Month: September 2025

September 24, 2025

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Staff are having fun and connecting with families in all sorts of different ways, whether you are the Silver Rail PE and Music teachers directing morning traffic, or the High Lakes SRO being attacked by a herd of kittens while reminding families of our pet policy on campus, families love to see staff enjoying what they do. Thank you!!

Reminder, if you are out and about this Saturday and are looking for something to do, or are fascinated with the history of Old Bend, stop by the Ed Center’s 100th Birthday party this weekend! You are sure to learn something you didn’t already know about this old lovable building (plus there are treats and great music by our own students and staff!)

From Tammy and Karen

Our next round of site visits start this coming week! We are looking forward to seeing you all as we will be coming together this time (Karen, Tammy, and Julie when available). Here is our agenda:

The first Educator Network Day is quickly approaching (October 8). As you can see in this list of available topics, most of your schools will be hosting a session (or 2) that staff can choose to attend. (Deborah, please head over to LPE to support that session with Megan. Tim (and Lorin unless you are doing secondary), please head over to Pine Ridge to support one of the two sessions there. Trevor and Carl please head to Jewell and support one of the two sessions there.) Thanks for your help and support that day. Here is what we need you all (Principals and Assistant Principals) to do:

  • Arrive on time to the session
  • Support the people teaching the session at your site. You can see who they are here.
  • Make sure all staff get signed in and accounted for.
  • Actively participate the entire time of the session (we are modeling what we expect of the staff and will learn along the way as well). Thank you!

Important Links

Notes from our Team:

Reminders from Kayla and Scott B in Safety

CALL FOR RAPTOR PHOTOS & SUCCESS STORIES

The Safety Team has been asked to present at a national conference on best practices for visitor management. If you have any success stories of using Raptor (custom alerts, large events, etc), please share them with us. We would really appreciate the opportunity to highlight our schools’ amazing work. So far, we have only had two schools share with us! 

STAS & SIRC Training 

  • All new admin and counselors have been asked to attend one of the 8-hour sessions. REGISTER HERE. 
  • Training dates are:
    • Thursday, October 2 -Mountain View High School 
    • Monday, October 6- Pacific Crest Middle School

If you have any questions reach out to Lillah Lehner ([email protected]) 

From Kinsey in the Office of Policy and Advocacy:

Religion and Holidays: -Action Items

Please share this policy with your staff.  I recommend asking your staff to review and following up in particular with your Music teachers and those planning holiday events.

Here is the “Do Not Schedule” document of cultural and holidays, updated with 25-26, 26-27, and now the 27-28 dates.  Be sure your office staff and those who plan events and activities have this updated version.  

Here (scroll down to October) are student-facing materials on Halloween and costumes.  

From Transportation. Reminder: Please share with your staff—Transportation staff are allowed to enter the building to use the bathroom, if they are wearing their BLP id. They are not required to walk around to the front of the building and “check in”.  Please direct them to the nearest staff bathroom by the bus entrance.  Thank you!!

From Maintenance: We’d ask that schools submit work order for keys, locks or any other maintenance issues at a school.  You can find a link to it on the Staff Portal>right hand column> toward the bottom>Hero HQ.

The benefit to the person who submits the request (it can be any staff member), is that they get to see the updates as maintenance staff addresses it.  In addition, it allows our maintenance department to track and analyze the work being performed by our staff.

As an FYI, here is our Maintenance Department Structure and staff responsibilities. Enjoy!

From Jennifer in Student Well Being

Please see the updated Outside Behavioral Health Memo that discusses our approved behavioral health and case management providers, as well as, attendance codes.

Great job Pacific Crest, Bend High, Highland and Three Rivers for the highest completion rates so far!! 

If you want to see the classroom/advisory completion rates for your school, you can follow these steps to view Waypoints completions rates by class:

  1. Switch to your School Admin role (see How to Change Your Role). If you do not see a System Admin role, please email Austin James to have this setup for you.
  2. Click on “Waypoints” from the left-hand navigation menu
  3. On the Waypoints page, select “Summative” on the left-hand side
  4. In the Completion Rate box, you can view the overall completion percentage across the whole school
  5. To view the completion percentage by class, click on the “View Details” button in the Completion Rate box

Action Items

  • Need something to do Saturday? Ed Center has a 100th birthday party!
  • Remind your teachers to sign up for their Educator Network Day class starting Friday
  • Got a Raptor Success story? Share with Kayla Martin in Safety
  • Are you new and need STAS/SIRC training? Sign up!
  • Share the policies on religion and holidays with your staff, esp with the holidays on the horizon
  • Make sure staff know to let transportation staff in the building to use the restroom without having to go up front and sign in (only if they are wearing their id)
  • Remember if you need something from maintenance, you need to submit work orders.
  • Share attendance codes with office staff

