To Do:

YouthTruth Data processing and sharing needs to be completed by April 30.

This look like:

*Process with all staff (including classified team members!): Develop a plan to review YouthTruth data that informs improvement planning during an BD SIW or a staff meeting

*Process with students: Review top two highest and lowest areas and collect/process feedback from students for improvement planning!

*Share with families: Share top two highest and lowest areas in communications with your families (digital newsletter?). Bonus points for collecting feedback for improvement planning!

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From HR:

Contract letters for licensed employees were sent to all licensed employees via UKG and must be returned no later than April 15.

If you have not yet completed yours, please log in to UKG to review and submit your response as soon as possible.  Administrators, please ensure your staff are aware of this deadline and follow up as needed – and don’t forget to return yours too! If you have any questions or need assistance, please reach out to Candy Gelatt or [email protected]

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From Departments

From Paul – Operations

Transportation of Students

Please be advised that we have some outdated policies regarding what is permissible when transporting students to/from off-site activities and athletic events.  Please follow EEADBA-AR and do not refer to EEACD-AR, EEBB-AR or EEADB-AR.  It is always advisable to contact the Executive Director of Transportation, Kim Crabtree, when you have questions regarding student transportation.

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From Scott and Kayla – Safety

Campus Monitors are required to attend two days of training on Tuesday, April 22 & Wednesday, April 23. The training is focused on Department of Public Safety Standards and Training Unarmed Security Professional Certification. Be sure your CM’s are freed up to attend this training.

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From Eric – Student Services

If you notice a YELLOW “Restrict!” bar on a student’s Synergy page, it most likely means they are either currently Expelled or that they have been Expelled at some point in their educational history. 

Restrict!

The purpose of this practice is to ensure that schools do not unintentionally enroll an Expelled student into their school (if a family attempts to move a student from one school to another to avoid disciplinary measures, for example) AND to encourage schools to review student records for any newly enrolled students (specifically those who were ever Expelled that we are aware of). 

If a student ever enrolls in your school from out of the area and the family references a past Expulsion (or you notice a prior Expulsion in the student records), please communicate with me so that I can help research the student’s disciplinary history from their former district(s) and to help us update their “Restrict” status. 

If you ever notice a student with this YELLOW “Restrict!” bar, you can call myself or April Jorgenson to discuss the student and we can help you if any Synergy limitations exist while this Restrict is placed on their file.

If you click on the “Other Info” tab (next to Parent/Guardian in the Student screen) you can see the possible Enrollment Restrictions (and corresponding dates) for the specific student:

We will utilize the Enrollment Restriction titled “Other Restriction” for those students who have a past Expulsion on file (but who are not currently Expelled).

Thank you!

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From Torie – LA TOSA

Language Arts Teachers Update: 

Below are the details for the upcoming writing workshop training. Substitute costs will be covered by the district. 

Please RSVP to Torie Withers. 

Language Arts Writing Workshop Training ✏️

Date: Thursday, April 3^rd

Time: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Location: The Boardroom (312) in the Education Center, 520 NW Wall Street, Bend

Facilitated by: Torie Withers, Loren Renfroe, and Colin Price 

Who Should Attend:

• Required for new hires or teachers who haven’t previously attended writer’s workshop training 
• Those who have previously attended a writer’s workshop training and are up for a refresher, new lesson and unit ideas, and ample collaboration and planning time with colleagues  

Workshop Focus: Learn how to structure and plan writing workshop units, including:

• Teaching the writing process through the workshop model 
• Standards-based instructional practices: feedback and grading 
• Unit planning time

Language arts teachers are encouraged to attend this professional development opportunity. Consider attending as a department team to engage in collaborative planning and work time. 

Please contact Torie Withers with questions. Thank you!

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From Jennifer – Student Services

Check out the below links for a fun Wayfinder challenge for HS students. Please consider sharing with specific high school classes like leadership teachers, design justice, CTE media/digital arts. Three levels of financial prizes, as much as $2500😊

Wayfinder App Link, Challenge Kits .

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From Superintendent’s Office

Calendar

• March 21: Certified and Support Staff Excellence in Education nominations due
• March 21: EVE Survey completion DUE
• March 21: BLSO closes enrollment for all students on a semester schedule. 
• March 24-28: Spring Break
• April 3: Job Fair
• April 4: BLSO closes enrollment for all students on a trimester schedule.  (Exceptions can be made for graduating seniors.)
• April 8: MS and HS work session 8:00-10:00 @HDMS
• April 9: All Administrator Professional Development 3:00-4:30 @ BSHS Perseverance Hall
• April 11: This is the last day for semester based students to drop a class and earn a W.  Any class kept open after April 11^th will earn a letter grade which includes a Fail. (9 weeks from the start of the semester.)
• April 14: Personal Finance Training (required for HS teachers teaching the course) @Ed Center, Room 203 8-4.
• April 22: HS Administrator work session
• April 22 and 23: All day training for Campus Monitors – mandatory
• April 24: MS Horizontal 3:00 – 5:00
• April 30: Deadline to share/process YouthTruth Data with staff, students and families

Where in the World

In this week’s Where in the World, we are highlighting Assistant Principal/Dean of Students Jamie Brock at Summit High School. Jamie’s place is the cone lap at Mt. Bachelor with her kids!

To Do:

YouthTruth Data processing and sharing needs to be completed by April 30.

This look like:

*Process with all staff (including classified team members!): Develop a plan to review YouthTruth data that informs improvement planning during an BD SIW or a staff meeting

*Process with students: Review top two highest and lowest areas and collect/process feedback from students for improvement planning!

*Share with families: Share top two highest and lowest areas in communications with your families (digital newsletter?). Bonus points for collecting feedback for improvement planning!

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From TLC:

AR UPDATES: Informational Meetings for Rollout of New Policies for MS and HS counselors and administrators

Please take a look at the updated Grading and Credit AR that was approved last month.

This update includes several important changes that will directly affect our work with students, specifically regarding:

• High School Credit for Middle School Students
• Procedures for Dropping a Class
• Awarding Credit for Courses Taken More Than Once
• Extended Parameters for Weighted Grades
• Driver’s Ed Credit
• Courses from Non-District High Schools or Post-Secondary Institutions

Katie Legace, Jess Calbreath, and Jennifer will be hosting two separate virtual office hours to discuss these changes and how we will implement them. It is expected that every counselor and the administrator overseeing counseling attends at least one of these sessions.

Tuesday March 18: 8:10-9:00 am or,

Friday March 21: 8:10-9:00 am

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From Departments

From Scott and Kayla

Campus Monitors are required to attend two days of training on Tuesday, April 22 & Wednesday, April 23. The training is focused on Department of Public Safety Standards and Training Unarmed Security Professional Certification. Be sure your CM’s are freed up to attend this training.

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From Kinsey – Policy, Advocacy, and Office of DEI:

Congratulations:

Be sure to celebrate the folks in your building who won our recent community engagement contest opportunities, and include kudos to all your staff who participated!  Winners, participants, photos of submissions, and more are here.    

Complaints: 

Before spring break: Please go into your Dashboard and ensure you have followed up on all complaints or bias incidents logged there.  You should ensure there is documentation on your findings and follow-up actions/communications.  

Please always circle back with the reporting individual to let them know you received and handled their submission, and to share whatever outcomes you can (respecting confidentiality, of course).  This last step continues to be a frustration of students, feeling like they’re not hearing ‘anything’ from their school on incidents or complaints they report.  Whether that’s true or not, it never hurts to double-check that we’re closing communication loops!

Budgets:

As you prepare your budget for next year, be sure to include dollars to purchase all school supplies required by your teachers, as well as dollars to cover the fines/fees being assessed to any McKinney-Vento-qualifying student (see policy here—this will be a very minor impact on your budget, but is significant to our families experiencing houselessness).  

