High School Rock Stars!

HS Building Leaders, I continued to be humbled by the work you are leading with staff, students and parents.  Know that I appreciate the dynamic challenges you face and want to help you be the best you can be in your ever-expanding roles!

TO DO:

*Please continue to share your thoughts related to the SBAC Student Engagement ideas Jay discussed at our meeting Monday.   To recap:

• Students who meet SBAC earn a .5 for math passage and .5 for reading with no grade impact
• Students who exceed SBAC earn the same credit and a weighted grade on their transcript.
• Jon offered the idea of credit based on significant improvement on the SBAC test.

*The Gallup Student Poll closes permanently on Oct. 26. Our district’s target is 90% participation.  Dave Van Loo sent the participation percentages by school last week so you can see where your school stands.

*Thank you to those who have completed your MAC Survey.  If you haven’t already, please do so AND encourage your staff to complete theirs, as well.

Informational:

Here is a note from Mara Stephens, our District Project HELP Coordinator and Homeless Liaison:  With our first MAC survey behind us, we’d like to encourage folks who haven’t already done so, to move to spring MAC trainings. What this means is that you will do an additional MAC training in or around May 2019, but then everyone is trained for 12 months. This helps relieve the pressure of getting almost 1400 staff members trained in the fall of each year.  Thank you for your support for FAN at each of our schools!

We reset the link regarding start time info.  Here is the  link again.

Calendar:

Debbie Watkins is encouraging all administrators to attend a training on reasonable suspicion planned for Wednesday, Nov 28 from 2:00-5:00.  Jeff Wright from Bio-Med will lead a session in the board room.

More info from Debbie:  This training will incorporate our current district policies around reasonable suspicion testing and the drug free workplace.  Please know the intent of this training is not to transfer responsibility of detection, confirmation and processing to the schools or departments.  This opportunity is to help train you on the signs to look for so you can be more confident when you come in contact with someone potentially under the influence at work. We will always have a district office team of people prepared to assist you with these situations.  Plan on sending minimally one admin from your team and RSVP those names to Debbie.

I am attending the iNACOL conference Sun-Wed this week and will be back in the office Thursday, Oct 25.  I will check email and have my cell on me.  If you have an emergency and need “boots on the ground,” please contact Jay.

TO DO:

• See you at La Pine HS this Monday, Oct 15 at our HS Admin meeting.  We will begin at 3:15 and here is the agenda.

Information:

Thank you for supporting teacher collaboration across our high schools by expecting teachers to attend the planned sessions and not planning a building activity during the District SIW dates.   Here are the sessions planned for the Oct 17 District SIW.

Enrolling COIC students

We have shared this COIC enrollment cheat sheet with your registrars and counselors.  The process is not simple, but Rachel Mavis has determined a way for schools to still see their students who are enrolled full time at COIC so we can track them.  She is calling this a GHOST ENROLLMENT.  If you have questions, give Rachel a call at ext 1229

New school start times for 2019-20:

Next fall, elementary schools will start approximately one hour EARLIER. Middle and high schools will start approximately one hour LATER.

Elementary School Hours
Approximately: 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Wednesdays 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Middle and High School Hours
Approximately: 8:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.; Wednesdays 8:45 a.m. to 2 p.m.

We will keep families updated with new information throughout the year. Learn more at http://bit.ly/BLSstartimes  Please feel free to distribute this flyer and this Spanish flyer.

Active Threat Training Opportunity- From Julianne: 

Please make time to join Bend Police and Bend Fire professionals, in partnership with 9-1-1 and other first responding agencies to crisis situations, for an active threat training on November 13, 14, 15 or 19 at Elk Meadow Elementary School from 7-10 p.m. nightly.  We are looking for approximately 40 “players” for each night’s training. Participants will see first-hand how emergency personnel respond to active threats in schools in several live scenarios throughout the evening. Participants will implement procedures they’ve learned during their own school trainings as controlled scenarios play out in front of them.  RSVP https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SMG9LKK 

Please share this invitation with staff members.  Further information regarding this training will be emailed to participants in early November. We will keep families updated with new information throughout the year. Learn more athttp://bit.ly/BLSstartimes

Calendar:

• Oct 16 and 17:  Check and Connect Training @ HDESD
• Grad Coach Mtg – Oct 29, at 2:00, Ed Center
• HS Principal Mtg – Oct 31, 7:15 at Jackson’s Corner (eastside)
• Parent Conferences are Nov 1 from 4-8pm.

