SRO Appreciation Day– Schools are encouraged to celebrate their SROs the week of February 17th for SRO Appreciation Day. Some ideas for appreciation that have been done in past school years are: decorate their office doors, buy lunch for them one day during the week, have students make cards and drawings, or have breakfast and invite the entire team. You have all done so amazing that the past two years BLS has been featured in the national SRO magazine!!
From Gabe Pagano, District Activities and Athletic Director:
Fly Up Day: For future Bend-area high school students – Ensure these students receive this PowerPoint by next Friday and have their form filled out. For future La-Pine High students – connect with La Pine High about this day if you haven’t already done so.
Calendar
February 13-April 10: Pre ACT testing
February 17:HS Administrator Work Session 9:00-11:00 @ BTA
February 17:Admin/ICCL – Bend High 4:15 – 6:15
February 18: All Admin Meeting – Bend High 3:00-5:00
February 19: MS Horizontal – Sky View 3:00 – 5:00
Who in the world?
Congratulations to Jessica Gambee, who guessed the image from last week! The image was of Zora Neale Hurston, an American novelist. She is seen as one of the most important Black writers in American history. In 1937, she published Their Eyes Were Watching God, the story of a Black woman looking for love and happiness in the South. The book was criticized at the time, especially by Black male writers, who condemned Hurston for not taking a political stand and demonstrating the ill effects of racism. Instead, the novel, now considered her masterwork, celebrated the rich tradition of the rural Black South. Hurston’s work remained uplifting and joyful despite her financial struggles.
We continue our celebration of Black History! Who is this famous individual?
In light of ongoing national events, many of you have recently received questions from families and/or staff about the district’s preparedness should ICE activity occur on or near our campuses. Please copy and paste this message into your next staff communication–thanks for making sure both classified and certified receive this from you.
Additionally, this half-way point in the year is a good time to review the guidance (for admin and front office) for what you are expected to do should ICE activity occur on or near your campus. Note: Some edits were made this week–please be sure you and your office team are familiar with these expectations and that this updated version is printed and accessible where your front-entry greeter sits. One important note: Depending on your building’s layout, you may receive from me via interdistrict mail some signage: “Public Area” and “Not a Public Area.” I’ll send details with the signs for where to post them—just know these are related to our procedures here.
Complaints and Bias Incidents: -Action needed-
As the semester wraps up, please go into your Complaint Dashboard and ensure that all submissions there have been fully addressed (investigation, circling back with reporter and all parties, written findings when applicable, all copies and documents uploaded or linked, etc). When complete, you should select “Resolved By School: Yes” to close it out. If a complaint gets appealed, we’ll grab the documentation and records from there, so you don’t need to worry about that step.
Reminder from HR, Probationary Letters due by February 3: Those of you with third-year Probationary/Temporary certified staff being recommended for Contract status you will need to generate letters of support for each one. The School Board wants each of us to be able to articulate the specific reasons any third-year Probationary/Temporary teacher should move to Contract status, and they take time to read every letter you prepare. Please have these letters uploaded in the appropriate school folder in the google drive listed below no later than February 2, 2026. If you experience any issues with uploading your letters or accessing any of the links below, please email [email protected].
Complete and upload all your Renewal Recommendation letters into the appropriate school folder within this google drive. You will find the list of probationary/temporary certified staff in the drive as well to assist you.
Here is a draft template/sample Renewal Recommendation letter for your guidance (make as many copies of the letter as you need)
Be sure your letter is submitted on your school’s letterhead and has your signature prior to uploading
Certified Professional Growth and Performance Manual here.
From Deschutes County Health Services:
Please promote the following with your families. It is geared toward MS but open to all levels.
The upcoming “Start the Conversation” workshops are a family engagement opportunity for families of students with Tier 2 and Tier 3 needs. There will be repeat offerings of this 3-hour workshop in Feb – March.
The “Start the Conversation” workshop will improve families’ abilities to start difficult conversations with their student about topics such as mental health, attendance, substance use, and sex. The workshop is provided by Dr. Amy Yillik, HDESD Culture of Care.
The workshops are centered on developmental needs of middle school students, but are open to families of all BLS students.
Personal invites from admin and staff already working with students and families with Tier 2-3 needs would be the most effective approach.
Here’s the promotion fliers and a promotion blurb to use for promoting the workshop to your families:
SRO Schedule Change– Officer Koehnke (Summit) and Officer Avery (Caldera) have shifted their schedules effective Feb 9. Please review the SRO sheet here.
SRO Appreciation Day– Schools are encouraged to celebrate their SROs the week of February 17th for SRO Appreciation Day. Some ideas for appreciation that have been done in past school years are: decorate their office doors, buy lunch for them one day during the week, have students make cards and drawings, or have breakfast and invite the entire team. You have all done so amazing that the past two years BLS has been featured in the national SRO magazine!!
From Jennifer in Student Services:
🎉 National School Counseling Week 2026 (#NSCW26) is February 2–6, 2026! This special week shines a spotlight on the incredible impact of our school counselors and the unique ways they support students every day.
The 2026 theme, School Counselors Amplify Student Success, says it all! Presented by ASCA, National School Counseling Week celebrates how school counselors help students thrive academically, socially, emotionally, and as they plan for future careers.
📅 National School Counseling Week is always held during the first full week of February, and we’re excited to share several resources below to help you celebrate the amazing school counselor(s) at your site.
💙 Please note: We will also be celebrating our Student Success Staff during School Social Worker Week, the week of March 1st.
🏅 Included below is a Certificate of Appreciation you can use to recognize your counselors, along with additional ideas and resources to make this week extra special. Let’s show our counselors how much they are valued and appreciated! 😊🎉
Please read this week’s Special EDge to learn more about:
IEP At a Glance!
Culture of Care PD Opportunity
HDESD Learning Labs
Campus Kudos!
High School Only
HS Counseling Midyear Check-In
As we move from first to second semester, this midyear window is a critical checkpoint to ensure counseling practices, data, and systems are aligned before forecasting begins.
Course Planning in SchooLinks (Grades 9–11)
All students should complete an updated course plan in SchooLinks before forecasting opens
Plans should be completed through Tier 1 core counseling practices (classroom/advisory lessons, planning conferences, group sessions, family communication)
Tier 2
Identify students needing additional help in SchooLinks
Provide small-group, flex/access time, or 1:1 planning support
Seniors: Midyear Transcript Review
Ensure transcripts are updated and midyear reports are sent to colleges
Review credits, diploma requirements, and graduation plans for all seniors
Identify and update seniors that are at-risk and ensure:
Student check-ins
Formal family notification
Clear next steps and timelines
Grades 9–11: Transcript & Schedule Review
Review transcripts and current schedules
Identify credit or placement concerns early
Coordinate Tier 2 interventions and credit recovery as needed
Match recovery options to student need
Tracking & Communication
Monitor at-risk data and identify themes if needed
Ensure counselors have consistent communication with families and support teams and are documenting in Synergy.
CTE Month is coming up next month, and we’re excited to celebrate the amazing work happening across our programs!
To help us highlight and recognize CTE, we’d love your support with the following:
Here is the nomination form to identify exemplary CTE students. Students will be highlighted throughout the month: Student Nomination Form
We would also love to highlight past CTE students (alumni)—please share names or success stories on the above form.
Please send along photos or information about activities, projects, field trips, or events from your program that the district can feature during CTE Month to Becca Burda and Lisa Keown.
