Helix School District

'Tis the Season for spreading holiday cheer! The Helix Middle School will be caroling in the Helix community this Wednesday morning, December 15, 2021. We will leave the school at approximately 9:30 a.m. We wish everyone a Wonderful Holiday Season! 🎄

Helix Elementary had another energy-packed, Purposeful People awards assembly yesterday! We had a drawing, and students had the opportunity to participate in a stack-the-dice minute to win it challenge! Students were also recognized for showing gratitude this month. Thank you to the 5th grade class for their excellent leadership throughout the assembly! Our character trait for the month of December will be KINDNESS! Parents, be on the lookout for a letter coming home soon. It shares fun ways to get the whole family involved! Helix Elementary is grateful for all of our wonderful parents and grandparents! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Griswold High School welcomed recent graduate Zachary (Zack) Johnson back to Helix yesterday afternoon. Marine Private First Class Johnson spent about an hour discussing the Marine Corp and taking questions from students. Zack recently completed boot camp and leaves this Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, to continue explosives training as a combat engineer.

Little Grizzlies Basketball kicks off on Sunday, December 5th. A huge THANK YOU to Chris & Shannon Peters for supporting our young and upcoming Grizzly athletes!

On Thursday, October 14, students in grades 3-12 were asked and encouraged to participate in a school climate survey. The survey was anonymous, there was no information collected from student Google accounts. The data from this survey will create a baseline to be used by staff to develop short-term and long-term goals to address areas of concerns in the physical and psychological aspects of our school. This survey will help us incorporate the unique perspectives of students into our decision making about school climate. The intent of the survey was not to change or indoctrinate the students of Helix. The Helix School Board has no interest in changing the curriculum. The survey was a tool used to gather information. The Board of Directors are committed to maintaining Helix School District as a supportive place for all. In the future, parents will be given access to the survey questions at least one week before students are surveyed. Parents will also be allowed to have their child(ren) opt-out of the survey, if they so choose. Here are the links to the survey results: Elementary Responses - https://5il.co/1256g Middle School/High School Responses - https://5il.co/1256e Staff Responses - https://5il.co/1256f

A HUGE thank you to everyone who donated food for our canned food drive! It was a huge success and we delivered close to 30 boxes of food to the Athena Christian Church. This food will help families in the Weston, Athena, Adams and Helix communities. The winners for the most points earned are the 3rd and 7th grade classes! Great job Grizzlies! Your generosity is much appreciated! *To utilize this resource, please contact the pantry at 541-566-3422.

Helix Parents/Guardians: The Board meeting this evening at 6:00 p.m. will be available on Zoom. The link will allow remote participants to view and hear the proceeding. If you would like to make public comment to the Board, please come in person. Join Zoom Meeting - https://zoom.us/j/92318619887?pwd=Y1hXNmh3TzNRcmFLYk5JbDJBUHk4UT09 Passcode: HelixSD - - -Thanks, Brad Bixler, Superintendent/Principal

Helix School District is wrapping up it's Canned Food Drive this Friday, Nov. 19th! Each class is competing to bring in the most food. Donations of non-perishable food items that are low in sodium, sugar, and saturated fats are greatly appreciated!

Helix School District is celebrating Red Ribbon Week (October 23 rd through 31st). Drug Free Looks Like Me! Check it out - https://www.redribbon.org/ - Mondey (Red Day - “Rally in Red”) - Tuesday (Twin/Group Day - “Team up against drugs”) - Wednesday (Pajama Day - “Don’t be caught sleeping, say no to drugs”) - Thursday (Hawaiian Day - “Lei off drugs”) - Friday (Halloween Day - “Drugs are scary, say BOO to them”)

School Board Vacancy - Unexpired Term Open Immediately Helix School District is currently seeking a board member to fill position 3 of the Helix School Board. The appointee will serve until June 30, 2023. Please complete the application and read the timeline for appointment prior to submitting the application to the Helix School District Office, 106 Main Street, P.O. Box 398, Helix, Oregon by 5:00 p.m. on November 4, 2021. The application or questions may also be emailed to Cindy Wood, Administrative Assistant and Board Secretary. Application - https://5il.co/10h7a Board Vacancy Information and Timeline - https://5il.co/10h79

