Archive for April 26, 2025

April 28th, 2025

April 26, 2025

Our EME Focus

  • Tier 1 Instruction
  • Belonging
  • Define what it means to be an Integrated Arts School

Thought of the Week

I recently read “The Beautiful Ones” a novel written by Prince. It is a semi-autobiographical glimpse into the life of the iconic musician. It starts with his childhood and follows his rise to fame, and creative process. His personal reflections, anecdotes, and insights into his artistry were an interesting peek into his mind, and also gave some insight into his relationships, struggles, and inspirations.

The book talked about love of music and shined a light on his unique perspective on life and fame. The title refers to the people and experiences that influenced him, showcasing his appreciation for beauty in all forms.

In “The Beautiful Ones,” Prince reflects on his childhood in Minneapolis, highlighting how his family’s musical background fueled his passion for music and creativity through interactions with local artists. He details the evolution of his unique sound, emphasizing his innovative experimentation in the studio that pushed genre boundaries. Significant relationships, both friendships and romantic, deeply influenced his songwriting, adding emotional layers to his lyrics. He talks about behind-the-scenes anecdotes from his iconic performances, showcasing the creativity involved in crafting unforgettable shows. He also shares the struggles he faced with fame and the music industry, emphasizing his commitment to artistic integrity and creative control. If you are looking for a journey into the world of Prince and the profound impact he had on music and culture, I cannot recommend the book enough!

THE COMING WEEK:

  • Monday
    • Committees Meeting 2:30-3:15
  • Tuesday
    • Forest Kindergarten 9:30-1:30
  • Wednesday
    • Office Admin Meeting 7:00-7:30
    • SIW Ed Network Follow Up 1:00-2:30
  • Thursday
    • Smart Reading (Kindergarten) 9:45-10:45
    • Sped Team Meeting – 2:30-3:15
  • Friday
    • EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00

UPCOMING DATES:

  • May 5-9 Teacher Appreciation Week!
  • May 5 – Staff Meeting 2:30-3:15
  • May 6 – EME Safety Meeting 7:00-7:30
  • May 6 – Elementary Admin Meeting 3:00-5:00
  • May 7 – 9th Camp Tamarack
  • May 7 – National School Nurse Day!
  • May 7 – Office Admin Meeting 7:00-7:30
  • May 7 – SIW Extra Time for EL 1:00-2:30
  • May 7 – Safety Cadre Meeting 2:00-3:30
  • May 7 – 2nd Grade Family Dance 5:30-6:30
  • May 8 – Field Trip 2nd Grade
  • May 8 – Smart Reading (Kindergarten) 9:45-10:45
  • May 8 – Ben Meeting with Julie 12:15-12:45
  • May 8 – Fire Drill – 1:30
  • May 8 – Sped Team Meeting – 2:30-3:15
  • May 8 – K, 1, 2 Team Meeting with Julie – 2:30-3:15
  • May 9 – Olivia Variel Birthday!
  • May 9 – EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00
  • May 9 – Ruby Garcia Tolson Assembly 12:00-2:00
  • May 11 – Mother’s Day
  • May 12 – Ben out for Admin Meeting 7:30-12:30
  • May 12. – Meet with Peter 2:30
  • May 13 – Care Teams 7:00-8:00
  • May 13 – Train Your Brain 8:00-9:00
  • May 14 – Office Admin Meeting 7:00-7:30
  • May 14 – ELL Ice Cream Event 11:00-12:15
  • May 14 – EA Meeting 1:00
  • May 14 – SIW Teacher Prep 1:00-2:30
  • May 14 – Admin PD 3:00-4:30
  • May 15 – Smart Reading (Kindergarten) 9:45-10:45
  • May 15 – Sped Team Meeting – 2:30-3:15
  • May 16 – EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00
  • May 16 – 2nd Grade Field Trip 9:30-1:30
  • May 19 – Committee Meetings 2:30-3:15
  • May 19 – Admin ICCL Training – 3:00-5:00
  • May 20 – ICCL Meeting 2:30-3:15
  • May 21 – Office Admin Meeting 7:00-7:30
  • May 21 – SIW 1:00-2:30
  • May 21 – Screenager Event at Elk Meadow 5:30-7:30
  • May 22 – Tonya Myers Birthday!
  • May 22 – 1st Grade Field Trip 9:30-11:30
  • May 22 – Sped Team Meeting – 2:30-3:15
  • May 22 – Kindergarten Open House 5:30-6:30
  • May 23 – EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00
  • May 25 – Chris Hill Birthday!
  • May 26 – Josh Hayden Birthday!
  • May 26 – Memorial Day!
  • May 27 – Care Teams 7:00-8:00
  • May 27 – Forest Kindergarten 9:30-1:30
  • May 28 – SIW 1:00-2:30
  • May 29 – Brooke Vossler Birthday!
  • May 29 – Counselor Share Out at District Office 10:30-12:30
  • May 29 – Sped Team Meeting – 2:30-3:15
  • May 30 – EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00
  • May 31 – Cassie Polanco Birthday!
  • June 2 – Dibels
  • June 2 – Staff Meeting 2:30-3:15
  • June 3 – EME Safety Meeting 7:00-7:30
  • June 3 – Elementary Admin Meeting 3:00-5:00
  • June 4 – Office Admin Meeting 7:00-7:30
  • June 4 – SIW Art in the Meadow Prep 1:00-2:30
  • June 4 – Admin PD 3:00-4:30
  • June 5 – Counselor Celebration at District Office 7:30-9:30
  • June 5 – Fire Drill 9:30
  • June 5 – Sped Team Meeting – 2:30-3:15
  • June 6 – EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00
  • June 6 – Field Day
  • June 6 – Art in the Meadow 5:30-7:00
  • June 9 – Meet with Peter 2:30
  • June 10 – Care Teams 7:00-8:00
  • June 10 – ICCL Meeting 2:30-3:15
  • June 10 – 5th Grade Move Up/Music Performance
  • June 11 – Office Admin Meeting 7:00-7:30
  • June 11 – EA Meeting 1:00
  • June 11 – SIW Teacher Prep 1:00-2:30
  • June 12 – The Last Day of School!
  • June 12 – Sped Team Meeting – 2:30-3:15
  • June 13 – EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00
  • June 15 – Father’s Day!
  • June 17 – Nicole Garroutte Birthday!
  • June 17 – Admin EOY Celebration
  • June 19 – Holiday