Thank you for all you do to support CTE students—we can’t wait to showcase your programs!
The ODE (Oregon Department of Education) Tool Kit provides a variety of resources and materials to support CTE programs in Oregon. It typically includes guidelines, best practices, and templates for educators to enhance their CTE initiatives. You can find it on the ODE website under the CTE section.
The ODE CTE Website is a comprehensive resource for educators involved in Career and Technical Education. It features updates, policies, and resources regarding CTE programs, including links to funding opportunities, training, and professional development for teachers.
The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) offers a variety of resources to celebrate CTE Month. This includes promotional materials, lesson plans, and activities that can be used to engage students and the community in CTE initiatives. You can visit the ACTE website to access these resources.
Calendar
February 2-6:National School Counseling Week! Celebrate your counselors!
February 10: HS Learning Walk 9:00-12:00 @ SHS
February 17:HS Administrator Work Session 9:00-11:00 @ BTA
February 19: MS Horizontal – Sky View 3:00 – 5:00
Who in the World?
Congrats to Mary Thomas who correctly guessed the image from last week!
Frederick McKinley Jones invented the first successful system for mobile refrigeration. His invention eliminated the far less effective use of ice and salt to preserve foods for transport, greatly extending the distance over which food could be effectively delivered.
We celebrate Black History Month in February! Who is this famous individual?
Here at BLS we aspire to place the best teachers possible in front of students, and as such we want to be very deliberate in renewing third-year Probationary/Temporary status teachers. The primary means for removing underperforming Probationary/Temporary staff members before they reach Contract status is non-renewal of their contracts prior to the end of the third year of probation; once a teacher attains Contact status, separation of a deficient performer from the district becomes a much more labor-intensive process.
Per the 25-26 Full Evaluation Resource Guide sent out with your Evaluation Google file this fall (see deadlines below), HR Leadership had requested that you notify us by November 1st regarding any third-year Probationary/Temporary certified staff with whom you had concerns and that no later than December 5, 2025, you would have met with and notified an third-year staff member of concern that they were being placed on Support Strategies.
*****Deadlines For Non-Renewal of Third Year Probationary Teacher****
Timeline
No later than November 1st:
Notify HR Leadership regarding any third-year Probationary/Temporary certified staff about whom you have concerns with
Met with and notified those staff members that they are being placed on Focused Performance Review (~3 weeks)
No later than December 5th
Met with and notified third-year staff member of concern that they are being placed on Support Strategies (4-6 weeks)
Communicate with HR Leadership and BEA President Sarah Barclay regarding your concerns about these staff members
If you have not moved anyone to Support Strategies, you must reach out to us immediately so we can determine whether it is possible to meet the required timelines. Should you have any questions/concerns regarding these steps, please contact me [email protected] to discuss further.
******Please remember our change in practice for Temporary 3 certified staff. We nowrequire all Probationary 3 practices for renewal/non-renewal for Temporary 3 certified staff. When you write a letter of support for a Temporary 3 staff member, then you are obligating your school to employ this person for the 2026/27 school year and beyond********* Please also note, that those certified members with previous contact status in an Oregon school district (HB 2900) will also be obtaining contract status with your recommendations.
If you have taken the necessary measures with a third-year Probationary/Temporary staff member that you don’t believe should be granted Contract status, we are at the point beyond which you will be able to meet deadlines to non-renew that teacher.
Those of you with third-year Probationary/Temporary certified staff being recommended for Contract status you will need to generate letters of support for each one. The School Board wants each of us to be able to articulate the specific reasons any third-year Probationary/Temporary teacher should move to Contract status, and they take time to read every letter you prepare. Please have these letters uploaded in the appropriate school folder in the google drive listed below no later than February 2, 2026. If you experience any issues with uploading your letters or accessing any of the links below, please email [email protected].
Complete and upload all your Renewal Recommendation letters into the appropriate school folder within this google drive. You will find the list of probationary/temporary certified staff in the drive as well to assist you.
Here is a draft template/sample Renewal Recommendation letter for your guidance (make as many copies of the letter as you need)
Be sure your letter is submitted on your school’s letterhead and has your signature prior to uploading
Certified Professional Growth and Performance Manual here.
From the Desk of April Diehl, Medicaid Program Manager:
The district will soon be sending an email to families requesting that they complete a Medicaid Parental Consent form. This consent allows the district to access Medicaid reimbursement for eligible services, and your help in sharing this information ensures families are aware of the email and its importance.
Please share the following message to families in your weekly newsletter:
Families will soon receive an email from Bend-La Pine Schools requesting completion of the one-time Medicaid Parental Consent form. The district is asking every family to respond, whether or not your child is covered by Medicaid. Families who have already completed the consent will not be emailed. This form allows the district to access Medicaid reimbursement for certain health-related services provided at school. Completing the form does not affect your child’s benefits or services in any way. Please watch for the email and take a moment to complete the form when it arrives. Thank you!
From Departments:
From Kinsey – Office of Policy and Advocacy
Student-Led Protests:
Here is guidance for administrators and staff regarding how to navigate student-led protests. Please review and share applicable portions with your staff. This guidance is a general quick reference—for specific instances or questions, please let me know.
Home Visits:
Regarding our community engagement work: The end of the semester is a great time to drop by a home to check in on a struggling student or deliver a quick care package/item.
Too busy? No time? Home visits usually take 30 minutes or less. This small investment has a significant positiveimpact on the student and family, and for the staff who see you modeling this level of care and community leadership. Likely, you’ll find a home visit is more meaningful professional development than sitting in workshops talking about concepts like equity or belonging—I’m confident you’ll grow immediately as a leader after visiting a student’s home.
Your MTSS team or counselors can recommend a student/family to visit. Ask your Family Liaison, FAN Advocate, or ELL Specialist to go with you as needed, or ask them if you can tag along on a visit of theirs. Additional tips here.
We have locked in two dates & times for our admin to do a tour of KIDS Center. Sign up for a KIDS Center Tour here.
From Marcus LeGrand – Board Chair and COCC faculty
Hi Wonderful Educators,
Attached are the flier for all Black History Events and the link to sign up for the event as well. Please read the website carefully to ensure you sign up properly. Next, the Empowerment Weekend has priority registration for students until next week, so have your kids and their friends sign up because there is limited space.
If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know, call, or email. Finally, can’t wait to see you all in the building for the events.
Quick heads-up as you plan ahead: Please hold Wednesday, May 13th, 4:30–6:30, for our annual Excellence in Education celebration at Mountain View High School, immediately following our Admin PD (also at Mountain View).
For those of you newer to BLS, this is one of the most meaningful events on our calendar and is a chance for us, as a community, to celebrate employees who have gone above and beyond this year through leadership, innovation, outstanding practice, and true service above self.
Each school and department is expected to have at least one Administrator or Supervisor in attendance to help celebrate your honoree(s). Your presence really matters. For many of our employees, this is a rare and powerful moment of recognition, and it means even more when it’s shared with the leaders who know their work best.
More details and the nomination forms are coming soon. For now, please make sure this time May 13th is protected on your calendar.
Thanks for the culture of appreciation you help create across our district, let Ryan Kelling know if you have any questions.
From Robi Cole:
I am working with the ESD to create some regional Admin Mentoring offerings. One offering I would like to get the word out is an upcoming Mentoring Training. I have attached the flyer– it is for experienced admin, principal supervisors, and current/future admin mentors.
