Week at a Glance

Happenings Next Week at Lava Ridge:

• Monday:  ICCL Meeting @ 2:30 in C5
• Tuesday:  ADA Walkthrough by ODE Staff @ 1:00; Staff Meeting @ 2:30 in the Media Center
• Wednesday: Walk and Roll Day! ADA Walkthrough by ODE staff @ 9:00;  Responsibility Assembly @ 8:00 (loading @ 7:55); SIW: Educator Network Day (EL Focus) @ 1:45 in the Media Center
• Thursday:  4^th MTSS in C5 (Eagle’s Nest) + PLC Meetings 2:30-3:15

Welcome(back!) to Lorena Higbee who will be serving as a 6 hour EA for the remainder of the school year. Great to have you back with us, Lorena!

We are planning that Tuesday, October 29th will be a Halloween costume or book character dress-up day. You may find this pre-made slide deck and/or poster from TLC useful in discussing appropriate costumes with students. We will also be message costume guidelines to families in the next newsletter. These include not wearing costumes with weapons, blood, overly scary masks or that present negative stereotypes of any person, gender, or ethnicity.

Thank you for your time preparing for the October bias lesson! When time allows, please fill-in this Google Doc with the dates for when your students will be learning this content. Here again is a link to the lessons.  In the newsletter last week we messaged families about this upcoming activity.

Below is a list of discussion topics for PLC meetings on Thursday. We are planning that these meetings occur synchronously on Thursdays, so if for some reason your team is not able to meet on a particular date, please let Laci and I know in advance so we don’t try to stop by your meeting.

10/10 PLC Topics:

• Planning for morning and closing meeting agendas
• Previewing/discussing upcoming EL assessments
• Inputting checkpoint/assessments into Forefront
• Preparing for MTSS

With the continued nice weather we will likely have our October fire drill next week. Thank you for your time preparing students for these drills and for always participating. Practicing these drills is required of all Bend-La Pine employees and helps us to be ready in the event we experience an emergency situation. Here is a link to the evacuation(fire drill) SRP lesson.

Congratulations to Rachel Schendel who will be serving as our TAG ICCL member!

This week we will have two visits from a person (we think it is just one) from ODE whose purpose is to provide ADA improvement feedback to the district. This visitor will be wearing the standard visitor pass and has permission to walk through the school on their own.

Digital Citizenship week is October 14-18! Katrina has activities planned for library classes throughout October to promote a healthy, balanced, and positive approach to media use. Here are some digital citizenship resources from the Tech Department

From Ryan Kelling in Human Resources: A quick reminder to enter every absence, regardless of whether a substitute is needed into Red Rover and UKG. Thank you!

From Andrea in HR: We are excited to introduce Canopy, Bend-La Pine Schools new Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provider! Canopy EAP services include mental health support, counseling, behavioral coaching, digital tools, and resources to help navigate life and work – from financial coaching to gym and pet insurance discounts – Canopy’s mission is to create happier and healthier lives for employees. Canopy services are free, confidential, and available to ALL district employees and their family members.  Learn more about Canopy and how to access their services on our district’s Benefits website.

From the Superintendent’s Office: In an effort to bring Bend-La Pine Schools staff and leaders together in dialogue on District initiatives, Superintendent Steven Cook is forming advisory committees for Classified, Certified, Administrative, and South County employee groups. Each District Advisory Committees will meet four times during the school year, giving employees an opportunity to be a voice for their community. The purpose of each meeting will be to:

• Hear from leadership on the state of the District, Legislative updates, District initiatives and issues before the School Board
• Have a dialogue on these issues
• Provide feedback on areas of focus
• Share current and emerging issues from the field

We are planning for up to 15 members per committee with representation from schools, levels, and operational groups. Depending on the number of applicants, a lottery or other selection process may be used to select committee members. Applications are due Wednesday, October 16. Applicants will be notified on Monday, October 21. To see the meeting schedule and submit your application, please use THIS FORM.

