Category Archives: News

About 75 people attended a community forum to discuss options for Oak Grove students during the construction of the new Oak Grove Elementary School in 2018-19. The students will need to move off-site for one year while the new building is constructed.

The meeting, held at North Albany Middle School, was an opportunity to discuss the three options on the table and take input and answer questions from parents.

“We want to put kids first and put them at the heart of our decisions,” said Assistant Superintendent Tonja Everest.

This was the second parent forum. Input will be compiled with input from a survey that is available online or as a hard copy in school offices. The survey closes on Feb. 11.

Take the survey: Open until Feb. 11

Responda la encuesta: Abierto hasta el 11 de febrero

Parents shared concerns, suggestions and questions. Input included questions about busing; combining the elementary students with middle school students in one building; availability of school-based childcare; bell times, class sizes, staff consistency; and non-core enrichment programs.

Many parents also raised concerns about school climate and behavioral issues at North Albany Middle School. Superintendent Jim Golden said that he has identified areas for improvement and is working on implementing new programs in classrooms, school-wide and district-wide.

“We all want to make the culture improve,” he said. “You have the commitment of the school and district administration and the board.”

The new Anti-Bullying, Anti-Harassment Task Force is part of the effort to focus on solutions to improve school climate. It will hold a second meeting on Feb. 7 at Albany Options School.

The second meeting of the new Anti-Bullying, Anti-Harassment Task Force is scheduled for Feb. 7 at Albany Options School at 6 p.m.

More than 40 parents, community members and staff attended the first meeting on Jan. 24. Participants had the opportunity to share, in small groups, why they were attending and what outcomes they anticipating.

At the meeting, district staff presented and overview of bullying and had participants break into small groups to analyze various aspects and data relating to bullying that they could share out to the larger group.

See the presentation.

At the end of the evening, the small groups focused on beginning to look at the various roles community stakeholders play in addressing the issue of bullying in our community. A summary of those findings will be presented at the Feb. 7 meeting.

SELCO Community Credit Union has announced application dates for their 2018 SPARK! Creative Learning Grants. Grants are available up to $1,000 for K-12 teachers.

“We love projects that spark something new and want to see proposals for helping kids create and teachers innovate.”

If interested, find details about grant requirements and scoring criteria on the Selco Community Credit Union website.

Please note the following dates:

August 15: Applications open
SELCO SPARK! Creative Learning Grants

September 30: Application deadline
SELCO SPARK! Creative Learning Grants

Visit selco.org/SPARK for details and to apply.

“We can’t wait to see what innovative projects our teachers come up with this year.”

Read the proposal for temporary student relocation: 2018-19 school year.

Leer la propuesta para la reubicación temporal de estudiantes: Año escolar 2018-19.

Demolition and reconstruction of Oak Grove is scheduled to start when school lets out for the summer. The new building, funded by the 2017 bond measure and designed for a larger student body, is expected to open in fall 2019.

This means that Oak Grove students will need to spend the year elsewhere. At the School Board meeting on Monday night, the board reviewed options for temporary relocation of Oak Grove students, including scenarios where students attend a combination of Fir Grove, North Albany Elementary School and North Albany Middle School for the year.

See the presentation to the School Board. 

Ver la presentación a la Mesa Directiva.

The district is seeking parent and community input via an online survey that will be open from Jan. 23 to Feb. 11. (Paper copies are available in school offices.) This feedback will be considered by the Board before they make a final decision on the plan.

Take the survey: Open until Feb. 11

Responda la encuesta: Abierto hasta el 11 de febrero

No option is ideal, but the temporary adjustments will allow construction of the new building, which will create space for more students and improve the learning environment for students.

Considerations in the planning process:

• More than 290 students will be displaced for the year due to construction.
• Keeping students in North Albany rather than sending them over the bridge to other schools is a priority.
• There is classroom space at nearby Fir Grove Elementary School, North Albany Elementary School and North Albany Middle School.

Goals for relocation

• Put kids first.
• Consider common space needs for lunch, PE classes, etc.
• Disrupt as few classrooms as possible.
• Minimize locations, number of schools for families and number of schools for student transitions.
• Keep the plan as simple as possible.
• Minimize costs for moving and renovation.

Additional opportunities for feedback are scheduled:

• Public meeting at NAMS, Feb. 5, 7 p.m.
• Regularly scheduled School Board meeting, Feb. 26, 7 p.m

On Saturday, 16 middle schools from around the state sent jazz bands to the 12th annual NAMS Music Festival. The event included performances by each school band and clinics taught by high school band directors, including West Albany High School Band Director Stuart Welsh.

The event is a fundraiser for the NAMS music program and provides an opportunity for all GAPS middle school bands to perform and observe other school bands.

Students also had the chance to see a performance by the band directors during the Directors’ Jam during the lunch hour. 

School Board Director Jennifer Ward volunteers at the concession stand during the jazz festival.

A participating school band poses for a group photo after their performance at NAMS.