Week at a Glance

We are looking forward to being back together as a staff next week! Here again is the schedule for August 21-September 3rd.

We are excited to welcome these amazing people to our staff this year!

• Sarah Belanger – Occupational Therapist
• Alisha Clawson-3rd grade
• Nicole Castagno-Bridges Teacher
• Ahna Jura-1st grade
• Anissa Wiseman-1st grade
• Kelly Sproba – SPED Teacher
• Raydell Boston– Night Custodian
• Zoey Harris-Media Manager

A warm welcome back to Matthew Crawmer (music), Sally Brown (counselor) and Cassidy Schutz (Special Programs EA) and celebrating a new adventure, Paige Allen (ELL).

Got a favorite picture from the summer? Please send it to Laci ([email protected]) for an activity we are planning for next week. Thank you!

When we debriefed our Youth Truth results in May, one piece of feedback we heard was the desire of teachers to be able to ask for donations from families for classroom items. We discussed this feedback with PTO and will have 2-3 times this year when teachers, via the PTO, can request donations from families for classroom items. Yahoo! On Monday, we’ll discuss the system PTO will use to facilitate anonymous donors to fill these requests. Thank you for continuing to maximize your PTO $ and district discretionary dollars in lieu of asking for donations from families at other times during the year. This helps us to maintain fairness and equity across every classroom, while empowering families that are able to donate to do so through the PTO.

Below is the meeting schedule we are planning for this year.  Specific meetings can be found on the “LRE Main Calendar” on Outlook.

• Monday’s: Staff Meetings (planning for just once a month) & ICCL Meetings
• Wednesday’s:  School Improvement Wednesdays
• Thursdays’:  MTSS, Lava Teams, PLCs, & PTO Meetings (each grade level will send a rep, unless booked in MTSS)

Thank you ICCL Team for helping to plan Inservice Week! The team this year includes Tracy Mauze, Sarah Kamasz, Sara Blanchard & Megan Williams.

On Thursday, August 28^th between 10:00-10:30, classroom teachers will send a brief (really, it only needs to be a couple of sentences) email via Synergy to families welcoming students to their class and reminding about Open House that afternoon from 4:00-6:00. 

This month we have sent two letters to families. They are listed below:

Welcome Back Letter

September 2nd Letter

Safe Schools Trainings: You should have received an email in mid-August titled “Your Vector Training Plan Details”.  Mine was in my “other” mailbox.  This contains details on trainings to be completed by October 31^st.   At the Vector Training, K-12 website for Bend-La Pine Schools: https://bend-or.safeschools.com you will be prompted to enter your username which is your employee ID as an 8-digit number (e.g. 00005678)

We are planning to invite a small group of students who benefit from quieter environments to meet with their new teacher at an alternative Open House time on Thursday.  For some, this will be just before we open the doors at 4:00 PM. Emily Curfew, Kelly Sproba or Danny McGuire will be in contact with you to coordinate a time if this would be advantageous for one of your students.

Safety Reminder: When arriving in the morning, please enter the building through the main entrance or bus entrance doors and not the side gates.

At Open House you may have families ask about volunteering in your classroom. Whether/when to have volunteers is at your discretion.  Volunteers need to be assisting with a specific task at a specific time, and whenever possible, complete tasks inside your classroom.  All volunteers will need to complete a background check.  Background checks are good for 2 years and Kina or Kim can assist with double checking applicants status.  The link to volunteer is under the “Parents” tab on the Bend La Pine Schools web site:  https://www.bend.k12.or.us/district/organization/volunteer Thank you for letting Kina and Kim know in advance when volunteers will be arriving so they can welcome them to Lava Ridge.

Visitors again will be allowed on campus during the day when invited for events.  At the beginning of the year, we will only be inviting families to attend meetings with teachers and Open House.  If you or your team would like to invite families to events during the year, please let me know so we can work together and plan for this. We are not planning to have visitors in the building during lunch or at morning arrival.

