To Do

From Kinsey – Office of Policy & Advocacy:

Immigration/ICE:    -Action needed-

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.  

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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.

Rubrics for certified staff (link)

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.

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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:

• StC 2026 Flyer
• Spanish StC Flyer

From Departments

From Kayla in Saftey:

• 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!!

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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! 😊🎉

Resources:  

Certificate of Completion

Sign

NSCW Toolkit

Promo Kit 

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From Gabe, Director of Activities and Athletics:

January 26th-January 30th, 2026 – Weekly SMORE

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From Jess, Lead Counselor:

School Counseling Program Updates

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From Sara Young in Student Services:

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.

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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!

Resources for CTE Month:

ODE Tool Kit

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.

ODE CTE Website

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.

ACTE CTE Month Resources

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?

To Do

Priority # 1: YouthTruth Survey closes next Friday!

Time is running out—just 7 school days left before surveys close end-of-day Friday, January 30^th!

• DON’T FORGET TO TRACK SURVEY PROGRESS
  Follow along at http://www.ytsurvey.org/BLSprogress26.

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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.

Rubrics for certified staff (link)

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.

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Curriculum Guide Audits: TOSAS and our secondary team are currently doing an audit of curriculum guides to ensure that the information shared is consistently communicated for our families.

So, far, we are finding that some schools have made adjustments to the science and math pathways. If this is the case for you, please adjust those ASAP. If you are not sure, reach out to Dean.

From Departments

From Jenn in Student Services:

🎉 National School Counseling Week 2026 (#NSCW26) is February 2–6, 2026! This special week shines a spotlight on the incredible impact of our school counselors and the unique ways they support students every day.

The 2026 theme, School Counselors Amplify Student Success, says it all! Presented by ASCA, National School Counseling Week celebrates how school counselors help students thrive academically, socially, emotionally, and as they plan for future careers.

📅 National School Counseling Week is always held during the first full week of February, and we’re excited to share several resources below to help you celebrate the amazing school counselor(s) at your site.

💙 Please note: We will also be celebrating our Student Success Staff during School Social Worker Week, the week of March 1st.

🏅 Included below is a Certificate of Appreciation you can use to recognize your counselors, along with additional ideas and resources to make this week extra special. Let’s show our counselors how much they are valued and appreciated! 😊🎉

Resources:  

Certificate of Completion

Sign

NSCW Toolkit

Promo Kit 

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❄️ Cold Weather Reminders from Human Resources ❄️

While our winter has been relatively mild thus far, we wanted to share a few helpful reminders – just in case Old Man Winter decides to show up!

Please be sure to review our Inclement Weather Guidelines

If winter weather does roll in, remember to: 

Don’t forget to walk like a penguin – short steps, slow and steady wins the race 

Give yourself extra travel time (driving and walking),

Bundle up and wear weather-appropriate footwear,

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From Kayla in Safety:

Reminder for recess/lunch winter weather guidance: 

When the outside temperature falls to 20°F or below (not including wind chill), the administration will use caution when allowing outdoor school activities(This information is found in the Quick Reference Guide for Emergencies aka “the Red Green”). See the NOAA Windchill chart here. 

Administrators have the discretion to send students outside in inclement weather. For example, it could be above 20°F but extremely icy, so you may decide to keep students inside. 

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From Educational Technology:

AI resources for students just got an upgrade, including a new AI for Research slide deck and our AI Guide for Students, both found on the AI in BLS website. If AI instruction is on your radar, we’re glad to partner with you to support classroom conversations and provide staff learning.

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From Gabe, Director of Activities and Athletics:

January 20th-23rd, 2026 – Weekly

Calendar

January 27: Climate and Culture Task Force 8-12 @ Ed Center Boardroom

January 28: All Admin Professional Development 3:00-4:30 BSHS Perseverance Hall

February 2-6: National School Counseling Week! Celebrate your counselors!

February 10: HS Learning Walk 9:00-12:00 @ SHS

February 17: HS Administrator Work Session 9:00-11:00 @ BTA

Who in the World?

Congrats to Dave McKae for winning the where in the world contest this week!  The photo is of The Hole in the Rock formation in Papago Park near Phoenix, Arizona.  An awesome hike if you’re ever down there.  Right next to the zoo!

