To Do:

You should have a plan in place to review Mid Year SLGGS by the end of February.

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Sign up for a tour of the Bethlehem Inn – see details below!

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From Dean in Teaching and Learning:

Building leaders, please complete these tasks related to our Health curriculum:

Sadly, we continue to have suicide attempts across our schools. Here is a reminder of the administrator asks to assure that our schools are doing all we can to reduce suicide.

1. Reach out to Health/PE teachers (of 6th, 7th, 8th grades, Health 1 and 2) at the beginning of a semester:
   1. To confirm that they’re aware that suicide prevention education is required. 
   2. To identify when they will teach suicide prevention education. 
   3. To confirm the school’s procedure for responding to students who need mental health support, particularly if a student needs to leave the classroom because they are not ok.
   4. To see if the teacher needs any coaching support to build their confidence and skills. Connect Health teachers to school counselors for coaching, if needed. 
2. Alert counselors, admin, and other relevant staff about 1 week before suicide prevention will be taught. Confirm who will be on standby for responding to student mental health needs. Remind these staff of the procedure for response if students need support:
3. Recommended procedure, if able: Have another adult in the classroom during the lessons who can escort students who need support to the counseling office, if needed.
4. If unable to have another adult in the classroom, have a plan for the teacher to call your counseling center or front office staff when a student in need of support leaves the room so that someone can follow up and ensure they reach a counselor.
5. Always have a school counselor available during and after the lessons to respond to students’ mental health needs that may arise.

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ICCL/Administrator training this week: Our focus for this training was “SBIG: systems and strategies to move the learning forward.” We heard presentations from:

*LPHS Principal, Scott Olszweski and five teachers: Suzanne Jones, Luke Donahue, Lindsey Spring, Kent Eby and Jessica Kinzel Schneiter

*Sean Keating, PCMS Principal

*Julie Montoya, World Language TOSA

*Shauna Johnson, Social Studies Teacher at MVHS.

They each spoke to tangible examples of SBIG implementation in their schools and classrooms. Here are the slides. Please pass these along! 

Key takeaways from the sharing:

*Teacher leadership is vital in this work we are doing together

*Collaboration results in higher levels of learning

*Design to the 4! Provide exemplars and clear, specific rubrics prior to assigning

*Providing feedback (without a score) coupled with time to rework leads to high levels of learning

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From Steve Dennison, County Clerk:

Please share this opportunity with your students and encourage them to participate. It is an excellent way for them to engage with the democratic process and contribute to our community.

Dear Educators and Administrators: I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to bring to your attention the Deschutes County Clerk’s Office’s “I Voted” Sticker Contest for 2026. This contest offers a unique opportunity for local K-12 students to engage in a creative celebration of America’s 250th birthday while showcasing their artistic talents in a meaningful civic initiative.

Contest Highlights:

• Eligibility: Open to all K-12 students in Deschutes County.
• Submission Deadline: January 31, 2026.
• Design Theme: Celebrating America’s Semiquincentennial. Original designs are encouraged to incorporate red, white, and blue colors.
• Winning designs will be:
  • Featured on the cover of the Voters’ Pamphlets for the upcoming May Primary and November General elections.
  • Printed as actual stickers. These stickers will be distributed during the upcoming elections this year .
  • Displayed at the Deschutes County Services Building.

Submit signed entry forms to:

• In Person: Deschutes County Clerk’s Office, 1300 NW Wall Street, Ste 202 Bend
• By Mail: PO Box 6005, Bend, OR 97708
• Email: [email protected]

Contest entry form is here for your convenience. Additional information can be found on our website, here.

Thank you for your support in promoting civic engagement among students. Feel free to reach out with any questions.

Steve Dennison | County Clerk DESCHUTES COUNTY CLERK’S OFFICE 1300 NW Wall Street | Bend, Oregon 97703 Tel: (541) 388-6544

From Departments:

From Kinsey – Office of Policy and Advocacy:

1. Community Engagement:

Don’t forget about the chance to win a gift card ($25-$49.99) to places like El Sancho, Spork, downtown shops, and more!  Just a little motivation and token of appreciation for getting outside your building/office and into the community we serve.  (Bingo card here.)    

Thanks to all of you who visited The Giving Plate this fall!  (If you missed that round, it’s not too late–reach out to me.)  Our next community partner visit is in January, to the Bethlehem Inn.  Sign up here to participate.  

2. Black History Month:

In the next few days, your Advocacy ICCL representative will share with your staff some opportunities for recognizing Black History Month and honoring our Black students, colleagues, and community members–including our fourth annual Inspiring Displays Contest.  Last year, over 18 community agencies and partners voted on the amazing contest submissions—more info here.  

When that message comes through, please reiterate it with your staff.  This will A) honor the leadership of your Advocacy ICCL rep, and B) show your staff that you care about this topic as a leader and want your school engaged.  Here’s a draft communication you can edit or copy/paste into your staff blog, or you can simply reference the message your Advocacy ICCL rep will have recently sent.

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Curriculum Guide for New Choice High School: The curriculum guide for the New Choice High School is currently live on the RHS and BTA websites Here are the English and Spanish Versions.

We are preparing a “toolkit” for schools to explain the framework of the New Choice High School that we will be sharing in the coming days!

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From our Safety Department:

We have updated our 8888-emergency phone document for schools to show which district level leaders receive the phone calls. It can also be found in our Safety Google Drive – here. 

Please review this information as a reminder on when and how to use the 8888 phone number for any safety/emergency related issues at schools. Reach out with questions.

We are working with Kids Center to provide a training for our fourth Safety Cadre meeting. Kids Center has graciously offered to facilitate tours of their site for our admin who are interested. If you are interested in a brief pre-training tour (multiple times will be available), please reach out to Kayla Martin so we can get an estimate on attendance.  

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From Student Services:

As we continue to strengthen inclusive, student-centered practices across our schools, we encourage you to become more familiar with the role of school-based Occupational Therapists (OTs). OTs are key partners in supporting student access, regulation, and participation in learning and daily school routines. Reviewing the attached document will provide helpful context on how OTs support students, staff, and school-wide systems.

For full details on OT roles and responsibilities, please refer to the Bend-La Pine Schools Occupational Therapist Essential Roles and Responsibilities document. Not sure who your building’s Occupational Therapist is? Click [HERE] to find your assigned OT.

From Sara Young:

Could you all please add this CPI Trained Staff List to your Important Links/Resources for building leaders? We want to make sure they are quickly able to see the trained staff at their sites. 

Also, we try to keep up with when people leave or move sites, but if they have any updates that we haven’t caught, they can absolutely let me know!

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From Gabe Pagano, Director of Activities and Athletics:

Here is the weekly for Athletics and Activities.

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MS Only

Please make yourself aware of this document being shared with middle school counselors.   working Middle School Forecasting document.  We will talk more at our February horizontal if you have any questions.

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Look for slides about the New Choice High School to show students in next week’s advisory!

HS Only

From Jennifer and Jess:

High School Forecasting & Academic Planning: A Unified Approach Across BLS

During our recent Admin/Counselor PLC prior to winter break, we revisited our shared, districtwide forecasting framework and the systems that support academic planning across BLS. We are grateful for the thoughtful, coordinated work taking place in every building to ensure students and families are well-prepared to make informed academic decisions. Forecasting remains a critical component of postsecondary preparation and is fully embedded within our comprehensive counseling programming—not a stand-alone task or event.

Our shared vision centers on ensuring that all students and families understand the purpose and value of forecasting throughout the middle and high school years. Middle school counseling lessons introduce academic planning, high school graduation requirements, and early college and career awareness, while SchooLinks activities build readiness and self-awareness. Eighth-grade students, as well as students in grades 9–11, complete their course planners in SchooLinks at least two weeks prior to meeting with high school counselors for forecasting. In high school, annual counseling lessons continue to reinforce graduation pathways, diploma options, and postsecondary planning, with course planners updated in advance to support meaningful forecasting conversations.

Districtwide consistency for students and families remains at the core of our unified forecasting framework. It is essential that schools maintain clear, predictable communication with families before, during, and after forecasting to support understanding and engagement at every stage of the process. Before forecasting, the framework includes timely family outreach, updated materials, and classroom lessons aligned to graduation and pathway requirements, with students completing course planners in advance. During forecasting, schools provide grade-level lessons, 1:1 support, and ongoing family communication to help students make informed, goal-aligned course selections. After forecasting, schools offer family review windows, course request verification, and clear reminders about scheduling parameters and key deadlines.

We are also continuing to align our practices and communication related to BLPO and other non-district or postsecondary course options to ensure families receive clear, accessible guidance and required documentation. Ongoing alignment between middle and high school teams remains a priority, with dedicated time built into our January END to continue this work. As a result, students and families will experience consistent resources across all schools, including shared timelines, communications, lessons, and forecasting guides.

Thank you to everyone who contributes to our annual cross-level forecasting alignment that help create a smooth, predictable, and supportive experience for students and families.

Calendar

January 13: HS Learning Walk 10-1 @ LPHS

January 14: SBIG Early Adopter Virtual Drop in 8:00-8:30

January 14: New Choice High School Information Night 6:00 @ BTA Campus

January 16: Principal Connection 7:00 @ CHS

January 20: MS and HS Admin Work Session – 9-11 Summit High School

January 20: New Choice High School Information Night 6:00 @ BTA Campus

January 22: HS Only – Tier II Academic Intervention Team 2:30-4:00 @ CHS

January 23: 504 training required for ALL admin who oversee 504’s 9:00 @ Wall Street Lab

January 23: 26-27 Area Change Request (ACR) Deadline for submission

Where in the World?

Congrats to Brian Barringer of LPMS for winning this week’s where in the world.  The image was from a snowy 1960s Bend!

This week, it’s Where in the World? Any admin who correctly identifies this location by Monday morning (after break) will be entered in a drawing for coffee/tea or morning beverage of choice to be delivered by Katie or Stephen. Note: This contest will be limited to MS and HS admin.