Updates from Downtown

Important Links

Notes from our Team:

From Tami Pike–Health Services

NATIONAL SCHOOL NURSE DAY , Wednesday, May 7, 2025

National School Nurse Day recognizes school nurses who work to improve the health and learning of students. – Oregon School Boards Association

View the National Association of School Nurses National School Nurse Day Proclamation here.

Be sure to let your school nurse know how much you appreciate them!!

Curriculum and Instruction-Julie Richards

The School Improvement Wednesday on April 30th is dedicated to looking deeper at Amplify Desmos Math.  Here is the slide deck that will be shared with teachers next week. You will notice there is a section for Classroom Teachers, Learning Specialists & Interventionists, and Administrators & Other Leaders so everyone can explore Amplify Desmos Math!

Student Services–Sean Reinhart

The Nest Program will be expanding and relocating next fall!

The Nest program will have a new home this fall! The Nest is our self-contained program (run by the HDESD) for elementary students who experience dysregulation and need a highly specialized environment to develop skills. The goal is that they learn skills and eventually fully join their peers at their neighborhood school. Students attend The Nest for half the day and then go to their neighborhood school for the other half of the day.  

Also, The Nest will be expanding next year by adding an additional classroom.  Currently, there is only capacity to host 6-8 students per half-day session. This expansion will double the capacity at The Nest, while also offering some full day slots (which is not currently available). The current location, the Tamarack building, is not a suitable location for expansion. As a result, the decision was made to relocate The Nest to a BLS facility.  

Several sites were considered, and Summit HS was ultimately selected because of the unique features that the site offers. The wing that will host The Nest was originally built for an ECSE kindergarten and has many of the desired features.  It is mostly separate from the rest of the building, has the right amount of space, and allows the program to expand to two classrooms.  Many other sites were considered, and after weighing out the pros and cons, Summit was hands down the best decision. The team believes that placing the program at a high school will offer more of a boundary between the program and the school. Moreover, there is a possibility for synergistic programming in the future (think high school mentors) that could benefit both The Nest and Summit HS.

The Nest has its own teachers and administrators and will be administered in an independent manner. There is currently a planning committee that will be working with various stakeholders to ensure the transition runs as smoothly as possible.  

Last CPI Training of the year!

Student Services are offering one final Full CPI training this year.   As a place to start, please have any regular inclusion EAs that has not been trained register for this training.  Further, encourage any temporary inclusion EAs that intend to apply for a regular position for next school year to register for this training.  After that, look at your buildings support team and identify untrained folks that you would want trained and have them register as well. 

Training details:

  • What:  CPI Training
  • Date: May 6, 2025
  • Time: 8-4
  • Location: Pacific Crest Cornice
  • Sign up in UKG

From Ryan Kelling–Human Resources

This note is coming to you a bit later than planned, but please join me in welcoming Sarah Westling to Human Resources. Sarah is serving as our Certified Specialist II, supporting HR tasks and bringing valuable experience from her time in the Eugene 4J HR office. We are thrilled she chose to join us and are grateful for the contributions she’s already made to our team. If you haven’t already, please stop by the large HR office next time you’re at the Ed Center to introduce yourself and welcome Sarah to BLS.