The second opportunity we have with the CORAMP program is to tap some aspiring administrators OR Deans/VP’s that want to get ready for the principalship. Two flyers are attached describing these offerings. Flyer 1, Flyer 2.
From Amber McGill – COREN:
COREN’s Culture of Care team has 2 opportunities in February with space and sub coverage now available:
2/5/26 Restorative Conferencing (Tier III)
Schedule: Thursday, February 5th, 2026 (9:30am-1:30pm)
Location: Becky Johnson Community Center, Redmond (In person)
Substitute coverage provided by COREN for this session.
From Amy Yillik with culture of care: Please share the following info with your families: Here is the link & attachment for the upcoming MS/HS family workshops.
Calendar
January 20: MS and HS Admin Work Session – 9-11 Summit High School
January 20: New Choice High School Information Night 6:00 @ BTA Campus
January 22: HS Only – Tier II Academic Intervention Team 2:30-4:00 @ CHS
January 23: 504 training required for ALL admin who oversee 504’s 9:00 @ Wall Street Lab
January 23: 26-27 Area Change Request (ACR) Deadline for submission
Where in the World?
Congrats to Scott, who correctly guessed the image last week, which is Angels Landing at Zion National Park!
This week, it’s Where in the World? Any admin who correctly identifies this location by Monday morning (after break) will be entered in a drawing for coffee/tea or morning beverage of choice to be delivered by Katie or Stephen. Note: This contest will be limited to MS and HS admin.
Nice job Michael Hicks who was on KBND this week! You can listen to his interview around the new Cell Phone directive here.
To Do
Please remind your ICCL team about our training on 1/6 at Bend High – We will have a number of schools and teachers presenting on SBIG strategies that work.
From Departments
From Dave VanLoo:
Here is a brief resource to help administrators with YouthTruth implementation. YouthTruth goes live on January 5. Contact Dave VanLoo with any questions about YouthTruth surveys.
Here is this week’s Special EDge Student Services Blog. Please pay close attention to the STAS and SIRC process update regarding school psychs.
From Kinsey – Office of Policy and Advocacy:
Community Engagement:
Don’t forget about the chance to win a gift card ($25-$49.99) to places like El Sancho, Spork, downtown shops, and more! Just a little motivation and token of appreciation for getting outside your building/office and into the community we serve.
All you have to do: Join your colleagues for quick tours of local service providers, tag along with your family liaison or FAN advocate on a home visit to check on a student, and continue the school-specific efforts you’re already doing. (Bingo card here)
Thanks to all of you who visited The Giving Plate this fall! (If you missed that round, it’s not too late–reach out to me.) Our next community partner visit is in January, to the Bethlehem Inn. Sign up here to participate.
From Gabe Pagano, Director of Activities and Athletics:
Here is the weekly for Winter Break – December 13th-January 4th, 2026
Calendar
December 20-January 5: Winter Break
January 6: Secondary Admin/ICCL Training – 4:15 – 6:15 BSH Perseverance Hall
January 8: MS ONLY – TAG Admin/ICCL Meeting – 3:30 – 5:00 – Ed Center Board Room
January 20: MS and HS Admin Work Session – 9-11 Summit High School
Where in the World
Congrats to Susie at Caldera for correctly identifying the image as a celebration of Kwanzaa!
Kwanzaa is an annual, week-long celebration of African-American culture held from December 26 to January 1. Created in 1966 by activist Maulana Karenga, it is based on African harvest festival traditions and aims to reaffirm traditional communal values, foster unity, and provide a cultural foundation for people of African descent.
This week, it’s Where in the World? Any admin who correctly identifies this location by Monday morning (after break) will be entered in a drawing for coffee/tea or morning beverage of choice to be delivered by Katie or Stephen. Note: This contest will be limited to MS and HS admin.
Carpoolto the admin meeting December 17th at Aspen Hall. The parking is limited so please consider riding together as a team. Additionally, we will be covering chapters 6-8, so please review before the 17th.
Send in Leave Sheets:
Leave sheets are due on Monday, December 8th. The time period we are recording for is 11/10/2025-12/07/2025.
Principals, submit your leave sheets to Katie and Stephen. Send an email if you did not take any leave during this time period.
Assistants, please submit your leave sheets to your principal.
Please ensure you have the Student Health Survey wrapped up by 12/22. We have many sites with no results yet.
Reminders for HS: teach these two lessons before winter break:
SBHC lesson (MVHS and BSHS – skip slide 8). AND send home the SBHC family letter and permission form.
From Departments
From Dave Van Loo:
Here are links to use for documenting OSAS testing opt-outs and exemptions in 2025-26. These forms are like what we have used in the past and are needed for cleaning up data at the end of the school year. Opt-outs apply only to ELA and Math testing; anything else follows ODE’s exemption process.
In addition, principals and VPs can view students added to the opt-out and exemption forms at these links. These links contain data for all schools, but schools can filter their own students to help plan and manage testing.
Let Dave VanLoo or Stephanie Bent know if you have any questions or need other staff added to the response spreadsheets.
From Kinsey – Office of Policy and Advocacy:
Policy Training:
Here is the slide with links to the policies we discussed via scenarios at your recent horizontal meetings. Let me know if you have an issue related to one of these scenarios or policies that you’d like to discuss.
Bias/Complaint Response Template:
As a reminder, most of our complaint policies require that you communicate your investigation findings in writing. This can often be an informal email format (for a bias incident between students, or a straightforward complaint where you’ve been communicating frequently with the parent or employee already), and other times a more formal findings document.
In either case, there are certain points you need to include in that written conclusion of the investigation (ex: your conclusion, how to appeal, etc). Here is a template you can download and use. It’s geared toward bias incidents and a formal format, but you can adapt and use pieces as desired. If this is overwhelming or unhelpful, disregard. I’m always happy to review a draft email or findings document to check it against policy considerations before you send it, if helpful for you!
From Scott and Kayla in Safety:
Thank you all for your attendance and participation at our second cadre meeting!
Here is the link to the Cadre and Student Services slides.
A few pieces of information that were discussed:
Here is the Health & Safety POC Roster- The best place to start when fielding your safety concerns.
Health Services Support During School-Sponsored Activities
Please ensure that parents/guardians of students who require specialized health services (e.g., diabetes management, seizure support, adrenal insufficiency care) are informed that the school nurse must receive at least two weeks’ notice before any school-sponsored activity that occurs outside of regular school hours (such as dances, movie nights, or Robotics events). This advance notice is necessary to arrange appropriate health supports.
For overnight trips, a request should be submitted by the parent/guardian at least four weeks’ in advance of the event to allow sufficient time for planning and coordination.
Parents/guardians can submit a request for health services support here (English/Spanish).
This guideline does not apply to athletic events or classroom field trips, as those requests must be submitted by the coach or teacher using the Request for Direct Care Nursing Services form.
PPE
Our post-COVID PPE supply is running low, and we are currently out of medium-disposable gloves. Prior to COVID, schools were responsible for purchasing their own gloves for general use, and we will be returning to that practice. The remaining PPE items listed below will not be replenished once they are gone.
December 10: Optional Early Adopter Drop in @ 8:00
December 17: Optional Early Adopter Drop in @ 8:00
December 17: Admin PD Session – 3:00 @ Aspen Hall (please carpool)
December 18: MS Horizontal 3-5 @ High Desert
December 20-January 5: Winter Break
Where in the World?
