Snow Storms, Omicron, Power Outages… the Adventures Continue!
Dear Parents,
Is it true that we’ve had just one week of school since 2022 started? It has been an “adventurous one” to say the least! We started with a snowstorm and 2 hour delay, sprinkled in some seriously surging Omicron numbers in our region, and ended with a power outage on campus for most of the day Friday.
Oh, and along the way, Melissa Gerner (our beloved 6th grade math teacher) shared some exciting (and sad) news… she and her partner are expecting a baby! That’s the exciting part! The sad part is that she needs to move back home to Pennsylvania to be closer to family, and she’ll be moving at the end of January! We have already posted the upcoming vacancy, so if you know of an awesome math teacher who can even halfway fill Melissa’s big shoes, please let us know. Read Melissa’s letter to 6th graders here.
A WORD ON OMICRON:
Obviously we are asking all our staff, students and families to be very careful in order to help our school stay open! Please do not send your student to school if they are experiencing any symptoms!
Realms Middle School students have been AWESOME in their compliance with our mask wearing protocols – thank you!! During lunch, when masks are off, we are leaving doors and windows open and doing everything we can to spread students out on our small campus!
As you have heard from Dr. Cook’s messages to families, our District is committed, best as possible, to keep schools open for in person instruction! You can read more here.
Power Outage Activities on Friday: Big thanks to Deb and her Nutrition Services helpers for cooking our lunch off site and getting it to us on time. Meanwhile, in Crew, 7th graders mix it up socially while playing new games and 6th graders explore their values… all “in the dark”!
Nutrition Services Team! 
6th Gr Values Activity 
Yahtzee in Math Class! 
YouthTruth Family Survey – Please Complete ASAP!
Parents – Bend LaPine is conducting this very important and helpful YouthTruth survey again this year. There is a component for students, staff and parents/guardians! We looked carefully at the results from last year’s student and family surveys and have attempted to make several adjustments and improvements (as best we can given the pandemic) in response.
Guess what, it is time again!
If every family could please take the survey ASAP (and no later than January 28th) by clicking this link:
Please note:
- The survey needs to be completed in one sitting.
- We ask that one member of each household fill out the survey.
- If you have more than one child who attends the same school, you may respond to the survey multiple times – one time per child.
- If you write any comments, please do not include your name or anything else that might identify you. Your responses are anonymous, and they will be combined with the responses of other parents and guardians before being shared back with school and district leadership.
We sincerely thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. Your response is incredibly valuable to us.
Upcoming Dates
- Thursday Jan 13th – RMS Campus Transition Meeting, 5:30PM ON WEBEX
- Monday Jan 17th – No School for Martin Luther King, Jr Day
- Friday January 28th – Parent YouthTruth Survey Deadline
- Friday February 4th – No School at RMS or in Bend LaPine – Grading Day
- Thursday Feb 10th – Realms HS Information Night. 6PM Location (WebEx or In Person) TBD
2022-23 Realms Middle School Campus Plan
Some of you may have heard that Realms Middle School and Realms High School may be “co-locating” sometime soon and I wanted to set the record straight and also invite you to some opportunities to ask questions and share your feedback!
First off, it is true! Realms Middle School WILL indeed be moving to the Brinson Blvd campus that currently houses Realms High School, and the move will happen this summer in advance of the 2022-23 school year! This is the culmination of many years of planning and we are super excited about all the potential that this move holds for us as a middle school AND as a part of the larger Realms Schools 6-12!
We are currently working closely with our Architect and District Design team as we move through the design, permitting and bidding process in advance of building new classrooms, offices and other learning spaces at Brinson that will house our middle school program.
You probably have a few (or a few hundred?!) questions, and I’d love to provide some time to share more details about the transition and to answer your questions! I will share details about the “why” of this move, the interior design, thoughts about what kind of connection there will (and won’t) be between the MS and HS, the construction of a ball/play field at Brinson, the sibling preference-admission policy, and much more!
Mark your calendars for Thursday January 1th3 at 5:30PM
ON WEBEX
In the meantime, if you have specific questions you’d like answered or topics you’d like to hear about, please share them here!
Nutrition Services Updates
Nutrition Services is continuing to provide breakfast and lunch FREE to any and all students in our District! Yahoo!
However, please note that due to changing Federal funding rules, the District is NO LONGER able to provide a free mid-morning snack to our students. Please be sure your student brings a snack to school each day if they need/like one! Thanks.
Serve Our Schools: Apply for the Bend-La Pine Schools’ Budget Committee
Looking for a way to serve local students and schools? Consider applying for one of three open positions on Bend-La Pine Schools’ Budget Committee. The committee, which includes the seven elected Board of Directors and seven members of the community, works with staff to review and approve the district’s budget each year. Members must live within the school district, be registered to vote and cannot be current employees or agents for Bend-La Pine Schools.
Applications for the volunteer positions are due Friday, Jan. 21. To apply, submit a letter of interest and resume via email to [email protected] or via mail to: Bend-La Pine Schools Board of Directors, Attn: Janet Bojanowski, 520 NW Wall St., Bend, OR 97703.
For additional information, contact 541-355-1000.
—SPANISH—
Sirve a Nuestras Escuelas: Somete tu solicitud para el Comité de Presupuesto de las Escuelas de Bend-La Pine
Si estás buscando una manera de brindar tus servicios a las escuelas y estudiantes locales, piensa en postularte para uno de los tres puestos disponibles en el Comité de Presupuesto de las Escuelas de Bend-La Pine. El Comité, que incluye a los siete miembros electos de la Mesa Directiva y a siete miembros de la comunidad, trabaja con el personal para revisar y aprobar el presupuesto del distrito cada año. Los miembros deben vivir dentro del distrito escolar, estar registrados para votar y no pueden ser empleados actuales o servir como agentes de las Escuelas de Bend-La Pine.
Las solicitudes para los puestos de voluntario deben entregarse a más tardar el viernes, 21 de enero. Para someter tu solicitud, manda una carta de interés y currículo por correo electrónico a [email protected] o por correo a: Mesa Directiva de Las Escuelas de Bend-La Pine, Atte: Janet Bojanowski, 520 NW Wall St., Bend, OR 97703.
Para más información, llama al 541-355-1000.