The recruitment for three vacant BLAST positions has commenced. We are currently recruiting for a Director of Student Services, an Athletic Director/Assistant Principal position at Summit High School, and for the Principal vacancy at Cascade Middle School. If you’d like to learn more about any of the vacancies, please connect with Ryan.

  • This Director of Student Services position comes in response to the growing scope of the department, particularly the integration of the Occupational Therapist classification that had formerly existed as a part of our local service plan with the High Desert ESD, which brings added responsibilities and oversight needs. Additionally, this position will supervise the daily operation of the Transition Co-Op program and manage the mentoring and training program for all Student Services staff. 
  • The Athletic Director/Assistant Principal position is a result of the latest MOA between BLS and BEA that moved the high school Athletic Driectors to the BLAST schedule prosepectively.  I’m confident that this role will help us align our co-curriculars at the secondary level with our overall vision of the student experience we’re working to provide for all students, regardless of their school. 
  • The Cascade Middle School Principal is to fill the vacancy created by Gabe Pagano, who accepted the offer to be the Director of District Activities and Athletics beginning July 1

From Kinsey – Policy, Advocacy, & Equity:

Student Voice Council:

We’ll be honoring the departing senior representatives of the SVC at the May 13th board meeting, in case you’d like to join (not critical, but you’re welcome) or otherwise recognize them: BSHS: Iris M, Quincy B, Taylor W; MVHS: Lindsay L; Realms: Elliot D; SHS: Alaina T, Finnegan H.

And, we are launching our recruitment for the 25-26 Student Voice Council!  Most of your schools have current members who will return to continue their term next year, but ALL of your schools will have open spaces for new representatives.  We will be promoting in a variety of ways (materials coming soon), and would love you to talk it up in your school as well (school-wide announcements, advisory, family newsletters, etc).  As you know, these students have quite the audience with our school board and public community, and have a lot to say about your schools—ensuring diverse and strong representative of your school on the SVC is critical in the positive impact this group can have.  Once we have applicants for your school, we’d love your partnership in interviewing and selecting your reps.  More to follow—for now, please help promote this with students, staff, and families.

Do Not Schedule dates: As you start to schedule dates and events for next year, don’t forget to schedule around these dates.  Please share this with athletics, activities, counselors, office managers, parent groups, etc.  Thanks!

Interpreter requests: As you submit requests for interpreters for end-of-year requests, please follow these tips (and share these with relevant staff):

  • Submit in advance!  
  • Be sure to note the event format.  Interpreters deserve to know in advance if they’re showing up to speak in front of hundreds of families!  
  • Attach or paste links in Linguist Link any agendas, handouts, slides, or other materials that may be helpful for the interpreter to adequately prepare.
  • If you need help thinking through efficient models of bilingual communication during a family event, please contact your Family Liaison, Language Specialist, or me. 

Action Items

  • On next SIW (4/30), you are expected to do the administrator portion of the Amplify Desmos training
  • Sign up for the Mandatory AI Training

Important Dates

  • April 30: SIW – reserved for Math planning—admin have a math training link too!
  • May 5-9: Teacher Appreciation Week
  • May 6: Horizontal meeting 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. at Silver Rail, SRE and Rosland host
  • May 7: Safety Cadre Meeting, 2:00-3:30, location TBA
  • May 14: All Admin PD at Perseverance Hall, 3:00-4:30 Read Chapter 4!
  • May 26: Memorial Day, No School
  • May 27: June Horizontal (Changed from June 3rd) at Highland – HLD and Three Rivers host
  • May 30: Counselor Celebrations, 7:30-9:30 in the board room, at least one admin is required to attend, but both are encouraged!
  • June 4: All Admin PD at Perseverance Hall, 3:00-4:30
  • June 12: Last Day students—half day
  • June 13: Last Day staff
  • June 17: Elementary End of Year Celebration! 2:00 Somewhere!

And finally….

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

April 21st, 2025

April 18, 2025

Our EME Focus

  • Tier 1 Instruction
  • Belonging
  • Define what it means to be an Integrated Arts School

Thought of the Week

Don’t Let Your Mistakes Define You!

When milk gets bad it becomes yogurt. Yogurt is more valuable than milk. If it gets even worse it turns to cheese. Cheese is more valuable than both yogurt and milk. If grape juice turns sour it transforms into wine. Wine is even more expensive than grape juice. You’re not bad because you made mistakes. Mistakes are the experiences that make you more valuable as a person. Alexander Fleming’s mistake led him to invent penicillin. Don’t let your mistakes get you down. It is not practice that makes perfect, it is the mistakes we learn from that make perfect. Just keep going! 