Happy Friday, HS Rock Stars!

I appreciate the reflective manner in which each of you is approaching your work and your relentless focus on continuous improvement.  As we continue to focus on insuring Equitable practices and thinking in each of our schools, I am sharing this short article on Implicit Bias from the September Marshall Memo, which speaks to the way our unintended bias’ can impact our work with students.

TO DO:

• Please announce to your staff that start time changes will go into effect Fall of 2019 prior to the Board Meeting Tuesday, October 9.  We want staff to hear this news first hand from us.  Here is the Executive Summary that explains the decision.

Informational:

• The Fall Town Hall Symposium on Racism is scheduled for Oct 11 from 9:30-2:30 at COCC.  Ask your staff and student reps how you can support this important conversation focused on how we can ensure EVERY students feels safe and supported in school!
• At the Leadership Meeting on Monday, Jim explained the District Discipline Philosophy and shared the updated Discipline Matrix which provides guidelines for building administrators to follow when addressing student behavior.  This matrix provides us with flexibility to consider individual student stories with an eye on changing behaviors, which is in line with our philosophy.
• Josh Marks led a presentation at the New Administrator Training this Monday on Sped and Discipline.  He provided these helpful docs, the Discipline Flowchart and the Discipline Procedures chart to clarify steps to follow you have a student on an IEP with a behavior concern.
• As Shay shared this week, INNOVATION is a key tenet of our work with students.  This is evident in the multiple pathways to graduation we currently offer our families.  Here is a compilation of the BLPS Alternative Learning Options.   Our students benefit from unique learning programs and Choice Schools, in addition to high quality comprehensive, traditional high schools.  Let’s continue to consider ways within our larger high schools to support students in non-traditional ways and allow us to “customize” plans for students based on their needs.  Current examples of this include our “in school,” supervised online offering, our behavior programs designed to serve students with challenging behaviors, and course offerings that partner core classes, such as LA, with CTE programs.  I encourage building leaders to look for opportunities to design “school” in a variety of ways for students.  Linda Adams from the HDESD recently shared an opportunity through ODE called the Oregon Math Project focused on integrating math and construction.  This pilot is due to being in Fall of 2019 and may be an option for buildings that offer a CTE program in construction.

• Dave Van Loo recently shared and recommended these cut scores for our ACT Aspire Interim Assessments that meet Essential Skills:  162 for Math and 160 for reading.  

• A note from Julianne:  We want all staff to use the district approved badges, not customized badges.  Staff can get a new badge, in the HR department.
• Here are the updated sub guidelines from HR.

Calendar:

• One on One meetings with Principals – scheduled during Oct through the google doc
• MAC Survey Day is Oct 11
• STATS training Oct 12 at HDESD – contact Misty Groom
• Fall Town Hall Symposium on Racism at COCC, Oct 11 9:30-2:30
• HS Admin Meeting – Oct 15, 3:15 at LPHS
• Check and Connect Training – Oct 16 and 17, HDESD
• Grad Coach Mtg – Oct 29, at 2:00, Ed Center
• HS Principal Mtg – Oct 31, 7:15 at Jackson’s Corner (eastside)
• Parent Conferences are Nov 1 from 4-8pm.

HS Building Leaders:

Thursday, a large team from the Ed Center, as well as Michael and three Summit teachers, attended the Statewide Educator Equity Summit in Salem.  As we continue our district journey of pursuing excellence through equity, what does this mean for our work as building leaders?  Three take aways stood out for me from the summit:

• Equity is not about lowering standards or expectations for students or making excuses due to poverty or race, but building capacity to ensure that the skills of our staff match the needs of our students
• Harnessing the power of STUDENT VOICE to help us know our students and create a culture in which students see the relevance and applicability of what they learn to “real life”
• In an school culture characterized by equity, interventions and punishments are designed to reinforce ethical behavior and reconnect students to learning.  Discipline is rooted in values with the focus on changing behaviors and developing constructive citizens

As you consider equity as “a way of being” in your school, reflect on:

• What is the existing equity work already occurring in my building?  How can I build on and/or sustain that work?
• What are the barriers to equity that currently exist?  What behaviors and/or mind sets need to be in place to eliminate those barriers?
• As a building leader, am I a barrier to, or a facilitator of, equity in my school?

