes and can last for 30-90 minutes. Sometimes a second dose of naloxone is necessary if symptoms of overdose return. Naloxone may be administered in emergency overdose situations and is safe for the person receiving the medication. What can you do? Please talk about the dangers of fentanyl and availability of opioid antagonists with your students and others you care about. Consider having naloxone available in your home for the quickest response during a medical emergency. Learn more about how to get naloxone and how to use it here: Opioid Overdose Reversal Medications. What is your school district doing?  Grants Pass School District 7 provides comprehensive drug and alcohol education aligned with the 2023 Oregon Health Education Standards. In addition, we care deeply about the health and safety of every student in our school community. All schools stock naloxone. Naloxone is safe. Select trained staff may administer naloxone to any person suspected of experiencing an opioid overdose. Anytime naloxone is administered school staff will call 911 and notify the student’s parents or guardian. For a more comprehensive education of Fentanyl and Naloxone, please see the Fentanyl Toolkit for Schools. ​​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ Stay connected to Grants Pass School District 7! ​ Like us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram Subscribe on YouTube ​​ ​​​ We Are GP! A learning community committed to excellence and success for all. ​​

Thursday, Oct 31 2024

What's the difference between a secure and a lockdow...

Grants Pass Glimpse | September 2024             Save the date Mark your calendars for our 3rd annual Community Data Walk and Talk. Open to all families, this is an opportunity to review student learning outcomes and provide feedback. We will go over how students are doing in subjects like reading and math, as well as graduation rates and discipline. When : Wednesday, November 13 Where: Commons at Grants Pass High School Time: 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. 9th Grade Success & Attendance Awareness This school year, we are celebrating the progress we've made in supporting our students' success! During the 2021-22 school year, we began providing additional supports for our ninth graders to ensure they stay on track for graduation. For the 2023-24 school year, our district saw a 1.7% increase in the number of ninth graders on track to graduate. Grants Pass High School (GPHS) led the way with a 2.3% gain, reaching an impressive 84.5% of ninth graders on track to graduate! September is also Attendance Awareness Month, and we are committed to improving student attendance. While our attendance rates haven't fully returned to pre-pandemic levels, we’ve seen encouraging improvements. The district saw a nearly 2-percentage point increase in regular attenders (students attending at least 90% of the time),  with some schools achieving gains of 5-10+ percentage points.  Let’s continue to work together to ensure our students are present and engaged! What do hold, secure, and lockdown mean?  Grants Pass School District uses the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) from the I Love You Guys Foundation to respond to weather events, accidents, police investigations, intruders and more.  The differentiation between 'Secure' and 'Lockdown' is a critical element in SRP and important for families to understand.  A ' secure ' is called when there is something dangerous  outside  of the building. Examples would be a wild animal on school grounds or a nearby police investigation or response. A ' lockdown ' is only initiated when there is an active threat  inside  or  very close  to the building. In the event of a 'secure', 'lockdown, 'evacuate' or 'shelter', a ParentSquare notification  will  be sent to families as soon as possible. We will provide whatever accurate information we have - which is usually limited in the moment. Our goal first and foremost is to respond to the situation and keep staff and students safe. We generally will  not  send a parent notification for a 'hold' as these are brief scenarios where hallways are kept clear while a spill is cleaned up or an individual experiencing a medical emergency is transported for care. You can learn more about each of the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) actions by visiting our  emergency protocols webpage . Do you want to adjust your notification settings for ParentSquare? ParentSquare allows users to   fine-tune their notification settings for posts for each school and district. You can choose to receive email, text, and/or app notifications. You can also set the frequency of notifications for posts.  The  Instant  setting will send all post notifications in real time. The  Digest  setting sends direct messages, alerts, and time-sensitive posts instantly, but sends all non-time-sensitive posts at the end of the day, reducing the number of notifications you receive daily.  The default setting is typically Digest, so that you receive all notices and post messages in one convenient notification once a day. All emergency notifications still come through instantly, and a school can override settings as needed for an urgent message. If you choose Instant notifications, and have multiple children in multiple schools, that can add up to a lot of messages. Visit this  help article for step-by-step instructions on adjusting your notification settings . Stay connected to Grants Pass School District 7! Click the icons to visit our pages. We Are GP! A learning community committed to excellence and success for all.

Friday, Sep 27 2024