News

GAPS parents are invited to join parents of talented and gifted students in Corvallis for an informational night about the social-emotional needs of TAG students.

The featured speaker is Paula Prober, author, counselor and educator with more than 30 years experience.

The event will take place in the Linus Pauling Middle School Auditorium in Corvallis on Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. Childcare is available.

“Many staff members and families are eager for more support around TAG students and issues,” said Stacey Torres, District Talented and Gifted Facilitator. “I hope they can attend this event to​​ improve our ability to support our TAG learners.”

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Sometimes we have to close school, delay the start of school, or release early because of bad weather. This is the annual reminder of procedures for school closures or schedule changes due to inclement weather.

When the decision has been made to close school or delay the start, we rely on local radio and television stations for notifications. Closure and delayed start information will ordinarily be broadcast by 6:30 a.m. Closure information will also be posted on the District website.

 Our District subscribes to FlashAlert. This service forwards school closure information to local radio and television stations. Staff, parents, or community members can register to receive these notices directly. Notifications will be sent via email. For those of you with tablets or smart phones, you can also receive messages by downloading the FlashAlert Messenger app. This app is available on Google Play or the iTunes app store. There are no costs to the recipients for using the email or app for notifications.

All addresses registered on FlashAlert will remain confidential. You will receive an email message once per year asking if you wish to continue your subscription and to confirm your email address.  Subscribers should be aware that some email spam filters may prevent messages from being received.

Below are some of the radio and television stations that will be notified of school closures: 

If you have questions about the procedures summarized above, please contact the school or contact the District Office at 541-967-4501.

Download this letter to parents in English or Spanish.

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.”

Girls from South and West Albany high schools joined girls from schools around the region at the annual LBCC Women, Metals and Manufacturing event, sponsored by the Albany Chamber Pipeline to Jobs project.

More than 65 students participated in the hands-on event that had a waiting list of students who were interested in learning about skills in high-demand program areas.

Students each attended two of the following program areas: Computer-Assisted Design and Drafting (CADD), Welding and Fabrication, Machine Tool Technology, and Mechatronics.

Each session included a chance to try the equipment, and learn about program requirements and median salaries. Students who are currently in the LBCC programs were on hand to guide the girls through the activities.

South Albany High School brought 20 girls, and West Albany High School brought 12. Students signed up voluntarily, and the group included freshmen through seniors.

For some, the event was a chance to learn about options after high school. For others, it was a chance to confirm career aspirations. The group from West included a student who hoped to be chef and one who planned to be a welder.

During lunch, a panel of women with successful careers in manufacturing shared their stories, including how they started and how quickly they advanced in their fields. For many, career experiences grew out of entry-level work and evolved to positions of leadership — often as the only female in their company or department.

Kayla MacFarlane-Herold, who works for Viper Northwest, said this is a great time to pursue work in manufacturing because the demand is high, and employers will provide benefits such as tuition reimbursement. “For the first time, I believed I could have a career, not just a job,” she said.

Did you miss these amazing events, or want to share them with family and friends? They are both available for viewing online!

Winter Talent Assembly

Winter at West concert

The 30th annual Albany Chamber of Commerce Youth Job Fair brought more than 1,300 high school seniors, including all seniors at Albany Options School, South Albany and West Albany high schools, to Linn Benton Community College this week.

GAPS sends all high school seniors every year to complete students’ career education requirement for graduation.

High school teachers say it reinforces the messages that students learn about work and careers and it provides an opportunity to practice in a low-risk environment. “Students learn the routine of seeking and pursuing a job and preparing to apply and interview,” said SAHS teacher Denee Newton. “It validates what we’ve told them.”

“During the interviews, they are learning that they will be judged on how they present themselves,” said SAHS teacher Katie Gisler. “Your appearance matters.”

“The students had an incredible time and came back to school feeling inspired and excited for their futures,” said AOS counselor Anna Harryman. “Many Juniors commented to me the following day about how they’re looking forward to the event next year after hearing their peers talk about it.”

The event offers students who will soon be entering the workforce or pursuing career training an opportunity to learn more about careers and practice job seeking skills.

Students cycle through three sessions: a resource fair that includes industry representatives who can answer questions and set up application interviews, an inspirational speaker, and mock interviews that allow students to practice interview skills. Each student can interview twice. Interviews are conducted by 250 volunteers. Some interviewees offer jobs to students during this mock interview process.

The event is part of the Chamber’s Pipeline to Jobs project to help students find meaningful work and employers find qualified workers. It is billed as a community program to provide career guidance to our most important resource – the youth of Linn and Benton counties.

“It is a huge collaborative effort, and the community is so supportive,” said Josefine Fleetwood, executive director of the Pipeline Project. “We couldn’t provide the extensive opportunities we provide without support from employers.

Albany Options also contributed community service time to the event. The 34 students who attended stayed after the event to take down all of the tables and chairs as well as clean up the whole gymnasium where the mock interviews were held.