“Practice the art of interpreting situations constructively.” – Unknown

To Do:

School wide Standard Response Protocols (SRP) and Reunification Training:

Please work with your SRO to insure your staff is trained in our Standard Response Protocol (SRP) (lockdown, lockout, evacuation, etc.) prior to school letting out for winter break.   You can sign up here

Informational

Update on SLGGS, Minis and Evaluations from Jon: A few changes have been made to our expectations around observations, SLGGS, and evaluations in the last couple of years.  Some of the changes have come because the state has changed their rules.  Some changes have been put in place to help relieve some of your workload.  Expectations this year look exactly like last year.  Here is a summary of those expectations:

• Student Learning Growth Goals:  We are still required to design Student Learning Growth Goals and the goals still need to reflect student growth.  For those of you who want to know more about the expectations, please see this state guidelines document or this quality review checklist.
• Scoring –  Last year we changed how we measure the SLGGs.  We have removed the state scoring guide and the Oregon Matrix.  We are required as a district to make sure we are reflecting on SLGGs in the evaluation.  We decided to fulfill this requirement by using Domain 4 Monitoring, Assessment, and Follow-up in our Summative Evaluation Rubric.  Domain 4 speaks specifically to how teachers use assessments.  SLGGs should be considered when evaluating Domain 4.  We expect that other factors, like classroom observations, will influence the scoring of this section as well.  There are five different standards in Domain 4.  The SLGGs may influence one or more standards in this domain.  We trust that teachers and administrators will have a professional conversation related to the SLGGS and Domain 4.
• SLGG Forms-  We will be using the same forms with very little change this year. We did remove the scoring guide.  HS and MS will use the form in Talent Ed.
• Summative Evaluations:  All probationary employees are on Summative Evaluation.  Employees of concern need to be on Summative Evaluation.  Regular/Contract employees need a Summative Evaluation every two years.
• Observations: 
• Probationary Employee= Six observations total. Two formal observations cycles (Pre Obs meeting, Observation for one period and Post Obs Debrief) are required by the state. Four mini observations.  Two of the minis can be professional.
• Employee on Summative Evaluation= Six mini observations.  Four classroom observations and two professional observations.
• Employee not on Summative Evaluation= Three mini observations.  Two classroom observations and one professional observation.
• A Professional Observation includes any meeting where an administrator either observes professional behavior or has a professional conversation with an employee. This may include a SLGGS presentation, MTSS meeting, IEP meeting, PLC meeting, student or parent conference, committee work, etc.  In the case of some meetings, it would be appropriate for an administrator to observe several employees at a time.  The feedback could be given to the group or to an individual.  The important part is to let the employees know that it will be counted as a mini.
• The changes will be published in the newest version of The Professional Growth and Performance Evaluation Manual.  We are certain, however, that most employees don’t look at that manual, so it will be up to administrators to share this information with them.
• If you have questions, please do not hesitate to call Jon at Ext. 1104.

MTSS, Grad Coaches and 9th grade on track!

• Thank you to Dean Richards, our District Grad Coach, for presenting at the HS Admin meeting on Monday.  Here is his presentation for your convenience.  The main purpose of our MTSS work this year is to help us identify, implement and evaluate the effectiveness of strategies that will keep 9th graders ON TRACK.  The best current research related to predicting graduation success tells us that 9th graders who are “on track” by the end of their freshmen year (meaning they have passed 6 credits) have a 80% chance of  graduating within four years.
• Dean and I (in the am only), along with all of our Grad Coaches, attended the 9th Grade On Track Training sponsored by Stand For Children on Tuesday.  Here is the presentation from that conference which includes the data correlating course progression in 9th grade to graduation.  You may find this information helpful in your planning.
• Our Grad Coaches are a committed team of educators united around a key purpose of positively impacting each school’s 9th grade on track data!  Here is the collective goal the team agreed to yesterday:  Use data to change what we do to help students make positive (academic and social) changes.  They will be working with Dean to lead the MTSS work in buildings this year and will need strong support from their building admin team

LUNA begins Monday!

