Have you ever wished you could answer that early morning question, “Do we have school today?  Well now you can.  FlashAlert, the service we use to post emergency closures via the Portland television stations, will send you a text and/or email message.  To sign up for this service go to our web site at www.neahkahnie.k12.or.us, go to the Quick Links section, it’s on the left side of our home page, click on the link that says FlashAlert Sign Up.  Under “Subscribe to receive FlashAlert messages from Neah-Kah-Nie Sch. Dist.” Type in your email address, click submit and follow the directions to sign up.  You may enter up to three email addresses or three text message numbers or a combination of both.  Once you have added your information click in the box that states “Click here to send test messages and complete the registration process.  Then click log out, which is the last bulleted item on the left side of the screen.  You should receive a test email and/or text message shortly after logging out.  If you need help with this process, contact your school secretary or Kathie Sellars at the District Office.You will need to make sure that your SPAM filter allows messages from info@flashalert.net.

The three Tillamook County High Schools traveled to Woodburn HS in order to compete against 25 speech teams from around Oregon on Saturday, November 21; Neah-Kah-Nie won the tournament with 90 points, while S. Albany took 2^nd overall with 76 points. Among many talented standouts, one student in particular really shined: NKN freshman Cheyenne Gliewe tied for first in Novice Memorized Interpretation and, more impressively, received a 1^st from every judge throughout the day in Novice Prose, culminating a “picket fence” 1^st place trophy. Other individual winners from around the county were:

Please look for the November 2009-February 2010 edition of the Neah-Kah-Nie Learning Voyages in the Tillamook County Shopper.

The following is meant to provide information about the flu situation.  There is a good deal of concern about H1N1 (Swine Flu).  At this time, the health department indicates that the flu is here in our community and that H1N1 is the primary virus causing flu-like symptoms.  Providers are not routinely testing for H1N1 as it is only required for hospitalized patients.  As a result, our schools are handling all flu situations with care and concern.  However, we have no plans to close a school or schools because of the flu unless absences go well beyond normal rates.  The school district will consult with the Tillamook County Health Department if we believe that a school or schools need to be closed due to high incidences of illness due to flu-like symptoms.

The Tillamook County Health Department is currently awaiting sufficient supplies of the H1N1 influenza vaccine.  Information regarding clinics will be disseminated through the local radio stations and the health department website at http://www.co.tillamook.or.us/gov/health/.

In the meantime, here are a few things you can do to help stop the spread of flu:

• Teach your children to wash their hands
• Teach your children to cover coughs and sneezes with tissues and into their sleeve
• Teach your children not to share items like food, dirnks, or unwashed utensils
• Know the signs of the flu - includes fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit, 37.8 Celsius or better), cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, feeling very tired
• Keep sick children at home
• Do not send children to school if they are sick

Please know our schools and school district is monitoring this situation carefully.  We intend to act prudently and provide as healthy an learning environment as possible as we go through the flu season.

Sincerely,
Jay Kosik
Superintendent

The Neah-Kah-Nie Speech & Debate Pirates traveled to Sam Barlow HS on Saturday, October 3^rd,  to compete against seventeen 5A-6A schools in the first big tournament of the year, only to return with a bus full of smiling kids and medals. The tournament did not tabulate for a sweepstakes trophy, but the NKN Team fell within the top five point earners overall. Individual results are listed below. Among many great performances, Senior Linse Sullivan was a stand-out, placing third in Open Prose Interpretation, an event which had enough entries that the top three winners earned a “leg” to the State Tournament (two legs are needed for early qualification to State).

Open Prose Interp. – 3^rd place, Linse Sullivan

Open Dramatic Interpretation – 2^nd place, Madison Sturdevant

Open Poetry Reading – 2^nd place, Grayce Beebe

Open Expository Speaking – 1^st place, Madison Sturdevant and 3^rd place, Noelle Sampson

Parents Please Read!

Important Swine Flu Information!

Letter from Tillamook County Health Department

Nehalem students read a total of 35,663,583 words this year and passed a comprehension test for over 4,100 books! Students who met their goal all four terms were presented with a trophy at the awards assembly. A special award went to Alaina Holm for the highest point total of 501.

Matthew Grimes, Max Hooley, Cameron Kelly, and Alex Winder

Jamey Sherman, Maria Guadalupe, Alaina Holm,

Erin Savage, and Kalli Swanson

This message is meant to provide our parents with the following information.  The change in the bus schedule for the 2009-2010 school year created a situation where there will no longer be regular early release Wednesdays for students in grades K-5.  In other words, our elementary students will have a full day of classes on most Wednesdays throughout the 2009-2010 school year.

The exception to this will be for those Wednesdays in the 2009-2010 calendar that provide for teacher training, early release just prior to Thanksgiving, and the last student day in June, 2010.  For those specific dates, please refer to next year's school calendar.  The 2009-2010 school calendar, click here. If you have further questions, please call Jay Kosik at 503-355-2222.

Thank you,

Jay Kosik

Superintendent