To Do
From Kinsey – Office of Policy & Advocacy:
Immigration/ICE: -Action needed-
In light of ongoing national events, many of you have recently received questions from families and/or staff about the district’s preparedness should ICE activity occur on or near our campuses. Please copy and paste this message into your next staff communication–thanks for making sure both classified and certified receive this from you.
Additionally, this half-way point in the year is a good time to review the guidance (for admin and front office) for what you are expected to do should ICE activity occur on or near your campus. Note: Some edits were made this week–please be sure you and your office team are familiar with these expectations and that this updated version is printed and accessible where your front-entry greeter sits. One important note: Depending on your building’s layout, you may receive from me via interdistrict mail some signage: “Public Area” and “Not a Public Area.” I’ll send details with the signs for where to post them—just know these are related to our procedures here.
Complaints and Bias Incidents: -Action needed-
As the semester wraps up, please go into your Complaint Dashboard and ensure that all submissions there have been fully addressed (investigation, circling back with reporter and all parties, written findings when applicable, all copies and documents uploaded or linked, etc). When complete, you should select “Resolved By School: Yes” to close it out. If a complaint gets appealed, we’ll grab the documentation and records from there, so you don’t need to worry about that step.Reminder from HR, Probationary Letters due by February 3: Those of you with third-year Probationary/Temporary certified staff being recommended for Contract status you will need to generate letters of support for each one. The School Board wants each of us to be able to articulate the specific reasons any third-year Probationary/Temporary teacher should move to Contract status, and they take time to read every letter you prepare. Please have these letters uploaded in the appropriate school folder in the google drive listed below no later than February 2, 2026. If you experience any issues with uploading your letters or accessing any of the links below, please email [email protected].
Complete and upload all your Renewal Recommendation letters into the appropriate school folder within this google drive. You will find the list of probationary/temporary certified staff in the drive as well to assist you.
Rubrics for certified staff (link)
Here is a draft template/sample Renewal Recommendation letter for your guidance (make as many copies of the letter as you need)
Be sure your letter is submitted on your school’s letterhead and has your signature prior to uploading
Certified Professional Growth and Performance Manual here.
From Deschutes County Health Services:
Please promote the following with your families. It is geared toward MS but open to all levels.
The upcoming “Start the Conversation” workshops are a family engagement opportunity for families of students with Tier 2 and Tier 3 needs. There will be repeat offerings of this 3-hour workshop in Feb – March.
The “Start the Conversation” workshop will improve families’ abilities to start difficult conversations with their student about topics such as mental health, attendance, substance use, and sex. The workshop is provided by Dr. Amy Yillik, HDESD Culture of Care.
The workshops are centered on developmental needs of middle school students, but are open to families of all BLS students.
Personal invites from admin and staff already working with students and families with Tier 2-3 needs would be the most effective approach.
Here’s the promotion fliers and a promotion blurb to use for promoting the workshop to your families:
From Departments
From Kayla in Saftey:
- SRO Schedule Change– Officer Koehnke (Summit) and Officer Avery (Caldera) have shifted their schedules effective Feb 9. Please review the SRO sheet here.
- SRO Appreciation Day– Schools are encouraged to celebrate their SROs the week of February 17th for SRO Appreciation Day. Some ideas for appreciation that have been done in past school years are: decorate their office doors, buy lunch for them one day during the week, have students make cards and drawings, or have breakfast and invite the entire team. You have all done so amazing that the past two years BLS has been featured in the national SRO magazine!!
From Jennifer in Student Services:
🎉 National School Counseling Week 2026 (#NSCW26) is February 2–6, 2026! This special week shines a spotlight on the incredible impact of our school counselors and the unique ways they support students every day.
The 2026 theme, School Counselors Amplify Student Success, says it all! Presented by ASCA, National School Counseling Week celebrates how school counselors help students thrive academically, socially, emotionally, and as they plan for future careers.
