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. 🙌🏼 🏄🏻
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.
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:
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
HS principals and VP’s who oversee social studies: Schedule time to meet with your social studies departments to review the timeline for adoption and the materials available for adoption. Monica and Dean can be available to be present if requested. Please coordinate with them directly.
Facilitate an interactive discussion focused on your school’s YouthTruth data with your certified and classified staff (together or separately) and your students by the end of April. Here is the template for you to use with staff and students.
Plan to send out written communication (in English and Spanish) to your families about your two strongest and two lowest data points by the end of April.
HS Admin Only – please add your slides and parent communication to the HS Admin handbook under YouthTruth tab and the bottom.
From Departments
From Communications:
ParentSquare is coming! Thank you to the south county schools who agreed to pilot ParentSquare as their communication tool this spring. Additionally, district level communications will use ParentSquare this spring. Staff will be trained in ParentSquare this August and will be the required form of communication beginning with the 26-27 school year.
OngoingCommunication about Standards Based Grading and Instruction:
Social Media:
You may have seen our recent social media posts on SBGI. We plan to send out a new post every Sunday between now and the end of the year featuring information as well as students, staff, and administrators talking about the change.
The first two weeks in February we highlighted the difference between Traditional and Standards Based Grading and Instruction. Donna and Cooper, one of the Student Voice Representatives from Summit, were featured in the video. Next up: SBGI Definitions highlighting CHS students!
Make sure you’re following Bend-La Pine on our social media platforms!
Supe’s On Podcast:
Kudos to Emily O’Neill, Language Arts Teacher, and Chris Boyd from Caldera who will be featured on the next Supe’s On Podcast focused on SBGI!
COTV feature:
Check out Stephen and Shauna Johnson, MVHS Social Studies Teacher as they talk about SBGI on COTV!
Thank you to Scott and Becca for their amazing partnership on these projects!
On Monday, Clever access was restricted for students and teachers due to an outage. We know that determining whether something is a “user error” or an actual outage can be frustrating.
This handy dashboard lists all of our common tools and their current operational status. Our team will also update a custom message at the top of the site listing any known issues.
Go ahead and bookmark it now. That way, you can check it out the next time something gets wonky!
Guidance on Email Communications and Student Information:
Here is the guidance we reviewed at horizontals recently, and the quiz activity you can use when introducing this to staff. Please don’t only email this guidance out to staff—it’s not urgent, but take some time to review and discuss it together at some point between now and your August launch next year.
Policy Updates:
Here is the policy we reviewed and discussed together recently. This sets out specific expectations for administrators, certified educators, and all employees. As a reminder, it replaces and covers Staff Responsibilities, Assignment, Employee Dress Code, and more. Worth being very familiar with!
Here is our policy on showing movies/films in class. As discussed, it’s not necessarily intuitive in all cases—please share with your teachers.
Ramadan and Religious Practices:
This week marked the beginning of Ramadan, which continues through March 19. Please be mindful of both employee and student needs related to religious observances:
If an employee requests accommodations for fasting or prayer (or any other religious purpose throughout the year), contact me so we can ensure we meet our Civil Rights obligations and coordinate with Benefits.
Please also remind your staff that students may request accommodations related to religious observances. This could include adjustments connected to fasting, prayer, PE participation, or assessments. When these arise, loop me in so we can support the student’s civil rights appropriately and consistently.
🎉In honor of School Social Work Week and Classified Appreciation Week (March 2 -6th), we want to take a moment to specifically honor our Student Success Coordinators, Clinicians, Instructors, and Educational Assistants.
The ongoing need for specialized and compassionate support for students makes the Student Success team a central role in bridging the gap between home and school, ensuring that social, emotional, and mental health needs are met with expertise and empathy.
Whether they are providing intensive care coordination, fostering family engagement, or offering a steady hand during a mental health crisis, they work to bridge between a student “getting by” and truly thriving. The effort they put into building safe, trusting relationships that extend from the classroom to the home with students is essential.
Please take a moment at your school the first week of March to thank them for their service!
🌟 You’re Invited! Mark Your Calendars!
Join us for end-of-year presentations led by our dedicated Bend-La Pine Schools counselors. During these brief school updates, each team will share progress on their annual goals, highlight key programming initiatives, and reflect on the data gathered throughout the year. These presentations offer an opportunity to see how counseling programs are supporting students academically, socially-emotionally, and in their college and career readiness. Teams will share successes, lessons learned, and how this year’s work will inform future planning within our coordinated system of student support.
This reflection helps us continue strengthening a comprehensive, responsive support system for all students across Bend-La Pine Schools. Your presence matters as we celebrate growth, learn from one another, and look ahead to the next year of impact. I will send the lead counselor over counseling a calendar invite for each school. We hope you’ll join us!
