Our EME Focus
- Tier 1 Instruction
- Belonging
- Define what it means to be an Integrated Arts School
Thought of the Week
The story of the empty boat is an important Daoist parable. It’s about how we can avoid getting angry at the world and how we can live more peacefully with others.
It goes like this:
Imagine you are on a river , rowing your boat. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and the day is lovely indeed. Suddenly, you jolt forward. Another boat has collided with yours.
You turn around to face the offending vessel. You’re ready to scream, shout, and be furious, but you find only an empty boat, pushed by the river, which happens to bump into yours.
The story is about why we get angry. It’s not so much the misfortune or accident that upsets us, but rather the belief that someone intended to harm us. We often get more upset about someone’s intentions than about what they actually did. The lesson of the empty boat is to stop imagining people are out to get us and recognize that, often, we’re all just muddling along.
THE COMING WEEK:
- Monday
- May 5-9 Teacher Appreciation Week!
- Staff Meeting 2:30-3:15 Ryan will be here
- Tuesday
- EME Safety Meeting 7:00-7:30
- Elementary Admin Meeting 3:00-5:00
- Wednesday
- 5th at Camp Tamarack
- National School Nurse Day!
- Office Admin Meeting 7:00-7:30
- SIW Extra Time for EL 1:00-2:30
- Safety Cadre Meeting 2:00-3:30
- 2nd Grade Family Dance 5:30-6:30
- Thursday
- 5th at Camp Tamarack
- Field Trip 2nd Grade
- Smart Reading (Kindergarten) 9:45-10:45
- Ben Meeting with Julie 12:15-12:45
- Fire Drill – 1:30
- Sped Team Meeting – 2:30-3:15
- K, 1, 2 Team Meeting with Julie – 2:30-3:15
- Sped Team Meeting – 2:30-3:15
- Friday
- 5th at Camp Tamarack
- Olivia Variel Birthday!
- EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00
- Ruby Garcia Tolson Assembly 12:00-2:00
Happy Mother’s Day!
UPCOMING DATES:
- 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
- BEA and OSEA Bargaining Update Website
- April 23rd Elementary TLC Update
- Topics of Interest/Problem of Practice-Heartfelt gratitude from a colleague and a new ask
- FAQs for Special Education Inclusion Topics—Keep checking in here! BEA and BLS supported
Notes from our Team:
Curriculum and Instruction-Julie Richards
*DIBELS begins on May 12th. Here is the schedule.
*Note: TLC and Instructional Coaches will begin preparing for summer professional learning beginning the week of May 5th. Instructional Coaches will only be in buildings: Tuesday, Wednesday PM and Thursday.
Admin: Share this with teachers in your newsletters
Teachers below are the activity highlights for the week.
Kindergarten: Secret Spyglass – Students practice thinking about the future and share their hopes with each other.
1st grade: Big Mistake – Students listen to the story Regina’s Big Mistake, by Marissa Moss, and identify and celebrate areas of learning where they might make mistakes.
2nd grade: Cars that Can’t See – Students explore trusting someone while navigating uncertainty through an embodied partner activity.
3rd grade: Someone I Trust – Students engage in a visualization about the experience of feeling safe in a classroom.
4th grade: A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words – Students recreate a simple drawing with their eyes closed, relying solely on the descriptions and directions of a partner.
5th grade: I Can’t Believe My Eyes – Students practice paying attention and problem solving by looking at optical illusions.
This document links EL Module 1, 2, 3 and 4 with Wayfinder’s 20 Minute lessons that teach the skills students need and Collections that go with the unit.
Technology – Scott McDonald
iPad Roll-In is Coming! As many of you know, all students will be turning in their iPads before the last day of school. Since we are transitioning to keyboard-equipped devices at all high schools, every student will receive a new or different device for the 2025–26 school year.
This will be a massive undertaking—the first time in 12 years that we are either replacing or swapping all 17,000+ student devices in a single summer. To make this a success, we need your help:
Communicate early – Remind students to back up their work, update their devices, and locate their charging bricks and cords.
Create a school-specific plan – Connect with your IT Client Services representative to understand the process and build a plan to collect student iPads before the end of the year.
Recruit help – This is not a job for media/library staff alone. Plan to involve available staff, students, or volunteers to support the roll-in process.
I’ll be sending more detailed instructions, tips, and ideas for iPad roll-in over the coming weeks. Please also check out this link for information.
Thank you in advance for your support!
From Ryan Kelling–Human Resources
SafeSchools Training Update: Next week, we will be sharing a list of employees who have not yet completed their required SafeSchools trainings with supervisors via email.
These trainings are a critical component of our ongoing commitment to maintaining a safe environment for all students and staff. They also serve to establish a shared understanding of protocols and expectations that can be applied consistently in any situation. Supervisors will be responsible for ensuring that all employees they supervise complete the trainings as soon as possible. These trainings may be completed during work hours. Certified employees are already compensated for this time, and Classified employees may be provided paid release time if necessary.
Looking ahead, we recognize the need to improve communication around training deadlines and will work to establish clearer expectations next year, including potential accountability measures for non-completion. Thank you for your attention to this important matter and for helping reinforce our collective responsibility for school safety.
BLAST Vacancies: The recruitment for two more vacant BLAST positions has commenced.
We are currently recruiting for an Athletic Director/Assistant Principal at La Pine High School and for the Principal vacancy at Elk Meadow Elementary School.
The AD/AP vacancy is a result of the MOA moving these positions to the BLAST schedule.
The Elk Meadow vacancy is due to Ben Johnston’s resignation.
If you’d like to learn more about either vacancy, please connect with Ryan.
From Kinsey – Policy, Advocacy, & Equity:
Weekend Snack Bags: The Giving Plate is resuming their weekend snack bag program! As a reminder, this program provides extra snacks for students in need, to supplement food access over the weekend. Please note:
- Families must complete a form to qualify and begin receiving this resource.
- FAN Advocates continue to be the point of contact for family qualification/permission forms and for snack bag distribution to students.
- If your school’s parent volunteer network has stepped in to organize snack bags during the Giving Plate’s pause in service, please let them know this program is resuming and they can phase out their coordination. Better yet, if this is an issue your Booster Club/PTA cares about, they can volunteer with the Giving Plate as individuals or a group–that effort will directly benefit food access for students in your schools.
Do Not Schedule dates: As you start to schedule dates and events for next year, don’t forget to schedule around these dates.
Action Items
- Check out and plan for DIBELS on this schedule
- Get the “do not schedule” dates in your calendars now, so in your planning, you avoid school events on these days.
- Prepare for the iPad rollover at the end of the year
Important Dates
- May 1: National School Principal’s Day
- 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: National Association of School Nurses National School Nurse Day (Proclamation here.)
- 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
- 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!