YouthTruth Survey window: The survey window is open until the end of January! The goal of each school is to get the highest participation from staff, students and families! Reach out to Dave if you have questions
Reminder: Post-inauguration, some students will be walking into your building with big feelings. The incoming administration has openly communicated upcoming changes intended to directly impact particular populations (immigrants, trans people, etc).
Please ask your counselors to make themselves as available as possible for drop-ins if students need extra support next week. If your team knows a particular student or colleague struggled after the election in November, make time on Tuesday to have a trusted adult or friend intentionally check in with them. Thank you for your increased presence, vigilance, empathy, and grace next week.
Thank you to those principals who have submitted your SLGSS to your level leader. Please do so if you haven’t already.
From Departments
Mark your calendars! Our District Leadership Launch is scheduled for August 6 and 7. All administrators are expected to attend. Principals, please work with your deans to adjust their calendars accordingly.
The Giving Plate provides our families in need with weekend food through their Snack Bag program. Recently, they let us know that their donations and volunteer resources are down, while the number of families they’re serving has been up: from 130 to 700 families weekly. They are unable to meet demand and need to prioritize their core services, so the Snack Bag program is discontinued.
While this is disappointing news, there are still many ways families can access food resources. Please see the links at the bottom of this letter, with bilingual handouts listing current food resources in Bend and South County. FAN Advocates have shared this letter with impacted families. Feel free to print copies of the handouts linked there, to have available in your main office.
Want to help out? One of the best ways you can support our families is to volunteer or donate to awesome programs like The Giving Plate or directly to FAN, so they can maintain their services and programs that benefit our families. đ
Per Article 15.8 of the CBA, Certified Employees are not required to report to their work site on end-of-term work days but must remain available by phone. Supervisors may require in-person attendance if there are articulableconcerns about the timely completion of professional responsibilities.
To ensure clarity, we are setting the following expectations that will take effect for the second semester of 24-25 SY:
Progress Reports Submission Deadline:
Special Education Progress reports must be submitted by 4:00 PM on 1/31 this semester.
Middle/High School progress reports must be finalized in Synergy by 4:00 PM on 1/31.
Elementary progress reports must be finalized by 4:00 PM on 2/3.
Work Location for End-of-Term Days:
Employees who have met the deadlines in regards to grading and/or progress reports in previous semesters, and who have met other expectations surrounding the timely completion of professional responsibilities, will be permitted to work from an off-site location on end-of-term work days.
Employees who have not met these deadlines, and/or for whom their supervisor has further articulable concerns about the timely completion of professional responsibilities, will be required to work from their assigned school site.
Next Steps for Administrators:
Notify employees with past concerns about timely completion of responsibilities â with detail regarding those concerns â as soon as possible (no later than 2 weeks before any potential end-of-term workday) if they will be required to work onsite on end-of-term work days. This communication will be followed up in writing with specific articulable concerns shared.
This practice encourages timely completion of professional responsibilities while maintaining flexibility for those employees meeting expectations.
We are providing the following information from Article 14.1 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) to ensure you are aware of the reimbursement policy for certified employees who use their personal vehicles for school or professionally related activities, including those staff who travel between sites in the course of a day due to split assignments:
Certified employees approved to use their own automobiles for school or professionally related activities will be reimbursed at the current IRS mileage rate.
Employees required to drive their own personal automobiles in the course of their work will also be reimbursed at the IRS mileage rate for the distance traveled between regular district work assignments.
Certified employees who reside in La Pine and are required to attend meetings in Bend are eligible for mileage reimbursement.
The reimbursement process is consistent with IRS guidelines, which set the standard mileage rate and helps ensure that employees are not financially disadvantaged for using personal vehicles in the course of their work.
Reimbursement requests should be submitted using the AP-106 form and will be charged to your building’s discretionary funds. For staff who work at multiple sites, a good way to balance the budgetary implications across schools may be for the involved schools to rotate responsibility for these payments on a monthly or quarterly basis.
This information is shared so you can address any questions or reimbursement requests that may arise from employees. While thereâs no need to proactively disseminate this information, we encourage you to refer to this information if you have questions or require clarification as to our practice.
Thank you for your attention to this and for your support in ensuring consistent understanding of contract provisions.
A reminder that employees and students should not bring pets with them to work or school. ING-AR: Animals in the Classroom or on School Property reviews the conditions and process for by which animals can visit classrooms or be on school property. If you have any questions regarding staff who identify a need for service animals, please reach out to the Human Resources Benefits team at hr-benefits@bend.k12.or.us
We still have space available for our upcoming Restorative Conferencing training on 1/30/25 (8:30am-12:30pm at COCC Redmond). This is the tier 3 formal, scripted circle used to repair specific and significant harm between individuals. This session is free and open to educators and our partners.
Grammy MUSIC teacher nominations! Nominate a teacher by March 15, 2025 for this prestigious award. Teachers do not need to be nominated to apply â they simply need to complete our application form by March 31, 2025.
If you have any questions or need any additional information, please donât hesitate to reach out. Thank you for helping us recognize the contributions of our outstanding music educators!
Calendar
January 6-31: Schools implement YouthTruth survey!
January 23: BLPS Family Academic Night @ Summit HS
January 24: Probationary Letters due to HR
January 28: HS Administrator work session 8-10 @ Mountain View HS
January 28: HS Principal meeting on careers class 10:00 -10:30 @ Mountain View HS
January 29: All Admin PD 3:00-4:30 @ Bend HS in Perseverance Hall
January 30: MS Horizontal â Pacific Crest â 3:00 â 5:00
February 11: HS Administrator work session 8:00-10:00 @ Summit HS
February 11: ICCL/Secondary Administrator 4:15-6:30 @ BSHS Perseverance Hall
February 19: All Admin PD 3:00-4:30 @ Bend HS in Perseverance Hall
February 25: HS Principal work session 8:00-10:00 @ Caldera HS
This week we are highlighting Reno Hollerâs happy place! â47 years ago (that’s right folks… I’m talking the 1970’s) I spent my high school Summer’s with my then girlfriend/now wife (the lovely Cindy) and my band playing music in the bars of Canada. Back then you could be under the age of 18 and play music in the pubs. We played primarily in Alberta and British Columbia. I still recall very vividly the first time we explored Banff & Jasper. The color of the water, the glaciers and the 18,000,000 ravenous mosquitoes are what impressed me the most. I have told many people that, in my opinion, the Canadian Rockies are the most beautiful spot in North America. A few years back Cindy and I returned and took our two sons (Logan & Devon) to see their first glaciers, eat their first helping of Poutine, and experience Canada’s two seasons (Winter & Almost Winter). These pictures are from the restaurant on top of the Jasper Skyline Tram, A must see for those that do not suffer from a fear of heights. I would show you a picture of Cindy and I in our rock n’ roll regalia, but it involves me with a Mullet and the firewall is blocking that image at the moment. (it really is for the best. Once you’ve seen a Mullet, you can’t unsee it).
Reminders to complete professional development feedback form AND have ALL staff to complete COREN surveyby January 10.
Remember to continue to use the PD tool for PD feedback during your SIWs. The information gathered from this tool will be reviewed in January in a joint Admin/BEA meeting regarding professional development based on the latest agreement.
From Lisa’s email this week: In our efforts to continue to improve, please take a moment to give feedback on our December Admin PD time. In case you need a memory jog, we spent our time together with the goals of learning, reflecting, and connecting. We reflected on our leadership journeys, team needs, personal strengths and strengths of your colleagues, and the variety or roles you play as a leader. We also gave some awards to very deserving folks! Thank you in advance for giving your perspective.
Secondly, another survey I would like you to share with your team is from one of our partners, COREN. This will give an opportunity for all staffto describe professional development interests. COREN supports many learning opportunities within BLP, and this information benefits both their organization and ours in the sense that it gives us access to supports for our current needs. Right now, participation has been limited so any encouragement you can do to give feedback is helpful. This survey ends on January 10th.
From Jen: âBLS Academic Information NightâJanuary 23rd
Please share this information with your families and students in beginning the second week in January
BLS School Counselors will be hosting our âBLS Academic Information Nightâ on Thursday January 23rd at Summit High School. This event is essential to our CSCP and district goals, as we aim to provide families with valuable resources for academic planning. Forecasting and the SchooLinks Course Planner are integral parts of our CSCP programming, aligning with our responsibility to support students with their Educational Plan and Profile, which we update annually. While forecasting might differ slightly across schools, the information and resources leading up to class selections and course planner are quite similar.
We will have a general presentation followed by breakout opportunities for families to ask questions about their specific school site curriculum pathways and forecasting processes. You can utilize ASPIRE funds to compensate for your time, as this aligns perfectly with future planning efforts. We hope to have at least 1-2 representatives from each high school. Please refer to the sign-up sheet for various needs for the night.
We will promote this event at the district level and would love for each school to share the information through their communications as well. More details will follow!
Spanish-language FAFSA Night: Mon, Jan 13th. Here is the flyer. Thanks for distributing to your families and promoting through your channels! The primary audience is high school, but staff or families from any grade level are welcome if they just want to get a sense of the process.