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From Superintendent’s Office

Calendar

• March 18: HS AP Requests DUE on this sheet – HS ONLY!
• March 18 OR March 21: 8:10-9:00 am Virtual Meeting – Update on Grades and Credit AR Every counselor AND the MS/HS administrator overseeing counselors attends one session
• March 21: Certified and Support Staff Excellence in Education nominations due
• March 21: EVE Survey completion DUE
• March 21: BLSO closes enrollment for all students on a semester schedule. 
• March 24-28: Spring Break
• April 4: BLSO closes enrollment for all students on a trimester schedule.  (Exceptions can be made for graduating seniors.)
• April 8: MS and HS work session 8:00-10:00 @HDMS
• April 9: All Administrator Professional Development 3:00-4:30 @ BSHS Perseverance Hall
• April 11: This is the last day for semester based students to drop a class and earn a W.  Any class kept open after April 11^th will earn a letter grade which includes a Fail. (9 weeks from the start of the semester.)
• April 14: Personal Finance Training (required for HS teachers teaching the course) @Ed Center, Room 203 8-4.
• April 22: HS Administrator work session
• April 22 and 23: All day training for Campus Monitors – mandatory
• April 30: Deadline to share/process YouthTruth Data with staff, students and families

Where in the World

In this week’s Where in the World, we are highlighting Dave VanLoo, Director of School Improvement. Dave shares, “my family and adventure bring me joy. In this picture we are exploring a remote slot canyon in Escalante, Utah.” Stunning image!

To Do:

From TLC:

AR UPDATES: Informational Meetings for Rollout of New Policies

Please take a look at the updated Grading and Credit AR that was approved last month.

This update includes several important changes that will directly affect our work with students, specifically regarding:

• High School Credit for Middle School Students
• Procedures for Dropping a Class
• Awarding Credit for Courses Taken More Than Once
• Extended Parameters for Weighted Grades
• Driver’s Ed Credit
• Courses from Non-District High Schools or Post-Secondary Institutions

Katie Legace, Jess Calbreath, and Jennifer will be hosting two separate virtual office hours to discuss these changes and how we will implement them. It is expected that every counselor and the administrator overseeing counseling attends at least one of these sessions.

Tuesday March 18: 8:10-9:00 am or,

Friday March 21: 8:10-9:00 am

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From Instructional Technology:

Scott McDonald and Karen Rush are forming an Instructional Technology Stakeholder group comprised of teachers, parents, students, administrators, and community members.  We have great representation from district staff and community members, but are hoping to have parents from across the district and grade levels join the group. We have shared this information in the Family Spotlight but would love to see more applications!  Will you please send out this notice to your school community members?  

Parent Newsletter IT Stakeholder (English and Spanish)

From Departments

From Scott in Communications:

ALL-STAFF MEETINGS MARCH 13 WITH DR. COOK: Please remind all your building staff of the virtual meetings with Dr. Cook on Thursday, March 13. These 30-minute virtual meetings are open to all District employees, with two afternoon time slots to accommodate different work schedules. 

Dr. Cook will provide updates on bills making their way through the state Legislature and how they could impact our work to build a budget for next school year. He also will touch on directives related to public education coming out of Washington, D.C. Dr. Cook will leave time to answer a few staff questions. PICK YOUR TIME!

• 3:05 to 3:35 p.m. (best for elementary schedules)
• 3:50 to 4:20 p.m. (best for secondary schedules)

We will provide meeting links closer to the date. Attendance is optional, and we will provide recordings of both meetings afterward.

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From Sean in Student Services:

High Needs Funds:

When you received your school’s 25/26 discretionary funds dashboard last week, you may have noticed that the line item called “High needs” in no longer in your budget.  Several years ago, the Student Services department transferred funds from our discretionary budget and placed them directly into each school’s discretionary budget.  The intent was to allow you to procure 70 hours of substitute EA time quickly and without having to go through our office.  For next year, we have decided to hold those funds in our discretionary budget.  When the need arises and you need extra staffing support due to new student move-ins, etc., please reach out to Student Services Admin and we will collaborate with your team to provide support.  Please reach out with any questions. 

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From Dean in TLC:

Here is a reminder of the important dates for Bend La Pine Online the remainder of the year. 

March 21st – BLSO is closing enrollment for all students on a semester schedule.  (Exceptions can be made for graduating seniors.)

April 4^th – BLSO is closing enrollment for all students on a trimester schedule.  (Exceptions can be made for graduating seniors.)

April 11^th – This is the last day for semester based students to drop a class and earn a W.  Any class kept open after April 11^th will earn a letter grade which includes a Fail. (9 weeks from the start of the semester.)

May 2^nd – This is the last day for trimester based students to drop a class and earn a W. Any class kept open after May 2^nd will earn a letter grade which includes a Fail.  (6 weeks from the trimester start.)

May 18^th – Last Day for All Seniors.  This is a firm deadline.  All K12 teachers have been given this final day for seniors and will grade them out based on this date. No work submitted after this date will be graded. 

June 8^th – Last Day for all 9th-11th graders. All K12 teachers have been given this final day for 9th-11th grade students will issue a final grade based on work submitted up to this date.  No work submitted after this date will be graded. 

Courses will not be extended beyond May 18^th for seniors and June 8th for all other students. 

Due to a platform change, we are unable to reopen or extend any incomplete class from this Spring into Summer.  

Final Grades will be transcribed based on the grade percentage at the time of the class closing and can not be changed or updated later on.  

Students who did not finish their class or are dissatisfied with their Final Grade are not able to improve their grade over summer or in the fall. 

There are absolutely NO Extensions or Reopening of a Class.

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From Instructional Technology:

Students in grades K-8 will now find a new icon on their iPad home screen directing them to the research databases hosted on our media center websites. Utilizing carefully curated research databases, instead of generic search engines, is crucial for fostering responsible information-seeking in the vast sea of online resources. Check out Quick Access to Safe and Reliable Research for more information. If you’d like support with research projects in your classrooms, please reach out to your instructional coach or our instructional technology team, Robbie Faith and Tracy Howk. 

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From Superintendent’s Office

Shout Out

Shout out to our Wayfinder winners! Below are photos of Darla Brandon representing all of LPMS as our middle school winner and Amy James of Mountain View High School taking home the high school award.

Calendar

• March 10: TAG Admin/ICCL 3:45-5:45 @ Ed Center – Board Room (MS ONLY)
• March 10: Incoming 9th grade orientation night 6:00 @ BSHS, CHS, LPHS, MVHS, SHS
• March 12: Educator Network Day
• March 12: Life and Career Readiness Night 5:00-7:00 @ Caldera HS
• March 13: 3:05 or 3:50—Take 30 minutes to participate in the All Staff Update with Dr. Cook
• March 13: Incoming 6th grade family night
• March 18: HS AP Requests DUE on this sheet – HS ONLY!
• March 21: Certified and Support Staff Excellence in Education nominations due
• March 21: EVE Survey completion DUE
• March 24-28: Spring Break
• April 14th: Personal Finance Training (required for HS teachers teaching the course) @Ed Center, Room 203 8-4.

Where in the World

In this week’s Where in the World, we are highlighting Becky Aylor, Assistant Principal at Mountain View High School. Becky states, “I’m an adventure seeker—whether it’s lounging on Hawaii’s beaches, riding through the Arizona desert, or snowmobiling in the Cascades. When I’m not exploring with Hubs, I love spending time with my adult son, Sebastian, his wife, Josie (pictured here), and my epic grandkids, ages 2 and 4.

PS. My “talent” is blinking during photos…I ALWAYS have sunglasses on to avoid the groans of having to retake…again and again.

To Do:

From Jennifer:

Join us in celebrating our incredible Student Success Coordinators, Clinicians, Instructors and Educational Assistants the week of March 3rd – March 7th! This coincides with School Social Work Week & Classified Appreciation week.

Student success staff are instrumental in supporting students with significant social, emotional and mental health needs. These amazing humans work tirelessly to provide intensive care coordination, family engagement, academic support and emotional support.  