Congratulations to Kelly Beaudry for identifying the image from the secondary blog!
The image was of the Edmund Pettus bridge. The bridge became a symbol of the momentous changes taking place in Alabama, America, and the world during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s and 70’s. It was here that voting rights marchers were violently confronted by law enforcement personnel on March 7, 1965. The day became known as Bloody Sunday.
This week, it’s Where in the World? Check out this week’s image below. Any admin who correctly identifies this location by Monday morning will be entered in a drawing for coffee/tea or morning beverage of choice to be delivered by Katie or Stephen. Note: This contest will be limited to MS and HS admin.
Don’t forget to promote College and Career day on November 20th is College and Career Day!.
Dress as a professional
Wear college colors
Consider incorporating videos or lessons bringing awareness to careers and colleges.
Consider inviting parents from the community in to talk about their careers.
We hope you’ll join in the celebration. Please send pictures of your participation to Becca Burda.
From Departments
Dr. Cook and Dr. Birk to provide all-staff virtual updates Nov. 18
Superintendent Steven Cook and Deputy Superintendent Lisa Birk will host an update for all District staff on Tuesday, November 18, with two 30-minute virtual sessions:
They will begin by recognizing several major accomplishments and celebrations from this school year. Other updates include:
State and federal funding
Long-term enrollment projections
Facility updates
Elementary and secondary priorities
They will provide the same update at the beginning of both meetings, then answer questions sent in from staff. Attendance is optional. If you can’t join either meeting live, we plan to share recordings with you afterward.
HAVE A QUESTION FOR DR. COOK?
Use THIS LINK to submit a question for the first meeting (3:05-3:35 PM)
Use THIS LINK to submit a question for the second meeting (3:50-4:20 PM)
From Dean in TLC:
Interested in having your leadership team attend a virtual SBG conference? Here is a LINK to the same group who put on the previous one many attended.
From Eric in Student Services:
We had a Community Justice Officer from Deschutes County reach out to a school this week with the following request:
Hello,
I am _____, (Student’s) Community Justice Officer. I was wondering if I can get a copy of (Student’s) Attendance, grades, and credits. I am not sure if this is the correct email to request all three. If there is someone else, I should reach out to or if you have any questions, please let me know.
Thank you.
For this specific student, we did not yet have a record of the student being on probation or an ROI to communicate with outside providers. After communicating with district legal counsel, the following was recommended as the reply to be sent to the CJO:
“We need you to provide us with a release of information or legal basis for releasing this information, such as a health or safety emergency as defined by ORS 336.187.”
If you ever get a request like this, you can also forward the requestor to me and I can work with them directly to get them needed information (as I am allowed).
From Kinsey – Office of Policy and Advocacy:
Advisory Lessons:
Here is the final version of the Cellphone lesson, to teach before winter break. Here is the SBHC lesson again as well (for at least CHS, SHS, BTA, and Realms, although it’s applicable to MVHS and BSHS too if you skip slide 8). SBHC family letter and permission form to send home.
Student Voice Council:
We will be reaching out to a couple schools to meet with you and your SVC representatives soon (areas where we’d like the principal looped in on student issues). If you don’t hear from us but would like a meeting to check in on communication with your students, our facilitator team, and your admin team, please let me know.
From TLC:
Course Recoding: Clarifying Guidelines and Approvals
As we continue working to ensure accuracy and consistency in how courses are coded across our district, it’s important that everyone follows the same expectations around course recoding. Recoding should occur only in very limited instances and must always be pre-approved to maintain alignment with state standards, diploma requirements, and teacher endorsements.
When Recoding Is (and Isn’t) Appropriate
A course may only fulfill a subject area (“bucket”) if:
It truly meets the standards of that subject area, and
The teacher holds the appropriate endorsement in that subject area.
Recoding should not be used to make a course fit where it doesn’t belong. Even if a class seems related, it may not meet the academic standards required for a different subject credit.
Examples:
First Aid/CPR ≠ Health
While both are Social Studies, World History ≠ U.S. History – (World Studies = WS | U.S. History = US)
Sources of Strength ≠ Health
Courses with Pre-Approved Recode Options
Some courses have been reviewed and approved to count toward either a Science (SC) credit or a Career & Technical Education (CTE/FA) credit — depending on the student’s needs and the teacher’s endorsement.
However, each course may only count toward one area at a time, not both.
Course
May Count As
Notes
Human Anatomy / Physiology
Science (SC) or CTE (FA)
May count as Science credit only if teacher is endorsed and student needs the credit
Biotechnology
Science (SC) or CTE (FA)
May count as Science credit only if teacher is endorsed and student needs the credit
Intro to Animal Science / Plant Science / Pre-Vet Medicine (MVHS)
Science (SC) or CTE (FA)
May count as Science credit only if teacher is endorsed and student needs the credit
Natural Resources Science
Science (SC) or CTE (FA)
May count as Science credit only if teacher is endorsed and student needs the credit
These courses do not replace the district’s three-year science pathway required for all BLS students (Physics, Chemistry, Biology).
Approval Process
To ensure consistency and compliance:
All course recode requests must be vetted and approved by the Director of Curriculum & Instruction and team.
Accurate course coding protects transcript integrity, ensures students receive the correct credits toward graduation, and supports clear communication with families and postsecondary institutions. By following these guidelines, we maintain equitable and consistent academic standards across the district.
November 18: HS Administrator work session @BSHS 9:00-11:00
November 19: Optional Early Adopter Drop in 8:00-8:30 (virtual)
November 19: SBG Parent Night @ SHS 5:30
November 20: MS Horizontal @ CMS 3:00 to 5:00
November 24-28: Thanksgiving Break
December 1: SBG Parent Night @ LPHS 5:30
December 3: Optional Early Adopter Drop in 8:00-8:30 (virtual)
December 3: SBG Parent Night @ MVHS 5:30
When in the World
Congrats to Sarah Huddart who won the recent Who in the World competition!
Ilhan Abdullahi Omar (born October 4, 1982) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Minnesota’s 5th congressional district since 2019. Omar is the first Somali American in the United States Congress and the first woman of color to represent Minnesota. She is also one of the first two Muslim women (along with Rashida Tlaib) to serve in Congress.
This week, it’s When in the World. Check out this week’s image below. Any admin who correctly identifies this image AND THE YEAR by Monday morning will be entered in a drawing for coffee/tea or morning beverage of choice to be delivered by Katie or Stephen. Note: This contest will be limited to MS and HS admin.
Message to Counseling Admins: Please communicate the following to your counselors: We will only be conducting in-person 8th grade forecasting visits at middle schools that serve as large feeder schools to our high schools.
If a middle school does not feed into a high school attendance area, staff from that school will not be sent for in-person forecasting. Instead, they can provide support virtually and participate in 8th Grade Parent Night events.
Additionally, we will not be visiting private schools in person for forecasting this year.
There will be more discussion on this topic December 9th in an admin/counseling meeting.
Enrollment for the 26-27 school year will still open on December 10. The change is that the ACR/Choice HS timeline will open Monday, Jan 5. The deadline for submission remains Jan 23.
From Jenn in Student Services:
College and Career Day
It’s that time of year again. November 20th 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 6th and 9th grade students on this day 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.
Comprehensive School Counseling Program and Lessons could be completed this week: High School and Middle School
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 17th as potential advisory lessons in ourscope 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 advisory to lunch opportunities. 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 into schools.
