To Do

From Kinsey – Policy, Advocacy, & Equity:

Attendance policy:

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.  
• 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 edits—I’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+ 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.  
  • Please plan to join us Tuesday, January 21st.  (I’ll remind you later—just mark you calendar 🙂)
• Reminder: 3 years’ worth of Holidays/”Do Not Schedule” Dates 

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From Scott and Kayla in Safety:

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 – 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 – Luckey’s Woodsman
• Fabulous door prizes from local businesses like Bar Rio, Bend Pet Express, Greg’s Grill, Mountain Supply, and so many more!
• Register by October 22 here!

Middle School only

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.  

To Do

From Dean in Teaching and Learning

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.

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From Lisa in the Superintendent’s Office

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 9^th and 17^th is tomorrow, Friday, October 4^th 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.

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New Course Descriptions (repeat): for 25-26 are DUE by November 7. Use this LINK to make your request.

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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.

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Lesson Design Cycle (LDC): (LDC sites only) As a reminder, we’ve 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.

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From Sean in Student Services:

Many of you have been asking about dates for the “Full” 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 “De-escalation only” 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 “full” 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 “full” courses in UKG.  They are titled “CPI initial” and “CPI refresher”

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From Dave Van Loo:

2024 Student Health Survey

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.

2024 Student Health Survey Resources   

Information from Departments

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.

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From Tracy in Instructional Technology

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. 

• Common Sense Education: Digital Citizenship lessons and Teen Voices short videos
• Wayfinder: Digital Citizenship lessons found in Activities Library, filter to grade level   
• Digital Citizenship Kahoot! or search and filter to find one that best fits your needs 
• Visit our Instructional Technology blog for more, including resources for families 

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From Jess Calbreath in Teaching and Learning

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. 

Please share with all your 12^th grade families.

Here is communication in both Spanish and English that you can use to spread the word via newsletters and post on your socials. 

****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****

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From Becca in Communications

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 – from financial coaching to gym and pet insurance discounts – Canopy’s 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 district’s 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 – 3:00 – 4:30 – High Desert MS

October 14: TAG Admin/ICCL Meeting – 3:45 – 5:45 – 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.

To Do

From Kinsey – Policy, Advocacy, Equity:

Advertising Practices: *Action Needed*

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 ahead—stay 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. 

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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.

​Dr. 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.

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From Scott in IT:

Please review Managed Apple ID with your staff:

Do you know about Managed Apple ID’s?

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.
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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 ID’s. 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 6^th, 8^th, and 11^th 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.

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From Kinsey: Bias Incident student lessons:

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 ​have 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!

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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.

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From Paul in Operations: Here is the latest COO Ops blog

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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.

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From Sean:

Required: CPI de-escalation training:

We have cancelled the CPI de-escalation training for Sept. 24^th 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 3^rd, 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

Below is the updated schedule:

5 half day sessions.

• Thursday, October 10 from 12-4
  • Pacific Crest Cornice
  • Coaches:Sara, Jessica
• Tuesday, October 15 from 12-4
  • Pacific Crest Cornice
  • Coaches: Sara, Amanda
• Thursday, October 24 from 8-12
  • Ed. Center Room 314
  • Coaches: Darlene, Jen
• Thursday, November 14 from 8-12
  • Ed. Center Room 314
  • Coaches: Krista, Stephanie
• Tuesday, December 3 from 8-12
  • PCMS – Cornice Room
  • Coaches: Darlene, Jessica

Hungerford Online:

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

October 1: Admin/ICCL Session – 4:15 – 6:15 – Location TBD

October 8: HS admin and counseling work session- 8:00-10:00 @ Ed Center in boardroom

Where in the World

This week we are highlighting Scott Olszewski and his Happy Place! Scott shared: “ANYWHERE with my boys, but especially at the Coast.” 

Share YOUR happy place next week! Email a picture and brief description to Katie or Stephen!