📅 Presentation Schedule
Thursday, May 21, 2026 High School | 8:00–10:30 a.m. Location: (Awaiting Confirmation) Perseverance Hall
Thursday, May 28, 2026 Middle School | 8:00–11:00 a.m. Location: Education Center Boardroom
MS Only
A friendly reminder to please make sure anyone helping with school traffic or crossing guard duties is wearing a high-visibility vest and/or clothing.
Wearing a vest helps reinforce safe practices for our students and families. We appreciate your attention to this and your continued support in keeping our campus safe.
If your site needs a vest, please email Andrea Wilson.
HS Only
Graduation Ceremony Expectations: High Schools are required to follow these expectations. Please reach out to Katie if you have questions.
Calendar
February 13-April 10: Pre ACT testing
February 23-26: Katie out of the office – available by cell
March 10: HS WS 9-11 @ RHS
March 13: Principal Connection 7-9 @ MVHS
March 17: HS Learning Walk – Language Arts 9-12 @ RHS and BTA
March 19 and 20: Katie out of the office – available by cell
March 23-27 Spring Break
April 3: Principal Connection 8-10 @ SHS
Who in the World?
Congrats to Kelly Schmidt for correctly identifying Bessie Coleman as our who in the world this week. Coleman was the first licensed Black pilot in the world as well as the first Native American to hold a pilot license.
We continue our celebration of Black History! Who is this famous individual and what is he famous for?
Please work with your language specialist and family liaison to submit ASAPyour interpreter needs for conferences. Remember to schedule blocks/back-to-back appointments for families who need interpreters, to the extent reasonable. This helps maximize interpreter resources, which will be tight this year.
Also, please remind staff that virtual interpreters are perfectly acceptable and sometimes even better quality than in-person services. If the Linguist Link team says an interpreter will be available virtually for your request, the teacher(s) should provide a link to their Teams/WebEx/etc account (send the link to the language specialist and/or paste into the Linguist Link request), and pull up the interpreter on their iPad or laptop during the conference. We are prioritizing in-person interpreters for secondary conferences, given the format of those conferences.
Someone should be available in your front office during all conference hours, to greet interpreters and point them in the direction of their assigned rooms, and/or to answer phone calls if interpreters are trying to log into a virtual appointment and getting locked out. Interpreter no-show? CAFE Program members can step in in a pinch, as available.
Remind teachers to honor family requests for virtual or phone conferences, within reason (if you need reminders about what’s ‘within reason,’ check in with your liaison or ELL specialist for details).
Please read and reach out to me with questions. “Testing season” is quickly approaching. Here are a few resources to help with planning and organization. I’m happy to come out and meet with you as is helpful, especially with anyone who may be new to testing-related roles.
Here is an updated for 2025-26 OSAS Essential Information and Planning Resources document for school test coordinators. This resource is meant to compliment ODE’s resources and highlight some of the most important big ideas. This document will be updated as needed. Note that we have made a change to the opt-out and exemption tracking tool to streamline it and make it easier to use. Please save and use as a resource https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tTBz01GxuRhjZvxM8RoqF02uGBuRM4c2daIoPlv7f4Q/edit?usp=sharing
ICCL/Administrator Training February 17: If you haven’t already, be sure to forward the inviteto your ICCL’s!
From Departments
From Lisa:
Assessment Team: As you know, SB141 will require interim assessments in grades K-8 for reading and mathematics to begin in the fall. In mid-February, we will know the identified assessments and logistics related to their implementation. We would like a team of administrators and teachers to review tools, give input, and consider implementation plans in preparation of this requirement taking place in our district. If you would like to be considered to be part of this group, please add your name to the following sign-up sheet by February 13th. SB141 Assessment Consideration Team
Data Team: Throughout this year, we have spent time considering data related to EWS and MTSS needs for our teams. However, as an administrator it is likely that you have specific data that you’d like to be able to see about your school frequently to help guide your training, actions, and team plans. I would like to bring a team of administrators together to discuss what would be most beneficial to have access to in a dashboard format that you would be able to consistently access daily to lead your school best. If you have ideas and would like to join this team, please sign up using the following sheet by February 13th. Data Dream Team
SIF Budgets: When you receive your budget for next year, you will notice that SIF will no longer be a separate budget tab. In the past, these dollars were governed by a grant and required specific spending approval. That is no longer the case and remains as an extra hurdle for our business office. To streamline processes, it will be included in the dollars for your general fund moving forward. Your level leader will continue to meet with you for general budgeting guidance as always.
Any new classified staff member hired after tomorrow, Friday February 6, 2026, will not need to have a summative evaluation completed for the 25-26 school year. Classified employees hired as of February 9, 2026, through the end of the year, will participate in goal setting in the fall and be evaluated for the 26-27 school year. Please let me know if you have any questions/concerns.
Human Resources will be sending an Extra Duty Attestation Form to employees we have on record as currently serving in the Elementary Music Director, Elementary Yearbook Advisor, and Elementary OBOB Advisor roles prior to their formal inclusion on the Extra Duty Schedule, as well as to the building principal for verification.
