GRIZZ-O-GRAM

Attendance Office:

Deb Falk, Attendance Secretary

541-482-8782

Debra.Falk@ashland.k12.or.us

For information on absences, unexcused absences, and more, please read out Attendance FAQ on our website. Click HERE

Registrar:

Jay Villanueva

Jay.Villanueva@ashland.k12.or.us

Instagram: @ashlandhighschool

Facebook: Ashland High School - Ashland, OR

Past Grizz-O-Grams: https://www.smore.com/u/ahs

Website: http://ashland.k12.or.us
Location: 201 South Mountain Avenue, Ashland, OR 97520, USA
Phone: 541 482 8771
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AHS.Ashland.OR/
Twitter: @AHS_AshlandHigh

• Principals Message
• Important Dates
• AHS Cell Phone Policy
• Attendance
• Picture Day Information
• Powerschool Access
• Registration
• Community Service Requirements
• Placement Tests
• Athletics - Cheer meeting announcement
• Counseling
• Nutrition Services - ASD Students Free Meals!
• Transportation
• Mental Health Support
• Helpful Links

Hello Grizzlies!

I am so excited for the upcoming school year! I hope that you all have enjoyed a good Summer and you are excited to start school again. I am sure that everyone in the community has seen that construction continues at Ashland High School. We are absolutely on track to welcome students on August 26th! Ashland School District has been working closely with our contractors to ensure that our facilities are ready on day one and that the campus is safe. When school begins, construction will continue on the 3rd floor of the Humanities building and the science building. The affected classes will be temporarily located at the Lincoln campus across the street, just as we did last year. The entire project is due to be completed in December. Once completed, the project will have upgraded HVAC to all buildings, a seismic upgrade will have been completed in the Humanities building and ADA accessibility will have greatly expanded campus wide.

Please note that Monday Aug. 26th is the first day of school for all 9th graders and any new 10th - 12th graders and is a half day (special bell schedule below). The school day will be begin at 8:30 and will dismiss at 12:25 with an optional barbecue lunch for students. Tuesday, August 27th will be our first full day back with all students.

I look forward to a fun and amazing year with all of our students!

Sincerely,

Benjamin Bell

8/21- Powerschool opens for students to view schedules

8/26 - 1/2 Day for 9th Grade and New Students (Schedule Below)

8/27 - First Full Day of School for ALL STUDENTS

8/29 - Grizzly Parent Association Meeting

9/2 - No School

9/16-9/17 - Picture Day (Students will go with their English classes)

9/17 - Club Fair for 9th and 10th Graders

9/18 - Open House @ 5:30

9/19 - Club Fair for 11th and 12th

10/7-10/11 - Homecoming Week

Over the past few years, as educators, we have all noticed the negative effects that cell phones have on our students attention, ability to learn and their mental well-being. There is now ample evidence to show the negative impacts that cellphones have on students in the classroom/learning environment. Not only do cellphones affect learning, but cellphone use by adolescents is now clearly correlated with depression and anxiety.

We know there is a time and a place for cell phone use. They are critical communication tools in this day and age. However, in order to create the conditions that will allow our students to be their best selves at school and in classrooms, AHS is BANNING STUDENT CELL PHONE USE IN CLASS.

Students are discouraged from bringing a cell phone on campus in general. If a student must bring their cell phone, we will have a secure place in each classroom where students will be expected to place their cell phones during the class period. Students will not be able to access their phone during the class period so that they can focus on learning. The expectation is that phones are out of sight at all times during class time. The entire policy will be detailed in our Student Handbook. The final updates for our handbook are being completed now and will be available soon.

Many parents/guardians may worry about how to communicate with their student during the day. Parents should call our Front Office and our staff will be happy to deliver whatever message you need to get to your student. If a family emergency arises, we can have the student come to the office so that they can call you. For all of us adults, this is how it worked when we were in school! I hope that our parent community supports our efforts to eliminate distractions from the classroom so that our students are free to focus on learning.

Sincerely,

Benjamin Bell

Principal

Attendance

Regular attendance is an essential component of school success. Teachers design lessons to engage students and learning occurs when students are present in class to engage with the content within a community of learners. It is not possible to re-create the learning experiences in missed class periods. It is important to show up and actively participate in class consistently.

Please be aware that Oregon law require us to pause enrollment for students after 10 consecutive days of non-attendance, regardless of whether or not it was due to illness. Parents of Students absent for more than 10 consecutive days may re-enroll at the school office.

If you have any questions or concerns about attendance please contact our attendance office:

Debra Falk, Attendance Secretary
Phone: (541) 482-8782
Email: Debra.Falk@ashland.k12.or.us
Please note, due to the high volume of calls not all calls can be answered. Please leave a clear voicemail that states your name, your student's name, and the reason for the absence/tardy. If there is an emergency please contact the main office at (541) 482-8771

Daily Notification for Unexcused Absences

Families will be notified of daily unexcused absences via the SchoolReach notification system. By default, the System will call the primary phone number listed on each child’s fall registration paperwork. To select another number, such as a cell phone number, guardians may log into PowerSchool, click on Account Preferences > SchoolReach, and then select from the list of phone numbers provided at registration. To add a new phone number to the list, contact the AHS Main Office (541-482-8771 ext. 2100). In PowerSchool, it is also possible to select a secondary phone for attendance calls. The service will deliver messages to both live answers and answering machines. No answers (phones ringing over 40 seconds) and busy signals will be automatically retried twice in fifteen-minute intervals after the initial call.