Staff Room Tidy Team: 3^rd Grade

Next Week is an B week

Happenings Next Week at Lava Ridge:

• Tuesday:  Lockdown Drill @ 9:00;  First day of Running Club (PTO has volunteers for every Tuesday throughout October)
• Wednesday:  SIW: Skill Development Preparation Activity @ 1:45 in the Media Center
• Thursday:  Staff Appreciation Breakfast @ 7:00 in the Media Center;  5^th MTSS in C5 (Eagle’s Nest) ; PTO Meeting @ 2:30 in the Media Center

Here is the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) lockdown lesson to review with students in preparation for the drill on Tuesday. We are planning to announce the begining of this drill over the intercom and will be joined by Keely Cashman (SRO), Scott Bojanowski (Safety Department) and Kayla Martin (Safety Department) who will be on site to provide feedback.

Thursday is our first PTO meeting of the year. This year the PTO is planning for each grade level (unless that grade has MTSS) to share a 1-2 minute report of the highlights taking place at that grade during the meeting. PTO is planning to have 3 meetings this year and we will not have PLCs on these dates.

Wondering what happened at other Lava Team meetings yesterday? You can find all of the notes in this folder.

Let’s work together on Thursday morning so everyone is able to get breakfast (I suggest the omelettes!) in the Media Center before school. Please let Laci or I know if we can provide coverage so a member of your team can enjoy the event.

Here is the 2024-25 MTSS Google Doc

Staff Room Tidy Team: 2^nd Grade

Next Week is an A week

Happenings Next Week at Lava Ridge:

• Monday:  ICCL Meeting @ 2:30 in C5
• Tuesday:  DIBELS Day
• Wednesday:  Rescheduled EA Meeting @ 12:15; SIW: EL Support and Planning Time @ 1:45 in the Media Center;  EA Training 2:00-3:15 @ Board Room (Ed Center)
• Thursday:  Lava Teams @ 2:30 (locations TBD)
• Friday:  Bus Evacuation Training @ 9:00

Looking for a new TV show or movie to stream? Here are recommendations from your colleagues:

• Ted Lasso (3 staff recommend this!)
• The Discovery of Witches
• Dark Winds
• Yellowstone
• Mike & Molly
• About My Father
• When Calls the Heart
• The Love Boat
• The Amazing Race
• Deadpool & Wolverine
• The Perfect Couple

Staff Room Tidy Team: 1^st Grade

Next Week is a B week

Happenings Next Week at Lava Ridge:

• Monday:  Tammy Doty Site Visit
• Tuesday:  Running Club begins (planned); Staff Meeting @ 2:30 in the Media Center
• Wednesday:  EA Meeting @ 12:15 in A6; Student Success Update for all EA’s @ 1:00 in the Den; School Improvement Wednesday-Work in Classrooms
• Thursday:  PLC Meetings @ 2:30
• Friday:  Movie Night-Doors at 6:30, movie at dusk

Movie Night on Friday: PTO is hosting Family Movie Night on Friday, September 20^th. This is a free event, with gates opening at 6:30 pm and the movie at dusk. We should know late Thursday what the flick will be. This is a parent-led activity for current Lava Ridge students and their families, and families are asked to supervise their children during the event. The swings and play structures will be closed at Movie Night.

Here are the Bend-La Pine iPad Expectations This is the information we discussed during inservice that had been in draft form.

We have posted a 6 hour EA position for the vacancy that has resulted from the resignation of Jeanie Kalotay. If you know of a great candidate, please encourage them to apply.

From Human Resources: Some employees that have successfully completed modules in Safe Schools, received a certificate of completion, but these completions are not being recognized in the Schoox system, which informs UKG of your status. Here are some tips to avoid or mitigate this issue.

Thank you for entering your instructional schedule here.

If you have any students that need a familiar DIBELS tester or you would like a screener done please add them to this document.

Tammy Doty will be visiting us periodically throughout the school year and meets monthly on-site with all principals. These meetings are kinda like principal mini-observations. When these are scheduled to occur I will list them in Week at a Glance.

Here is the newsletter families will receive on Monday.

Kitchen Clean Up: Kindergarten Team

Next Week is an A week

Happenings Next Week at Lava Ridge:

• Monday: ICCL Meeting @ 2:30 in the Media Center
• Wednesday:  School Improvement Wednesday @ 1:45 in the Media Center
• Thursday:  Fire Drill
• Friday:  Thank you for submitting timesheets by the end of the day

In your early week communication to families on Seesaw or Synergy Email, will you please add a reminder that beginning Wednesday, students will be dismissed at 12:45 every Wednesday until June 4th. Thank you!

