To Do

• Finish your Vector Trainings ASAP. Please prioritize getting these done
• Enroll in OEBB – Window is 8/15 to 9/15
• HS ONLY: Open Periods populated to student schedules (HS only) by Tuesday

From Departments

From Lisa, The Deputy:

• Friends of the Children is a wonderful mentoring organization that supports students with a mentor beginning in kindergarten that follows and supports through 12^th grade. This organization has been supporting students in our district and Central Oregon for years and now some of the students are getting to be high school aged. As you can imagine, mentorship at the HS level looks very different than the elementary level for a variety of social reasons. At the secondary level, it is less likely that mentors come into the schools often; however, the mentors are listed as emergency contacts for the students and often will connect with counselors when needed. If you have a student with a FOC mentor at your school, you will likely be contacted by Mandy Pearson or Carolyn Nesbitt who will be a good connection for this program if or when you have questions. Other than that, please let your counselors and support team know that these mentors are excellent resources to reach out to to support planning for success for these students. 
• Building Rep Meetings: Just a reminder that your BEA building reps (and maybe OSEA too) would like to set up a consistent time to meet together with you monthly (approximately) to check in. There is nothing to prepare for here, just know that getting this consistent meeting in place will help to support clear dialogue regarding workplace issues that may arise. 
• Planning for observations: Please remember that Pre and Post Observation meetings and feedback should only be done via e-mail when in person options have been exhausted. Plan on these conversations happening in person unless for some reason it truly is unable to happen this way. This is not an option for convenience; it is a last resort when illness or absence does not allow for it to happen in person.

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From Scott and Kayla in Safety:

We have finalized the work on updating our AQI/Smoke guidelines for the district. 

The updated information is 3 documents, located in our BLS Safety Resources Google Drive > AQI Folder, located here.

Administrators and Office Managers have access to the Google Drive with the information. 

The thee updated documents are:

1. BLS Air Quality Index Guidance SY 26/27 – An FAQ style document with answers to AQI questions we typically receive from staff and parents. The main takeaway here is that the OHA guidance for bringing children 18 and under indoors at a specific AQI reading has dropped from an AQI level of 200 down to 150 as of this summer. This document is for internal and public use. We will work with Scott & Becca to upload this information back onto our safety webpage on the district website. 

2. School Administrator AQI Indoor Operations Decision Checklist SY 26/27 – A new document that provides guidance in a checklist format to help leaders at the school and district levels act when the AQI levels are high and cause a disruption to our normal school operations. This document is meant to be internal use and not shared publicly. 

3. OHA Oregon Air Quality Activity Guide for Children & Youth (June 2026) – the updated guidelines/chart from the Oregon Health Authority on actions we should take when considering outdoor activities and when to bring students indoors when the air quality is unsafe. 

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From Andrea in Risk Management:

AQI Guidance & Employee Working Conditions

This document provides an overview of supervisor responsibilities and guidance for helping protect employees from unhealthy exposure to wildfire smoke.  As noted in the guidance, a NIOSH-approved mask should be available to employees when the AQI reaches 101 or higher and they are exposed to wildfire smoke. 

Good news! Risk Management will be providing each site with a supply of approved masks. Please be on the lookout for them through inter-district mail.  

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From Tracy in Ed Tech:

The new YouTube Buddy makes it easier for teachers to give students access to specific YouTube videos while keeping distractions to a minimum. Check out our EdTech blog post to see what’s new and how to use it. YouTube Buddy: Focused Video Access for Students. As always, please be in touch with anything Edtech. 

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From Communications: Educators’ Night Out

High Desert Museum, Thursday, September 24, 6:00-8:00 pm

Head to the High Desert Museum for an evening dedicated to educators! Enjoy light refreshments and take home resources from dozens of organizations across Central Oregon for the upcoming school year. FREE to educators and administrators (public, private and homeschool) Register by September 17: highdesertmuseum.org/educatorsnight2026

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From Gabe in Activities and Athletics:

Here are the Activities and Athletics updates for this week.

HS Only

From Dean:

GED-to-Graduation Policy Change

Beginning this year, students participating in our GED-to-Graduation pathway must complete all other applicable graduation requirements before taking GED subject tests. This change is intended to ensure that students do not complete the GED and then leave school without earning a diploma. A GED alone is considered a non-completer and negatively impacts our graduation outcomes. With the increased focus on graduation and completion through SB 141, it is important that our GED-to-Graduation pathway results in students earning a diploma—not simply completing a GED.

Before beginning GED testing, students must therefore have completed requirements such as Health, PE, Government, and all other applicable graduation requirements. For example, a student using GED tests to earn their remaining Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies credits must have all other diploma requirements completed first.

We will continue awarding GED-to-Graduation credits as we have previously: 3 Language Arts, 2 Math, 2 Science, and 2 Social Studies credits upon successful completion of the respective GED tests.

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Conversion for College Dual Credit Teachers:

Please remind your College Dual Credit teachers about the requirement to use this conversion for our College Now teachers. If you have questions about this, please reach out to Katie.

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Please share this letter with your staffs from OSU-Cascades and COCC presidents regarding SBIG.

Calendar

September 9: First day for 6th grade and 9th grade

September 9:  Open Periods populated to student schedules (HS only)

September 10: First day for 7th/8th and 10th-12th

September 15: Secondary Sped Admin training 12:30-3:30 @ Ed Center Boardroom

September 16: HS Only: COCC College Articulations meetings @ COCC 3:00

September 29: AP Strategy Studio – Instruction 9-12 @ CHS

October 1: AP Strategy Studio – Attendance 9-12 @ CHS

October 16:  Due: Bus Evacuation video shown and documentation submission

October 31: Vector Trainings must be completed

Have you seen it?

Congrats to Sean Keating for correctly identifying the scene from the blog as from The Office. Did you know the version we got here in America was based off a British version?  In fact, the pilot episode is nearly identical to its British counterpart.

Welcome to Have you seen it?, where we will show a screen shot from one of our team member’s favorite movie or TV show. If you recognize the screen shot, reply to Katie and Stephen with the name of the movie or show (NO AI help), and you will be entered into a drawing for a beverage to be delivered to your place of work. (Anyone can participate but the drawing will be limited to MS/HS admin and office managers!)

Check out an image from Darla’s favorite below! Recognize the movie or TV show? Let Stephen and Katie know.

To Do

1. Fill out your teams and leads for various departments in the spreadsheet Stephen or Katie shared.
2. HS – Link your Training week/SIW plan and slides in the HS Admin Handbook
3. Add the APs to the appropriate section of Robi’s document for the Strategy Studio.
4. Middle School – Complete your inservice week planner document.
5. Resolve any remaining 25-26 evaluation to dos. Contract Jessica and Triz in HR with questions
6. Work on School Design Plans – Action plans and Data Indicators due October 19

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From Kinsey – Office of Policy & Advocacy:

Training: Change in Plans!          – Action needed –

In last week’s blog, I asked you to review guidance this fall with your staff regarding email communications and confidential student information.  I’m sure you carefully studied every detail and built your entire inservice schedule around it 🙂—so apologies for the change in plans!  But, please pause on that training for now.

At Leadership Launch, I shared that new state laws require school districts to provide one hour of training for all employees on immigration enforcement, ICE activity at school activities, and related policies. Because much of the state’s guidance also addresses confidential student information, we’re going to combine these topics into one required training. This will allow us to cover FERPA and confidentiality in communications and records alongside the new immigration protocols in a more integrated way.

We’ll provide the training materials soon, along with a few options for delivery. The one-hour training will include 30 minutes of asynchronous learning and 30 minutes during a staff meeting.

Action needed now: Please reserve 30 minutes at a staff meeting between Sept. 1–30. More details and materials are coming soon.

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From Kayla in Safety:

Please update your school’s Safety Cadre designee here. Invites to follow once the roster is updated!