We celebrate Black History Month in February! Who is this famous inventor and what did he invent?

To Do:

From Triz in HR:

Principals & Supervisors –

 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 now require 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.

Rubrics for certified staff (link)

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.

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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.  

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From Dean Richards:

Educator Network Details for 1/21.

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From Kayla Martin in Safety:

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.

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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. 

Link to sign up: https://cocc.edu/departments/multicultural/afrocentric/black-history-month

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From Ryan Kelling in HR:

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.

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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.

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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.

2/26/26 Restorative Conference Simulation (Tier III)

• Schedule: Thursday, February  26th 2026 (12:30pm-4:00pm)
• Location: Becky Johnson Community Center, Redmond (In person)
• Substitute coverage provided by COREN for this session.

Learn more & register here!

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From Gabe Pagano, Director of Activities and Athletics:

Here is the weekly – January 12th-16th, 2026

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From Jess Calbreath – Lead Counselor

School Counseling Program Updates

MS Only

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.

To Do:

You should have a plan in place to review Mid Year SLGGS by the end of February.

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Sign up for a tour of the Bethlehem Inn – see details below!

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From Dean in Teaching and Learning:

Building leaders, please complete these tasks related to our Health curriculum:

Sadly, we continue to have suicide attempts across our schools. Here is a reminder of the administrator asks to assure that our schools are doing all we can to reduce suicide.

1. Reach out to Health/PE teachers (of 6th, 7th, 8th grades, Health 1 and 2) at the beginning of a semester:
   1. To confirm that they’re aware that suicide prevention education is required. 
   2. To identify when they will teach suicide prevention education. 
   3. To confirm the school’s procedure for responding to students who need mental health support, particularly if a student needs to leave the classroom because they are not ok.
   4. To see if the teacher needs any coaching support to build their confidence and skills. Connect Health teachers to school counselors for coaching, if needed. 
2. Alert counselors, admin, and other relevant staff about 1 week before suicide prevention will be taught. Confirm who will be on standby for responding to student mental health needs. Remind these staff of the procedure for response if students need support:
3. Recommended procedure, if able: Have another adult in the classroom during the lessons who can escort students who need support to the counseling office, if needed.
4. If unable to have another adult in the classroom, have a plan for the teacher to call your counseling center or front office staff when a student in need of support leaves the room so that someone can follow up and ensure they reach a counselor.
5. Always have a school counselor available during and after the lessons to respond to students’ mental health needs that may arise.

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ICCL/Administrator training this week: Our focus for this training was “SBIG: systems and strategies to move the learning forward.” We heard presentations from:

*LPHS Principal, Scott Olszweski and five teachers: Suzanne Jones, Luke Donahue, Lindsey Spring, Kent Eby and Jessica Kinzel Schneiter

*Sean Keating, PCMS Principal

*Julie Montoya, World Language TOSA

*Shauna Johnson, Social Studies Teacher at MVHS.

They each spoke to tangible examples of SBIG implementation in their schools and classrooms. Here are the slides. Please pass these along! 

Key takeaways from the sharing:

*Teacher leadership is vital in this work we are doing together

*Collaboration results in higher levels of learning

*Design to the 4! Provide exemplars and clear, specific rubrics prior to assigning

*Providing feedback (without a score) coupled with time to rework leads to high levels of learning

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From Steve Dennison, County Clerk:

Please share this opportunity with your students and encourage them to participate. It is an excellent way for them to engage with the democratic process and contribute to our community.

Dear Educators and Administrators: I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to bring to your attention the Deschutes County Clerk’s Office’s “I Voted” Sticker Contest for 2026. This contest offers a unique opportunity for local K-12 students to engage in a creative celebration of America’s 250th birthday while showcasing their artistic talents in a meaningful civic initiative.

Contest Highlights:

• Eligibility: Open to all K-12 students in Deschutes County.
• Submission Deadline: January 31, 2026.
• Design Theme: Celebrating America’s Semiquincentennial. Original designs are encouraged to incorporate red, white, and blue colors.
• Winning designs will be:
  • Featured on the cover of the Voters’ Pamphlets for the upcoming May Primary and November General elections.
  • Printed as actual stickers. These stickers will be distributed during the upcoming elections this year .
  • Displayed at the Deschutes County Services Building.