Asian Family Night: Friday, January 31st. Food, cultural performances and crafts, and a drawing contest. More details to comeâfor now, save the date! (Yes, I know this is grading day đ )
Black History Month Door-Decorating Contest: Submissions due Wed, Feb 19, and winners will be announced Fri, Feb 21. Prizes and recognition for the winners will be a little special this year. Complete information will be shared with your staff via your DEI-ICCL rep in early Januaryâfor now, add these key dates to your calendar!
From Departments:
From Kinsey – Policy, Advocacy, & Office of DEI:
Presidential inauguration:
This year’s presidential inauguration falls on the same day as Martin Luther King, Jr., Day. It is a No-School day, but some priority-population advisory groups have indicated worry for the student experience and respectful interactions on Tuesday, Jan 21st.
Our community has been relatively respectful post-election (which is great!), and we certainly don’t want to assume negative intent. That said, continued preventive efforts can’t hurt. In early Jan, make sure your teachers review norms and expectations regarding the dignity and belonging of everyone in your learning community, and the expected reporting procedures if these norms are violated (i.e. bias incident form submissions). As you welcome students back from break, a family communication/reminder regarding these school-wide expectations is helpful too.
Please ask your counselors to make themselves as available as possible for drop-ins if students need extra support on/around Tues, Jan 21. If your team knows a particular student or colleague struggled after the election in November, make a note on your calendar to have a trusted adult or friend intentionally check in with them that day.
Complaints:
Your teams are doing really great with the complaint systemâthank you for your visible and thoughtful efforts to respond, investigate, support, document, and communicate for each one you receive in your Dashboard. Those take substantial time and energy, but they are investments in the trust and safety of your school culture, and your students, families, and staff notice and appreciate that.
From Dean: This email went out to your social studies teachers this week:
Dear Social Studies Teachers,
I hope this message finds you well and that you are looking forward to the upcoming break, which I hope brings you the opportunity to rejuvenate and refresh.
As we prepare to return to work in 2025, I want to inform you that we will be hiring a Social Studies TOSA for the remainder of the year. This position will start at the beginning of the second semester, February 3rd, and will last through the end of the school year. This is a TEMPORARY position for the duration of the 24-25 school year.
The specific tasks for this role include:
Supporting peers on standards work
Preparing for the Social Science adoption process for the 25-26 school year with implementation in 26-27
Continuing the work on Tribal History/Shared History requirements from ODE
Continuing work on Personal Finance requirements from ODE
There are two positions posted in UKG for flexibility. This role can be a full-time position for one individual, a part-time position for one individual, or a part-time position for two individuals with specializations. If you are interested, please apply for the amount of time you wish to work in support of your peers. There is no need to apply for both positions.
I understand that this is a unique position that may lead to some questions, so please reach out to me and Iâll get you answers.
Thank you for your dedication and hard work. Enjoy your break!
Many of you have reached out with questions about special education programming and expectations within Bend-La Pine Schools. First and foremost, we want to acknowledge the wide-spread concerns and confusion within our District regarding this topic. Over the last five years the Bend-La Pine Schools Student Services Department, previously known as Special Education, has made changes within their department that were well intentioned, but not communicated to the larger system of employees and this has led to uncertainty and misunderstanding. The purpose of todayâs communication is to provide all staff with a shared base of information that we can use to build our future decisions upon as we move toward a shared goal of better supporting all students, including those who require specially designed instruction and services.
During the 2018-2019 school year a project known as Excellence in Education gathered feedback from staff, students, and families about their experiences in our schools. After receiving and processing that feedback, the Student Services Department set out on a journey to improve the inclusion of students experiencing disability into the general education setting. The BLS vision for special education is, âBend-La Pine Schools strive to create an inclusive culture and environment for all learners, particularly for those that experience disability. We believe, to the greatest extent possible, that all students should maximize time spent in the general education classroom regardless of their special education services or related services. To this end, it is imperative that the educational planning process begins with services in the general education setting and ends with the need for specialized services in more segregated settings.â For more detailed information about this process click here.
We are reaching out today to share answers to frequently asked questions about our model for delivering special education services in Bend-La Pine Schools and to provide clarity on how we provide Special Education services in our schools. The Special Education Inclusion Questions and Answers (click link) will be updated as more questions arise.
Are we there yet? Inclusive practices and the improvement of those practices are a process. This work will not be achieved overnight, it will take time and training, it will take collaboration and conversation. All of which are precious in the public education system. As we continue this journey the Student Services Department is committed to listening to all employees, answering questions as they arise, and working with BEA to increase learning opportunities and continued clarity on this topic. The work we do with students is complex and working together to ensure all students have access to the support they need will lead to thriving community members in the future.
In partnership,
Sarah Barclay, President, Bend Education Association
Sean Reinhart, Executive Director of Student Services, Bend-La Pine Schools
Calendar
December 23-January 3. Winter Break
January 6-31: Schools implement YouthTruth survey!
January 2: HS Curriculum Guides on district website
January 6: First Day back from break
January 7: HS Administrator and Counselor work session (rescheduled from Dec 10) 8-10 @Mountain View HS
January 10: COREN survey deadline
January 13: Spanish-language FAFSA Night 5:30-7:30 @ Education Center boardroom
January 14: MS and HS Administrator work session 8-10 @Caldera HS
January 15: Safety Cadre Meeting 1:30 @ PBMS (Safety admin leads should attend)
January 15: SIW Educator Network Day
January 23: BLPS Family Academic Night @ Summit HS
January 28: HS Administrator work session 8-10 @ Mountain View HS
January 29: All Admin PD 3:00-4:30 @ Bend HS in Perseverance Hall
Where in the World
Thank you for all the entries! Keep âem coming.
This week we are highlighting Kristy Knoll’s happy place! One of my happy places is coming down from the top of Black Butte. My oldest daughter and I hike it every summer, usually on Labor Day, as a way to mark the end of summer and get ready for the school year. We were able to find a “no smoke” window in this picture, and it was a perfect hike. The picture is on the way DOWN from the top because the hard work is done and it’s easier to enjoy the view.
Principals: Please verify that all of your Language Arts teachers have attended a required Book Club training. Our Secondary LA TOSA, Torie Withers, can confirm who has attended, if that is helpful. The next training is Tuesday:
Language Arts Book Club Training
Date: Tuesday, December 17
Time: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location: The Big Room, Environmental Center 16 NW Kansas Avenue, Bend
Who Should Attend:
Required for new hires or teachers who haven’t previously attended
Those who have previously attended and are seeking collaboration with colleagues and planning timeÂ
Training Focus: Learn how to structure and plan book club units, including:
How to approach and plan a unit
Selecting unit themes
Teaching reading skills and discussion strategies
Choosing mentor texts and book club offeringsÂ
Unit planning time
Language arts teachers are encouraged to attend this professional development opportunity. Please direct questions and RSVPs to Torie Withers. Thank you!
As we continue to advance sustainability initiatives across our schools, we are asking each building administration team to designate one member to act as the first level of support for your site’s Green Team. Please fill out your admin in the MS lead or HS lead spreadsheets under the Green Team tab.
This role is not about leading the Green Team but simply being available as a point of contact and support for the individuals spearheading sustainability efforts in your building.
Each site has a 1.0 FTE Green Team Advisor, which is on the Extra Duty schedule. This is a new role this year and must be filled via the recruitment process.
What was formerly our Custodial department is now Custodial and Sustainability, led by Walt Norris, Director of Custodial and Sustainability. Walt is actively recruiting a Sustainability Coordinator, who will soon serve as the direct liaison for all Green Team Advisors. Once this position is filled and up to speed, they will provide additional guidance and support for sustainability efforts across the district.
From Departments
From Dean: Science curriculum adoption update
Middle School:
Teachers from CMS, HDMS, PBMS, PCMS, SVMS, 3 Rivers and LPMS are currently field testing LabAids in grades 6, 7 and 8.
The following teachers are participating:
6th grade: Valerie Overely, Kelly Houston, Laruen McKeehan, Dean Pruâdomme, Katie, Lyons, Jake Slodki and Matt Killebrew
7th grade: Sarah Durfee, Jane Shein, Mark Alvarado, Stacy Welsh, Madison Hargett, Hannah Perkins, Jake Slodki and Matt Killebrew
8th grade: Melody Craig, Tara Termes, Jackson Blackburn, Mark Segesta, Deidre Crabtree & Stephanie Kimbrell
This field test will wrap up by the end of January 2025.
High School:
A big thanks to Colleen Behrens and the Science Curriculum Adoption Team for their dedication during the science instructional materials vetting meeting on December 5th. The team members included:
BSHS: Ron Crawford, Heidi Friesen
BTA: Missie Wikler
CHS: Sarah Trakselis, Case Bateman, Kathleen Glogau
MVHS: Jon Nichols, Gillian Kellock
LPHS: Suzanne Jones
SHS: Greg Lampard, Lisa Lamb
During the meeting, the team reviewed four curricula for the NGSS Physics program to be implemented next year: OpenSciEd, PEER Physics, Patterns, and BioZone. PEER Physics emerged as the top choice and will move forward for field testing in the second semester/trimester. The team will continue to explore curriculum options for Chemistry and Biology in the coming months.