• LUNA is another powerful credit recovery option for students needing to earn credits to get back on track.  LUNA can also serve as an option for our expelled students until STRIVE opens in the spring.  LUNA will kick off on Oct. 1st and is led by Stephanie Bennett.  The program is located at the Ed Center and runs M-Th 3-6, although students do have the option of leaving after two hours.  Stephanie will work with transportation to schedule rides to the program, but students will need to find a way home.  The brochure for LUNA  provides comprehensive info about this program.  Contact Steph at x1057  if you have additional questions.

Safety Updates:

• Visitor/Volunteer Guidelines- Attached you will find guidelines around visitors and volunteers. Let me know if you have any questions.
• First Aid Certified Staff:  Per Bend-La Pine Schools policy EBBA First Aid, “each school shall have, at a minimum, at least one staff member with a current first aid card for every 60 students enrolled. Names of the first aid cardholders will be posted.”  Check out the attached spreadsheet to see your school stacks up as we start the new year.
• Standard Response Protocols (SRP) and Reunification Training with John-Michael Keyes:  If you missed the 2018 Safe Schools Alliance Safety Day, please consider attending one of the three Oregon trainings coming up in early October.
• This training draws on the research and collaboration of experts in education, law enforcement and emergency management to assemble real-world solutions that can be brought to the classroom. One critical aspect of the training is accountable reunification of students with their parents or guardians after a school crisis or emergency. Together, the SRP (our LockDOWN, LockOUT, etc. protocols) and SRM provide school and district safety teams with proven methods for planning, practicing and achieving a successful response to crises and reunification.  Learn more or register online:  https://bit.ly/2PKYjom

Student Opportunity:  Click here to learn more about this Community Health Advocate Position open to juniors and seniors.  I am also forwarding this to our STC team members.

Help from a Behavior Coach:  Complete this referral form if would like to connect with one of our highly skilled Behavior Coaches!

Calendar:

New Administrator Training:  Oct 1 at 1:45, Ed Center, Board Room

Administrator Meeting:  Oct 1 at 3:15, Ed Center, Board Room

New Admin Social – Oct 1 @5:00, Mc Menamins

High School Colleagues:

Thank you for another fantastic week of school in Bend-La Pine!  Enjoy the plethora of helpful information this week.   Thank you for the high value work you are doing with our staff and young adults!

To Do:

• See you at the HS Admin meeting on Monday @BSHS beginning at 3:15.   Thank you for hosting, Chris, Karen and Gabe!  We have a full agenda, including presentations from various groups, so please be there a few minutes early.  We will begin on time.
• Principals – we meet this Friday, 7:15 @ Jackson’s Corner on the eastside.

Informational:

• The work continues with our STC team to standardize the STC and non credit grad forms so we are using the same forms at every school.  We will connect with HS counselors about this, as well, to insure we have their valuable input.
• In addition, the STC team is working to streamline our contacts for job shadows and internships.  At our first STC meeting this week, we welcomed our Bend Chamber Internship Coordinator, David Haines.  We agreed that the STC team would work with David and me to be the Point of Contact for community connections.  I appreciate your support of limiting the amount of contacts businesses are getting from schools so we insure efficiency.  Our STC team ROCKS!
• Several months ago, Shay sent out a DACA-related letter to our district sites and facilities, reiterating our stance in providing a safe and welcoming environment to all of our students/families. In light of news that ICE had recent Central Oregon presence and report of at least one of our parents facing deportation, we wanted to share this letter with you again and encourage you to share it with your families. Here is the letter [Spanish] [English].
• Here are a few updates from your Safety Team (Scott, Julianne and Misty): 

Drill Guide on the Portal

A quick reminder that our 2018-19 Drill Guide is available on the Portal at https://portal.bend.k12.or.us/system/files/bend-la_pine_schools_safety_drills_guidelines_2018-19.pdf.

This month a lockDOWN, fire and bus evacuation drill are required. Schools are encouraged to deliver fire drills with ‘blocked exits’ and fire and emergency response drills during passing periods, lunch and before and after school.

Please remember to send your drill completion form to Marsha Baro within 48 hours of your drill or emergency response.

• Nationwide Emergency System Test

Please share the following information with your staff via email or staff meeting.

On October 3, 2018, many student, staff and visitor cell phones should receive one emergency test broadcast message with an audible alert sometime between 11:18 and 11:48 a.m.

