ONLINE SCHEDULE CHANGE REQUEST-OPEN UNTIL SEPT 8TH!
The online schedule change request form is now open and available here: Online Schedule Change Request Form . Please note that it is the student who must sign in through the website using their SKPS email address. The schedule change system will be accepting requests starting Monday, August 21st until Friday, September 8th.
Schedule Change Requests are processed in the order in which they are received, so the sooner you make the request, the quicker you will receive a response from your counselor. Although we will try to honor every request, please bear in mind that some changes may not be possible. Once submitted, your counselor will communicate additional questions through your school email; be sure to check your junk mail folder.
Fake fentanyl: What parents and students need to know
Oregon has lost several students to fentanyl in the last few years. Linked below are fact sheets to help educate students, parents and the community about the dangers of fake pills made from deadly fentanyl.
Fentanyl being disguised as candy
Fentanyl is currently very common in our community; it is a powerful synthetic opioid that is like morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent. Fentanyl is odorless, tasteless and colorless. Young people think they are taking “blues,” OxyContin or Xanax, but they are often taking pills laced with fentanyl. Recently, law enforcement agencies have also warned about the danger of fentanyl being disguised as candy, specifically targeted to be sold to children.
Talking to your student is the best prevention
The best prevention is talking to your student about never taking any medication that doesn’t come from their doctor. This includes never taking pills, even from friends. This is a conversation that can literally save your child’s life.
One pill has the potential to be deadly.
Other prevention strategies
Open communication
One of the best ways to protect youth from substances is by having open communication and educating them on the risks of substance use. Listening to them without judging is a critical tool you can provide as their trusted adult.
Look for changes in behavior
Look out for changes in behavior, such as irregular eating or sleeping patterns, low energy, general signs of depression or anxiety, unusual irritability, slipping grades, lack of interest in activities they love, and even drastic clothing style changes. Trust your instincts. If you notice a change, ask about it.
Monitor social media
Talk to your child and monitor their social media use. The online environment provides platforms for people to sell substances. Substances can be offered by someone met online.
Resources
- Marion County Drug Treatment – 503-588-5358
- Polk County Drug Treatment – 503-585-3012
- Bridgeway Recovery – 503-399-5597
Tips on how to keep the children in your care safe
2023 Senior Scoop Info!
Greetings Class of 2023 Graduates and Families!
Here is a link to the Oly Senior Scoop newsletter. This newsletter includes all of the information you need to know for graduation and end-of-year activities!
Tips for staying healthy this winter season
This winter, the whole Salem-Keizer community can work together to keep our schools, students and community safe and healthy.
Remember to follow some simple precautions to prevent illness:
- Stay home when sick.
- Avoid contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid the sharing of cups and utensils.
- Wash hands regularly for at least 20 seconds.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth and keep your hands away from your or your child’s face.
- Clean and disinfect surfaces that are often touched, such as doorknobs and electronic devices.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Consider wearing a mask in crowded indoor settings, especially if you or someone in your home is at high risk for severe disease.
- CDC recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older get a flu vaccine annually.
Proper handwashing
Click on the video above to view YouTube video
When is sick too sick for school?
The list document below helps to provide guidance on when students are too sick for school and should not be considered medical advice. Please contact your healthcare provider with health concerns.
Think before you post
When schools receive hoax threats, rumors of threats, and when there is a spread of false information, learning environments are disrupted and and there is understandably increased fear in our community.
Safety is our top priority
The safety and wellbeing of our students, staff and families is our top priority. Maintaining safety in our schools requires an ongoing partnership with school staff, students, families, law enforcement and the surrounding community.
Safety is critical, and our district fully investigates each threat in collaboration with the FBI and/or our state and local law enforcement partners.
Issuing a threat is a crime
As a district, we have investigated a number of hoax threats of targeted violence against local schools. These threats—often issued via text message or posted on social media—are taken very seriously. Our law enforcement partners investigate every tip to ensure the safety of our students, staff and community. Hoax threats can result in both arrest by law enforcement and/or suspension or expulsion by the school district. Hoax threats are not a joke, and they can have devastating consequences—both for the public and for those who post them.
Issuing a threat—even over social media, via text message, verbally, through email, or other means—is a crime. Please share with your kids and those in your community that making a threat is a poor choice that could impact them for years to come.
Threats impact our entire community
In addition to the individual consequences a person may face, these threats have a serious impact on our community. They divert district resources from providing support for students and disrupt the learning environment for hundreds of students. Law enforcement resources are diverted from investigating other crimes, and they cost taxpayers a lot of money. The threats can also cause severe emotional distress to students, school staff and families.
Things to remember
Don’t share or forward a threat until law enforcement has a chance to investigate—this can spread misinformation and cause panic.
- Don’t ever post or send any hoax threats online
- If you are the target of an online threat, call your local law enforcement immediately
- Salem Police Department Non-Emergency 503-588-6123
- Keizer Police Department Non-Emergency 503-390-2000
- Marion County Sheriff’s Office 503-588-5032
If you see a threat of violence posted online, contact local law enforcement or call 1-800-CALL-FBI. You can also submit information online to the FBI on the FBI’s website.