Roll out of new Science Pathway:
25-26: NGSS Physics for all Freshman
26-27: NGSS Physics continues and NGSS Chemistry for all Sophomores
27-28: NGSS Physics, NGSS Chemistry and NGSS Biology for all Juniors.
Next week an email will go out to Social Science teachers about a temporary SS TOSA position for the rest of this year. We will be posting an internal only SS TOSA that will help lead standards, professional development and begin the adoption process. This position will be temporary until the end of the year and begin second semester (2/3.) It is posted in the range of .5 to 1.0. It will be available for both middle and high school social studies teachers to apply. We understand that this may cause some stress to your system with needing to hire a new teacher for second semester. Please reach out to Dean if there are any questions or concerns.
From Eric: RE: Reviewing your “Incident Approval Queue”
If you don’t do this regularly, please remember to view your “Incident Approval Queue” in Synergy to Approve/Deny any Incident your school enters into Synergy. Any incident we enter as Administrators needs to be “Approved” this way as well, so many schools may have Incidents waiting to be posted that they believe were posted already. Here is a screenshot of what the screen looks like and what to search for in Quick Launch (we currently have 153 incidents district-wide waiting to be Approved/Denied!).
If you want to discuss this process, please call me at 4810.
The HR office will have sporadic coverage over winter break,  from December 21 through January 5. To ensure a smooth workflow, please complete and submit any hiring requests by Friday, December 20. New hiring requests should be held until the office resumes regular operations on Monday, January 6.
If you are in the process of making an offer that will take place between December 21 and January 5, please contact Ryan Kelling as soon as possible to develop a plan for completing the process during this period.
Thank you for helping us maintain a seamless hiring process.
We are launching an Administrator Assignment Preferences Survey to give licensed administrators an opportunity to share their preferences regarding assignments. This survey is designed to:
Gather insights into your preferences for school level, region, and program involvement.
Help district leadership evaluate potential reassignments that align individual strengths with district needs and to refresh school cultures where needed.
What the Survey Will Ask: The survey will ask for detailed input on:
School Level: Indicate your preferences for working at the elementary, middle, or high school levels, or in district-wide roles.
Region: Specify any regional preferences across the district.
Program Involvement: Share your interest in specific programs or focus areas, such as Special Education, STEM, Advanced Placement, Social-Emotional Learning, or others.
Additional Considerations: Youâll have space to share any other factors or context youâd like us to keep in mind, including professional goals or areas for growth.
Why This Matters: This survey is part of a broader effort to ensure our schools remain vibrant, innovative, and engaging places for students and staff alike.
While we will make every effort to honor individual preferences, itâs important to note that some decisions may need to prioritize district-wide goals, ensuring the best outcomes for our school communities.
Next Steps: To provide additional clarity and answer questions, this topic will be included in the agenda for the January horizontal meetings. These discussions will allow for deeper engagement and dialogue about the process and its purpose.
We understand that this may prompt reflection and questions, and we are committed to approaching this process thoughtfully, transparently, and with collaboration at the center. If you have any immediate concerns, please donât hesitate to reach out to your Level Leader, Ryan Kelling, or Lisa Birk.
Thank you for your openness and engagement as we work to create the strongest possible learning environments for our students and staff.
Here is a one-page document to help with our YouthTruth survey inJanuary. Our goal is 90% completion for students, 95% from staff and 50% from families. The window is January 6-31. Reach out to Laura Clark if you have question about the Canvas module or Dave with any questions about YouthTruth.
Our district-wide Spanish-language FAFSA Night will tentatively be Mon, Jan 13th 5:30-7:30pm. More details and flyers to follow, but for now please reserve this date (avoid scheduling school-based events that evening, if possible) and share with applicable staff like counselors, ELL, etc.
Complaints:
Please see Kinsey’s recent email about complaint management. Thank you for checking your Dashboards to be sure all complaints there are addressed (or more recent ones are at least in process) prior to heading into winter break. Reach out if you would like support on them!
Just for fun
From Mr. Snowflake in IT
Greetings,
Watching everyone attempt to create a âsix-pointed snowflakeâ was a special moment taking me back to my first year of teaching at Three Rivers Elementary 26.5 years ago.
Before the winter holiday, a Sunriver resident named Jerry Sawyer would volunteer in my class to teach art lessons, one of which was how to create a true six-pointed snowflake. He would talk about how every snowflake was unique, forged around a central piece of dust, and always started its journey from the sky as a crystal with six points. Shout out to Pat McClain who is now teaching at Bend High and was a student in that class. Most yearâs since then I have done my best to channel âMr. Snowflakeâ in the other schools where I have worked. The âassessment dataâ on the floor yesterday demonstrated that many of you have yet to master the six-pointed snowflake. This video will share the steps to create your own six-pointed snowflake. Share with your staff if you wish. At the very least, you will have the answer key in the case you are tested again next year. Thank you for reading. And remember-dimple, snow cone, coyote head, torch!
Calendar
December 17: HS Principal Breakfast @ 7:30
December 19: Middle School Horizontal â 3:00 @ Cascade MS
December 23-January 3. Winter Break
January 6-31: Schools implement YouthTruth survey!
January 2: HS Curriculum Guides on district website
January 6:Â First Day back from break
January 7:Â HS Administrator and Counselor work session (rescheduled from Dec 10) 8-10 @Mountain View HS
January 14: MS and HS Administrator work session 8-10 @Caldera HS
January 15: Safety Cadre Meeting 1:30 @ PBMS (Safety admin leads should attend)
January 15:Â SIW Educator Network Day
January 28: HS Administrator work session 8-10 @ Mountain View HS
January 29:Â All Admin PD 3:00-4:30 @ Bend HS in Perseverance Hall
Where in the World
Thank you for all the entries! Keep âem coming.
This week we are highlighting Lindsey Warner’s happy place! Congratulations to Lindsey, who got married in November!! Lindsey wrote: My happy place is anywhere with my husband, Charles. However, if I had to choose a place it would always be the beach! We honeymooned on Kauai and Maui in November; the weather was amazing, the beaches were beautiful, and the trip was perfect. We saw whales, dolphins, and turtles while on Maui. In Kauai we saw a lot of chickens and a monk seal.
We also attended a 49ers vs Seahawks game in San Francisco on our way to Hawaii. Go Hawks!
Principals, please submit your Calendar of non-contract days to Stephen or Katie TODAY (or when you first read this). Assistant principals and deans will submit one to their building leader. All admin will also start completing time cards for your leave (these are due by Sunday). There is information about the timesheet on the Staff Portal in the Payroll page.
First Aid Reports from Stephanie Bent. Please check this document to see if you need staff trained in First Aid. Schools listed in red are required to train more staff.
Green Team Admin (From HR): We need each site to identify an administrator point person for Green Team related matters. Please fill out your admin in the MS lead or HS lead spreadsheets under the Green Team tab.
From Departments
From Lisa Keown (CTE TOSA):
The annual CTE Fly-Up Day is just around the corner on March 3rd! This exciting event gives 8th-grade students a firsthand look at high school Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs and electives through ~20-minute rotations featuring fun hands-on activities. The format will be the same as in years past, with students bussed to their area high schools, arriving between 9:45â10:00 and leaving at 12:00. Itâs a great opportunity for students to explore technical skills, creative pursuits, and other options to spark their curiosity and excitement as they plan for their high school experience.
Event Details
Date: March, 3rd, 2025
Time: 9:45/10:00 AM â 12:00 PM
Location: The high school 8th graders will attend next year.
Just a reminder that FAN does not coordinate Christmas/holiday gift needs for families. This has been the case for over 10 years. FAN resources are maxed out prioritizing basic needs (utilities/heat, rent, clothing, hygiene supplies, food, etc). There are many community-based organizations that do support religious or holiday-based requests like Christmas gifts, such as Salvation Army, Giving Plate, etc. Here, here, and here are a few sample resources.
What is the ask of you and your staff:
If you have a family seeking support with Christmas gifts or holiday resources: Please refer them to those community-based agencies, not your FAN Advocate.
If you have individuals wanting to donate holiday gifts and toys to families in need: Please refer them to those organizations, who are collecting and distributing toys and holiday donations.
If your students/staff want to be directly involved in supporting FAN’s work: Organize a “Winter Weather Drive” to gather desperately-needed winter clothes for our students and families in need, not just for those who celebrate Christmas. Thank you!
From Lisa, the Deputy Superintendent. We look forward to seeing everyone at Perseverance Hall on Wednesday (12/11) from 3-4:30. During our time, we will be dropping into little snippets of the book, Thriving Leaders, while also eating and being merry. Please don your best/worst ugly/creative sweater too. Yes, itâs a competition- prizes await.
You do not need to bring your book this time, but please:
Wear your sweater to the meeting
Think about an object that represents your leadership journey (before the meeting)
Think about all of the teams/groups you supervise and their differing needs (before the meeting)
Middle School only
Please share this linked message with your staff regarding our middle school schedule work. Note: there is one piece of info highlighted in yellow you need to edit.
