Welcome Kelly Schmidt and Heather Bailey to the secondary team! Kelly will be the next principal at Cascade and Heather will be the next principal at High Desert. We are so excited to have you both join the team!
To Do
Standards Based Grading Early Adopters? We need to know…
Please work with staff to identify any early adopters of standards-based grading in Synergy for next fall. Once you know who may be moving forward in your building, please fill out this FORM. One form per building please. Do not send it out to staff.
Early adopters will be required to attend a two hour training during in-service week.
Deadline for completion is June 6th. Please contact Stephen with any questions.
From Departments
From Human Resources
Secondary Assistant Principal Pool Now Open
We’ve officially opened our recruitment process for the Secondary Assistant Principal Pool, with separate tracks for Middle School and High School roles. While this pool currently reflects just one confirmed vacancy (resulting from Mary Thomas’ exciting move to Realms as Principal), we are still determining where the resulting opening will ultimately land.
If you’re currently in an elementary role and are interested in exploring a move to secondary – or if you’re in a secondary AP role and considering a shift – please connect with Ryan before applying to talk through how this process works and what possibilities might emerge.
Stay tuned for more updates as things evolve.
BLAST Classification and Title Change
We’re excited to share a small but meaningful update to the titles used on our BLAST salary schedule. Beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, we will be eliminating the Dean of Students title from the schedule and moving to a single title of Assistant Principal for all staff in these leadership roles.
What’s changing?
Only the title. The calendar days and salary schedule remain the same. This update is simply a move toward consistency and clarity across our school leadership structure.
Why the change?
The work our Deans of Students do every day is already aligned with that of Assistant Principals, and in many ways indistinguishable in terms of impact, leadership, and responsibility. This adjustment brings greater alignment to the title and the role, something we believe better reflects the incredible contributions of these team members.
We’re grateful for the leadership of all our school administrators and are excited to continue supporting this important work under a shared title. If you have any questions about the change, feel free to reach out to Ryan.
New Hiring Practices
In the coming days, you’ll see a new Hiring Guide along with updated hiring documents available through the Administrator/Office Manager box on your UKG home screen. These tools have been developed over the past year as part of a comprehensive review of legal requirements and best practices in the hiring process.
The Hiring Guide is designed to support you in your role by providing a consistent set of expectations for all hiring actions. It reflects federal EEOC guidance, widely recognized HR standards, and our district’s commitment to equity, transparency, and excellence. Its goal is to bring clarity to each step of the hiring process and ensure that our values are reflected in every hire we make.
Going forward, the documents included in the guide will be required for all hiring actions. Requests submitted using outdated forms will be returned for correction.
Thank you for your continued partnership in aligning our practices with our shared expectations. As always, Human Resources is here to support you, whether you’re navigating a complex situation or looking for a thought partner to help strengthen your team.
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From Jessica Houser:
FYI: Payroll Year-End Guidance Sent to Office Managers
Last week, on May 22, the payroll team sent year-end guidance and key timeline reminders to all district office managers and timekeepers. This communication included:
- Final deadlines for timesheet and leave sheet submissions
- Year-end payroll processing notes
- Reference materials to support staff wrap-up
We wanted to ensure you’re aware of this communication, as you may see increased questions at your sites related to time and leave entry or final pay. Office managers were provided this information in advance to help prepare and guide employees.
If questions come up, the team is here to support. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to [email protected] or call (541) 355-1123.
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From Eric Powell:
Hello School Leaders!
As you all plan for your annual end-of-the-year activities on campus (carnivals, field days, etc.), we wanted to encourage school teams to be thinking about our students who tend to struggle during unstructured activities and events.
Please work with your various teams on campus to identify students who may need extra scaffolding and/or supports to participate in these fun end-of-the-year events.
Thank you all for your continued leadership and enjoy these last few weeks of school.
HS Only
Here is the 2025-26 ABC calendar for the high schools on the rotator schedule.
MS Only
Principal evaluations: I will be scheduling evaluations with principals beginning the week of June 16. Plan to have your SLGGS and self reflection completed and submitted in UKG by Friday, June 13.
Principals, you are required to have the evaluation process completed for Assistant principal evaluations completed prior to administrators leaving for the summer. Please let me know if you need help or have questions about this.
Calendar
- June 10 and June 17: Mandatory AI training. Sign up for one session! Mandatory AI Training
- May 31: HS only: Deadline by which Distracted Driving assembly or advisory lesson is completed
- June 3: MS ONLY – End of Year Horizontal/Celebration – 4:30 @ Gabe’s House
- June 6: Standards Based Grading Early Adopters for the fall identified by school HERE
- June 10: HS Principal work session 8:00-10:00 @ Caldera HS
- June 12: Last Day students—half day
- June 13: Last Day staff work day
- June 17: MS and HS Administrator End of the Year wrap up. SBG focus! 8:00-11:00 @ Mountain View HS
Where in the World
This week we are highlighting Stephen’s new happy place. He is surprising his boys with a new puppy, so shhh! Meet Griffey, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
