News

South Albany High School staff are back at work organizing their classrooms, including the culinary arts and music teachers who are moving into rooms in the new cafeteria.

The building is ready for the new school year, and the SAHS community is ready to show it off. This new building will be a source of pride for the school and the entire district.

The public is invited to two open house events:

Sept. 7 from 6-7:30 p.m. 

Sept. 24, 9-11 a.m.
Donors to the Albany Public Schools Foundation South Albany High School Fire Fund will be honored and thanked for their donations. Area leaders, including local legislators, have been invited.

The School Board continues to review facility needs in the District for a possible bond proposal for next spring. A proposal could include projects to upgrade existing schools to address instructional program, safety and deferred maintenance needs and construction of one more new elementary schools to relieve overcrowding and manage growth.

Projections show that District enrollment will continue to grow, and current schools are at capacity. See Gaps anticipates high enrollment in Albany Democrat-Herald.

The last new elementary school constructed in the District was Periwinkle in 1977. See school building age timeline.

In October, the District will host a series of community meetings to gather input about community priorities for new schools, which will help the Board develop a final bond proposal. Superintendent Golden will seek public input on possible projects.

Please join us at one of the following meetings:

10/5: Timber Ridge School
10/12: Oak Grove Elementary School
10/20: West Albany High School
10/26: South Albany High School

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.