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Share this information about Inventerprise 2027 with your teachers

Departments

From Triz in Human Resources:

25-26 Evaluation clean up Reminder

Please remember to update any outstanding documentation required in your google drives from the lists that were shared with you last week at launch.  We will be closing those google folders soon to prep for the new year.  We appreciate all the great work you did with utilizing this system and we look forward to providing an even better tool for the coming year.  Everything must be uploaded by end of day Friday, August 21, 2026.

BENFITS:

OEBB Open Enrollment Happening Now! August 15 – September 15. 

This applies to all insurance-eligible employees and affects coverage from October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027. 

LEARNING & HELP OPPORTUNITIES

• One-on-One Support: The Benefits Team offers phone, in-person or virtual meetings – book your appointment here
• August 19 from 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM: OEBB & Plan Providers Virtual Meeting – register here
  • Can’t attend the virtual meeting? Recordings can be found here.
• August 20 from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM: On-Site Help Session at Summit
• August 24 from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM: On-Site Help Session at Mountain View
• August 25 from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM: On-Site Help Session at Ed Center
• August 26 from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM: On-Site Help Session at La Pine High School Library

Where to Enroll: Enrollment must be completed online at www.OEBBenroll.com by midnight, September 15.  

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From Eric in Student Services:

If you would like designate a secretary/data entry staff member to have discipline data entry access (to help input student discipline incidents on your behalf), please ask them to sign up for a training with Melissa Mitsch in IT: LINK HERE

The training they will sign up for is: September 3, from 1:00-2:30pm in the Wall St. Lab (the above link takes them to a calendar of available trainings). 

At this training they will learn to input information you give them using this form (LINK HERE). This is the Office Discipline Referral Form (ODR). Staff being trained will be instructed to only enter discipline information entered on this form (so, if you go this route, I’d recommend printing and reviewing so you have them ready to go on day 1).

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From Kinsey – Office of Policy & Advocacy:

1. Family Liaisons and FAN Advocates:    – For your awareness –

At this time, I anticipate no changes to your school’s assigned Latino Family Liaison or FAN Advocate. You can find caseloads here (Liaisons) and here (FAN).

Remember that we also have colleagues serving districtwide as our Black/African American Liaison (Rita Bacho), Asian American Pacific Islander Liaison (Lin Hong), and Youth Partnerships Liaison (Suz Coffman). These positions are very part-time and provide support across the district on an on-call basis.

All Liaisons and FAN Advocates officially return Sept. 1, but they will do their best to attend family events in the next couple weeks. Feel free to email them directly with invitations and inservice week plans.

2. Community Partnerships:     – For your awareness –

We work with many wonderful local service providers, nonprofits, and agencies, with different levels of formal partnership. Some relationships are covered by formal agreements that allow ongoing collaboration; others have limited agreements for specific projects; and some do not currently have partnership status with us, which limits the ways we can collaborate.

These different arrangements are designed to support and protect your school’s work and help prevent complications later. For example, a community organization may contact you about providing staff training or requesting that you share information with students, or you may want to invite an organization to participate in an event such as Open House.

If you’re considering working with a community partner and aren’t sure what’s already in place, please reach out to me.  I’m happy to clarify whether we have an agreement/MOU, explain its scope, or discuss whether developing an agreement would help meet your needs.

One upcoming opportunity: Welcoming Week is Sept. 10–19!  If you’re interested in supporting this national effort to make communities more welcoming for immigrants, consider attending one of these sessions here in Bend.

For this opportunity, you’re welcome to share the information with staff and/or make flyers available to students and families on your Community Bulletin Board/Resource space.

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From Lisa:

We will continue to use the PD feedback form until it gets changed later this fall. Please give staff time to complete an evaluation include after each PD session!

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Request for school leader subs:

Building leaders are required to notify your level leader when you are out of the building for a day or more. Approval for school leader subs are requested through your level leader and requests will be prioritized for approval accordingly: there is one administrator in the school, there are two administrators in the school and they are both out, the school leader will be out for an extended period of time.

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From our new BLPO Administrator, Julie Stoinski:

BLPO Update

We are getting K12 Log-ins for all Admin Leads and Counselors so that you have access to look up your students. Please look for an email from K12-confirmation. It is not spam. If you run into issues setting up your login, contact Tanya Everts.  

Summer:

Below is the grading timeline for students who finished their summer course(s):

• 8/21: Summer classes end
• 8/28: K12 teachers finalize grades
• 9/2: Outstanding grades post to the final report
• 9/11: All grades fully transcribed

Lori Craft is the point of contact for high school teams, and Tanya Everts is the point of contact for middle school teams.

Fall:

HS Enrollment Guide: HS BLPO Enrollment Rev. 8/26

MS Enrollment Guide: MS BLPO Enrollment Rev. 8/26

Please note these are internal documents only. We are finalizing the family facing documents and will provide them next week. We will provide the enrollment guide and training to secondary counselors.

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From Sean in Student Services:

New To The District (NTTD) Inclusion EAs – CPR training:

This is a heads up that all NTTD Inclusion EAs will be participating in a CPR training on Thursday, September 3^rd from 8-12.  The training will be held in person at the Education Center.  Our department will notify each of these new employees via email. HERE is a copy of what we are sending the NTTD Inclusion EAs, which includes the scheduled for the entire welcome back week.  

Thank you for your understanding.  This will go a long way toward our need to have every new Inclusion EA being prepared to work with students on day 1.  CPR training is essential to allow EAs to support students with feeding needs.  

Further, we will also host CPR refresher trainings for current employees through-out the school year.  More to come on that!

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From Jenn:

Student Well-being Blog Updates

On September 2nd, BLS School Counselors and Student Success Staff will gather for a productive day of training, planning, and collaboration at HDMS from 8 am to 4 pm. We will also have a full day training for school counselors and student success staff on providing Tier 2 and 3 interventions. The training will be on October 8th from 8 am to 4 pm at Aspen Hall. More information to come.

Please see our updated BLS School Counseling Handbook, a comprehensive resource designed for school counselors, administrators, and educational leaders with important procedures and forms.

Counselors and Student Success staff will track all student interactions using Synergy’s MTSS Activity Tracker Module to enhance access to intervention data as we continue to develop our MTSS dashboard. Our Medicaid Billing Analyst will use this data to submit for Medicaid reimbursement but the interface for staff will be similar to last year. We will train staff on all things documentation at our district directed PD Day on September 2^nd at HDMS. 

Wayfinder/TSEL:

Please see image below for TSEL commitments by level as well as the Core Skills Screener student survey window (formerly known as the Summative Assessment) for 3-12. The K-2 teacher observed window will be out shortly. All new staff to the district will be trained on how to login and use Wayfinder on August 27th at the new staff orientation.

Outside Behavioral Health Providers:

Outside Behavioral Health Providers requesting to see students during the school day. Please share with your front office staff.

• Memo of approved providers for this school year

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From Scott in IT:

YouTubeBuddy Pro Is Here! 

As many of you know, students will no longer have direct access to YouTube on their district devices. At the same time, YouTube content can be a valuable instructional resource. Many of our teachers create and share video content through YouTube, and some of our adopted curriculum resources include embedded YouTube videos. 

YouTubeBuddy Pro is a custom web application designed specifically to give students access to educational YouTube content that is needed for instruction, without providing students unrestricted access to YouTube.

Even better, the process of managing video content requires no additional work for teachers! Staff can make YouTube videos available to students in two ways:

1. Add the YouTube video link to your Canvas course. YouTubeBuddy Pro will take it from there. Note- videos in active or archived courses have already been added to the library.
2. Add the video directly to your YouTubeBuddy Pro playlist.

That’s it!

Want to Learn More?

There are a number of features to explore in YouTubeBuddy Pro, and we’d love to share more with you.

Please reach out to the IT Help Desk or to me directly if you would like Vince Valenti, YouTubeBuddy’s developer, to provide a tour for your staff. These sessions are also a great opportunity for us to hear directly from teachers about what works, what doesn’t, and how we can continue improving the experience.

Ready to get started?

There are already 32,000 videos in the library! Go check it out!
Log in to your YouTubeBuddy Pro account at:

bls.fyi/youtubebuddy

We’re excited to get this tool into the hands of teachers and students, and we appreciate everyone’s partnership as we work to make it the best it can be.