From Julie Richards (formerly Walker) in Curriculum, Instruction, and Systems: The Dreambox Launchpad (placement screener) is open, and students will need to take this assessment the first time they are on Dreambox.  We are asking that 1st-5^th grade classrooms complete the Launchpad assessment by September 30^th and K classrooms complete the assessment by December 2nd.

Nature Connect Central Oregon (formerly the Children’s Forest) will provide financial support for classroom field trips that align with their mission. Here’s a link with information.

The Bend-La Pine Schools, Black Family & Student Union, is bringing the director of the documentary film Black Girls in Suburbia to Bend​ on Sunday, September 15th for a panel discussion following the screening of the film. The film is short, so with the panel discussion the event will run approx 1:00-3:00pm, at the Tower Theater. Here is a link from the Tower about the screening.

Below is the Fall Conference Schedule:

• Tuesday, Oct 29. Kids attend school. Conferences 3:15-7:15
• Wednesday, Oct 30, Teacher work day 7:15-3:15, Conferences 3:15-7:15
• Thursday, Oct 31, Conferences 7:15-3:15–everyone home in time for trick-or-treating!
• Friday, Nov 1st, Enjoy!

From TLC: If you encounter any Clever and Wayfinder issues such as, incorrect access or school, please use the instructional tool process to request what is needed.

Did you complete a Safe Schools Training and continue to have it listed in your “My to-do Items” (under the bell) in UKG? Just send a screen shot of your completion certificate to Stuart Eaton ([email protected]) in HR and he can assist.

With the air quality challenges we navigate this time of year, the  AQI FAQ document from the Safety Department, is a resource you can use to understand how outside conditions can impact our daily operations. Please let me know if you have any questions.

We are planning to begin saying the Pledge of Allegiance on the Monday morning announcements beginning September 16th. This week if you could please teach and practice the Pledge that would be great!

Kitchen Clean Up Team: Office Staff

Next Week is an B week

Happenings Next Week at Lava Ridge:

• Tuesday:  Optional Work in Classroom Day
• Wednesday:  First day of school! Tuesday Specials Schedule; Half of our kindergarteners will be in attendance
• Thursday: Half of Kindergarteners attend
• Friday: All Kindergarteners attend

We are planning that students will eat lunch outside the first week of school.

We need you!  Staff who are not teaching or supporting students @ 7:30 on Wednesday-Friday, September 4-6^th are needed to help walk students to class on the first days of school. 

We are planning for the regular library schedule to begin on Monday, September 9^th

Each elementary school is adding two new ICCL Positions– Green Team Advisor & TAG Coordinator.   These are internal postings, and the application can be accessed via UKG. Below is information about each of these jobs. 

• The Green Team Advisor will serve at each school to educate and engage the school community with the knowledge and influence to be leaders in a sustainable society, use resources wisely and support the district’s efforts to make the school’s operations and activities more environmentally sustainable. Additionally, this position will support compost efforts at schools where programs are in place.
• The ICCL TAG Coordinator This position will have a targeted emphasis on TAG professional development and systems. Key responsibilities include:
• Attending monthly meetings with district TAG leadership to strengthen existing systems and stay informed on best practices.
• Gaining deeper insights into identifying and servicing TAG students.
• Developing strategies for differentiation in the classroom to better cater to the needs of gifted learners.
• Additionally, the person in this role will serve as a crucial conduit for TAG processes and services, ensuring that all staff within our building are well-informed and equipped to support TAG students effectively.

Each grade level this year has their own color of Lion Pride. The hope is that this will aid in the sorting of Lion Prides during drawings. Specialists and support staff can use brown, universal Lion Prides, to recognize students k-5.

• K-red (pink)
• 1st-orange
• 2nd-yellow
• 3rd-green
• 4th – blue
• 5th-purple
• Specialist/other staff/ EA -tan

Magic School AI – Exciting news! This fall, BLS is providing full featured MagicSchool AI accounts to all staff. MagicSchool is an AI platform designed for educators, with a large suite of tools that help with building lesson plans, writing IEPs, differentiation, ideating more engaging lessons, communicating with families, and more! BLS is currently piloting MagicSchool but funds have been earmarked to purchase for any staff who would like to continue with their full featured ‘Enterprise’ account after October, which offers much more than the free version. Getting setup is simple using MagicSchool login instructions. Please contact Robbie Faith and Tracy Howk for questions and support.