We hope you’ll join in the celebration. Please send pictures of your participation to Becca Burda.
Wayfinder data Available:
Wayfinder Waypoints data from the summative assessment is now available for your MTSS meetings. I will work with elementary admin on Tuesday, November 4th to go over how to use it. High and middle school admin leads, I will meet with you all in our smaller teams in the next two weeks. Reach out with any questions. Elementary and Middle school Counselors will be trained on Wednesday, November 5th during shared SIW. We are still working to schedule time with high school counselors.
From Paul in Operations:
Work Order Submission Best Practices
When submitting a work order that requires greater visibility at your site, please include @[insert principal’s email], @[insert custodian’s email], and @[insert office manager’s email] in the comment section of the request. Doing so will:
Ensure that key staff are aware of the request, helping to reduce duplicate work orders.
Allow all recipients to receive automatic updates as the work order progresses.
To help our maintenance staff be better prepared and efficient:
Provide as much detail as possible in the Description/Summary section. This information helps staff bring the right tools and materials and may prevent multiple trips.
When possible, attach photos showing the repair issue. Photos help clarify the request and document the condition of the area needing repair.
From Kinsey – Office of Policy, Advocacy, and Equity:
SNAP Benefits and our Community – FYI:
As you may have seen, the anticipated federal shutdown is expected to disrupt SNAP benefits beginning in November. Many families in our community may experience reduced access to food for an unknown period of time. Local food banks are already reporting strain as they prepare to absorb the increased need.
We will share resources and reminders of local food services in the next Family Spotlight. In the meantime, please feel free to 1) print, distribute, and share these bilingual food resource lists with all families and with your staff (Bend, South County, Redmond), 2) if you feel moved, consider donating time, funds, or other support to any of these local services (you can easily google any of their websites and find the Donation button 🙂), and 3) if your PTA or Booster Club wants to support food access, encourage them to support these local services.
For those who visited the Giving Plate for our Community Engagement Bingo activity this week, thank you. Your presence meant a lot to their over-stretched team, now more than ever. (Missed it but want to visit and count that Bingo square? Contact me!)
MAC Survey – Action Needed:
With the SNAP food assistance program being frozen and our students being impacted, this is a great time to remember just how critical our FAN Advocates are for our community. Your participation in the MAC Survey process (completing your training ASAP, claiming time on the survey day in mid-November) brings in funds that pay for FAN Advocate positions, so that we have folks on staff who can help families navigate. Thank you for prioritizing this! Contact your FAN Advocate if you have questions.
From Gabe Pagano, Director of Activities and Athletics:
Here is the weekly for Athletics. October 27th-October 31st, 2025 Please remember, you can forward this to any coach, program, group of coaches, or folks you feel might benefit from the information in the Weekly Agenda. I am doing my best to title information blocks for high school or middle school to save you time in reading or sending out.
HS Only
High School Only: School-Based Health Center Access – Action Needed:
As we discussed in August, students at CHS, SHS, Realms, and BTA will now have access during the school day to the School-Based Health Centers at BSHS and MVHS. District transportation will be provided at no cost to students, families, or your school.
Students who need to visit a SBHC should connect with your FAN Advocate (or nurse as the back-up). That staff member will coordinate the appointment with Mosaic, arrange transportation, handle permission slip and attendance documents, and collect basic demographic information for the pilot.
Early next week, we will send your families this parent letter and a permission slip (Spanish and Chinese versions, too), so you don’t have to worry about that.
One action item for you: Please share this advisory lesson with teachers to deliver anytime between now and fall break (if possible). Advocacy Coaches are available to support. BSHS and MVHS: your students already have SBHC access, but the lesson is still a helpful reminder of available services — your teachers can simply skip slide 8.
Attention HS leaders: This information will be shared in our next spotlight.
Did you know that veterans of the Armed Forces may receive a high school diploma if they attended high school before their military service and were honorably discharged?
Under Oregon law, a school district shall award a diploma to a veteran who resides in the district or to a veteran who attended school in the district and lives elsewhere in the state. Diplomas also may be issued on behalf of deceased veterans at the request of a family representative.
These diplomas may be issued to veterans who served during specified wars and military operations or in designated combat zones over the past century.
The intent of this program is to help veterans obtain high school diplomas when veterans do not graduate because they left school early for military service, or if they need educational credentials to qualify for jobs and promotions.
Calendar
Weeks of October 26-November 3: HS Fall Conferences
November 4: HS Learning Walk @ Caldera HS 8:30-11:30
November 4: MS Learning Walk @ PBMS 8:30
November 5: Early Adopter teams – optional Q and A for Early Adopters! Weekly every Wednesday!!
Congrats to to Becky Aylor who correctly identified the image from last week as Rosa Parks!
Rosa Parks is famous for her courageous refusal to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955, which helped ignite the Civil Rights Movement. Her action sparked the Montgomery bus boycott, a pivotal, 381-day protest that ultimately led to the desegregation of Montgomery buses. Parks is often called the “mother of the civil rights movement” and is recognized as a symbol of nonviolent protest against racial segregation.
This week, it’s Where in the World. Check out this week’s image below. Any admin who correctly identifies this image by Monday morning will be entered in a drawing for coffee/tea or morning beverage of choice to be delivered by Katie or Stephen. Note: This contest will be limited to MS and HS admin.
Share info with World Language teachers: On November 17th from 8-11:30 we will examining our middle school and high school credit offerings. This conversation is optional, but World Language teachers are encouraged to attend. If interested, please arrange a half day sub and use the note “MS/HS World Language Alignment per April Jorgenson”
From Departments
From Scott in IT:
Synergy Mail Delivery Issue-
It has come to our attention that on occasion, certain Synergy (ParentVUE) messages are currently being marked as “spam” and are not able to be viewed by families with a TDS email address. We have already engaged both Synergy support and TDS to identify the cause and resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
In the meantime, please be aware that teachers using Synergy mail may occasionally receive a “bounce back” message from families who are unable to view their message. We will provide an update as soon as normal delivery is restored.
Looking for a few administrator iPads- As we transition students over the next two years to the iPad 11, we will be lean on older device inventory. If you are an administrator and you rarely use your iPad for your position. We hope you will “volunteer” to turn in your iPad to your IT Client Service representative. Thank you in advance for your help.
From Kinsey – Policy, Advocacy, and Equity:
Advisory lessons:
As discussed in August, we have an Advisory Lesson on the new cell phone policy coming your way soon. The lesson will be included in the blog on Nov 13, and all high schools will need to teach the lesson before winter break.
Additionally, we have a student-facing Advisory Lesson on school-based health centers as well. While it has great information for students at all high schools (and middle schools!), it is particularly important for CHS, SHS, BTA, and Realms, because it includes details on the expanded access options for your students to get to the BSHS or MVHS health centers during the school day. That lesson will be shared with you in blogs Oct 23, to be taught as soon as you can, before winter break.
Student organizing: clubs, petitions, etc:
Students have the right to gather and organize–examples include forming new clubs, circulating petitions, etc. However, we can put certain limitations on these activities, when done thoughtfully.
Here is the relevant policy with guidance for you. A couple reminders: No new student clubs should be forming without principal approval. If you believe a club, petition, or other student-organized activity is going to cause a disruption and should be prohibited, please contact me so we can discuss specific considerations.
Please remind staff about this policy and ask that they contact you if they are hearing about clubs or other student organizing that would require procedural considerations under this policy.