We need you!  Staff who are not teaching or supporting students @ 7:30 on Wednesday-Friday, September 3rd-5th are needed to help walk students to class on the first days of school.  Thank you!

Greetings!

I hope you are having a restful and fun summer! 

The DeFrang’s have had a wonderful July and August.  We’ve stayed close to home outside of a trip to Portland to see family and pick blueberries.  Matthew (18) has been lifeguarding at Juniper Swim and Fitness and getting ready for his freshman fall term at OSU Cascades, Jon (15) is learning to drive and getting ready for his sophomore year at Caldera and Kim continues to teach fitness classes for Bend Parks and Rec.  I’ve really enjoyed having time with our family, some great swims, and working part-time at the amphitheater.  

Every August brings fresh excitement for a new school year, and I’m eager to work alongside you and make this one of the best at Lava Ridge!  Regardless of how long we’ve worked together, I believe it’s important, for you to understand some of my leadership beliefs and what you can expect from me this year as principal.

I am relentlessly positive and try to see the opportunities in the challenges we face each school year.  You can count on me to prioritize trust and relationships and do everything in my control to make Lava Ridge a great place to work. 

In supporting a positive work culture at Lava Ridge I believe we must communicate with words and actions that support one another and build trust.  During my 21 years as a principal, I’ve seen the negative impact that gossiping, talking behind other people’s backs, and not respecting other colleagues, can have on this goal.

I believe in face-to-face communication and value hearing from each of you directly because it helps me understand your perspectives and support you better.  I’m not a fan of, “Well, I’ve been talking to people and lots of them are very…” or “At lunch today, staff were saying…” Encourage those people you have been talking to to talk or meet with me. It’s similar to when a parent shares a concern with me about a teacher, I will direct them to the teacher to discuss the issue.  Please feel welcome to come to me anytime with questions, ideas, or concerns—my door is always open, and I promise to listen with respect and confidentiality.

I have high professional expectations for myself, for you, and Lava Ridge.  I believe that it is our job and responsibility to give our students our best each day and that every day is an opportunity to make a difference.  There are days when each of us (me included) would rather be somewhere else. I get it. On these days, I fake it. I made the choice to be here and serve in this position and owe it to our students and families to be the best principal I can be every day (even when I might rather be skiing). 

We need to have strong relationships with our students and their families, use the best instructional strategies and district adopted curriculum, and be open to learning new ideas that can help us to grow, whatever our role is at Lava Ridge.  We are all here to serve our students and families and have each made the choice to do this in the Bend-La Pine Schools at Lava Ridge.

Finally, having a healthy work/life balance is important to me.  Away from school my job is being a dad, a husband, and doing things like swimming that bring me joy.  You will most likely not see my car in the parking lot on the weekends or receive emails from me at 9:00 at night. When I’m here, I work hard and try to be as efficient as possible with my time.  Time is precious and I encourage each of you to also have a healthy work/life balance.

Keeping you well-informed and providing opportunities for you to share feedback is important to me.  This year, Week at a Glance, will again be an important part of our communication system at Lava Ridge. I will send out notes to you weekly, typically on Fridays, and appreciate you making this a must read before the start of the next week.  I want you to be well-informed of goings-on at Lava, have the information you need to do your job, and for us to limit the need for in-person staff meetings to once a month.  Thanks for reading.  I will also continue to send out periodic, Quick Check-ins, to see how you are doing.  Your well-being is important to me, and this provides another way to share feedback with me in addition to our in-person conversations. 

I’m excited to work alongside you this year and will do everything within my control to make it a great year for our students, families, and our staff.

Here are some nuts/bolts for the start of the year:

Elementary start and end times for 2025-26 (same as last year): Regular Schedule: 7:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.; School Improvement Wednesday 7:45-12:45 p.m.  (beginning September 10^th)

Certified Work Hours for 2025-26: 7:15-3:15 p.m. 

