{"id":1520,"date":"2026-01-29T23:16:03","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T23:16:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bend.k12.or.us\/stephen.duval\/?p=1520"},"modified":"2026-01-29T23:16:03","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T23:16:03","slug":"the-secondary-blog-january-29-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bend.k12.or.us\/stephen.duval\/2026\/01\/29\/the-secondary-blog-january-29-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"The Secondary Blog, January 29, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

To Do<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Kinsey – Office of Policy & Advocacy:<\/strong><\/p>

Immigration\/ICE:\u00a0 \u00a0 -Action needed-<\/strong><\/p>

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.\u00a0 Please copy and paste\u00a0this message<\/a>\u00a0into your next staff communication–thanks for making sure both classified and certified receive this from you.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>

Additionally, this half-way point in the year is a good time to\u00a0review the guidance<\/a>\u00a0(for admin and front office) for what you are expected to do\u00a0should ICE activity occur on or near your campus.\u00a0\u00a0Note<\/strong>: Some edits were made this week–please be sure you\u00a0and your office team<\/em>\u00a0are\u00a0familiar with these expectations and that this updated version is printed and accessible where your front-entry greeter sits.\u00a0 One important note: Depending on your building’s layout, you may receive from me via interdistrict mail some signage: “Public Area<\/em>” and “Not a Public Area<\/em>.”\u00a0 I’ll send details with the signs for where to post them\u2014just know these are related to our procedures here.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

Complaints and Bias Incidents:\u00a0 \u00a0 -Action needed-<\/strong><\/p>As the semester wraps up, please go into your Complaint Dashboard and ensure that\u00a0<\/span>all<\/em>\u00a0submissions 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).\u00a0 When complete, you should select “<\/span>Resolved By School: Yes<\/em>” to close it out.\u00a0 If a complaint gets appealed, we’ll grab the documentation and records from there, so you don’t need to worry about that step. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Reminder from HR, Probationary Letters due by February 3:<\/strong> Those of you with third-year Probationary\/Temporary certified staff being recommended for Contract status you will need to generate letters of support<\/u><\/em> 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 hr-certified@bend.k12.or.us<\/a>. <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Complete and upload all your Renewal Recommendation letters into the appropriate school folder within this google drive.<\/a>  You will find the list <\/u><\/strong>of probationary\/temporary certified staff in the drive as well to assist you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rubrics for certified staff (link<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here<\/a> is a draft template\/sample Renewal Recommendation letter for your guidance (make as many copies of the letter as you need)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be sure your letter is submitted on your school\u2019s letterhead and has your signature prior to uploading<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certified Professional Growth and Performance Manual here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From Deschutes County Health Services:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please promote the following with your families. It is geared toward MS but open to all levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The workshops are centered on developmental needs of middle school students, but are open to families of all BLS students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personal invites from admin and staff already working with students and families with Tier 2-3 needs would be the most effective approach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s the promotion fliers and a promotion blurb to use for promoting the workshop to your families:<\/p>\n\n\n\n