Calendar
12/10: High School Horizontal – 8:00 – Mountain View
12/11: Administrator Professional Development – 3:00 – Bend High (Wear a sweater!)
12/19: Middle School Horizontal – 3:00 – Cascade
Where in the World
Thank you for all the entries! Keep ’em coming.
This week we are highlighting Monica Hanson’s happy place! Monica wrote: My happy place is Sand Harbor Beach in North Lake Tahoe. It is so beautiful and my family would go up there every summer. Itâs where I feel most at peace and truly euphoric.
Please send the following communication out regarding parent contacting staff in your next parent communication.
Emailing Your Student’s Teachers
Dear Families,
We know how important communication is for supporting your studentâs success. We encourage you to reach out to your studentâs teachers anytime you have questions, need updates, or want to share information. For a quick and easy way to contact your studentâs teachers, follow these steps in ParentVUE:
Log in to ParentVUE.
Click on the “Class Schedule” button within your studentâs account.
Look to the right side of the screen, where youâll see your studentâs teachers listed in blue.
Click on a teacherâs name, and an email form will open, allowing you to initiate a direct message to that teacher.
This tool makes it easy to stay connected, and our teachers are here to support you. Whether you have questions, feedback, or just want to touch base, please donât hesitate to reach out.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Watch the webinar by January 5:
From Dave:
YouthTruth Survey
This year we will be giving the YouthTruth survey to staff, families, and secondary students. The survey window is January 6 â January 31. Please find a few minutes to watch this short kick off webinar (you can watch it on 1.25 or 1.5 speed).
Elissa, our YouthTruth representative will be emailing school on Monday, November 18 with instruction for accessing the Survey Implementation Guide. I will follow up with additional information and resources as we get closer to the survey window. Thank you.
The Bend-La Pine website has been updated with the 2024-25 fillable PDF annual notice and opt-out forms that we are required to share with families. There are separate notices and opt-out forms for ELA/Math testing (grades 3-8 & 11) and the SEED survey (grades 3-11). Please share these resources through your commonly used channels (e.g., School newsletters, parent emails) and have copies available for parents to pick up in the office by the applicable dates listed below.
Consistent with the requirements of ORS 329.479, ODE has developed an annual notice (available through ODEâs Test Administration webpage) that describes these assessments, identifies the timeframe when the assessment will most likely be administered, and identifies an adult studentâs or parentâs right to excuse the student from testing. Districts and public charter schools must provide parents with the ODE-developed annual notice at the beginning of each school year. In addition, districts and public charter schools must provide parents with separate notice at least 30 days prior to administering the statewide summative assessments in Math and ELA using the ODE-provided 30-day notice and opt-out form (also available through ODEâs Test Administration webpage), or a district-created form that exactly reproduces the language of the ODE-provided form. School districts and public charter schools must use the language of the 30-day notice and opt-out form provided by ODE to communicate with all parents about state testing requirements and their right to opt out for high school students by January 5, 2025, and for students in Grades 3-8 by March 2, 2025.
Notification sent to families at least 5 days prior to administering the SEED survey:
From Dave:
ODE SEED Survey
Oregon law (House Bill 2656) requires each school district to make the SEED Survey available to students in grades 3-11. Parents or guardians may decline, either verbally or in writing, to have their student participate in the SEED Survey. Schools will provide parents with notice of administration and the process for declining participation at least 5 days prior to administering the SEED Survey. Students may also decline, at any time, either verbally or in writing to participate. Students may also decline to answer individual questions on the SEED survey.
From Departments
From Scott in IT
Synergy Mail Issue and Resolution
The latest update to our student information system included a change in Synergy Mail, which removed the ability for recipients (families) to reply directly to the sender (teacher). This change was intentional by the vendor but was not communicated to any IT teams or any of their 6,500 school customers nationwide. As a result, we were delayed in communicating the issue and providing a solution.
As of today, November 14th, our BLS IT team has implemented an in-house fix that restores the direct reply functionality for recipients of messages sent via Synergy Mail. We understand that this issue may have disrupted important communication between teachers and families. Please let me know if there is anything my team or I can do to support you in reestablishing communication.
When does a student’s comment to a peer or text on a t-shirt invoke our policies around sexual harassment, bias, bullying or intimidation, and when is it something permissible or protected? What if a student is using a hand gesture that is known to be a communication of hate or oppression? How do you balance intent vs impact, political speech, and a culture of dignity and belonging focused on learning? If you have a tricky situation, need some policy guidance, or just want a thought partner, please reach out! If you’d be interested in a collaborative conversation with other building administrators on how to navigate these incidents right now, please email me so I can gauge interest and need.
As a reminder, please respond promptly to any complaints or bias incidents reported, including circling back with the reporter at the conclusion of your response. This is a powerful way to show your commitment to the wellbeing and dignity of each member of your school community.
Latino Family Night:
Please drop by our 7th annual district-wide Latino Family Night if you are able (invitation here–feel free to share). The Woodburn High School mariachi band will perform (pictured here), and there will be dinner, partners, games, and fun!
It’s that time of year again. November 21st is College and Career Day in Bend-La Pine Schools. As with last year, we are looking to draw attention to the multitude of pathways available to students after they graduate high school. This is a K-12 day! We want all students to be dreaming about what options they have after they leave our schools.
Here are a few things you could do at your site to make the day a success. It would be great if classrooms or advisories could look to do something for just 10-15 minutes this day.
Dress as a professional
Encourage students and staff to dress up as someone from a career they are interested in. Remember there are a lot of great careers out there!
Wear college colors
Encourage students to wear the colors of a favorite college. Remember, college can mean community college, trade school, 4-year university, etc. Be careful with wording here as college brand clothing can be expensive and prevent students from feeling like they can participate. Colors are more inclusionary.
Consider incorporating videos or lessons bringing awareness to careers and colleges.
Our 6-12 sites could lean into some of the activities in SchooLinks. All secondary students have required activities to complete through BLS School Counseling curriculum and to complete their Educational Plan and Profile, so this would be a perfect opportunity to complete one of these required activities. Consider onboarding all your students if you haven’t already done so. Students are required to take a “Find your Path” assessment when first logging in that will jumpstart the college and career exploration process.
Wayfinder also has some great resources, especially their integration with Roadtrip Nation and their Future Ready Collection K-12. For middle school, these have been added for the week of November 18th as potential advisory lessons in our scope and sequence.
Here is a great website from the State of Oregon called Career Journeys. There are amazing short videos, lesson plans and other activities any teacher could do.
Consider inviting parents from the community in to talk about their careers.
This could be done in a variety of ways from assemblies, to advisory, to lunch. You could also ask parents to submit a short video of them talking about their jobs and stitch them together for students. Remember our visitor and volunteer requirements if you decide to invite parents in.
We hope you’ll join in the celebration. Please send pictures of your participation to Becca Burda.
Calendar
November 19: HS Assistant Principals work session – 8:00-10:00 @ BTA
November 21: College and Career Day! Send pictures to Becca
November 21: MS Horizontal – 3:00-5:00 @ Pilot Butte MS
November 25-29: Thanksgiving Break
Where in the World
Didn’t have a submission this week, so I am sharing this celebratory picture of our Administrator of the Year, Scott Olszewski:
Check-in with Health Teachers, Counselors, Sources of Strength Teams, and School Newsletters – Coordinated Suicide Prevention Efforts in Nov and Dec
We are aiming to coordinate a multi-pronged approach to prevent student suicides over the holiday breaks. Please check-in with these individuals or support your Public Health Specialist to organize a School Health Team meeting to coordinate these efforts.
Sources of Strength Peer Leaders (by way of your buildings trained Adult Advisors) – Promote crisis helplines and engage peers in identifying who they can go to for help over breaks and what Strengths they can use to cope with challenges over breaks. See the full message here.Â
Counselors – Coordinate with Health teachers so that there’s a clear way to identify, assess, and connect students who need mental health support to help resources. Counselors may need your help to protect their time so that they’re able to follow up with students who need help before holiday breaks.Â
School Newsletters – Include two suicide prevention messages in your school newsletters: one in November before break and one in December before break. These messages will also go out in the district Family Spotlight and will be forwarded from your Public Health Specialist to you (or the person you’ve designated to compile your school newsletters) with a request to publish them. Â
From Departments
From Kinsey – Policy, Advocacy, & Equity:
Post-Election Resources:
As the presidential elections wrap up, we should anticipate and prepare to support the strong reactions, emotions, and conversations our staff, students, and families will experience. As leaders, it is our responsibility to ensure our staff are informed, equipped, and supported regarding 1) the expectations for navigating this significant moment in time in a professional manner, 2) the resources available to them as employees, and 3) the strategies for supporting students through their own processing.
Here is a message for staffâI highly recommended you send this to your staff soon. You are welcome to copy and paste this message verbatim, modify it to reflect your voice/style, or send something else. Just don’t be silent on this topic!