Family engagement calendar:
We now have an Outlook calendar to communicate and coordinate district-wide family engagement events and key dates! It includes district-wide events where families are the audience, such as Financial Aid night or Latino Family Night, as well as the “do not schedule” dates for religious observances.
This is a staff-facing tool, for awareness, access, and coordination of school, district, and program-specific family events. Please work with your office staff to add this calendar to your school Outlook calendar—instructions here.
If you are planning a district-wide event and would like it added to this calendar, please contact Dalia Juárez or email [email protected].
From Triz in HR:
Calendar for the Certified Evaluation Process
Contract – On Cycle
Probationary/Temp
October
Goal Setting form sent to certified staff (upload due by Oct 15)Your in-person goal-setting meeting counts as Mini #1
November
Formal Observation #1 Cycle completed (due Nov 15)Last chance to begin Focused Performance Review (Nov 1)
December
Administrator informs HR of contract non-extension
Last chance to begin Support Strategies (Dec 5)
January 15
Submit 1st Mini Observation
Formal Observation #2 cycle completed (Jan 15)
January 30
Notify the certified staff member of contract non-extension
Notify the certified staff member of non-renewal
April 15
Please initiate Self-Evaluations for your staff. Since all certified staff are required to provide an update to their goals, staff on a non-evaluation cycle need only to log their goal update at the bottom of the self-reflection form and are not required to submit ratings. (Due May 15)
May 15
All Mini-Observations Are Due
June 15
Summative Evaluations are complete and all documentation have been submitted to the HR provided folders/spreadsheet.
From TLC:
As a reminder, with grades now managed in Synergy, Grade Guardian will no longer be purchased at the district level. Individual schools may continue their subscriptions this year (at their own expense); however, once assignments and grades are fully transitioned into our standards-based system, many of Grade Guardian’s features will become obsolete.
From Dave in TLC
OSAS Testing Annual Notices and Opt-Out Forms
The Bend-La Pine website has been updated with the 2025-26 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 our website with links to the required forms using whatever methods you typically communicate with families and have copies available for parents to pick up in the office by ODE’s dates and timelines below.
Consistent with the requirements of ORS 329.479, ODE has developed an annual notice (available through ODE’s Test Administration webpage) that describes these assessments, identifies the timeframe when the assessment will most likely be administered, and identifies an adult student’s or parent’s 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 ODE’s Test Administrationwebpage), 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 4, 2026, and for students in Grades 3-8 by March 1, 2026.
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.
Please contact Dave with any questions.
From Sean Reinhart, Jennifer Hauth, and Jamie Gunter
The Student Services Team is reaching out with a yearly reminder of protocols and procedures around suicide risk and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), as required byAdi’s Act (Senate Bill 52). We will be providing a series of updates to ensure that administrators are informed on updated protocols.
View the updated sudden death response procedures.
Review with all of your building staff on these procedures.
Ask all staff to contact their building administrator if they become aware of any information on the death of a staff member, student, or parent in your school community.
If a Staff member reaches out to an administrator:
Thank the reporter and ask that they don’t contact other individuals and share the news they have heard. Oftentimes the information is inaccurate or incomplete and unknowingly propagating rumors can cause harm.
The building administrator reaches out to Sean, Jennifer, Scott, or their Level Leader (in that order until the first person is reached).
Student Services will walk you through next steps.
Best-practice postvention around notification helps to prevent further harm or contagion, ensures accuracy and consistency, protects and respects the family, supports emotional safety, and lays the foundation for healing and recovery. If you have questions or concerns around this process, please reach out.
From Lillah in Safety:
All STAS/SIRC Teams:
After completing a Level 1 STAS or SIRC assessment, please upload the 2 page Outcome and Safety Plan into Synergy>Student>Documents tab>STAS/SIRC is a new Doc Category tab. The Doc Comment will be Outcome and Safety Plan.
The following people will have access to this document:
Principals and Assistant Principals
Counselors
Student Success
Athletic Directors
SPED specialist such as Pych’s
District Directors/Executive Directors
Please call Lillah Lehner in Safety with questions: 541-355-8854
From Tracy in Ed Tech:
From Educational Technology
We have technology tools for iPad behavior management! There are simple ways to monitor student screens, limit access to only the apps and websites needed, and give parents control of iPads outside of school hours. Check out Five Technology Tools for iPad Behavior Management. If you’re interested in a quick 10-minute tour of these tools during an SIW or drop-in time, please reach out to [email protected]
From Jennifer in Student Services
3- 12 Waypoints open until Friday October 24th end of day. Thank you to all of you that have had your students complete the assessment. School-wide student data will be ready for review on Monday, October 27th.
Some of you have staff in your Featured Content view in Wayfinder Usage Data that do not teach at your school. We are working on that issue with Synergy/Clever. For now, please use these instructions if you want to clean up your dashboard: How to Edit User Data on Admin Dashboards
Please make sure you have communicated the fall conference schedule with families and the structure you intend to use for signing up. Additionally, please create a system to collect information on how many families attend.
Calendar
October 21: HS Administrator work session 9-11 @ MVHS
October 22: First District Safety Cadre Meeting 8-9:30 @ PBMS
October 23: MS Horizontal – 3-5 pm @ LPMS
October 29: HS ONLY END Session 3-4, K-8 is in parent conferences
October 29-30: MS Fall Conferences
Weeks of October 26-November 3: HS Fall Conferences
Where in the world?
Congratulations to our winner from last week: Kelly Beaudry (AP at BSH). The image is The Mapparium, which is a three-story, stained-glass globe located in Mary Baker Eddy Library in Boston, Massachusetts. It is designed to showcase the world as it was in 1935 for the purpose of providing a unique, inside- out perspective of Earth, promoting global awareness.
We’re back with Where in the World. Check out this week’s image below. Any admin who correctly identifies this image by Monday morning will be entered in a drawing for coffee/tea or morning beverage of choice to be delivered by Katie or Stephen. Note: This contest will be limited to MS and HS admin.
Yearly Evaluation Notification (more info below as well): All staff members should be notified annually as to what evaluation cycle they are on and what they can expect to experience regarding eval process. We believe most of you, as site administrators, already have this practice in place but if you don’t and you need some templates, please feel free to use the e-mail templates listed below. This is also a good time to notify the member if you plan to address any standard that is not part of the abbreviated list in their End-of-Year evaluation. Questions on your list of staff? Reach out to Triz and Jessica Lamay- they have been coming to sites to walk admin through the tools as needed. Annual Evaluation Notification Templates
Your support is key to the success of this day. This is what support looks like for our teacher leaders:
Arrive on time to the session
Support the teachers leading the session – assist with whatever they need
Make sure teachers sign in and are accounted for – use the attendance QR code. Probably easiest to print and bring a copy yourself.
Actively participate the entire time of the session (model what we expect of staff and you will learn along the way, as well).
Mark Your Calendars: 8th grade CTE Fly Up will be Tuesday, March 3rd.
From Departments
From Operations:
Annual school fire inspections start next week
Bend Fire & Rescue will begin its annual fire inspections October 9 for all schools in the city’s coverage area – everything but our Sunriver and La Pine schools. The Bend city fire inspections are scheduled to run through November 7. Jim Scott, Building Services Manager for Bend-La Pine Schools, will notify each school’s principal and office manager of its inspection date the week prior.
