Author: Tami Pike

April 28, 2026

Post author By Tami Pike
Post date April 28, 2026

BLS Nurse Blog

SHORT AND SWEET

Enjoy this short and sweet BLS Nurse Blog this week!

KIDS INC

Signups open up for the Kids Inc 26-27 school year lottery on Friday, May 1st . As in years past, there will be consideration given to Bend-La Pine staff to have a certain percentage of spots reserved for us. While it is not a guarantee that you will get one of the spots, they do reserve a generous amount for our staff. The important thing to note is that you must use the link we provide to register, so that you are documented as BLS staff in their system.

You will find the special link on our Share Point site, “the portal” at the very top of the quick links. See the location of the link on the picture below. The link will not be live until Friday, May 1 at 8:00 am, when Park and Rec will open the sign-ups. Don’t delay, because it will close on Wednesday, May 13, at 11:59 pm.

Below is the specific information that Park and Recreation has shared with us to pass on to you regarding Kids Inc for the 26-27 school year.

Monthly Tuition – September -May (no additional fee for June):

Full Time $300 / month for M-F

Part Time $150 / month for M/W or T/TH/F

*NEW* Part Time $79/ month for Wednesday only

Reminder: tuition payments are due on the 15th of the prior month

Locations:

All Bend elementary schools except Amity Creek and Westside Village

Time:

From the end of the school day until 5:30pm

No-school days are not included

Open Application Dates:

Lottery enrollment period opens Friday, May 1 at 8:00 a.m. and closes Wednesday, May 13 at 11:59 p.m.

Households Notified of Status:

Monday, May 18 via email

Deposit Due:

Households placed through the lottery must secure their space for the 2026–2027 school year by Sunday, May 31, by paying September tuition as a deposit.

Bend La Pine School District Employees:

To apply for the lottery, please use the link provided in SharePoint. Using this link identifies the applicant as a BLSD employee during the lottery process.

BLSD staff receive priority for up to 20% of the available spots at each school. If requests from BLSD staff exceed this percentage, a separate lottery will be conducted to determine which staff receive these spots. Any BLSD staff not selected through this process will be placed in the general lottery.

How the Application Process Works:

BLSD staff are invited to apply for the next school year using the SharePoint link. Families are encouraged to apply for their home school location and for all schedule options they are willing to accept, including full-time, part-time M/W, part-time T/TH/F, or part-time Wednesday-only.

If families are unsure which school the participant will attend in the upcoming school year, they are encouraged to select their neighborhood school.

Each participating student must have an individual application; however, siblings are treated as one entry in the lottery process. If a participant is part of two or more households and multiple applications are submitted, the participant will receive only one lottery number.

More details can be found at: https://www.bendparksandrec.org/activities/childcare/

SAFETY

DCHS Substance Overdose Response Briefing 4/17/26

DATES TO REMEMBER

Upcoming Nurse Events/Meetings

DATE	EVENT	TIME	LOCATION
5/6/26	Nurse Meeting	2-330	Elk Meadow
5/27/26	Nurse Meeting	2-330	TBD

May 8, 2026

June 12, 2026

Nurse Updates

April 21, 2026

Post author By Tami Pike
Post date April 21, 2026

BLS Nurse Blog

HOW MANY DAYS LEFT???

There are only 36 school days left until summer break!

Only 6 more Mondays!

BACKPACKS

For regular nurses – Please complete the Nurse Backpack Information Doc. The goal is to get a medical supply nurse backpack in every school.

DIABETES WALK

Breakthrough T1D Walk

Sunday, May 17th

1pm

Drake Park – 777 NW Riverside Blvd, Bend, 97701

LOOKING FOR 10 VOLUNTEERS

CONTACT ANGELINA TO SIGN UP!!!

FERPA (WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

Protects the privacy of personally identifiable information in a student’s education record.
- Health management plans (504/IEP health related info)
- Immunization records
- Health room visit logs and documentation
- Any health information kept by the school
It grants parents/guardians (and students 18 or older) access to information in the student’s educational record.
It protects the student information from disclosure to third parties without parental/guardian consent.
FERPA – applies to any educational institution that receives any federal funding
HIPAA – applies in healthcare settings (clinics, hospitals)
Sharing student information only with staff who need it to do their job
- OK to share:
  - With teachers/staff who need to know about a student’s health condition
  - With administrators for safety planning
- Not OK to share:
  - With staff who are just curious
  - In casual conversations (hallways, staff lounge)
  - With other parents or students

LINGUIST LINK

Linguist Link seems to be having some issues. If you are having trouble accessing resources in this site, use: app.linguistlink.net.

DATES TO REMEMBER

Upcoming Nurse Events/Meetings

DATE	EVENT	TIME	LOCATION
5/6/26	Nurse Meeting	2-330	Elk Meadow
5/27/26	Nurse Meeting	2-330	TBD

May 8, 2026

June 12, 2026

Nurse Updates

April 14, 2026

Post author By Tami Pike
Post date April 14, 2026

BLS Nurse Blog

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The care you give each day matters more than you may ever know.

YOU ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE – even in the quiet moments.