This broadcast is expected go to Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) compatible cell phones that have wireless carriers that are participating in WEA, which are switched on and within range of the cell tower. These messages are set to alert the public of emergencies — including AMBER alerts and tornado or flood warnings, for example. This test is being conducted by Federal Emergency Management Agency in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission. 

We want to make you aware of this for two reasons:

1. This could be a teachable moment for you and your students OR it could be a distraction to your teaching and learning environment if cell phones are on and receiving messages during this time.
2. This is not a test conducted by Bend-La Pine Schools. This is the first nationwide Presidential-level WEA test and individuals cannot opt out.

Test Details: 

During the WEA test, cell phone users should receive a single, distinct dialog box on their device, which should say “Presidential Alert” followed by “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.” This text should be accompanied by a special tone and vibration, which should be repeated twice.

To learn more about this test, please review the following documents: 
https://www.fema.gov/emergency-alert-test

https://www.fema.gov/frequently-asked-questions-wireless-emergency-alerts/

Suicide Awareness Video on Social Media

You may have heard of this video circulating on social media this week, made by a team of community members with love in their hearts. While the video includes some local students, it is not a production of a local school district, it is rather a video produced by the Hunter Holmes Memorial Foundation.

Some have asked if this video will be shown in our classrooms and to students. The short answer is “no.” Our district offers rich social emotional health and wellness curriculum throughout all levels and uses commercially-produced content, including video, for teaching and learning. As this video was not included in our adopted curriculum, it is not being used in our classrooms.

Teaching young people how to help a friend is an important part of a comprehensive school based suicide prevention strategy. Educational videos that teach basic suicide prevention skills are often a helpful part of the instruction. Videos are most effectively used with an accompanying curriculum and as part of a larger presentation on mental health, mental illness and helping friends in distress.

Please help us empower our students to talk aboutsuicide and depression in productive, meaningful ways and show them where to find vetted resources. Together, we can help normalize conversations about suicide prevention, how to find resources in our community that support youth and adults through stressful times, and how to help our children navigate current entertainment in ways that facilitate increased parent-child communication around youth suicide and youth suicide prevention.

These resources may be helpful to you in discussing this video with your students, if asked:

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
• Oregon Youthline (a free, confidential teen-to-teen crisis and help line; supervised teens are available 4 to 10 p.m. daily; adults available all other times) at 1-877-968-8491 or text teen2teen to 839863.
• The Deschutes Co. Suicide Prevention website has resources and supports that reflect best practices.www.deschutes.org/suicideprevention
• www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org (information and support)
• www.thetrevorproject.org (crisis intervention and resources for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning young people ages 13-24)
• www.namicentraloregon.org (National Alliance on Mental Illness of Central Oregon)

https://www.bend.k12.or.us/district/organization/student-mental-health (district website with resources)

Calendar:

• The first training for new building admin is Oct. 1 at 1:45 in the board room.   The topic is Sped 101/Discipline.
• The first Leadership (all admin) meeting of the year is also on Oct 1@ 3:15 in the Board Room.
• Promoting collaboration between our high schools is a focus area for us this year!   With this in mind, consider how we can promote those connections between buildings during our DISTRICT SIW dates:  Oct 17, Dec 19, Feb 20 and April 24.   In addition to the trainings already planned by departments such as Special Programs and ELL, Brook Rich and I will bring the district CTE teachers together on those dates.  Our first meeting will be @ BSHS on Oct. 17.  Please communicate these meetings as a priority for your CTE teachers and coordinators.
• We want our counselors to have a strong understanding of our CTE programs so they can promote these options with our students and families.  To assist with this communication, the HDESD STEM HUB is sponsoring a CTE-STEM Counselor Workshop at the Redmond COCC campus, in RTEC209 room on Friday, October 26th from 8 or 9 -2 (the time is still being finalized).  I will forward you the invite when I get it and you will need to RSVP.
• There will be a Level 1 Assessment training (only those of you who have not had this training need to attend) on Oct. 12 from 12:00 – 4:00. Contact Misty Groom (Ed Center) for more details and to register.

Dynamic Leaders:

Thank you for your efforts to insure our attendance data is accurate by removing no shows and continuing to reinforce the importance of attendance with your staff.

As of today, we are still growing as a district in terms of overall student numbers.  In terms of high school enrollment, we have seen a modest increase and historically, high school numbers rarely go up after school begins.  At this point, no staffing adjustments are on our horizon.