Our student success staff serve as vital members of a school’s education team, playing a central role in creating partnerships between the home, school, and community to improve student well-being and academic success. 

Please take a moment during this week to celebrate and acknowledge the student success staff in your building! Thank you. 

From Departments

From Scott in Communications:

ALL-STAFF MEETINGS MARCH 13 WITH DR. COOK: Please remind all your building staff of the virtual meetings with Dr. Cook on Thursday, March 13. These 30-minute virtual meetings are open to all District employees, with two afternoon time slots to accommodate different work schedules. 

Dr. Cook will provide updates on bills making their way through the state Legislature and how they could impact our work to build a budget for next school year. He also will touch on directives related to public education coming out of Washington, D.C. Dr. Cook will leave time to answer a few staff questions. PICK YOUR TIME!

• 3:05 to 3:35 p.m. (best for elementary schedules)
• 3:50 to 4:20 p.m. (best for secondary schedules)

We will provide meeting links closer to the date. Attendance is optional, and we will provide recordings of both meetings afterward.

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Regarding administrator professional development March 5:

In preparation of our next admin PD meeting, please be sure to complete the Leadership Intention activity from Chapter 1 of Thriving Leaders.  Here is the document in case you want a digital copy.

We will also be talking about Chapter 2, so please read that prior to attending on Wednesday!

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From Ryan in HR:

Submittals are now being accepted for our Excellence in Education awards. This honor is designed to recognize BLS employees who have distinguished themselves during the 2024-25 school year with their leadership, innovation, outstanding professional practice, and positive contributions at work and in the community. 

We invite you to recognize and celebrate the outstanding contributions of our staff by submitting individuals who exemplify “service above self.”

Depending on your role, you may have the opportunity to recognize either a Certified Staff Member, a Support Staff Member, or both from your school or department.

• Certified Staff honorees should stand out for their dedication and excellence in areas such as character and leadership, innovation and creativity in their field, outstanding instructional practices and student outcomes, inspiring all students to succeed, community engagement, and contributions to the betterment of the district, school, students, and colleagues.
• Support Staff honorees should distinguish themselves through exceptional character and leadership, innovation and creativity in their role, exemplary customer service, mastery in their profession, inspiring all students to succeed, community engagement, and/or contributions to the betterment of the district, school, students, and colleagues.

Please select one Certified Staff Member and/or one Support Staff Member who embodies these qualities and makes a meaningful impact in your school or department.

The Certified Staff Nomination form is here: https://forms.gle/AhPovVCDaxD1Z6k89

The Support Staff Nomination form is here: https://forms.gle/n4MvEAz6KGEXt53r6

Please submit your honorees by Friday, March 21^st.

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From Jennifer in Student Services:

Bend-La Pine Schools and Wayfinder team up to celebrate #SELday in our schools, March 3-7.

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From Scott in IT:

We need to talk once again about security and keeping our organization and personal data safe.  Email phishing and scams continues to be our number one threat.  And lately, the bad guys have been busy.  Fortunately, there are actions both we in IT and you can do to protect our data:

Report any suspicious email message– Use the “Phish Alert” button in Microsoft Outlook to flag any suspicious message.  Of course, do not click any links in the email before reporting!

Note External Messages– Along with the yellow banner, you will now see the label “External” beside any message that is not from a Bend-La Pine user. In some cases, you may  also see additional information about the sender.

Only use Microsoft Outlook!- The security features that we invest in and maintain as a district are only available on Microsoft Outlook mail clients and tools.  Please do not add your work email to any other mail application (examples include Apple Mail, Gmail, etc.).

Soon, we will be disabling the ability for users to view their work email on third party applications.  There will be additional messaging to support users who will be impacted by this change.

Finally, you might have noticed our email phishing campaign has become a lot harder lately.  That is because the bad guys are also getting trickier as well.  Do not be afraid to over report when you are suspicious of a message!

HS Only

Principals: At our upcoming one on one meetings, we will discuss your school’s YouthTruth Data. Be prepared to discuss themes and next steps.

AP training requests are  DUE on this sheet by March 18. Even if you do not know the teacher who will need the training, submit a request.

MS Only

March Meetings: Time to sign up for a March visit with Stephen. Please choose a date this month for a 60 minute check in. Here is my Calendly link or you can use Outlook directly.

Calendar

• March 3: CTE and Elective Exploration Fly Up Day!
• March 5: Administrator PD – 3:00-4:30 @ Bend High
• March 10: TAG Admin/ICCL 3:45-5:45 @ Ed Center – Board Room
• March 10: Incoming 9th grade orientation night 6:00 @ BSHS, CHS, LPHS, MVHS, SHS
• March 12: Life and Career Readiness Night 5:00-7:00 @ Caldera HS
• March 13: 3:05 or 3:50—Take 30 minutes to participate in the All Staff Update with Dr. Cook
• March 13: Incoming 6th grade family night
• March 18: HS AP Requests DUE on this sheet – HS ONLY!
• March 21: Certified and Support Staff Excellence in Education nominations due
• March 21: EVE Survey completion DUE
• March 24-28: Spring Break
• April 14th: Personal Finance Training (required for HS teachers teaching the course) @Ed Center, Room 203 8-4.

Where in the World

In this week’s Where in the World, we are highlighting Jennifer Hauth! Here she is with her family before the December Chiefs game against the Texans. Her husband is from KC, MO so they have been long time Chief fans, even before Mahomes and Kelce😊

To Do

From Dean Richards:

Bend La Pine Teachers have created a Personal Finance Canvas shell course that meets the new standards. While we have not yet heard about the waiver, we would like to provide training to schools moving forward with a .5 Personal Finance course. 

The training will be on Monday, April 14th, in the Education Center Room 203 from 8 to 4. The training will consist of a remote training by Next Generation Personal Finance, an open sourced curriculum that makes up much of the Canvas course. The authors of the Canvas Course, Bekki Tucker (CHS) and Jesse Kurtz-Nichols (BSHS) will walk teachers through the shell. The rest of the time will be spent becoming acquainted with the tools and planning for instruction. Subs will be paid for out of district funding. 

If you know the teachers who will be teaching the course, please let Dean know so he can send a invitation to the teachers.

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From TLC:

Be sure to promote Life and Career Readiness Night at your school and with your families.

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From Kinsey Martin:

Please review these messages and share with your staff:

Family Liaisons and Translation/Interpretation:

Remember that our Family Liaisons are not translators/interpreters–these are distinct positions with different functions, required skills, and pay rates.  Here are details about how to effectively engage Family Liaisons to support our work.  If you need someone to translate or interpret a family communication (including for time-sensitive requests) please review the various options available to you here.  

Immigration information:

Make sure your team is very clear that they are prohibited from asking about or documenting students’ or families’ immigration status, even when doing so might be well-intentioned.  

If staff want to coordinate extra support for students or families who might be undocumented, it should be organized based on an educational purpose, not based on immigration status.  Sttudents/families themselves then choose to opt into or access these, without needing to disclose their status or without staff needing to know it.   Examples: 

• A counseling group for students with anxiety (rather than a counseling group for undocumented students),
• flyers for local Know Your Rights workshops made available to all parents or via PTA group lists (rather than sent home with families we believe are undocumented), etc.

Title IX and gender support protocols:

I have received several questions about the status of our gender support protocol.  Yes, our procedures for supporting gender-expansive students are still in place.  Thank you for initiating this process when a student indicates a need for support.  