From Ryan in HR:
We are excited to announce the first iteration of mid-year orientation and onboarding for new hires, beginning Thursday, October 23 and continuing every other Thursday for the remainder of the year.
These sessions are designed to ensure our new employees enter their roles feeling confident, connected, and supported. Each orientation will include:
Payroll, Human Resources, and Policy: An overview of organizational practices and role-specific information.
IT Support: Small group time to set up single sign-on and other key systems.
Union Introductions: Opportunities to hear from OSEA or BEA, if their position is represented.
Role-Specific Training: A half-day dedicated to job-specific skills and expectations.
For school-based staff, Level Leaders will take the lead on this portion.
For non-school-based staff, HR has collaborated with Directors, Assistant Directors, and Supervisors to develop tailored plans.
Important Note: All candidates who accept a positionafter Friday, October 10will not be permitted to start work until they have attended one of these orientations.
This new process reflects our shared goal of ensuring that every employee starts their journey with Bend-La Pine Schools on strong footing, well-prepared to contribute and thrive.
Thank you for supporting this important step in welcoming our newest colleagues.
Please connect with Ryan with any questions.
From Eric in Student Services:
If an Administrator at your site does not have Synergy discipline access (to enter Minor or Major incidents into the discipline module), would you please Email Eric Powell to let them know who needs access to the discipline module in Synergy?
We are working with IT to schedule a discipline module training for any administrator who needs this access and want to determine whom to invite to this potential training.
If you don’t know what the “discipline module” in Synergy is, then you probably need this training!
If you can create Student Incidents via this screen, you are good to go:
From Kinsey – Office of Policy and Advocacy:
Dignity and Belonging: Community Engagement
Here is the Bingo card from our leadership meeting. Please keep a copy throughout the year that you cross out as you go.
This spring:
completed copies will go into our raffle for some great prizes!
we will share the number of leaders from each school/dept who completed the full Bingo, and celebrate the creative ways your team engaged with the community in this process.
Community Visit #1: The Giving Plate sign-up. The dates for this tour/visit are coming up, so sign up soon!
Here is our home visit guidance. Feel free to share with staff as applicable, and ask your Liaison or FAN Advocate if you can join their next visit.
Animals on Campus
Thanks for the conversation on this topic at horizontals recently. As a reminder, any animals on your campus must be approved by you. Policy here. Quick reference:
If service animal for staff: direct them to Benefits.
If service animal for student: contact Student Services.
Therapy animal, classroom pets, or other visitors: request form here, principal approves/denies.
Parent bringing animal at pick-up or school activities: this is prohibited.
From Triz in HR:
As we keep cruising through staffing updates, your Evaluation Rosters might not be perfectly up to date yet. If you spot anyone who shouldn’t be on your site list—or someone who’s missing—please email Jessica Lamay with the names to remove/add. Thank you!
What “ON-cycle” means
Contract staff marked ON-cycle were flagged because either:
we do NOT have a finalized summative in UKG from last year (24-25), or
they’re returning to the regular schedule from the 2023–24 cycle.
If something looks off, it’s often because last year’s steps weren’t fully finalized and the item is still pending in the system.
Quick checklist (2 minutes!)
Open UKG → To Do and complete/submit any evaluation steps sitting at your stage.
If an assignment still looks incorrect, reach out to Jessica Lamay and Triz so we can verify and update as appropriate. We appreciate you helping us keep everything clean and current—your attention here makes the whole process smoother for staff and students. 🙌
Linking Files:
Once you’ve dropped your files into the shared site folders
Please be sure to link them into the correct column of your workbook.
See steps in the samples below:
Click to select the file you are attaching in the workbook.
Click the ‘chain link’ icon to copy the link to that file -OR- Ctrl/Command+C.
Click on the ‘File Chip’ in the corresponding row and column for that employee/eval piece. Ctrl/Command+V -OR- Right mouse click, then click Paste, to attach the file.
Tab -OR- click on the file name pop-up (as above) to complete the attachment.
File is attached.
From Scott in IT:
It is Cyber October once again!
Beginning next week look for tech info, tips and tricks both in the blog and in your email as we recognize Cyber October.
We will also be bringing back the “Phishing Derby” with some even bigger prizes for reporting suspicious emails.
From Dean: We are now past the point in time where the iReady assessment can be used for bypassing a grade level. We will open the window again in the spring for next year.
We have our first round of admin walkthroughs 10/7 at 1:30 at Sky View. Team 1 is Anne Marie, Darla, Dave, and Julie.
Please remember to link the slides for each of your BD SIW sessions under the SIW planning tab in the HS Admin Handbook.
Proposals for new courses are due November 6. Proposals will be reviewed the following week and building leaders will be notified if they are approved and will be added to the district course catalog. Use this link to submit a proposal.
It is necessary for our students taking college dual credit courses through COCC to use DUO to access their accounts at COCC. DUO is the college’s multi-factor authentication tool and is required for students (both College Now and Concurrent) to access their COCC accounts and services.
Once students are no longer able to use their cell phones in January, they will need to access DUO on their iPads. Thanks to Tracy Howk, t is now available! TO DO:Please share this with your college dual credit teachers. Reach out to Katie or Tracy if you have questions.
Please review the important information about modified diploma processes and expectations highlighted in the Special Edge for this month. If a student is approved to be on a modified diploma and is taking modified coursework, this must be reflected on the transcript using a particular course code.
Bonus question this week. Email Katie the answer to this question correctly before Friday at 3:00 and get your name entered into next week’s drawing: What are the six “to dos” that must be completed prior to getting an out of state trip approved?
Calendar
October 7: Secondary Admin Tier 1/UpShift work group – 9-11 @ CMS
October 7: MS Admin Walkthrough (Group 1) – 1:30-3:30 @ SVMS
October 8: Educator Network Day
October 16: TAG Admin/ICCL training (MS only) – 3:30 – 5:30 in the boardroom
October 23: MS Horizontal – 3-5 pm @ LPMS
October 29-30: MS Fall Conferences
WHO in the World??
Congratulations to our winner from last week: Becky Aylor for guessing the strange creature highlighted in the blog last week! It was a hagfish! Did you know that the hagfish can make enough slime equal to 400 times their own volume!? Ewww..!
So Katie went rogue last week! I’m going to keep with the theme and mix it up with WHO in the world. Any admin who correctly identifies the person (bonus points if you can state what happened on October 2nd for this individual) by Monday morning will be entered in a drawing for coffee/tea or morning beverage of choice to be delivered by Katie or Stephen. Note: This contest will be limited to MS and HS admin.
Inform your admin and ICCL team about our first training 9/30 from 4:15 to 6:15 at Bend High. We will be looking into instructional strategies that align well in a Standards-Based Instruction and Grading classroom.
Action Needed: Tier I Start-of-Year Check-In
Please take some time with your ICCL team to complete the survey below before the end of the day on October 3rd. The survey should be done together as a team (one survey per school) and will help the Task Force understand the roll-out of Tier I processes across the district. The Task Force will use this information in our first meeting together to recognize bright spots across the district, share trends back to our educator groups, understand consistency, and identify areas that may need more support as we move forward. You can access the survey using THIS LINK. We are finalizing as we speak and this link will go live at 1:00 pm tomorrow.
Please confirm with your level leader that this newly bargained language in the Grades and Credit AR has been shared and discussed with teachers:
Communication with families regarding student progress in Secondary:
1. At the beginning of the reporting period, students and parents will be informed by the teacher regarding the basis of the grades and the methods to be used in determining them.