Equity Stance Brochures:
I am going to re-print the brochure versions of our district Equity Stance. (You received one at our August administrator launch.) If you would like some for your school (ICCL team? PTA? A stack for the staff lounge?), please let me know by Nov 8th how many you need.
Holidays:
Here is our policy on religion and holidays in schools. Here is our “Do not schedule” dates document. Here is a team reflection and guidance tool on holidays. Consider reviewing these at an ICCL meeting, and/or sharing with all staff.
Did you see the latest Family Spotlight? The newsletter is solely devoted to safety and includes a message from Dr. Cook, resources for safe firearm storage, information about SafeOregon, crisis and care resources, details about our latest safety improvements and more. It can be a go-to resource when families have questions about safety in our district. Bookmark the October 30 Family Spotlight and have it at the ready!
Probationary and temporary certified staff: 6 observations (Goals, 2 formals and 3 minis)
Attached you will find two documents to help you initiate the process with your staff. Staff should be receiving notifications regarding goal setting in UKG. There will be an option for you to review their goals once they have been completed in UKG. You should also be working toward completing one (1) formal observation by the end of November and a second formal observation by end of January (both to be completed in UKG).
Please note that you will also be completing your mini (3) observations throughout the year in UKG.
Contract staff ON & OFF evaluation cycle year: 3 observations
One goal setting (by December 1)
Two instructional/non-instructional mini-observations (by May 15)
Contract staff ON evaluation cycle year (in addition to above):
Self-Evaluation (by May 15)
Summative Evaluation (by June 15)
There will be additional information coming to you, as we plan to have ongoing instruction on how to complete all the necessary steps timely, and how we can support you in UKG.
Again, I appreciate your grace and patience as we work through the development and refinement of the evaluation process. I know this information is coming out late and creating a crunch, but we are focused on having this information out to you all much sooner next year.
Please let me know if you have any additional questions.
Building leaders are to pause any program expansion proposals (academic, athletic and extra duty) that will impact your site/facility until further notice. We are in the process of creating internal procedures that will identify that necessary steps that will need to be taken in order to ensure compliance with regulations (i.e. Title IX, permitting, accounting), district policies, contracts and address departmental impacts.
Scott and Kayla will be out of town next week, November 4th through November 7th at a conference. We will continue to monitor our emails, cell phones, and text messages to support as best as we can while out of the office. If you have any emergencies that require immediate attention, please reach out to our Chief Operations Officer, Paul Dean for immediate support.
We are happy to announce that we are not staffed at 8 School Resource Officers in the district. Our newest SRO is Officer James Ragland, who will be working out of Pilot Butte Middle School. Please use the updated SRO point of contact roster to see who your current SRO is for your school, and to reach out to any members of the SRO team for support.
Middle School Only
November Meetings: Time to sign up for a November visit. Just one time this month.  Please choose a date over the course of the month. FYI: Stephen will be out November 6-8 at a conference.  Here is my Calendly link or you can use Outlook directly.
High School Only
Thank you for welcoming our Internship Coordinators, Sarah, who serves LPHS and Renee, who serves our Bend schools, to your building! Please support them in onboarding our juniors and seniors into internship opportunities.
Calendar:
November 5: MS and HS Administrator work session – 8:00-10:00 @ Cascade MS
November 6-8: Katie and Stephen at Synergy Conference
November 7: New Course Proposals Due
November 11: Veterans Day
November 19: HS Assistant Principals work session – 8:00-10:00 @ BTA
November 21: MS Horizontal – 3:00-5:00 @ Pilot Butte MS
November 23-27: Thanksgiving Break
December 10: HS Administrators and Counselors work session – 8:00-10:00 @MVHS
December 23 – January 3: Winter Break
January 3 – Choice Options Schools/Area Change Requests open for 25-26 school year
Where in the World
This week we are highlighting Chris Boyd, Principal at Caldera High School. Chris shared, “while my normal happy place is disappearing in the woods on a remote hike, floating a river, or climbing a local volcano on skis in the snow, dancing with my Central Oregon Stars was so much fun.Â
My dance crew is near and dear to my heart. Love my dance peeps! We helped raised 107K for the Sparrow Foundation in Central Oregon.” Check out the Fresh Funky Fly Girls and a Boy!
Last call for any feedback on content as we update the attendance policy. Reminders from our conversation at your recent horizontal meeting:
The draft linked above includes all language from both OSBA’s sample and our current version. We’ll weave them into one coherent policy, but we left all the language from both in order for you to review and give input on preferences regarding any/all of it. Â
Please share with relevant office staff and ask for their insights.
Feedback we’re looking for:
Anything in this language that contradicts our preferred practices, or anything missing that we should add to capture current processes working well in your buildings;
Requests for training or procedural support related to this policy topic;
Please don’t make specific red-line editsâI’m just looking for your general thoughts on what’s helpful for you to codify in policy.
Send your team’s feedback to Kinsey via email or phone call, by October 25
Related to attendance: We’ll be offering an admin PD group to dig into best practices for home visits. More on that soon!
Upcoming events and key dates:
Please mark your calendars for these events:
District-wide 7th annual Latino Family Night:
Thursday, November 21st  5:30-7:30pm at MVHS
The Woodburn High School student mariachi band will be performing! Come grab some dinner, check out their performance, and connect with families, students, and staff for some games and fun!
Invitation here. Family Liaisons and Latino Family Advisory members will provide you with some copies, but feel free to share in staff and family newsletters.
MAC Survey Day: This will happen sometime the week of Nov 11. Please make sure your FAN Advocate can get in front of staff ahead of that week, to introduce themselves and remind about procedures. Also, thank you for prioritizing your own time to claim an activity that day if at all possible. Without you doing that, we can’t afford to have FAN Advocates in our schools (eek).
LGBTQIA2S+Â Alliance principal conversation:
Our Alliance group would love to connect with principals (or an administrator from each school) for some conversation and to learn about what you’re proud of at your school, as far as LGBTQ student/family supports, resources, and experiences they can seek out. Â
Please plan to join us Tuesday, January 21st. (I’ll remind you laterâjust mark you calendar đ)
Reminder: 3 years’ worth of Holidays/”Do Not Schedule” DatesÂ
Please review the updated AQI protocols on our staff portal. We have updated the AQI map resources for administrators to use to make real-time decisions on AQI readings near your schools. We will now be using the EPA Air Now Smoke and Fire Map or the Watch Duty AQI Smoke and Fire Map applications that provide real-time AQI readings.
We will also be forming a stakeholder committee to review the AQI thresholds for cancellation of outdoor recess, sports, and activities. We will use the feedback from that committee to make future decisions and potential updates to our AQI threshold levels.
The public facing district website AQI page will be updated with this information in the next few days.
Departments
From Becca in Communications:
Celebrate a successful start to the school year at Educators’ Night Out at the High Desert Museum!
Thursday, October 24, 6:00 pm â 8:00 pm
New this year – join us for a special presentation for school administrators! We’ll share about upcoming grant opportunities and projects. Administrators will also have their own opportunity to win a raffle (we’ll even give you more tickets for each educator from your school you bring with you!)
Delicious snacks from the one of the best chefs in Central Oregon â Luckeyâs Woodsman
Fabulous door prizes from local businesses like Bar Rio, Bend Pet Express, Gregâs Grill, Mountain Supply, and so many more!
Horizontals: Based on your feedback we will be moving to one two-hour meeting a month on a Thursday from 3-5 starting in November. Additionally, the majority preferred walkthroughs for our additional time together. Stephen will be updating calendars and reaching out with details soon.
High School only
Upshift: Just a reminder to enter your data!
Calendar
October 22: HS Principal work session – 8:00-10:00 @ Summit HS
October 23: All Administrators Training – EWS training @ 3:00-4:30 BSHS Perseverance Hall
October 24: MS Horizontal – 3:00 @ Pacific Crest
October 29-31: Middle School Conferences
November 5: MS and HS Administrator work session – 8:00-10:00 @ Cascade MS
November 7: New Course Proposals Due
November 19: HS Assistant Principals work session – 8:00-10:00 @ BTA
Where in the world
This week we are highlighting Matt Kitchen, Assistant Principal at Mountain View High School and his Happy Place! Matt shared: my happy place is on the water. Fishing, boating, or just watching. But the honest answer is that my happy place is who I am with. This is a picture of me and my girls at a camp this past spring. Being with people that I love and enjoy is my happy place. Â
Our first Educator Network Day of the year is this Wednesday, October 9. Administrators are required to attend and support two of the four sessions. Please ensure attendance is taken at the session. Here is the LINK for information. Here is the LINK to taking attendance.
Consider applying to be on the district’s administrator advisory team. See this week’s Staff Spotlight for more specific information. The deadline is October 16.
Reminders/Action items:
From Jessica Houser in the Business Office:
This is a reminder that the deadline for submitting information regarding employees who missed work due to being in a level two or three evacuation zone between September 9th and 17th is tomorrow, Friday, October 4th at 12pm.
If you have not filled out the Google From, please do so at your earliest convenance to ensure we have all the necessary information. Your input is important for us to determine the next steps for those affected. There is no need for your employees to submit additional forms at this time.