📅 National School Counseling Week is always held during the first full week of February, and we’re excited to share several resources below to help you celebrate the amazing school counselor(s) at your site.
💙 Please note: We will also be celebrating our Student Success Staff during School Social Worker Week, the week of March 1st.
🏅 Included below is a Certificate of Appreciation you can use to recognize your counselors, along with additional ideas and resources to make this week extra special. Let’s show our counselors how much they are valued and appreciated! 😊🎉
Resources:
From Gabe, Director of Activities and Athletics:
January 26th-January 30th, 2026 – Weekly SMORE
From Jess, Lead Counselor:
School Counseling Program Updates
From Sara Young in Student Services:
Please read this week’s Special EDge to learn more about:
- IEP At a Glance!
- Culture of Care PD Opportunity
- HDESD Learning Labs
- Campus Kudos!
High School Only
HS Counseling Midyear Check-In
As we move from first to second semester, this midyear window is a critical checkpoint to ensure counseling practices, data, and systems are aligned before forecasting begins.
Course Planning in SchooLinks (Grades 9–11)
- All students should complete an updated course plan in SchooLinks before forecasting opens
- Plans should be completed through Tier 1 core counseling practices (classroom/advisory lessons, planning conferences, group sessions, family communication)
- Tier 2
- Identify students needing additional help in SchooLinks
- Provide small-group, flex/access time, or 1:1 planning support
Seniors: Midyear Transcript Review
- Ensure transcripts are updated and midyear reports are sent to colleges
- Review credits, diploma requirements, and graduation plans for all seniors
- Identify and update seniors that are at-risk and ensure:
- Student check-ins
- Formal family notification
- Clear next steps and timelines
Grades 9–11: Transcript & Schedule Review
- Review transcripts and current schedules
- Identify credit or placement concerns early
- Coordinate Tier 2 interventions and credit recovery as needed
- Match recovery options to student need
Tracking & Communication
- Monitor at-risk data and identify themes if needed
- Ensure counselors have consistent communication with families and support teams and are documenting in Synergy.
CTE Month is coming up next month, and we’re excited to celebrate the amazing work happening across our programs!
To help us highlight and recognize CTE, we’d love your support with the following:
- Here is the nomination form to identify exemplary CTE students. Students will be highlighted throughout the month: Student Nomination Form
- We would also love to highlight past CTE students (alumni)—please share names or success stories on the above form.
- Please send along photos or information about activities, projects, field trips, or events from your program that the district can feature during CTE Month to Becca Burda and Lisa Keown.
Thank you for all you do to support CTE students—we can’t wait to showcase your programs!
Resources for CTE Month:
The ODE (Oregon Department of Education) Tool Kit provides a variety of resources and materials to support CTE programs in Oregon. It typically includes guidelines, best practices, and templates for educators to enhance their CTE initiatives. You can find it on the ODE website under the CTE section.
The ODE CTE Website is a comprehensive resource for educators involved in Career and Technical Education. It features updates, policies, and resources regarding CTE programs, including links to funding opportunities, training, and professional development for teachers.
The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) offers a variety of resources to celebrate CTE Month. This includes promotional materials, lesson plans, and activities that can be used to engage students and the community in CTE initiatives. You can visit the ACTE website to access these resources.
Calendar
February 2-6: National School Counseling Week! Celebrate your counselors!
February 10: HS Learning Walk 9:00-12:00 @ SHS
February 17: HS Administrator Work Session 9:00-11:00 @ BTA
February 19: MS Horizontal – Sky View 3:00 – 5:00
Who in the World?
Congrats to Mary Thomas who correctly guessed the image from last week!
Frederick McKinley Jones invented the first successful system for mobile refrigeration. His invention eliminated the far less effective use of ice and salt to preserve foods for transport, greatly extending the distance over which food could be effectively delivered.
We celebrate Black History Month in February! Who is this famous individual?