Regarding Title IX more generally, while the national landscape is bringing some policy-based changes to our Title IX procedures (generally reverting back to our procedures from a few years ago–more on that later), please continue to contact me for any concerns or complaints related to Title IX, which includes:

• discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity; 
• sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, stalking;
• athletics, academics, and activities;
• admissions, hiring, access;
• pregnant and parenting students

From Departments

From Jennifer Hauth:

SELday Flier

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From Superintendent’s Office

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From Dan Emerson in Finance:

It has come to my attention that we have fifty or so students district wide who assist our nutrition staff during the lunch period and are provided payment for their time through petty cash or snack bar credit. After reviewing the practice we have determined that payment for student time (cash or credit) is not allowable. As a result, effective immediately we are discontinuing this practice. Students are still welcome to assist in the kitchens should they choose to volunteer their time. 

I recognize that this has always been a meaningful and great experience for our student helpers, and over the next week we will be evaluating allowable incentives to continue to reward and encourage students who want to do this valuable work. I hope to have those incentives communicated to you by next week. In the meantime, if needed, please support your nutrition leads and managers at schools tomorrow as they talk to students about this change.  

Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you!

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From Dave VanLoo:

“Testing season” is quickly approaching. Here are a few resources to help with planning and organization. Please reach out with any questions or suggestions. I’m happy to come out to schools and meet with you as is helpful.

Here is an updated for 2024-25 OSAS Essential Information and Planning Resources document for school test coordinators. This resource is meant to compliment ODE’s resources and highlight some of the most important big ideas.  This document will be updated as needed. Please save and use as a resource https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EJzxywh4ykm_WHT7uA4pNBpQsT2csXarETHJvtXquQE/edit?usp=sharing

I’m resending this high-level summary of 24-25 test and survey timeframes. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IQxbIzjNj6l-1KNWzsrXjEeSGJ7uVIocWEX7IOpeeRk/edit?usp=sharing

I’m also resending this document that summarizes key purposes and scheduling considerations of many commonly used tests in the district. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I8YT25DGBaAtIgkpGc2XvzFDhY2b9s7sf-sJD_DqGGY/edit?usp=sharing

MS Only

Youth Truth Data: Make sure to do a deep dive into your Youth Truth data and be prepared to share your observations with Stephen.

Calendar

• February 25: HS Principal work session 8:00-10:00 @ Caldera HS
• February 27: MS Horizontal 3:00-5:00 @ High Desert
• March 3: CTE Fly Up Day
• March 5: Administrator PD – 3:00-4:30 @ Bend High
• March 10: TAG Admin/ICCL 3:45-5:45 @ Ed Center – Board Room
• March 12: Life and Career Readiness Night 5:00-7:00 @ Caldera

March 18: AP Requests DUE on this sheet

Where in the World

We need some more entries!

This week, we are highlighting Darla Brandon, AP at La Pine Middle School. Darla states, “Over winter break, my husband and I went on an unexpected road trip adventure, traveling through 5 states. We visited Reno, Las Vegas, Red Rock National Park, Valley of Fire State Park, and Bryce Canyon National Park. We eventually met back up with my son, his wife, and my daughter in Reno where we enjoyed the New Year playing at the arcade, conquering escape rooms, and competing in a goofy gameshow together.  I love to hike and travel to new places. But more importantly, I cherish the moments I have with those I love!”

To Do:

Read and share this information with your staff by February 21:

From Paul in Operations:

Field Trip/Athletic/Club Transportation

All district staff are required to communicate with their administrators and the Transportation Department prior to scheduling an off campus trip. Below are reminders to keep everything moving smoothly and in compliance. 

• Submit ALL trip requests through BusHive as early as possible (months ahead). You may not arrange transportation for any school sponsored trip without first requesting through BusHive. Transportation staff will assist you with arranging ANY transportation for your trip.
• Questions about your trip? Call Daniel Lopez X5706 (Bend) Call Scott Steinhauer X5753 (La Pine)
• Don’t have a BusHive log in- Call Daniel Lopez X5706 (Bend) Call Scott Steinhauer X5753 (La Pine)
• Charter Buses- We do NOT use these unless we have no other options.
  • Schools cannot book these trips directly. You must contact Daniel Lopez X5706 (Bend) Call Scott Steinhauer (La Pine)
  • We are required to document use of any charter plus, plus a copy of the parent notification letter. ODE requires we maintain a documentation file for charters.
  • We have not used charters for several years. We have drivers & school buses available. 
• Drivers of students must hold an ODE certificate (Bus, Type 20, Type 10) for school sponsored event transportation.
• Student transportation must be provided in an ODE approved vehicle. (Bus, Type 20, Type 10).  
• Rental vehicles- contact Transportation prior to renting any vehicle being used to transport students.
• What about after a game? A student wants to go home with another family, but came to the game on a bus? This is between the student and the parent. The teacher, AD, coach should not be involved in this conversation, other than you know the student has permission from their parent to go home another way. If the teacher/AD arranges or organizes transportation for a student, the liability is on the school district- meaning we use ODE approved transportation. This area can be “grey”. Be very careful not to organize transportation outside of ODE approved transportation. 
• We understand that trips have been taken in the past that do not follow these protocols- we are working to clarify policies and procedures.
• Staff members who fail to follow these requirements may be subject to disciplinary action. 
• Questions?? Give us a call- we are here to help!  541-355-5702 

March Leadership Team Meeting

COO Ops leaders from Transportation, Facilities/Maintenance, Safety, IT and Custodial/Sustainability will be facilitating the Please submit at least one question, concern, curiosity or comment that you have for one or more of our departments at this link.

Network Outages

Be prepared for power/internet outages by printing a copy of Power & Internet Outage Emergency Protocols

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From Ryan in Human Resources:

Administrators and supervisors,

As we move through the school year, it’s important to ensure that we are handling employee resignations in a timely and compliant manner. If you receive a resignation—whether verbal or written—it is critical that you notify HR immediately.

Why This Matters

Oregon law requires final paychecks to be issued within strict timelines. Delays can result in statutory penalties and, if not processed on time, overpayments that require collection efforts. To avoid compliance issues, send all resignations to HR immediately (hr-certified@ for licensed employees; hr-classified@ for non-licensed employees).

What You Need to Do

1. Report Resignations Right Away – As soon as an employee notifies you of their intent to resign, ask them to deliver that information to you in writing via email and then forward that notification to HR. If the resignation is verbal and a written resignation will prove difficult to obtain, confirm the details with the employee and document the conversation before sending it to HR.
2. Do Not Hold Resignations – Even if an employee has given a long notice period, HR needs to process it immediately to ensure proper payroll and benefits adjustments.
3. Be Mindful of Final Paycheck Deadlines – Employees who resign with at least 48 hours’ notice (excluding weekends/holidays) must receive their final paycheck on their last day worked. Employees who resign without notice must be paid within five business days.

Failure to meet final paycheck deadlines can result in financial penalties for the district, as well as frustration for the departing employee. This is easily preventable by ensuring that all resignations are sent to HR as soon as they are received.

Your prompt attention to this process helps us maintain compliance, support smooth transitions for staff, and avoid unnecessary complications. If you have any questions, please reach out to the HR team for guidance.

Thank you for your diligence and partnership in this important process.

From Departments

From the Business Office:

Leave sheets only need to be submitted if you have used leave during the pay period. Please do not submit blank leave sheets.

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From Lisa:

1. Optional Admin PD Opportunities (sign up by clicking link and then clicking on the training of interest):
   1. SPED Law and Financial Management will be happening this Thursday. If you want to come this week, please sign up before tomorrow close of business!
   2. Other trainings available before Spring Break are related to SIOP, Evaluations and Feedback, Positive Behavioral Support Planning, and Instructional Frameworks. Click the link above to sign up.
   3. If you have an idea for a future training, let me know!

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From Paul in Operations:

Facilities Development Office 

The FDO project management team has been working on major construction projects.  For Bond Project Updates – visit: https://www.bend.k12.or.us/district/news-events/2022-bond.  And a recap of all the Bond Projects in this upcoming 2022 Bond Cycle – visit: https://www.bend.k12.or.us/application/files/3116/7407/4163/2022_Bond_Management_Plan.pdf

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From Jenn:

The First Step app, which includes important safety resources such as the Safe Oregon Tip Line and 988, is being removed from secondary student iPads due to technical issues. The BLS IT department will be pushing the two apps out individually to student iPads so that students may access help for school safety and/or mental health anytime they need it. 