Never underestimate yourself, you’re more valuable than you think. Your mistakes don’t make you weak, they make you wiser. it’s not about perfection, it’s about growth and the journey! 

THE COMING WEEK:

  • Monday
    • Ben Out
    • Lexia Meeting 2:30-3:15
  • Tuesday
    • Ben Out
    • Earth Day
    • Care Teams Meeting 7:00-8:00
    • Admin ICCL Training – 3:00-5:00
    • Camp Tamarack Parent Meeting 5:30-6:30
  • Wednesday
    • Ben Out
    • Administrative Professionals Day!
    • Spring Picture Day
    • Office Admin Meeting 7:00-7:30
    • SIW Ed Network Day – Elementary Amplify Desmos Math Kick Off with Fawn Nguyen 1:45-3:15
    • Safety Cadre Meeting 1:30-3:30
  • Thursday
    • Smart Reading (Kindergarten) 9:45-10:45
    • ELL Field Trip 10:00-12:30
    • Lock Down Drill 1:00
    • Sped Team Meeting – 2:30-3:15
  • Friday
    • Stephanie Julia-Suriano Birthday!
    • EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00

UPCOMING DATES:

  • April 27 – Laura G Birthday!
  • April 28-May 2 – Volunteer Appreciation Week!
  • April 28 – Committee Meetings
  • April 29 – Forest Kindergarten 9:30-1:30
  • April 29 – ICCL Meeting 2:30-3:15
  • April 30 – Field Trip 1st Grade
  • April 30 – Office Admin Meeting 7:00-7:30
  • April 30 – SIW Ed Network Follow Up 1:00-2:30
  • May 1 – Smart Reading (Kindergarten) 9:45-10:45
  • May 1 – Sped Team Meeting – 2:30-3:15
  • May 2 – EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00
  • May 5-9 Teacher Appreciation Week!
  • May 5 – Staff Meeting 2:30-3:15
  • May 6 – EME Safety Meeting 7:00-7:30
  • May 6 – Elementary Admin Meeting 3:00-5:00
  • May 7 – 9th Camp Tamarack
  • May 7 – National School Nurse Day!
  • May 7 – Office Admin Meeting 7:00-7:30
  • May 7 – SIW Extra Time for EL 1:00-2:30
  • May 7 – Safety Cadre Meeting 2:00-3:30
  • May 7 – 2nd Grade Family Dance 5:30-6:30
  • May 8 – Field Trip 2nd Grade
  • May 8 – Smart Reading (Kindergarten) 9:45-10:45
  • May 8 – Ben Meeting with Julie 12:15-12:45
  • May 8 – Fire Drill – 1:30
  • May 8 – Sped Team Meeting – 2:30-3:15
  • May 8 – K, 1, 2 Team Meeting with Julie – 2:30-3:15
  • May 9 – Olivia Variel Birthday!
  • May 9 – EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00
  • May 9 – Ruby Garcia Tolson Assembly 12:00-2:00
  • May 11 – Mother’s Day
  • May 12 – Ben out for Admin Meeting 7:30-12:30
  • May 12. – Meet with Peter 2:30
  • May 13 – Care Teams 7:00-8:00
  • May 13 – Train Your Brain 8:00-9:00
  • May 14 – Office Admin Meeting 7:00-7:30
  • May 14 – ELL Ice Cream Event 11:00-12:15
  • May 14 – EA Meeting 1:00
  • May 14 – SIW Teacher Prep 1:00-2:30
  • May 14 – Admin PD 3:00-4:30
  • May 15 – Smart Reading (Kindergarten) 9:45-10:45
  • May 15 – Sped Team Meeting – 2:30-3:15
  • May 16 – EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00
  • May 16 – 2nd Grade Field Trip 9:30-1:30
  • May 19 – Committee Meetings 2:30-3:15
  • May 19 – Admin ICCL Training – 3:00-5:00
  • May 20 – ICCL Meeting 2:30-3:15
  • May 21 – Office Admin Meeting 7:00-7:30
  • May 21 – SIW 1:00-2:30
  • May 21 – Screenager Event at Elk Meadow 5:30-7:30
  • May 22 – Tonya Myers Birthday!
  • May 22 – 1st Grade Field Trip 9:30-11:30
  • May 22 – Sped Team Meeting – 2:30-3:15
  • May 22 – Kindergarten Open House 5:30-6:30
  • May 23 – EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00
  • May 25 – Chris Hill Birthday!
  • May 26 – Josh Hayden Birthday!
  • May 26 – Memorial Day!
  • May 27 – Care Teams 7:00-8:00
  • May 27 – Forest Kindergarten 9:30-1:30
  • May 28 – SIW 1:00-2:30
  • May 29 – Brooke Vossler Birthday!
  • May 29 – Counselor Share Out at District Office 10:30-12:30
  • May 29 – Sped Team Meeting – 2:30-3:15
  • May 30 – EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00
  • May 31 – Cassie Polanco Birthday!
  • June 2 – Dibels
  • June 2 – Staff Meeting 2:30-3:15
  • June 3 – EME Safety Meeting 7:00-7:30
  • June 3 – Elementary Admin Meeting 3:00-5:00
  • June 4 – Office Admin Meeting 7:00-7:30
  • June 4 – SIW Art in the Meadow Prep 1:00-2:30
  • June 4 – Admin PD 3:00-4:30
  • June 5 – Counselor Celebration at District Office 7:30-9:30
  • June 5 – Fire Drill 9:30
  • June 5 – Sped Team Meeting – 2:30-3:15
  • June 6 – EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00
  • June 6 – Field Day
  • June 6 – Art in the Meadow 5:30-7:00
  • June 9 – Meet with Peter 2:30
  • June 10 – Care Teams 7:00-8:00
  • June 10 – ICCL Meeting 2:30-3:15
  • June 10 – 5th Grade Move Up/Music Performance
  • June 11 – Office Admin Meeting 7:00-7:30
  • June 11 – EA Meeting 1:00
  • June 11 – SIW Teacher Prep 1:00-2:30
  • June 12 – The Last Day of School!
  • June 12 – Sped Team Meeting – 2:30-3:15
  • June 13 – EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00
  • June 15 – Father’s Day!
  • June 17 – Nicole Garroutte Birthday!
  • June 17 – Admin EOY Celebration
  • June 19 – Holiday