2. All schools will provide families notification communication regarding student grades at these key times during the school year: a. For schools on trimesters: i. Progress reports six (6) weeks into each trimester ii. Final grades at the end of each trimester b. For schools on semesters: i. Progress reports nine (9) weeks into each semester ii. Final grades at the end of each semester
3. Student work will be graded and posted in the student information system within three (3) weeks of the due date in secondary sites. Students submitted as assignment after the due date must inform their teacher of the submission, and work submitted after the due date will be graded and posted within three (3) weeks of notification by the student of the submission.
4. Graded feedback will be provided throughout the term at regular intervals
Please share the following from Laura clark with teachers:
Subject: Hiding Overall Grades in Canvas
As a reminder, overall course grades in Canvas have been turned off by default this school year through Canvas school templates. This decision was made to help ensure that students and families use Synergy as the official record for course grades and to begin transitioning them ahead of our planned move to Standards-Based Grading.
Canvas continues to be a valuable tool for communicating assignments and assignment-level grades, providing feedback, and supporting student learning. However, by directing families to Synergy for overall grades, we avoid confusion that can occur when two systems display grades differently and help build consistent practices in preparation for next year.
Thank you for your continued support in keeping our grading practices clear and consistent for students and families.
Please go into your Complaints Dashboard and ensure you have either resolved the incidents submitted to date or are actively working on them. (Looking for your Dashboard? See my email titled “Complaints” sent Aug 14.)
Take time with your admin team to notice trends so far: what is and isn’t showing up in your dashboard? How is complaint response going for your team? What feedback or opportunities are showing up there? If you have questions about complaint process, timelines, etc, reach out.
Please make sure that all teachers understand the “Why” behind the assessment and that the student results will help us to identify intervention skill building groups. Teachers need to read the instructions from the implementation guides to the students. This will ensure that we get quality data to inform interventions. Wayfinder will also recommend additional skill building activities based on what students in their specific classroom need.
This week, an invitation to attend a training about Student Threat Assessment went to all new hires who are likely to be involved in this process at your site (Admin, Counselors, Psychs, etc.). Participants can choose one of two training days (October 2 or October 6). Training will be from 8-4 and lunch will be provided. If you yourself, or you have a staff member who you believe should participate, please simply sign up using THIS LINK. Questions? Contact Scott or Kayla in Safety.
Welcome back to the new school year! We hope the start of 2025–26 is going well for you and your teams.
Action Needed: We’re asking admin teams to collaborate and identify staff best suited to serve in this year’s UpShift roles. This information helps us track returning team members and identify who may need training in the coming weeks. Please review and update the BLS UpShift Roles & Responsibilities document with your anticipated staff assignments by end-of-day Wednesday, Sept 24th.
What’s New for 2025–26: UpShift is now an “Opt-Out” program.
As of this school year, UpShift is automatically initiated following a first-time substance-related violation—unless a parent/guardian opts out within 24 hours of notification. Verbal or written parent authorization is no longer required to start the protocol.
The Student Code of Conduct was edited to remove any references to requiring parent/guardian consent and now links to an editable, public-facing UpShift Protocol.
See the “Response to Substances” page (page 12) in the published Student Code of Conduct. Click the link to the UpShift Protocol which is where it includes the opt out language.
SAVE THE DATE:Tuesday, October 7th 9:00am-11:00 we will convene secondary VP Admin (Principals optional) to discuss changes to UpShift, go over any questions/challenges, share any communication expectations and next steps.
Resources
Please visit the UpShift FAQ document for ongoing updates to questions that may arise.
From Aimee Snyder:
Last Call: Registrations for Monday’s Sources Adult Advisor (AA) Training
This is a last call for registrations for Monday’s Sources of Strength Adult Advisor (AA) REFRESHER training. We’ll accept registrations until the training starts at 12:30pm.
This is the link to register for the training. The training is Mon, Sept 22, from 12:30-4pm, at Bend Senior High School’s Perseverance Hall.
Click hereto see who is registered for your school.
We recommend for each school to send 2-3 Adult Advisors* to the refresher in order to maintain the Adult Advisor to Peer Leader ratio required for program effectiveness:
1:7 for middle schools and
1:10 for high schools.
*The minimum number of trained AAs for a school to maintain (“refresh”) depends on the size of their Peer Leader group, which is based on your school size. New AAs can attend the refresher, but they should meet briefly with your Public Health Specialist before to make sure they’re ready.
Sub coverage for your teachers will come from your school’s $5,000 Sources budgets. Sources budgets are for meeting Sources fidelity criteria, including trainings.
Contact your Public Health Specialist or Aimee Snyder with questions about this training or Sources fidelity criteria.
From Educational Technology:
We’re excited to share the new Guide for Bend-La Pine Students: AI in Your Learning. This 20-minute advisory or classroom lesson introduces students to AI use and academic integrity in a way that supports discussion and reflection. The guide is also available on our AI in BLS website. Many thanks to those of you who sparked the idea and collaborated with our team on this project.
From Kayla in Safety:
STAS & SIRC Training
All new admin and counselors have been asked to attend one of the 8-hour sessions. REGISTER HERE.
Training dates are:
Thursday, October 2 -location TBD
Monday, October 6- Pacific Crest Middle School
Safety Cadre Invites have been sent out. Reach out if you have been missed.
Dates are October 22, December 3, March 11, April 29
Secondary will be 8:00-9:30am, Elementary will be 1:30pm-3:00pm
*8888 Extension Reminder
When schools have an incident, we want to send a friendly reminder to use the *8888 voicemail. See handout attached you can share with any admin and front office staff. Handout here.
MS Only
We’re circling back to the summer email you received from Stephanie Bent, which included a list of students at your school who scored at or above the 97th percentile.
Next Steps: Please begin reaching out to parents/guardians of these students to obtain permission to move forward with the TAG identification process. Do not proceed beyond parent contact and permission at this time.
We will be introducing a new TAG form during our first district PD on October 16, so it’s important to pause further steps in the identification process until then.
HS Only
New course proposals will be due to Dean on Nov 6.
The secondary team will review them the following week and send notices to schools notifying you if they have been approved.
Calendar
September 23: Complaint Process Meeting – Invite Only 12:30 – 2:00 in Board Room
September 25: MS Horizontal @ PCMS 3-5
September 29: LA Book Club Training 8-1@ Ed Center Board Room- Admin overseeing LA required to attend
September 30: Secondary Admin/ICCL 4:15-6:15 @ Bend High
October 7: Secondary Admin Tier 1/UpShift work group – 9-11 @ CMS
Where in the World
Congratulations to our winner from last week: Dan Curfew, Assistant Principal at Pacific Crest!Potala Palace: Lhasa, Tibet was the answer. This iconic symbol of Tibetan Buddhism is the highest palace in the world. The Potala Palace complex, comprising the Red Palace and White Palace, is nestled on top of Red Hill. This landmark overlooks the Lhasa Valley at 12,100-plus feet above sea level and houses more than 1,000 rooms. The Potala Palace – which was originally constructed in the seventh century and substantially expanded by a dalai lama in the 17th century – once served as the winter home of the dalai lama.
Each week there will be an image of a landmark from someplace in the world. Any admin who responds with the correct location (be specific!) by Monday morning will be entered in a drawing for coffee/tea or morning beverage of choice to be delivered by Katie or Stephen. Note: This contest will be limited to MS and HS admin.
