Wednesday: Character Trait Awards at Lunches; SIW: Class Placements @ 1:45 in the Media Center
Thursday: DIBELS Day
Friday: No Walk to Skill; Dress Up Day: Dress Like a Teacher
Below is the Wonders recycling guide we discussed on Wednesday. We are planning to have recycling bins outside at the bus entrance by the curb, the first week of June.
Below are some staffing updates for next year. These updates are to keep you up to speed with happenings and will be shared with students/families at a later date.
I’m sad to report that we learned yesterday that Tali will be teaching primary at North Star next year. With only three 1st grade classes next year and 19 classroom positions available at Lava, the district needed to place her at another site. In the event a classroom position becomes available here before the start of the school year, we will be able to have her return to Lava.
Next week we will be doing Office Manager interviews. Thank you to those staff who are assisting with these.
We should know next week if we will be posting a temporary music position for next year while Matthew is on leave with the Oregon National Guard or if a music teacher from another school might be transferred into this position.
In the event you are considering outside time on the playground as a reward for your students, thank you for avoiding times when other grade levels are already scheduled. Thank you for also letting the office know in the event a student needs to be located.
From Jenny White, Life and Career Readiness: Planning and Prioritizing Collections in Wayfinder: Enhance students’ organizational and time management skills with this collection of activities and lessons. Through planning templates, prioritization exercises, and goal-setting strategies, students will learn how to effectively manage their tasks, responsibilities, and commitments. These resources promote efficiency, accountability, and a balanced approach to academic and personal life. Directions on how to find the collections on Wayfinder Direct Links: Kindergarten. 1 – 2. 3 – 5
Wednesday: SIW-SLGG End of Year Assessment Planning, Wonders Materials Update, Time to complete classroom placement cards @ 1:45 in the Media Center; Kindergarten Open House @ 5:30
Thursday: Lion Pride Drawings @ Lunches; Lava Teams @ 2:30
Keep the Deeper Dive EL Training in mind if you are interested in a paid, planning day this summer. Check out the email from Sara Swedlund for details on registration. The dates are 6/25, 8/13, or 8/20.
Thank you for kicking off the Responsibility Trait with your students! If you haven’t yet, here again are the slides: Responsibility Kick-off Slides . With the classroom launch in full-swing, we have decided to cancel the Responsibility Assembly originally scheduled for Tuesday and postpone the Bucket Assembly to June 12 @ 1:25.
Kathy Batz, Emily Curfew and the other Excellence in Education recipients at the awards assembly Wednesday. At this event, Emily was also recognized as a finalist for Teacher of the Year. 🙂
Staffing Notes:
Danny McGuire will be joining our staff this fall as a learning specialist. Danny will be stepping into Katie Gillem’s role as she pursues new adventures. Danny has most recently served as an early childhood Specialist & ABA Teacher for High Desert ESD since 2019.
The Office Manager position for 2024-25 recently closed and we will be interviewing soon.
From Scott in IT: Bend-La Pine Schools IT is rolling out a security change to staff Macs that you need to be aware of if you have installed personal software on your Mac.There is a new process to gain administrator access on your computer for installing or updating non-standard software. If you need administrator access on your computer, please review our guidance on the staff portal: https://bendlapine.sharepoint.com/sites/technology/SitePages/Make-Me-Admin.aspx If you run into any issues with this process, you can contact the IT Help Desk at ext. 1200 or open an IT support ticket at https://help.bend.k12.or.us.
The Culture of Care Summer Institute flyer is below. Looks like some great offerings! Space is limited so sign up soon if you are interested.
Wednesday: Character Trait Awards @ Lunches; EA Meeting @ 12:10; SIW-Teacher Prep
Thursday: State Advisory Council Visit @ 12:00; Lion Dash @ 1:25; K MTSS, 1st -5th PLC Meetings (content focus Wayfinder/RGR)
The State Advisory Council for Special Education(SACSE) will be visiting Lava Ridge and other Central Oregon schools on on May 16th. They are planning to be on site for about 30 minutes.
Here are some details for the Lion Dash:
Students will be receiving a Lion Dash t-shirt from the PTO that can be worn on the day of the event.
Students will want to bring a full water bottle to the event.
We will begin calling classes at 1:00 to the Lion Dash; 5th grade first, followed by 4th, 3rd, …Kindergarten will be called around 1:15.
At the conclusion of the Lion Dash, students will return to class, have a snack and pack up.
Families that attend and wish to take their child home afterwards, can meet their child at the Main Entrance after the bell rings at 2:15. Thank you for your help and communication with this. Last year this really helped with making sure all students were accounted for at the end of the day.
