School Leaders:
I hope your welcome back week is going well! I am excited about a new school year and all of the wonder it will bring!
To Do:
- Every school is required to be trained in QPR every three years. This training can be completed during an SIW. Please register your staff for this 90 minute Suicide Prevention Training.
- Jim Boen and I have been working with Whitney Schumacher of Deschutes County Health Services on a PILOT program called Teen Intervene. This program would provide an option to suspension for students with drug and alcohol violations. Whitney will present the program at our September 24 HS Admin Meeting and to HS Counselors at their October meeting. For your convenience, you can review the Program Proposal, Teen Intervene Screening Guidelines and Screening Tools prior to the meeting. We are looking for six high schools and middle schools to PILOT the program beginning mid year.
Informational:
- There is a QPR (Suicide) Training available September 12 from 5:30-7:30 sponsored by Deschutes County Health Services.
- This Equity Policy has been approved by the district. It will provide a lens for our work in schools and district wide. Consider what safeguards you currently have in place, or need to add, to insure equity and access for ALL students to the best of what we offer!
- It is exciting that we have two new high schools that will provide additional personalized learning experiences and different educational opportunities to our students: Skyline High School and REALMS High School. Also, you may have seen The Bulletin article on Marshall HS and changes happening there. These schools will provide fantastic additions to our options for students! All three schools are now considered choice schools so follow the district application process and currently have space to accept new students (15-30 spots, depending on the school).
- Jim Boen continues to oversee discipline at the district level. However, I am your first point of contact if you have questions. Students who were in STRIVE in the spring are pointed to Marshall HS. STRIVE is not available for newly expelled HS students until the completion of the new construction on that campus, which is scheduled to be done in February, 2019. Until then, options are COIC, home tutoring and LUNA. LUNA runs 3-6 Mon-Thurs.
Reminders:
- Principals, return this year’s admin work calendar to me by the start of September. Please take your best guess of days you will not be working by blocking them out on the calendar. Assistant Principals, you should turn yours in to your principal.
- If you haven’t already, please let me know when you’d like for me to come to your site for a 30 min visit in the next few weeks. There is nothing you need to prepare for in advance.
Calendar:
- Expect to hear more about the importance of equity in our work. Consider taking a team to the Statewide Educator Equity Summit sponsored by COSA on Sept 27.
- Mark your calendars for the Check and Connect training for Grad Coaches and Building Admin scheduled for Oct 17 and 18 at the HDESD in Redmond. Plan on sending your Grad Coach and one administrator to this training. There is no cost to schools.