Below are links to some of the slides/documents from Tuesday:

-Here are the Lava Ridge Expectations (common areas, lunch, etc)

–2024-25 Areas of Focus

–Bend-La Pine Schools 2024-25 Calendar

-Link to share with families interested in volunteering: https://www.bend.k12.or.us/district/organization/volunteer

We are looking forward to being back together as a staff next week! Here again is the schedule for August 26-September 4th

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

• Sally Brown – School Counselor
• Hester (Jansen) Clothier – Inclusion EA
• Matt Johnson – School Psychologist
• Carrie Larmel – Inclusion EA
• Jeff Larmel – Inclusion EA
• Daniel McGuire – SPED Ocean Teacher
• Lacie Ogren – Speech
• Grace Leuze – Music
• Rob Woods – Night Custodian

Congratulations to Megan Williams who will be serving on the ICCL Team this year and next. Megan, Tracy Mauze, Sarah Kamasz, and Jennie Willis will be providing instructional leadership this year for Lava Ridge.

On Thursday, August 29^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. You will have time to create this greeting on Tuesday afternoon and ask that you include a reminder to families of 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

August 26th Letter to Families + Personal Electronic Device Expectations & Commute Options Safe Routes

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, Sara T. or Daniel, will be in contact with you to coordinate a time if this would be advantageous for one of your students.

The Operation Recreation summer program will be using the Friendship Mountain Commons and the hallway area by the doors to the bus exit through Thursday, August 29^th.  OR has been onsite this summer and often goes on excursions after lunch with their clients.

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 the event.  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 4-6^th are needed to help walk students to class on the first days of school. 

Thank you in advance for not asking for donations from families. Lava Ridge families via the PTO have set us up again with very generous monetary allocations that should cover the cost of any additional needs we may have as a school this year.  In the event you are approached by families wishing to make a donation (i.e. snacks, school supplies, jackets, etc) please steer them to PTO for monetary donations and all other items to Kina. PTO will be fundraising for this year via the Read-A-Thon (mid-October), Bingo (February 7^th) and the Lion Dash (late-April).

Greetings!

I hope you are having a restful and rejuvenating summer, filled with moments of relaxation and joy.  As we prepare to embark on this new academic year together, I wanted to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude and share my optimism for the journey ahead.

The DeFrang’s are having a great summer.  We’ve stayed close to home outside of a trip to the Coast and have been able to spend lots of time together as a family.  Matthew (17) has been lifeguarding at Juniper Swim and Fitness, Jon (14) getting ready for soccer with pre-season training at Caldera High School and Kim continues to teach a variety of fitness classes for Bend Parks and Rec.  I’ve been able to get in some regular swims, work in the garden, and watched way too much of the Olympics.   

Each August brings the energy and anticipation of a new school year and I’m excited for what I believe will be one of the best years ever at Lava Ridge.  Regardless of how long we have worked together, it is important that you understand what you can expect from me as principal.  What follows is a lengthy a description of who I am as a leader and some of the beliefs that shape my leadership.

I am relentlessly positive and try to see the opportunity in the challenges that are inherent during a school year.  I believe in the importance of relationships and that people have the best intentions.  I feel honored to serve in the role of principal and to work alongside each of you. 

Trust is crucial in relationships.  During my 20 years as a principal, I have experienced actions that build trust and other actions that wreck it. As examples, making a mistake, forgetting duty, and disagreeing with me or a decision that was made, are examples of things that will not damage trust or our relationship.  On the other hand, gossiping, talking behind other people’s backs, and not respecting colleagues, are not ok with me as they do not support a positive culture.

I operate with the golden rule. I’m going to do my best to treat you how you like to be treated and my hope is that you will reciprocate. If you have questions, concerns, or ideas, please come and talk with me. I will always listen. I am a person who believes in the value of face-to-face communication and invite you to come and discuss issues or concerns with me at any time.  I may not change anything, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t listen or that you don’t have my support. It just means I felt there was a more compelling reason to do it differently.  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.

I ask for your support and grace. All of us have very difficult jobs when things are going well. I trust you to do your job and will not micromanage. Please do the same with me and the responsibilities that I have as principal.  Working together and trusting each other is imperative.