Use SafeOregon by calling or sending a text to 844-472-3367 anytime. Tips also can be emailed or made through the SafeOregon app.
Remember – a hoax threat is no joke. Think before you post.
Hometown Ticketing for Athletic Events
Sprague Students and Families,
We have moved to using an online athletic ticketing service for all Salem-Keizer athletic events called Hometown Ticketing. Fans will use this service to purchase tickets for football, varsity soccer and volleyball. For home athletic events at Sprague High School, please follow the link below to our online Hometown ticketing storefront to purchase tickets to get into athletic events at Sprague High School and the rest of Salem-Keizer games. Purchasing tickets online will eventually assist all of us in getting fans into games more efficiently. You can also go into your app store and download “HomeTown Fan” app to quickly set up the app on your phone for both home and away contests.
Family Passes will be sold at the main gate, cash or check only.
ASB Cards get students into the games for free for all in town games.
Thank you for taking the time to get ready prior to events, so that you can get into games quicker! We look forward to our amazing Sprague community supporting our student athletes this year! Go Olys!
Link to Hometown Ticketing
Pricing Information:
|
Central Valley Conference Event Admission |
||
| Any Game Attached to a Varsity Contest | JV/FR Football | |
| Adults | $8.00 | $5.00 |
| CVC students with ASB card and team is playing | Free | Free |
| High School Students w/o ASB card or from a school NOT playing | $6.00 | $4.00 |
| K-8 Students | $5.00 | $3.00 |
| Seniors (60+ with ID) | Free | Free |
** Passes accepted: OSAA, OACA Gold Card, and CVC. **
All Season Sports Pass—Family – $175.00
(Admits a family of two adults and all children through 8th grade; all events-all year)
Two cards-additional cards $2.00 each.
All Season Sports Pass—Individual – $75.00
(Admits an individual to all Sprague athletic events for the entire school year.
Fall Season Family Pass – $85.00
(Admits a family of two adults and all children through 8th grade to all regular home athletic events.) Two cards-additional cards $2.00 each.
Fall Season Individual Pass – $50.00
(Admits one adult to all regular season athletic events.) One card.
Winter Season Family Pass – $85.00
(Admits a family of two adults and all children through 8th grade to all regular home athletic events.) Two cards-additional cards $2.00 each.
Winter Season Individual Pass – $50.00
(Admits one adult to all regular season athletic events.) One card.
Attendance Reporting
Check Out Procedure:
Students must check out through the Main Office before leaving school.
There are two ways that parents/guardians can check out their student during the school day:
- Students can bring a note signed by a parent/guardian. Students should bring their note (with the date and requested check out time) to the Attendance window in the Main Office at the beginning of school to fill out a Check Out Form. Students will be released at the requested time after checking out in the office.
- If a note is not sent to school with the student, the parent/guardian must come to the Main Office in person to check out their student.
*Telephone calls requesting to check out students will not be accepted.
*Please note that it can take up to 20 minutes to pull a student from class, so plan for this additional time accordingly. Due to this, we will not check-out student in the last 20 minutes of the school day.
If your student returns to school after being checked out, they must check back into the Attendance window in the Main Office so that their absence can be adjusted accordingly.
If a student is ill and needs to go home, they are asked to go to the Student Center in the office to contact a parent/guardian. The Student Center will check out ill students after connecting directly with a parent/guardian.
Please remind your student that they are not to leave campus at any time during the school day without a parent/guardian notifying the school in advance with a note or by coming to the Attendance office in the Main Office in person to check out the student. Students will be marked as unexcused in all other instances.
To excuse an absence or tardy:
Parents/guardians must submit an acceptable written request to the Attendance Office, or verbal request through the Attendance Message Line (503-399-5520) to excuse the student’s absence.
When calling the attendance line, please speak clearly and be ready with the following information:
- Your student’s name (spelling the name is helpful)
- Student ID number
- Date(s) of absence
- Reason for absence
- Length of absence (i.e., all day or partial day absence – please list specific periods missed if partial day).
Per District policy, in order for an absence to be excused it must fall under one of the following reasons:
- Illness of the student
- Serious illness in the family
- Religious instruction (with limitations per ORS 339.420)
- Inclement Weather
- Doctor, dentist, and legal or court appointments that require student attendance
- Emergency, pre-excused, or extenuating circumstances
- For students that are dependents of an Armed Forces Member of the United States on active duty (up to 7 days can be excused related to their service)
The following are examples of reasons that will not be excused:
- oversleeping
- car problems
- missing the bus
- coming back late from lunch
Extended Absences
If your student will be absent for an extended period, please come to the Attendance office to pick up a Pre-Arranged Absence Form.
Career Technical Education Center (CTEC) Absence/Tardy:
You must contact CTEC directly at 503-399-5511 for an absence or tardy occurring on a day your student is at CTEC.
Please let us know if you have questions.