Submit signed entry forms to:

• In Person: Deschutes County Clerk’s Office, 1300 NW Wall Street, Ste 202 Bend
• By Mail: PO Box 6005, Bend, OR 97708
• Email: [email protected]

Contest entry form is here for your convenience. Additional information can be found on our website, here.

Thank you for your support in promoting civic engagement among students. Feel free to reach out with any questions.

Steve Dennison | County Clerk DESCHUTES COUNTY CLERK’S OFFICE 1300 NW Wall Street | Bend, Oregon 97703 Tel: (541) 388-6544

From Departments:

From Kinsey – Office of Policy and Advocacy:

1. Community Engagement:

Don’t forget about the chance to win a gift card ($25-$49.99) to places like El Sancho, Spork, downtown shops, and more!  Just a little motivation and token of appreciation for getting outside your building/office and into the community we serve.  (Bingo card here.)    

Thanks to all of you who visited The Giving Plate this fall!  (If you missed that round, it’s not too late–reach out to me.)  Our next community partner visit is in January, to the Bethlehem Inn.  Sign up here to participate.  

2. Black History Month:

In the next few days, your Advocacy ICCL representative will share with your staff some opportunities for recognizing Black History Month and honoring our Black students, colleagues, and community members–including our fourth annual Inspiring Displays Contest.  Last year, over 18 community agencies and partners voted on the amazing contest submissions—more info here.  

When that message comes through, please reiterate it with your staff.  This will A) honor the leadership of your Advocacy ICCL rep, and B) show your staff that you care about this topic as a leader and want your school engaged.  Here’s a draft communication you can edit or copy/paste into your staff blog, or you can simply reference the message your Advocacy ICCL rep will have recently sent.

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Curriculum Guide for New Choice High School: The curriculum guide for the New Choice High School is currently live on the RHS and BTA websites Here are the English and Spanish Versions.

We are preparing a “toolkit” for schools to explain the framework of the New Choice High School that we will be sharing in the coming days!

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From our Safety Department:

We have updated our 8888-emergency phone document for schools to show which district level leaders receive the phone calls. It can also be found in our Safety Google Drive – here. 

Please review this information as a reminder on when and how to use the 8888 phone number for any safety/emergency related issues at schools. Reach out with questions.

We are working with Kids Center to provide a training for our fourth Safety Cadre meeting. Kids Center has graciously offered to facilitate tours of their site for our admin who are interested. If you are interested in a brief pre-training tour (multiple times will be available), please reach out to Kayla Martin so we can get an estimate on attendance.  

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From Student Services:

As we continue to strengthen inclusive, student-centered practices across our schools, we encourage you to become more familiar with the role of school-based Occupational Therapists (OTs). OTs are key partners in supporting student access, regulation, and participation in learning and daily school routines. Reviewing the attached document will provide helpful context on how OTs support students, staff, and school-wide systems.

For full details on OT roles and responsibilities, please refer to the Bend-La Pine Schools Occupational Therapist Essential Roles and Responsibilities document. Not sure who your building’s Occupational Therapist is? Click [HERE] to find your assigned OT.

From Sara Young:

Could you all please add this CPI Trained Staff List to your Important Links/Resources for building leaders? We want to make sure they are quickly able to see the trained staff at their sites. 

Also, we try to keep up with when people leave or move sites, but if they have any updates that we haven’t caught, they can absolutely let me know!

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From Gabe Pagano, Director of Activities and Athletics:

Here is the weekly for Athletics and Activities.

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MS Only

Please make yourself aware of this document being shared with middle school counselors.   working Middle School Forecasting document.  We will talk more at our February horizontal if you have any questions.

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Look for slides about the New Choice High School to show students in next week’s advisory!

HS Only

From Jennifer and Jess:

High School Forecasting & Academic Planning: A Unified Approach Across BLS

During our recent Admin/Counselor PLC prior to winter break, we revisited our shared, districtwide forecasting framework and the systems that support academic planning across BLS. We are grateful for the thoughtful, coordinated work taking place in every building to ensure students and families are well-prepared to make informed academic decisions. Forecasting remains a critical component of postsecondary preparation and is fully embedded within our comprehensive counseling programming—not a stand-alone task or event.