Details below for August 21^st – September 3^rd

Thursday, August 21^st

• Option for certified Work in Classroom Day

Friday, August 22^nd

• Option for certified Work in Classroom Day

Monday, August 25^th

• Certified Inservice Day @ 7:15-3:15 (Media Center)
• Breakfast and Lunch Provided

Tuesday, August 26^th

• Certified and Classified Inservice day at Lava beginning at 7:15 a.m. (gym)
• First day for Educational Assistants
• Breakfast and lunch provided

Wednesday, August 27^th

• District Professional Learning Day for Certified Staff (staff who attended the math training during the summer are excused and could use as a Work in Classroom Day or take the day off)
• Lunch on your own
• Non-contract day for Educational Assistants

Thursday, August 28^th  

• Certified workday; 10:00-6:00 p.m. 
• Teachers send welcome email to families by 10:30
• Work in Classroom Day
• Lunch on your own
• Open House 4:00-6:00 p.m. 

Friday, August 29^th  

• Inservice activities followed by Work in Classroom(2+ hours)
• Lunch on your own

Tuesday, September 2^nd

• Option for certified Work in Classroom Day

Wednesday, September 3^rd

• First Day of School! Half of our kindergarteners will attend on the 3^rd and the other half on September 4^th.  All kindergarteners attend school on Friday, September 5^th.

Welcome back Sally Brown! While disappointed to learn that our counseling staffing allocation has been returned to .5 FTE, we are happy to have Sally back with us! Silver Rail will be Sally’s other site for 2025-26 (their staffing was adjusted back to .5 next school year, too)

Congratulations to Sarah Kamasz and Sara Blanchard who will be joining Tracy Mauze and Megan Williams-Bell on the ICCL Team next school year!

2025 Open House will be on Thursday, August 28th from 4:00-6:00 PM. We will adjust work hours on this date to 10:00-6:00

Save the date! On Monday, the ICCL Team reviewed the feedback staff provided in May on ideas for evening events we might host next year for families. We landed on a curriculum night on September 24 from 5:00-6:30. This will likely involve teachers hosting three, 25 minute sessions in classrooms and sharing daily schedules, classroom expectations, Seesaw communication, and what students will be learning during the school year. With three evening events part of the collective bargaining agreement next year, the team also discussed having one of the other evening events be the Lava Ridge Showcase, and the third one, a choice event, such as PTO Movie Night, Bingo, Kindergarten Open House, or a music concert. We’ll discuss more details in September.

Happenings Next Week at Lava Ridge:  

• Monday:  The Lava Ridge Olympics!  ICCL Meeting @ 2:30 (C5)
• Tuesday:  Staff End of the Year Celebration @ 3:16 (Cascade Lakes)
• Wednesday: Thursday Specials Schedule; 5^th Promotion @ 1:00 (South Playground); 5^th Promotion Walk @ 1:45 (South Playground) *
• Thursday:  Dress Up Day: Vacation/Beach; Wednesday Specials Schedule; Dismissal @ 12:45; Staff Root Beer Floats @ 1:30 in the Media Center  

*We will announce via intercom when we are ready for classes to come to the Promotion Walk.

Here again is the schedule for the Olympics on June 9th. Preps are during the time classes are at the Olympics with all recesses on the South Playground.

Culture of Care Summer Institute Registration

Construction Impacts to Back Parking Lot: This summer, Sky View’s roof will be replaced and the parking lot we share with them will be used for material storage. Beginning Wednesday, about 25% of the parking spaces will not be available and the entire lot will be closed from June 16-August 29.