Luna and Kellen reading through a book Kellen created in the Den with pictures of staff cats and dogs.
Congratulations to Madeline Fulkerson! Madeline will be the full-time counselor at Juniper Elementary next year. We are so happy for you, Madeline! As you read several weeks ago, we will continue to have a .5 FTE counselor next year and have learned that Sally Brown, will be joining our staff in this role. Sally is currently a part-time counselor at Juniper and Silver Rail. Next year, Sally will continue to counsel part-time at Silver Rail in addition to serving at Lava Ridge.
Monday: Welcome back, Joelle! Yogurt and Fruit Bar from PTO (AM); ICCL Meeting @ 2:30
Wednesday: Walk and Roll to School Day; Character Trait Awards @ Lunches; SIW:Small Group Instruction Reflection Activity; 5th Outdoor School Meeting @ 5:00 in the Media Center
Thursday: Hydration Station in the Staff Room from PTO; American Fidelity Appointments with Todd Wells; Lion Pride Drawings @ Lunches; 1st MTSS @ 2:30 in A1; K & 2-5th PLC Meetings (Math focus)
If you haven’t always followed the email notification links from UKG after activities like goal setting, or mini-observations, please double check your in-box in UKG for items that may need your approval. The in-box is in the upper right hand corner in the system. Thank you!
Life and Career Readiness with Jenny White: Help students navigate the complexities of friendships with this collection of lessons and activities. It offers guidance on resolving conflicts and cultivating healthy and supportive friendships. How to find the Navigating Friendships Collections in Wayfinder. Direct Links. Kindergarten. 1 – 2. 3 – 5
Here again is the Earth Day Teacher Guide, designed in collaboration with Earthday.org from Jen Hamilton.
Wednesday, will be Haley’s final day prior to beginning leave (Congratulations in advance, Haley!). Kina has started the process of onboarding into the role of Office Manager and Tabatha and Virginia have extended their hours to begin leading new reading groups. Thank you Team!
Bend-La Pine employees with an interest in having their child attend KIDS Inc next year are invited to fill out the KIDS Inc Interest Form specific to BLP employees for the 2024-2025 school year. As a reminder, they also MUST submit an application to the program that can be found on the KIDS Inc website in order to be considered. Indicating interest does not guarantee a spot in the program but BLP employees will be prioritized. The application period is May 6- May 17.
Welcome Luna! Luna and her handler, will begin visiting Lava Ridge weekly to provide support for some of our Tier 3 students. Luna is an 8 year old golden retriever and will be on campus an hour each week assisting a small group of recently identified students.
From Jenny White: Life and Career Readiness- Flexible Thinking and Growth Mindset Collections: Develop students’ ability to think flexibly and adapt to new situations with this collection of activities and lessons. Through problem-solving activities, perspective-taking exercises, and cognitive flexibility tasks, students will learn to approach challenges with an open mind and consider multiple viewpoints. These resources foster resilience, creativity, and the ability to navigate change. Directions on how to find the collection on Wayfinder & Direct Links. Kindergarten. 1st – 2nd. 3rd – 5th
From TLC: With conferences in the rearview mirror, some families may ask about Lexia, Dreambox, or Sora access at home for additional learning. Here are a few frequently asked questions to help with this and to prepare for the upcoming summer as well
Monday: Task Force on School Climate/Systems visit @ 10:00-11:30
Tuesday: Need something ordered for early May? Final day to place orders prior to Haley’s leave
Wednesday: EA Meeting @ 12:15 in A3; SIW: Math Curriculum Review Team Update + Wayfinder Planning Time @ 1:45 in the Media Center
Thursday: Lion Pride Drawing @ Lunches; 3rd MTSS @ 2:30 in A1; K-3rd, 4-5th PLC @ 2:30 (Math Focus)
In February, Bend-La Pine elementary staff completed a mid-year survey that included questions on curriculum, instruction and Tier I systems. Here are the Lava Ridge Survey Results.
The ICCL Team has recently been discussing the survey and using it for future SIW planning. The decision to allocate time this week for grade-level Wayfinder planning was a result of this feedback with the goal that we can have students learning at least one lesson each week for the remainder of the year.
On Monday, we will host a visit from members of the Task Force on School Climate and Culture. One of the priorities of this team has been Tier 1 PBIS systems to support student behaviors. This team will be on site Monday, asking staff and students, 4-5 questions about our Tier I systems, similar to the way Tracy Reynolds and the PBIS Team did in the past. Questions will focus on school rules/expectations (safe, responsible, kind, belonging), reinforcements (Lion Prides) and the ways we support a positive learning culture at Lava Ridge.