Safe Oregon Tip Line

School Safety tip line to report and respond to student safety threats.

988

Talk or text for mental health struggles, emotional distress, drug or alcohol support, or if you just need someone to talk to; mental health counselors are here to support 24/7/365. 

This change will be effective Feb. 24, 2025.

Questions or need support? Reach out to Jamie Gunter, [email protected].

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From: Aimee Snyder, DrPH | Adolescent and School Health Supervisor

Communicating to Families about Sex Ed

A Head’s Up:  The newsletter content below about what to expect for Sexuality Education in Bend-La Pine Schools will be in the Feb 26 Family Spotlight.  If you’re concerned about any questions that may come your way from this district newsletter, here are the district’s talking points about sexuality education.  You can also contact Dean Richards and your Public Health Specialist for help with any questions you have.

An Option for You:  It is also an option to include this family communication about the district’s Sex Ed in general in your school newsletters.  Your Public Health Specialist will bring this ask to you so that you can decide when/if it goes out in your school newsletter.   This is an optional addition to what is required by law for family communications about Sex Ed.

Requirements for Sex Ed Family Communications:  Comprehensive Sexuality Education is required every year in 6-8th and at least twice in high school.  Per Oregon law, parents and guardians must be notified prior to the instruction, have the opportunity to review the learning materials, and can opt out their student in writing.  Unless your school has organized a different process, the default practice is to have secondary Health teachers email out one of these district family opt out letters and collect opt outs via email.  As admin, you don’t need to do anything to meet this requirement, other than checking in with your Health teachers to make sure they have what they need to email out their opt-out notifications and deliver their Sex Ed units.  

Calendar

• February 19: All Admin PD 3:00-4:30 @ Bend HS in Perseverance Hall
• February 25: HS Principal work session 8:00-10:00 @ Caldera HS
• February 27: MS Horizontal 3:00-5:00 @ High Desert
• March 3: CTE and Elective Exploration Fly Up Day!
• March 10: Incoming 9th grade orientation night 6:00 @ BSHS, CHS, LPHS, MVHS, SHS
• March 12: Life and Career Readiness Night – 6-12 @ Caldera HS 6-8pm
• March 13: Incoming 6th grade family night
• March 24-28: Spring Break

March 18: HS AP Requests DUE on this sheet

Where in the World?

We are highlighting our School Resource Officer’s and Deputies in this week’s Where in the World! They have been celebrated at schools this week and were honored at the school board meeting Tuesday night! We are so grateful for our partnerships with the Bend Police and Sheriff’s Departments and value these important relationships!

To Do

From Katie and Stephen:

Please send questions that are coming up around our standards-based instruction and grading to Stephen and Katie Lyons in anticipation of our Admin/ICCL meeting on 2/11. Refer back to an email from Stephen titled “Admin/ICCL 2/11” if you need more details.

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From Stephen:

Apologies for not having the QR code for PD feedback last week at Bend High. If you attended this training, please fill out the feedback for our session. As a reminder, we looked at Chapter 1 of Thriving Leaders and Kristy Knoll rapped Ice Ice Baby.

From Departments

From Tami Pike:

Field Trip Reminder

To prioritize student safety, please notify the school nurse about any upcoming field trips at least two weeks in advance. Last-minute notices can create safety concerns and may interfere with the care of other students, as the nurse needs time to review health conditions and medications. This applies to both middle and high school students. There have been instances where a nurse only learns of a field trip when an announcement is made over the school intercom.

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From Jessica Houser

Hello Admins!

This is a friendly reminder that time and leave sheet cut-off is Sunday, February 9th. All completed time and leave sheets you receive for sign off are due to the Payroll Office by Monday, February 10th.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to [email protected] with any questions or if you need additional support.

Thank you for all you do!

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From Jennifer Hauth:

Care Solace is a care coordination service to help students, staff, and their families find mental health and substance use treatment matched to their needs. Care Solace’s multilingual and culturally sensitive Care CompanionTM team is available 24/7/365 to quickly connect individuals to community providers regardless of need.

Register & Login to your Care Solace Account

If you missed the registration email for your Care Solace account, reach out to Lisa McNulty. Administrators, School Counselors, Student Success Clinicians/Coordinators, School Psychologists and Nurses have accounts. 

Care Solace Family and Staff Flyers

Spanish Flyer Family Version and Letter

MTSS and using Care Solace for Warm Handoffs

Care Solace Best Practices for School Site Teams:

1. Integrate Messaging into Your Communications

Care Solace creates monthly mental health messaging and social media posts for you to use in your communication with your school community. Send this content to your school families and staff as a resource, share it on your social media, or share it at school events.

2. Print and Distribute Flyers Around Campus

Post flyers around the school for students and staff to provide additional information about Care Solace. You can find these flyers in the Care Community in the Resource Center.

3. Configure Your Email Signature & Out-of-Office Notification

Add information about Care Solace to your email signature and out-of-office messaging. This will promote access and ensure support outside of school hours or when staff members are away from work.

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From Kinsey Martin:

From Kinsey – Policy, Advocacy, and Office of DEI:

Winners!

Thank you to all who participated in the Asian Family Night’s Year of the Snake drawing contest.  Submissions came from:

Pacific Crest

Buckingham

Lava Ridge

Ponderosa

Highland

Pine Ridge

Juniper

Bear Creek

Miller

The winners from the submissions above will be announced shortly—stay tuned!

Having some FOMO?  Here’s another opportunity:

February is Black History Month.  Your school’s DEI-ICCL rep should have shared with staff some teaching and learning opportunities related to this important topic.  This includes our annual Door-Decorating Contest!  

Please encourage your teachers (and non-teaching staff—counselors, athletics, front-office teams, principal’s office, Superintendent’s office, transportation etc) to participate!   Don’t be left off the list of schools engaging in this important work of representation, belonging, equity, and celebration in what might otherwise feel like a time of fear and frustration for many students and colleagues of color in our community.  Some details you can share with them here.  

MS Only

Fly Up Day: Check an email from Stephen about Fly Up Day logistics.

Calendar

• February 11: HS Administrator work session 8:00-10:00 @ Summit HS
• February 11: ICCL/Secondary Administrator 4:15-6:30 @ BSHS Perseverance Hall
• February 19: All Admin PD 3:00-4:30 @ Bend HS in Perseverance Hall
• February 25: HS Principal work session 8:00-10:00 @ Caldera HS
• February 27: MS Horizontal 3:00-5:00 @ High Desert

March 18: AP Requests DUE on this sheet

Where in the World

Keep those pictures coming!

This week, we are highlighting Austin James, in Instructional Technology. Austin states, “As an avid hiker, I’m at home when I’m on the trail. In April 2024, I hiked the Seven Hanging Valleys trail in the Algarve region of Portugal. It winds along the clifftops of the southern Portugal overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The cliffs shown are those at Praia da Marinha and Praia da Mesquita.”

To Do

From Scott and Kayla in Safety:

Building leaders, please share this information with your staff next week:

In an effort to support our bus drivers and bus monitors, who sometimes are not able to access the main entrance of our schools because of where they have to park the buses, and because they are on a quick turnaround timeline, we have provided updated protocols for those employees to enter our schools during their duty hours to access staff restrooms. 

There are updated protocols for district bus driver’s and bus monitor’s access to school restrooms in our Culture of Safety document on the staff portal website here, and in the Safety Resources Google Drive (for administrators and office managers) here. The updated protocols are under the Access to Buildings Procedures section, paragraph (D), subsection (2) on pages 4 & 5 of the document.

Our transportation staff’s key card access will be limited between the hours of 7:00 AM – 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday.

Please reach out to the safety team with any questions.

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From Paul in Operations:

COO Ops leaders from Transportation, Facilities/Maintenance, Safety, IT and Custodial/Sustainability will be facilitating the March Leadership Team meeting.

Please submit at least one question, concern, curiosity or comment that you have for one or more of our departments at this link.

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Please share this with relevant staff:

Motivational Interviewing Training(s) 

Upcoming Opportunity for Staff involved with UpShift (those delivering the Teen Intervene Curriculum, screening students, or supporting administrators) 

Empower your staff with the tools they need to make meaningful connections with students and families.

Training Details

Join us for a 90-minute experiential training designed to strengthen motivational interviewing (MI) skills. Led by Heather Lynch, a seasoned Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) member, this session focuses on building confidence, fostering partnerships, and inspiring positive change with teens and caregivers.

Why Should Staff Attend? 

This interactive training will:

·        Provide practical MI tools and techniques.

·        Enhance communication strategies.

·        Support effective implementation of UpShift goals and outcomes.

Training Information and Registration Link(s):

Option 1:Wednesday, March 19th 2:30-4:15 pm at the Deschutes Public Library (507 NW Wall Street) Brooks Room 

Option 2:Wednesday, April 2nd 2:30-4:15 pm at the Bend – La Pine Schools Ed Center (520 Northwest Wall Street) Room 312

Encourage your team to take advantage of this unique professional development opportunity. Together, we can build stronger connections and foster lasting positive change in our schools!

Refreshments will be provided

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From the 1/17/25 post by Ryan in Human Resources:

Be sure your certified staff are aware of the timelines for finalizing grades/progress reports:

1. Progress Reports Submission Deadline:
   • Special Education Progress reports must be submitted by 4:00 PM on 1/31 this semester.
   • Middle/High School progress reports must be finalized in Synergy by 4:00 PM on 1/31.
   • Elementary progress reports must be finalized by 4:00 PM on 2/3.
2. Work Location for End-of-Term Days:
   • Employees who have met the deadlines in regards to grading and/or progress reports in previous semesters, and who have met other expectations surrounding the timely completion of professional responsibilities, will be permitted to work from an off-site location on end-of-term work days.
   • Employees who have not met these deadlines, and/or for whom their supervisor has further articulable concerns about the timely completion of professional responsibilities, will be required to work from their assigned school site.

From Departments

From Jennifer:

National Counseling Week is next week!

National School Counseling Week (NCSW) 2025 is Feb. 3-7, 2025, to focus attention on the unique contribution of school counselors within our schools. The theme this year is: School Counseling: Helping Students Thrive. The special week honoring school counselors provides recognition for school counselors who “implement comprehensive school counseling programs, a vital part of the educational process for all students as they meet the challenges of the 21st century”.

NCSW is always celebrated the first full week in February and there are multiple resources available below to help you celebrate school counselors next week at your school site. We will celebrate our student success staff the week of March 3rd during school social worker week.

Here is a “Certificate of Appreciation” that you can use for your counselors and click on slide below for some resources to help your school celebrate this week with your counselor(s)😊

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From Scott in IT:

Here is a good news sandwich from your IT department.

Top Bun- Beginning this week, our elementary report card is now available in 11 different languages! (Jason Schneider).

Bologna- Make sure your TV / projection system is off when you leave for the day! (Scott McDonald)

Bottom Bun- AirPlay functionality has returned to normal with the latest available OS update, (Chad Brewer)

Even if you prefer to not have Bologna in your “good news” sandwich, please try your best to choke it down today.  😊

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From Kinsey — Policy, Advocacy, & Office of DEI:

Taking It Up:

Great news: we have re-scheduled the Taking It Up workshop (postponed from August)!  It will be Tues-Wed, February 18-19 (full days).  

Substitute costs will be covered as applicable.  A notice will go out to staff early next week with instructions to sign up.  Space will be limited and this powerful workshop usually fills quickly, so encourage folks to sign up fast.  If you are a leader in our district who has not attended the week-long CFEE workshop or this two-day version that is Taking It Up, please consider arranging your schedule to attend.  

If you are a CFEE grad and willing to serve as a table facilitator, please email me ASAP.  Administrators, I am happy to cover the cost of a substitute for a teacher-leader in your building to serve as office support while you’re out (if you have an admin intern you could tap, etc).  

Linguist Link:

If you are experiencing issues with Linguist Link services (interpreters not showing up, no responses to your messages, poor quality of linguist services), please A) send a note via the “message all” feature of your project/request in the LL system, and/or B) shoot me an email to let me know. 

There are some transitions going on within those contracted services, but I have been reassured this should not impact the quality of service you receive.  As a reminder if you’re ever in a pinch, here are the various resources and levels of support available to you for translation/interpretation.  

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From Ryan in Human Resources:

We are very excited to be adding a Director of District Activities and Athletics to bring our secondary school athletic and activity programs together under one vision. This role is focused on ensuring that every student has access to consistent, high-quality extracurricular experiences, no matter which school they attend. By aligning programs across the district, we’re creating more opportunities for students to grow, connect, and succeed—academically, socially, and emotionally.

This will be a BLAST position and we’ll be posting this position on our site Monday and sharing it widely across the region to attract a strong pool of candidates. If you’d like to learn more about the role or have any questions, please connect with Ryan.

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From Paul in Operations:

We want to take a moment to clarify differing practices in our district with regards to animals on school grounds.  We have many playgrounds with this sign:

However, we do not have any district policy that prohibits dogs outside of school hours on our property.  ING-AR: Animal Visitors under Owner Responsibility reads:

• Owners walking animals on school grounds must follow city or county ordinances regarding leashing and sanitation. 
• Principals and their designees have the authority to exclude persons and their animals from play fields when he/she determines that there are associated health and/or safety concerns. 

In order to align our signage with our policy, we will be removing all fence signage pertaining to animals.  In place of those signs, our maintenance department will install one of the signs below.  They will communicate with the head engineer and building principal regarding where you want the new sign placed.

Building leaders have the authority to temporarily close school playgrounds in accordance with Facility, Playgrounds, Fields & Property Community Use Guidelines [here is a Spanish Version].   We have created this Community Use Violation Notice [and here is a Spanish Version] that you may copy, edit, print, laminate and zip tie to your gate(s) when you are restricting public access by locking your gates.  

If you would like to order additional signs ($65 each), please submit a work order request along with a budget code.  Maintenance will collaborate with you regarding where to place your additional signs.  Please reach out to Dan Dummitt for further assistance with signs.

HS Only

2025 Oregon Music Hall of Fame

College Scholarship Applications

OMHOF is pleased to announce that applications for our college scholarship program are available again with a deadline of February 14, 2025. Each applicant should be studying music and graduating spring 2025 from an Oregon High School and continuing to college in the fall of 2025 with a major or minor in music. We strive to inspire the continuing higher musical education by offering assistance with college expenses, so that these music students may aspire to a higher level of performance and success in their field of interest. Thanks to the generous contributions of EPB&B (11th year in a row), our scholarships rose from $1000 each to $2500 each (6 total) for 2024, including a special winner who will major in music education! ! In addition Oregon Music Hall of Fame is pleased to announce a new scholarship program, Gloria Johnson Scholarship for women studying Broadcasting, Teaching, Performance, Music Industry degrees. This $2500 yearly scholarship program is open to all women continuing their musical studies at the College/University level seeking a degree in these fields.

Any questions may be emailed to: [email protected]

An application form is available here: https://www.omhof.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/OMHOF-Scholarship-Form-2024-fillable.pdf

Women in Music Scholarship: https://www.omhof.org/music-education-scholarships/

All items must be mailed together, in order to qualify. All applications are fillable online, but must be printed, signed, and mailed (no digital copies accepted).