2025 Open House will be on Thursday, August 28th from 4:00-6:00 PM. We will adjust work hours on this date to 10:00-6:00

With 5th Promotion Wednesday on the South Playground, we are moving all PM recesses to the North Playground. If you normally supervise 3^rd recess, please join your grade level on the North Playground. Here’s the schedule:

Wednesday June 11^th

• 12:00-12:15 5^th Grade North playground 
• 12:15-12:30 Kinder and first grade will play together on the North  playground.
• 1:00-1:15 4^th grade will play on the North playground
• 1:15-1:30 2^nd/3^rd and the ¾ blend will play together on the North  Playground

Staff Room Tidy Team:  EA Team   

Next Week is a B week

Happenings Next Week at Lava Ridge:  

• Monday:  Todd Wells (American Fidelity) @ Staff Room; Staff Meeting @ 2:30 in the Media Center
• Tuesday:  5^th Departs for Camp Tamarack @ 9:00; Kindergarten Promotion* @ 1:15 (North Playground)
• Wednesday:  SIW-Work in Classrooms
• Friday:  5^th returns from Camp Tamarack @ 11:00 ;  High School Grad Walk @ 1:45 (south playground)

*With Kinder Promotion we had to make some changes to recess locations. If you normally supervise 3^rd recess, please join your grade level on the South Playground. Since we will have multiple grades playing together, the more supervision the merrier! Or as we like to say….all hands on deck!

Tuesday June 3rd (PM Recess)

• 12:15-12:30 Kinder and first grade will play together on the South playground.
• 1:00-1:15 4^th grade will play on the South playground (5^th will be gone at Camp Tamarak)
• 1:15-1:30 2^nd/3^rd and the ¾ blend will play together on the South Playground.

Chelsea Peterson will begin substituting for Kenya when her leave begins on Wednesday. Congratulations in advance on the newest member of your family, Mrs. Moses!

We need you! We have three ICCL positions open for the 2025-2027 school years! These are two year positions and interested applicants should apply through UKG via the “My Career” tab (once there search for: Lava Ridge ICCL)

From Todd Wells and American Fidelity: The Bend La Pine Schools – American Fidelity Section 125 Benefits Enrollment for the 2025/2026 Plan Year is currently happening. Click the “schedule your appointment” link and select an appointment time at Lava Ridge ES, Monday, June 2, if you are interested.  

Here is the schedule for the Olympics on June 9th. Preps are during the time classes are at the Olympics with all recesses on the South Playground.

Staff Room Tidy Team:  Specials Team   

Next Week is an A week

Happenings Next Week at Lava Ridge:  

• Monday:  Enjoy!
• Wednesday:  Retirement Celebration in the Media Center @ 1:00;  SIW-Class creation @ 1:45 in the Media Center
• Thursday: SLGG Focus PLC Meetings (Media Center) @ 2:30
• Friday:  Fancy Dress Up Day!

We need you! We have three ICCL positions open for the 2025-2027 school years! These are two year positions and interested applicants should apply through UKG via the “My Career” tab (once there search for: Lava Ridge ICCL)

On June 6th and June 11th @ 1:45 we will have the annual High School Graduate (6/6) and 5th Promotion (6/11) walks on the South Playground. Similar to last year, let’s plan to line the running club route and cheer on these students.

Thank you for sharing your feedback from the Lion Dash! We met with PTO, discussed these ideas and ways to continue to make this event even better. PTO is planning to make some adjustments for the April 2026 event based off of this feedback.

From Madalyn Paquette, Sustainability Coordinator: Teachers: We are gathering feedback and ideas for the 2025 – 2030 Sustainability Plan and hope you will complete a brief survey by June 16th. Survey for teachers Thank you!

Here are the notes from the recent Climate Team Meeting

From Todd Wells and American Fidelity: The Bend La Pine Schools – American Fidelity Section 125 Benefits Enrollment for the 2025/2026 Plan Year is currently happening. Click the “schedule your appointment” link and select an appointment time at Lava Ridge ES, Monday, June 2, if you are interested.  

