La Gazette Archive

We hope everyone had a restful and enjoyable winter break. The new year is already off to an exciting start! The FAIS Forest is now reopened after the wind storms, we had our first ever FAIS Family Game Night (thanks to the PLC's FUN Committee), and we held our 9th annual FAIS Spelling Bee! Our 8th graders also presented their community service projects -- stay tuned for an update in the next issue! From all of us at FAIS, we wish you a healthy 2019 and we look forward to watching our students continue to grow into open-minded, global citizens.

Fourth graders have started Classcraft in Music with their teacher David Olson. “When we heard David explain what it is we felt very excited!” said Anaïs. “It’s like a lifelong dream come true,” laughed Valerie.

Congratulations to 5th grade student Euan, the winner of the Ninth Annual FAIS spelling bee held on January 15. 

“Parent Green Team Leader Needed.” I saw those words printed in the Eagle Newsletter at the beginning of the 2017-18 school year. 

Over 65 families and 200 people showed up to the Fun Committee’s family fun event on Saturday, January 12 and it was a blast.

'Tis the season, as they say. And for me, this is the season for reflection and appreciation. I am reminded of the wonderful community that is FAIS and wish to pause once again to say, "THANK YOU" to all of our FAIS families. 

On the winter solstice in 2018, science teachers Molly Hamill and Greg Darling released about 250 salmon fry into the Willamette River at Cathedral Park. 

MyaIndia Thomas ('14) was featured in a recent news broadcast from Eugene station KVAL for her success on the basketball court.

Sometimes it’s OK to play with our food! Preschoolers are proud to present their graham cracker gingerbread houses, just in time for the holidays.

Preschool students visited the library with their teachers and 3rd grade "partenaires" (French for “partners”).

To begin their plate tectonics unit, 6th grade students put together sections of a puzzle with missing pieces. Through three rounds of being given more parts of the puzzle, students worked together to determine the identify of the picture based on incomplete information.

Welcome back from the Thanksgiving break. I hope you spent it surrounded by friends, family... and, of course, food! We have so much to be thankful for at FAIS -- from the creativity, inspiration, and discovery our students experience every day to the generosity of the families who participated in Giving Tuesday earlier this week. 

Continuing the spirit of Thanksgiving, thank you for being a part of the FAIS community. It's a privilege to have you here, and to help your children develop into global citizens who will create a more peaceful and inclusive world.

On Friday November 30th, all 8th grade students went on a field trip to the Portland Art Museum! They spent half of their trip on a docent guided tour centered on the concept of identity.  The other half of the trip they spent sketching & observing various galleries. Here is what students had to say about the trip:

In case you missed it on social media, get a sneak peek of our new middle school building in this short video by 2016 FAIS alumnus Abani Neferkara. Thank you to all of our donors and supporters who helped take this from a dream to a reality. 

Mapathons help Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) use OSM maps to find problems on the ground where they are deployed. This is helpful because most maps in current use only give a sketch of where anything is located. Many third world nations don't actually include most buildings and roads on digital maps! Mapathons literally put these villages on the map.