To Do:
Prepare your CEL work for June! Here is your bridge to practice to have done before our June 22 work. NOTE: you need to talk to some teachers, so don’t wait until they are all gone! Also, your canvas (google slides that have been made for you) should be in at least a draft form for your presentations that day. You will need to share those slides which can be done by printing them or showing them on your computer. We will be at Perseverance Hall from 8:00-2:00. (original time was 9-3, but got changed). Let us know if you have any questions.
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From Kinsey:
Graduation and name pronunciation: Principals, please don’t forget to have whoever is reading names at graduation clarify and practice correct name pronunciation. Synergy’s voice-recording of name pronunciation is a good resource (if/when a student has used that tool and has a recording filed there), and/or your Multilingual Services staff can help you rehearse as well.
Your ICCL team and LEAD/Equity work:
As you prepare to hir ICCLs, please keep in mind the following information: Next year each school will identify one ICCL member to serve as the ‘liaison’ between your school and the district’s LEAD/Equity work. This person will have regular collaboration time (within their ICCL role and via sub-release time–not additional hours) with our Office of DEI leadership team, to connect the needs and work of your building with the district-wide efforts and priorities for equity and inclusion. Just a heads-up as you begin to hire—please be thinking of which member of your team will serve as a point person (someone with a strong interest in matters of equity, inclusion, and school systems to support our priority populations). Kinsey will reach out in fall for the name of this person!
June LEAD student lessons:
Our LEAD/Equity Coaches are finalizing two lessons that will be available to you and teachers next week: One for teaching about Juneteenth and one for Pride Month. Just as we expect teachers to teach about topics like Hispanic Heritage Month, Lunar New Year, or the American Revolution, we similarly ask teachers to include the history and heritage related to these two topics in June (which are directly represented in state learning standards within Ethnic Studies and Health, and in line with our school board priorities for representation and belonging within curriculum and instruction).
Please: review these lessons when you receive them next week, encourage your teachers to give them a try, participate in some classrooms during these conversations, and/or reach out to a LEAD/Equity Coach or to Kinsey if you’d like partnership!
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From Tami Pike and Aimee Snyder:
Students in Bend High’s Design Justice class developed an Overdose Prevention PSA video that can be shared with students at your schools.
We plan to share the video through Health classes in the remaining weeks this year. An email will go out to your middle and high school health teachers Monday morning asking them to share the video with their Health classes before the end of the year and to complete a questionnaire after they show the video. These are the instructions that will go out to Health teachers.
As a district, we will consider sharing this PSA to students and similar information to families more broadly next year following fielding testing of the PSA in the Health classes in our remaining weeks this year.
For your information: The instructions include the PSA script, additional resources to direct students to, and content for a future family newsletter. Please use the PSA script to answer any questions that may come up related to overdose risk.
If you have questions or concerns, contact your school’s Public Health Specialist, Tami Pike, or Aimee Snyder:
- Tami Pike: Bend-La Pine Schools Assistant Director of Health Services
- Lindsay Seibel: Public Health Specialist for Bend High, Pilot Butte Middle, Bend Tech Academy
- Amanda Armstrong: Public Health Specialist for La Pine High and Middle
- Lani McQuilkin: Public Health Specialist for Mountain View High, Realms, Sky View Middle
- Emily Wommack: Public Health Specialist for Summit High, Cascade Middle, and Pacific Crest Middle
- Aimee Snyder: Healthy Schools Supervisor filling in for Public Health Specialist for Caldera High, High Desert Middle
The video was made in partnership with Deschutes County Prevention and Health Promotion. The content in the video aligns with best practices for preventing adolescent substance use.
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Information:
Access to The Office Group: In the May 5th post, I included a statement that we did not have an agreement in place allowing us to exchange student information with The Office Group. For those of you unfamiliar with this organization, their website gives this description: “The Office Group in Bend, Oregon offers hardworking and deserving high school students in challenging situations the services necessary to maximize their higher education possibilities.”
Over the years, members from The Office Group have worked with some school staff to assist students with post high school planning. We have learned that many students have benefitted from this assistance, and we are grateful.
Because of the success of this support, we are formalizing this partnership while ensuring that we are meeting our legal obligations to protect student information. We are currently collaborating with The Office Group to develop an agreement that meets this requirement.
It will take some time to work out the details and get an MOU into place. In the meantime, with the end of the school year a few weeks away, there are pressing deadlines to ensure that high school students receive the opportunity to benefit from their support.
We have received assurances from The Office Group that any protected information gathered on our students will be collected through a voluntary application process, signed by parents/guardians. Because of this, we are allowing Corben, The Executive Director, to have access to students in your schools as early as is mutually convenient for both parties.
Reminder to school staff: We are legally obligated to ensure that student information is protected at all times. If you are interested in working with an outside organization to benefit students, please reach out to your building leader or a district office administrator to inquire about establishing an agreement.
If you are currently working with an outside organization and are unsure if there is a contract in place, reach out and we can check for you. We would much rather you double check then not be sure and continue without having an agreement in place.
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From Lora: This week we heard broad support from the legislature for an increase in state school funding, from 9.9 billion to 10.2 billion. With this positive news (NOTHING is final), we can approve schools moving ahead with staffing at their original allocation levels. This means that with your level leader’s approval, you may hire for all open positions. Level leaders are holding a few spots for staff who may need to be placed, etc. so there are a few positions we will not hire for at this time.
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From Chad in IT: This is a reminder that our new computer allocation covers certified teacher laptop replacements but nothing else. Office staff computers are each school’s responsibility. This is a great time of year to be thinking about upgrading some of your office machines. We also recommend attempting to spread out these upgrades so that you don’t have 1 year where 10 machines are needed.
Many of you have office staff using computers that are 8-9 years old. If you have those machines in your office please use your discretionary budget to fund replacements. Your IT Client Services tech can (and likely already has) provide you with a list of those machines.
Specifically, right now many office staff are running a Mac mini desktop from 2014. This model of Mac will only receive security updates from Apple for 1 more school year. This means we will be requiring them to be removed from service next summer. A replacement Mac mini for office staff currently goes for $699. Purchase requests can be done by your office manager through our IT Help Desk system (https://bls.fyi/help).
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From Our HDESD Culture of Care Friends – Join the HDESD Culture of Care team this summer for professional learning opportunities to kickstart your school year with care!
Registration is now open!
Hope to see you there! Amber, Amy & Erin
Calendar:
May 26: Project and announce Val and Sal AND send Val/Sal and class of 2023 info to Scott and Katie.
May 29: Memorial Day – No School
May 30: HS Administrator Work Session 8:00-9:30 @ SHS
June 1: Excellence in Education Awards, 5:00 @ Summit
June 2: All counselor End of the Year Celebration 8:00 @ Ed Center boardroom
June is graduation month!! All graduation ceremonies are located at our high schools
June 8: Summit HS graduation @ 7:00 pm
June 9: La Pine HS graduation @ 7:00 pm
June 10: Mountain View HS graduation @ 10:00 am
June 10: Bend Senior HS graduation @ 3:00 pm
June 12: Bend Tech Academy @ Marshall High School graduation @ 7:00 pm
June 13: Realms HS graduation @ 7:00 pm
June 14: This Wednesday is a regular school day – no early release!
June 16: The LAST day of school! Schools on SIW schedule.
June 19: Juneteenth Holiday. School offices Closed – be sure to communicate this with families.
June 20: HS Administrator Work Session 1:00-4:00 TBD
June 21: BLAST end of the year lunch and celebration 11:30 @ Ed Center
June 22: Last day with CEL–Leading Equitable Schools 8-2 @ Perseverance Hall, Bend High