Next week is a B week

Staff Room Tidy Team: 5th grade   

Happenings Next Week at Lava Ridge:  

• Monday:  Happy National Speech Pathologist Day, Lacie! Camp Tamarack Med Drop-Off @ 8:00-11:00 in the office
• Tuesday:  DIBELS Day!  Excellence in Education Ceremony @ 4:30 (Mt. View Auditorium)
• Wednesday:  Incoming Kinder Assessments (AM); SIW-Student Placement Cards @ 1:45 in the Media Center
• Thursday: Incoming Kinder Assessments (AM); PTO Meeting (Media Center) & Lava Teams @ 2:30
• Friday:  Bucket Dumping Assembly @ 1:30 in the gym (loading at 1:24)

On Tuesday we will be hosting interviews for those elementary schools with open counseling positions for 2025-26. Interviews are scheduled to take place between 9:00-12:30 and in C5.

Thursday is the last PTO Meeting of the Year! In the event a member of your grade level team is not able to attend and share your 1-2 minute grade level update, please send it my way and I’ll share it at the meeting. Thursday is also the final meeting of the year for Lava Teams.

Here’s a draft of the 2025 Lava Ridge Olympics Schedule . The Olympics are on Monday, June 9th.

Heads Up! Our last PLC meetings of the year will be in the Media Center on May 29th from 2:30-3:15 and will focus on year end SLGG reflection. For this meeting you’ll need your computer to access UKG, a copy of your SLGGs, and DIBELS and Wayfinder summative results.

No updates to report on when principals will be able to finalize and communicate teaching assignments and staffing plans for next year. I will share this information with you as soon as I can.

From Human Resources: May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Canopy, the district’s Employee Assistance Plan provider, is available to ALL employees. Canopy has free, confidential resources designed to help employees thrive and includes these kinds of services: 

✔ 24/7 Confidential Counseling – provides access to professional, real time, support anytime, anywhere.
✔ Personalized Coaching – offers one-on-one guidance to help you set goals and find balance.
✔ On-Demand Learning – includes webinars, tip sheets, and resources to support your mental wellness. 

Check out this flyer to learn more and find out how to access Canopy’s services.

Here’s what next on our Bucket Lists at Lava Ridge:

• Learning to crochet
• Skiing Mt Shasta
• Too many things to list!
• Sunrise hike at Smith Rocks
• Visit New York and Washington DC
• Warm beach vacation!
• I don’t know about “next” but I’d live to go to the Kentucky Derby someday
• Skydiving
• Going to a Broadway show in NYC in June
• Big family trip to Lego Land or Universal
• I want to travel to Japan!
• Building a deck for a hot tub!
• More travel
• Landscaping our backyard and adding a drip system.
• Nashville to listen to up-and-coming country bands
• Running my first ever full marathon in San Francisco in July

Staff Room Tidy Team: 3^rd grade   

Next Week is an A week

Happenings Next Week at Lava Ridge:  

• Monday:  ICCL Meeting @ 2:30 in C5
• Tuesday:  Staff Meeting @ 2:30; Camp Tamarack Family Night @ 5:30 in the Media Center
• Wednesday:  SST @ 8:00 in C5; EA Monthly Meeting @ 10:30 & 1:00; SIW-Work in Classrooms  
• Thursday: Lion Pride Drawing @ Lunches; K MTSS, 1^st – 5^th PLC Meetings  @ 2:30
• Friday:  Incoming Kindergarten Transition Meetings @ 12:00-3:00

The Wayfinder Waypoint Summative Assessment is now active! Students can access the questions in the Wayfinder app on their iPad under the To Do List (Instructions for Students) On May 28 during SIW we’ll use this data for a year-end SLGG activity.

Principals have not yet been given the green-light to finalize and communicate teaching assignments and staffing plans for next year. I understand how it can feel to wait for this type of information and I will let you know as soon as I can.

There continues to be a great deal of discussion nationally and locally about screen time and the role devices play in k-12 education. Thank you for being thoughtful with the activities your students use iPads to learn and for keeping it screen-free during free choice activities.

