11.28.2021

Baby girl Fowler is on the way and she’s already a cutie pie!!

This and That:

Latino Liason: I am excited to announce with Myra Stearns (pronounced my-duh) will be our Latino Liason for the remainder of the year to support us with multilingual family engagement. Myra will be at Elk Meadow (in the office between Olivia and Conor) on:

Monday: 11:45-3:00 pm
Wednesday: 8:00-11:00 ish depends on staff meetings schedule
Friday: 11:45-3:00 pm

Myra will also be supporting a couple of other schools as well but is available by phone or email when she is not on sight. Here is her contact information.

Office: (541)355-6822
Cell: (541)832-4091

Locked Classroom Doors: Reminder… interior (and exterior) classroom doors should be LOCKED AT ALL TIMES. During our last fire drill, approximately a third of the doors were unlocked. Please see Christy or Mike for a magnet to keep your interior locked door accessible by your students when your door is closed (we are removing all but a couple door ropes in the building). Please see Kelle or Frank if you have any questions.

SIW Agenda: SIW this week is “school discretion.” This will be “Team Time.”

Staff Meeting: Instead of an ICCL meeting this Tuesday, we are going to have a short staff meeting for certified staff to complete SLGGs at 2:30 in the media center.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Did you know that our school district offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to help staff navigate life stressors and/or manage life-changing events. The EAP program is administered by Reliant Behavioral Health (RBH). The services they offer at no cost to Bend La-Pine School district staff members (minus substitute teachers) are outlined below:

Counseling Resources:

  • 24- hour Crisis Help
  • In-Person Counseling
  • Telephonic Counseling
  • Online Consultations

Work-Life Resources:

  • Childcare Resources
  • Adult/Eldercare Resources
  • Financial Services
  • Legal Services
  • Mediation Services
  • Online Legal Forms
  • Home Ownership Programs
  • Identity Theft Services


The counseling resources come with three visits in a rolling calendar year with the possibility of additional visits on a case-by-case situation as determined by RBH. The goal is to offer counseling services for single-focused short-term mental health.

To find out more about your EAP, schedule a counseling appointment, or access services call RHB at 866-750-1327 or visit MyRBH.com to find out more. Access Code is OEBB. You can also access EAP information on the portal as well as this flyer about EAP services.

BLS Continuum of SEL Supports: A BLS team has been working on articulating the continuum of SEL supports in our district. Here is a link to this newly created document with several hotlinks and supports embedded. I thought some of you might find this interesting/ useful.

C19 Attendance in Synergy FYI (From Julianne):  When a student is quarantined, the office will place a C19 on the school days that fall during a quarantine. The C19 code is an excused absence. If the quarantine extends past 10 days, the student will need to be inactivated.

HOWEVER…

If the student attends class virtually, the attendance office may enter PVQ. Present Virtual Quarantine (PVQ) is a School Activity code that does not generate an all-day value. This code may be used before 10 consecutive absent days. Teachers will not have access to C19 or PVQ. Only the office staff will have the ability to enter these codes.

Culture of Care Wellness Circles: Culture of Care is offering Free Virtual Drop-In Wellness Circles for all educators and helping professionals across the region to reduce stress, bolster resilience and build connections on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month (3:45-4:15 pm). All are welcome! The Zoom link will be sent after you register with your email. For specific questions, email Dr. Amy at [email protected].

Sessions begin Nov 15, 2021 & Dec 6, 2021 (3:45-4:15pm); then the 1st & 3rd Monday (3:45-4:15pm) thereafter.”

Math Game Websites (From Skip): we have been fielding some inquiries about math game sites that kids are accessing and if they can be blocked because they are causing a distraction. The answer is yes, they can be blocked however this is a whack-a-mole approach. Because as soon as one is blocked another is discovered. A better approach is to revisit iPad management in the classroom and the effective use of Apple Classroom. And a friendly reminder – teachers should not be directing students to these websites. Dreambox is our supplemental math program and time should be set aside for its use, not these math game sites.

SEL Committee (From Jennifer Hauth): Are you currently using social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum or strategies in your classroom or school building? Please take a moment to apply to be on our SEL steering committee by Friday, December 3rd. We are looking for certified, classified and administrators to serve on the team. Student and family input will be part of the process as well. We will meet monthly beginning in mid-December: SEL Steering Committee Survey

Focus on Excellence and Equity:

TLC Update: Here is a link to this week’s TLC Update. A couple of highlights to check out: Info. about revised Bridges post-assessments and the technology support one-pager

Reading Article – I’m a kindergarten teacher and the way I’ve been teaching reading is wrong: Please know this article is not about our amazing kindergarten team! As we move into a new two-year reading adoption (phonemic awareness/ phonics this year and language arts the following year) and there is a districtwide need for a change to practices that better align with the science of reading, I will be sharing several reading articles over the next several months. This is a short and very readable article.

COVID/ Safety Related Information:

COVID Resources Update: Below is some COVID-related resources that will repeat in each of our newsletters for easy access.

  • Flowchart for COVID-19 Questions and Concerns: Please follow this flowchart. If in doubt about what to do, you can always check with Frank or Kelle. Frank is our Safety Team Lead, and Ann Hollenberg is our School Nurse.
  • BLS Return to School Website: – There is A LOT of great information on this webpage including quarantine and isolation information for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.
  • EME COVID Anonymous Safety Concern FormLink here.

To Do:

Important Dates:

  • SIW Schedule for the year
  • Tuesday: Picture retakes, Staff meeting for certified (SLGGs)
  • Wednesday: SIW/ Team Time, Safety Team Meeting,
  • Thursday: Grade 5 EBISS