Thank you to the Helix School Board! January is School Board Recognition Month.
Even during a pandemic, it’s worth taking time to thank our elected school board members for charting the future of our students and communities. The Oregon School Boards Association has set aside the month of January to honor the unpaid elected volunteers who serve on Oregon’s 197 local school boards, our 19 education service district boards, and our 17 community college boards. These dedicated local leaders give their personal time and energy to handling the critical tasks of budgeting and overseeing the management of Oregon’s public education structure.
On Tuesday, January 19th Governor Brown will be announcing changes to the school reentry metrics and guidance. Based on likely changes to our operational blueprint and potential liability coverage issues, I will be recommending to the board we push the start day back one week. So, K-5th start on Monday, Jan. 25, 6th-8th start on Monday, Feb. 1st and 9th-12th start on Monday, Feb. 8th. Sorry for the change, but compliance with ODE guidance is a necessity to open our doors and keep them open. Thanks, Darrick Cope
Good evening and Happy New Year! We will be continuing with LIPI for all grades, including 7th & 8th grades, over the final two weeks of 2nd quarter. The same AM & PM schedules will be used. Feel free to email me if you are uncertain of the schedule. Thanks, Darrick Cope
Parents, students and Helix community,
As I’m sure you have heard, Gov Brown, ODE, OHA, and others are going to begin a transition from the current COVID metrics to a more locally controlled advisory status, which will eventually allow for in-person instruction. It appears the Feb. 15th date is still something the Gov is shooting for as a state-wide reopening date. I would anticipate the Helix SD will be running full-day, in-person in K-3, or maybe even K-8, a lot earlier than that. We are waiting for one more level of guidance from the State to be distributed in mid-January, but I will begin making plans for reopening upon our return on January 4th. I would anticipate students, parents and community members all want to know what the Helix SD plans to do based on these changes. Please be patient as implementation plans are developed and know that everyone will be notified once the State releases the new guidelines and our final plans are made. The District will do its best to get students (and staff) safely back in the building, full-time, as soon as possible.
Hope you have a wonderful break and a Merry Christmas!!!
Thanks, Darrick Cope, Superintendent, Helix SD
I feel so honored and blessed to work in a school district with such a wonderful PTO, parents, students and community. The snacks and various items given to the staff this week were so awesome and much appreciated. I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!! See you in 2021!! Thanks, Darrick Cope
Welcome! The Helix School District has partnered with My MealTime, a fast, secure online service for making credit or debit card deposits and monitoring your student’s lunch account. You can access this from the Helix School District Webpage (helix.k12.or.us) and click the HELPFUL LINKS button at the top of the page. Scroll down to MealTime Breakfast/Lunch Program and follow the directions.
Good morning. If you would like to order your student’s pictures online at mylifetouch.com, use this picture ID# EVTGS8KSG. Thanks, Darrick Cope
Good morning. Just a reminder that Monday, Dec., 14th is picture day, so please send your picture packets with your child. Also, Friday, Dec. 18th is a full LIPI day. Check with your child’s teacher for more info. Thanks, Darrick
Today, Governor Brown outlined a new health and safety framework for the state of Oregon that aligns to the metrics being used for K-12 schools.
These statewide health and safety metrics have no operational implications for schools and districts under the Ready Schools, Safe Learners guidance.
School will resume in LIPI as we have been operating the last month or two.
Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks, Darrick Cope
A huge thank you to all those who donated to the Helix Thanksgiving Canned Food Drive. Your generosity helped make this event very successful.
Umatilla County Health Dept will be hosting drive thru school age vaccination clinics on:
Mon. December 7th 1-6pm at Gib Olinger Elementary in Milton-Freewater
Tues. December 8th 1-4pm at Gib Olinger Elementary in Milton-Freewater
Please note:
1. Pre-registration is required
2. There will be no out of pocket costs, but insurance will be billed if they have it
3. All vaccines recommended for school age kids (grades K-12) will be available, including the flu shot
Parents,
Just a reminder that Friday, Nov. 20th is the final day for the Helix SD canned food drive. Please have all items to your child’s teacher by 1pm on that day. Thanks, Darrick Cope
The Helix School is continuing our past tradition of collecting food prior to Thanksgiving. It will be donated to the food pantry at Athena Christian Church which serves the surrounding communities, including Helix. If you don’t have students in school and would like to donate, you can put your donation on your porch, call the school and we will have it picked up for you. helping others is a great way to brighten your day. If your family could use assistance, please contact the school also. We hope everyone has a safe and bountiful holiday. The food we are collecting is listed below.
Parents,
ODE just confirmed that schools are not directly impacted by the Governor’s 2-week “freeze”. Helix will be able to continue with our Limited In-person instruction (LIPI). There will be a travel advisory for those leaving the county or state. The Governor really wants families to stay home for the next two weeks, and keep your interactions to 6 people or less and a maximum of two households. Have a great weekend! Thanks, Darrick Cope
Parents,
As of this afternoon, I heard that Limited In-person instruction may be exempt from the 50 person max rule by ODE and OHA during the “pause”. I have advised the K-8 teachers not to make any changes to AM & PM classes until after my 2:00PM ODE meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 10th. Sorry for the confusion, but it seems this info changes by the hour. Thanks for your patience, Darrick Cope
The Helix School District will be closed on Wednesday, November 11th in observance of Veterans Day. This means ALL Virtual and In-Person Instruction will not occur.
A huge thanks to the Helix SD parents and students for their perseverance as we all navigated 1st quarter via CDL. I was totally amazed and proud to learn the K-12 students had a participation rate of 98.38% for 1st quarter. That is AMAZING! Keep up the good work and extend some grace as we begin CDL for 2nd quarter. Thanks, Darrick Cope
Parents,
Last week Governor Brown and 0DE announced adjustments in the metrics used to reopen schools. These variations will not allow any immediate changes for the Helix School District. We will continue with Limited In-person. To open full-day, in-person, the weekly Umatilla County COVID case count will need to be around 35. Check the school Facebook and webpage for updates. Thanks, Darrick Cope
A huge thanks to Dr. Derek Earl and his staff from Family Health Association in Hermiston for taking the time to conduct ImPACT concussion tests and sports physicals for our students on Tuesday evening. The ImPACT test has two primary uses: before the onset of an activity, a baseline test is conducted to measure the athlete's performance baseline. Baseline test are taken every other year. In the event of an injury, a post-injury test is administered and compared to the baseline. The resulting objective data is then evaluated by a trained ImPACT Consultant (Dr. Earl) and a plan is created to track a student's safe return to activity.
Parents,
Parent teacher conferences will occur Thursday, Nov. 5th 8:00am-8:00pm and Friday, Nov. 6th from 8:00am-Noon. You should be contacted very soon to choose a date, time and format that fits your schedule. Contact your student’s teacher for more information. Thanks, Darrick Cope