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School News

High school athletic officials needed – Register today!

The Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) has an urgent need for sports officials throughout the state, including Salem-Keizer.

Those 18 and older who enjoy being part of the game, supporting their community, and setting their own schedule as an independent contractor are ideal candidates for these flexible positions.

Applicants can expect to receive an Officials Packet and complete required certification and training from their local association.

Visit the OSAA registration page to sign up and learn more about the timeline for registering and testing.

2023-01-20T11:26:04-08:00January 20th, 2023|

Spring break meals available at 9 schools

Spring break meals information

Breakfasts and lunches will be offered at nine schools during spring break 2023. Meals will be packed in grocery bags and available via curbside pickup. Each person may receive up to five meal packs during pickup. Meals are available while supplies last.

Dates and times

Dates

  • Wednesday, March 22, 2023
  • Monday March 27, 2023
  • Wednesday March 29, 2023

Times

  • 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Meals Available

  • March 27 will consist of two breakfasts and two lunches
  • March 22 and 29 will consist of three breakfasts and three lunches

Meal locations

2023-03-29T11:59:28-08:00March 21st, 2023|

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

Tips on how to keep the children in your care safe

Fentanyl Fact Sheet (Arabic)
Fentanyl Fact Sheet (Chuukese)
Fentanyl Fact Sheet (English)
Fentanyl Fact Sheet (Marshallese)
Fentanyl Fact Sheet (Russian)
Fentanyl Fact Sheet (Spanish)
Fentanyl Fact Sheet (Swahilli)

2023-02-22T13:56:31-08:00February 21st, 2023|

All-City Middle School Honors Concert on Jan. 28

Salem-Keizer Middle Schools in association with Friends of Music present the All-City Honor Concert featuring student choir, orchestra and band performances.

Event details

  • Date: Saturday, January 28 at 7 p.m.
  • Location: North Salem High School Auditorium
  • Tickets are available at the door, and are $10 per adult, $5 for students, $8 for seniors, with children under 5 free

About this year’s directors

Choir

Sydney Guilliaume is originally from Port-au-Prince, Haiti and currently resides in Portland, Oregon working full-time as a composer, conductor, and clinician.

His recent activities as conductor include the 2022 Georgia All-State Senior Treble Choir, the 2019 Florida All-State Middle School Treble Chorus, the 34th annual Idaho State University Choral Invitational Festival, the 2018 Maine All-State High School Mixed Chorus, an all-Guillaume concert at the Lincoln Center in NYC, and concerts with the Imbroglio Sextet at Carnegie Hall and at the 2018 ISME World Conference in Azerbaijan.

Guillaume also writes film music including original film and documentary scores for the Los Angeles-based company Loyola Productions. Sydney Guillaume’s choral compositions are known to be intricate, challenging, highly spirited and have been performed around the world.

Orchestra

James Ray maintains an active and varied career as an educator, conductor, and violinist based in the Pacific Northwest.

He serves on the faculty of Western Washington University, teaching coursework in instrumental music education and music theory and directs the WWU String Sinfonia. A National Board-Certified Teacher, Dr. Ray served for twelve years as a school orchestra director, most recently of award-winning orchestras at Port Angeles High School in Washington state.

He remains widely sought after as a clinician, adjudicator, and guest conductor throughout the Pacific Northwest. His scholarship includes peer-reviewed articles in American String Teacher and the Journal of Research in Music Education, and he has presented at the American String Teachers Association national conference.

Dr. Ray holds a bachelor’s degree in violin performance from Central Washington University, a master’s degree in secondary teaching from Western Oregon University, and a doctorate in music education from Boston University.

Band

Dr. Dennis Llinás serves as Associate Professor of Music and Director of Bands at the University of Oregon where he oversees the Department of Bands, conducts the Oregon Wind Ensemble, teaches conducting and wind literature.

Prior to his appointment at the University of Oregon, Dr. Llinás was the Associate Director of Bands at Louisiana State University where his responsibilities included conducting the LSU Symphonic Winds, teaching undergraduate and graduate conducting, and directing the Tiger Band.

As a conductor and clinician, Llinás has conducted the Dallas Winds, World Youth Wind Orchestra Project in Austria, Universidad de Bellas Artes in Colombia, conducted honor bands throughout the US, and presented at conferences including WASBE, The Midwest Clinic, TMEA, FMEA, LMEA, and OMEA.

As a composer, Llinás has compositions that have received performances at the Midwest Clinic and the National Music for All festival as well as others recorded on Summit Records by Mark Hetzler, and performed by musicians from the Strasbourg Conservatory in France, Dallas Winds, and other universities and high schools throughout the US. Llinás earned degrees from Florida International University and The University of Texas at Austin.

2023-02-15T07:38:57-08:00January 23rd, 2023|

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.

Please keep ill children out of school

2023-01-06T16:37:17-08:00January 3rd, 2023|

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.

2022-11-15T14:24:07-08:00November 14th, 2022|

WMS Food Drive and Stuff the Bus

Whiteaker Middle School Leadership Class will be holding their annual food drives at Whiteaker Middle School as well as our “Stuff the Bus” event.  Both of these food drives are in partnership with Dayspring Fellowship to help 200 Salem-Keizer Families to have a Thanksgiving meal.  Whiteaker Middle School’s Food Drive will run from November 1 to November 18, 2022, during school hours.  We are asking students to donate non-perishable foods to their sixth period classes.  We are in greatest need of canned corn, canned bean, stuffing mix, gravy mix, cranberry sauce, and other non-perishable foods.  The two sixth period classes that donate the largest quantity of food per average student will win a donut party for their classes.  However, the Leadership students for the ninth year will be taking this a step further by “Stuffing the Bus.” They will be trying to stuff an entire Salem-Keizer School Bus full of food on Saturday November 19, 2022, from 9 AM to 4 PM in the Safeway Parking Lot on River Road.  Please consider donating to help a Salem-Keizer Family have a wonderful holiday meal.  For more information please contact: sweeney_amber@salkeiz.k12.or.us.

2022-11-03T11:24:34-08:00November 3rd, 2022|

Whiteaker Cross Country

Cross Country info

Whiteaker Cross Country starts September 13th 4:10pm – 5:30pm every day after school.

Sign up now using FamilyID to register.

Watch our video!

2022-09-14T12:46:36-08:00September 8th, 2022|

Virtual “Taking Care of Business” 2022-23

Welcome Back to School

Welcome Back Whiteaker Families!

We are happy to welcome all of you to the 2022-23 school year!

Business To Take Care of Virtually

Back to School “Taking Care of Business” 2022-23 will be virtual this year!

Review our Parent Information Flyer

This flyer covers important information for our upcoming school year like, upcoming events, bell schedules, office and campus hours, attendance procedures, school supply list, and other pertinent information.

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