Reminder: All staff will receive a link to our annual cybersecurity training and are required to complete this mandatory training by November 30. It will take approximately 30 minutes to complete and is crucial in helping to protect both personal and district data from cyberattacks. Principals, plan to provide one staff meeting between now and November for staff to complete this training.
Lesson Design Cycle (LDC): (LDC sites only) As a reminder, weâve flushed out the LDC calendar for first and second semester. Dates can also be found here. The sites that have opted into this practice need to work to identify staff for participation. Here is the interest form. We are limited to 8 folks per session so it will come down to one or two teachers from participating sites. Please reach out to Dean, Katie, or Stephen with questions.
Many of you have been asking about dates for the âFullâ CPI trainings and refresher options for this fall. A few things to note:
These trainings are for those that need to be trained to implement holds in a restraint/seclusion scenario. You should have a team of folks at you building with this level of training.
These trainings are different than the âDe-escalation onlyâ trainings that are being offered for secondary staff and in-house for elementary staff. All CPI trainings will count toward you buildings 1:50 ratio required by SB 283
You can still use this CPI trained spreadsheet to see who has the âfullâ training in your building. Note: at this time, any person listed on the spreadsheet has the full training w/holds
Folks can sign up for the âfullâ courses in UKG. They are titled âCPI initialâ and âCPI refresherâ
Remember to pick a date between 11/4 and 11/22 to administer the survey to all of your 8th and 11th graders. Then, plan to send parent notifications out a couple of weeks before that date. Here is a folder containing all the information and resources schools need to administer the SHS, including survey links, parent notification/opt-out forms, survey previews, and instructions for teachers proctoring the survey. Let me know what questions you have or what support you may need. Thanks.
From Jenn in Student Services: School Counselors, Student Success, and Principals
I hope the school year is going well! On October 9th, we will be adding an additional Student Safe training before Educator Network Day (END) at 2:45 pm. For the week of October 7th, please work with your building admin to adjust your prep and case management time accordingly over the course of next week to allow for you to leave the building early, including travel time. Caldera will have dismissal at 2:15 so please plan to arrive by 2:10 pm.
2:15 – 2:45 Student Safe Training in Caldera Auditorium
2:45 – 4:00 SIW/END Caldera Auditorium
Timesheets are available for elementary SSCs and counselors from 3:15 to 4 pm and it is optional for you to stay past your contract hours. SSIs, Jen Goodman has communicated a separate plan with you about your training for the day. Please reach out with any questions.
Digital Citizenship week is October 14-18, an annual campaign to promote healthy, balanced, and positive approach to media and tech use among young people. Here are some handy resources.
Our BLS Financial Aid Information Night is coming up in two weeks! We will have one event in Bend at MVHS and one in La Pine the following week at LPHS.
****Once again, there there will be a separate Spanish Speaking Financial Aid night later this fall that is planned in conjunction with Kinsey and her team. This is noted in the communication linked above****
We are excited to introduce Canopy, Bend-La Pine Schools new Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provider!
Canopy EAP services include mental health support, counseling, behavioral coaching, digital tools, and resources to help navigate life and work â from financial coaching to gym and pet insurance discounts â Canopyâs mission is to create happier and healthier lives for employees.
Canopy services are free, confidential, and available to ALL district employees and their family members.
Learn more about Canopy and how to access their services on our districtâs Benefits website.
Middle School Only
Conferences: As a reminder, the schedule for conferences this fall is: Wednesday 10/23 – Teacher Work SIW (planning for Tuesday 10/29 conferences), Tuesday 10/29 – School day & evening conferences after school (4 hours), Wednesday 10/30 – Teacher work day (8 hours) and conferences in the evening (4 hours), Thursday 10/31 – all day conferences (8 hours), no evening conferences, Friday 11/1 – Non-work day.
Please let Stephen know if you have any questions.
Calendar
October 8: HS admin and counseling work session- 8:00-10:00 @ Ed Center in boardroom
October 9: Educator Network SIW Here is the LINK for information.
October 10: MS Horizontal â 3:00 â 4:30 â High Desert MS
October 14: TAG Admin/ICCL Meeting â 3:45 â 5:45 â Board Room
October 22: HS Principal work session – 8:00-10:00 @ Summit HS
November 5: MS and HS Administrator work session – 8:00-10:00 @ Cascade MS
November 7: New Course Proposals Due
Where in the World
This week we are highlighting Jessica Gambee and her Happy Place! Jessica shared: My happy place would be any summer adventure, particularly near or on the water. I love camping and exploring new places with my family. This is a picture of my kids paddle boarding on Elk Lake, in a rare moment of getting along.
We are offering two options for dates to attend a workshop related to approving and accepting funds for advertisements. (This includes ‘donations’ that come in exchange for any form of publicity for the donor.) This training will help you feel clear and supported in determining whether and how to accept money from local companies or individuals, and is a chance to align across schools in accordance with the updated advertising policy and a few other related policies.
Principals/Office Teams: Please invite relevant staff (sample message here)–note the sign-up sheet there, for each of your team members to confirm attendance.
Each school should ensure the following roles in your building are trained: Administrator, athletic director, activities director, yearbook advisor, music/drama teachers, any additional or support staff who are involved in receiving or approving advertisement requests and funds.
Holidays and dates:
You received a reminder again this year about protecting some significant religious observance fall dates from any special events. Please check your school calendar now and ensure there are no special/one-time student/family meetings or events scheduled on these days:
Rosh Hashanah: Evening of Wed Oct 2 to evening of Fri Oct 4
Yom Kippur: Sat Oct 12
Within the next few weeks, you will receive a calendar with key dates like these over the next few years, so you can plan further aheadâstay tuned.
If your school is allowing any costumes for around Halloween, here are some lessons to discuss with students: K-5, 6-12, Poster. Equity Coaches can support these conversations if needed.
Please share this with your teachers, and students: Judy Campbell with Discovery West has arranged for Dr. Ellen Ochoa, first Hispanic Female Astronaut to go into space, to speak. Please contact Judy to include your students and staff in this presentation. Judy’s contact information is 541-410-9113.
âDr. Ellen Ochoa, is a former director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, an American engineer, astronaut, and the first Hispanic woman to go to space and has logged close to 1000 hours in space after four space flights.
Every student and staff member in Bend-La Pine Schools has a Managed Apple ID.
Your Apple ID sign in is your Bend-La Pine Schools email address.
To enhance the security of our digital environment and protect sensitive information, we strongly encourage all staff to use their Managed Apple IDs on their school-issued devices instead of personal Apple IDs.
Why Use Your Managed Apple ID?
Enhanced Security: Managed Apple IDs are specifically designed for educational environments, providing an extra layer of security and management capabilities.
Data Protection: Using your Managed Apple ID helps prevent sensitive school data from being inadvertently stored in personal accounts, reducing the risk of data breaches or leaks.
Seamless Access: Managed Apple IDs provide streamlined access to school resources, apps, and services, ensuring you have everything you need for your role.
200Gb of storage! All users can take advantage of 200GB of iCloud storage and access it from any of their school issued devices.
If you need assistance in making this change, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our IT Client Services team or our help desk.
Note: Nearly 300 Bend-La Pine Schools computers are currently using personal Apple IDâs. Beginning October, users on these devices will periodically receive a message discouraging this practice.
Thank you for your cooperation and for helping us keep our school’s information safe and secure.
Action Areas/Reminders
From Dave in TLC:
The Oregon Student Heath Survey (SHS) will take place again this fall. SHS is given to all 6th, 8th, and 11th grade students. While we have yet to settle on an exact window for administration, we likely will aim for a roughly 2-week period sometime between late October and November. The survey should take students about 30 minutes to complete, and parents and students can opt-out. For those who have done this before, the process is basically the same as previous years. Schools and districts will receive reports in the spring.
Going forward, SHS will become an annual requirement as is specified in House Bill 2656.
Be on the lookout for more detailed information in the coming weeks and let us know if there are weeks that may be problematic for scheduling the SHS.
The Bias Incident student lessons are ready ahead of schedule, and a handful of schools want them to review with teachers this week, so I’m sending now instead of in Friday blogs:
One hallmark of a thriving culture is that everyone knows how to identify, address, and repair harm when it happens in the community. This lesson provides the chance to âhave that conversation openly as a school community. Thank you for your active leadership in ensuring this is taught consistently across your building prior to Oct 25.
Consider forwarding this email to your ICCL team to support implementation. If you have questions or would like additional support, please reach out to me or any of the Equity Coaches (copied in this message). Thanks!
—————————————————————–
24-25 Bias Incident Lessons:
Family Letter. Please hyperlink in the letter the lesson that corresponds to your grade level and send to families several days in advance of teaching the lesson.
Equity Coaches. This team is available to help your staff prepare or rehearse (they can attend your SIW or provide drop-in support before/after school), or co-teach with particular teachers open to partnership.
Required Lessons. This folder has the grade-specific required lesson for 24-25, as well as printable teacher notes for each lesson. This lesson takes about 60 minutes, or two 30-minute advisory periods.