Updates from Downtown

“If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile and blossom like a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace.” — Thich Nhat Hanh, Being Peace

From Tammy and Karen

This morning, during one of our Breakfast and Belonging conversations, I was reminded of the research that validates the importance of caring for ourselves and seeking our own happiness. The time we spend being there for ourselves pays off in so many ways, including supporting and helping others to be happier! This is complicated research, but here is a 5 minute read from Harvard Medicine on the Contagion of Happiness that I hope you will take some time to review! It would make me really happy if you did that (teehee)!

Middle School Transition and Math Bypass Testing for 5th grade: An assessment needs to be given for some 5th grade students who could potentially skip 6th grade math if they meet the requirements. This assessment will only be given to 5th grade students whose teacher nominates them based on their math proficiency being exceptional, parents request their child take the test, or students who nominate themselves. This assessment will use iReady and takes approximately 45 minutes to complete on the iPad.  

FAQ you can provide families

Schedule this assessment for some time in May and pull the identified students to a space and administer the assessment before the end of the year. 

ICCL Update: The Admin ICCL Team meeting is at RE Jewell on Tuesday, April 25, from 3:00-5:00. We will be focusing on your school design work for the year and planning ahead for next year.

Important Links

Notes from our Team:

From Scott Maben- Communications

On our way to brand new websites for Bend-La Pine Schools

A team from District Communications and IT have started the process of converting all our websites to a new platform for the 2025-26 school year. We have partnered with Finalsite, a leading provider of websites for schools. We are beginning this month with design for a new District site and will follow that with a new school template. We will work through the spring and summer with the goal of launching the new sites before school begins in September. If we run into issues or need to change the timeline, we can continue to use our existing sites as long as needed.

We have been talking about this change for a couple of years now, and we’re excited to be underway. The benefits include greater online security, cost savings, cleaning up and better organizing our web content, improved features for those visiting our sites, better mobile functionality, a much-improved content management system (for web editors), visual appeal, and improved accessibility for people with disabilities.

Starting next week, Scott Maben will begin reaching out to each school admin team to ask you questions about your existing website, your thoughts on your new website, and who will be your primary school website content manager in the 2025-26 school year. We also will share details on project timelines and staff training as we solidify those details.

Feel free to ask questions now or hold them for when we connect in the coming weeks.

Local meteorologist offers to help students learn about weather, forecasts

KTVZ chief meteorologist John Carroll is a familiar face both from his local TV reports and his time in classrooms helping young students learn about weather and forecasting in Central Oregon. He has written three children’s books about the weather, and he welcomes students to join him on air for weather reports as part of the KTVZ Junior Forecaster program.

John has been invited to speak with classes in several of our schools, and he let us know he’s available for more school visits and would love to make it to all elementary schools in our district. In his long career as a meteorologist John has developed presentations suitable for young elementary students (K-2) and older ones (3-5). He asks you to reach out if interested in scheduling a visit: [email protected] or 860-729-1814.