These roles were added to the Extra Duty Schedule through agreements between the District and BEA.
The form is intended to document prior service – within Bend-La Pine Schools or in other districts – so that employees can be accurately placed on the Extra Duty Salary Schedule. Employees will be asked to complete, sign, and return the form, with the supervising administrator reviewing and confirming the information.
The Middle School OBOB Advisor role was also added to the Extra Duty Schedule. Because we in HR do not have a record of who may be serving in this role, Human Resources will send the attestation form to all middle school Principals to share with the individual currently performing these duties, if applicable, for completion and return.
In addition to the four elementary and middle school PD sessions offered throughout the year, Jess Scott has volunteered to meet one-on-one with the administrator in charge of TAG to provide support with complex TAG case studies or to further walk through the TAG identification process. These individual conversations can be a helpful space to ask questions and talk through specific situations. Please feel free to reach out to Jessica Scott to coordinate a time to meet.
HS Only
From Lisa, CTE TOSA:
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!
Calendar
February 13-April 10: Pre ACT testing
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?
Congratulations to Colin Bado for correctly identifying Shirley Chisholm for Who in the World this week. Chisholm was the first Black woman elected to congress and represented New York’s 12th district from 1969 to 1983.
We continue our celebration of Black History! Who is this famous individual?
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.
Curriculum Guide Audits: TOSAS and our secondary team are currently doing an audit of curriculum guides to ensure that the information shared is consistently communicated for our families.
So, far, we are finding that some schools have made adjustments to the science and math pathways. If this is the case for you, please adjust those ASAP. If you are not sure, reach out to Dean.
From Departments
From Jenn 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! 😊🎉
Reminder for recess/lunch winter weather guidance:
When the outside temperature falls to 20°F or below (not including wind chill), the administration will use caution when allowing outdoor school activities(This information is found in the Quick Reference Guide for Emergencies aka “the Red Green”). See the NOAA Windchill chart here.
Administrators have the discretion to send students outside in inclement weather. For example, it could be above 20°F but extremely icy, so you may decide to keep students inside.
AI resources for students just got an upgrade, including a new AI for Research slide deck and our AI Guide for Students, both found on the AI in BLS website. If AI instruction is on your radar, we’re glad to partner with you to support classroom conversations and provide staff learning.
January 27: Climate and Culture Task Force 8-12 @ Ed Center Boardroom
January 28: All Admin Professional Development 3:00-4:30 BSHS Perseverance Hall
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
Who in the World?
Congrats to Dave McKae for winning the where in the world contest this week! The photo is of The Hole in the Rock formation in Papago Park near Phoenix, Arizona. An awesome hike if you’re ever down there. Right next to the zoo!
We celebrate Black History Month in February! Who is this famous inventor and what did he invent?
Building leaders, please complete these tasks related to our Health curriculum:
Sadly, we continue to have suicide attempts across our schools. Here is a reminder of the administrator asks to assure that our schools are doing all we can to reduce suicide.
Reach out to Health/PE teachers (of 6th, 7th, 8th grades, Health 1 and 2) at the beginning of a semester:
To confirm that they’re aware that suicide prevention education is required.
To identify when they will teach suicide prevention education.
To confirm the school’s procedure for responding to students who need mental health support, particularly if a student needs to leave the classroom because they are not ok.
To see if the teacher needs any coaching support to build their confidence and skills. Connect Health teachers to school counselors for coaching, if needed.
Alert counselors, admin, and other relevant staff about 1 week before suicide prevention will be taught. Confirm who will be on standby for responding to student mental health needs. Remind these staff of the procedure for response if students need support:
Recommended procedure, if able: Have another adult in the classroom during the lessons who can escort students who need support to the counseling office, if needed.
If unable to have another adult in the classroom, have a plan for the teacher to call your counseling center or front office staff when a student in need of support leaves the room so that someone can follow up and ensure they reach a counselor.
Always have a school counselor available during and after the lessons to respond to students’ mental health needs that may arise.
ICCL/Administrator training this week: Our focus for this training was “SBIG: systems and strategies to move the learning forward.” We heard presentations from:
*LPHS Principal, Scott Olszweski and five teachers: Suzanne Jones, Luke Donahue, Lindsey Spring, Kent Eby and Jessica Kinzel Schneiter
*Sean Keating, PCMS Principal
*Julie Montoya, World Language TOSA
*Shauna Johnson, Social Studies Teacher at MVHS.
They each spoke to tangible examples of SBIG implementation in their schools and classrooms. Here are the slides. Please pass these along!
Key takeaways from the sharing:
*Teacher leadership is vital in this work we are doing together
*Collaboration results in higher levels of learning
*Design to the 4! Provide exemplars and clear, specific rubrics prior to assigning
*Providing feedback (without a score) coupled with time to rework leads to high levels of learning
Please share this opportunity with your students and encourage them to participate. It is an excellent way for them to engage with the democratic process and contribute to our community.
Dear Educators and Administrators: I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to bring to your attention the Deschutes County Clerk’s Office’s “I Voted” Sticker Contest for 2026. This contest offers a unique opportunity for local K-12 students to engage in a creative celebration of America’s 250th birthday while showcasing their artistic talents in a meaningful civic initiative.
Contest Highlights:
Eligibility: Open to all K-12 students in Deschutes County.
Submission Deadline: January 31, 2026.
Design Theme: Celebrating America’s Semiquincentennial. Original designs are encouraged to incorporate red, white, and blue colors.
Winning designs will be:
Featured on the cover of the Voters’ Pamphlets for the upcoming May Primary and November General elections.
Printed as actual stickers. These stickers will be distributed during the upcoming elections this year .
Displayed at the Deschutes County Services Building.
Submit signed entry forms to:
In Person: Deschutes County Clerk’s Office, 1300 NW Wall Street, Ste 202 Bend
Contest entry form is here for your convenience. Additional information can be found on our website, here.
Thank you for your support in promoting civic engagement among students. Feel free to reach out with any questions.
Steve Dennison | County Clerk DESCHUTES COUNTY CLERK’S OFFICE 1300 NW Wall Street | Bend, Oregon 97703 Tel: (541) 388-6544
From Departments:
From Kinsey – Office of Policy and Advocacy:
Community Engagement:
Don’t forget about the chance to win a gift card ($25-$49.99) to places like El Sancho, Spork, downtown shops, and more! Just a little motivation and token of appreciation for getting outside your building/office and into the community we serve. (Bingo card here.)
Thanks to all of you who visited The Giving Plate this fall! (If you missed that round, it’s not too late–reach out to me.) Our next community partner visit is in January, to the Bethlehem Inn. Sign up here to participate.
Black History Month:
In the next few days, your Advocacy ICCL representative will share with your staff some opportunities for recognizing Black History Month and honoring our Black students, colleagues, and community members–including our fourth annual Inspiring Displays Contest. Last year, over 18 community agencies and partners voted on the amazing contest submissions—more info here.
When that message comes through, please reiterate it with your staff. This will A) honor the leadership of your Advocacy ICCL rep, and B) show your staff that you care about this topic as a leader and want your school engaged. Here’s a draft communication you can edit or copy/paste into your staff blog, or you can simply reference the message your Advocacy ICCL rep will have recently sent.
Curriculum Guide for New Choice High School: The curriculum guide for the New Choice High School is currently live on the RHS and BTA websites Here are the English and Spanish Versions.
We are preparing a “toolkit” for schools to explain the framework of the New Choice High School that we will be sharing in the coming days!
We have updated our 8888-emergency phone document for schools to show which district level leaders receive the phone calls. It can also be found in our Safety Google Drive – here.
Please review this information as a reminder on when and how to use the 8888 phone number for any safety/emergency related issues at schools. Reach out with questions.
We are working with Kids Center to provide a training for our fourth Safety Cadre meeting. Kids Center has graciously offered to facilitate tours of their site for our admin who are interested. If you are interested in a brief pre-training tour (multiple times will be available), please reach out to Kayla Martin so we can get an estimate on attendance.
As we continue to strengthen inclusive, student-centered practices across our schools, we encourage you to become more familiar with the role of school-based Occupational Therapists (OTs). OTs are key partners in supporting student access, regulation, and participation in learning and daily school routines. Reviewing the attached document will provide helpful context on how OTs support students, staff, and school-wide systems.
Could you all please add this CPI Trained Staff List to your Important Links/Resources for building leaders? We want to make sure they are quickly able to see the trained staff at their sites.
Also, we try to keep up with when people leave or move sites, but if they have any updates that we haven’t caught, they can absolutely let me know!
Please make yourself aware of this document being shared with middle school counselors. working Middle School Forecasting document. We will talk more at our February horizontal if you have any questions.
Look for slides about the New Choice High School to show students in next week’s advisory!
HS Only
From Jennifer and Jess:
High School Forecasting & Academic Planning: A Unified Approach Across BLS
During our recent Admin/Counselor PLC prior to winter break, we revisited our shared, districtwide forecasting framework and the systems that support academic planning across BLS. We are grateful for the thoughtful, coordinated work taking place in every building to ensure students and families are well-prepared to make informed academic decisions. Forecasting remains a critical component of postsecondary preparation and is fully embedded within our comprehensive counseling programming—not a stand-alone task or event.
Our shared vision centers on ensuring that all students and families understand the purpose and value of forecasting throughout the middle and high school years. Middle school counseling lessons introduce academic planning, high school graduation requirements, and early college and career awareness, while SchooLinks activities build readiness and self-awareness. Eighth-grade students, as well as students in grades 9–11, complete their course planners in SchooLinks at least two weeks prior to meeting with high school counselors for forecasting. In high school, annual counseling lessons continue to reinforce graduation pathways, diploma options, and postsecondary planning, with course planners updated in advance to support meaningful forecasting conversations.
Districtwide consistency for students and families remains at the core of our unified forecasting framework. It is essential that schools maintain clear, predictable communication with families before, during, and after forecasting to support understanding and engagement at every stage of the process. Before forecasting, the framework includes timely family outreach, updated materials, and classroom lessons aligned to graduation and pathway requirements, with students completing course planners in advance. During forecasting, schools provide grade-level lessons, 1:1 support, and ongoing family communication to help students make informed, goal-aligned course selections. After forecasting, schools offer family review windows, course request verification, and clear reminders about scheduling parameters and key deadlines.
We are also continuing to align our practices and communication related to BLPO and other non-district or postsecondary course options to ensure families receive clear, accessible guidance and required documentation. Ongoing alignment between middle and high school teams remains a priority, with dedicated time built into our January END to continue this work. As a result, students and families will experience consistent resources across all schools, including shared timelines, communications, lessons, and forecasting guides.
Thank you to everyone who contributes to our annual cross-level forecasting alignment that help create a smooth, predictable, and supportive experience for students and families.
Calendar
January 13: HS Learning Walk 10-1 @ LPHS
January 14: SBIG Early Adopter Virtual Drop in 8:00-8:30
January 14: New Choice High School Information Night 6:00 @ BTA Campus
January 16: Principal Connection 7:00 @ CHS
January 20: MS and HS Admin Work Session – 9-11 Summit High School
January 20: New Choice High School Information Night 6:00 @ BTA Campus
January 22: HS Only – Tier II Academic Intervention Team 2:30-4:00 @ CHS
January 23: 504 training required for ALL admin who oversee 504’s 9:00 @ Wall Street Lab
January 23: 26-27 Area Change Request (ACR) Deadline for submission
Where in the World?
Congrats to Brian Barringer of LPMS for winning this week’s where in the world. The image was from a snowy 1960s Bend!
This week, it’s Where in the World? Any admin who correctly identifies this location by Monday morning (after break) will be entered in a drawing for coffee/tea or morning beverage of choice to be delivered by Katie or Stephen. Note: This contest will be limited to MS and HS admin.
SBHC lesson (MVHS and BSHS – skip slide 8). AND send home the SBHC family letter and permission form.
From Departments
Kudos to our HS counseling team!
Jennifer Hauth, Jess Calbreath and Amberlee Solito presented at the Oregon State School Counseling Meeting this week on Bend La Pine’s journey to implementing a Comprehensive School Counseling Program. Please take a look at the slide deck that outlines our implementation journey over the last four years. Also, check out our elementary school counseling video (2 Minutes) that was shared at the Board meeting. For the first time in BLS history, we have an elementary school counselor at every school!
Here are the slides from the HS administrator and counselor Meeting from 12/9. Slide Deck
From Sean Reinhart, Executive Director of Student Services:
25-26 Child Count Data
Please click the link below to look at this year’s child count data, as well as our historical trends. Overall, we are up about 40 students total with IEPs. With the overall decrease in enrollment, that puts the district at 12.5% of students receiving special education services.
As a reminder, December 1 of each school year is the day that we report the total number of students with IEPs in BLS. This is the number that ODE uses to base our funding for the following year. School districts get a “second ADM weight” for each student with and IEP up to 11% of the district population. BLS is currently at 12.5%.
Kudos to our student services team members!
Student Services is introducing a new process we are going to be using to boost morale and include more positivity and celebration in our weekly Special EDge Blog.
We will be starting Campus Kudos, a section of the blog highlighting two schools per week and celebrating ways that the school’s Student Services team has been working to promote inclusion, belonging for students, and working as a team to support each other. We will NOT be celebrating individual staff members in this process but really would like to make the focus be upon the entire team. Everyone deserves to be celebrated because they are doing hard work!
So here is our ask: Please fill out the linked form when you feel you have seen something from your school team that is worthy of celebration, particularly things around inclusion, belonging, and teamwork. This can be a running record, and does not need to be filled out ONLY when it is time in the schedule for a particular school to be celebrated.
As we approach the policy shift that prohibits personal devices effective January, please remind teachers to review the IEPs, 504s, and Individual Health Plans of students in their class, and/or check in with Learning Specialists, to be clear on which students have documented permission to use their personal devices. This info should also be noted in Substitute Folders.
This will help reduce 1) the number of false claims by students saying they have a medical ‘need’ for their phone, and 2) repeated corrections or consequences for students who do need them but who frequently get reprimanded for usage that is actually permissible.
Immigration:
Check that you have the ICE guidance (linked and highlighted in this document) printed and posted near your front-entry/reception window for the staff who greet visitors. This is also a good point to refresh yourself on the procedures expected of you and your team.
If you become aware of immigration activity in the community that has impacted a student or family, please: 1) be extremely mindful of confidentiality, privacy, and professional boundaries—do not share this information unless absolutely necessary, 2) take care of yourself and your emotions so you can take care of others , 3) refer the student or family to appropriate resources (your family liaison, our newcomer counselor specialist George, school counselor, FAN, etc), 4) let me know if you have a need I can support, resource- or policy-wise. Thank you for your calm, compassionate, and steady leadership as these tough things continue impacting our community.
December 16: HS Administrator Work Session 9:00-11:00 @ CHS (come early for breakfast!)
December 17: Optional Early Adopter Drop in @ 8:00
December 17: Admin PD Session – 3:00 @ Aspen Hall (please carpool)
December 18: MS Horizontal 3-5 @ High Desert
December 19: Principal connection @ 7:00
December 20-January 5: Winter Break
What in the World
Congratulations to Darla Brandon at La Pine Middle for correctly identifying our Where in the World image as Hobbiton, the set from the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies that is now a tourist attraction in New Zealand.
This week, it’s What in the World? What celebration does this week’s image below represent? Any admin who correctly identifies this location by Monday morning will be entered in a drawing for coffee/tea or morning beverage of choice to be delivered by Katie or Stephen. Note: This contest will be limited to MS and HS admin.
Congratulations to our colleague Chris Boyd for being selected as the Administrator of the Year! Chris has been with Bend-La Pine Schools for 11 years and is in his fifth year as principal at Caldera High School, the district’s newest school. He has been Caldera principal since the doors opened in the fall of 2021.
To Do
Reminders for HS: teach these two lessons before winter break:
SBHC lesson (MVHS and BSHS – skip slide 8). AND send home the SBHC family letter and permission form.
From Tami Pike:
Please ensure that your school’s first aid kits: classroom fanny packs, front office orange first aid bags, and gym wall first aid kits are regularly reviewed and restocked. This task can be completed by non-nursing staff.
From Sean Reinhart, Jennifer Hauth, and Jamie Gunter
The Student Services Team is reaching out with yearly reminders of our protocols and procedures around suicide risk and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), as required byAdi’s Act (Senate Bill 52). We will be providing a series of updates to ensure that administrators have information on updated protocols.
Reminder: Safe Oregon
Safe Oregon tips involving suicidal ideation or non-suicidal self-injury require follow up with your school based mental health staff (follow up screening and entry into Student Safe each time).Refer to the student services slide deck or reach out to Sean, Jamie, Scott, or Kayla.
Reminder: Screening Staff
As per our Adi’s Act plan, staff who can risk screen and safety plan with students include school counselors, school psychologists, and student success clinicians. ASIST trained school nurses and student success staff can collaborate with their school based mental health professionals after screening on next steps in safety planning and lethal means calls home. Policy requires that a student is screened and parent/caregivers are notified the same day that a concern is noted. Same day notification to administrators is also a requirement, as is the entry of all screening information and contact details intoStudent Safe. All administrators have access to the Student Safe system, and if anyone would like a 1:1walkthrough, please reach out.
Here’s a quick reminder about the Tobacco Quit Kits. These kits are a valuable resource to support students in their journey to quit smoking, vaping, or using chewing tobacco.
The kits include:
Distraction tools to help resist the urge to use tobacco.
Resource information to support students through the quitting process.
How to Distribute Quit Kits
Quit Kits are intended to be distributed during the second nicotine module of the Teen Intervene program by UpShift Specialists.
In special cases, they may be distributed outside of Teen Intervene, but only if a student demonstrates a strong commitment to quitting.
Schools and staff can request kits using our request form:
Order up to 5-10 kits at a time.
Delivery will be confirmed within 5-7 business days.
To streamline the process, we recommend designating one UpShift team member to handle all kit requests for your school.
Ready to request your kits? Please complete this form.
If you have any questions or need additional support, please reach out. We’re here to help!
Additional Resource:
The CDC has a quick, one-page guide to help school staff understand youth vaping and tobacco use.It includes tips for how you can support young people and key health facts. Download it in English or Spanish. Please feel free to pass along to staff.
This is open to Oregon students enrolled in grades 9 – 12 for the 2025-2026 school year. Leif Méndez, who was a 12th grader at Caldera High School last school year, served on the inaugural ODOT SRTS High School Task Force. I’m hoping another BLS high school student will apply and be selected for this opportunity.
I invite your recommendations on where and how else to promote this. I have already asked BLS Communications to include it in the December Family Newsletter.
Calendar
November 24-28: Thanksgiving Break
December 1: SBG Parent Night @ LPHS 5:30
December 2: Learning Walk session @ MVHS 9:15 room D1
December 3: Optional Early Adopter Drop in 8:00-8:30 (virtual)
December 3: SBG Parent Night @ MVHS 5:30
December 5: HS Principal Connection @ BTA 9:00
December 5: Transcript process training for HS admin who have not been trained 10:00 @ BTA
What in the World Happened Here?