DIABETES

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Breakthrough T1D Walk

Sunday, May 17th

1pm

Drake Park – 777 NW Riverside Blvd, Bend, 97701

Contact Angelina if you are interested.

OFFICE OF POLICY AND ADVOCACY

May Day

May Day (May 1st) celebrates the labor movement and workers’ rights, and is often recognized internationally with protests and rallies. This year, a national “Day Without Immigrants” is also being planned on the same date.

Locally, there are some community groups organizing strikes and community action on May 1st. They are hoping our educators and students will participate in their May Day Strike, and have asked the district to support by facilitating student/staff absences and allowing teams of community volunteers to do service projects on our campuses as a form of the protest on that day.

As you know, our neutrality here is important. If you get similar requests for your school to engage in this effort, here are a few tools:

Our response to their request—feel free to borrow any of this language;
Our guidance on participating in protests;
Please let us know if you believe your school will be impacted by substantial student or staff absences that Friday, so we can support you;
Media inquiries should be directed to Communications.

Asian Family Night – Friday, May 1*

Latino Family Night and KinderFiesta – Thursday, May 14*

*More information can be found on our district Outlook Family Engagement Calendar

SAFETY

Air Quality Index (AQI)

Guidelines

Quick reminders:

We use the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) Public Health Guidance for School Outdoor Activities to help support our decision on bringing outdoor activities inside (recess/PE).

Please only use the Watch Duty or EPA Fire and Smoke Map mobile apps or websites to determine the AQI readings closest to your school, as these AQI sites have been vetted and approved by the district for consistency in AQI readings.

As school administrators you have the discretion to choose to bring students in at any time during normal outdoor activities. The OHA and district guidance suggests taking the following actions at these AQI levels:

AQI levels 101 – 150 – administrators discretion to move activities inside – “OK” to be outside but consider alternative indoor activities for students with sensitivity to air pollution.
AQI levels 151 – 200 – strongly consider moving students indoors – still administrators’ discretion
AQI levels 201 & above – move all activities indoors

* As school administrators you always have the discretion to bring students indoors at any point that the AQI is below 200.

Please reach out to the safety team or your level leader for questions on smoke concerns at your school.

DATES TO REMEMBER

Upcoming Nurse Events/Meetings

DATE	EVENT	TIME	LOCATION
4/15/26	Nurse Meeting	2-330	Miller Elementary Library
5/6/26	Nurse Meeting	2-330	Elk Meadow
5/27/26	Nurse Meeting	2-330	TBD

May 8, 2026

June 12, 2026

Nurse Updates

April 7, 2026

Post author By Tami Pike
Post date April 8, 2026

BLS Nurse Blog

Today’s blog was brought to you by the number

There are only 8 Monday’s left in this school year. (excluding Memorial Day)

POLICY AND ADVOCACY

From Kinsey Martin

Day of Silence

2026’s Day of Silence is Friday, April 10. You will likely have students observing this day. Students have the right to express themselves (including through silence, in this case) as long as it is done in an orderly and non-disruptive manner—see related policy. Thank you for accommodating your participating students by:

1. Planning nonverbal or written options for class participation that day

2. Letting substitutes know to be prepared to accommodate students as well

3. Learning about the day and its significance to your students

4. Promptly interrupting and reporting any harassment or bias incidents

SCHOOL BASED HEALTH CENTER INFO

Bend High School-Based Health Center Relocation Information

DATES TO REMEMBER

Upcoming Nurse Events/Meetings

DATE	EVENT	TIME	LOCATION
4/15/26	Nurse Meeting	2-330	Miller Elementary Library
5/6/26	Nurse Meeting	2-330	Elk Meadow
5/27/26	Nurse Meeting	2-330	TBD

April 10, 2026	June 12, 2026
May 8, 2026

Nurse Updates

March 31, 2026

Post author By Tami Pike
Post date March 31, 2026

BLS Nurse Blog

APRIL IS STRESS AWARENESS MONTH

Stress is the natural reaction your body has when changes or challenges occur. It can result in many different physical, emotional and behavioral responses. Everyone experiences stress from time to time. You can’t avoid it. ~ The Cleveland Clinic

Stress Awareness Month is a timely reminder that: CARING FOR YOURSELF IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS CARING FOR OTHERS.

As school nurses, you show up each day ready to support students’ physical and emotional needs—often putting your own well-being on the back burner. The pace is fast, the needs are real, and the expectations are high. It’s meaningful work, but it can also be heavy.

This month, you are challenged to take a few intentional moments to check in with yourself. Whether it’s stepping away for a quick walk, taking a few deep breaths between students, connecting with a colleague, or simply acknowledging a challenging day—SMALL ACTS OF SELF-CARE MATTER.

Remember, supporting your own well-being strengthens your ability to continue supporting the students and communities who rely on you. You are doing important work, and taking care of yourself is part of that work.

CAMP TAMARACK MEDICATIONS

Reminder for elementary nurses:

For non-prescription medication that is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (melatonin, vitamins, supplements), a written order from the student’s prescriber must be provided that includes the name of the student, medication, dosage, method of administration, frequency of administration, a statement that the medication must be administered while the student is at camp, any other special instructions, and the signature of the prescriber.

