Residents who live near Joseph Gale Elementary School are invited to a neighborhood meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 3 to learn more about the proposed November bond that calls for tearing down and replacing the school. The meeting, which is open to the entire public, will start at 6:30 p.m. in the school gymnasium. Preliminary architectural renderings of the proposed new school will be available.

The project would be part of a proposed $65.3 million construction bond that Forest Grove School District has placed on the November 2 ballot. The bond also would provide for additional cafeteria, gymnasium and instructional space at Forest Grove High School, surveillance cameras at all schools, and deferred maintenance and energy efficiency improvements throughout the district.

 

Joseph Gale is a wood-frame building that was built in 1954 for a 20-year life span. Its open air design poses security concerns because students must leave the building to walk to the restrooms, which are located at the end of each classroom wing. According to architect and construction assessments, it would cost more to bring the building up to code and make updates than to tear it down and build a new building.

Congratulations to the inaugural inductees into the new Forest Grove High School Athletic Hall of Fame: Sheri Burlingham, Doug Cammann, Jeff Durham, Carl Heisler, Mitch Meeuwsen, Jaime Prickett and Gary Regier. They will be introduced on Friday, Sept. 10 at halftime of the Forest Grove vs. Wilson varsity football game on Jeff Durham Field at Dick Hendricks Stadium. The Hall of Fame induction banquet will follow on Saturday, September 11. To purchase tickets to the banquet, please call the Forest Grove High School athletic department, 359.2437. Profiles of Hall of Fame Inductees

Want to stay in touch with other alumni? Forest Grove School District has contracted with Alumni Research Inc. to update our alumni directory. District alumni will be contacted soon via phone, email or mail to obtain and verify biographical information. Once completed, the directory will be offered for sale to alumni only. There is no cost to the district to produce this directory. The purpose of the directory is to help alumni stay in touch with classmates and also to assist in reunion planning. If you haven't been contacted and want to be included in the directory, please call 1-800-299-1230. 

Voters in November will decide a $65.3 million construction bond that would replace Joseph Gale Elementary School and add cafeteria and instructional space at Forest Grove High School. Measure 34-178 also would provide survellance video cameras at every school, replace roofs and address other deferred maintenance and provide safety and energy efficiency improvements. Because the bond would replace the 1994 bond that paid for a new classroom wing at the high school, the new bond is estimated to result in a reduction over current tax rates. More information

The Forest Grove School District is again participating in the Summer Food Service program, a federally-funded program which provides free meals to all children between ages 1-18. Participation requirements for the program are the same for all, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age or disability. The program will be held on the following dates and locations: 

The U.S. Department of Education has released a video showcasing Forest Grove High School as an example for schools nationwide on how to bridge the achievement gap. John White, deputy assistant director, said FGHS is the first rural high school in the nation to be featured in the video series about transformational schools. Watch Video / Transformational Schools Website

• Must have been without health insurance for at least two months (with exceptions for a parent's job loss or the child's serious medical need)
• Must be a legal resident of Oregon
• Household income can be no more than 300% of the federal poverty level (approximately $66,000 for a family of four, less for smaller families and more for larger families) Healthy Kids Website