By Kristine Thomas Kindness. Curiosity. Responsibility. Initiative. While the definition of each word can be found in a dictionary, the words have a different meaning for the students at Silver Crest Elementary School. The words are how their Principal Mark Recker hopes they will conduct their lives. Last fall, Recker announced he had been diagnosed with an inoperable malignant brain […]
By Kristine Thomas This time, they are determined to effectively and clearly communicate why it is time to close Eugene Field Elementary School. Eugene Field parents are working to raise awareness of the problems of the 93-year-old building. They have sent letters to the Silver Falls School Board members, spoken at the April 14 board meeting and created a Facebook […]
By Kristine Thomas Understanding it is time to make some decisions about the future of Eugene Field Elementary School, the Silver Falls School board members met March 17 to discuss the recommendations made by the Eugene Field Eugene Field Facility Task Force. The primary recommendations are to close the school by the 2015-16 school year and to place a bond […]
By Kristine Thomas St. Mary’s Elementary School teacher Christi Seiler was concerned all-day kindergarten would be too much for her young students. Going from 2.5 hours per day to 6 hours, learning the “rigorous Common Core Curriculum” and adjusting to learning, Seiler was nervous, especially since this was her students’ first introduction to school. “All my fears were put to […]
Silver Falls School District Board Work Session on Eugene Field School Monday, March 17, 6 p.m. District Office, 802 Schlador St. By Kristine Thomas This time, the clock is ticking on a decision about the fate of Eugene Field School. Although in years past there have been many discussions on what to do with the 93-year-old facility, this time there […]
By Kristine Thomas After touring Eugene Field School, reviewing documents, asking questions, hearing presentations from building experts and pondering options, the Eugene Field Facilities Task Force has unanimously recommended permanently closing the 93-year-old school by the 2016-17 school year. It advised the Silver Falls School Board to consider placing a bond for a new school on the November 2014 ballot. […]
The Silver Falls School District serving Silverton, Scotts Mills, and parts of Mount Angel and Salem, has 13 schools: Bethany Charter, Butte Creek, Central Howell, Eugene Field, Community Roots Montessori Charter, Evergreen, Mark Twain Middle, Pratum, Robert Frost, Scotts Mills, Silver Crest and Victor Point and Silverton High School. District goals for 2013-14 are: 1. Implement a comprehensive visioning and […]
By Kristine Thomas Silverton residents Kim and Jessica Perkins want their 9-year-old daughter, Zen, to blossom and grow into a young woman who has a lifelong love of learning. To achieve that objective, they believe Community Roots, a charter elementary school in the Silver Falls School District that follows the Montessori principles of hands on education is the best fit. […]
By Kristine Thomas At its board work session on April 22, the Silver Falls School District Board received a by-school vulnerability assessment by Zach Elliott of Holvi LCC in Newberg. Elliott said the goal of the report was to show the school district and board how to mitigate security threats. He requested the report not be made public as it […]
Schlador Street campus and Eugene Field tours Saturday, May 4, 10 a.m. to noon The Silver Falls School District invites the public to open houses and tours of the Eugene Field and Schlador Street facilities. To arrange a weekday school tour between now and May 21 contact the school principal. For information contact the district office at 503-873-5303. Editor’s note: […]
Editor’s note: This is the second in a three-part series on the proposed $36.9 million bond measure for construction and maintenance projects for the Silver Falls School District on the May 21 ballot. The April 1 story focused on the 92-year-old Eugene Field School. The May 1 story will look at what is proposed for Schlador Street, the former high […]
By Kristine Thomas The frustration is evident in her voice. Eugene Field Principal Jennifer Hannan estimates she spends 40 percent of her time as the principal of Eugene Field School dealing with the problems of the 93-year-old building – everything from a fuse blowing when she is vacuuming the hallway to coordinating how state and federal mandated tests will be […]
On Feb. 11, the Silver Falls School District board voted 5-1 to place a capital construction and maintenance bond measure on the May 21 ballot. Board members Wally Lierman, Tim Roth, Owen Von Flue, Julie Norris and Erv Stadeli voted in favor of placing the bond measure on the ballot. David Beeson voted against. Tom Buchholz was absent. Superintendent Andy Bellando […]
By Kristine Thomas Before the Silver Falls School District’s board members make a decision on whether or not to place a bond measure on the May 2013 ballot that would fund reconstruction and maintenance projects of district buildings, they want to gather more feedback from the community. In November, the board approved the Long Range Facilities Committee’s recommendations to vacate […]
Mount Angel Superintendent Troy Stoops and Silver Falls Superintendent Andy Bellando recently met in Stoop’s office to provide some insight of what parents and community members can do to help students for the upcoming school year.
Closing Eugene Field Elementary School, creating a new middle school campus at Schlador Street, and putting a facilities bond measure on the ballot are all elements on the table as the Silver Falls School District Long-Range Facilities Committee prepares to present its recommendations to the school board June 11.
The idea of creating one middle school in the Silver Falls School District has some parents and teachers questioning the educational advantages and advocating to keep the current K-8 model.
Mount Angel Superintendent Troy Stoops and Silver Falls Superintendent Andy Bellando are already anticipating decisions for 2013-14 district budgets.
Mark Twain Middle School Principal Dandy Stevens said when the school was built in the 1950s, students sat in rows and listened to a lecture from their teacher while taking notes.
For at least two decades, Eugene Field Elementary School staff members have pondered a question: Is there something in the building causing people to become ill?
It’s not unusual for Eugene Field Elementary School Principal Jennifer Hannan to blow a fuse a few times a week. And she’s not the only adult in the 92-year-old building to do so.
The boilers and the water have been turned off. The doors leading to it will be blocked. Signage will notify people it is no longer usable.
At the time, Silver Falls School District Superintendent Andy Bellando believed transferring three principals to new schools was in the best interest of the district’s students.
A retirement incentive plan allowed the Silver Falls School District to avoid laying off teachers and reduce the number of classified employee layoffs necessitated by reductions in state school funding, Superintendent Andy Bellando said.
Finding a solution to the Silver Fall School District’s $2.1 million shortfall will require more than “yes” or “no” answers. Around 100 people were divided into small groups – each with a principal and school board member – to brainstorm how they would resolve the funding shortfall.