Attendance Myths

Myth - "Open Campus means that you can leave campus any time."

Open campus is only at LUNCH TIME or during scheduled OUT PERIODS. If you are scheduled for a class you must check out in the attendance office (appointments, illness, etc). You need to check out before you leave and check back in to the attendance office when you return from an appointment or if you are late arriving in the morning or after lunch. Otherwise your absence is unexcused. Once a teacher takes attendance we do not expect them to go back and retake it every time someone walks in late. The only way to guarantee your UNX is changed to a TDY or EXC is through the attendance office.

If you are scheduled for a class you need to attend that class. If you are going to the library or staying home to finish work for another class you must have approval of your classroom teacher for that period. Without the teacher's permission it will stay as an unexcused absence.​

Partially True - "If I miss a class I can make it up."

Students can make up unexcused absences and tardies by arranging make up time as described below:

If teacher requests the make up session student will arrange to attend their office hours. Mondays or Fridays 3:00-4:00 pm

If student uses the library for make up sessions, they will need to sign in and out with the librarian to get the UNX absences or tardies cleared. This can be done before or after school as well as at lunch or during an out period.

• 30 minute make up session clears 1 UNX absence or 3 UNX tardies.

• 60 minute make up session clears 2 UNX absences or 6 UNX tardies.

Failure to clear these within 2 week period may result in lunch detentions.

For more information click here: https://www.ashland.k12.or.us/o/ahs/page/attendance

Picture day will be held September 16th and September 17th this year. Students will be escorted to the picture day location with their English classes as a group.

Information on how to purchase your student's photos will be released shortly.

Picture day is a very important day to attend as this is also how we get school ID's printed for your student. School ID's are necessary for athletic events, school dances and have barcodes on them that can be swiped in the library and cafeteria to access the student's account.

We will have a make up day in October if your student misses one of the original picture days.

Ashland High School does not send out supply lists to students. At the high school level, students are given supply lists by individual teachers in class.

If you have school supplies you would like to donate- please bring them to the main office and we will distribute among students in need.

Student passwords will be reset between August 19-20 to get ready for the new school year!

To learn your student's new password, log into the PowerSchool parent portal (https://ps.ashland.k12.or.us) on/after August 20.

On the Grades and Attendance page (the homepage), you will see a "Welcome to the 2024-25 school year!" header. Beneath that, you will find your student's email address, username, and password. Please share these with your student so they are ready to begin 2024-25!

If you need assistance with PowerSchool, please call the front office at (541) 482-8771 or email AHSPowerSchool@ashland.k12.or.us.

If you need help viewing your students schedule or assistance with powerschool- please contact our front office at (541) 482-8771. The front office is open from 8:00 am to 4:00pm until school starts.

Please note that schedule changes are allowed during the first 3 red/white days. Only one schedule change will be permitted per student. Please make an appointment with your counselor if you require an adjustment.

To make an appointment, email: karyn.barats@ashland.k12.or.us or call (541) 482-8771 ext. 2114

AHS Counselors:

Julie Bleicker: All 9th Graders

Alec Slinkard: Students with last names A-Lon (Grades 10-12)

Robert Joe: Students with last names Lop-Z (Grades 10-12)

Returning Student Registration: You should have received an email to register for the upcoming school year. All students must have an updated yearly registration to be placed in classes. To register your student- please log into powerschool or click this link for more information:

https://www.ashland.k12.or.us/page/enrollment-and-registration

New Student Registration is now open! Please use this link to register your student. If you need assistance filing out the information or getting documents submitted, please call the main office at (541) 482-8771 or email our registrar at jay.villanueva@ashland.k12.or.us

For Immunization help please contact: deb.falk@ashland.k12.or.us

All seniors will be required to complete 100 hours of community service. Up to 50 hours may be for paid work. Students need to turn in a Community Service Hours Form in the main office for records. This form can be found in the main office.

All 100 hours must be recorded prior to graduation.

Do you need assistance finding places to volunteer? Contact our counseling department by called Karyn Barats at : (541) 482-8771 ext. 2114 or contacting your counselor.

AHS Counselors:

Julie Bleicker: All 9th Graders

Alec Slinkard: Students with last names A-Lon (Grades 10-12)

Robert Joe: Students with last names Lop-Z (Grades 10-12)

Welcome students who are NEW to the ASHLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT or students that have finished an ON-LINE Spanish class. To ensure you are placed in an appropriate Spanish class you need to take a Spanish Placement Test. The list of dates and times this test will be administered is below. Please contact Barbie Hobein @ barbie.hobein@ashland.k12.or.us to schedule your placement test in August. Include in your email the name of the student, the grade level they will be entering (9th, 10th, 11th or 12th), the name of the last Spanish class the student took, and which testing date they plan to attend.