Our shared vision centers on ensuring that all students and families understand the purpose and value of forecasting throughout the middle and high school years. Middle school counseling lessons introduce academic planning, high school graduation requirements, and early college and career awareness, while SchooLinks activities build readiness and self-awareness. Eighth-grade students, as well as students in grades 9–11, complete their course planners in SchooLinks at least two weeks prior to meeting with high school counselors for forecasting. In high school, annual counseling lessons continue to reinforce graduation pathways, diploma options, and postsecondary planning, with course planners updated in advance to support meaningful forecasting conversations.

Districtwide consistency for students and families remains at the core of our unified forecasting framework. It is essential that schools maintain clear, predictable communication with families before, during, and after forecasting to support understanding and engagement at every stage of the process. Before forecasting, the framework includes timely family outreach, updated materials, and classroom lessons aligned to graduation and pathway requirements, with students completing course planners in advance. During forecasting, schools provide grade-level lessons, 1:1 support, and ongoing family communication to help students make informed, goal-aligned course selections. After forecasting, schools offer family review windows, course request verification, and clear reminders about scheduling parameters and key deadlines.

We are also continuing to align our practices and communication related to BLPO and other non-district or postsecondary course options to ensure families receive clear, accessible guidance and required documentation. Ongoing alignment between middle and high school teams remains a priority, with dedicated time built into our January END to continue this work. As a result, students and families will experience consistent resources across all schools, including shared timelines, communications, lessons, and forecasting guides.

Thank you to everyone who contributes to our annual cross-level forecasting alignment that help create a smooth, predictable, and supportive experience for students and families.

Calendar

January 13: HS Learning Walk 10-1 @ LPHS

January 14: SBIG Early Adopter Virtual Drop in 8:00-8:30

January 14: New Choice High School Information Night 6:00 @ BTA Campus

January 16: Principal Connection 7:00 @ CHS

January 20: MS and HS Admin Work Session – 9-11 Summit High School

January 20: New Choice High School Information Night 6:00 @ BTA Campus

January 22: HS Only – Tier II Academic Intervention Team 2:30-4:00 @ CHS

January 23: 504 training required for ALL admin who oversee 504’s 9:00 @ Wall Street Lab

January 23: 26-27 Area Change Request (ACR) Deadline for submission

Where in the World?

Congrats to Brian Barringer of LPMS for winning this week’s where in the world.  The image was from a snowy 1960s Bend!

This week, it’s Where in the World? Any admin who correctly identifies this location by Monday morning (after break) will be entered in a drawing for coffee/tea or morning beverage of choice to be delivered by Katie or Stephen. Note: This contest will be limited to MS and HS admin.

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.

YouthTruth January 2026 Admin One-Page Sheet

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From Sara Young:

Here is this week’s Special EDge Student Services Blog. Please pay close attention to the STAS and SIRC process update regarding school psychs.  

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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.  

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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.

To Do

Please ensure you have the Student Health Survey wrapped up by 12/22. We would like to see higher participation from students!

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Reminders for HS: teach these two lessons before winter break:

Cellphone lesson

SBHC lesson (MVHS and BSHS – skip slide 8).  AND send home the SBHC family letter and permission form.  

From Departments

Kudos to our HS counseling team!

Jennifer Hauth, Jess Calbreath and Amberlee Solito presented at the Oregon State School Counseling Meeting this week on Bend La Pine’s journey to implementing a Comprehensive School Counseling Program. Please take a look at the slide deck that outlines our implementation journey over the last four years. Also, check out our elementary school counseling video (2 Minutes) that was shared at the Board meeting. For the first time in BLS history, we have an elementary school counselor at every school!

Here are the slides from the HS administrator and counselor Meeting from 12/9. Slide Deck 

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From Sean Reinhart, Executive Director of Student Services:

25-26 Child Count Data

Please click the link below to look at this year’s child count data, as well as our historical trends.  Overall, we are up about 40 students total with IEPs.  With the overall decrease in enrollment, that puts the district at 12.5% of students receiving special education services.  

25-25 Special Education Census Data

As a reminder, December 1 of each school year is the day that we report the total number of students with IEPs in BLS.  This is the number that ODE uses to base our funding for the following year.  School districts get a “second ADM weight” for each student with and IEP up to 11% of the district population.  BLS is currently at 12.5%.  

Kudos to our student services team members!

Student Services is introducing a new process we are going to be using to boost morale and include more positivity and celebration in our weekly Special EDge Blog.

We will be starting Campus Kudos, a section of the blog highlighting two schools per week and celebrating ways that the school’s Student Services team has been working to promote inclusion, belonging for students, and working as a team to support each other. We will NOT be celebrating individual staff members in this process but really would like to make the focus be upon the entire team. Everyone deserves to be celebrated because they are doing hard work! 

So here is our ask: Please fill out the linked form when you feel you have seen something from your school team that is worthy of celebration, particularly things around inclusion, belonging, and teamwork. This can be a running record, and does not need to be filled out ONLY when it is time in the schedule for a particular school to be celebrated. 

HERE IS THE FORM

HERE IS THE TENTATIVE SCHEDULE FOR WHEN SCHOOLS WILL BE CELEBRATED (subject to change if we need to shift things around for more time to gather input)

Thank you all! We are excited to start celebrating your school teams and all of the hard work they are doing!

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From Kinsey — Office of Policy and Advocacy:

Cell phone/personal device usage:

As we approach the policy shift that prohibits personal devices effective January, please remind teachers to review the IEPs, 504s, and Individual Health Plans of students in their class, and/or check in with Learning Specialists, to be clear on which students have documented permission to use their personal devices.  This info should also be noted in Substitute Folders.  

This will help reduce 1) the number of false claims by students saying they have a medical ‘need’ for their phone, and 2) repeated corrections or consequences for students who do need them but who frequently get reprimanded for usage that is actually permissible.  

Immigration:

Check that you have the ICE guidance (linked and highlighted in this document) printed and posted near your front-entry/reception window for the staff who greet visitors.  This is also a good point to refresh yourself on the procedures expected of you and your team. 

If you become aware of immigration activity in the community that has impacted a student or family, please: 1) be extremely mindful of confidentiality, privacy, and professional boundaries—do not share this information unless absolutely necessary, 2) take care of yourself and your emotions so you can take care of others , 3) refer the student or family to appropriate resources (your family liaison, our newcomer counselor specialist George, school counselor, FAN, etc), 4) let me know if you have a need I can support, resource- or policy-wise.  Thank you for your calm, compassionate, and steady leadership as these tough things continue impacting our community. 

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From our Safety Department

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: 

Provide feedback  here!!   

Here is the Health & Safety POC Roster- The best place to start when fielding your safety concerns. 

Want to revoke visitation privileges? Start here.

Holiday party refresher

Volunteer: Helping with the party by providing a service or supporting supervision (Ex: helping students build gingerbread houses in the hallway) 

Visitor: Attending the party!

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From Gabe Pagano, Director of Activities and Athletics:

Here is the weekly for activities and athletics.

From Jess Calbreath, Counselor on Special Assignment:

Here are the school counseling notes.

Calendar

December 16: HS Administrator Work Session 9:00-11:00 @ CHS (come early for breakfast!)

December 17: Optional Early Adopter Drop in @ 8:00

December 17: Admin PD Session – 3:00 @ Aspen Hall (please carpool)

December 18: MS Horizontal 3-5 @ High Desert

December 19: Principal connection @ 7:00

December 20-January 5: Winter Break

What in the World

Congratulations to Darla Brandon at La Pine Middle for correctly identifying our Where in the World image as Hobbiton, the set from the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies that is now a tourist attraction in New Zealand.

This week, it’s What in the World? What celebration does this week’s image below represent? Any admin who correctly identifies this location by Monday morning will be entered in a drawing for coffee/tea or morning beverage of choice to be delivered by Katie or Stephen. Note: This contest will be limited to MS and HS admin. 

To Do

Carpool to 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.

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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.

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Please ensure you have the Student Health Survey wrapped up by 12/22. We have many sites with no results yet.

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Reminders for HS: teach these two lessons before winter break:

Cellphone lesson

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.

ELA & Math:  https://forms.gle/PJL18GBVXBrtZHT7A

Science & ELPA: https://forms.gle/VvvQoTtdz8hYFKfw5

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.

2025-26 OSAS ELA & Math Opt Out Tracking Form (Responses)

2025-26 OSAS Science & ELPA Exemption Tracker (Responses)

Let Dave VanLoo or Stephanie Bent know if you have any questions or need other staff added to the response spreadsheets. 

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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!

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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. 
• Want to revoke visitation privileges? Start here.
• Holiday party refresher
  • Volunteer: Helping with the party by providing a service or supporting supervision (Ex: helping students build gingerbread houses in the hallway) 
  • Visitor: Attending the party!
• Provide feedback  here!!

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From Tami Pike:

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.

Current inventory available through Distribution:

• Small disposable gloves
• Large disposable gloves
• Hand sanitizer
• Disposable masks

Well Child Exams

Please share in your school newsletters.

English/Spanish

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From Gabe, Director of Activities and Athletics:

December 1-5

Calendar

December 8: Leave Sheets due

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. 

Congratulations to our colleague Chris Boyd for being selected as the Administrator of the Year! Chris has been with Bend-La Pine Schools for 11 years and is in his fifth year as principal at Caldera High School, the district’s newest school. He has been Caldera principal since the doors opened in the fall of 2021.

To Do

Reminders for HS: teach these two lessons before winter break:

Cellphone lesson

SBHC lesson (MVHS and BSHS – skip slide 8).  AND send home the SBHC family letter and permission form.  

From Tami Pike:

Please ensure that your school’s first aid kits: classroom fanny packs, front office orange first aid bags, and gym wall first aid kits are regularly reviewed and restocked. This task can be completed by non-nursing staff.

From Departments

From Gabe, Director of Activities and Athletics:

November 17th-21st, 2025

Jess Calbreath, COSA

School Counseling Updates: Nov 20, 2025

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From Sean Reinhart, Jennifer Hauth, and Jamie Gunter

The Student Services Team is reaching out with yearly reminders of our protocols and procedures around suicide risk and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), as required by Adi’s Act (Senate Bill 52).  We will be providing a series of updates to ensure that administrators have information on updated protocols. 

Reminder: Safe Oregon

Safe Oregon tips involving suicidal ideation or non-suicidal self-injury require follow up with your school based mental health staff (follow up screening and entry into Student Safe each time). Refer to the student services slide deck or reach out to Sean, Jamie, Scott, or Kayla. 

Reminder: Screening Staff

As per our Adi’s Act plan, staff who can risk screen and safety plan with students include school counselors, school psychologists, and student success clinicians. ASIST trained school nurses and student success staff can collaborate with their school based mental health professionals after screening on next steps in safety planning and lethal means calls home. Policy requires that a student is screened and parent/caregivers are notified the same day that a concern is noted. Same day notification to administrators is also a requirement, as is the entry of all screening information and contact details intoStudent Safe. All administrators have access to the Student Safe system, and if anyone would like a 1:1 walkthrough, please reach out.

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From Heather Tang:

Here’s a quick reminder about the Tobacco Quit Kits. These kits are a valuable resource to support students in their journey to quit smoking, vaping, or using chewing tobacco.

The kits include: 

• Distraction tools to help resist the urge to use tobacco.
• Resource information to support students through the quitting process.

How to Distribute Quit Kits

• Quit Kits are intended to be distributed during the second nicotine module of the Teen Intervene program by UpShift Specialists.
• In special cases, they may be distributed outside of Teen Intervene, but only if a student demonstrates a strong commitment to quitting.

Schools and staff can request kits using our request form:

• Order up to 5-10 kits at a time.
• Delivery will be confirmed within 5-7 business days.
• To streamline the process, we recommend designating one UpShift team member to handle all kit requests for your school.

Ready to request your kits? Please complete this form.

If you have any questions or need additional support, please reach out. We’re here to help!

Additional Resource: 

The CDC has a quick, one-page guide to help school staff understand youth vaping and tobacco use.It includes tips for how you can support young people and key health facts. Download it in English or Spanish. Please feel free to pass along to staff. 

ENG PDF

ESP PDF

HS Only

From Michele in Transportation:

2026 Oregon Department of Transportation Safe Routes to School High School Task Force: Applications accepted now until December 11^th at 5pm. Apply for the 2026 High School Task Force – Oregon Safe Routes to School

This is open to Oregon students enrolled in grades 9 – 12 for the 2025-2026 school year. Leif Méndez, who was a 12^th grader at Caldera High School last school year, served on the inaugural ODOT SRTS High School Task Force. I’m hoping another BLS high school student will apply and be selected for this opportunity.

I invite your recommendations on where and how else to promote this. I have already asked BLS Communications to include it in the December Family Newsletter.

Calendar

November 24-28: Thanksgiving Break

December 1: SBG Parent Night @ LPHS 5:30

December 2: Learning Walk session @ MVHS 9:15 room D1

December 3: Optional Early Adopter Drop in 8:00-8:30 (virtual)

December 3: SBG Parent Night @ MVHS 5:30

December 5: HS Principal Connection @ BTA 9:00

December 5: Transcript process training for HS admin who have not been trained 10:00 @ BTA

What in the World Happened Here?

Congratulations to Leah Boon for winning last week!  The image was of Ruby Bridges being escorted to school by federal marshals on November 14^th 1960.

This week, it’s What in the World Happened Here? Check out this week’s image below. Any admin who correctly identifies what historical even happened here by Monday morning (Dec 1) will be entered in a drawing for coffee/tea or morning beverage of choice to be delivered by Katie or Stephen. Note: This contest will be limited to MS and HS admin. 

To Do

Parent Nights:

Reinforce our Standards Based Instruction and Grading parent nights with your families. The events are for anyone in the community, not just the host school families.

Wed Nov 19 @ Summit High – 5:30

Monday Dec 1 @ La Pine High – 5:30

Wed Dec 3 @ Mountain View High – 5:30

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College and Career Day K-12

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:

Session 1 – 3:05 – 3:35 p.m. (LINK to join Session 1)

Session 2 – 3:50 – 4:20 p.m. (LINK to join Session 2)

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)

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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.

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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).

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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.

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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.

 Please Submit requests via the Google Form 

Why This Matters

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.

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From Gabe, Director of Activities and Athletics:

The highlights of this week: November 10th-14th, 2025

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From Sara Young, Director of Student Services:

We are excited to introduce the new Special EDge Student Services Blog.

Calendar

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.

To Do

This is National School Psychologist Week! Did you show appreciation for your School Psych? Link to org chart.  

This year’s theme, “Finding Your Path,” reflects the ways that school psychologists help students, families, and school communities set and achieve their goals. Join us by taking this week to chart your course to explore how each person can celebrate the work of school psychologists and learn how school psychologists make a difference every day.

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From Kinsey — Office of Policy and Advocacy:

Transgender Awareness Week   

November 13-19 is Transgender Awareness Week.  Next week your building will receive a kit with ideas and supplies for simple ways to support your transgender students or colleagues. 

Please connect with your Advocacy ICCL representative (or watch your mailbox) for those kits, and encourage your staff to participate.  

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HS Administrators only: With the new cell phone policy being implemented in January, we know there have been some concerns about students’ access to college applications, FAFSA, and similar platforms that may require authenticator or password retrieval.

After meeting with IT, we confirmed that students in grades 11 and 12 do have access to their personal email accounts on their iPads. This means they can retrieve verification codes or reset passwords as needed without relying on their school email or phone. 

Students in grades 11 and 12 can access their personal email through logging into Safari.

This ensures students can continue accessing essential college and financial aid tools while allowing us to uphold the new “off and away, bell to bell” cell phone policy and maintain focus during class time. It might be worth a quick advisory lesson to walk students through accessing their personal email on their iPad before January—especially since they won’t be able to use their phones for password retrieval when they add their personal email.

Please work with your counselors to support students to access their personal emails prior to the January cell phone implementation.

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From Jessica Houser:

Please make sure employees at your site are aware of this important payroll update.

For the November and December payrolls, all employees will receive a paper paystub (or a live check if not enrolled in direct deposit) mailed directly to their home address on file. Payday remains the last business day of each month.

This change ensures every employee can easily access their pay information during school breaks when most staff are off-site or not connected to the district network. From now on, paystubs and paychecks will no longer be routed to school sites for pickup or distribution.

What to Know

• All employees will automatically receive mailed paystubs in November, December, June, July, and August.
• Employees who want paper paystubs in additional months can email Payroll to opt in. (This election resets each year.)
• Employees can update their home address in UKG.
• Those who need help setting up direct deposit can review the “How To” guide on the Payroll Portal or reach out to Payroll.
• Substitute and extra-duty employees will continue to receive paper paystubs automatically every month.
• Employees can still view electronic paystubs through Employee Online when using a district device or network connection.

Thank you for sharing this information with your teams and helping ensure every employee has consistent access to their pay details.

From Departments

From Eric Powell in Student Services

Moving forward, when documenting a Child Abuse Report that your school is making, will you please store the Child Abuse Form in the following ways:

1. Building Principal or Department Supervisor maintains a copy of the report
2. Send (Email is fine) a copy to Eric Powell in Student Services

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From Kinsey, Office of Policy and Advocacy:

Family Engagement:    -For your review (share as applicable)-

Family Liaisons: Here are our Spanish-speaking liaisons, and here are reminders on how to use their services.  We also have part-time Black/African American, Asian, and Youth Partnerships Liaisons–if you’d like to connect with one of them, let me know.

FAN Advocates: Here are reminders on their role.  Remind your staff: FAN does not coordinate Christmas gifts for families and hasn’t for over 10 years.  FAN resources are maxed out prioritizing basic needs (food, utilities, etc).  There are many community-based organizations that do support religious or holiday-based requests like Christmas gifts: Here, here, and here are a few resources.  

Concerns/celebrations: If you have concerns about your liaison or advocate (inconsistent attendance, lack of responsiveness, etc), I need to know right away.  Of course, if you have a note of appreciation or celebration about them, send me those too!

Translation/interpretation: Remember, CAFE members are not your primary resource for language services.  Also, please don’t ask them to “quickly review” your AI/Google-translated communication.  Use Linguist Link for translation/interpretation requests.  Here are reminders on differences between these services.  

Food Access and Your Parent Groups:   -For your review (share as applicable)-

In the absence of SNAP benefits for families in need, some of you have parent groups organizing to gather food and distribute it to families.  This is great, if/when boundaries are respected.  Share these talking points with your parent group, as applicable.  

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From Ryan Kelling, Human Resources:

Earlier this week, all Classified staff received an email announcing the opening of applications for the 2025 cohort of Bend-La Pine’s Alternative Pathways Program (APP), a district-supported opportunity for Classified employees to pursue licensure for Certified roles that offers tuition reimbursement, paid student teaching/practicum leave, and other supports as needed as they pursue their license. The announcement was also shared in the most recent edition of this week’s Staff Spotlight.

The APP focuses on hard-to-fill positions and places a particular emphasis on supporting multilingual and bilingual staff, helping us strengthen our connection to students and families while developing our future educators and leaders.

I’m asking that you all take a moment to think about who in your building or department might be a great candidate for this program, both those who have already expressed an interest in becoming licensed educators and those who may not yet see their own potential. A shoulder tap from you might be the spark that helps someone find the confidence they need to take this step.

Applications are open through December 2, 2025. If you’d like more info on the program, you can email Ryan Kelling or visit the  Employee Portal.

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From Gabe, Director of Activities and Athletics:

The highlights of this week: November 3rd, 7th, 2025 SMORE the To Do:

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From Jess, District COSA:

Here are the counseling updates for this week!

HS Only

We will pay for the subs of teachers who attended the COCC articulation meeting on September 10. Request the account code from April J.

Calendar

November 12: Optional Early Adopter Drop in 8:00-8:30 (virtual)

November 12: Review slides for SBG Parent Night @BSHS 2:15 in classroom next to PH

November 12: All Admin Meeting @ BSHS 3:00-4:30

November 13: Tier 2 Academic Intervention Team @ BSHS 2:30-4:00

November 18: HS Administrator work session @BSHS 9:00-11:00

November 19: Optional Early Adopter Drop in 8:00-8:30 (virtual)

November 19: SBG Parent Night @ SHS 5:30

November 24-28: Thanksgiving Break

Where in the World

Congrats (and Happy Birthday) to Reno Holler for winning the “where in the world” image last week.  The image was of center field at Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. Wrigley was built in 1914 and the original vines were purchased and planted in September 1937.

This week, it’s Who in the World. Check out this week’s image below. Any admin who correctly identifies this image by Monday morning will be entered in a drawing for coffee/tea or morning beverage of choice to be delivered by Katie or Stephen. Note: This contest will be limited to MS and HS admin.