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From Gabe in Activities and Athletics:

Week #1 – August 17th-21st, 2026 – SMORE

HS Only

Reminder of Topics to Cover During Inservice

• Tier 1 Climate and Culture (Includes code of conduct and behavior entry and code of conduct review)
• Tier 1 Instruction – 5D
• SBIG Guarantees and Resources
• Ed Tech changes
• MTSS (if pilot school)

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Regarding the administrator responsibilities on the teams and leads document, the administrator who oversees the counseling department will also be the lead for BLPO.

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Please add your Open House and Parent Conference Dates HERE

Calendar

August 25: MS Advisory Planning – Central Library 9:30 – 4:00

August 25: AP Strategy Studio – Central Library 1:00 – 4:00 (principals join 1-2)

August 26: SIRC training for new administrators 8-4, Ed Center room 203

August 27: New certified employee orientation – Silver Rail – All day

August 31: certified staff report back – Tier 1 covered

September 1: Welcome back – Virtual – 8:30 am

September 1: Parent Square training – Virtual – 10:00 am

September 2: Certified staff PD Day – Pacific Crest (for most) – 8:00 am (ELD @ Library, Counselors @ HDMS)

Have you seen it?

Each week we will show a screen shot from one of our team member’s favorite movie or TV show. If you recognize the screen shot, reply to Katie and Stephen with the name of the movie or show (NO AI help), and you will be entered into a drawing for a beverage to be delivered to your place of work. (Anyone can participate but the drawing will be limited to MS/HS admin AND now office managers!)

Principals/APs/Office Managers, please fill out this SHORT form to let us know which movie or show you love. We’ll pull one each week for the blog.

Congrats to Kristy Knoll, Summit HS VP, for correctly identifying the movie this week as Jaws!  Commonly referred to as the first summer blockbuster, Jaws debuted in 1975 and made Steven Spielberg a household name.  The iconic ” You’re gonna need a bigger boat” line was ad-libbed and not in the original script.

This week we are highlighting one of Dean Richard’s favorite movies! Have you seen it? Let Stephen and Katie know!

Welcome to the 26-27 school year! If you know of people needing to receive this blog who aren’t on the email list, please let Katie and Stephen know.

To Do

1. Fill out your teams and leads for various departments in the spreadsheet Stephen or Katie shared.
2. Add the APs to the appropriate section of Robi’s document for the Strategy Studio.
3. Middle School – Complete your inservice week planner document. High School – Link your plan in the handbook
4. Resolve any remaining 25-26 evaluation to dos. Contract Jessica and Triz in HR with questions.

Departments

From Kinsey – Office of Policy and Advocacy:

Email Communication Guidance:    – Action needed –

We reviewed this guidance with admin teams last spring, and used this quiz as the activity to do that.  Please cover this information with staff at some point this fall. 

Based on conversations with union leadership last year, I don’t recommend you just email out the guidance document.  Instead, please offer some conversation at a staff meeting, or with your ICCL team at least.  The topic fits nicely with the roll-out of ParentSquare, or with start-of-year conversations about staff-wide norms and agreements (resolving problems, attending meetings, dignity and belonging between colleagues, etc).  Let me know what questions you have.  

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From Scott Maben, Communications:

ParentSquare 101: Basic training for school administrators and office staff

We will offer two opportunities to learn basic functions of ParentSquare on Thursday, August 20, at the Education Center. Both sessions will be in the Board Room and will be recorded for later viewing.

The first session is from 9 to 10 a.m. The second session is from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Please look for your calendar invites and share them with other office staff you’d like to received this training.

Both sessions will cover:

• Launching ParentSquare and setting preferences
• How to share a Post (standard message)
• Direct Message
• Smart Alerts
• Custom Groups

This is an optional training opportunity for school admins and office staff. We will record this session and share a video link afterward.

Launching ParentSquare:

Please use the following URL to sign in to ParentSquare:
https://bls.fyi/parentsquare

You should be automatically signed in, but if you are prompted for authentication use your BLS email address and password.

The URL above is what you should always use to access ParentSquare.

Questions? Scott Maben, ext. 1006

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Changes to Leave Sheet submissions:

With the transition of some duties within the Teaching and Learning Department, all principal and assistant principal leave sheets will now need to be sent to Kristan Shobe for processing.  Timesheets will still be submitted to Stephanie Bent.  

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School supplies:

As you know, state law prohibits us from requiring families to provide school supplies for their children’s education.  Even suggesting contributions in a way that creates undue pressure or expectation for family donations is inappropriate and doesn’t align with our organizational values.  Please be sure your staff clearly understand this expectation and the reasons for it.

That said, some families would really like to contribute, and I know we’re all interested in maximizing community support to take the edge off our budgets.  To balance these competing interests, here are some recommended practices:

• Make it very clear to families that there is no obligation for any family to contribute any school supplies. 
• Avoid publishing classroom- or grade-specific “lists” that can create a sense of obligation. 
• Let families know that, for those who have extra supplies at home or who simply enjoy purchasing and contributing supplies to prepare for school each fall, the school will accept voluntary donations of general, unused supplies during your fall Welcome Back/Curriculum Night events. 
• Have school-wide “Optional School Supply Donations” buckets/tubs available in the school front lobby during fall events, rather than having families take supplies to a particular teacher or classroom (where donations are more attributable to individual students, which increases pressure).  

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From Lillah in Safety:

STAS/SIRC Training August 26 

For all administrators or other staff that will be a part of your Level 1 team who have never been trained in STAS/SIRC or who were last trained over 5 years ago, please come to Conference Room 203 in the admin building on August 26 from 8:00-4:00. Lunch will be provided. Please fill out this survey so we can get an accurate count for food. Note that there will be another training on Sept. 23, 2026.  Come for a free lunch, stay for the training!

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From Heather with Deschutes County:

As we begin the year, we are asking building admin teams to identify the staff members best suited to serve in this year’s UpShift roles. This will help us track returning team members and identify who may need training in the coming weeks. Please review and update the BLS UpShift Roles & Responsibilities document with anticipated staff assignments by end of day Wednesday, September 24. UpShift is now included in the District’s Substance Use Prevention and Intervention Plan. Please continue to use the UpShift FAQ document for ongoing updates and answers to common questions.

MS Only:

Reminder of Topics to Cover During Inservice

• Tier 1 Climate and Culture (Includes code of conduct and behavior entry)
• Tier 1 Instruction – 5D
• SBIG Guarantees and Resources
• iPads and Homework
• Jamf training and expectations
• MAP training
• MTSS (if pilot school)

Calendar:

August 17: MTSS pilot schools training

August 25: MS Advisory Planning – Central Library 9:30 – 4:00

August 25: AP Strategy Studio – Central Library 1:00 – 4:00

August 27: New certified employee orientation – Silver Rail – All day

August 31: certified staff report back – Tier 1 covered

September 1: Welcome back – Virtual – 8:30 am

September 1: Parent Square training – Virtual – 10:00 am

September 2: Certified staff PD Day – Pacific Crest (for most) – 8:00 am (ELD @ Library, Counselors @ HDMS)

Have you seen it?

For the last two years, this section was called Where in the World? and was first an opportunity to learn about a person on our team and then became a quiz about your knowledge. We’d like to combine those themes into one with a new direction.

Welcome to Have you seen it?, where we will show a screen shot from one of our team member’s favorite movie or TV show. If you recognize the screen shot, reply to Katie and Stephen with the name of the movie or show (NO AI help), and you will be entered into a drawing for a beverage to be delivered to your place of work. (Anyone can participate but the drawing will be limited to MS/HS admin AND now office managers!)

To start, we’d like to collect your favorite movie or TV show so we have a bank to work from for the year. Principals/APs/Office Managers, please fill out this SHORT form to let us know which movie or show you love. We’ll pull one each week for the blog.

For this week, we’ll start with our fearless leader. Dr. Cook’s favorite flick is shown below. The screen shots may get progressively harder as we go on! Recognize the movie? Let Stephen and Katie know!!

To Do:

Celebrate our Seniors beginning tonight!