Congratulations to Leah Boon for winning last week! The image was of Ruby Bridges being escorted to school by federal marshals on November 14th 1960.
This week, it’s What in the WorldHappened Here? Check out this week’s image below. Any admin who correctly identifies what historical even happened here by Monday morning (Dec 1) will be entered in a drawing for coffee/tea or morning beverage of choice to be delivered by Katie or Stephen. Note: This contest will be limited to MS and HS admin.
This is National School Psychologist Week! Did you show appreciation for your School Psych? Link to org chart.
This year’s theme, “Finding Your Path,” reflects the ways that school psychologists help students, families, and school communities set and achieve their goals. Join us by taking this week to chart your course to explore how each person can celebrate the work of school psychologists and learn how school psychologists make a difference every day.
November 13-19 is Transgender Awareness Week. Next week your building will receive a kit with ideas and supplies for simple ways to support your transgender students or colleagues.
Please connect with your Advocacy ICCL representative (or watch your mailbox) for those kits, and encourage your staff to participate.
HS Administrators only: With the new cell phone policy being implemented in January, we know there have been some concerns about students’ access to college applications, FAFSA, and similar platforms that may require authenticator or password retrieval.
After meeting with IT, we confirmed that students in grades 11 and 12 do have access to their personal email accounts on their iPads. This means they can retrieve verification codes or reset passwords as needed without relying on their school email or phone.
Students in grades 11 and 12 can access their personal email through logging into Safari.
This ensures students can continue accessing essential college and financial aid tools while allowing us to uphold the new “off and away, bell to bell” cell phone policy and maintain focus during class time. It might be worth a quick advisory lesson to walk students through accessing their personal email on their iPad before January—especially since they won’t be able to use their phones for password retrieval when they add their personal email.
Please work with your counselors to support students to access their personal emails prior to the January cell phone implementation.
Please make sure employees at your site are aware of this important payroll update.
For the November and December payrolls, all employees will receive a paper paystub (or a live check if not enrolled in direct deposit) mailed directly to their home address on file. Payday remains the last business day of each month.
This change ensures every employee can easily access their pay information during school breaks when most staff are off-site or not connected to the district network. From now on, paystubs and paychecks will no longer be routed to school sites for pickup or distribution.
What to Know
All employees will automatically receive mailed paystubs in November, December, June, July, and August.
Employees who want paper paystubs in additional months can email Payroll to opt in. (This election resets each year.)
Employees can update their home address in UKG.
Those who need help setting up direct deposit can review the “How To” guide on the Payroll Portal or reach out to Payroll.
Substitute and extra-duty employees will continue to receive paper paystubs automatically every month.
Employees can still view electronic paystubs through Employee Online when using a district device or network connection.
Thank you for sharing this information with your teams and helping ensure every employee has consistent access to their pay details.
From Departments
From Eric Powell in Student Services
Moving forward, when documenting a Child Abuse Report that your school is making, will you please store the Child Abuse Form in the following ways:
Building Principal or Department Supervisor maintains a copy of the report
Send (Email is fine) a copy to Eric Powell in Student Services
Family Engagement: -For your review (share as applicable)-
Family Liaisons: Here are our Spanish-speaking liaisons, and here are reminders on how to use their services. We also have part-time Black/African American, Asian, and Youth Partnerships Liaisons–if you’d like to connect with one of them, let me know.
FAN Advocates: Here are reminders on their role. Remind your staff: FAN does not coordinate Christmas gifts for families and hasn’t for over 10 years. FAN resources are maxed out prioritizing basic needs (food, utilities, etc). There are many community-based organizations that do support religious or holiday-based requests like Christmas gifts: Here, here, and here are a few resources.
Concerns/celebrations: If you have concerns about your liaison or advocate (inconsistent attendance, lack of responsiveness, etc), I need to know right away. Of course, if you have a note of appreciation or celebration about them, send me those too!
Translation/interpretation: Remember, CAFE members are not your primary resource for language services. Also, please don’t ask them to “quickly review” your AI/Google-translated communication. Use Linguist Link for translation/interpretation requests. Here are reminders on differences between these services.
Food Access and Your Parent Groups: -For your review (share as applicable)-
In the absence of SNAP benefits for families in need, some of you have parent groups organizing to gather food and distribute it to families. This is great, if/when boundaries are respected. Share these talking points with your parent group, as applicable.
Earlier this week, all Classified staff received an email announcing the opening of applications for the 2025 cohort of Bend-La Pine’s Alternative Pathways Program (APP), a district-supported opportunity for Classified employees to pursue licensure for Certified roles that offers tuition reimbursement, paid student teaching/practicum leave, and other supports as needed as they pursue their license. The announcement was also shared in the most recent edition of this week’s Staff Spotlight.
The APP focuses on hard-to-fill positions and places a particular emphasis on supporting multilingual and bilingual staff, helping us strengthen our connection to students and families while developing our future educators and leaders.