More about John: https://ktvz.com/about/ktvz-news-team/2023/07/31/john-carroll/

Action Items

  • Send Math Bypass info to interested parents

Important Dates

  • April 22: Admin ICCL 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
  • April 23: Educator Network Day – 1:45 – 3:15 p.m. (Intro to Amplify Desmos Math)
  • April 30: SIW – reserved for Math planning
  • May 5-9: Teacher Appreciation Week
  • May 6: Horizontal meeting 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. at Silver Rail, SRE and Rosland host
  • May 7: Safety Cadre Meeting, 2:00-3:30, location TBA
  • May 14: All Admin PD at Perseverance Hall, 3:00-4:30 Read Chapter 4!
  • May 26: Memorial Day, No School
  • May 27: June Horizontal (Changed from June 3rd) at Highland – HLD and Three Rivers host
  • May 30: Counselor Celebrations, 7:30-9:30 in the board room, at least one admin is required to attend, but both are encouraged!
  • June 4: All Admin PD at Perseverance Hall, 3:00-4:30
  • June 12: Last Day students—half day
  • June 13: Last Day staff
  • June 17: Elementary End of Year Celebration! 2:00 Somewhere!

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

April 14th, 2025

April 12, 2025

Our EME Focus

  • Tier 1 Instruction
  • Belonging
  • Define what it means to be an Integrated Arts School

Thought of the Week

I was 17 years old when Forrest Gump came out. There are so many lessons in the movie, but one I think that is overlooked the most is Forests’ kindness. In the middle of the movie He’s sitting on this park bench waiting for the bus to go see Jenny for the first time in many years and then the lady on the bench says,“oh, you’re just trying to go there, you can go there right now.” 

Forest stands up and runs over to Jenny’s place and there’s Jenny. There’s no bitterness with him. This is the love of his life and she literally left him and in a brutal way. He looks over and sees Jenny’s son watching Sesame Street and he says, “you got a son.” And she says, “yeah, yeah, that’s my son, his name is Forest.” Forest says, “that’s my name?”, and she says, “I know, I named him after his daddy.” There’s this moment where he looks at little Forest and he puts together that this is his son and for the first time in the movie you really start to see Forest break down and cry. 

It makes me emotional every single time I even talk about it. Then he looks at her and he goes, “is he like me?” He’s afraid, and in that moment we realise as an audience that we have just sat through him being ridiculed and berated and made fun of and insulted for hours, and him just seemingly oblivious to it…but in that moment, we realize oh, no, no, no, he’s known all along. He knows exactly who he is and he’s known exactly why everybody treats him like garbage and he loves them anyway. I couldn’t stop crying because I wanted him to be real. I wanted there to  be an example of such a wonderful human being. 

True strength is loving others even when they hurt you. it’s recognizing the pain of ridicule, carrying the weight of it, and choosing kindness anyway. The deepest love is the kind that is forgives, not because it’s easy, but because it knows the value of compassion.

THE COMING WEEK:

  • Monday
    • Meet with Peter
  • Tuesday
    • Admin Meeting 3:00-5:00
  • Wednesday
    • Office Admin Meeting 7:00-7:30
    • Conferences
  • Thursday
    • Conferences
  • Friday
    • No School

UPCOMING DATES:

  • April 21 – Ben out for meeting 7:30-12:30
  • April 21 – Committees Meeting 2:30-3:15
  • April 22 – Earth Day
  • April 22 – Care Teams Meeting 7:00-8:00
  • April 22 – Admin Training – 3:00-5:00
  • April 23 – Administrative Professionals Day!
  • April 23 – Spring Picture Day
  • April 23 – Office Admin Meeting 7:00-7:30
  • April 23 – SIW Ed Network Day 1:00-2:30
  • April 23 – Safety Cadre Meeting 1:30-3:30
  • April 24 – Smart Reading (Kindergarten) 9:45-10:45
  • April 24 – Lock Down Drill 1:00
  • April 24 – Sped Team Meeting – 2:30-3:15
  • April 25 – Stephanie JS Birthday!
  • April 25 – EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00
  • April 27 – Laura G Birthday!
  • April 29 – Forest Kindergarten 9:30-1:30
  • April 29 – ICCL Meeting 2:30-3:15
  • April 30 – Office Admin Meeting 7:00-7:30
  • April 30 – SIW Ed Network Follow Up 1:00-2:30
  • May 1 – Smart Reading (Kindergarten) 9:45-10:45
  • May 1 – Sped Team Meeting – 2:30-3:15
  • May 2 – EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00

Updates from Downtown

Important Links

Notes from our Teams:

From Kerry Morton, Math TOSA

Bridges Math Disposal – Please do not dispose of any Bridges materials, yet. It will cause additional work for your custodial staff and cost extra money.Your office manager should have shared this survey with teachers to help the Custodial Department determine how many recycle bins and dumpsters are needed at your school for the disposal of the Bridges Math materials.  Please resend the survey to your staff so the Custodial Department can make a plan. We only have about 50% of teacher responses. Thank you!