School Safety Systems in Salem-Keizer Public Schools
School Safety Systems in Salem-Keizer Public Schools
Video: School Safety and Emergency Procedures
Learn about safety protocols and emergency procedures implemented in all Salem-Keizer schools. Safety and security staff and district leadership were joined by local and state law enforcement agency partners to share information with the community. This was one of three safety sessions held this year about student safety in our schools. The other two sessions held were Student Voices, We All Belong and Social Media and Online Safety.
School Safety and Emergency Procedures – Presentation
School Safety and Emergency Procedures – Questions & Answers
Talking to children and teens about violence
At Salem-Keizer Public Schools, the safety of our students is our absolute top priority. Below are resources and information on the safety and security systems in place across the district.
Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Families and Educators (English)
Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers (English)
Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers (Spanish)
More resources
Web articles
Oregon Public Broadcasting radio interview
Courtenay McCarthy, a school psychologist at the Salem-Keizer school district, explains how the Salem-Keizer program works and the impact it’s having in Salem and beyond.
Fake fentanyl
Oregon has lost several students to fentanyl in the last few years. Linked below are fact sheets to help educate students, parents and the community about the dangers of fake pills made from deadly fentanyl. Learn more
Multi-Tiered Systems of Support
Our children in today’s world have unique emotional and behavioral needs unlike anything we have seen before. This is not unique to Salem-Keizer. Schools across the country are seeing similar needs for support of students. At Salem-Keizer, we work to address the needs of our students through Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. These systems allow us to provide the right support for each student to address their emotional, behavioral, mental, and academic needs.
Behavioral Threat Assessment
Our team of specialists partners with agencies across Marion, Polk, and Yamhill Counties to identify students who may be exhibiting indicators of extreme aggression toward others, and we provide wraparound services like safety planning and mental health support to address those students’ needs.
Salem-Keizer’s behavioral threat assessment system is used by other school districts around the country. Below are some recent discussions in the media that provide a description of how our system works.
- PBS Newshour: Researchers look for ways to identify young people who are on the ‘pathway to violence’
- NPR: Interview with author examining behavioral patterns
Partnering with Law Enforcement
We work side by side with the Keizer Police Department, Salem Police Department and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office both in and out of our schools. When any concern for our school’s safety or a threat is reported, they move swiftly to investigate. It is very important to talk with children about the consequences of making any type of threat, which can range from a minimum of disciplinary action at school to criminal charges.
You can learn more about our school safety systems and procedures, including collaboration with our local law enforcement partners by viewing our recent safety series webinar.
SafeOregon
Salem-Keizer Public Schools is an active member of SafeOregon, which gives kids, parents, schools, and community members a confidential way to report safety threats or potential acts of violence. Managed by the Oregon State Police, this program has proven to prevent acts of violence. I encourage you to download the mobile app on your phone, and on your child’s phone as well. You can also call or text 844-472-3367 anytime.
COVID-19 Dashboard
When a positive case of COVID-19 is identified within the school setting, we work closely with the local public health authority to ensure that the person diagnosed with COVID-19 follows instructions for isolation and remains away from others until they can safely return to school.
Families will receive a weekly notification on Saturdays about COVID-19 cases in schools with a link to this dashboard.
Improving safety and security through capital improvements
The 2018 bond program is improving safety and security across the district. Thirty-six of our schools are receiving renovations to the front entry to improve the office staff’s ability to monitor and control who enters the front entrance. Most of those improvements will be in the form of a secured check-in space at the front entry. Schools are also receiving upgrades to electronic badge access systems and to intercom systems, which will be able to send messages directly into classrooms.
Sprague Sophomore Wins Awesome Art Contest
This year’s Awesome 3000 T-shirts will feature original artwork drawn by Sprague High School sophomore Kate Swenson.
Kate’s artwork features SKEF mascot, Geo crossing the start line to begin the race leaving the text “Awesome 3000” in his dust. Representatives of the Salem-Keizer Education Foundation recognized her at an all-school assembly on Friday, January 31, 2020.
Each year the Foundation invites young artists in the Salem-Keizer Public Schools to come up with a design for the Awesome 3000 fun run held the first Saturday in May.
Kate has been interested in art since she was a small child and really enjoys creating with colored pencils. While she has never run in the Awesome 3000, Kate is no stranger to the Awesome Art Contest having placed second in last year’s competition. She looks forward to studying art after high school and seeing whether it leads her to a career, or if she keeps it as a hobby.
In addition to seeing her artwork on 5,000 t-shirts and thousands of registration forms, posters and more, Kate received a check for $100. She also earned a $250 contribution to the Sprague High School art department.
The second-place design came from an eighth-grader at Claggett Creek Middle School and the third-place design came from Sprague High School senior Patricia Ewing.
Kelly Carlisle, the executive director at SKEF says, “All the entries captured the energy and spirit of the event and kudos to all of the students who shared their artwork with us.”
Kate Swenson will be onsite at the Awesome 3000 to sign T-shirts, posters and programs featuring her artwork.
This year’s Awesome 3000 is May 2. Registration will open online on SKEF’s website on March 15. Paper forms will be available at SKEF, 223 Commercial St NE, or in school offices beginning Monday, March 30. Volunteer and sponsorship opportunities also can be found on the foundation’s website
Feel Safe. Be Safe. Report a tip.