Helix Parents/Guardians: The Board meeting this evening at 7:30 p.m. will be available on Zoom. The link will allow remote participants to view and hopefully hear the proceeding. A conference microphone will be added this evening to help increase the availability of the audio. If you would like to make public comment to the Board, please come in person. Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/98442605031?pwd=Tnd0a2kvMW1Fbm80ZS8rNnVRcTVjQT09 Meeting ID: 984 4260 5031 Passcode: Helix Thanks, Brad Bixler, Superintendent/Principal

Thanks to the Helix community members and parents that were able to join us last Thursday evening for the Helix Community Dinner and Open House. The weather was beautiful and the food was delicious. We had a wonderful turnout and the Booster Club was well supported with additional memberships, donations, and many folks purchased some Grizzly swag. A special thanks to everyone that was able to jump in to lend a hand. Aerial footage by Evan Reeder - https://5il.co/10ejd

Congratulations to the Grizzly high school cross country team for beating their personal records! Mr. Kahl, our high school coach, celebrated their success today with a new haircut. Way to go Mr. Kahl!

Helix Community Dinner and Open House! Thursday, October 7th, 2021 4:30 PM - 7:00 PM https://5il.co/zvoh

Due to COVID-19 exposure and concerns, the Helix School District, in consultation with the Umatilla County Health Department, have canceled the volleyball matches scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 9 and the tournament scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 11.

Dear Helix Parents, Students, and Community - After a long year of modified music classes, the Helix school band is equipped this year to play once more. We have bought specialized instrument masks and students will be practicing in a larger space to allow us to safely play our instruments again in class. Considering the limited time our students have been able to practice this last year and with the continued concern of COVID-19, Mr. Butler and I have decided that the Helix bands will not be performing in the Westward Ho Parade this year. I’m confident that this decision is in the best interest of the students and their families. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call me at 541-457-2175, ext. 3757 or email me at brad.bixler@helix.k12.or.us Brad Bixler, Helix Superintendent Jonathan Butler, Helix Band Instructor

Fall Junior High Sports Schedules

Dr. Earl will be at our school on Wednesday, August 11th from 1:00-3:00 pm to provide sports physicals. If you would like your student to get a sports physical, please feel free to wait to register your student when you bring them to the physical. We do not expect you to make an extra trip to Helix if you do not need to. Click the link for the physical form - https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/168999/PhysicalExamination-2017.pdf

This morning Governor Kate Brown today directed the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) to create a rule to require masks indoors for K-12 schools statewide for the 2021-22 school year, in line with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recently updated guidance, and based on the latest science on the spread of the Delta variant. Information about Helix School District's plan for the 2021-2022 school year will be coming next week after I receive updated guidance from ODE. Please be safe!

Good Morning, As of today, the Helix School District is adopting the updated Ready Schools, Safe Learners (RSSL) Resiliency Framework for the 2021-22 School Year. For further information about the Framework, please follow this link - https://www.oregon.gov/ode/students-and-family/healthsafety/Documents/Ready Schools Safe Learners Resiliency Framework for the 2021-22 School Year.pdf I recognize that it isn't possible to please everyone, even as things begin to improve. There are some people who want everything to go back to normal immediately, and there are others who would like to see more health protocols in place until COVID-19 and all its variants no longer pose a threat. The reality is COVID-19 and its variants aren't going away anytime soon, and while vaccination is a powerful tool in stopping the spread, vaccines aren't available for younger children and they aren't mandated for everyone. Your voice is important as we make decisions for the fall. Please complete the following short survey about health protocols in the next few days. Survey Link - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScDXKoeEbijC729mSO_cJKv6nnB6DPzHK_m4mbM-ypNrZpltQ/viewform?usp=sf_link Thank you for your input! Have a great rest of your summer! Brad Bixler, Helix Superintendent