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Reminder:

Be sure to identify and assign those seniors close to graduating to work with a teacher of seniors next week!

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Send your Self Assessment to Katie or Stephen by Friday, June 12

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Triz in HR:

Important Deadlines for the Evaluation Process:

Please remember to upload all your documents into your google sheet.

From Departments:

From Andrea in Human Resources:

Safety Committee Meeting Minutes

Please upload all Safety Committee Meeting minutes to your site’s shared Google folder no later than June 30. 

Questions? Please reach out to Andrea Wilson.

BLAST Leave Records

BLAST members: If you have not already done so, please submit your leave records documenting all leave taken, including non-contract time, during 2025-26 school year. If using the digital leave record, please remember to print, sign, and submit the completed record to our payroll office. Paper leave records may also be used to document your time. Thanks for helping us close out the school year accurately! 

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From Kinsey – Office of Policy & Advocacy:

Dr. Karen Mapp’s Family Engagement and Attendance Workshop:

Thanks to all who attended—such great energy to get us through the end of the year!

Next steps: 1) As you work on SIWs, school design plans, and family events for next year, pull up her slides and your notes so you can build on that learning.  2) Be on the look-out for more opportunities with her team in the fall, and a copy of her book heading to your school soon.  

Community Engagement Bingo:

Time for prizes!  Want to win a gift card ($25-$49.99) to places like El Sancho, Spork, downtown shops like Almadorada Coffee, and more?

If you attended any of the community visits and/or did a home visit this year, please note that here so we can celebrate your leadership and enter you into the raffle.  For each Bingo square you completed, your chances of winning will go up!  We’ll draw names at our June 15 admin lunch.  

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From IT and Ed Tech:

MS / HS YouTube Access: Please share this with teachers

IT would like to update instructional staff who have essential content in their coursework that is only available via YouTube.  Over the past few weeks, the primary focus in IT has been simplifying the teacher experience for allowing instructional videos while continuing to block all other YouTube content.  Our current solution has roughly 7,000 videos that have been submitted by teachers.  When our high school students move into this environment, we are predicting around 30,000 videos will be submitted during the first year!  With that volume in mind, we have made several improvements over our current allow-list process that will be explained further here.

Currently, our method for submitting YouTube videos is a bit cumbersome. It requires at least three actions by the teacher and could take up to a week before the video becomes available to students.

Planned Improvements

• Teaching staff can submit YouTube videos directly to the allow list.
• Any video submitted by teaching staff will be assumed to be essential for instruction and will not require Ed Tech or administrative review.
• Submitted videos will be available within 30 minutes of submission.
• Students will use the same link submitted by the teacher, eliminating the need for teachers to copy and paste embed links.
• This improved method requires only one action by the teacher and could allow the video to be available to the students in as few as thirty minutes.

Potential Enhancements

• We are currently researching the ability to automatically scan all Bend-La Pine Schools Canvas courses for YouTube video links and automatically add them to the allow list.
• This enhancement would significantly reduce the workload for staff who need students to access YouTube content on their iPads.

What can you do?

When staff return in the fall, IT will have a mechanism to collect YouTube links that folks need for instruction.  Until then, you might consider keeping a running list of the YouTube “must have” videos for submission when the tool is ready.  Or, do nothing and enjoy a beautiful summer! Just know that we are taking this matter seriously, and plan to deliver you the most effective and efficient solution possible before your students return to the classroom.

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From Gabe:

June 1st-5th, 2026 – Weekly SMORE

MS Only:

From Stephen and Jess Scott:

Here are some relevant documents regarding TAG.  Please familiarize yourself with them.

The TAG ID process flow-chart

A NEW editable PDF of the TAG ID Case Study Form

Remember, we don’t automatically ID students based on screening from a test.  However, we do flag students in the 97th percentile or above for a case study conversation that could lead to an identification.  Additionally, the 97th percentile is a starting point we CAN identify students with other high percentiles if we look at need and other factors impacting a student.  Please reach out to Jess Scott or Stephen DuVal with any questions.

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From Aimee Snyder: 

Please remember to identify the admin and 1-2 staff to attend the workgroup session on August 25. Please have the people attending for your school register through this link. 

The workgroup will review and revise the middle school Wayfinder/Advisory scope and sequence to make sure it’s meeting the needs of schools and aligns with best practices for bullying and substance use prevention. 

Bend-La Pine Schools received a grant to be able to timesheet up to 14 school staff (~2 per school) for this workgroup. Please register yourself and your staff, or let me know if you will not have staff attending (so that another school may be able to bring more staff).

HS Only:

From Jenn:

Please make sure all seniors complete the Senior Year End Activity, as we need their personal emails and where to send their final transcripts.

Schoolinks is also where they will access their transcripts in the future so they need their alumni accounts😊

Calendar:

June 11: Last day of school!

June 12: Self Assessment due to Katie or Stephen

June 15: School Design Plan Showcase 9:00 – 11:00 p.m. @ CHS

June 15: End of Year Administrator Celebration (and lunch!) @ HDMS 11:30-1:00

June 16: HS Administrator Retreat 8-4 @ CHS – breakfast and lunch provided

June 16: MS Horizontal on MAPS – 8:30 – 10:13 @ Ed Center

June 19: Juneteenth Holiday!

June 22: MS Principal Retreat – 9-1 @ Deschutes Central Library

Where in the World:

Congrats to Kelly Beaudry for correctly identifying the image from the blog as Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park.   It is the largest hot spring in the US and a must see!

Below is the image for this week. Send us your guess for this location by Monday, win the drawing, and Stephen or Katie will bring you your school appropriate beverage of choice:

To Do

Principals: Update your staffing plans.

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From Jason in IT:

Please review ALL your audits on this dashboard including the new Discipline & Attendance Mismatched audit. These audits need to be resolved prior to the end of the school year.

Additional updates for discipline audits have been added to the School Discipline Audits analytics report dashboard. Specifically, an updated version of the “Discipline & Attendance Mismatch” report is at the bottom of the dashboard (you will need to scroll down to see it).

Jason Westmoreland [[email protected]] would like additional feedback on this audit specifically. Are there changes that would be helpful, are there any false positive or incorrect entries shown, or is there any confusion surrounding how to resolve the audits?

To access the discipline audits (until we are able to publish this to a PAD Tree location), you will need to use the Quick Launch, by typing ‘Synergy Analytics Home Page’ and selecting the entry.

Once you are on the Synergy Analytics Home Page, click the ‘hamburger’ under the label, and expand the navigation links. Find the Discipline option and select it.

You may be presented with a number of options to choose from (I recommend exploring when you have time), however, to review discipline audits, you will need to select the ‘School Discipline Audits’ dashboard from the Audits group.

Once you have selected the appropriate dashboard, there will be multiple audits available on the page. The new ‘Discipline & Attendance Mismatched’ audit is at the bottom of the page (you will need to scroll down using the far-right scroll bar – multiple scrolls may be nested).

The audit is intended to show you where ISS/OSS discipline and attendance are not matched on a given day. Based on what actually happened with a specific student / disposition, you should correct either the disposition Dates & Days, or the Attendance codes for those days (and appropriate periods).

Remember that you can expand individual reports in the dashboard to expand the entire display window by using the four arrows pointing to the corners. This will expand the report to use the whole screen for easier navigation.

NOTE: If you have questions regarding how to resolve these audits (or any audits on this dashboard) please connect with Jason Westmoreland (x1222)

From Departments

From Lisa, Deputy Superintendent

Check out this Spring Update regarding Technology and Assessments for the 26-27 school year.

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From Dean:

We are currently processing curriculum requests for next year. Approximately 75% of teachers have submitted requests so far. The form will remain open, but please note that May 31 is the deadline for receiving feedback on submissions. Requests submitted in June may not receive feedback, which is especially important if a request is denied.

Please remind colleagues to complete the curriculum request form. They can find related messages from BLS Instructional Technology ([email protected] (opens in new tab)

Updates to curriculum requests are posted on the same page.

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From Kinsey – Office of Policy and Advocacy:

School Supplies:

As you know, state law prohibits us from requiring families to provide school supplies for their children’s education.  Even suggesting contributions in a way that creates undue pressure or expectation for family donations is inappropriate and doesn’t align with our equity values.  Please be sure your staff clearly understand this expectation and the reasons for it.

That said, some families would really like to contribute, and I know we’re all interested in maximizing community support to take the edge off our budgets.  To balance these competing interests, here are some recommended practices:

• Make it very clear to families that there is no obligation for any family to contribute any school supplies. 
• Avoid publishing classroom- or grade-specific “lists” that can create a sense of obligation. 
• Let families know that, for those who have extra supplies at home or who simply enjoy purchasing and contributing supplies to prepare for school each fall, the school will accept voluntary donations of general, unused supplies during your fall Welcome Back/Curriculum Night events. 
• Have school-wide “Optional School Supply Donations” buckets/tubs available in the front lobby during fall events, rather than having families take supplies to a particular teacher or classroom (where donations are more attributable to individual students, which increases pressure).  

Pride Month:

June is Pride Month!  Bend-La Pine Schools will have our regular booth at the summer Pride festival on June 6th–drop by and visit!   

Encourage your teachers to cover LGBTQIA2S+ history (supported by Oregon required standards) by implementing some of the lessons, read-alouds, and activities available on our district Equity Resources page (click on Cultural Calendar, then scroll to June).  Here are some teacher prep tips, and/or contact the Advocacy Coaches for instructional support.  

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From Jenn:

Waypoints closes next Friday for 6-12.  If you all want to look at completion rates by school see instructions below:

For 3-12, go to the Waypoints tab; the overview shows the percent completed (make sure you are filtered to student-reported and summative). 

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From Tami Pike:

Please review the Bend-La Pine Schools Protocol and Procedures for Management of Concussions ~ May 2026 update. More information about concussions can be found on our BLS website under Health and Wellness.

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From Student Services:

As we prepare for the end of the year, we wanted to share a new check-out process with you all!

1. Please schedule a bookings appointment or phone call with the records clerks.
   • You may book now but these meetings will not take place until the beginning of June.
2. During this meeting, the Records Clerks will be checking:
   • Learning Specialists:
     • All IEPs are completed and finalized
     • All progress notes are completed and finalized
     • All equipment lists are updated
     • High cost and staffing needs are submitted
     • Restraint and Seclusion paperwork have been turned in
     • If required for your role: All Senior Paperwork
   • Psychologists:
     • Evaluations finished and uploaded
     • Location of test kits have been verified
     • For PILOT participants: Medicaid logs are completed in SEAS until last day served
   • Speech and Language Pathologist:
     • All IEPs are completed and finalized
     • All progress notes are completed and finalized
     • Medicaid logs are completed in SEAS until last day served
     • Evaluations finished and uploaded
     • Audiometers have been turned in
     • If required for your role: All Senior Paperwork
   • Occupational Therapists:
     • Feeding protocols have been updated, completed, and sent to records
     • Evaluations finished and uploaded
     • Medicaid logs are completed in SEAS until last day served
     • All equipment lists are updated

When you have completed this meeting and have all of your paperwork complete, the admin who supports your site (Josh, Colleen, or Sara) will let your building administrator know that you have the GREEN LIGHT from Student Services to check-out for the year! 🙂

If you have any questions, please reach out to the coach who supports your site!

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From Scott and Karen:

Dear Middle School and High School Teachers,

We are currently investigating the option to discontinue Adobe Creative Cloud licenses for all students in grades K–8. Instead, we are exploring a targeted approach by providing licenses specifically for CTE classes and other courses where Adobe tools are required for instruction.

Our usage data shows that student use of Adobe Creative Cloud applications outside of CTE and journalism classes is limited. As a result, we are hoping to reduce costs by focusing licensing on programs and classes where the tools are actively used and instructionally necessary.

If you currently use Adobe Creative Cloud with students in your class, please add your request to the Instructional Tools Request document so we are aware of your instructional need. Requests and approvals will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Thank you for your understanding and partnership as we work to balance instructional needs with responsible stewardship of district resources.  

This change will not impact staff Adobe Creative Cloud Accounts.

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From Rodger Moore, Director of Facility Operations
To help schools manage classroom relocations smoothly and minimize disruption to instruction, the district is developing a standardized process for both same-school and inter-school moves. The procedure is intended to outline clear responsibilities for administrators, teachers, custodial teams, maintenance, and IT staff to help ensure moves are coordinated efficiently. The district is currently testing our work order platform Hero HQ for submitting move requests and coordinating details such as scheduling, technology needs, furniture, and specialty equipment. Additional procedures, expectations, and implementation guidance will be communicated in an upcoming Level Leaders’ Blog once the workflow and support processes are finalized.  

Large-scale moves, such as the Realms transition, will be exempt from this process.

TOSA Updates:

Admin Blog- SS Updates

MS

Post week of 5/18

Social Studies Speaking CDA all grades.  Pilot.

Work during END’s to make adjustments and get feedback.

Teacher leadership on this is present and forward moving.

Post week of 4/20/26

Slides from 4/23 Horizontal 

• Slide 6 scope and sequence link
• Slide 7-9 scope and sequence graphics
• From slide 11 Canvas/Syllabus statements for supplemental materials

In response to students’ learning needs, current events, or newly available sources, I will periodically supplement our major text with other materials.

If you do not want your student to read/view any supplemental  materials, please let me know. Your student can wait to read/view the material until after they have shared it with you. 

Social Science shared drive (updated access)

BLP Middle level Social Studies Guide

Upcoming PD

• 5/29 TCI-Curriculum Full Day Training @ Ed Center

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HS

Post week of 5/18

Social Science Speaking CDA for all students in a USH class including AP/IB classes.

• State requirement: One year at the high school level. MS every year.
• 26-27 pilot year, no Synergy entry required. 
• 26-27 END’s will be used to adjust, review, etc. for USH teachers.
• The task is adaptable to a current task in your classroom.  And similar enough (3-part task) to meet the state requirements.
• Rubric language was created from ELA Speaking Rubrics/State Speaking Rubrics
• Rubric language utilizes our standard: Communication and Argumentation with emphasis on speaking.
• No requirements at this time to upload tasks, samples etc. to a common portal.

HS Only

From Jenn and Jess:

Reminder that all seniors need to complete the Senior Year-End Activity and Alumni Access setup in SchooLinks prior to graduation. This should be included as part of each school’s senior checkout process.

This is especially important because students need to have their alumni access set up before their SchooLinks account transitions to alumni status. Their alumni account will become their primary way to access transcripts after graduation.

I know some schools are completing this with seniors next week, but I wanted to send a quick reminder and share the current completion numbers below. Reach out to Jess with questions.

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Calendar

May 25: Memorial Day Holiday, no School

May 28: Waypoints Core Skills assessment window closes for secondary

June 4: Graduation week begins!

June 15: School Design Plan Showcase 9:00 – 11:00 p.m. @ CHS

June 15: End of Year Administrator Celebration (and lunch!) @ HDMS 11:30-1:00

June 16: HS Administrator Retreat 8-4 TBD

June 19: Juneteenth Holiday!

Who in the world?

Congratulations to former history teacher Colin Bado with correctly identifying Bikini Atoll in the blog.  Bikini Atoll was the site of massive nuclear testing for the US in the 1940s and 1950s.  The impact on the native cultures to that area was long lasting and significant.  If you are a bit of a history buff, National Geographic did a documentary that covered these tests and their impact along with the physical impacts on the ocean floor.  Side brag: my brother is featured in the documentary as his team was the one to map the ocean floor.

Below is the image for this week. Send us your guess for this location by Monday, win the drawing, and Stephen or Katie will bring you your school appropriate beverage of choice:

To Do

Update your staffing plan to reflect recent changes!

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HS Principals: Send out the senior message regarding pranks to your seniors and families of seniors next week. The message will be sent centrally from District Office tomorrow

HS Principals: Collect/bring feedback from your admin team on the ACR process proposal. Prepare to share at May 15th meeting.

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From Kinsey – Office of Policy & Advocacy:

“Do Not Schedule” Dates:    – Action required – 

Here is the updated (26-27 through 28-29 school years) list of key religious observance dates to protect when scheduling any academic or extracurricular events.  This applies to field trips, family nights, info sessions, tests and exams, special one-time assemblies or events, etc. 

Please be sure you have shared that document with all relevant staff: office managers, activities and athletics, counselors, family engagement team, PTA/Booster Club leadership, ICCL team, etc.

Those key observances are also all populated into our 26-27 district-wide Family Engagement calendar in Outlook.  If you add that calendar to your school or dept calendar, those “do not schedule” dates (along with any district-wide family events) will be visible to you, to avoid scheduling conflicts.

From Departments

From Ryan:

We are continuing our Classified staffing reconciliation process to ensure that all staff entitled to positions for next school year are appropriately placed. As we complete this work, we are going to temporarily pause posting additional Classified positions until those staff impacted are notified.

We expect communication regarding employees who will be involuntarily transferred to go to building leaders on Wednesday, May 13th, with the expectation that conversations with staff occur by Friday, May 15th.

Following that process, we will move forward with posting Classified positions for next year. In an effort to align our Certified and Classified staffing processes, we will also pause posting new Certified positions for the 2026–27 school year until May 15th.

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From Ryan:

A quick reminder of expectations under Policy GCPC/GDPC-AP: Reemployment of PERS-Retired Staff.

Policy Summary:
Employees who retire under PERS may request to continue working through the end of the school year.

Requests to be rehired upon retirement must be submitted in writing at least 30 days before the end of the school year.

Approval is based on:

• District need
• Satisfactory performance history

If the request is approved:

• Continued employment is Temporary through June 30
• There is no guarantee of continued employment beyond the current school year
• Final decisions are made at the discretion of the Superintendent or designee

The district may choose to reemploy a PERS retiree beyond the year of retirement:

• Employment may be offered for a maximum of one year for each hiring action
• All employment is Temporary for the single school year
• Licensed staff may be rehired for up to three years following retirement
• Different rules and limitations may apply for licensed and non-licensed staff
• A shortened hiring process may be used

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From Scott and Kayla in Safety on behalf of Bend PD

Just giving you a heads up that your school SRO may be contacting you about gathering some student generated art that they can display in the Bend Police Department. We are unsure about the amount of space they have to display these works, so please talk with your SRO before doing anything. There is also talk that it may be themed related (Nature, animals, F1 cars–wink wink etc.) Your SRO may know about that as well.  Thanks for considering helping make their space feel fun and celebrated.

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From Jess:

Here are the school counseling program updates.

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From Gabe: Here is the weekly.  Have a great week.

May 4th-8th,2026 – Weekly 

TOSA Updates

From Monica:

SS update:

All AP and IB Social Studies teachers were given the paid (sub or curricular rate) opportunity to meet as subject area/class PLC’s to plan and discuss rubric conversions.  At this time, one person from MVHS and two from Summit were interested. BHS opted for summer work.

The TOSA/TL team hoped to facilitate this work before the start of next year.  Based on the SS teacher feedback, I need to pivot and will offer END breakout sessions or some time in the fall for SS teachers to calibrate. 

Dean’s got it; there is variation in content area rubrics, type of question and points allocated. It is not always a one rubric fit all model.  This doesn’t mean we can’t calibrate on the 0-4 BLP scale.  It will look a little different than the model presented, depending on the class.

Calibration work can happen with a shift in our timeline goal.

I added building leaders from other schools to offer them an update.  

Calendar

May 13: All Admin Training 3-4:30 @ MVHS

May 13: Excellence in Ed Awards 4:30-6:30 @ MVHS

May 14th: MS Only – TAG Admin/ICCL Meeting @ Ed Center 3:30 – 5:00

May 14: Latino Family Night 5:30 @ MVHS

May 15: HS Principal Connection 8-10 @ RHS

May 19: Secondary Administrator work session @ CHS 9-11 – focus on SBGI

May 21: Karen Mapp session on Chronic Absenteeism 8-12 – Admin lead for attendance attends

May 25: Memorial Day Holiday, no School

May 28: Waypoints Core Skills assessment window closes for secondary

June 15: School Design Plan Showcase 9:00 – 11:00 p.m. @ CHS

June 15: End of Year Administrator Celebration (and lunch!) @ HDMS 11:30-1:00

Where in the World

Congrats to Quinn McAndrews for correctly identifying the island green at Coeur d’Alene Resort. The green is surrounded by water and golfers ride a ferry out to finish the hole.  The green can be moved with a cable system that allows the distance from the tee box to change depending on the day you are there.

Below is the image for this week. Send us your guess for this location by Monday, win the drawing, and Stephen or Katie will bring you your school appropriate beverage of choice:

To Do

Complete your option sets by Monday!

Option sets for curriculum ordering are due next week! Dean ran a virtual trainings for the HS admin leads on Monday of this week. If you weren’t able to make the meeting or have additional questions, please reach out to Dean.

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Thank you for updating your staffing plans as changes are occur.
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From Eric, please provide comments for the 26-27 Code of Conduct:

As we look toward the 26-27 school year, we wanted to give administators at each of our levels an opportunity to make comments/propose adjustments to the Code of Conduct.

Ideas presented within the comment copies for your level (below) will be reviewed and discussed at a district Code of Conduct review meeting and also processed through the District’s Culture & Climate Task Force.

Here are the comment copies (by Level):

Middle School Comment Copy

High School Comment Copy

From Departments

Office of Policy and Advocacy:

1. Chronic Absenteeism: Family Engagement and Attendance:  (Action needed)

We know you are working hard to get kids to school.  As part of our broader efforts to improve student attendance under the leadership of Eric and his team, and in alignment with our ongoing work on student voice, dignity, and belonging, in addition to our school design plan improvement cycles, we will be taking a closer look at the connection between family engagement and chronic absenteeism.  Research shows that specific, practical family engagement strategies can significantly improve student attendance across K–12.

On Thursday, May 21 from 8:00–12:00 (and continuing into next school year), national expert Dr. Karen Mapp will join us in person to help us reflect on our current work, identify school-specific and districtwide coordinated efforts, and plan concrete, evidence-based strategies to reduce chronic absenteeism. This is a valuable opportunity to reflect on this year and begin planning for next year.

Your Advocacy ICCL rep will attend, with substitute costs covered by the Office of Policy and Advocacy. If there are one or two additional staff members (ex: family engagement committee members) who would benefit from participating, they are welcome as well—we can support some additional substitute costs; please contact me if interested in adding participants. Please also plan for an administrator to join us. This work will directly inform your 2026–27 school design plan and provide practical tools to strengthen attendance efforts.

More information to follow—for now, please mark your calendar.

2. ELL/Multilingual Services (From Liza):  (FYI)

Hello admin teams! I wanted to inform you about a change in ELPA test scores this school year, per ODE:

• There is a new ELPA score called “Early Proficient.” 
• “Early Proficient” means the student scored very close to proficient, so they may be able to exit English Language Learner (ELL) status.
• Next steps: Language Specialists will connect with the families of students who have scored “Early Proficient” and set up meetings to discuss their options during their case management periods. See the attached family flyer.
• The decision must be made by a parent, guardian, or by the student themselves if they are an adult (18 yrs. or older).  All forms are due by June 11, 2026. 

Your Language Specialist will be connecting with you on this new process.  If you have additional questions, please reach out to me directly. Happy to support!  -Liza

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From Gabe:

Here is the weekly: April 20th-24th, 2026

HS Administrators Only

In regards to the Karen Mapp training on May 21, the administrator in your school who oversees attendance is required to attend. I will send them an invite to the training.

Calendar

April 22: Forestry/Natural Resources CTE PD @ COCC

April 23: Manufacturing/Natural Resources CTE PD

April 23: MS Horizontal 3-5 @ Pacific Crest

April 28: AP LA Rubric collaboration and decision making teams meeting 8:00

April 30: AP LA Rubric collaboration and decision making teams meeting 8:00

May 1: HS Principal Connection @ BSHS in Perseverance Hall 8-10

May 1: 8th Grade LA CDA Meeting

May 4: IB/AP LA CDA Meeting

May 19: Secondary Administrator work session @ CHS 9-11 – focus on SBGI

May 21: Karen Mapp session on Chronic Absenteeism 8-12 – Admin lead for attendance attends

Where in the World?

Congrats to Kelly Schmidt for correctly identifying the blog image this week.  The worlds largest prairie dog in South Dakota!

Here is the image for this week. Send us your guess for this location by Monday, win the drawing, and Stephen or Katie will bring you your school appropriate beverage of choice:

To Do

Principals:

Thank you for updating your staffing plans and the FTE sheet so all information is accurate!

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Scheduling student listening sessions:

Stephen and Katie would like to meet with a group of students at each of your schools to collect feedback regarding SBGI. This can be your principal’s student advisory group or perhaps your student leadership. Please work with your level leader to get something scheduled for May.

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From Triz:

Evaluation Process:

Hope you all continue to cruise through your evaluation process and have experienced some relief in getting all the steps complete.  Just a friendly reminder that we need to have files dropped into your provided Google Files as well as the workbooks for HR to have access.  If you are having any issues with the sheet, please remember to reach out to Jessica Lamay or me.

We should be starting the summative cycle for classified staff, so if you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.  

Thank you again for all your work on these!

Classified Eval Guide

Certified Evaluation Guide

Helpful hints about uploading to your google drives.

Linking Files:

Once you’ve dropped your files into the shared site folders  

Please be sure to link them into the correct column of your workbook. 

See steps in the samples below:

2. Click to select the file you are attaching in the workbook.
3. Click the ‘chain link’ icon to copy the link to that file -OR- Ctrl/Command+C.

2. Click on the ‘File Chip’ in the corresponding row and column for that employee/eval piece. Ctrl/Command+V -OR- Right mouse click, then click Paste, to attach the file.
3. Tab -OR- click on the file name pop-up (as above) to complete the attachment.
4. File is attached.

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Please share this opportunity with your teachers!

From: African American/Black Student Success 
To: American Indian/Alaskan Native Student Success, African American/Black Student Success, Latino/a/x & Indigenous Student Success, LGBTQ2SIA+ Student Success, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Island Student Success, Immigrant/Refugee Student Success
Date: April 3, 2026
Re: Apply Now: NHPI Student Success Advisory Group 

Apply Now: African American/Black Student Success Advisory Committee 

The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) is currently seeking applicants for the African American/Black (AAB) Student Success Advisory Committee (Group). The African American/Black (AAB) Student Success Advisory Committee advises ODE on education matters affecting AAB students and families, in order to address systemic inequities experienced by AAB students, through focused investments and community partnerships that align with the AAB Student Success Plan. Application are due by Friday May 15, 2026 at 3pm. 

Position Details

• Application Deadline: Friday, May 15, 2026 at 3:00 pm 
• Applicant Eligibility: High school, college age youth and classroom teachers encouraged to apply
  • According to ORS 329.841 the Department shall form an Advisory Group consisting of individuals representing: Community members; Education Partners; and including representatives of the Department of Early Learning and Care, Youth Development Oregon, and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission. 
• Meetings: Monthly 2-hour meetings (Zoom) from September-June, on the second Wednesday of the month, from 9:00am – 11:am PST; One in-person all day retreat in Salem, Fall 2026 TBD 
• Length of Service: 2 year term with the option to continue for up to 4 years total  

The role of the advisory group is to advise the department regarding the AAB Student Success Plan, grant program, and related Oregon Administrative Rules (OARs). Additionally, the department will be considering other intersectional identities, roles of applicants, and regional representation to ensure equitable and diverse representation of AAB communities in the Advisory Committee. 

How to Apply

If you are interested in learning more or applying to join the Advisory Group, please complete the Smartsheet application form linked below. The application form is due no later than Friday May 15, 2026 at 3:00pm.  

Application Form

To apply by phone call, video call, written letter, or to request translation services or accommodations, please reach out to the AABSS Student Success Coordinator at [email protected] or 971-208-0483. 

Contact Us

• Reach out to the AAB Student Success Coordinator at [email protected] with any questions regarding the Advisory Group application process.  
• Were you forwarded this message? To be directly informed of future opportunities, please subscribe to the ODE.AABSS Student Success Listserv 

Departments

From Ryan:

Next week, we’ll be sending out the complete list of each site’s Excellence in Education honoree.

Emails inviting each honoree to the recognition event will go out on Thursday, April 23.

Before that goes out, pleaes take a moment to notify their honorees directly.

We encourage you to start thinking about how you can deliver the news in a celebratory fashion – announce it at a staff meeting, share it in front of peers, or however feels right for your setting. These recognitions reflect the incredible work happening across our system, and we want the entirety of the process to feel meaningful.

The event will take place at Mountain View High School on Wednesday, May 13 from 4:30–6:30 p.m.

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From Dean:

Optional High School Resources to prevent “Look-alike” Substance Use Policy Violations

This is an optional lesson high schools can deliver through Health 1 classes or as a recorded presentation by administration for an Advisory announcement (teachers will not have enough context to deliver on their own):  “But, is it a substance use policy violation?” Lesson

If you would like additional support to deliver the lesson, please contact Dean and/or Aimee Snyder.

This is in response to emerging issue of student use of caffeine pouches, which are designed to imitate nicotine pouch use.  

We worked with our Healthy Schools partnership to make a lesson that informs students of the Student Code of Conduct and provide scenarios that are likely to be a surprise violation for students or families. 

Stayed tuned to the newsletter content for family newsletters coming soon.  

Please work with your Public Health Specialist to coordinate the roll out of this, if you choose to deliver it as an Advisory or “whole school” announcement this Spring.  We will work on adding it to the Health 1 curriculum starting next school year.

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From Kinsey – Office of Policy and Advocacy:

May Day

May Day (May 1st) celebrates the labor movement and workers’ rights, and is often recognized internationally with protests and rallies.  This year, a national “Day Without Immigrants” is also being planned on the same date.  

Locally, there are some community groups organizing strikes and community action on May 1st.  They are hoping our educators and students will participate in their May Day Strike, and have asked the district to support by facilitating student/staff absences and allowing teams of community volunteers to do service projects on our campuses as a form of the protest on that day. 

As you know, our neutrality here is important.  If you get similar requests for your school to engage in this effort, here are a few tools:

• Our response to their request—feel free to borrow any of this language;
• Our guidance on participating in protests;
• Please let us know if you believe your school will be impacted by substantial student or staff absences that Friday, so we can support you;
• Media inquiries should be directed to Communications.  

Other Dates

For your calendars: 

• April 13-24 = Student Voice Council visits to middle schools
• Thurs, April 30 = GSA Day field trip (6th-12th grades)*
• Thurs, April 30 = Life and Career Readiness Fair*
• Fri, May 1 = Asian Family Night*
• Thurs, May 14 = Latino Family Night and KínderFiesta*   *These can be found on our district Outlook Family Engagement calendar

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From Gabe:

Here is the weekly agenda for Athletics and Activities. April 6th-April 10th, 2026

Calendar

April 14: HS Admin WS 9-11 @ RHS

April 14: MS Walkthroughs @ PCMS

April 15: END Session 2:30-4:00!

April 17: HS Principal Connection 8-10 @ BTA

April 23: MS Horizontal 3-5 @ Pacific Crest

Where in the World

Congratulations to Dan Curfew for correctly identifying the satellite image of Chicago.  Fun fact, did you know that in 1900 Chicago reversed the flow of the Chicago river to prevent pollution from flowing into Lake Michigan?

Here is the image for this week. Send us your guess for this location by Monday, win the drawing, and Stephen or Katie will bring you your school appropriate beverage of choice:

To Do

From Paul, our COO:

Wildfire Season

Please share this information with your staff: As we enter wildfire season, it is the district’s responsibility to ensure the safety of our students, staff, and facilities. We will take both proactive and responsive actions when wildfires impact school grounds and operations.

At the district level, our Communications team will provide timely updates when wildfires impact school operations, including modifications to outdoor activities, changes to the school day, or other operational adjustments. Our goal is to ensure clear, consistent communication so that students, staff, and families can respond appropriately to changing wildfire conditions.  

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For staff, it is equally important to have a personal preparedness plan in place. We strongly encourage all staff to sign up for emergency alerts through Deschutes County and/or download the Watch Duty app, enabling notifications for areas surrounding your home. These tools provide early warnings, including “Be Ready” (Level 1) and “Be Set” (Level 2) notices, which are critical for preparation.

If a Level 3 (Go Now) evacuation is issued for your neighborhood during the workday, you should communicate directly with your supervisor or administrator. We are committed to supporting staff in these situations. As long as student safety and supervision are maintained, we will arrange coverage so you can return home as soon as possible. You may record leave on your timesheet in accordance with district procedures.

From Departments

From the BLPO Team:

Here is the information for Summer ☀️ School that you can share with high school students and families. The document includes two links, and I have also attached a separate PDF of each link for easy access.

All high school counselors have received this information and have both digital and paper copies of the summer class options and the summer agreement. High school principals have also been provided with this information.

Please let me know if you have any questions. We really appreciate you helping share this information. 🙌🏼 🏄🏻 

Best,
Lori Craft

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By April 17, Submit Sources of Strength Award Nominations

Nominations for the Sources of Strength Oregon awards will be accepted from now until April 17.  Anyone, including students, can submit a nomination. 

Consider submitting a nomination or encouraging others to submit nominations:

• Peer Leader Award Nomination Form – Ten Peer Leaders across the state will be selected to receive a $1,000 award for their leadership.
• Sources Team Award Nomination Form – Ten Sources teams across the state will be selected to receive a $1,000 award to support their continued suicide prevention and mental health promotion efforts.
• Adult Advisor Award Nomination Form – Ten winners are selected state-wide to receive a certificate and Sources prizes in recognition for their support of students.

Previous winners are not eligible to win again.

Winning nominations usually describe how a student, staff, or team have embodied or exemplified the Sources of Strength mission as an Agent of Change, Connector to Help, and/or centering “Hope, Help, and Strength.”

Sources of Strength nominations and awards are evidence of your school’s efforts towards student belonging, connection, inclusion, and help-seeking.

Reach out to your Healthy Schools Public Health Specialist, or Aimee, if you need help crafting a nomination.

Award winners will be celebrated in district/school newsletters in May and at Oregon’s virtual Sources of Strength Showcase on May 20th.  More details on the awards, nominations, or showcase can be found here.

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From Gabe in Activities and Athletics:

Here is the weekly agenda for Athletics and Activities. March 16th-20h, 2026

Calendar

March 19 and 20: Katie out of the office – available by cell

March 20: Excellence in Education Nominations DUE to HR

March 23-27 Spring Break: Katie and Stephen out of the office – available by cell

April 3: HS Principal Connection 8-10 @ SHS

April 7: Admin/ICCL 4:15 – 6:15 @ BSH

April 7: HS Admin WS 9-11 @ RHS

April 8: All Admin PD 3-5 @ BSH

April 14: HS Admin WS 9-11 @ MVHS

April 14: MS Walkthroughs @ PCMS

Where in the World

Congrats to Tim Broadbent for correctly identifying Chimney Rock in Nebraska!  Chimney Rock was an important landmark along the Oregon Trail.  

Here is the image for this week. Guess this image by the Monday after spring break, win the drawing, and Katie will bring you your school appropriate beverage of choice:

To Do

Leave sheets are DUE to Katie and Stephen by tomorrow!

Principals, let us know if you do not have leave or submit your leave sheet to Katie or Stephen. Assistant Principals, submit your leave to your Principal.

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To Do reminders from Kinsey:

Sign up for an LCA (Community Engagement Bingo) visit

Sign up and/or share about Taking It Up workshop

Sign up for a fundraising policy listening session

From Departments

March 18 SIW:  is a building directed SIW for HS and a teacher directed SIW for Elementary and Middle

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From Ryan in Human Resources:

Last week, I shared the forms to submit names of the Certified and Support Staff you’d like to recognize as part of our Excellence in Education program. Resharing the links here with a reminder that nominations are due by Friday March 20th. Timely submission allows the next portion of the process to move forward so that everything can be ready in advance of the recognition evening, May 13th.

• The Certified Staff Nomination form is here: https://forms.gle/uN8bDYzrRFFo65nH9
• The Support Staff Nomination form is here: https://forms.gle/ofLPgm3NoN5AmM4f7              

If you need the names of previous honorees from your site, please email me and I will share those with you

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From Kinsey – Office of Policy and Advocacy:

Community Engagement Visits:   -Action requested-

Don’t forget about the chance to win a gift card ($25-$49.99) to places like El Sancho, Spork, downtown shops, and more!  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 who visited The Giving Plate and Bethlehem Inn!  (If you missed those, it’s not too late–reach out to me.)  Our next community partner visit is in April, to the Latino Community Association.  Sign up here to participate.  

While this time of year feels particularly busy, these visits (and/or the average home visit) last 30 minutes or less, and hopefully leave you re-energized and reminded of your ‘why.’  This visit is also a tangible action you can take to support your immigrant and Latino families right now.  

Also, for those of you who recently visisted the Kids’ Center with our awesome safety team: Use that as one of your “optional” spots on your Bingo card.  One step closer to your prize!  🙂

Fundraising Listening Sessions:  -Action needed-

Don’t forget to sign up to attend one of the Fundraising and Donations update sessions.  Your parent leaders, coaches, and community members will be getting this information the following week, so we want you to feel informed and be able to give any final input.  See email from Kinsey sent Feb 27 for details (one admin per building, AD, Activities, etc).    

Taking It Up:   -Action needed-

If you have not yet attended Taking It Up, please talk with your Level Leader about their expectation for your participation in this workshop (register here).  I can cover a sub for your admin duties those two days.  Please also include this invitation in your next staff communication, and encourage folks to represent your school/dept in attending.

Black History Month Door-Decorating Contest: 

Wow–we had great participation rates this year, with kindergarten through adult groups submitting entries!    Check out the submissions.  Tomorrow, winners will be contacted via email (we’ll copy building admin so you know if you have a winner in your building–they will also be featured on social media this month) to celebrate and get them their prizes.  

Family Nights:

Save the dates: Asian Family Night = Friday, May 1; Latino Family Night = Thursday, May 14.  (These are on our district Family Engagement calendar in Outlook.)  More information to follow!

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From Kayla in Safety:

Reminder that Wednesday, March 11 is our Safety Cadre Training #3

• Secondary- 8:00AM-9:30AM in the HDMS Library

We will be having an informational presentation from our Deputy District Attorney on the juvenile justice process followed by a tabletop exercise. Please prioritize the administrator who oversees safety in your building attend the session.

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From Gabe:

Here is the weekly agenda for Athletics and Activities. March 2nd-6th, 2026

Have a great 1^st Day of Spring Sports.

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From Jess:

Here is the counseling update.

Calendar

March 16: Staffing discussion HS Principals 2:30 Teams

March 17: HS Learning Walk – Language Arts 9-12 @ RHS and BTA

March 18: Building Directed SIW for HS

March 18-19: MS Spring Conferences

March 20: Excellence in Education Nominations DUE to HR

March 19 and 20: Katie out of the office – available by cell

March 23-27 Spring Break: Katie out of the office – available by cell

April 3: HS Principal Connection 8-10 @ SHS

April 7: HS Admin WS 9-11 @ RHS

April 14: HS Admin WS 9-11 @ MVHS

Where in the World?

Congratulations to Stephen for stumping all of us! Benjamin O. Davis was the image from last week and no one guessed correctly! O’Davis was among the first graduating class of Tuskegee airmen and integral in implementing the Air Force’s plan to desegregate.  Stephen gets the beverage of his choice!

Guess this location by Monday morning and we will bring you a school appropriate beverage of choice!