To Do:

• I am looking forward to a scheduled meeting with each principal every month.  Principals, please click onto this Connection Schedule and select times to meet in October, November and December.  For the meeting in October, part of our discussion will focus on reviewing discipline and academic data for your school, hearing about your plans for School Design and other topics of your choosing.  Let’s plan on an hour.
• Several of you have been pining to serve on the boundary committee – now is your chance.  Go to this boundary committee application link for information.  Please be sure to get this info out to your parents – website?  facebook?  synervoice?

Informational:

• I will informally drop by your schools and spend some time every few weeks.  It is important to me that you feel supported in the impactful work you are doing for our students.  Don’t hesitate to reach out if you would like me to attend specific events, or if there is something you want me to see during the school day.  No, Matt, I am not interested in being your softball coach or helping to supervise volleyball.
• Each month, Mid Oregon Credit Union highlights a classroom/activity from one of our Central Oregon schools.  This project is called One Classroom at a Time.  Through this partnership with KTVZ, Mid Oregon Credit Union awards $500 for innovative, sustainable classroom projects.   It is a terrific way to share POSITIVE work happening in our schools!  Communicate this opportunity with your staff and consider nominating a special event in your school.
• We dedicate a significant amount of district resources (FTE and $ for books) to develop and maintain strong Libraries.  It is money well spent.  As instructional leaders, building leaders know the importance of supporting continuous learning and keeping best practices at the forefront of our work.  With this in mind, consider sending your Librarian and/or Media Manager to the Oregon Association of School Libraries (OASL) annual conference Oct 12-13.   These conferences are historically outstanding and provide Librarians new learning to implement in our Libraries!
• Attached are the School Psych responsibilities.  Check in with Sean, Colleen or Josh if you have questions about their role in your building.
• If you have not yet been trained in how to do Level 1 Assessments, there is a training at the HDESD on Oct 12, 12-4.  Check in with Misty Groom in the Ed Center to register and/or if you have questions.

Calendar:

• Check out the updated Leadership Meeting Schedule.
• HS Admin meeting is Sept 24 at BSHS, 3:15
• NEW Admin training:  Oct 1, 1:45
• Leadership meeting:  Oct 1, 3:15

Welcome to the end of the first week, High School Rock Stars!

What an inspiration it was to spend time in each of your schools this week!  I am in awe of the terrific work you and your dynamic staffs are orchestrating to provide positive, rewarding experiences for our youth each day.  You make a difference in their lives and in our collective future!

To do:

• I appreciate the work you are doing with your registrars to insure that “no shows” are removed from Synergy by the end of the day on Monday.  Early next week, we will review overall attendance in light of projections.  Having accurate numbers is key.
• Please insure your Grad Coach, 1 building admin and counselor/lead teacher REGISTER for the Check and Connect training scheduled for Oct 17 and 18 at the HDESD in Redmond.  This training is key to supporting the MTSS framework in our high schools.  There is no cost to schools, unless you choose to send a classroom teacher.  You would need to cover the cost of the teacher’s sub.

Informational:

• Recently, our state decided that a SBAC “opt out” will be counted as a “Does Not Meet” from now on.  This news is concerning to school leaders for a few reasons.  First, the perception – portrayed through the media – of how well our schools are doing educating kids in our community will likely take a hit as this change will no doubt drop our school’s “Meet” percentage. Second, the validity (and usefulness) of analyzing OAKS scores for informing instruction just got less valid, reliable and useful. (Jim’s opinions, with which I agree!)  Last spring we spoke of rethinking our current “opt out” practices for SBAC.  Begin thinking about how we can impact this precedent in our schools as we will be hitting this topic in the coming weeks.
• Jen Goodman is the Behavior Coach assigned to high schools.  She can assist with supporting and developing Tier 3 behavior supports for students can help to facilitate multi-tiered implementations of MTSS.  We are fortunate to have Jen’s expertise available to us!   Reach out to Sean, Colleen or Josh if you have a questions.

Calendar:

• I have updated the Leadership Meeting Schedule.  There are a few changes/additions.
• HS Admin meeting is Sept 24 at BSHS, 3:15
• NEW Admin training is Oct 1, 1:45
• Leadership meeting is Oct 1, 3:15

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: