On Wednesday of this week, we trained office managers on use of ParentSquare. Our family liaison team also attended this training. We learned more about how schools currently use School Messenger, including to message secondary students. This is helpful as we prepare for School Messenger to end on June 30 and we transition to use of ParentSquare as our primary family messaging and engagement tool.
Next week we will invite all district staff to activate their ParentSquare accounts. We are not ready for you (outside of our 5 South County pilot schools) to begin using ParentSquare to communicate with your families, but you will see some content we plan to share from the District level now through summer. Schools may begin using ParentSquare in August, and teachers will be able to use it once trained in early September.
Bringing families into the ParentSquare fold will take time, and we’d like to begin around the end of the school year. Parents will receive an invite to verify their accounts, set preferences, and download the ParentSquare app. We will schedule reminders to those who don’t respond to the initial invite. It’s important to know that even if a parent never responds to these invites, they will still receive our ParentSquare communications — as emails — but they won’t benefit from the full features of ParentSquare, such as setting their message preferences or using the handy mobile app.
We’re looking at dates when we can offer school administrators basic training on using ParentSquare and will communicate those details soon.
Our training opportunity for all teachers and any other staff who need to be ready to communicate with families will be the second day of in-service week:
PARENTSQUARE BASIC TRAINING
Tuesday, Sept. 1, 10-11 a.m.
Teams meeting (link to be shared later) with a trainer from ParentSquare
Note that this will begin shortly after the Superintendent’s Welcome Back program at 8:30 a.m. You may want your team to remain together in the same space.
On Wednesday, Sept. 2, we will provide follow-up ParentSquare support opportunities at the District-led PD (elementary at Caldera, secondary at Pacific Crest).
After school starts, we would like to visit every school for drop-in sessions for staff who’d like to ask questions or get help using ParentSquare.
Please reach out if you have questions on any of this. Thanks!
From Rodger Moore, Director of Facility Operations
To help schools manage classroom relocations smoothly and minimize disruption to instruction, the district is developing a standardized process for both same-school and inter-school moves. The procedure is intended to outline clear responsibilities for administrators, teachers, custodial teams, maintenance, and IT staff to help ensure moves are coordinated efficiently. The district is currently testing our work order platform Hero HQ for submitting move requests and coordinating details such as scheduling, technology needs, furniture, and specialty equipment. Additional procedures, expectations, and implementation guidance will be communicated in an upcoming Level Leaders’ Blog once the workflow and support processes are finalized.
Large-scale moves, such as the Realms transition, will be exempt from this process.
Please read this week’s Special EDge to get more information about:
Review End of Year Check-out Process
Complete High Cost
Paperwork Deadline – June 5!
ESY Case Managers – Reach out to Sara Young with new students who qualify and continue to reach out to families you haven’t heard from
Utilize the Student Services Launchpad
Save the Date for upcoming events
MS Only
Ed Tech Training
Be on the look out for communication from the Ed Tech team about in-service training on tech tools including Jamf. Please coordinate a time for your staff in the fall.
Calendar
June 4: Graduation week begins!
June 11: Last day of school!
June 15: School Design Plan Showcase 9:00 – 11:00 p.m. @ CHS
June 15: End of Year Administrator Celebration (and lunch!) @ HDMS 11:30-1:00
June 16: HS Administrator Retreat 8-4 TBD
June 16: MS Horizontal on MAPS – 8:30 – 10:13 @ Ed Center
June 19: Juneteenth Holiday!
June 22: MS Principal Retreat – 9-1 @ Deschutes Central Library
Who in the world?
Congratulations to an Curfew who won the drawing this week!
He correctly identified the image as Dr. Karen Mapp, who led an outstanding session on family engagement last Thursday!
Dr. Mapp, a Senior Lecturer on Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, is a leading family and community engagement expert whose research and practice focus on cultivating partnerships among schools, families, and communities for enhancing student achievement and school performance.
Below is the image for this week. Send us your guess for this location by Monday, win the drawing, and Stephen or Katie will bring you your school appropriate beverage of choice:
Please review ALL your audits on this dashboard including the new Discipline & Attendance Mismatched audit. These audits need to be resolved prior to the end of the school year.
Additional updates for discipline audits have been added to the School Discipline Audits analytics report dashboard. Specifically, an updated version of the “Discipline & Attendance Mismatch” report is at the bottom of the dashboard (you will need to scroll down to see it).
Jason Westmoreland [[email protected]] would like additional feedback on this audit specifically. Are there changes that would be helpful, are there any false positive or incorrect entries shown, or is there any confusion surrounding how to resolve the audits?
To access the discipline audits (until we are able to publish this to a PAD Tree location), you will need to use the Quick Launch, by typing ‘Synergy Analytics Home Page’ and selecting the entry.
Once you are on the Synergy Analytics Home Page, click the ‘hamburger’ under the label, and expand the navigation links. Find the Discipline option and select it.
You may be presented with a number of options to choose from (I recommend exploring when you have time), however, to review discipline audits, you will need to select the ‘School Discipline Audits’ dashboard from the Audits group.
Once you have selected the appropriate dashboard, there will be multiple audits available on the page. The new ‘Discipline & Attendance Mismatched’ audit is at the bottom of the page (you will need to scroll down using the far-right scroll bar – multiple scrolls may be nested).
The audit is intended to show you where ISS/OSS discipline and attendance are not matched on a given day. Based on what actually happened with a specific student / disposition, you should correct either the disposition Dates & Days, or the Attendance codes for those days (and appropriate periods).
Remember that you can expand individual reports in the dashboard to expand the entire display window by using the four arrows pointing to the corners. This will expand the report to use the whole screen for easier navigation.
NOTE: If you have questions regarding how to resolve these audits (or any audits on this dashboard) please connect with Jason Westmoreland (x1222)
From Departments
From Lisa, Deputy Superintendent
Check out this Spring Update regarding Technology and Assessments for the 26-27 school year.
We are currently processing curriculum requests for next year. Approximately 75% of teachers have submitted requests so far. The form will remain open, but please note that May 31 is the deadline for receiving feedback on submissions. Requests submitted in June may not receive feedback, which is especially important if a request is denied.
Please remind colleagues to complete the curriculum request form. They can find related messages from BLS Instructional Technology ([email protected] (opens in new tab)
Updates to curriculum requests are posted on the same page.
As you know, state law prohibits us from requiring families to provide school supplies for their children’s education. Even suggesting contributions in a way that creates undue pressure or expectation for family donations is inappropriate and doesn’t align with our equity values. Please be sure your staff clearly understand this expectation and the reasons for it.
That said, some families would really like to contribute, and I know we’re all interested in maximizing community support to take the edge off our budgets. To balance these competing interests, here are some recommended practices:
Make it very clear to families that there is no obligation for any family to contribute any school supplies.
Avoid publishing classroom- or grade-specific “lists” that can create a sense of obligation.
Let families know that, for those who have extra supplies at home or who simply enjoy purchasing and contributing supplies to prepare for school each fall, the school will accept voluntary donations of general, unused supplies during your fall Welcome Back/Curriculum Night events.
Have school-wide “Optional School Supply Donations” buckets/tubs available in the front lobby during fall events, rather than having families take supplies to a particular teacher or classroom (where donations are more attributable to individual students, which increases pressure).
Pride Month:
June is Pride Month! Bend-La Pine Schools will have our regular booth at the summer Pride festival on June 6th–drop by and visit!
Encourage your teachers to cover LGBTQIA2S+ history (supported by Oregon required standards) by implementing some of the lessons, read-alouds, and activities available on our district Equity Resources page (click on Cultural Calendar, then scroll to June). Here are some teacher prep tips, and/or contact the Advocacy Coaches for instructional support.
Feeding protocols have been updated, completed, and sent to records
Evaluations finished and uploaded
Medicaid logs are completed in SEAS until last day served
All equipment lists are updated
When you have completed this meeting and have all of your paperwork complete, the admin who supports your site (Josh, Colleen, or Sara) will let your building administrator know that you have the GREEN LIGHT from Student Services to check-out for the year! 🙂
If you have any questions, please reach out to the coach who supports your site!
We are currently investigating the option to discontinue Adobe Creative Cloud licenses for all students in grades K–8. Instead, we are exploring a targeted approach by providing licenses specifically for CTE classes and other courses where Adobe tools are required for instruction.
Our usage data shows that student use of Adobe Creative Cloud applications outside of CTE and journalism classes is limited. As a result, we are hoping to reduce costs by focusing licensing on programs and classes where the tools are actively used and instructionally necessary.
If you currently use Adobe Creative Cloud with students in your class, please add your request to the Instructional Tools Request document so we are aware of your instructional need. Requests and approvals will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Thank you for your understanding and partnership as we work to balance instructional needs with responsible stewardship of district resources.
This change will not impact staff Adobe Creative Cloud Accounts.
From Rodger Moore, Director of Facility Operations To help schools manage classroom relocations smoothly and minimize disruption to instruction, the district is developing a standardized process for both same-school and inter-school moves. The procedure is intended to outline clear responsibilities for administrators, teachers, custodial teams, maintenance, and IT staff to help ensure moves are coordinated efficiently. The district is currently testing our work order platform Hero HQ for submitting move requests and coordinating details such as scheduling, technology needs, furniture, and specialty equipment. Additional procedures, expectations, and implementation guidance will be communicated in an upcoming Level Leaders’ Blog once the workflow and support processes are finalized.
Large-scale moves, such as the Realms transition, will be exempt from this process.
From slide 11 Canvas/Syllabus statements for supplemental materials
In response to students’ learning needs, current events, or newly available sources, I will periodically supplement our major text with other materials.
If you do not want your student to read/view any supplemental materials, please let me know. Your student can wait to read/view the material until after they have shared it with you.
State requirement: One year at the high school level. MS every year.
26-27 pilot year, no Synergy entry required.
26-27 END’s will be used to adjust, review, etc. for USH teachers.
The task is adaptable to a current task in your classroom. And similar enough (3-part task) to meet the state requirements.
Rubric language was created from ELA Speaking Rubrics/State Speaking Rubrics
Rubric language utilizes our standard: Communication and Argumentation with emphasis on speaking.
No requirements at this time to upload tasks, samples etc. to a common portal.
HS Only
From Jenn and Jess:
Reminder that all seniors need to complete the Senior Year-End Activity and Alumni Access setup in SchooLinks prior to graduation. This should be included as part of each school’s senior checkout process.
This is especially important because students need to have their alumni access set up before their SchooLinks account transitions to alumni status. Their alumni account will become their primary way to access transcripts after graduation.
I know some schools are completing this with seniors next week, but I wanted to send a quick reminder and share the current completion numbers below. Reach out to Jess with questions.
May 28: Waypoints Core Skills assessment window closes for secondary
June 4: Graduation week begins!
June 15: School Design Plan Showcase 9:00 – 11:00 p.m. @ CHS
June 15: End of Year Administrator Celebration (and lunch!) @ HDMS 11:30-1:00
June 16: HS Administrator Retreat 8-4 TBD
June 19: Juneteenth Holiday!
Who in the world?
Congratulations to former history teacher Colin Bado with correctly identifying Bikini Atoll in the blog. Bikini Atoll was the site of massive nuclear testing for the US in the 1940s and 1950s. The impact on the native cultures to that area was long lasting and significant. If you are a bit of a history buff, National Geographic did a documentary that covered these tests and their impact along with the physical impacts on the ocean floor. Side brag: my brother is featured in the documentary as his team was the one to map the ocean floor.
Below is the image for this week. Send us your guess for this location by Monday, win the drawing, and Stephen or Katie will bring you your school appropriate beverage of choice:
Please remember to upload all your documents into your google Sheet.
From Departments
From Kinsey – Office of Policy & Advocacy:
Student Voice Council: – Action requested –
We are beginning recruitment for 26-27 Student Voice Council representatives. As you’re aware, this group has an impactful seat at the district leadership table, so ensuring great representation for your school (and feeder schools) is important!
Good news: we have a very stable group who will continue next year, so we are only filling a few spots, primarily of graduating seniors. We need to fill the following seats: 1 for BSHS, 1-2 for DRHS, 2-3 for CHS, 2 for LPHS, 4 for MVHS, 3 for SHS.
What makes a good candidate? A student who is consistent, collaborative, and creative, and has something to say about school. As always, we are looking for diversity of identities, academic profiles (i.e. we don’t only need 4.0 students), and experiences in or out of school.
Current SVC members will help recruit, but we need staff engagement also! Current 8th – 11th graders are welcome to apply, and we’d love middle and high school administrators, counselors, specialists, club advisors, campus monitors, and others with student connections to help recommend students and encourage them to apply. Thanks for sharing this with your staff and school community.
From Aimee Snyder with Deschutes County Health:
Follow-up to the April 9 Blog Post: Optional Resources to Prevent “Look-alike” Substance Use Policy Violations
In addition to the optionalhigh school lesson shared in the April 9 blog post, we’ve now added these additional optional resources for both middle and high schools:
For Families – English and Spanish Family Newsletter PSA about Look-alikes as a Policy Violation
For Middle School Students – Slides and adaptation notes for a “whole school” administrator’s announcement about look-alikes
Please reach out to your Public Health Specialist for help coordinating the rollout of any of these resources.
These resources would be most effective if delivered as part of a coordinated sequence of activities that surround students with consistent substance use prevention messages from various trusted “messengers” (admin, Health teacher, peer leaders, parent/family).
From Rodger in Operations:
To help schools manage classroom relocations smoothly and minimize disruption to instruction, the district is developing a standardized process for both same-school and inter-school moves. The procedure is intended to outline clear responsibilities for administrators, teachers, custodial teams, maintenance, and IT staff to help ensure moves are coordinated efficiently. The district is currently testing our work order platform Hero HQ for submitting move requests and coordinating details such as scheduling, technology needs, furniture, and specialty equipment. Additional procedures, expectations, and implementation guidance will be communicated in an upcoming Level Leaders’ Blog once the workflow and support processes are finalized.
Large-scale moves, such as the Realms transition, will be exempt from this process.
Please read this week’s Special EDge for information about:
Complete High Cost
Note the Paperwork Deadline – June 5!
ESY Case Managers – Reach out to Sara Young with new students who qualify and continue to reach out to families you haven’t heard from
TOSA Updates
From Colleen Behrens, Science TOSA
Science Materials and Scheduling
As you build next year’s schedule, please consider how many teachers are assigned to teach the same course during the same period, as they may need to share science kits and equipment. While we are working to support teachers’ needs, the number of kits at each site is limited, so thoughtful scheduling can help ensure reliable access for all teachers.
Science Trainings
Teachers should attend the training that aligns with the course they will be teaching next year.
High school
May 19th – MVHS- all day PEER Physics
May 21st – MVHS- all day Savvas Chemistry
Middle School
May 28th– Bend Science Station – All day 6th grade science teachers**
May 28th– PCMS – All day 7th and 8th grade science teachers
**Teachers who will be teaching both 6th grade and either 7th or 8th grade next year will need to choose which session to attend.
MS ONLY
Dean and Linda will be proctoring the iReady Bypass Test at middle schools between May 22nd and May 29th. Please be sure to communicate with families about this opportunity.
May 14th: MS Only – TAG Admin/ICCL Meeting @ Ed Center 3:30 – 5:00
May 14: Latino Family Night 5:30 @ MVHS
May 15: HS Principal Connection 8-10 @ RHS
May 19: Secondary Administrator work session @ CHS 9-11 – focus on SBIG
May 25: Memorial Day Holiday, no School
May 28: Waypoints Core Skills assessment window closes for secondary
June 15: School Design Plan Showcase 9:00 – 11:00 p.m. @ CHS
June 15: End of Year Administrator Celebration (and lunch!) @ HDMS 11:30-1:00
Where in the World
Congratulations to Becky Aylor for correctly guessing the image from last week!
The image was of the The Cinque Terre, Italy: The Italian candy land of colour, the five villages that make up the Cinque Terre provide the perfect oasis for escaping the Italian summer heat and the perfect test for colour blindness.
Below is the image for this week. (Hint: It’s famous for its role in US atomic testing). Send us your guess for this location by Monday, win the drawing, and Stephen or Katie will bring you your school appropriate beverage of choice:
HS Principals:Send out the senior message regarding pranks to your seniors and families of seniors next week. The message will be sent centrally from District Office tomorrow
HS Principals: Collect/bring feedback from your admin team on the ACR process proposal. Prepare to share at May 15th meeting.
Here is the updated (26-27 through 28-29 school years) list of key religious observance dates to protect when scheduling any academic or extracurricular events. This applies to field trips, family nights, info sessions, tests and exams, special one-time assemblies or events, etc.
Please be sure you have shared that document with all relevant staff: office managers, activities and athletics, counselors, family engagement team, PTA/Booster Club leadership, ICCL team, etc.
Those key observances are also all populated into our 26-27 district-wide Family Engagement calendar in Outlook. If you add that calendar to your school or dept calendar, those “do not schedule” dates (along with any district-wide family events) will be visible to you, to avoid scheduling conflicts.
From Departments
From Ryan:
We are continuing our Classified staffing reconciliation process to ensure that all staff entitled to positions for next school year are appropriately placed. As we complete this work, we are going to temporarily pause posting additional Classified positions until those staff impacted are notified.
We expect communication regarding employees who will be involuntarily transferred to go to building leaders on Wednesday, May 13th, with the expectation that conversations with staff occur by Friday, May 15th.
Following that process, we will move forward with posting Classified positions for next year. In an effort to align our Certified and Classified staffing processes, we will also pause posting new Certified positions for the 2026–27 school year until May 15th.
From Scott and Kayla in Safety on behalf of Bend PD
Just giving you a heads up that your school SRO may be contacting you about gathering some student generated art that they can display in the Bend Police Department. We are unsure about the amount of space they have to display these works, so please talk with your SRO before doing anything. There is also talk that it may be themed related (Nature, animals, F1 cars–wink wink etc.) Your SRO may know about that as well. Thanks for considering helping make their space feel fun and celebrated.
All AP and IB Social Studies teachers were given the paid (sub or curricular rate) opportunity to meet as subject area/class PLC’s to plan and discuss rubric conversions. At this time, one person from MVHS and two from Summit were interested. BHS opted for summer work.
The TOSA/TL team hoped to facilitate this work before the start of next year. Based on the SS teacher feedback, I need to pivot and will offer END breakout sessions or some time in the fall for SS teachers to calibrate.
Dean’s got it; there is variation in content area rubrics, type of question and points allocated. It is not always a one rubric fit all model. This doesn’t mean we can’t calibrate on the 0-4 BLP scale. It will look a little different than the model presented, depending on the class.
Calibration work can happen with a shift in our timeline goal.
I added building leaders from other schools to offer them an update.
Calendar
May 13: All Admin Training 3-4:30 @ MVHS
May 13: Excellence in Ed Awards 4:30-6:30 @ MVHS
May 14th: MS Only – TAG Admin/ICCL Meeting @ Ed Center 3:30 – 5:00
May 14: Latino Family Night 5:30 @ MVHS
May 15: HS Principal Connection 8-10 @ RHS
May 19: Secondary Administrator work session @ CHS 9-11 – focus on SBGI
May 21: Karen Mapp session on Chronic Absenteeism 8-12 – Admin lead for attendance attends
May 25: Memorial Day Holiday, no School
May 28: Waypoints Core Skills assessment window closes for secondary
June 15: School Design Plan Showcase 9:00 – 11:00 p.m. @ CHS
June 15: End of Year Administrator Celebration (and lunch!) @ HDMS 11:30-1:00
Where in the World
Congrats to Quinn McAndrews for correctly identifying the island green at Coeur d’Alene Resort. The green is surrounded by water and golfers ride a ferry out to finish the hole. The green can be moved with a cable system that allows the distance from the tee box to change depending on the day you are there.
Below is the image for this week. Send us your guess for this location by Monday, win the drawing, and Stephen or Katie will bring you your school appropriate beverage of choice:
For ALL Administrators: Please take a moment to review the “Incident Approval Queue” in Synergy for your school (you can access this via a Quick Launch search).
We currently have 485 incidents waiting to be approved via this queue (district-wide) with some occurring all the way back in September – And our Administrators are the ones who need to approve/deny these incidents.
If you are unfamiliar with the Incident Approval Queue, please call Eric Powell (4810) and he can help you out.
From Katie and Stephen:
Open House and staff attendance:
Just a reminder to schedule your Open House date for the fall AND send a notice in writing of your expectations regarding staff attendance 60 days prior to the event!
Requiring certified staff member attendance at evening events:
Attending/participating in three evening events each school year is required for certified staff members. In accordance with the BEA contract, administrators must give 60 days’ written notice if you are requiring certified staff to attend/participate in an evening event. This would apply to any evening event in which you are requiring cert staff to attend and will not be compensating them for their time(ie: dance or event supervision in which you are NOT compensating; graduation; Academic Nights; Life and Career Events).
Participation at parent conferences:
Attendance at parent conferences is already part of the professional responsibilities for certified staff members. Coaches on staff who are late or do not attend parent conferences should work with administration to make up the time. Reach out to Katie, Stephen or HR Leadership with questions.
From Jennifer Hauth:
Please remind your teams about implementing the Waypoints Core Skills assessment for the end of the year summative😊 K-5 closes May 22nd and Secondary closes May 28th!
From Departments
From Katie and Stephen:
Thank you for updating your staffing plans as changes occur.
Secondary schools will be presenting their School Design Plans Monday, June 15th from 9-11 @ CHS. Each school will present for 10 minutes, and cabinet members will sign up to attend. Please use this template for your presentation.
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, introduced a new version of their product, designed specifically for educators, and it is now available to all BLS staff by request. It includes expanded capabilities, higher usage limits, and protections for professional use in education, going beyond what is available in a standard free ChatGPT account. You can find details about access, best practices for use, and how it fits alongside MagicSchool in our EdTech blog post: ChatGPT for Teachers. Please feel free to share.
Please read this week’s packed Special EDge for information about:
Check out the Reminders from Records
Complete High Cost
Elementary Case Managers: ECSE Bridges Information from Krista
Order Deadline
ESY Case Managers – Reach out to Sara Young with new students who qualify and continue to reach out to families you haven’t heard from
Check out the Learning Labs
Check out the incredible work of teams in Campus Kudos!
Utilize the Student Services Launchpad
Save the Date for upcoming events
From Tami Pike:
TOSA Corner
From Monica Freeman – SS TOSA:
Here is a link to updates for both MS and HS Social Studies.
From Torie Withers, Language Arts TOSA:
Spring in secondary Language Arts means collaboration and planning. Teachers are engaging in CDA collaborations while also working through key decisions around standards and score conversions in AP courses.
CDA collaborations include scoring calibration of student essays, engagement with our newly revised priority standards and holistic rubrics, discussion of next year’s on-demand writing prompt and assessed standards, and dedicated professional learning focused on current literacy research and instructional strategies.
Upcoming grade-level CDA collaboration dates:
Friday, May 1: 8th Grade
Tuesday, May 12: 11th & 12th Grades
Thursday, May 14: 9th Grade
Friday, May 15: 6th Grade
Friday, May 22: 10th Grade
Additionally, our spring Text Review meeting will take place on Thursday, May 21. During this time, pending book club titles will be reviewed and considered for approval.
You may have seen a note about the Karen Mapp training on May 21 in the HS admin piece last week. Middle Schools also need to prioritize sending the administrator in your school who oversees attendance.
Here is the info again: On Thursday, May 21 from 8:00–12:00 (and continuing into next school year), national expert Dr. Karen Mapp will join us in person to help us reflect on our current work, identify school-specific and districtwide coordinated efforts, and plan concrete, evidence-based strategies to reduce chronic absenteeism. This is a valuable opportunity to reflect on this year and begin planning for next year.
HS Only:
Karen Mapp Training:
Send Katie the name of the administrator who will attend the Karen Mapp training on May 21 8-12. This should be the administrator who oversees attendance. Principals are also welcome, and we encourage graduation coaches to attend. Thank you, BSHS! We will send them an invite to the training.
Principals, please share this message with your Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and College Dual Credit Teachers:
We continue to encourage you to engage in collaboration with other AP, IB and CDC teachers in backwards designing your courses for SBGI implementation beginning in the fall.
Our TOSAs will be reaching out to coordinate time for AP, IB, and CDC teachers teaching the same courses to work together. The offer still stands to pay for substitutes to collaborate during the school day, or we can timesheet you up to 8 hours for work outside of the workday.
If you are a College Dual Credit Teacher, please share the contact information for your mentor with Dean, Katie and your content area TOSA. We are happy to connect with college mentors to provide context for the work and answer questions.
Please reach out to Katie or Dean regarding questions about collaboration, to Dean for questions about time sheeting and to your TOSA for scheduling and content planning specifics.
Open Period notification for families and students:
Beginning with 26-27, we will add the following language to our curriculum guides to notify families about open periods:
Curriculum Guide verbiage:
Students in grades 9-11 are required to enroll in a full courseload. Students in grade 12 have the flexibility to enroll in up to 7 classes depending on their credits towards graduation. Students interested in having less than 7 classes must consult with their counselor to ensure that they meet graduation requirements and on track for their post-high school plan.
This language will be added to student schedules beginning with 26-27:
On student schedules:
If a student is granted an open period, it will be listed on their schedule as “Open Period.” Open periods are typically scheduled during the first or last period of the day; however, exceptions may occur. Reach out to your student’s counselor or your school’s administration if you have questions.
Calendar
May 4: IB/AP LA CDA Meeting
May 13: Excellence in Ed Awards @ MVHS
May 14th: MS Only – TAG Admin/ICCL Meeting @ Ed Center 3:30 – 5:00
May 19: Secondary Administrator work session @ CHS 9-11 – focus on SBGI
May 21: Karen Mapp session on Chronic Absenteeism 8-12 – Admin lead for attendance attends
Where in the World?
Congrats to to Dan Curfew for being the ONLY person to correctly guess the image from last week! 🙌
The image is of Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat (مسقط, Maskat) Sultanate of Oman. The Grand Mosque is located in Oman outside of the capital of Muscat. Oman is on the Arabian Peninsula and hugs the Gulf of Oman, with Iran and Pakistan across the Hormuz Straight and the Arabian sea along the east coast.
Here is the image for this week. Send us your guess for this location by Monday, win the drawing, and Stephen or Katie will bring you your school appropriate beverage of choice:
Option sets for curriculum ordering are due next week! Dean ran a virtual trainings for the HS admin leads on Monday of this week. If you weren’t able to make the meeting or have additional questions, please reach out to Dean.
Thank you for updating your staffing plans as changes are occur. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From Eric, please provide comments for the 26-27 Code of Conduct:
As we look toward the 26-27 school year, we wanted to give administators at each of our levels an opportunity to make comments/propose adjustments to the Code of Conduct.
Ideas presented within the comment copies for your level (below) will be reviewed and discussed at a district Code of Conduct review meeting and also processed through the District’s Culture & Climate Task Force.
Chronic Absenteeism: Family Engagement and Attendance:(Action needed)
We know you are working hard to get kids to school. As part of our broader efforts to improve student attendance under the leadership of Eric and his team, and in alignment with our ongoing work on student voice, dignity, and belonging, in addition to our school design plan improvement cycles, we will be taking a closer look at the connection between family engagement and chronic absenteeism. Research shows that specific, practical family engagement strategies can significantly improve student attendance across K–12.
On Thursday, May 21 from 8:00–12:00 (and continuing into next school year), national expert Dr. Karen Mapp will join us in person to help us reflect on our current work, identify school-specific and districtwide coordinated efforts, and plan concrete, evidence-based strategies to reduce chronic absenteeism. This is a valuable opportunity to reflect on this year and begin planning for next year.
Your Advocacy ICCL rep will attend, with substitute costs covered by the Office of Policy and Advocacy. If there are one or two additional staff members (ex: family engagement committee members) who would benefit from participating, they are welcome as well—we can support some additional substitute costs; please contact me if interested in adding participants. Please also plan for an administrator to join us. This work will directly inform your 2026–27 school design plan and provide practical tools to strengthen attendance efforts.
More information to follow—for now, please mark your calendar.
ELL/Multilingual Services (From Liza): (FYI)
Hello admin teams! I wanted to inform you about a change in ELPA test scores this school year, per ODE:
There is a new ELPA score called “Early Proficient.”
“Early Proficient” means the student scored very close to proficient, so they may be able to exit English Language Learner (ELL) status.
Next steps: Language Specialists will connect with the families of students who have scored “Early Proficient” and set up meetings to discuss their options during their case management periods. See the attached family flyer.
The decision must be made by a parent, guardian, or by the student themselves if they are an adult (18 yrs. or older). All forms are due by June 11, 2026.
Your Language Specialist will be connecting with you on this new process. If you have additional questions, please reach out to me directly. Happy to support! -Liza
In regards to the Karen Mapp training on May 21, the administrator in your school who oversees attendance is required to attend. I will send them an invite to the training.
Calendar
April 22: Forestry/Natural Resources CTE PD @ COCC
April 23: Manufacturing/Natural Resources CTE PD
April 23: MS Horizontal 3-5 @ Pacific Crest
April 28: AP LA Rubric collaboration and decision making teams meeting 8:00
April 30: AP LA Rubric collaboration and decision making teams meeting 8:00
May 1: HS Principal Connection @ BSHS in Perseverance Hall 8-10
May 1: 8th Grade LA CDA Meeting
May 4: IB/AP LA CDA Meeting
May 19: Secondary Administrator work session @ CHS 9-11 – focus on SBGI
May 21: Karen Mapp session on Chronic Absenteeism 8-12 – Admin lead for attendance attends
Where in the World?
Congrats to Kelly Schmidt for correctly identifying the blog image this week. The worlds largest prairie dog in South Dakota!
Here is the image for this week. Send us your guess for this location by Monday, win the drawing, and Stephen or Katie will bring you your school appropriate beverage of choice:
Secondary schools will be reporting out on their School Design Plans Monday, June 15th from 9-11. Stay tuned for more details.
Departments
From Ryan in HR:
We will be announcing the honorees for the 2026 Excellence in Education on Thursday, April 23rd in an email to all staff.
Please be sure that your site/department’s honorees are recognized ahead of this date so that you can capture the significance of the recognition in a way that is distinct and celebrates the individual.
As a reminder: The event will take place at Mountain View High School on Wednesday, May 13 from 4:30–6:30 p.m.
From ODE:
Here is a link to info on a variety of Youth Advisory Councils. Please share with students.
From Rodger Moore in Operations:
Here is a one page guideline about who is responsible for costs when it comes to repairs and improvements.
From Gabe:
Here is the weekly agenda for Athletics and Activities. April13th-April 17th, 2026
Attached is this week’s Special EDge. Please read to find out more about:
Order Deadline
ESY Case Managers – Please reach out to families and ask them to complete the form that was emailed
Check out the Learning Labs
Check out the incredible work of teams in Campus Kudos!
Utilize the Student Services Launchpad
Save the Date for upcoming events
Calendar
April 22: Forestry/Natural Resources CTE PD @ COCC
April 23: Manufacturing/Natural Resources CTE PD
April 23: MS Horizontal 3-5 @ Pacific Crest
April 26: Summative Wayfinder window opens
May 1st: 8th Grade LA CDA Meeting
May 4th: IB/AP LA CDA Meeting
Where in the World
Congrats to Monica Hanson! 🏆 Monica correctly guessed the image for this week!
The image is of Neuschwanstein Castle in Schwangau, Germany. The Gothic-, Romanesque-, and Byzantine-style castle was built in the late 1800s for King Ludwig II of Bavaria and served as the inspiration for the castle in Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. If you get a chance to see it – it is worth it!
Here is the image for this week. Send us your guess for this location by Monday, win the drawing, and Stephen or Katie will bring you your school appropriate beverage of choice:
Stephen and Katie would like to meet with a group of students at each of your schools to collect feedback regarding SBGI. This can be your principal’s student advisory group or perhaps your student leadership. Please work with your level leader to get something scheduled for May.
Hope you all continue to cruise through your evaluation process and have experienced some relief in getting all the steps complete. Just a friendly reminder that we need to have files dropped into your provided Google Files as well as the workbooks for HR to have access.If you are having any issues with the sheet, please remember to reach out to Jessica Lamay or me.
We should be starting the summative cycle for classified staff, so if you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Helpful hints about uploading to your google drives.
Linking Files:
Once you’ve dropped your files into the shared site folders
Please be sure to link them into the correct column of your workbook.
See steps in the samples below:
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.
The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) is currently seeking applicants for the African American/Black (AAB) Student Success Advisory Committee (Group). The African American/Black (AAB) Student Success Advisory Committee advises ODE on education matters affecting AAB students and families, in order to address systemic inequities experienced by AAB students, through focused investments and community partnerships that align with the AAB Student Success Plan. Application are due by Friday May 15, 2026 at 3pm.
Position Details
Application Deadline: Friday, May 15, 2026 at 3:00 pm
Applicant Eligibility: High school, college age youth and classroom teachers encouraged to apply
According to ORS 329.841 the Department shall form an Advisory Group consisting of individuals representing: Community members; Education Partners; and including representatives of the Department of Early Learning and Care, Youth Development Oregon, and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission.
Meetings: Monthly 2-hour meetings (Zoom) from September-June, on the second Wednesday of the month, from 9:00am – 11:am PST; One in-person all day retreat in Salem, Fall 2026 TBD
Length of Service: 2 year term with the option to continue for up to 4 years total
The role of the advisory group is to advise the department regarding the AAB Student Success Plan, grant program, and related Oregon Administrative Rules (OARs). Additionally, the department will be considering other intersectional identities, roles of applicants, and regional representation to ensure equitable and diverse representation of AAB communities in the Advisory Committee.
How to Apply
If you are interested in learning more or applying to join the Advisory Group, please complete the Smartsheet application form linked below. The application form is due no later than Friday May 15, 2026 at 3:00pm.
To apply by phone call, video call, written letter, or to request translation services or accommodations, please reach out to the AABSS Student Success Coordinator at [email protected] or 971-208-0483.
Contact Us
Reach out to the AAB Student Success Coordinator at [email protected] with any questions regarding the Advisory Group application process.
Were you forwarded this message? To be directly informed of future opportunities, please subscribe to the ODE.AABSS Student Success Listserv
Departments
From Ryan:
Next week, we’ll be sending out the complete list of each site’s Excellence in Education honoree.
Emails inviting each honoree to the recognition event will go out on Thursday, April 23.
Before that goes out, pleaes take a moment to notify their honorees directly.
We encourage you to start thinking about how you can deliver the news in a celebratory fashion – announce it at a staff meeting, share it in front of peers, or however feels right for your setting. These recognitions reflect the incredible work happening across our system, and we want the entirety of the process to feel meaningful.
The event will take place at Mountain View High School on Wednesday, May 13 from 4:30–6:30 p.m.
Optional High School Resources to prevent “Look-alike” Substance Use Policy Violations
This is an optional lesson high schools can deliver through Health 1 classes or as a recorded presentation by administration for an Advisory announcement (teachers will not have enough context to deliver on their own): “But, is it a substance use policy violation?” Lesson
If you would like additional support to deliver the lesson, please contact Dean and/or Aimee Snyder.
This is in response to emerging issue of student use of caffeine pouches, which are designed to imitate nicotine pouch use.
We worked with our Healthy Schools partnership to make a lesson that informs students of the Student Code of Conduct and provide scenarios that are likely to be a surprise violation for students or families.
Stayed tuned to the newsletter content for family newsletters coming soon.
Please work with your Public Health Specialist to coordinate the roll out of this, if you choose to deliver it as an Advisory or “whole school” announcement this Spring. We will work on adding it to the Health 1 curriculum starting next school year.
May Day (May 1st) celebrates the labor movement and workers’ rights, and is often recognized internationally with protests and rallies. This year, a national “Day Without Immigrants” is also being planned on the same date.
Locally, there are some community groups organizing strikes and community action on May 1st. They are hoping our educators and students will participate in their May Day Strike, and have asked the district to support by facilitating student/staff absences and allowing teams of community volunteers to do service projects on our campuses as a form of the protest on that day.
As you know, our neutrality here is important. If you get similar requests for your school to engage in this effort, here are a few tools:
Our response to their request—feel free to borrow any of this language;
Here is the weekly agenda for Athletics and Activities. April 6th-April 10th, 2026
Calendar
April 14: HS Admin WS 9-11 @ RHS
April 14: MS Walkthroughs @ PCMS
April 15: END Session 2:30-4:00!
April 17: HS Principal Connection 8-10 @ BTA
April 23: MS Horizontal 3-5 @ Pacific Crest
Where in the World
Congratulations to Dan Curfew for correctly identifying the satellite image of Chicago. Fun fact, did you know that in 1900 Chicago reversed the flow of the Chicago river to prevent pollution from flowing into Lake Michigan?
Here is the image for this week. Send us your guess for this location by Monday, win the drawing, and Stephen or Katie will bring you your school appropriate beverage of choice:
Remind your ICCL team that we will be meeting next Tuesday at Bend High for our last Admin/ICCL meeting of the year.
Please share with your families:
Peek into the future at Life & Career Readiness Night! Students and families are invited to explore the future at Life & Career Readiness Night on Thursday, April 30 at Caldera High School from 5:00 – 7:00 pm.
At our third annual event, visit with higher education representatives and regional employers in the private and public sectors. Students can explore college and trade school options, regional employers, educational travel, internships, volunteer opportunities and much more. Organized by high school students with assistance from district staff, this event aims to inform students and their families about the array of professional and educational opportunities available in Central Oregon, both before and after graduation.
From Departments
From Kinsey:
Don’t forget about the chance to win a gift card ($25-$49.99) to places like El Sancho, Spork, downtown shops, and more! A little motivation and token of appreciation for getting outside your building/office and into the community we serve. (Bingo card here.)
Thanks to all who visited The Giving Plate and Bethlehem Inn! (If you missed those, it’s not too late–reach out to me.) Our next community partner visit is in April, to the Latino Community Association. Sign up here to participate.
From ODE (please consider having your students take this survey):
The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) is excited to celebrate that every school district across the state of Oregon has adopted a policy that reduces distractions in classrooms by restricting personal electronic devices from bell to bell.
ODE, in partnership with the Youth Advisory Council, invites students in grades 6-12 to participate in a 15-minute student-designed survey to share feedback on the current Personal Electronic Device (PED) policy at your school. Student voice matters, and we are looking to ensure that ODE’s support of implementation is meaningful and effective.
Action Needed
The brief, anonymous survey is for grades 6-12 and takes under 15 minutes.
Schools are encouraged to schedule time during a common class period to support strong participation. Students who miss the in-class opportunity may complete the survey independently while it remains open.
Statewide participation will help ensure student perspectives inform ongoing guidance and support. Resources including slides, talking points, and communication templates are available on our website to help schools administer the survey consistently and efficiently.
Key Dates
Survey window is March 16 – April 10.
Contact Us
For Technical Assistance, please contact ODE’s Digital Learning Team: [email protected].
From Jennifer in Student Services:
You’re Invited! Mark Your Calendars!
Join us for end-of-year presentations led by our dedicated Bend-La Pine Schools counselors. During these brief school updates, each team will share progress on their annual goals, highlight key programming initiatives, and reflect on the data gathered throughout the year. These presentations offer an opportunity to see how counseling programs are supporting students academically, socially-emotionally, and in their college and career readiness. Teams will share successes, lessons learned, and how this year’s work will inform future planning within our coordinated system of student support.
Your presence matters as we celebrate growth, learn from one another, and look ahead to the next year of impact.
📅 Presentation Schedule
Thursday, May 21, 2026
UPDATE: Time Change High School | 1 pm to 3:45 pm Location: Ed Center Boardroom
Thursday, May 28, 2026 Middle School | 8:00–11:00 a.m. Location: Education Center Boardroom
Tuesday, June 2, 2026 Elementary School | 7:30–10:30 a.m. Location: Education Center Boardroom & Room 312
Waypoints Summative Assessment for grades K-12:
The final summative assessment opens April 28th and closes May 30th for secondary and May 22nd for Elementary:
For students in grades 3–5: When they log in to the Wayfinder platform, the Waypoints assessment will be clearly visible at the top of their dashboard. It will appear as a box containing the assessment’s name with a “Start” button next to it.
For students in grades 6–12: When students log in, the Waypoints assessment will be displayed in their “To-Do List,” which is typically located on the right side of the page. On a smaller screen like an iPad, the To-Do List may appear at the top of the screen. Students will see the name of the assessment and a “Start” button.
Students can leave and return to the assessment at any time, as their progress is automatically saved.
Please make sure that all teachers understand the “Why” behind the assessment and how it ties into any of your schoolwide goals or initiatives. Teachers need to read the instructions to the students so that we get quality data.
All schools are required to complete two earthquake drills per school year. We apologize if there has been any miscommunication that they were optional. These are required by the state in ORS 336.071
From Gabe in Activities and Athletics:
Here is the weekly agenda for Athletics and Activities. March 30th-April 3rd, 2026
From Sara in Student Services:
Please read this week’s Special EDge! You will find information about:
ESY Case Managers – Please reach out to families and ask them to complete the form that was emailed
Check out the Learning Labs
Check out the incredible work of teams in Campus Kudos!
Please share your experiences with elementary and middle school conferences held the week prior to spring break. Your input will help inform future planning decisions. Thank you for your time and perspective.
Calendar
April 7: Admin/ICCL 4:15 – 6:15 @ BSH
April 7: HS Admin WS 9-11 @ RHS
April 8: All Admin PD 3-5 @ BSH
April 14: HS Admin WS 9-11 @ MVHS
April 14: MS Walkthroughs @ PCMS
April 23rd: MS Horizontal 3-5 @ Pacific Crest
Where in the World
Congrats to to Anne Marie for winning the drawing from the last blog. The image is of Balboa Park in San Diego. If you haven’t had a chance to visit this beautiful place, add it to your bucket list!
Balboa Park is a 1,200-acre (490 ha) historic urban cultural park in San Diego, California.[3][4] Placed in reserve in 1835, the park’s site is one of the oldest in the United States dedicated to public recreational use. The park hosts various museums, theaters, restaurants, and the San Diego Zoo. It is managed and maintained by the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of San Diego.
Here is the image for this week. Trying something new with a satellite view of a city. Guess this location by Monday, win the drawing, and Stephen or Katie will bring you your school appropriate beverage of choice:
Please share this information with your staff: As we enter wildfire season, it is the district’s responsibility to ensure the safety of our students, staff, and facilities. We will take both proactive and responsive actions when wildfires impact school grounds and operations.
At the district level, our Communications team will provide timely updates when wildfires impact school operations, including modifications to outdoor activities, changes to the school day, or other operational adjustments. Our goal is to ensure clear, consistent communication so that students, staff, and families can respond appropriately to changing wildfire conditions.
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For staff, it is equally important to have a personal preparedness plan in place. We strongly encourage all staff to sign up for emergency alerts through Deschutes County and/or download the Watch Duty app, enabling notifications for areas surrounding your home. These tools provide early warnings, including “Be Ready” (Level 1) and “Be Set” (Level 2) notices, which are critical for preparation.
If a Level 3 (Go Now) evacuation is issued for your neighborhood during the workday, you should communicate directly with your supervisor or administrator. We are committed to supporting staff in these situations. As long as student safety and supervision are maintained, we will arrange coverage so you can return home as soon as possible. You may record leave on your timesheet in accordance with district procedures.
From Departments
From the BLPO Team:
Here is the information for Summer ☀️ School that you can share with high school students and families. The document includes two links, and I have also attached a separate PDF of each link for easy access.
All high school counselors have received this information and have both digital and paper copies of the summer class options and the summer agreement. High school principals have also been provided with this information.
Please let me know if you have any questions. We really appreciate you helping share this information. 🙌🏼 🏄🏻
By April 17, Submit Sources of Strength Award Nominations
Nominations for the Sources of Strength Oregon awards will be accepted from now until April 17. Anyone, including students, can submit a nomination.
Consider submitting a nomination or encouraging others to submit nominations:
Peer Leader Award Nomination Form – Ten Peer Leaders across the state will be selected to receive a $1,000 award for their leadership.
Sources Team Award Nomination Form – Ten Sources teams across the state will be selected to receive a $1,000 award to support their continued suicide prevention and mental health promotion efforts.
Adult Advisor Award Nomination Form – Ten winners are selected state-wide to receive a certificate and Sources prizes in recognition for their support of students.
Previous winners are not eligible to win again.
Winning nominations usually describe how a student, staff, or team have embodied or exemplified the Sources of Strength mission as an Agent of Change, Connector to Help, and/or centering “Hope, Help, and Strength.”
Sources of Strength nominations and awards are evidence of your school’s efforts towards student belonging, connection, inclusion, and help-seeking.
Reach out to your Healthy Schools Public Health Specialist, or Aimee, if you need help crafting a nomination.
Award winners will be celebrated in district/school newsletters in May and at Oregon’s virtual Sources of Strength Showcase on May 20th. More details on the awards, nominations, or showcase can be found here.
Here is the weekly agenda for Athletics and Activities. March 16th-20h, 2026
Calendar
March 19 and 20: Katie out of the office – available by cell
March 20: Excellence in Education Nominations DUE to HR
March 23-27 Spring Break: Katie and Stephen out of the office – available by cell
April 3: HS Principal Connection 8-10 @ SHS
April 7: Admin/ICCL 4:15 – 6:15 @ BSH
April 7: HS Admin WS 9-11 @ RHS
April 8: All Admin PD 3-5 @ BSH
April 14: HS Admin WS 9-11 @ MVHS
April 14: MS Walkthroughs @ PCMS
Where in the World
Congrats to Tim Broadbent for correctly identifying Chimney Rock in Nebraska! Chimney Rock was an important landmark along the Oregon Trail.
Here is the image for this week. Guess this image by the Monday after spring break, win the drawing, and Katie will bring you your school appropriate beverage of choice:
