Shared with the Corvallis School Board during the March 11, 2021 meeting
Last Week was Classified Staff Appreciation Week
Comprising 414 members of our workforce, our Classified Staff plays an important role throughout the Corvallis School District in all aspects of school district operations. We are grateful to our Classified Staff for their commitment to our students and for helping us be prepared for the return to in-person schedules this spring. I’m proud of the work we accomplish together.
National School Breakfast Week
This is National School Breakfast Week and it is a great opportunity to thank our food services staff for their work. Free meals have been provided to all children from 1-18 since the beginning of the pandemic. Breakfast and lunch are offered at the drive-up-grab-and-go free meal locations, Monday through Friday.
Families are invited to celebrate National School Breakfast Week by picking up a Fruit Pizza Food Hero Recipe Kit on Friday, March 12 at any of our free school meal locations. The Recipe Kit is a kid-friendly breakfast with fresh fruit and bread that can be assembled at home. These special breakfast kits will be offered once a month for the rest of this school year.
Also, this week students will receive a Food Hero Grow This! packet that includes seeds to grow spring flowers.
CHS Student Recognized with Prudential Spirit of Community Award
Suraj Kulkarni has been selected as Oregon’s top High School youth volunteer in the 2021 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program. As a State Honoree, Suraj will receive a $2,500 scholarship, an engraved silver medallion, and a virtual celebration along with the other 101 State Honorees.
Based on the number of volunteer hours he has completed, Suraj also qualified for the President’s Volunteer Service Award, which recognizes Americans of all ages who have volunteered significant amounts of their time to serve their communities and their country. A President’s Volunteer Service Award certificate and a letter from the President will be mailed directly to Suraj this summer. Congratulations to Suraj Kulkarni!
Community Partners to Recognize - Corvallis Benton County Library, Linn-Benton-Lincoln United Way, Early Learning Hub of Linn, Benton & Lincoln Counties
Coinciding with the March 2nd National Read Across America Day, Corvallis families with children under the age of 5 are eligible to register for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The Imagination Library mails free, high-quality books to children from birth up until their fifth birthday. Each month, participating children receive a new, age-appropriate book, beginning with the children’s classic The Little Engine That Could. Children can receive up to 60 books over five years, ending with the aptly timed story ‘Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!’ Books are available in English and Spanish languages as well as Braille/Audiobook options. As of today, 340 Corvallis kids have registered.
Sustainability Update
The Corvallis School District participates in the Energy Trust of Oregon’s Strategic Energy Management Program to reduce our use of electricity and natural gas, our district’s two most expensive utility bills. As a part of the program, CSD has earned over $30,000 in incentives to reduce energy consumption, which doesn’t include the additional savings in energy costs.
The most recent incentive was a challenge to all participants to create a video to be used to promote sustainability. Students from our district submitted three videos, earning our district a $1,000 stipend and also raising $100 for their Green Team’s work and an additional $300 for energy efficiency equipment.
Cheldelin School Sustainability Leader Liz Weiland has been meeting virtually with student members of the Cheldelin Green Team since last March and supported them in the production of their video submission. The Crescent Valley Green Team also submitted a video.
- Watch the Cheldelin Green Team video