Monday: Book Fair begins! ICCL Meeting @ 2:30 in the Media Center
Tuesday: Staff Meeting @ 2:30 in the Media Center
Wednesday: Work in Classrooms 7:15-3:15; Conferences 3:15-7:15 (Dinner: Baked Potatoes from PTO @ 2:30)
Thursday: Conferences 7:15-7:15 (Pizza for Dinner @ 2:30)
Friday: Enjoy!
At the Staff Meeting on Tuesday we will have a presentation from Tammy Doty about the May 21st, Bend-La Pine Schools Levy. The presentation, including time for questions should last about 30 minutes.
During the eclipse on Monday, the Bend-La Pine Schools are not planning to make any changes to the student day or limit access to outside areas. This would be a great opportunity to remind students that it is never safe to look directly at the sun.
Next week, Laci will be attending a Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) Trainer’s training. Last year, the state legislature passed SB 283, which updated the state restraint and seclusion law and provided grant funding to expand the numbers of trainers for nonviolent crisis intervention in schools. The Bend-La Pine Schools are using the grant to increase the number of CPI trainers at the building level, with a focus on elementary schools.
Thank you for your continued reminders to students leaving school during the day to go to the office and see Kim and Haley before exiting Lava.
We are being asked to refrain from scheduling end of the school year celebrations and activities until Monday or Tuesday, June 17th and 18th. Thank you for planning to maintain regular instructional schedules through Friday, June 14th.
A reminder, that we will have a brief period in which ordering will be put on hold when Haley begins her leave. This should only last a couple of days. Haley is planning to place final orders on April 16 prior to closing out her accounts. Thank you for keeping this in mind for those items you will need before May 5. Also, we are planning for our annual discretionary spending cut-off being May 3rd. This is only for discretionary dollars (the money we receive from the school district)
The latest on Wonders materials from JulieWalker (Curriculum, Instruction and Systems)
More information will be shared in the coming weeks on the plan for disposing of Wonders and Units of Study materials
The Wonders and Wonderworks decodables are great resources. I recommend teachers keep these as resources for the coming years.
The Leveled Readers are also a great resource. Teachers are welcome to keep these in their classroom libraries.
During April conferences teachers can give away shared read and anthology books (lock and key)
Life and Career Readiness news from Jenny White: Digital Citizenship for 3rd – 5th graders in Wayfinder’s Collections- Equip students with essential digital literacy skills and promote responsible online behavior, empowering them to navigate the digital world safely, critically evaluate information, and become responsible digital citizens. Direct Link. Directions on how to find this collection in Wayfinder
Engage students in fun and interactive games that promote engagement. This collection includes games that encourage cooperation, adaptability, and connection. Directions on how to get to the collections in Wayfinder. Here are the direct links: Kindergarten, 1st – 2nd 3rd – 5th
The week after a break period is always a prime time to re-teach expectations. We are planning for a re-teach of lunch expectations on Monday.
Thank you for all of your work with Art Night. What an amazing event! You really set our students up to shine. With some families unable to attend and Conferences right around the corner, I hope you will consider leaving the art up until after Conferences.
Welcome back Matthew! It’s great to have you back.
Over Spring Break we are hosting Operation Recreation in the gym (daily from 7:30-5:30) and will also have people from the Maintenance Department here working on projects. In the event you come to Lava during break, please enter through the front doors, be ready to disarm the alarm (shouldn’t be necessary during the times Operation Recreation is here), and write your name on the white board upon entry. As you leave, please erase your name, set the alarm (if you are the last person on site) and exit through the front doors. In the event you set off the alarm, be ready to call the alarm company (the number is by the alarm panel) and let the dispatcher know our password: Kennedy (Kennedy is now strategically on the white board in a not-to-obvious place as a reminder)
This is the time of year, when questions can arise about the dress code policy. Here are the latest regulations that were updated last school year. Please let me know if you have any questions.
From Jenny White: Life and Career Readiness: Support students to develop healthypersonal boundaries through activities and discussions that promote self-confidence, character, and the ability to set and maintain boundaries in various contexts. Directions on how to find the collections on Wayfinder. Direct Links: Kindergarten. 1st – 2nd. 3rd – 5th
We are excited to kick-off the character trait of Kindness! Here again are the slides from Robin. Kindness slides
We will have a brief period in which ordering will be put on hold when Haley begins her leave. This should only last a couple of days. Haley is planning to place final orders on April 16 prior to closing out her accounts. Thank you for keeping this in mind for those items you will need before May 5.
On the money front, we are planning for our annual discretionary spending cut-off being May 3rd. This is only for discretionary dollars (the money we receive from the school district)