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.  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.

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 to be the best principal I can be every day (even when I might rather be skiing).  I also believe we must treat every child with dignity and professionalism in every situation we encounter.  This can be hard at times, especially when a student is in a dysregulated state and acting out. Again, I rely on my acting skills, pretend to be calm, and support the child. 

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 and skiing 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. My goal when I leave Lava is to spend as much time with my family as I can, navigate Winco with ease, and have fun. 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 2024-25 (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 11^th)

Certified Work Hours for 2024-25: 7:15-3:15 p.m. 

Details below for August 26th-September 4^th: 

Monday, August 26^th

• New Teacher Day at Pacific Crest
• Option for work day for certified staff

Tuesday, August 27^th

• Inservice day at Lava beginning at 7:30 a.m.
• First day for Educational Assistants
• Breakfast and lunch provided

Wednesday, August 28^th

• District Professional Learning Day for Certified Staff (staff who attended the EL Training during the summer are excused)
• Lunch on your own
• Non-contract day for Educational Assistants

Thursday, August 29^th  

• Certified work day; 10:00-6:00 p.m. 
• Work in Classroom
• Educational Assistant Training @ Ed Center 7:45-11:45
• Lunch provided by PTO
• Open House 4:00-6:00 p.m. 

Friday, August 30^th  

• Inservice 7:30-12:00 followed by Work in Classroom
• Educational Assistant Training @ Ed Center 7:45-11:45
• Lunch on your own
• EA Meeting @ Media Center, 1:00

Tuesday, September 3^rd

• Option for flexible workday for certified staff

Wednesday, September 4^th

• First Day of School! Half of our kindergarteners will attend on the 4^th and the other half on September 5^th.  All kindergarteners attend school on Friday, September 6^th.

Happenings Next Week at Lava Ridge:

• Monday: 1:00 5^th Grade Promotion @ South Playground; 1:50 5^th Grade Celebration Walk on South Playground
• Tuesday: Wednesday Specials Schedule; Student dismissal @ 12:45; Staff Celebration @ 1:15 in the Media Center; Staff Celebration II Cascade Lakes @ 3:30
• Wednesday: Juneteenth Holiday
• Thursday:  Workday for those who did not check-out on Tuesday

Teachers: We need your feedback and input into the schedule for next year! This information will be used as the schedule is designed over the summer and we will do our best to create a plan that is in line with your preferences while meeting everyone’s need. Elementary daily schedules will reflect these guidelines (the District is referring to these as “assurances”).  Thank you for sharing your feedback by Thursday on this survey.

Questions about August birthdays? We call these in September each year.

As you order workbooks for your classroom for next year, you may find the resources in this Curriculum Checklists Folder helpful.

Here is the August Professional Learning Calendar

Here again is the Inservice Week Certified work calendar for 24-25.

A quick reminder that the certified work day on August 29th will be from 10:00-6:00 with Open House from 4:00-6:00.

Staff Room Tidy Team: Office Staff

Happenings Next Week at Lava Ridge:

• iPad roll-in begins
• Tuesday: Last day of Walk to Skill and ELD; Bucket Assembly @ 1:30 (loading @ 1:25); 3rd – 5th Meet with Sara S @ 2:30 in the Media Center
• Wednesday: Yearbooks in mailboxes for distribution; Character Trait Awards and Lion Pride Drawing @ Lunches; Student dismissal @ 12:45; Retirement and Departing Staff Celebrations @ 1:00 in the Media Center; SIW: Teacher Prep
• Thursday:  The Lava Ridge Olympics
• Friday- Dress Up Day: Beach Day; Staff Smoothies @ 7:15 in the Staff Room; Kindergarten promotion @ 1:00

Here again is the June Big Dates doc.

Staffing Updates:

• We’ve posted a 6.5-hour educational assistant position for next school year.  With student teaching on the horizon, Heather Rogers will be focusing on completing her teaching program and has resigned her position.
• We have posted a temporary music position for next school year while Matthew is on leave with the Oregon National Guard.
• Kelly Collins will be a School Psychologist next year in Madras. Special Programs has hired Matt Johnson to serve in this role next year at Lava Ridge.

Here are the Climate Team Meeting Notes from May

Staff Room Tidy Team: Office Staff

Next Week is an B week