COMMUNICATION CHANGE

Due to increasing security concerns, text messaging is no longer an approved method of communication for BLS employees. Until a secure alternative is identified, fax machines will be used as a temporary communication method. Please click here for more information on proper fax machine etiquette.

EDUCATIONAL OFFERINGS

Randall Children’s Educational Offerings, Updates, and Grand Rounds

__________________________________________________________

April 2nd – Food Allergy Updates

__________________________________________________________

May 7th – Trends in Pediatric Burns

__________________________________________________________

June 4th – Bioethics Based Approach to Medical Child Abuse

Amanda Scully, MD, CARES NW

Virtual Registration

__________________________________________________________

June 18th – RCH Pediatric Cardiology

Niki Tucker, MD

MEASLES

Oregon is on track for its worst measles year in decades. Here’s why. – oregonlive.com

SAFETY

DCHS Substance Abuse Overdose Response Briefing 3-20-26

WILDFIRE SEASON

From Paul Dean – BLS COO

As we enter wildfire season, it is the district’s responsibility to ensure the safety of our students, staff, and facilities. We will take both proactive and responsive actions when wildfires impact school grounds and operations.

At the district level, our Communications team will provide timely updates when wildfires impact school operations, including modifications to outdoor activities, changes to the school day, or other operational adjustments. Our goal is to ensure clear, consistent communication so that students, staff, and families can respond appropriately to changing wildfire conditions.

————————————-

For staff, it is equally important to have a personal preparedness plan in place. We strongly encourage all staff to sign up for emergency alerts through Deschutes County and/or download the Watch Duty app, enabling notifications for areas surrounding your home. These tools provide early warnings, including “Be Ready” (Level 1) and “Be Set” (Level 2) notices, which are critical for preparation.

If a Level 3 (Go Now) evacuation is issued for your neighborhood during the workday, you should communicate directly with your supervisor or administrator. We are committed to supporting staff in these situations. As long as student safety and supervision are maintained, we will arrange coverage so you can return home as soon as possible. You may record leave on your timesheet in accordance with district procedures.

DATES TO REMEMBER

Upcoming Nurse Events/Meetings

DATE	EVENT	TIME	LOCATION
4/15/26	Nurse Meeting	2-330	TBD

April 10, 2026	June 12, 2026
May 8, 2026

Nurse Updates

March 17, 2026

Post author By Tami Pike
Post date March 17, 2026

BLS Nurse Blog

HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY!!!!

CLEANER

Ever wonder what type of cleaner BLS uses in those squirt bottles used to clean desks?

Good info to have in case one of your students decides to ingest some.

DIABETES EVENTS

Bend Craft & Connect Flyer

Bend Walk Recruitment Flyer

MEASLES

Resources for BLS Staff

What you need to know about the measles

Measles Exposure Guidance FAQ for Bend-La Pine Schools Staff

MEDICAID DOCUMENTATION

Get caught up!

March 18, 19 – no school for elementary and middle

March 20 – no school all schools

These are still work days for nursing staff. Please use the extra time to bring yourself up-to-date on your DCStop documentation.

ORTHOPEDIC INJURY

Occupational Therapy Support Process for Short-term or Temporary Orthopedic Injury

Orthopedic Injury Health Care Provider Note update

Updates include: return to school date and recommended durable medical equipment (per OT suggestion)

SCHOOL BASED HEALTH CENTERS

Information flyers (English, Spanish)

DATES TO REMEMBER

Upcoming Nurse Events/Meetings

DATE	EVENT	TIME	LOCATION
3/18/26	Nurse Meeting	2-330	Pacific Crest, Cornice Room
3/19/26	Communities of Practice EHR vs SIS What Nurses Need to Know	10-1130	OSNA Register here
3/23/26 – 3/27/26	SPRING BREAK!!		NO SCHOOL

April 10, 2026	June 12, 2026
May 8, 2026

Nurse Updates

March 10, 2026

Post author By Tami Pike
Post date March 11, 2026

BLS Nurse Blog

CPR for Health Care Providers

Hosted by Angelina

Tuesday, March 31st, 215pm

225 SW Scalehouse Loop, Suite 101

Cost: $105 per person

*Videos to be viewed before class. Skills demo is 1-2 hours.

Call Angelina with any questions.

SLEEP AWARENESS

Did you know that it it Sleep Awareness Week???

Did you know that according to the National Sleep Foundation, nearly half of U.S. children (44%) do not consistently get the recommended amount of sleep for their age?

Parents underestimate children’s sleep needs often by more than an hour per day.

A good night’s sleep can improve a child’s behavior and mood.

Consistency is key. Encourage parents to establish a consistent, calming 15-20 minute bedtime routine (e.g., bath, reading) at the same time every night, including weekends. Ensure that the bedroom is dark, quiet and cool (65-70°F). Limit blue-light screens at least one hour before bed, avoid caffeine, and encourage self-soothing. ~ Children’s Hospital Colorado.

DATES TO REMEMBER

Upcoming Nurse Events/Meetings