Action Items

  • Got some poets? Share the contest with your school!

Important Dates

  • April 15: Horizontal meeting 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. at Ponderosa Elementary–PON and Jewell host
  • April 19: On the Road to Kindergarten Event 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at various parks
  • April 22: Admin ICCL 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
  • May 5-9: Teacher Appreciation Week
  • May 6: Horizontal meeting 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. at Silver Rail, SRE and Rosland host
  • May 7: Safety Cadre Meeting, 2:00-3:30, location TBA
  • May 14: All Admin PD at Perseverance Hall, 3:00-4:30 Read Chapter 4!
  • May 26: Memorial Day, No School
  • May 30: Counselor Celebrations, 7:30-9:30 in the board room, at least one admin is required to attend, but both are encouraged!
  • June 3: Horizontal meeting 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. at Highland, Highland and Three Rivers host
  • June 4: All Admin PD at Perseverance Hall, 3:00-4:30
  • June 12: Last Day students—half day
  • June 13: Last Day staff

And finally…Friday April 11 is National Pet Day! Give a hug to the favorite pets in your life! Here’s Charlie Girl!

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

April 7th, 2025

April 6, 2025

Our EME Focus

  • Tier 1 Instruction
  • Belonging
  • Define what it means to be an Integrated Arts School

Thought of the Week

A Wise Lesson in Empathy: With billions of us humans on earth it’s incredible to see how we are all connected and similar in many ways. At the same time we are all individuals with our own opinions, thoughts and values. At times, we can feel so strongly about something that it could blind us from seeing the bigger picture or taking into account that there’s more than one way to approach the situation. Perhaps if we took a moment to step into the other person’s shoes we will see where that person is coming from and by doing so it will make all the difference.

THE COMING WEEK:

  • Monday
    • Staff Meeting 2:30-3:15
  • Tuesday
    • Care Teams Meeting 7:00-8:00
  • Wednesday
    • Office Admin Meeting 7:00-7:30
    • SIW – Teacher Prep 1:00-2:30
    • Admin Meeting 3:00-4:30
  • Thursday
    • Smart Reading (Kindergarten) 9:45-10:45
    • Fire Drill 1:30
    • Sped Team Meeting – 2:30-3:15
  • Friday
    • EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00
  • April 13 – Emily McLarty’s Birthday!

UPCOMING DATES:

  • April 14 – Meet with Peter
  • April 15 – Admin Meeting 3:00-5:00
  • April 16 – Office Admin Meeting 7:00-7:30
  • April 16 – Conferences
  • April 17 – Conferences
  • April 18 – No School
  • April 21 – Ben out for meeting 7:30-12:30
  • April 21 – Committees Meeting 2:30-3:15
  • April 22 – Earth Day
  • April 22 – Care Teams Meeting 7:00-8:00
  • April 22 – Admin Training – 3:00-5:00
  • April 23 – Administrative Professionals Day!
  • April 23 – Spring Picture Day
  • April 23 – Office Admin Meeting 7:00-7:30
  • April 23 – SIW Ed Network Day 1:00-2:30
  • April 23 – Safety Cadre Meeting 1:30-3:30
  • April 24 – Smart Reading (Kindergarten) 9:45-10:45
  • April 24 – Lock Down Drill 1:00
  • April 24 – Sped Team Meeting – 2:30-3:15
  • April 25 – Stephanie JS Birthday!
  • April 25 – EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00
  • April 27 – Laura G Birthday!
  • April 29 – Forest Kindergarten 9:30-1:30
  • April 29 – ICCL Meeting 2:30-3:15
  • April 30 – Office Admin Meeting 7:00-7:30
  • April 30 – SIW Ed Network Follow Up 1:00-2:30
  • May 1 – Smart Reading (Kindergarten) 9:45-10:45
  • May 1 – Sped Team Meeting – 2:30-3:15
  • May 2 – EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00

Updates from Downtown

April 3, 2025

Posted on April 3, 2025 by Tammy Doty — No Comments ↓

From Tammy and Karen

It looks like the weather is going to cooperate over the next few weeks for us to amp up our mindfulness throughout ACTIVE APRIL Month! I hope you will join me in this challenge to get moving more as a way to alleviate stress and build wellness!

Spring Conferences Schedule Reminder: For Spring conferences, the work days are as follows: Wednesday, April 16, from 7:15-3:15 (first 8 hours if your day is slightly different) is work time–no conferences during this time and 3:15-7:15 is conference time. Thursday, April 17, 7:15-7:15 are conferences. Friday, April 18, is a day off to trade.

Bargaining Updates: This spring we are sharing our bargaining updates on our Staff Portal. Our first update, covering last night’s first session with the BEA and District teams, is available HERE.

Bargaining dates:

BEA-BLS: April 2, 16 and 30; May 12 and 19; June 2 and 3

OSEA-BLS: April 10 and 24; May 8, 22 and 29; June 4

Important Links

Notes from our Team:

From Kerry Morton, Math TOSA

Bridges Math Disposal – Please do not dispose of any Bridges materials, yet. It will cause additional work for your custodial staff and cost extra money.Your office manager should have shared this survey with teachers to help the Custodial Department determine how many recycle bins and dumpsters are needed at your school for the disposal of the Bridges Math materials.  Please resend the survey to your staff so the Custodial Department can make a plan. We only have about 50% of teacher responses. Thank you!

From Kinsey in Policy, Advocacy, and Office of DEI

Emergency contacts: We’ve learned from other districts across the country who have experienced immigration raids, or smaller-scale detention/deportation actions in their community, the importance of having up-to-date emergency contacts in Synergy for each student.  If parents/guardians suddenly become unavailable, we rely on emergency contacts–outdated information adds stress to an already traumatic situation.  

With conferences coming up, please encourage families (all families, not just those to whom the above situation might apply) to update their emergency contacts.  This might look like a station in your lobby with iPads and instructions (I’m working on getting some we can provide you), a reminder by classroom teachers, etc.  

Day of Silence: The 2025 Day of Silence is coming up (student-led advocacy day to support the LGBTQ community).  I have asked your DEI-ICCL rep and/or GSA advisor to send a message to staff about this day, so staff are aware and know how to navigate.  

If you haven’t seen that message come out to your staff, or if you’d like to re-send it in your staff memos, please reach out to your DEI-ICCL rep.  Teachers should plan for nonverbal or written means of participation in class that day, if possible.

From Ryan Kelling in Human Resources

Contract letters for licensed employees were sent to all licensed employees via UKG and must be returned no later than April 15.mIf you have not yet completed yours, please log in to UKG to review and submit your response as soon as possible. 

Administrators, please ensure your staff are aware of this deadline and follow up as needed – and don’t forget to return yours too! If you have any questions or need assistance, please reach out to Candy Gelatt or [email protected]

From Julie Richards in Elementary Curriculum and Instruction

Educator Network Day – April 23 will be dedicated to learning about Amplify Desmos Math. This will be virtual and facilitated by Fawn Nguyen from Amplify Desmos Math. The staff will need to be in one location (library) and the administrator’s role is to open the link on their computer and manage the chat and be the communication liaison between Fawn Nguyen and your staff. The zoom link will be sent to you on the day of the training. 

From Scott and Kayla in Safety

Please check out the slides from the most recent Safety Cadre Meeting: Safety Cadre #3 Training Slides- Elementary

Dyslexia Training Opportunity Central Oregon Dyslexia Conference – May 3,   9am – 3:30pm

Location:  Ridgeview High School

This conference is designed with educators, administrators, and parents in mind, bringing you resources and tools from the International Dyslexia Association and specialists in our community. You’ll walk away with a clear understanding of what Dyslexia is, experience a simulation putting you in the seat of a child with learning disabilities and take a deeper dive into understanding how to best support these students.  Learn why children struggle with reading and what you can do in the classroom to help! 

Teachers – Earn 5.5 Professional Development Units for FREE. No additional paperwork necessary – certificates will be distributed after the event.

Join us if you are just learning about dyslexia or you are ready for a deeper dive into strategies and tools for working with children with dyslexia.   Together, we can help our struggling readers!

More information and registration :  https://CentralOregonDyslexiaConference.eventbrite.com. The conference is $12 and includes lunch and snacks. 

Action Items

  • Do not dispose of Bridges Materials yet
  • Update emergency contacts at spring conferences
  • Make sure you and your staff have signed their contract letters by April 15

Important Dates

  • April 4th: Breakfast and Belonging, Jackson’s Corner, 7:00-8:30
  • April 8: School Board Meeting 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
  • April 9: Administrator Professional Development 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. Perseverance Hall, Read Ch 3 of Thriving Leaders
  • April 11: Breakfast and Belonging, Jackson’s Corner, 7:00-8:30
  • April 15: Horizontal meeting 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. at Ponderosa Elementary–PON and Jewell host
  • April 17: Breakfast and Belonging, Jackson’s Corner, 7:00-8:30
  • April 19: On the Road to Kindergarten Event 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at various parks
  • April 22: Admin ICCL 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
  • April 25: Breakfast and Belonging, Jackson’s Corner, 7:00-8:30

And finally…A lovely reminder from the American Heart Association! Keep moving forward and walking down that road! Good things are coming!

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »