The Fish Basket

Team,

As we approach the end of the first half of the school year, I kindly request that you review your enrollment and inform me if you have any space available for students who may be requesting mid-year ACR (Area Change Request) requests. Please note that this does not guarantee that these requests will be approved, but the information will aid us in making well-informed decisions. Kindly email me the requested information by the end of Monday, January 29th.

The CEFEE sign-up information is below. Let’s have our middle school group have a strong representation at CEFEE!

Continuing from yesterday’s horizontal meeting, I would like to invite everyone to read chapter 5 of Zarretta Hammond’s book, “Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain.” This chapter provides a strong strategy for creating a “learning alliance”, ie relationships, with our BIPOC (multilingual/Newcomer) students. If you are interested in learning more and going deeper into this topic, please feel free to reach out to me, I am available.

Have a wonderful weekend~Juan

To Do

From Kinsey Martin

1. Racial Equity Professional Learning:

Our school district is committed to sending all administrators and supervisors to CFEE. 

CFEE stands for Coaching for Educational Equity.  This is a four-day intensive workshop focused on racial equity and the impact of Oregon’s unique history on our current education systems.

Sending all leaders to this workshop aligns our shared understandings, common language, and core values as a cohesive leadership team.  This alignment supports our strategic priorities, equity stance, and decision-making across the district.

A large portion of our team has already attended!  If you aren’t yet a graduate of this workshop, please register for one of the upcoming sessions, or reach out to Kinsey if you have further questions.   Level leaders and department supervisors will share additional level-specific guidance with their teams, and Kinsey will be in touch with your registration confirmation or wait-list status.  Thanks~

2. Emerging Student Needs:

The Office of DEI is closely tracking some actively-shifting trends we know you are experiencing regarding populations of extremely vulnerable students in your schools: unhoused, immigrant, unaccompanied, and other vulnerable youth.  While these students often do not manifest externalizing behavior challenges, we recognize they have highly specialized needs impacting your school.  We recognize, too, that these students require and deserve immediate care and resources that may be unfamiliar or less accessible to your teams.  

We will be dedicating time at an upcoming Admin PD to address this topic together.  In the meantime, please remember (and remind staff) to feel free to slow down, learn about each student individually, and build relationships.  A great leadership move you could do right now would be to shadow a student for a couple periods or ask a few content teachers how they’re feeling with supporting these vulnerable students in their classes.  As always, if you have an overwhelming need or unique case that needs immediate support, please reach out to relevant support staff (family liaisons, language specialists, FAN, McKinney-Vento coordinator, counselors, equity coaches, etc).  

Black History Month Kickoff

Here is the flyer invitation for our Black History Month kick-off. Please work with your ICCL-DEI rep or other relevant staff to make sure that any Black/African American students, families, and staff at your school are personally invited to this event, and that your staff are aware of the event (they’re welcome to share with students/families as they see fit). 

From Paul Dean

Bringing this back from last week’s Blog: (Refer to last week’s Blog for the forms etc)

Probationary/Temporary Certified Staff

Reminder: Due by Friday, January 26th

From Dave VanLoo

School leaders,

As a result of multiple missed days due to inclement weather, YouthTruth has extended our survey window one week. Our new survey close date is February 2, and the new reports release date is pushed back to February 16. Let me know if you have any questions.

From Stephen Duval

Due to the loss of two SIWs this month, we have decided to remove the February 13th Admin/ICCL meeting from the calendar as schools will not have had enough time for the 2^nd PLC conversation to occur.  Instead, we will make the April 16^th Admin/ICCL training our last this year.  This means you have until then for your teachers to conduct their follow-up PLC from the 2^nd lesson.  Thank you.

From Paul Dean, Human Resources

​***Probationary/Temporary Certified Staff*****

Reminder: Due by Friday, January 26th

• Meet with third-year staff member of concern that they are being moved on Support Strategies (contact Lora regarding what this improvement plan needs to look like)
• Completed and uploaded all of your Renewal Recommendation letters into the appropriate school folder with this google drive
• The School Board will begin reviewing your letters in early Feburary.

Resource Links

1. Here is the google drive link of third-year probationary/temporary certified staff (some P2/T2 are also included by administrator request) 
2. Here is a draft template/sample Renewal Recommendation letter for your guidance (make as many copies of the letter as you need)
3. Certified Professional Growth and Performance Manual (edition_5_-_evaluation_manual_-_certified_teacher.pdf)
4. Rubrics for certified staff (link)

Performance Evaluation – Refresher

This and That

From Last week

The ACR/Choice Option Deadline has been extended one week from January 19 to January 26. This was communicated in our family newsletter this week.

Follow Your YouthTruth Completion Percentage Here: We have a goal of 100% staff participation and 75% families participating and there’s only a couple weeks left. You can make a positive impact in your return rates, by communicating with your families often and in different modes (newsletters, synervoice, emails). Here is a “Cheat sheet” to help schools with survey implementation.

Fundraiser for the Ochoa family.

Please share as you see best.

Ochoa-Saldana Family Flyer

From Stephen Duval

Fly up Day information

From Dave VanLoo

Here is an opportunity for LA or math teachers to make some extra money and learn a bit more about testing and their content areas. Let me know if there is a better way to communicate this than the blogs.  

https://www.oregon.gov/ode/educator-resources/assessment/Documents/Scoring_Recruitment_Notice_ELA_and_Math_Hand_Scoring.pdf

From Kayla Martin

From Kayla in Safety: School Resource Officer Appreciation Day is February 15th. The Safety Team is requesting your help to collect cards, notes, pictures, etc. to present to our SRO team. The goal is to highlight the positive relationship between our SROs and their schools. If you are willing, please offer your students the opportunity to share their appreciation for their respective SRO, and send any items to the Safety Team at the Ed Center no later than Friday, February 9th. We are also happy to stop by and pick them up! 

From Sean Reinhart

A reminder of upcoming regional Culture of Care professional development sessions that still have space available for Central Oregon educators and school partners. Register for all opportunities here!

Calendar

January 31: All admin Professional Development @Perserverance Hall BSHS at 3:00-4:30

February 2: Grades are due and need to be posted in Synergy by 4:00pm

February 2: Groundhog Day

February 8: MS Horizontal @PBMS at 3:00-4:30

February 9: Appreciation Cards for SRO are due

February 19: President’s Day—This is not a paid holiday, so use non-contract if you don’t work

February 20th: 5th Grade Family Night Time TBD by each MS

March 3: Education Foundation: Grants are due 3/1: www.blpedfoundation.org

Fish On

Team,

I wish you a great weekend. I know this week has been clunky with the inclement weather. Let’s hope for better weather in the weeks to come so that we can build momentum again. ~Juan

To Do

Important

Teachers report in person to their schools for the purpose of finishing grading, and posting final semester one grades in synergy by the end of the work day.

Let teachers know that their report cards must be completed and submitted by the end of the work day on February 2nd. Kindly advise them to plan accordingly and manage their time effectively to ensure that they meet this important deadline. Failure to meet the deadline will result in a delay of the turnover in Synergy, which will create additional work to fix. How can you verify that all grades have been submitted by the end of the day on February 2nd?

And

Communication with families about final grades: Plan to send a synergy voice message and email home to all parents notifying them that final semester 1 grades will be posted in synergy by the end of the day February 2.  We will also share this info in the family newsletter.

From Paul Dean, Human Resources

Probationary/Temporary Certified Staff

Reminder: Due by Friday, January 26th

• Meet with third-year staff member of concern that they are being moved on Support Strategies (contact Lora regarding what this improvement plan needs to look like)
• Completed and uploaded all of your Renewal Recommendation letters into the appropriate school folder with this google drive

Resource Links

1. Here is the google drive link of third-year probationary/temporary certified staff (some P2/T2 are also included by administrator request) 
2. Here is a draft template/sample Renewal Recommendation letter for your guidance (make as many copies of the letter as you need)
3. Certified Professional Growth and Performance Manual (edition_5_-_evaluation_manual_-_certified_teacher.pdf)
4. Rubrics for certified staff (link)

Performance Evaluations

New charts have been added to Performance & Evaluation Hub within UKG to assist you in tracking your task progress

From Dean Richards

This week’s END will not be rescheduled. Next week January 24^th is open for schools to deliver Standards Based Grading Training #2 to staff.  This is the training that was given in Perseverance Hall on December 5^th. It should also include a follow up PLC by March 6^th. 

From our Horizontal Meeting a couple of weeks back

Tuesday, February 20 is the date for our 5th grade family night. Each MS will decide the start and end time for their individual school.

This and That

The ACR/Choice Option Deadline has been extended one week from January 19 to January 26. This was communicated in our family newsletter this week.

Follow Your YouthTruth Completion Percentage Here: We have a goal of 100% staff participation and 75% families participating and there’s only a couple weeks left. You can make a positive impact in your return rates, by communicating with your families often and in different modes (newsletters, synervoice, emails). Here is a “Cheat sheet” to help schools with survey implementation.

From Bend Ed Foundation

The Bend-La Pine Education Foundation is proud to announce a Spring 2024 classroom grant cycle! This will be on a smaller scale, but will hopefully provide a meaningful impact for educators across the district. 

Spring 2024 Grant Application: https://forms.gle/sTQXdnx9sq1dt46GAThe breakdown for the Spring Cycle: 

• Applications can be up to $850
• 3 Buckets: 
• STEM
• PE
• ART/MUSIC
• If the number of grant requests exceeds the available funding, we will fund 1 grant per school based on date received and requirements met. Teachers who did not receive funding in Fall 2023 will receive first priority. A grant report will be due by Jun 1, 2024. 
• Timeline: 
• 2/5 – Grant Application opens
• 3/1 – Grant application closes
• 3/5 – Allocations meeting 12-2pm
• 3/6-3/15 – Grant announcements and distributions

Please feel free to use the flyer attached to this email (both pdf and png forms) to help spread the word. 

Calendar

January 23: 504 Training for Admin Leads @Mountain View High School at 8:00 to 9:30

January 25: MS Horizontal @PCMS at 3:00-4:30

January 31: All admin Professional Development @Perserverance Hall BSHS at 3:00-4:30

February 2: Groundhog Day

February 8: MS Horizontal @PBMS at 3:00-4:30

February 19: President’s Day—This is not a paid holiday, so use non-contract if you don’t work

Tuesday, February 20th: 5th Grade Family Night Time TBD by each MS

Fish On

Team,

Have a wonderful weekend. I want to share my favorite Dr. Martin Luther King Jr quotes.~Juan

To Do

From Paul Dean, Human Resources

Building leaders – now is a good time for a refresher on the UKG Performance module as you progress through your formal and mini-observations.  Below is a list of resources (this list can be found on the Performance & Evaluation Hub tab when you scroll down to the bottom of the page).

Performance Module

• UKG Performance Module Overview Document – Certified Staff
• UKG Performance Evaluation Guide for District Administrators
• Slides from the October 25 BLAST training
• Link for 2022/23 Evaluation
• edition_5_-_evaluation_manual_-_certified_teacher.pdf
• Bend-La Pine Schools: Modified Evaluation System for Certified Staff, 2023-24
• SLGG google form – Staff can either make a digital copy to complete or they can print and fill out a hard copy.  These can be uploaded into UKG (instructions to follow)

Helpful tip – Please enter as much information as possible in your formal/mini observations as they are our official BLS Observation record of what you observed and the feedback you provided (in case we need to reference them years from now).  It is permissible to insert a link within the General Comments section of the observation entry if you utilized another google drive document as your primary repository of observation debriefs.

From the Business Office: 

If you used any Non-contract time over the holidays, those requests need submitted asap, the closing day for this pay period is January 14. Instructions for submitting requests can be found on the portal Employee-How to Use UKG__Requesting Time-off.pdf .

This and That

FAN Update from Dana Pedersen:

FAN staffing has been a challenge this year due to resignations and leaves.  Thank you all for your patience as I have adjusted staffing and most recently, made some changes in staffing assignments.  I am committed to staffing our Dual Immersion schools with Spanish speaking Advocates.  This has caused some shifts in assignments, as the last round of hiring yielded some great candidates, but none of them speak Spanish. Here is the current list of Advocates and their assigned schools. Two new Advocates are in the process of being hired now.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.  

From Tami Pike

Below is an email that went out to schools regarding immunization reporting from Sarah Van Meter, new Deschutes County Immunization Program Coordinator.  As most of you are aware, Bend-La Pine Schools has a designated nurse (superstar Michelle Spetic) that submits all of our district reports to the Deschutes County Health Department. This immunization reporting procedure that BLS has in place has shown to be an extremely efficient and time-saving process. Sarah has been made aware of our current district process for immunization report submission.

For any immunization questions, please reach out to your school nurse.

My apologies if this caused any confusion. 

Calendar

January 15: Martin Luther King Jr. Day

January 17: (New) Educator Network Day

January 17: Office staff (all of them) will train 1-2:30

January 23: 504 Training for Admin Leads @Mountain View High School at 8:00 to 9:30

January 25: MS Horizontal @PCMS at 3:00-4:30

January 31: All admin Professional Development @Perserverance Hall BSHS at 3:00-4:30

February 2: Groundhog Day

February 8: MS Horizontal @PBMS at 3:00-4:30

Fish On…

Team,

Happy 2024! I hope you are getting your sea legs back! Have a restful weekend. ~Juan

To Do

From Paul Dean Human Resources

Principals & Supervisors –

This email marks the time for us to pivot in earnest to our renewal/non-renewal and extension/non-extension process. BLS aspires to place the best teachers possible in front of students, and as such we want to be very deliberate in renewing third-year Probationary/Temporary status teachers. 

The primary means for removing underperforming Probationary/Temporary staff member before they reach Contract status is non-renewal of their contracts prior to the end of their third year of probation; once a teacher attains Contract status, separation of a deficient performer from the District becomes a much more labor-intensive process. 

******Please note a change in practice for Temporary 3 certified staff.  We are now required to follow all Probationary 3 practices for Temporary 3 certified staff. When you write a letter of support for a Temporary 3 staff member, then you are obligating your school to employ this person for the 2024/25 school year and beyond*********

If you have a third-year Probationary/Temporary certified staff of concern, I trust that you have been in conversation with HR/Your Level Leader regarding the remediation measures that must be extended and completed before the School Board’s meeting in March, where the renewal/non-renewal process culminates. If you have not yet undertaken the requisite measures with a third-year Probationary/Temporary staff member that you don’t believe should be granted Contract status, we are fast approaching the point beyond which you will not be able to meet deadlines to non-renew that teacher.

As you may also recall from experience or new administrator training, those of you with third-year Probationary/Temporary certified staff being recommended for Contract status need to generate letters of support for each one. The School Board wants each of us to be able to articulate the specific reasons any third-year Probationary/Temporary teacher should move to Contract status, and they take time to read every letter you prepare. 

Timeline

No later than Friday, January 5th: 

• You should have emailed[email protected] regarding any third-year Probationary/Temporary certified staff about whom you have concerns with
• Met with and notified those staff member that they are being placed on Focused Performance Review (contact Lora regarding what this improvement plan needs to look like)
• Begun writing your letters of support for third-year probationary/temporary certified staff with whom you are recommending for Contract status

No later than Friday, January 26th

• Met with and notified third-year staff member of concern that they are being placed on Support Strategies (contact Lora regarding what this improvement plan needs to look like)
• Completed and uploaded all of your Renewal Recommendation letters into the appropriate school folder with this google drive

Resource Links

1. Here is the google drive link of third-year probationary/temporary certified staff (some P2/T2 are also included by administrator request) 
2. Here is a draft template/sample Renewal Recommendation letter for your guidance (make as many copies of the letter as you need)
3. Certified Professional Growth and Performance Manual (edition_5_-_evaluation_manual_-_certified_teacher.pdf)
4. Rubrics for certified staff (link)

From Dean Richards

Here is the Admin assignments for next week’s Educator Network Day (END). Take a look at both links. One link is the assignment sheet and other one is for attendance.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lCiW2TWiXM-secTcsbkfRG7MAAYGsrjdJ72QqviTVAc/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/13AO19aAkzlR2nv1gfkgwyZVzH27vrdUNlFnRKEArB18/edit?usp=sharing

From Lora Nordquist

Team,

In communications from the Education Foundation, I learned that the foundation received multiple classroom grant requests for calculators. We should consider calculators essential supplies for our students provided by their schools/the district, not supplemental or enrichment tools funded by grants. In the future, site administrators should not sign off on classroom grant requests for essential supplies. 

If you are having difficulty financing necessary supplies for your students, please work with your level leader to identify possible budget sources for funding these. 

Let me know if you have questions.

From Business Office

UKG administrator reminder:

In the past, much of the BLAST time off was collected in a google doc. Since we now have UKG, leave must be requested and recorded in UKG. Please be sure to get those requests in before or during the time period that you are gone. Submissions after the timesheet has closed require an additional submitted form from you and are extremely labor intensive for the payroll staff. If you used any Non-contract time over the holidays, those requests need submitted asap, the closing day for this pay period is January 14. Instructions for submitting requests can be found on the portal Employee-How to Use UKG__Requesting Time-off.pdf . Please feel free to reach out to payroll with any additional questions. 541-355-1123 or [email protected].

Thank you from your payroll department

This and That

From Kinsey Martin

ASL Interpreters:

Wondering how to request an interpreter for American Sign Language (ASL)?   In your Linguist Link account, when you enter the “new project” page to make a new request, you’ll see instructions for accessing ASL support.  Please share this update with applicable staff.

CAFE Program:

Need an interpreter or translator in a pinch?  An updated list of CAFE Program members is available here (it also lives on the Portal’s Equity page, under ‘Employee Resources’).  You are welcome to contact anyone on the list, not just those at your site!  Please continue to use Linguist Link for the majority of your requests—CAFE members are bilingual staff who can support as linguists if you have a time-sensitive matter, but should not be relied on for these services regularly.  

District Family Nights:

Please mark your calendar for two upcoming events:

     –Wed, Jan 31st: Black History Month kick-off celebration

     –Thurs, Feb 8th: Lunar New Year celebration/AAPI Family Night

Both will be evening events with dinner included.  It would be great to have our leaders support our families by attending either or both of these events.  More info to follow—for now, save the dates!

From Kayla Martin

Hello, 

We have an update on SRO. Officer Chris Smelser started this week replacing Amy Ward at Bend High SHS. The document is attached, and I have also linked the SRO folder for admin and OMs to reference for the most current version of our SRO documents.

SRO_Google_Drive

From Jennifer Hauth

Here are upcoming training opportunities for supporting LGTBQ+ students and families. Please share.

Oregon Family Acceptance Project School Training

Inaugural Oregon Civics Bee 

We wanted to make sure you saw the information about the inaugural Oregon Civics Bee, which the OBI Foundation is launching in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Foundation. The Oregon Civics Bee, presented by US Bank, is a chance for middle school students to engage in an important topic that is all too often neglected. 

Oregon Civics Bee: Rules and FAQ

How can you help? 

Please share this information with your network and community. That’s it!  We are just trying to get the word out. More info is at the link above and a flyer is attached. A Spanish-lanugage flyer is available at the site.

How does it work? 

Middle school students (grades 6, 7 & 8) enter the competition by submitting a 500-word essay based on the prompt in the competition portal (at that same URL) not later than January 22. A panel of judges will select 20 finalists to compete in the Oregon Civics Bee, presented by US Bank, on May 30 at Willamette University. (Some travel stipends will be available for students traveling from further away.) At the May 30 event, students will participate in a quiz-style competition to narrow the field to three finalists who then engage in a Q&A session with judges about their essay topic. The winner receives $1,000 and an invitation to the National Civics Bee in DC (fall 2024). Second and third place receive $750 and $500, respectively. 

Student flyer

Calendar

January 11: MS Horizontal @HDMS at 3:00-4:30

January 15: Martin Luther King Jr. Day

January 23: 504 Training for Admin Leads @Mountain View High School at 8:00 to 9:30

January 25: MS Horizontal @PCMS at 3:00-4:30

January 31: All admin Professional Development @Perserverance Hall BSHS at 3:00-4:30

February 2: Groundhog Day

February 8: MS Horizontal @PBMS at 3:00-4:30

Fish On…

Team,

During this winter break I hope you find time to decompress, reflect on your successes, and look forward to the yet to come opportunities! I will reflect on these three while taking walks on the beach with my puppies.

Take a look at the following resource. I think it can be helpful as we think about strengthening our relationships between schools, families, and our community. You might also find it useful in enhancing school climate and culture. Might be a read over the break.

Hanover Research Document

I will see you in 2024! ~Juan

To Do

High School Choice Options

High School Choice Options Applications are opening after the winter break and are due January 19, 2024.  Bend Tech Academy and Realms HS are inviting ALL middle school counselors to come for an information session and tour to learn more about what unique opportunities are available to students at each of these choice high schools

The visit will take place on Monday January 8^th from 1:30-3:45 pm.  We will start at BTA and then transition to Realms HS.  

Please encourage and create time for your counselors to take advantage of this opportunity.  We want to see all MS counselors there!

Heads Up: There will be updated videos and information for middle schools to share with their students and families during the first two weeks of January.  Please be on the lookout for those resources!

From Paul Dean, Human Resources

Principals & Supervisors –

This email marks the time for us to pivot in earnest to our renewal/non-renewal and extension/non-extension process. BLS aspires to place the best teachers possible in front of students, and as such we want to be very deliberate in renewing third-year Probationary/Temporary status teachers. 

The primary means for removing underperforming Probationary/Temporary staff member before they reach Contract status is non-renewal of their contracts prior to the end of their third year of probation; once a teacher attains Contract status, separation of a deficient performer from the District becomes a much more labor-intensive process. 

******Please note a change in practice for Temporary 3 certified staff.  We are now required to follow all Probationary 3 practices for Temporary 3 certified staff. When you write a letter of support for a Temporary 3 staff member, then you are obligating your school to employ this person for the 2024/25 school year and beyond*********

If you have a third-year Probationary/Temporary certified staff of concern, I trust that you have been in conversation with HR/Your Level Leader regarding the remediation measures that must be extended and completed before the School Board’s meeting in March, where the renewal/non-renewal process culminates. If you have not yet undertaken the requisite measures with a third-year Probationary/Temporary staff member that you don’t believe should be granted Contract status, we are fast approaching the point beyond which you will not be able to meet deadlines to non-renew that teacher.

As you may also recall from experience or new administrator training, those of you with third-year Probationary/Temporary certified staff being recommended for Contract status need to generate letters of support for each one. The School Board wants each of us to be able to articulate the specific reasons any third-year Probationary/Temporary teacher should move to Contract status, and they take time to read every letter you prepare. 

Timeline

No later than Friday, January 5th: 

• You should have emailed[email protected] regarding any third-year Probationary/Temporary certified staff about whom you have concerns with
• Met with and notified those staff member that they are being placed on Focused Performance Review (contact Lora regarding what this improvement plan needs to look like)
• Begun writing your letters of support for third-year probationary/temporary certified staff with whom you are recommending for Contract status

No later than Friday, January 26th

• Met with and notified third-year staff member of concern that they are being placed on Support Strategies (contact Lora regarding what this improvement plan needs to look like)
• Completed and uploaded all of your Renewal Recommendation letters into the appropriate school folder with this google drive

Resource Links

1. Here is the google drive link of third-year probationary/temporary certified staff (some P2/T2 are also included by administrator request) 
2. Here is a draft template/sample Renewal Recommendation letter for your guidance (make as many copies of the letter as you need)
3. Certified Professional Growth and Performance Manual (edition_5_-_evaluation_manual_-_certified_teacher.pdf)
4. Rubrics for certified staff (link)

From Sean Reinhart

Raptor Student Safe is a new platform to enter, collaborate, and track data round NSSI (non suicidal self injury), suicidal ideation (suicide risk screens) and behavioral safety (threat) assessments for school teams.

At the January 10 Educator Network Day, the Student Services Team will train school counselors, school psychologists, student success coordinators and nurses on how to enter NSSI and suicide risk screens into this system. After this END training, school risk screening teams will enter these screens into this system moving forward and will be better able to collaborate and track student safety concerns in their buildings. 

All building administrators have access to their school site(s). Here is the BLS Raptor/StudentSafe Navigation Walkthrough document. Please make sure that you can log in to Raptor StudentSafe (using your district email address, no password required). Any technology issues or related problems, please contact our district Suicide Prevention Coordinator, Jamie Gunter at [email protected]. 

From Scott McDonald

Season’s Greetings from IT,

Parents can take an active role in how and how often school issued iPads are used while at home. Sending the following information home may be beneficial before the long winter holiday.  

There are two device monitoring applications available for Bend-La Pine families. The application descriptions and set up instructions are linked below.  

1. Apple Screentime   Screentime is simply a group of features found in the settings menu on most all Apple devices.  Using Screentime is probably the easiest method to start for most families. Screentime allows parents to restrict applications and set time limits for device use.  Just remind parents to to turn off their “secret” passcode before the student returns to school! 
2. JAMF parent This application is installed on the parent’s phone and has a few alternative features that are not available in the screentime settings. It is important to note that any restrictions applied in JAMF parent will not function during normal school hours (7:30AM-4:30PM) Monday through Friday.

This and That

From Stephen Duval

Mark your calendars for March 5^th as we host our first ever Life and Career Readiness night.  In partnership with Caldera DECA, we will be hosting a career fair type event at Caldera for grades 6th-12^th from 6-7:30 pm.  At this event students can explore different career paths with representatives from a variety of fields, learn more about the new future-oriented website Schoolinks and learn about postsecondary paths including college, military, trade school, gap year, and the workforce. There will be both middle and high school student information available as well as food carts. We hope you and/or others from your site can join us. We expect a big turnout and there are already over 40 different representatives signed up.  Please reach out to Stephen or Jess Calbreath with questions.

From Jackie Mueller

Sustainability Updates

Holiday SOP

With the winter break upon us, it is time to remind staff about the Holiday shutdowns in schools. HVAC will be set to unoccupied mode in schools which means the temperatures will be set to 58 in the buildings. Please remind staff to shut down electronics, empty all mini-fridges and unplug them, close blinds, and turn down lights. The Raptor computers remain on for updates, but the screens can be turned off. The Standard Operating Procedures can be found here.

The Good of the Green Team

BLS has green team leaders in all but 5 schools this year and they are doing amazing work. Here are a few updates. Summit High students partnered with Miller to collect usable toys and are hosting a gift give for families at Bear Creek. Northstar, Ensworth, and Buckingham students completed waste audits to get baseline data for waste reduction efforts. Amity Creek is starting the 2024 school year with plates. BSH put waste stations throughout the school and Caldera Green team is inspiring students and staff to bring reusables to their pancake breakfast. The High School Green Leadership Coalitions wants to remind you all to have a great holiday and to reduce waste in how we wrap presents.

Calendar

December 18-January 1: Winter break

January 2: Classes Resume

January 11: MS Horizontal @HDMS at 3:00-4:30

January 25: MS Horizontal @PCMS at 3:00-4:30

January 31: All admin Professional Development @Perserverance Hall BSHS at 3:00-4:30

Fish On…

Team,

Have a wonderful weekend. ~Juan

To Do

From Kinsey Martin 

Translation/Interpretation:

For any translation or interpretation requests that you’ll need completed/filled by the first week in January, please ensure you submit the request to Linguist Link before Friday, December 15^th to avoid incurring additional costs you may be responsible for.  

For example, if you plan to send a family newsletter or email between Jan 2-5, please submit that document to translation before winter break.  Please share this reminder with your staff.

Black History Month Save-the-Date:

Our Black Family & Student Union is organizing a kick-off event to launch February’s Black History Month.  The event will take place Wednesday, January 31st.  Mark you calendar!  

Also, please consider inviting the Equity Coaches to a staff meeting, SIW, ICCL meeting, or PLC gatherings in January to connect with your teachers about their plans for thoughtfully incorporating Black History Month themes into their instruction.  

From Jennifer Hauth

Filing Guidance (DHS & Suicide Screens) 

• There has been some confusion with building administrators and support staff on where to “hold” forms after a completed suicide risk screener or DHS report. Here are some reminders:

• Suicide Risk Screener with Safety Plan: Notification goes to principal, written form stays with the person who completed the screener and safety plan – typically counselor/psych/SSC. A copy should be sent by the staff member that completed the process  to April Jorgenson via BLSend or district mail. 
• DHS Reports:  Written form goes to the working file of principal (or designee) and a copy is sent to April Jorgensen via BLSend or district mail.
• The written record of both the DHS form or Suicide Risk Screener/ Safety Plan should never be placed in the student’s cumulative folder

From Scott McDonald

Signing into Synergy-

This is the final reminder regarding a change of process for staff who sign into Synergy Mobile applications. From now on, be sure you choose  “Sign In with BLS” whenever you are given the option. 

The regular Username and Password fields will no longer provide access beginning this coming weekend.

Video streaming tips for classroom AV-

Now that all our schools have Apple TV’s available in their classrooms, there has been some confusion about how best to stream video.   Apple TVs use  “Apple Airplay” to share what is on your computer with your classroom projector or flat panel TV. It is a very handy service that allows teachers to project wirelessly.  However, Apple Airplay does not support most video streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime.   It is important to note that this is a function of Apple Airplay that protects image quality and unintended buffering (delays).  NO, this is not a district setting that can be enabled or changed 😊.   On the rare occasion that video streaming is necessary in the classroom, teachers must use the HDMI cord and dongle that was originally provided with every classroom AV system.  

Does your classroom have a ceiling mounted projector?

Be sure to unplug your HDMI cord from the wall plate and store it when not in use.  Wall plates are easily damaged by feet and vacuums.  Not to mention, they will cost your school $500 to replace if damaged!  

This and That

Office Manager/Staff Meeting Change: 

Office Managers have spoken and we have heard! After conversations the Level Leaders had with Janet and Marta regarding the feedback they have received about the monthly Office Manager meetings, the format will be changing, to include the whole office staff at your sites. There is so much information that really should be heard by the whole office and it will build the collaboration and support of one another to hear it together.

We all sat down to look at the calendar from now to the end of the year to plan out the dates, which we know are important, as it will be leaving your office needing to be covered by someone else in your building on these Wednsdays (timesheet someone, admin cover, etc.). We are giving you those new dates now, but know that Janet and Marta will share them out again in a future email. We just wanted you to be aware of the change that is coming and not to be caught off guard when it happens. While Office Managers get this blog, the rest of the office staff may not, so please let them know as well.

The new dates are as follows: 1/17, 3/6, 4/17, and May 22. The elementary teams will be meeting from 1:15-2:15 and the secondary teams will be meeting from 2:30-3:30. Locations will be determined at a later date and will be communicated.

From Heather Tang, MHA, CPS | Community Health Strategist

Upshift. Adolescent Substance Use Doc

From Jennifer Hauth

How to mark Wayfinder lessons

From Jennifer Hauth

From Dave VanLoo

Here is a “Cheat sheet” to help schools with survey implementation. Among the many things included in here are links to YouthTruth’s standard parental notification and opt-out form in English and Spanish.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RNfu8uaNWA9bkjRiqtU1gkVkH2k0Rk9-DQi1A_cnqRk/edit?usp=sharing

Calendar

December 12: MS Horizontal via Teams 9:45-11:00

December 18-January 1: Winter break

January 2: Classes Resume

January 11: MS Horizontal @HDMS at 3:00-4:30

January 25: MS Horizontal @PCMS at 3:00-4:30

January 31: All admin Professional Development @Perserverance Hall BSHS at 3:00-4:30

Fish On…

Team,

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Stay warm, stay safe, and let it snow! ~Juan

To Do

From Paul Dean, Human Resources

Performance Module 

Goals For Certified Staff:

• All certified staff were expected to submit goals through UKG by December 1.  If you haven’t engaged with your staff to complete this task, please do so the week of December 4th.
  • Classroom teachers are required to submit SLGG goals and their UKG form is organized as such
  • Everyone else is prompted to submit goals but are not asked to submit SLGGs
    • Jennifer Hauth has emailed a goal template for Student Success staff for them to copy, complete and upload to their UKG goal form
    • Josh Marks has provided a goal template for Speech staff to do the same.  All Speech teachers are now pointing to building administrators for performance related tasks (goals, mini/formal, self-reflection and summative evaluations) 
    • If a staff member has not been provided with a template from someone who oversees their program, then they are to follow the instructions within UKG to provide their own personal goals for the year

Upcoming optional virtual Performance drop in sessions:

• Monday, 12/4,  from 10:00 am – 11:00 am (Click here to join the meeting)
  • Essential Resource: UKG Performance Module Overview Document

IMPORTANT: Evaluation and Non Renewal Reminder

Secondary HT Presentation on Managing Deficient Performance  (link)

If you have a Probationary 3 or Temporary 3 staff member of concern, this is another reminder that you should have already entered into the Focused Performance Review process with that person AND emailed [email protected].  Here is another method of viewing the P3/T3 staff that you are responsible for.  

From Dave VanLoo

Here is information regarding Oregon’s state testing notices and forms that we are required to provide to families. One change this year is the SEED survey is required to be made available to all students in grades 3-11. There is a SEED notice and opt-out form that is separate from the OSAS notice and form. You will see that the opt-out process is much more relaxed for SEED. At a minimum I would recommend posting documents on your school’s website and providing a link in a newsletter.  

OSAS 30-Day Notice and Opt-Out Forms for 2023-24

Per ORS 329.479, “At least 30 days prior to the administration of statewide summative assessments, a school district or public charter school must send to parents and adult students a notice about the statewide summative assessments.” This statute also requires ODE to “establish a form to excuse a student from taking a statewide summative assessment.” Based on the 2023-24 testing windows, districts and public charter schools must distribute the 30-Day Notice on or before the following dates: 

• January 8, 2024 for Grade 11 

• March 4, 2024 for grades 3-8 

ODE has updated the combined 30-Day Notice and Opt-Out Forms in English, Spanish, and 12 additional languages for the 2023-24 academic year. All forms are published as both fillable and non-fillable PDFs within the “Forms” menu on the Test Administration page.

Additional information is available in section 5.3 of the Oregon Test Administration Manual (TAM). The TAM and forms and many other resources are available here. https://www.oregon.gov/ode/educator-resources/assessment/Pages/Assessment-Administration.aspx

SEED Survey, Notice, and Opt-Out Form for 2023-24

In 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23, schools and districts chose whether to offer the SEED Survey to their students. Beginning in 2023-24, in compliance with HB 2656, districts must make the SEED survey available to all students in grades 3-11 who are enrolled in Oregon public schools or programs. SEED notification and opt-out forms must be shared at least 5 days prior to administering the survey.

The SEED Survey gathers data from students statewide, in grades 3-11. The content of the survey varies by grade level. The survey measures student perceptions in four core constructs: • Access to learning resources • Opportunity to learn • Self-efficacy • Sense of belonging

More information on the SEED survey can be found on the SEED survey webpage.

https://www.oregon.gov/ode/educator-resources/assessment/Pages/Student_Educational_Equity_Development_Survey.aspx

Contact Dave with any questions.

Opt out English. Opt out Spanish. Seed Notice

From Kinsey Martin

From the Office of DEI:

Upcoming Dates:

Thurs, Dec 7th: 

First night of Hanukkah.  Please avoid scheduling events this evening.  Also, there is a public Menorah lighting at the Old Mill the evening of Dec. 7th—details here.  Please consider attending and/or encouraging your staff to attend if interested in supporting this community celebration.  

Mon, Dec 11th: 

Spanish-language FAFSA Night (focused on 8th-12^th graders).  Invitation here​—thanks for helping distribute/promote as applicable!  

Tues, Dec 12th: 

Our Lady of Guadalupe Feast Day.  This is a holiday celebrated by many within the Latino/Hispanic Catholic community in particular.  For your awareness and scheduling, this includes evening church activities that many of our families attend.  

Family Liaison Team:

Here is the updated information about our team of linguistically- and/or culturally-specific Family Liaisons: English version, Spanish version.

DEI ICCL Representatives:

Don’t forget to connect with your school’s DEI representative about presenting to your ICCL team between now and January sometime.  See Kinsey’s email for details or reach out if you’d like to connect!  

This and That

From Tami Pike

How to Register for CPR/First Aid Training/Renewal Course for BLS Staff

• UKG
• My Info (drop down menu, 3 stacked lines upper left side, above your initials)
• My Career
• My Learning
• Access Learning (upper right side)
• Training (top black menu bar)
• Courses
• First Aid (on right side)
• Click on First Aid Link 
• Click on green Enroll Now button

Online Course

Once staff have registered for the CPR/First Aid course, staff will receive an email with a link for the online course portion of the training. (If you do not receive a link within the next business day, please check your junk email. If it is not in your junk email, please email Michelle Spetic at [email protected])

In-Person Skills Training

Once the online portion of the training is completed, staff will receive a Google form to sign up for the 20 minute in-person skills training.

Certification Card

Staff will receive an email with your CPR/First Aid certification card within 1-2 business days after completing the in-person skills class.

List of Certified CPR/First Aid Trained Staff at Your Site

Stephanie Bend sends out quarterly reports to all schools that include cpr/first aid certified school staff names.

OAR 581-022-2220 –  Health Services

Each school shall have, at a minimum, at least one staff member with a current first aid/CPR/AED card for every 60 students enrolled, as set by ORS 339.345, and 342.664 and who are trained annually on the district and building emergency plans. Emergency planning will include the presence of at least one staff member with a current first aid/CPR/AED card for every 60 students for school-sponsored activities where students are present. (This includes field trips.)

From Jennifer Hauth

Care Solace and Winter Break Messaging

Some administrators have asked for accounts for Care Solace in the past but we are now creating accounts for All admin. This week you will receive an email from Care Solace asking you to create an account with a password. Currently, school counselors, student success, school psychologists and nurses are trained to do “warm handoffs” and to make referrals. If you would like to be trained, please let me know or one of your trained staff members can show you in a few minutes. Also, you will have access to the admin dashboard to see the reasons why students and staff at your school are seeking referrals for mental health support. Please continue to promote Care Solace (Spanish) via newsletters to families and staff often. 

Signature Line to promote Care Solace and resources

Out of office MessageFamily Spotlight Winter Messaging for December 6th: Please feel free to use text for your own school newsletters.

From Amanda Gylling (Elementary AP)

Middle/HS Admin,

Not trying to fill your inbox…just sharing what elementary admin are navigating on the fly and figure you probably are as well (or you may be steps ahead…if so, ignore this). Teachers can’t do any of these steps until we as admin have started the process for them.

To do this:

Step 1:

Step 2:

After it has been initiated, THEN they should be able to see it in their bell.

If someone has learned how to initiate all staff with one click, please share!

Inclement Weather: 

HERE are the Inclement Weather Guidelines for the 2023-2024 school year, which detail the guidelines and procedures to be followed in the event of severe weather conditions. To stay informed and receive timely updates, please subscribe to BLConnect so that you can receive notifications via text. To learn more about how weather-related decisions are made, visit the BLS inclement weather page: https://www.bend.k12.or.us/district/news-events/alerts-updates

From Scott McDonald, IT

Google Change

Calendar

December 6: All Admin professional development (Cancelled)

December 7: MS Horizontal @SVMS at 3:00-4:30

December 18-January 1: Winter break

January 2: Classes Resume

January 11: MS Horizontal @HDMS at 3:00-4:30

January 25: MS Horizontal @PCMS at 3:00-4:30

Fish On…

Jump into the Weekend!

Team,

I hope you all find time to rest, catch up with family and friends during this holiday break.

~Juan

To Do

From Paul Dean

Performance Module 

Goals For Certified Staff:

• All certified staff are required to submit goals through UKG
  • Classroom teachers are required to submit SLGG goals and their UKG form is organized as such
  • Everyone else is prompted to submit goals but are not asked to submit SLGGs
    • Jennifer Hauth has emailed a goal template for Student Success staff for them to copy, complete and upload to their UKG goal form
    • Josh Marks has provided a goal template for Speech staff to do the same
    • If a staff member has not been provided with a template from someone who oversees their program, then they are to follow the instructions within UKG to provide their own personal goals for the year

Rollout Update:

• By November 18 – All building administrators (principals, assistant principals, deans) will be able to access and complete their goal setting forms which will then flow to their direct supervisor for approval and finalization.
• By December 2, all remain BLAST members will be able to access and complete their goal setting forms which will then flow to their direct supervisor for approval and finalization.
• In April, all BLAST members will be assigned the self-evaluation form to complete.
• In May, BLAST members responsible for evaluating other BLAST members will be assigned the summative evaluation form for each of those individuals.

IMPORTANT: Evaluation and Non-Renewal Reminder If you have a Probationary 3 or Temporary 3 staff member of concern, this is another reminder that you should have already entered into the Focused Performance Review process with that person AND emailed [email protected].  Here is another method of viewing the P3/T3 staff that you are responsible for.

From Stephen DuVal

Make sure you have Monday, February 26^th on your calendars for our 2^nd annual CTE fly up day.  We will be following a similar structure where our 8^th grade students will head up to their high school to experience hands on learning in our CTE classrooms.

From Stephen DuVal

REMINDER: In order to keep on pace for the Standards Based Grading conversations and ICCL/Admin meetings, please be sure to have the follow up meeting of teachers completed by November 29^th. 

Our next ICCL/Admin meeting is on the second Tuesday after Thanksgiving Break, 12/5 at 4:15 in Perseverance Hall at Bend High School.

From April Jorgenson

When we return from break, I will be working on getting your SIF & MSALT funds transferred to your budgets for you to begin spending.  Prior to the funds being transferred, your plans need to be approved by Juan.  Please complete your plans (located on your staffing plans) ASAP.  For those of you who have completed your plans, Juan will be looking them over next week and we will get the funds transferred as soon as we are able.  Please let me know if you have any questions.  

From Tami Pike

Please share the HERO Kids Registry Information with your schools to share with their families.

This and That

From Dave Vanloo: 

It’s time to engage principals in YouthTruth survey preparation! Here are two steps to complete in the coming days:

1. KICK-OFF WEBINAR WITH PRINCIPALS

Please share this 11-minute pre-recorded kick-off webinar directly with school principals to watch by Friday, November 24^th.

·         Principals will learn how to prepare for surveying and review important information such as due dates, survey topics, etc.

·         We recommend viewing the webinar during an upcoming principals’ meeting. If that’s not possible, ask principals to view the webinar individually and consider having them email you three salient points they learned as an accountability measure.

·         Recommended: Watch the recording at 1.5x speed! To change the playback speed, click the settings “gear” icon in the lower right-hand corner of the video screen.

From Human Resources and Amanda Gylling, AP Elk Meadow Elementary

Step-by-step-guide to upload SLGG into UKG

From Kayla Martin

Hi all, 

Attached you will find the updated SRO/SRD list. Amy Ward, Bend High School’s long-time SRO, is retiring next week. Sergeant Joe Pacheco will be covering Officer Ward’s schools, while still serving as the SRO supervisor, until the vacancy is filled. 

SRO Assignments

Protecting Student Privacy

FERPA-Security Video Resource

Calendar

November 15: All Admin Professional Development 3:00-4:30 @ BSHS Perseverance Hall

November 16: Annual district-wide Latino Family Night at Pilot Butte Middle School at 5:30-7:45

November 23: Thanksgiving

November 24: Native American Heritage Day

November 28: Secondary principal and assistant principal meeting with Human Resources 8:00-9:30 at BSHS in Perseverance Hall

December 6: All Admin professional development (Cancelled)

December 7: MS Horizontal @SVMS at 3:00-4:30

December 18-January 1: Winter break

Fish On…

Latino Family Night 2023 at Pilot Butte MS

Team,

I hope you have an enjoyable three day weekend! ~Juan

To Do

From Lora Nordquist

Here is the agenda for November’s leadership team meeting. Also, please know that December’s leadership team meeting is canceled due to the law conference.

November leadership team meeting agenda

From Paul Dean

Performance Module 

Rollout Update:

All certified staff have performance profiles and should be viewable by their direct supervisors.  Follow the delegation instructions in this UKG Performance Module Overview Document if you want to share tasks with Assistant Principals and/or Deans.

Support:

The virtual drop-in sessions have been lightly attended so I’ll reduce them to just once a week.  Click here to join the meeting on Tuesday, 11/14 from 10 am to 11 am.

Safe Schools Reminder

The safe school compliance videos were due to be completed by 10/31.  Below is a reminder of how staff may access them.  Please be sure to share this requirement with staff hired after September 1.

• Google Doc of Learning Module Tips
• Video Overview of the Learning Module
• Video Overview For Safe Schools Access

This and That

From Stephen Duval

It’s that time of year again.  November 17^th is College and Career Day in Bend-La Pine Schools.  As with last year, we are looking to draw attention to the multitude of pathways available to students after they graduate high school.  This is a K-12 day!  We want all students to be dreaming about what options they have after they leave our schools.  

Here are a few things you could do at your site to make the day a success.  It would be great if classrooms or advisories could look to do something for just 10-15 minutes this day.

• Dress as a professional
  • Encourage students and staff to dress up as someone from a career they are interested in.  Remember there are a lot of great careers out there!
• Wear college colors
  • Encourage students to wear the colors of a favorite college.  Remember, college can mean community college, trade school, 4-year university, etc.  Be careful with wording here as college brand clothing can be expensive and prevent students from feeling like they can participate.  Colors are more inclusionary.  
• Consider incorporating videos or lessons bringing awareness to careers and colleges. 
  • Our 6-12 sites could lean into some of the activities in SchooLinks.  All of our secondary counselors have been trained and could help support here.  Consider onboarding all your students if you haven’t already done so.  Students are required to take a “Find your Path” assessment when first logging in that will jumpstart the college and career exploration process.
  • Wayfinder also has some great resources, especially their integration with Roadtrip Nation.
  • Here is a great website from the State of Oregon called Career Journeys.  There are amazing short videos, lesson plans and other activities any teacher could do.
  • Also available is the Carrer Connected Learning Central Oregon website which allows exploration of career paths close to home.
  • Finally, here is a great resource full of college videos.  Students could scroll through and watch short videos on all kinds of colleges. 
• Consider inviting parents from the community in to talk about their careers. 
  • This could be done in a variety of ways from assemblies, to advisory, to lunch.  You could also ask parents to submit a short video of them talking about their jobs and stitch them together for students.  Remember our visitor and volunteer requirements if you decide to invite parents in.

We hope you’ll join in the celebration.  Please send pictures of your participation to Stephen DuVal or Scott Maben.

From Heather Tang-Upshift

I want to extend my appreciation to each school site for their efforts in implementing UpShift and updating the UpShift Participation tracking forms. Additionally, I would like to offer a few friendly reminders: 

Ensuring the BLS UpShift roles are filled and functioning well will be a continuous process throughout the school year(s). If you find it challenging to fill these roles, particularly UpShift Specialists, please reach out to myself or the Public Health Specialist at your school. It is important that schools have a few individuals identified in order to distribute the work load. 

Some additional consider things regarding the UpShift Specialist Role include the following: 

·         The district has identified a few individuals as district-wide support. If you have an influx of students needing Teen Intervene, please contact me, and I will facilitate connections with district support, provided they are available.  

·         Time sheeting is still an option for staff members designated in the UpShift Specialist role who work part-time or take responsibilities outside of their regular job duties to meet with students.  

It is important to keep in mind that all schools should enter substance use policy violations into the synergy system. This, or the accompanying form, should be completed by someone on the admin team. Here are instructions with visuals aids to guide through the process which includes entering the UpShift disposition. If you are not directly entering into synergy, please share with whomever at your school is.

From Laura Clark

Hello everyone. I hope this email finds you well. Attached please find English and Spanish one-pagers for Canvas Observer sign-ups adapted from the current parent guides on our website. 

Website guides:

Canvas Landing Page on our district website > Parent Help > Start Here

Canvas Landing Page on our district website > En Español > Registro de Observadores

Please share! These resources will be useful for parent communication, parent events, and engaging new families.

Registro de observacion. Be a Canvas user

Calendar

Calendar

November 9: MS Horizontal @PBMS at 3:00-4:30

November 10: Veterans Day

November 15: All Admin Professional Development 3:00-4:30 @ BSHS Perseverance Hall

November 16: Annual district-wide Latino Family Night at Pilot Butte Middle School at 5:30-7:45

November 23: Thanksgiving

November 24: Native American Heritage Day

November 28: Secondary principal and assistant principal meeting with Human Resources 8:00-9:30 at BSHS in Perseverance Hall

December 7: MS Horizontal @SVMS at 3:00-4:30

Fish On…

Team,

I hope you had a good week despite the fact that Halloween landed on a school day!

I wish you a restful weekend. ~Juan

To Do

From Paul Dean

Performance Module 

Upcoming optional virtual drop in sessions:

• Friday, 11/3,  from 1:15 pm – 2:15 pm (Click here to join the meeting)
• Monday, 11/6,  from 1:15 pm – 2:15 pm (Click here to join the meeting)
• Thursday, 11/9, from 10 am – 11 am (Click here to join the meeting)

Each session will have the same agenda:

• We’ll begin with a rollout update
• Reteach how to Initiate goal setting
• Q&A afterwards

Rollout Update For Friday 11/3:

As of mid-day on Monday, November 6, you will be able to initiate the goal setting process for all of your contract and prob/temp classroom teachers, specialists and elective teachers.  These staff members will have received both an email and a notification within UKG with the following message:

We are kicking off the 2023/24 performance evaluation process!  

The district and BEA leadership have an agreement to adjust the number of mini-observations this year for all certified contract status staff (regardless of your on/off year summative evaluation status this year).  The agreement includes one goal setting meeting (mini #1) and two additional mini-observations (#2 and #3) and a reduction in the domains/standards to be evaluated at year’s end.  [The agreement does not apply to probationary/temporary staff or those who are involved in focused goals, support strategies or plans of assistance].

The 2023/24 performance evaluation process includes the following tasks:

• You will be sent a To-Do notification through UKG to identify your personal goals and two student learning growth goals (SLGGs) for the year.  Due date for goal submission is December 1.
• Administrators/supervisors will meet with you to review the goals that you submitted through UKG (this will count as mini-observation #1)
• For contract status staff, administrators/supervisors will conduct two additional mini-observations (#2 & #3) during the school year. These two mini-observations will be tracked through UKG with the administrator/supervisor entering an Observation form which will then flow to you for digital confirmation
• In early April, you will be sent a To-Do notification to complete a self-reflection through UKG.  Due date for the self-reflection is May 1.
• Probation and temporary staff will follow the same process as in past years:
  • submission of goals and a goal setting meeting (mini observation #1)
  • 2 formal observations
  • 3 additional mini-observations (#2 – #4)
  • a self-reflection
  • a summative evaluation

For contract certified staff who did not receive a summative evaluation last year, your administrator/supervisor will complete a summative evaluation in May/June which will be sent via UKG to each person to review, comment and sign.

You will soon receive both an email and a notification in UKG with instructions on how to submit your 2023/24 goals. Here is a sneak peak video overview of the goal setting submission process.

Certified Staff on Alternate Rubrics 

By Monday, 11/13, all certified staff on alternate rubrics will be viewable and ready to initiate. BLS and BEA are still in conversations regarding a possible reduction in their domains/standards for 2023/24.

Administrative Evaluations 

In early December, we will begin rolling out the UKG evaluation process for building and district administrators

From Sandy Schmidt

The Fall MAC Survey will be the week of November 6^th and MAC looks different than in previous years. You will have just 6-12 staff at your school sites who are a part of the MAC cost pool. To be able to participate in the MAC Survey, you must be trained annually. I have emailed our untrained cost pool staff directly with MAC training information. In order for this slimmed down, intentional approach to be successful, it is imperative that staff in the cost pool complete their MAC training and participate in the MAC Survey. Automated messaging from Multnomah ESD will go out only to those staff in the cost pool one working day prior to the MAC Survey day and again on the morning of the MAC Survey. Please feel free to reach out to me or the FAN Advocate at your school if you have any questions or if you would like a list of your staff who are in the Fall MAC Survey. As the majority funding source for our FAN program, your support of MAC is greatly appreciated! 

This and That

From Jennifer Hauth

School Counseling Blog:

Here is the updated blog for the week!

In it you will find:

• Use of Time is coming up. Please read instructions to be best prepared. 
• Student Conference (Student Contact Data input):  We will be sharing initial data to administrators very soon, please make sure you are inputting your data so you can track student contacts and programming/interventions!
• Thank you!
• Upcoming PLCs

From Lynn Tat (Climate and Culture Task Force)

Middle School Counselors,

The Culture and Climate Task Force (formerly Disruptive Learning) would like to interview students about the ‘culture and climate’ of middle schools, with a particular interest in the implementation and follow through of district wide ‘clear and consistent expectations’, which was a priority recommendation from the task force. 

Eric Powell and I, from the task force, are partnering with the LEAD Equity Team to make this happen!

I am organizing the interviews and reaching out to you all because, well, you’re my people 😊

We also know that your counseling team has the knowledge to recommend a group of students who represent a diverse cross-section of your student body.  We would like to have around 10 students – maybe 3 from 6^th, 3 from 7^th, 4 from 8^th.   We would also need to reserve a space in your building to meet with them. 

Below is the proposed schedule.  Please confirm that these dates/times would work for your site and if you’re willing to help us gather a group of students to meet with.  Thanks so much for your support!! 

Sky View MS	Tues. Nov. 7 1:00-2:00
REALMS MS	Tues. Nov. 7 2:30-3:30
High Desert MS	Wed Nov. 8 1:00-2:00
La Pine MS	Mon Nov. 13 2:15-3:15
Pacific Crest MS	Tues Nov. 14 1:00-2:00
Cascade MS	Tues Nov. 14 2:30-3:30
Pilot Butte MS	Wed Nov. 15 1:00-2:00

Here is the letter that will be shared with parents. Parent letter

Technology BYTES:

When to use the Webhelpdesk  support ticket system.

There are several ways to communicate with your Bend-La Pine Schools IT support staff.  The most effective of which is the webhelpdesk ticket.   If you have a quick question, call the help desk (1200) or shoot an email to your client service representative.  But if you have an expectation, or a request that will require action, you should ONLY use the web help desk ticket system.  Why?

• a web help desk ticket will direct your request to one of 30 IT staff that is best suited to answer your question.

• It is the only communication method that will alert IT support if it remains unanswered. (1 day happy and green 3 days yellow and SCARY RED at day 5!)

• It tracks common issues that could be addressed to benefit all BLS users.

When Signing into Synergy mobile applications be sure you choose  “Sign In with BLS” whenever the option is provided. The regular Username and Password fields will no longer provide access and the change will take effect on the following applications:

HealthVue, AdminVue, and TeacherVue

The change will not impact StudentVue or ParentVUE.

Your IT team looks forward to serving you during the 23-24 school year! 

Calendar

November 9: MS Horizontal @PBMS at 3:00-4:30

November 10: Veterans Day

November 15: All Admin Professional Development 3:00-4:30 @ BSHS Perseverance Hall

November 16: Annual district-wide Latino Family Night at Pilot Butte Middle School at 5:30-7:45

November 23: Thanksgiving

November 24: Native American Heritage Day

November 28: Secondary principal and assistant principal meeting with Human Resources 8:00-9:30 at BSHS in Perseverance Hall

December 7: MS Horizontal @SVMS at 3:00-4:30

Fish On…