Oregon Music Hall of Fame

PO Box 82173,

 Portland, OR 97282

Here’s to creating the music of tomorrow through focused musical studies today,

J.M. Rundle

Janeen Rundle

Oregon Music Hall of Fame

Co-Founder & Director of Music Education

[email protected]

Calendar

• February 11: HS Administrator work session 8:00-10:00 @ Summit HS
• February 11: ICCL/Secondary Administrator 4:15-6:30 @ BSHS Perseverance Hall
• February 19: All Admin PD 3:00-4:30 @ Bend HS in Perseverance Hall
• February 25: HS Principal work session 8:00-10:00 @ Caldera HS

March 18: AP Requests DUE on this sheet

Where in the World

Keep those pictures coming!

This week, we are highlighting Mary Thomas her summer trip last year at the Kinderdijk Windmills in the Netherlands.

To Do

Finish your probationary letters ASAP: These are due tomorrow. Contact HR if you have any questions.

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Sign Up for Mandatory Admin Trainings:

We have two mandatory trainings coming up. The first is related to Mandatory Subjects of Bargaining and the other is related to AI Guidance for the 2025-2026 school year. We will have several options to take these trainings over the next few months in an effort to accommodate many different schedules. Each training is 2 hours long. On January 31st (the report card workday), we will have three options to complete the Mandatory Subjects of Bargaining training. Sign up by clicking HERE. Other trainings opportunities for this and the AI training will happen on various Thursdays throughout the winter and spring. More details to come. 

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Admin PD:

Bring your laptop to Bend High on Wednesday for our admin PD. We will be discussing chapter 1 of Thriving Leaders. There is not a requirement to read the chapter ahead of time but if you want to walk in more prepared, feel free to do so.

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Evals and SLGGs:

Principal, Assistant Principal, and Dean Evaluation Information:

1. These are updated and in our system. You can attach your SLGGs using the paperclip if you haven’t already. You level leader needs this too
2. All of the details for each scoring area can be accessed by clicking on the question mark to the right of the rating section. You will also notice that Domain 9, 10, 11, and 12 have more specific information than they have had in the past. This is to be more in line with the current district work with which we are engaged. If you have questions about these sections, please reach out to your level leader.
3. Please refer to this UKG guidance doc for specific actions. 

From Departments

From Lisa:

Optional Admin PD Opportunities (sign up by clicking link and then clicking on the training of interest):

1. Dave will be leading a testing topic training on 2/6 from 8-10. If you want to come this week, please sign up before tomorrow close of business!
2. Other trainings available before Spring Break are related to SIOP, Evaluations and Feedback, SPED and SPED Law, Financial Management, Positive Behavioral Support Planning, and Instructional Frameworks. Click the link above to sign up. Note: Sign up by tomorrow (1/24) if you want to attend the 1/30 SIOP training.
3. If you have an idea for a future training, let me know!

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From Eric (Part 1):

Synergy Updates from IT/Student Services

#1 – Discipline Incident Wizard to be “LIVE” in Synergy by February 5th

Our IT staff have been working on many Synergy-related projects of late (Thank you!). By February 5th, we will have the ability to access the “Discipline Wizard” in Synergy to enter Incidents. Please review the walkthrough linked HERE to familiarize yourself with this new tool. We referenced this Wizard at the Welcome Back Administrator training (when we launched the Code of Conduct). Now that the known issues with the Wizard have been fixed by Edupoint, we can begin utilizing this helpful resource!

Jason & Ted in IT have offered to help with trainings for the Wizard (as needed), so please reach out if you want any additional support in this area. 

#2 – Message Directly from Jason & Ted Regarding IDS Reports (Helpful Accessing Reports!)

Earlier this year, it was not possible to run Synergy incident reports (IDS reports) which would display violation details like what many staff were used to in prior years due to the Code of Conduct changes. However, it is now possible for an IDS report (for example, IDS401: Student Discipline Listing or IDS403: Discipline Disposition List) to identify the violation details by selecting the “Use Sub Codes” checkbox on the Options tab of the report.

Example:

Additionally, it is recommended to change the output type on the Sort / Output tab to Excel (or CSV) for use with Excel (which makes it easier to read and work with).

This should allow you to answer questions related to the details of violations / dispositions.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to Jason Westmoreland or Ted Helton for assistance:

Ted Helton = 541-355-1224 [[email protected]]

Jason Westmoreland = 541-355-1222 [[email protected]]

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From Eric (Part 2):

Quick Message Regarding SIRC/STAS Assessments and the Important “Outcome and Safety Plans”

For any SIRC (Level 1) or STAS (Level 0 or Level 1) assessment that your team works through, we are required to submit the assessment materials utilized AND an Outcome & Safety Plan. The Outcome and Safety Plan is what we attach to the incident in Synergy, so this document and the accompanying safety planning is vital to the process. 

Here is the link to our SIRC/STAS Threat Assessment Guide for specifics: LINK HERE

Thank you!

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From TLC – Canvas Expectations Reminder:

Heading into the second semester is a good time to remind staff of Canvas expectations. Again, these expectations are at a much lower bar than when we were in the pandemic and there is no requirement to use Canvas for grading. However, we still need to keep our families and students informed of what we are doing in our classrooms.

Here is the document that was shared in the fall.

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From Kinsey – Policy, Advocacy, and Office of DEI:

MAC Survey:

The next MAC Survey will occur the week of Feb 3rd–specific date coming soon.  If you are in the cost pool you will be notified, and it will be important you complete your training asap.  Even if you don’t claim any activities on the survey day, just being a trained administrator in the cost pool helps our funding.  If you can attend any meetings that day where claimable activities might be discussed, that would be a huge help.  Remember, this survey process brings in critical funding for FAN Advocate services.  Thank you for your partnership!

Immigration Guidance: 

Principals, be sure relevant staff have access to the district immigration guidance shared with you last week.  You may share with any/all staff, but at a minimum, it is expected that your entire front-office team be very familiar with the full guidance.  

Please print the ICE Protocol (the document linked in the first section) and post for staff reference at the station where your check-in person sits and greets visitors.  Reach out if you have questions or concerns.

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From Becca in Communications:

Help celebrate our SROs! SRO Appreciation Day is Saturday, February 15 but we want to celebrate them all week long. Beginning Monday, February 11, do something special for your SRO. Please pick the day of the week that works best for your school.

Need some ideas?

Ask students and staff to make them thank you cards

Bring them donuts or other tasty morning treats

Serve them lunch

Decorate their office

Help us share the love on social media. Send your imagery to Becca Burda, Assistant Director of Communications, and we’ll keep the gratitude flowing online. 

Middle School Only

CTE Fly Up: As a reminder, you will need to set aside two advisory times in February for your 8th grade students to plan for CTE fly up day. One will need to be the week of the 17th and the second will need to be the week of the 24th.

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February Meetings: Time to sign up for a February visit. Please choose a date this month for a 60 minute check in. Here is my Calendly link or you can use Outlook directly.

Calendar

• January 6-31: Schools implement YouthTruth survey!
• January 24: Probationary Letters due to HR
• January 28: HS Administrator work session 8-10 @ Mountain View HS
• January 28: HS Principal meeting on careers class 10:00 -10:30 @ Mountain View HS
• January 29: All Admin PD 3:00-4:30 @ Bend HS in Perseverance Hall
• January 30: MS Horizontal – Pacific Crest – 3:00 – 5:00
• January 31: Grading day for semester schools
• February 11: HS Administrator work session 8:00-10:00 @ Summit HS
• February 11: ICCL/Secondary Administrator 4:15-6:30 @ BSHS Perseverance Hall
• February 19: All Admin PD 3:00-4:30 @ Bend HS in Perseverance Hall
• February 25: HS Principal work session 8:00-10:00 @ Caldera HS
• February 27: MS Horizontal 3:00-5:00 @ Sky View MS

March 18: AP Requests DUE on this sheet

Where in the World

Keep the entries coming!

This week we are highlighting Tim Broadbent, principal at Three Rivers, and his happy place! Any Buffalo Bills game with family!

Editors note: Sorry Dr. Cook, but go Bills!

