Category Archives: News

The new school year is around the corner. The Back-to-School Resources page has information to help you get ready.

School start dates vary by grade:

Sept. 6: Grades 1-6, grades 7-8 at Timber Ridge and grade 9
Sept. 7: Grades 7-8 at Calapooia, Memorial and North Albany middle schools and grades 10-12
Sept. 12: Kindergarten

Contact your school for more information. 

Greater Albany Public Schools voluntarily tested all drinking and food preparation water fixtures for lead in all schools this summer. More than 500 samples were taken. Test results for all schools will be published here when they are available.

Early results showed elevated lead levels in three fixtures at Periwinkle Elementary School and five fixtures at Waverly Elementary School. Repairs were made and the fixtures will be retested.

Read more about water testing in GAPS schools and find resources about lead on the water testing information page.

GAPS owns and operates public water systems at the following schools – Fir Grove, Clover Ridge and Tangent elementary schools. These water systems are closely monitored following all testing on the required intervals. There are many required tests that take place (including lead), some every quarter, some annually, some every three years. The water systems at all of our schools in the City of Albany are tested and monitored by those municipalities. The testing results from all of the water systems, including the testing results from The City of Albany are available at the following link, hosted by the Oregon Health Authority — https://yourwater.oregon.gov/. Search by the name of the facility for the school district owned water systems, or by the name of the city. Once you get to a particular water system all of the testing results and other system information is available by clicking one of the many links toward the bottom half of the page.

The school district is completing additional testing for lead in each of the schools within the city of Albany. For schools on municipal water, staff began collecting samples early last week. So far samples have been collected at nine sites. Testing is not planned for Albany Options School because it is a new facility. A lower level of testing is planned for Timber Ridge because it is also a fairly new facility.

Results for all sites are expected by mid August. Any water sources detected over the allowable levels will be decommissioned until they can be replaced.

Three schools nominated outstanding staff members for the national LifeChanger of the Year award, sponsored by National Life Group.

Pictured (from left) are Pam McQueary, SEA/behavior specialist at Liberty Elementary; Laurie Robinson, kitchen manager at SAHS; and Les Sprinkel, head custodian at SAHS.

According to the LifeChanger of the Year website, “LifeChanger of the Year is an annual program that recognizes and rewards K-12 education professionals. LifeChangers must be K-12 educators, teachers, administrators or any member of a school’s staff who makes a positive difference in the lives of students.”

Nominees compete against nominated staff from around the country. A selection committee will choose 15 winners.

Read the official nominations for each of the three GAPS nominees.