Silver Crest Elementary School - Silver Falls School District

 It may be no big deal to old timers on the hill, but to many of the staff and students of Silver Crest, it has been a thrill to have had glimpses of the Silver Crest herd of elk.  A few students and staff  a couple years ago got a pretty good view while running on the Bleakney farm property.  A few times the herd could be seen off in the distance from the highway.  Then, this fall, the herd crossed the highway in front of a school bus, which had to stop and wait for about 5 minutes.  That was quite an exciting morning for about 30 students and a bus driver.  Then, just last week, the entire herd of 2-300 was viewed by several passersby and caught on film by teacher Dan Feller late in the afternoon as they grazed on the hillside just above Reinhart's.  Thank-you, Mr. Feller for sharing your pictures.  We are fortunate to be a part of a community that, in some ways, is still a little wild!

We have enjoyed our focus on reading for the month of October.  Each day we have had a Drop Every Thing and Read time and each class is focussing on an international theme.  We will celebrate the end of Love of Reading Month with an assembly on Monday, October 31 at 11am.  We will have a costume parade, a recognition of students who have read 10 books, and an all school read in.

Students are invited to come to school in costume Monday if it is of a character in a book they have read or as a particular author.  We ask that they bring the book to share.  In this K-8 school with many very young students, we do not allow scary costumes or costumes that would be disruptive to learning.

The Fall 2 term of the extended day program will begin October 31.  Sign-ups went home in backpacks on Tuesday and are due Friday.  Please try to get sign ups in on time.  We have lots of art options this time, as well as different ways to help prepare and participate in the Winter Program.  To find the catalog and sign up sheet, follow the link to Publications.  There is a Wednesday art class not on the sign ups but also available. 

On Wednesday, Oct. 12, nearly 600 students participated in the fourth Silver Crest Christmas Tree Run—our largest crowd yet.  The weather was beautiful!  Students from Silver Crest, Pratum, Eugene Field, Victor Point, Central Howell, Mark Twain and Robert Frost ran, jogged, and walked anywhere from ½ mile to 2.5 miles, depending on their age.  The 2.5 mile course was new this year, and open to all ages.   Approximately 20 students and adults ran this new Challenge Course.  All the courses started at Silver Crest, left our field for neighboring Christmas tree fields, and finished back at Silver Crest.  The reward:  a finisher ribbon, cheers of their peers, and a feeling of accomplishment.  It was a great time!  Many thanks to those who helped:  Our neighbors the Hupps and Drakes Crossing Nursery, Cascade’s Best Trees, Art and Jean Sacher and Chapel in the Hills; our course monitors; our volunteer coordinator Julie Brown; and our course marshall Wendell Garner.  THANK-YOU all for your help! (And sorry if I forgot your name!) 

Race Winners:                                                                              

Fall extended day classes will start on Tuesday, Sept. 20 and continue through October.  It's not too late to sign up, or even to volunteer to teach next time around.  Find the program flyer and course catalog on the Publications page.  Follow the link to the left. 

Some Silver Crest community members just can't keep a low profile.  Here are two stories that made the news elsewhere:

Read this story from the Statesmen-Journal about a message in a bottle cast into the sea by our very own Thomas C. 

A little closer to home, some of our community enjoyed their own success at Homer Davenport Community Festival.

We hope you are enjoying the rest of your summer.   Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions:

1.  Who is my teacher going to be next year?  Well, most of you already know, but it's obvious at this small school.  However, 2nd, 6th, and 7th graders could be in a couple different classrooms.  We do preliminary splits in June but finalize them when teachers come back in August to adjust for new students or students who move out.  We will send a postcard out the last week of August to let you know for sure!

2.  What should I buy for school supplies?  I'm going to try to put a link right here.  If that doesn't work, try the link to Publications in the left side-bar.

3.  When is the first day of school?  Tuesday, Sept. 6! 

I hope this is clear. You aren’t sure you’ve got it all, check our web-site for the full announcement. 

It is now time to sign up for Spring Extended Day Program.  The deadline for signing up is Friday, March 18.  Open the attachment for course offerings.  To sign up, call or send a note to school including student name, grades, and desired classes. 

Silver Crest has begun the process of becoming a school-wide Title 1 school.  An important part of the process is getting information from families.  Please complete the survey that was sent home, one per family.  A copy of the survey can be found here.