Suggested Wayfinder Sequence. This sheet suggests Wayfinder lessons to create context and dialogue skills on which to anchor the Bias Incident Lesson.
Information from Departments
New Course Descriptions for 25-26 are DUE by November 7. Use this LINK to make your request.
Here is an updated version of the certified evaluation plan for 24-25. This includes Teacher Librarians. Just a reminder that your Deans should be assigned mini observations and evaluations to complete. Please call if you have questions.
We have cancelled the CPI de-escalation training for Sept. 24th due to very low enrollment. I am sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you. Further, in addition to the other 4 available dates, we have added an additional training date for December 3rd, which is now viewable in UKG.
For admin, please review the CPI spreadsheet to see how many folks need to be trained at your site to meet the SB 283 standard. Currently, we have 29 people (out of 129 total needed) enrolled for all available trainings. Thanks
In the next few days, you will be receiving a personalized notice (see below) inviting you to Hungerford Online. The Hungerford law firm has been a state leader in supporting districts with SPED/504 legal issues. When you receive the email, set you password and take a peek! These are IEP/504 training videos that you can use for your own learning or with your staff. Your SPED team members will be receiving this access as well, and we will discuss the use at their upcoming general supervision training. Further, we will be offering some facilitated training opportunities for you this year and will be utilizing this resource.
High School Only
From Jess: We are thrilled to be hosting our district-wide School Counseling Family Night, taking place next week! This event, hosted by BLS School Counseling, will focus on college application support and resources.
High Schools: Please ensure that communication regarding this important event has been shared with your families. Example communication is listed here. Your support in promoting this initiative is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Middle School Only
TAG ICCL: Just a reminder that we are hoping to move forward quickly with the hiring of our TAG ICCL members. These folks will attend four district trainings and then integrate with your ICCL team to meet their time obligations. The four meeting dates are 10/14, 1/13, 3/10, and 5/19 from 3:45 to 5:45 in the board room. We would also like to have your administrator in charge of TAG attend these meetings. If you have any questions, please contact Stephen DuVal.
October Meetings: Time to sign up for October visits. Please choose two dates over the course of the month. Here is my Calendly link or you can use Outlook directly.
Calendar
September 18: Teacher Work SIW – NO ADMIN MEETING
September 24: High School Principal Horizontal – 8:00-10:00 @ Realms
September 26: Middle School Horizontal – 3:00 @ Cascade
Congratulations on a successful first week of the school year!
We hope these first few days of the 2024-25 school year have been filled with joy at having students in our schools once again! Let’s ensure that every student and staff member thrives this year!
Here is the OSEA CBA. This is currently an internal document. Please do not distribute.
To Do:
Tracking attendance and enrollment (reminder): Your office staff has been asked to track student attendance during the first week of school. Please support your staff to ensure these tasks get completed as this allows us to have a clearer picture of our enrollment. Please contact Rachel Mavis with questions.
By Monday, 9/9/2024, if a student has not shown up to school, the student will be No Showed, unless a parent called in to excuse the student.
For excused absences, students will remain enrolled up to the 11th day of absence, then they will be No Showed.
For all students who miss the first days of school, then show up, office staff will be required to change enrollment and class start dates to reflect the date the student arrived. OAR581-023-0006
Action items/reminders
New Synergy Gradebook – (a reminder): As you may remember, we have transitioned to the newest version of the Synergy Gradebook this year. Consider it like a software update for your phone. The functionality remains mostly the same but there are some new bells and whistles and they may have moved where you find something. Laura Clark has put together a slideshow for staff that shouldnât take too long. Please find a way to go over this with teachers. Leaning on a staff member who gets tech may be a good approach. Laura has already shared the slideshow, âSynergy New Gradebook Highlights,â with last yearâs Canvas Support Team.
Bias Incident Student Lessons (From Kinsey – a reminder): Early this fall, please reserve time at a staff meeting, PLC, or SIW for your staff to review the Bias Incident student lessons and prepare to teach them. In response to ongoing feedback and engagement with staff and students, Equity Coaches are refining prior years’ lessons. We’ll push out the 24-25 lessons to you within two weeks. I’d sugget aiming to have those completed across your building by October 25 latest. More to comeâfor now, just a note so you can plug this into your staff collaboration calendar.
Information from the Departments
âFrom Kinsey – complaint process follow up:
Here are some follow-up resources from our recent Complaint Management conversation. Note a few actions items for you belowâthank you!
Also, I recommend you bookmark key links or save this email somewhere accessible. Please share this message with relevant leaders in your building (office staff, counseling, athletics, etc).
Reach out if I can support with any complaints, bias incidents, or related policy issues.
Flowchart for navigating complaints, policies, and timelines.
I have more hard copies, too.
Form for reporting a complaint or a bias incident.
Note: this form is new! Please be sure all staff in your building replace old bookmarked versions with the link above. The link on student and staff iPads has been updated to this new form.
The poster leads to this webpage with details on complaints and a link to the reporting form.
Please replace old versions of this poster that are displayed at your site. At a minimum, display the new poster in your lobby, staff lounge, and gym areas.
Reminders:
If something moves from a concern to a complaint, be sure it is promptly recorded via the reporting form linked above.
When a complaint is submitted via the form, I’ll connect with you. You’ll receive a link to your School Dashboard of all complaints and bias incidents, including the new submission.
In the Dashboard, click on the new complaint to see details, record outcomes, add your team notes, and/or to request additional support.
We have identified an unexpected change to typical discipline data entry which has occurred because there is no mechanism to separate those piloting Teacher Referrals from those who are not when it comes to “Accepting” (or “Denying”) discipline incidents.
Previously, there was no concept of an “Incident Approval Queue”, you simply entered a discipline incident using either Student Incident or the Incidents screen in Synergy and the data was immediately ‘live’ in the system.
However, this year some schools are piloting Teacher Referrals, which introduces the concept of (and a Synergy screen called) “Incident Approval Queue”, allowing administrators to determine what discipline data should be accepted (or declined) from entering the system.
The side effect of adding this has been that ALL schools are affected by the change and will need to use the approval queue to finalize data entry by accepting ALL incidents regardless of how they are generated. This is required for the data to be state/federal reported, as well as being displayed in ParentVUE.
What you need to do:
As a principal or VP/Dean, using the Synergy quick launch, type “Incident Approval Queue” and wait for the search to complete, then click on the resulting link to enter the Incident Approval Queue screen.
Once you have entered the screen, you can review any incident in question. You can click the Student ID to review the Student Incident screen, and the ID (Incident ID) to go directly to the incident in question if you want to review beyond the description displayed in the grid.
NOTE: For those participating in the Teacher Referral pilot, you may want to edit the Incident description to include your initials at the end of the description if you are working on an incident to indicate to the rest of your team you are handling that incident. Therefore, any incidents entered by a teacher via the Teacher Referral process without a set of initials has NOT yet been reviewed by anyone. This may be a quick way to identify who is working on what until we can get a better solution in place for you to manage who is handling which incidents / students.
To accept the incident, look to the far-right Action button, and select “Accept” if the incident has had all the data entry done for the incident and is ready for parents to view, etc.
NOTE: Most users will only have Accept / Deny – don’t worry about the other options if you don’t have them.
This will remove the incident from the Queue and make if available to view in ParentVUE and to be included in State/Federal reporting. THIS IS REQUIRED FOR ALL INCIDENTS.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact any/all of the following via email:
From Dean: Please check in with teachers teaching Math 1 (either in MS or HS) or Algebraic Problem Solving to confirm that they have signed up for the required Math Medic training on 9/17. Full day subs are covered by TLC.
Welcome back to a new school year! I hope you all had a restful summer and are ready for another successful year ahead.
I’m pleased to inform you that we have updated all of our 504 forms to better support our students’ needs. In addition, we will be introducing a new process for annual 504s that I believe will be a significant time saver for you.
To ensure everyone is familiar with these updates, we will be holding a mandatory training session. You can choose from one of three times on September 11, 2024: 8:15 AM, 10:30 AM, or 2:00 PM in the Board Room at the Education Center. NO SIGN UP NECESSARY.
Thank you for your continued dedication to our students. I look forward to seeing you at the training and to another year of great work together.
New Incident Report Form now available in the Staff Portal
As a follow up to the investigations trainings in August, the revised Incident Report Form is now available in the Staff Portal. The form now has a second page for the post-incident/accident investigation. BLS Incident Report Form – staff 9.2024.pdf
As a reminder, a site administrator or supervisor must complete a post-incident/accident investigation after every incident that results in employee injury. The investigation must be completed within 5-10 business days following the injury. Please reach out to Andrea Wilson if you have any questions, need assistance with an investigation, or have form feedback. Thank you again for your partnership and help as we navigate this new process!