• Monday, August 26th, 1:00-3:00 PM (TH-18 / check in through the front office)

Welcome students who are NEW to the ASHLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT. To ensure you are placed in an appropriate math class you need to take a Math Placement Test. The list of dates and times this test will be administered is below. Please contact Jen Bein at jennifer.bein@ashland.k12.or.us to schedule your placement test. Include in your email the name of the student, the grade level they will be entering (9th, 10th, 11th or 12th), the name of the last math class the student took, and which testing date they plan to attend.

• Monday, August 26th, 1:00-3:00 PM (TH-18 / check in through the front office)

Dear Ashland High School Parents,

Welcome to a new year of Ashland High School Athletics! We look forward to the 2024-2025 season. If your student is interested in participating in a sport this year, please follow the instructions below to complete the Athletics Release Form.

Again this school year the Athletic Release Form will be completed online through our partner company, Arbiter Sports. Arbiter Sports (formally Family ID) is a secure registration site that provides an easy, user-friendly means of registering for athletics. You will need to create a family profile just once during your student’s 4-year high school athletics participation. Once registered, the system will keep track of your information in your family profile. By saving your information future registrations will be simplified.

INFORMATION NEEDED TO REGISTER

It will be helpful to have the following information on hand when completing the online registration form.

• · Health Insurance Information (Carrier and Policy Number)
• · Doctor Information (Name and Phone Number)
• · Emergency contact information

To register, go to: https://students.arbitersports.com/organizations/ashland-school-district

Once on the Ashland High School Arbiter Sports Page follow these instructions:

1. Click on Create Account in the upper right hand corner of the screen
2. Enter your family name, email address and create a password. You will receive an email with a link to confirm your new account (if you don’t see the email, check your spam or junk mail).
3. Click on the link in your email confirmation.You will use this account
4. After confirming your account you may now register for athletics.You may need to search Ashland High School in the “Find Programs” tab.
   
5. Once on the Ashland High School landing page on Arbiter Sports select the program (season) for which you would like to register. If your student is going to participate in winter or spring sports, you can sign up for those as well (one sport per season).
   
6. Enter the required information and sign the agreements, click continue.
   You will be prompted to confirm your registration on the next page.
7. Finally, you will be required to submit a Physicians Clearance. (See below)

PHYSICIAN’S CLEARANCE FORM

• 9th and 11th grade student athletes must be cleared by a physician in order to participate in high school sports. This must be on the OSAA form “School Sports Pre-Participation Examination” and is good for two calendar years.
• This form must be turned in to the athletics office before your child will be allowed to participate in any tryouts or practices. This can also be submitted by email Ashley.Caughell@ashland.k12.or.us or fax 541-482-8298, or upload to your Family ID registration.
• A completed physical examination is required dated after June 1, 2023.

SUPPORT

If you need assistance with you registration, you can call Arbiter Sports at 1-800-311-4060 or email: support@arbitersports.com. Support is available 7 days per week and messages will be returned promptly.

FALL (practice starts August 19th)

Cheerleading

Cross Country

Football

Soccer

Volleyball

Water Polo

WINTER (practice starts November 18th)

Basketball

Cheerleading

Snowboarding

Alpine Ski (downhill)

Nordic Ski (cross country)

Swimming

Wrestling

SPRING (practice starts March 3rd)

Baseball

Crew

Equestrian

Golf

Softball

Tennis

Track & Field

Volleyball (boys club)

ASPIRE at AHS: ASPIRE’s trained volunteer mentors work individually with students to explore education and career pathways. Mentors assist their students in researching colleges and training programs, preparing admissions and scholarship applications, understanding the financial aid process, and many other aspects of the road to post-secondary education and careers.

Students who want to learn more about ASPIRE or sign up for a mentor can contact jennifer.marsden@ashland.k12.or.us

We are excited to announce that all students in our district will receive free breakfast and lunch this school year, regardless of economic status. No applications are necessary - students can simply come to the cafeteria to enjoy fresh, nutritious meals.

Quality You Can Trust

Our robust farm to school program ensures that many ingredients come directly from local farms and producers. This means:

• Fresher, more nutritious meals
• Support for our local agricultural community
• Reduced environmental impact
• Educational opportunities for students to learn about local food systems

This new program ensures that every child has access to high-quality, locally-sourced fuel they need to learn and thrive. We encourage all families to take advantage of this opportunity and have their students participate in the meal service.

Please spread the word to your friends and neighbors. Together, we can make sure no child goes hungry during the school day while supporting our local farmers and economy.

If you have any questions, please contact the district nutrition services department at Christina.Lehman@ashland.k12.or.us

Ashland School Counselors

541-482-8771 then press 4

Located on the Ashland High School Campus

Hours 8:00am to 4:00pm

Ashland School District uses the Safe Oregon tip line system.

A link to the tip line is located at the bottom of every school web page.

Who receives tips to the School Safety Tip Line? Specially trained technicians field incoming tips 24 hours- a-day, 365 days-a-year for all public schools Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade. The Oregon State Police provides this service through a contracted vendor.

For details on how the tip line works, click here.

For a direct link to the Tip Reporting page, click here or on the image.