To Do

YouthTruth Survey window: The survey window is open until the end of January! The goal of each school is to get the highest participation from staff, students and families! Reach out to Dave if you have questions

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From Kinsey – Policy, Advocacy, & Equity:

Immigration Guidance: 

Please read this information carefully, and reach out with any questions.

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Presidential Inauguration:

Reminder: Post-inauguration, some students will be walking into your building with big feelings.  The incoming administration has openly communicated upcoming changes intended to directly impact particular populations (immigrants, trans people, etc).  

Please ask your counselors to make themselves as available as possible for drop-ins if students need extra support next week.  If your team knows a particular student or colleague struggled after the election in November, make time on Tuesday to have a trusted adult or friend intentionally check in with them.  Thank you for your increased presence, vigilance, empathy, and grace next week. 

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Thank you to those principals who have submitted your SLGSS to your level leader. Please do so if you haven’t already.

From Departments

Mark your calendars! Our District Leadership Launch is scheduled for August 6 and 7. All administrators are expected to attend. Principals, please work with your deans to adjust their calendars accordingly.

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From Kinsey – Policy, Advocacy, & Equity:

FAN Food Resource: 

The Giving Plate provides our families in need with weekend food through their Snack Bag program.  Recently, they let us know that their donations and volunteer resources are down, while the number of families they’re serving has been up: from 130 to 700 families weekly.  They are unable to meet demand and need to prioritize their core services, so the Snack Bag program is discontinued.  

While this is disappointing news, there are still many ways families can access food resources.  Please see the links at the bottom of this letter, with bilingual handouts listing current food resources in Bend and South County.  FAN Advocates have shared this letter with impacted families.  Feel free to print copies of the handouts linked there, to have available in your main office.

Want to help out?  One of the best ways you can support our families is to volunteer or donate to awesome programs like The Giving Plate or directly to FAN, so they can maintain their services and programs that benefit our families.  🙂

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From Ryan in Human Resources:

Remote work:

Per Article 15.8 of the CBA, Certified Employees are not required to report to their work site on end-of-term work days but must remain available by phone. Supervisors may require in-person attendance if there are articulable concerns about the timely completion of professional responsibilities.

To ensure clarity, we are setting the following expectations that will take effect for the second semester of 24-25 SY:

1. Progress Reports Submission Deadline:
   • Special Education Progress reports must be submitted by 4:00 PM on 1/31 this semester.
   • Middle/High School progress reports must be finalized in Synergy by 4:00 PM on 1/31.
   • Elementary progress reports must be finalized by 4:00 PM on 2/3.
2. Work Location for End-of-Term Days:
   • Employees who have met the deadlines in regards to grading and/or progress reports in previous semesters, and who have met other expectations surrounding the timely completion of professional responsibilities, will be permitted to work from an off-site location on end-of-term work days.
   • Employees who have not met these deadlines, and/or for whom their supervisor has further articulable concerns about the timely completion of professional responsibilities, will be required to work from their assigned school site.

Next Steps for Administrators:

• Notify employees with past concerns about timely completion of responsibilities – with detail regarding those concerns – as soon as possible (no later than 2 weeks before any potential end-of-term workday) if they will be required to work onsite on end-of-term work days. This communication will be followed up in writing with specific articulable concerns shared.

This practice encourages timely completion of professional responsibilities while maintaining flexibility for those employees meeting expectations.

Thank you for your attention to this process. 

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We are providing the following information from Article 14.1 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) to ensure you are aware of the reimbursement policy for certified employees who use their personal vehicles for school or professionally related activities, including those staff who travel between sites in the course of a day due to split assignments:

• Certified employees approved to use their own automobiles for school or professionally related activities will be reimbursed at the current IRS mileage rate.
• Employees required to drive their own personal automobiles in the course of their work will also be reimbursed at the IRS mileage rate for the distance traveled between regular district work assignments.
• Certified employees who reside in La Pine and are required to attend meetings in Bend are eligible for mileage reimbursement.

The reimbursement process is consistent with IRS guidelines, which set the standard mileage rate and helps ensure that employees are not financially disadvantaged for using personal vehicles in the course of their work.

Reimbursement requests should be submitted using the AP-106 form and will be charged to your building’s discretionary funds. For staff who work at multiple sites, a good way to balance the budgetary implications across schools may be for the involved schools to rotate responsibility for these payments on a monthly or quarterly basis.

This information is shared so you can address any questions or reimbursement requests that may arise from employees. While there’s no need to proactively disseminate this information, we encourage you to refer to this information if you have questions or require clarification as to our practice.

Thank you for your attention to this and for your support in ensuring consistent understanding of contract provisions.

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From Andrea in Human Resources:

A reminder that employees and students should not bring pets with them to work or school. ING-AR: Animals in the Classroom or on School Property reviews the conditions and process for by which animals can visit classrooms or be on school property. If you have any questions regarding staff who identify a need for service animals, please reach out to the Human Resources Benefits team at hr-benefits@bend.k12.or.us

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From Culture of Care Team:

Happy 2025 from HDESD’s Culture of Care Team!

We still have space available for our upcoming Restorative Conferencing training on 1/30/25 (8:30am-12:30pm at COCC Redmond). This is the tier 3 formal, scripted circle used to repair specific and significant harm between individuals. This session is free and open to educators and our partners.

Register for all RP Opportunities here!

Culture of Care has also been updating our Restorative Practices resources:

·  New and improved RP Overview

·  Comparison of the different Types of Circles

·  Fair Process Guide

·  Consultation/facilitation Request Form

These resources can also be found on our website: cultureofcareoregon.org 

From Communications:

Grammy MUSIC teacher nominations! Nominate a teacher by March 15, 2025 for this prestigious award. Teachers do not need to be nominated to apply – they simply need to complete our application form by March 31, 2025. 

If you have any questions or need any additional information, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Thank you for helping us recognize the contributions of our outstanding music educators!

Calendar

• January 6-31: Schools implement YouthTruth survey!
• January 23: BLPS Family Academic Night @ Summit HS
• January 24: Probationary Letters due to HR
• January 28: HS Administrator work session 8-10 @ Mountain View HS
• January 28: HS Principal meeting on careers class 10:00 -10:30 @ Mountain View HS
• January 29: All Admin PD 3:00-4:30 @ Bend HS in Perseverance Hall
• January 30: MS Horizontal – Pacific Crest – 3:00 – 5:00
• February 11: HS Administrator work session 8:00-10:00 @ Summit HS
• February 11: ICCL/Secondary Administrator 4:15-6:30 @ BSHS Perseverance Hall
• February 19: All Admin PD 3:00-4:30 @ Bend HS in Perseverance Hall
• February 25: HS Principal work session 8:00-10:00 @ Caldera HS

March 18: AP Requests DUE on this sheet

Where in the World

Keep the entries coming!

This week we are highlighting Reno Holler’s happy place! “47 years ago (that’s right folks… I’m talking the 1970’s) I spent my high school Summer’s with my then girlfriend/now wife (the lovely Cindy) and my band playing music in the bars of Canada. Back then you could be under the age of 18 and play music in the pubs.  We played primarily in Alberta and British Columbia. I still recall very vividly the first time we explored Banff & Jasper.  The color of the water, the glaciers and the 18,000,000 ravenous mosquitoes are what impressed me the most.  I have told many people that, in my opinion, the Canadian Rockies are the most beautiful spot in North America. A few years back Cindy and I returned and took our two sons (Logan & Devon) to see their first glaciers, eat their first helping of Poutine, and experience Canada’s two seasons (Winter &  Almost Winter). These pictures are from the restaurant on top of the Jasper Skyline Tram,  A must see for those that do not suffer from a fear of heights.  I would show you a picture of Cindy and I in our rock n’ roll regalia, but it involves me with a Mullet and the firewall is blocking that image at the moment. (it really is for the best. Once you’ve seen a Mullet, you can’t unsee it).