We have a new coaching model this year and many of the coaching assignments have changed as we onboard 10 new SSCs. Going forward, schools with the Student Success Intervention will have a Student Success team that will have two coaches – one team member will have a mental health/clinical/care coordination focus (Darlene and Megan) and one will have a system, SPED, PBSP/Data focus (Jen and Amanda) but they will work very closely together and will take the lead based on the situation or students need. We will be moving forward with building out a Medicaid billing model for our clinicians over this school year to launch for next school year. This information has not been shared with SSCs yet but more information to come as we learn more about what is possible in Oregon with Medicaid and schools. This became a possible opportunity for us going forward as of September 1st. The team has already been working closely with teams onboarding new SSCs so please reach out to your coaches if you have any questions. More to come as we navigate this new transitionâŚ.
Wayfinder:
We continue to have integration issues with Clever and Wayfinder for some staff. If you have a staff member that does not have the correct access or correct school listed, please use the instructional tool process to request what is needed. All elementary and middle schools that ordered workbooks should be receiving them this week if they have not already.
Waypoints, the intial summative assessment for students will be live in Wayfinder from September 15th through October 18th and the final summative assessment for students will be open May 12th through June 13th for students. Summative Waypoints allow educators to measure student growth of Wayfinderâs six Core Skills across the school year. By administering this optional summative Waypoints assessments, educators can understand areas of strength and growth for individual students and the class to make informed, data-driven decisions about SEL instruction. Here is the info on Waypoints, including the new Waypoints Implementation Guides to help teachers set up the reason we are assessing students as well as instructions.
Here is an updated version of the certified evaluation plan for 24-25. This includes Teacher Librarians. Just a reminder that your Deans should be assigned mini observations and evaluations to complete. Please call if you have questions.
We know this is a busy and exciting time with many staffing changes happening across your sites. Please be aware that the cutoff for processing Personnel Actions (PAs) to ensure accurate payment and proper system setup for employees is Tuesday, September 10th. Any PA actions for September should be initiated in UKG by Monday, September 9th, using the appropriate HR action under the âteamâ tab.
After this date, payroll processing begins, and any delays in submitting PA actions may affect employee pay or cause system issues. We appreciate your continued support when employees have questions, such as âWhy hasnât my location been updated in UKG yet?â Once a request leaves your hands, please understand that it can take some time for the system to reflect the changes. Your patience during this process is greatly appreciated.
Reminders:
Classified Staff: PA actions should be completed for location changes (Nutrition, Custodial, and Transportation only), budget code changes, and FTE adjustments.
Certified Staff: PA actions should be completed for budget code changes, FTE adjustments, and position changes within your school.
For questions, please reach out to:
Classified Specialists: Cara Gienger and Kelly Marty at [email protected]
Licensed Specialists: Trish Uhart and Candy Gelatt at [email protected]
Payroll Specialists: Jenny Ostrom, Kate Pardo, Lisa Brinlee, and Jenny Helvie at [email protected]
Thank you and we hope itâs been an incredible week with students!
This is an important FYI that requires no action by building leaders.
ODE has signed a contract with Bureau Veritas (BV) to assess all school facilities. For partnering with them we (Bend La Pine Schools) will receive a comprehensive report detailing photos of system and component level deferred maintenance, assessor recommendations, cost to repair/replace system or component, cost to replace entire buildings, facility condition index, total gross square footage, observed Remaining Useful Life (RUL), ADA assessment findings and life safety deficiencies.
Please click on this Schedule of Visits beginning September 9th and continuing through November 1st to see when people will be visiting your school. Please note that BLS was assigned this schedule and was not offered input as to its timing. BV contractors will work with the BLS Maintenance and Custodial Departments to be on site visually inspecting facilities. School administrators are not required to attend the walk-through.
The information gathered by BV/ODE will be integral to Bend-LaPine Schools next Site/Facilities process in determining your schools’ facility’s needs.
There are two applications available to assist with classroom device management, Apple Classroom and JAMF Teacher.
Apple Classroom
Apple Classroom is familiar to Bend-La Pine teachers, as it has been available for some time. The guide linked here provides all the information you need to get started with Apple Classroom. Common uses include:
Monitoring all student devices at once, displayed on a single screen
Locking iPads to a blank screen while giving instructions
Locking an entire class or individual students into a specific app
Managing small (ad hoc) groups of student devices
Apple Classroom is ideal for elementary classrooms or any classroom that doesn’t frequently require internet access.
JAMF Teacher
JAMF Teacher is a newer application for Bend-La Pine teachers and offers more restrictive controls than Apple Classroom. With JAMF Teacher, you can create a pre-determined digital lesson that allows access to specific websites and applications while blocking all others.
Use the instructions linked here to create your first JAMF Teacher lesson plan. JAMF Teacher is particularly well-suited for secondary classrooms that use online curricula.
For best results, we encourage both applications to be accessed from your iPad, rather than your computer.
âWe are excited to have our School Resource Officers and Deputies back working back in your schools with you this week. Please review the districtâs SRO/SRD point of contact information and phone roster located in the Safety Resource share drive and reach out to us with any questions regarding the SRO program.â
Safety Training:
Based on feedback our team has received, we are excited to provide opportunities for safety related professional development in the new school year. We are working on a survey that we will send out in a couple of weeks that we would like your feedback on the things you as administrators need to support the safety programs in your schools.
We will be asking you to identify one administrator on your team that will be the âgo toâ person for safety in your school. We will then be selecting 4 days that work for those identified individuals to meet with us, your campus monitors, and the SROs to work together on those identified training areas.
More to follow in a couple of weeks, but we wanted to get this on your radar so that when we send the survey out, it doesnât blindside you to the request to select that individual. Please take time to think about areas of training youâre interested in receiving (i.e. reunification process, incident command for emergencies, standardizing campus monitor roles and responsibilities, etc.)- the more information we get from you, the better we can serve your needs!
Thank you for all you continue to do to keep our schools safe, and we look forward to working with you as the school year begins.
Moving into the new school year the sustainability position is changing. Jackie Mueller-Wilson has taken a job with Deschutes County Solid Waste as a Community Outreach Coordinator. She will have some connection with the schools because of her position, mainly for support of the Green Team.
The sustainability position has been refined, going forward we will be concentrating on three main objectives:
Waste reduction across the district.
A lunch waste/composting/recycling system for elementary schools
A recycling program for secondary schools
The main focus this year is put our efforts into what we do as a district for sustainability. If we thrive on sustainability as staff, this will carry over to make the students thrive. The sustainability position will also support the Green team initiative and also the SEM’s (Strategic Energy Managment) program. Please continue with the Green Leadership Coalition through your schools and once the position is hired, we will work on the best way to support the Coalition. Best guess will be October to see the position filled.
Please reach out with any questions, I will do my best to answer or find someone that can, thanks
As a reminder, each inclusion EA in your building is issued a device (iPad or laptop) and needs to have read only access to Synergy SE, so they can review student IEPs. Please check with your inclusion EAs and have them confirm that their Synergy SE access is working. If not, please submit a help desk ticket to ensure they have access. Thank you!
Special Education Staffing Update:
Each year, learning specialists provide our administrative team needs assessment, which help us staff your buildings. We believe we have a good staffing plan given the available resources. At this point, we have used all our staffing allocation to hire learning specialists, inclusion EAs, and other specialists. This includes already using 50% of the discretionary budget to hire inclusion EAs for the year. Before we look at any other staffing, we will need to wait until after we can verify all student enrollments, which should be within the first 5-10 days of school. After that, we will create a plan to support the sites with unexpected needs. Please remember that you can utilize your 70 hours (the âhigh needsâ line item in your school budget) worth of funds to get a substitute. If you do end up using this option, it would be important to communicate with our team.
Thank you and I hope you have a great start of the year.
High School Only
From Jackie: Please share this with your Activities Directors, the advisors who oversee your environmental clubs, green team leaders and your CTE and science teachers. HS students are interested in increasing renewables and learning more.
Power Your Future: Inspire your students to lead clean energy solutions
The U.S. Department of Education has launched the Power Your Future Challenge â the second challenge in its annual CTE Momentum series to prepare high school students for rewarding careers and increase access to career and technical education. The Department invites teams to submit action plans that will advance the use of clean energy in local schools and communities.
To get started on the challenge, teachers and community partners can explore the available resources to learn more about clean energy and how teams can develop action plans to impact their communities. Potential entrants can also preview the submission form. Submissions are due by November 19, 2024. Up to 10 winning teams will receive an equal share of the $50,000 prize pool.
TAG ICCL at MS: Contact Stephen if you are having any issues finding an ICCL to take on TAG in your building.
Calendar
September 9: Students who have not yet showed up to school should be no-showed
September 10: MS and HS Principal meeting @ MVHS 8:00-9:30
Where in the World
Last week we highlighted Julie Stroinski, Principal at Sky View Middle School, who selected Green Bay, Wisconsin as her happy place. (Editor’s note: Go Chiefs!)
This week we are highlighting Donna Servignat, Principal at Summit High School, who selected her kitchen in her new home! “…this is my happy place. I love cooking, gathering around the dinner table, hosting gatherings. Loving my new place and settling into a new happy kitchen!!!”
Thanks for sharing your Happy Place with us Donna!
Please email a picture and brief description of you Happy Place to Katie or Stephen!