I’m asking that you all take a moment to think about who in your building or department might be a great candidate for this program, both those who have already expressed an interest in becoming licensed educators and those who may not yet see their own potential. A shoulder tap from you might be the spark that helps someone find the confidence they need to take this step.
Applications are open through December 2, 2025. If you’d like more info on the program, you can email Ryan Kelling or visit the Employee Portal.
We will pay for the subs of teachers who attended the COCC articulation meeting on September 10. Request the account code from April J.
Calendar
November 12: Optional Early Adopter Drop in 8:00-8:30 (virtual)
November 12: Review slides for SBG Parent Night @BSHS 2:15 in classroom next to PH
November 12: All Admin Meeting @ BSHS 3:00-4:30
November 13: Tier 2 Academic Intervention Team @ BSHS 2:30-4:00
November 18: HS Administrator work session @BSHS 9:00-11:00
November 19: Optional Early Adopter Drop in 8:00-8:30 (virtual)
November 19: SBG Parent Night @ SHS 5:30
November 24-28: Thanksgiving Break
Where in the World
Congrats (and Happy Birthday) to Reno Holler for winning the “where in the world” image last week. The image was of center field at Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. Wrigley was built in 1914 and the original vines were purchased and planted in September 1937.
This week, it’s Who in the World. Check out this week’s image below. Any admin who correctly identifies this image by Monday morning will be entered in a drawing for coffee/tea or morning beverage of choice to be delivered by Katie or Stephen. Note: This contest will be limited to MS and HS admin.
Reminder: DUE tomorrow, October24: Earlier this week, you were sent a list of your PROB 2 staff. By Friday, review your Probationary 2 staff list and reach out to Triz if you have any performance concerns. Ensure that any performance concerns are being addressed and that you’ve identified anyone who may be a potential non-renewal. With the passage of HB 2900—effective January 1, 2026—we must also evaluate any Probationary 2 staff who may have already achieved contract status in another Oregon district. These individuals should be considered like a Probationary 3.
If you have staff on the list with performance issues, please reach out so we can discuss next steps, and I can provide support.
Be ready to show ISR’s in Synergy or print student reports when requested: ODE requires schools to report OSAS results to parents annually. Individual student reports (ISR) with ELA, Math, and Science scores from spring 2025 testing have been loaded into Synergy. Here is a folder with brief instructions for staff, parents, and students to access OSAS state test scores in a variety of ways in Synergy.
All users can view and download the one-page ISR that ODE creates each year. Teachers also can view lists of prior year OSAS scores for their classes in TeacherVue. Whether Spanish ISRs are loaded for a student is based on the ‘resolved’ language in Synergy. Schools should be prepared to print an ISR for any parent who requests it and may continue to print ISRs as makes sense. Teachers who want to use ISRs at conferences can quickly pull them up in real time and display them on any screens that are available to them.
Here is the plan for administrator assignments for the END sessions this year. Just a reminder that this is a HS Only END session because K-8 is involved in parent conferences. Here is the information about the END sessions next week as well as admin assignments and HERE is the attendance QR code. Please copy and ask teachers to check in.
From Departments
From Ryan in Human Resources:
To support consistency across schools and ensure appropriate use of substitute coverage, guidelines outlining expectations by role classification for the 2025–26 school year have been developed.
From Gabe Pagano, Director of Activities and Athletics:
Here is the agenda for the week. Please remember, you can forward this to any coach, program, group of coaches, or folks you feel might benefit from the information in the Weekly Agenda. I am doing my best to title information blocks for high school or middle school to save you time in reading or sending out. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
College Articulations in CTE: Lisa Keown and Katie are working with COCC to increase our CTE Dual Credit opportunities for our students taking CTE classes. Lisa will begin this discussion with CTE teachers next week during the HS ONLY END session. Let us know how we can better support efforts to increase college dual credit for our families and students!
Ranking in High School: We have had a few questions about why we do not rank in Bend La Pine Schools. Here are the talking points we have shared with administrators and counselors in the past. Please reach out to Jenn if you have questions.
Calendar
October 29: HS ONLY END Session – K-8 has parent conferences
October 29-30: MS Fall Conferences
October 30: HS Principal Breakfast @ 7:00am
Weeks of October 26-November 3: HS Fall Conferences
November 4: HS Learning Walk @ Caldera HS 8:30-11:30
November 5: Early Adopter teams – optional Q and A for Early Adopters! Weekly!
Congrats to Heather Bailey, Principal at HDMS, for correctly guessing Notre Dame, Paris France! The decorative demon was created by architect Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc, who was responsible for the cathedral’s restoration during the 19th century. Contrary to popular belief, Le Stryge is technically a grotesque and not a gargoyle, as it does not act as a waterspout.
We’re back with Who in the World. Check out this week’s image below. Any admin who correctly identifies this image by Monday morning will be entered in a drawing for coffee/tea or morning beverage of choice to be delivered by Katie or Stephen. Note: This contest will be limited to MS and HS admin.
