Homecoming week has now come and gone. the last event to the week was the dance last night. There were over 250 students and guests dancing until 10 PM in the wrestling building on campus. It was a full week of activities capped off on Friday night with the crowning of the homecoming gueen, senior Emily Vandehey. With the football, volleyball and soccer wins win over Tillamook, it was just a great week. In the next month there will be some standardized testing for students. Two tests will be administered and they are the ASVAB (armed services vocational aptitude battery) and the PSAT (pre scholastic aptitude test). Both tests are free and neither is a graduation requirement. The ASVAB results provide good information about students interests and links careers both in and out of the military, to their interests. The PSAT is a test that helps to prepare students for the SAT test later in high school. The SAT is a required test for many colleges for those students seeking admittance to college. Both tests are primarily sophomore level tests. Lastly, the end of the first 6-weeks is fast approaching. The last day of this 6-weeks is October 8th. There is no school on October 9th or 10th. The 9th is a grade day for teachers and the 10th is a non-contract day. Progress reports will be mailed home the week of October 13th. Looks like fall is now here with cooler temperatures and the need for warmer clothes, nice to see the change.

We begin homecoming week tomorrow. There will be a tapping assembly in the morning, dress up days each day, class competitions, a parade on Friday afternoon and a dance on Saturday night. We have two home athletic events this week, volleyball on Tuesday night and football on Friday night. It's a busy week. Parents will hear more and more about two changes that are coming. One is the new state test called Smarter Balanced, it replaces the OAKS test and the other is the move at the high school to a Standards Based system. Each year 11th graders will take the new Smarter Balanced assessment. The test will be in reading, writing and math. Testing will only begin once 80% of the school year is complete so roughly early April. Passing these tests or local assessment tests (as part of a classroom assignment) is a requirement to graduate. The new tests are challenging and will require higher order skills. We are aligning our curriculum to make sure that students are prepared for these new assessments. More on Standards Based education next week.

We are now in to the the third week of school. Students and staff are getting used to the routine of classes and the school day. The end of the first 6-weeks is just three weeks away. Homecoming week begins on Monday the 22nd. During the week we will have dress up days, a tapping assembly, class competitions, a dance and home sporting events. It will be a fun and full week. You will hear more information about possible changes to our current bell schedule. This is because we are below 130 hours of class time in each class offered. We are forming a committee of teachers, parents, a Board member and administrators to develop a recommendation for changing our schedule to meet 130 hours per class. We will have to implement this change by the start of the 2015-16 school year. The 130 hour requirement is a state mandate.

The first week of this school year is now in the books. Staff and students returned to a building that was clean, cool and ready for use. Those students who had incomplete schedules were directed to see Mr. Hardie and all but a very few now have complete schedules. Our seven new teachers are meeting students, establishing classroom routines and are providing outstanding instruction. They are; Keith Mayo (math), Karl Bledsoe (math), Lee Tintary (language arts), Robert Plowman (language arts), Elizabeth Russell (language arts), David Imhoff (social studies), Cole Linehan (health/PE). Each of them bring with them uniques experiences from their time in education and we are all better off as a result. New ideas, new energy and new perspectives have been wonderful to see. The year,is,off to a great start.

It's the start of the new school year tomorrow. All new students to the high school should plan to attend for the entire day. We have a special schedule planned, one that will include showing all students how to do a number of things ie. lockers, lunch process, absence reporting process etc. During the second half of the day students will attend all eight classes for a short time. We are excited to get the school year rolling and look forward to having all of the new incoming students. All students will attend on Wednesday for the first day of school and it will be an "A" day.