We will not have Walk to Skill groups, May 20-23. After DIBELS (5/20), the EA team will be testing students who were absent and assisting with kindergarten readiness assessments. The last day we will run Walk to Skill groups is June 6th. We are also planning to continue core instruction through this date.

Thank you for letting Kina and Kim know the names of volunteers you may have coming to your classroom/going on field trips, in advance. This helps us in being ready to greet these helpers when they arrive. Also, if you have an interest in hosting visitors in your classroom, they are always welcome! Just connect with me at least a week in advance so we can make adjustments as needed for Raptor usage and be ready to welcome families.

A recycling program for some Bridges items is coming soon! This should begin in the next couple of weeks.

Staff Room Tidy Team: 3^rd grade   

Next Week is a B week

Happy Staff Appreciation Week! It’s going to be a jungle out there!

Happenings Next Week at Lava Ridge:  

• Monday:  Salsa, Chips and Drinks in the Staff Room!
• Tuesday:  PTO Coffee Cart (for you!) in the Staff Room 7:00-9:00
• Wednesday: Walk and Roll to School Day (student meet-up @ Rockridge Park, 7:15);  CPI Training for new Special Programs Staff; SIW-Youth Truth Data Discussion and Next Steps @ 1:45 in the Media Center
• Thursday: 1^st grade MTSS, K, 2, 3-5^th PLC Meetings @ 2:30
• Friday:  Time/Leave Sheets Due

Here is the policy we discussed on Wednesday on teaching controversial topics. In the event you are planning to teach or discuss content that falls into this category, please let me know and we can work through the communication and planning steps together.

It’s state testing season! Below are a couple of items to keep in mind:

• Thank you for encouraging your students to be especially quiet in the neighborhoods during testing sessions.
• On Monday, Little Buddy teachers will receive the motivational cards for Big Buddy classes that we discussed on Wednesday. Please connect with your buddy class to discuss how/when you would like to deliver these. There are up to 6 items that can be given over the course of state testing.

Exciting news! Next year, we will have a full-time counselor! Jennifer Hauth, Director of Social Emotional Learning & Mental Wellness, will be facilitating interviews for schools with openings over the next several weeks. I’ll keep you posted as plans develop.

Wayfinder activity highlights for the week from Jenny White:

 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.

Staff Room Tidy Team:  2^nd grade   

Next Week is an A week

Happenings Next Week at Lava Ridge:  

• Tuesday:  Lockdown Drill AM; Social Team Meeting @ 2:30 in the Media Center
• Wednesday:  Spring/5th Personality Pictures; SIW-Educator Network Day II:  Amplify Desmos Math @ 1:45 in the Media Center
• Thursday: 2^nd grade MTSS in C5, K, 1, 3-5^th PLC Meetings @ 2:30

Tuesday-Friday will be announcing a round of Safety Trait Awards during the announcements.

This week, Commute Options will be here teaching 4th and 5th graders bike safety and kindergarten and 2nd grade classes pedestrian safety. This is the first of three weeks they will be on campus.

In the event your grade level team has a change in schedule with Walk to Skill (field trips, etc.) please let Kina and I know in advance. This helps in locating students during this time and so schedules can be adjusted for those that support/lead groups. Thank you!

Your Lion Dash feedback is appreciated! If you have any feedback that you would like shared with PTO and haven’t emailed or talked with me or responded to Allison’s email, please do so by Monday. I will accumulate this information and share it with PTO at our monthly meeting.

Here is the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) lockdown lesson to review with students in preparation for the drill on Tuesday

Way to go Mrs. Schendel! Rachel was selected to receive a grant from the University of Oregon that will cover the cost of the coursework and practicum for an ESOL Endorsement. She begins courses this summer with a practicum spring of 2026.

Thank you for your efforts this year teaching Foundational Skills! This is really shaping the future for our students! In the event you have days with schedule changes (field trips, guest speakers, etc) please consider moving this instruction to a different time of the day to maintain the momentum you’ve established.

Staff Room Tidy Team:  1^st grade   

Next Week is a B week