Important Dates

  • October 1: All Admin PD 3:00- 4:30 at Perseverance Hall
  • October 1-2: Yom Kippur–no evening activities
  • October 7: Elementary Leadership Meeting, 3:00 – 4:30 at Education Center Board Room
  • October 8: First Educator Network Day: See the information above on 9/25 Blog
  • October 14: PLCs 1 and 2, 3:00-4:30 at (1 @ Rosland and Phly Like Canadians @ Lava Ridge)
  • October 15: SLGGs are due by today
  • October 16: TAG Admin ICCL 3:30 – 5:30 Education Center Board Room
  • October 21: PLCs 3 and 4, 3:00 – 4:30. (PL C3PO @ Silver Rail and We Are the Winners @ La Pine)
  • October 22: Elementary Safety Cadre 1:15 – 3:45 at Silver Rail Elementary
  • October 29: Teacher work day (8 hrs)   Conf. (4 hrs.) Admin will have a ½ day Amplify training on this date. (Half in the morning and half in afternoon–check your calendar invite)
  • October 30: Parent Teacher Conferences
  • October 31: No School and School Improvement Plans are due today.

And finally… Congratulations to our Next Duck Drawing winner, Kate Donegan!

Kate is the Principal at Ensworth and this is her second year in Bend-La Pine Schools. Prior to that, Kate worked in the West Linn-Wilsonville SD for many years where she held several different positions. Her background in Special Education brings a focus and belief that all students, regardless of their circumstances can achieve and grow when given the opportunities to do so. You can also catch her running the trails around Bend and loving on her family, including a (not so shy anymore) Aussie dog. Kate, let us know your drink of choice and we will deliver this next week!

September 18, 2025

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The above quote comes from Ann Morriss and you can hear it in it’s context in this quick (11 min) and inspiring TED talk. Thank you Michelle Wilson for passing on this gem of wisdom and opportunity to take a different perspective on solving problems one step at a time.

From Tammy and Karen

A quick shout out and thank you to PLCs 1 and 2 this week. We had a great time facilitating your groups and watching you start to come together as a PLC, connect as colleagues to bounce around ideas, and grow into friends to share the ups and downs with. PLCs 3 and 4 will be meeting this next Tuesday and we look forward to doing it all again with you!

We will soon be sending out the next round of site visit sign ups and this time we will be coming to visit you together. When you get the link, please put it on the urgent and important quadrant of priorities, as they start on September 29!

Important Links

Notes from our Team:

From Andrea in Human Resources

Certified Personal Leave Request Process Change

Human Resources is making a change to how certified employee personal leave requests are processed for the 2025-26 school year. 

Historically, HR has been responsible for approval / denial of all certified employee personal leave requests. This created an unnecessary step for both sites and HR, especially since the BEA collective bargaining agreement does not require it.  

Beginning this school year, HR review will only be required when a certified employee personal leave request falls within the restricted time frames outlined in the BEA contract. 

Approval or denial of all personal leave requests that are outside of the restricted timeperiods will be the responsibility of building principals. Please familiarize yourself with the criteria outlined in Article 7.8 regarding Personal Leave and ensure these guidelines are followed when processing requests. 

  1. Personal Leave

7.8.1      The District recognizes that a Certified Employee may need time off for personal reasons. Two (2) working days paid leave of absence may be used as personal leave. If a bargaining unit Certified Employee works less than ninety-five (95) workdays (not including unpaid leave), the District shall provide only one (1) day of personal leave. Personal leave may be used for personal reasons if a qualified substitute is available. Personal leave may also be used for the employee’s illness/injury and the illness/injury of the employee’s immediate family. Personal leave shall be used in increments of at least four (4) hours when a substitute is required by the district. If a substitute is not required by the district or if the district approves internal coverage, personal leave shall be used in increments of one (1) hour. Certified employees scheduled for less than eight (8) hours in a particular workday will not have personal leave deducted more than the number of hours scheduled.

7.8.2      No more than five percent (5%) of the bargaining unit Certified Employees in a school or two (2) bargaining unit Certified Employees, whichever is greater, may take personal leave on a given day. The Superintendent or their designee may make exceptions due to unusual or highly extenuating circumstances. Exceptions made by the Superintendent, or their designee will not be revoked.

7.8.3      Leave shall not be taken during the first week of the students’ school year, the last week of the semester/trimester or the last two weeks of the school year. Leave shall not be taken during parent conference days. The Superintendent or their designee may make exceptions due to unusual or highly extenuating circumstances. Exceptions made by the Superintendent, or their designee will not be revoked.

7.8.4      The District will not rescind personal leave once approved by the Human Resources Department or Superintendent/designee.

7.8.5      The District will allow the following options for the use of personal leave:

7.8.5.1   Certified employees will be allowed to bank up to two (2) days of unused personal leave for future use, but no more than four (4) days of personal leave (two current year personal leave and two banked personal leave) will be available in any given year.

7.8.5.2   Reimburse Certified employees for unused personal leave up to two (2) days at the daily sub rate of pay. The District shall provide Certified employees payment within thirty (30) days of the last workday of the contract year.

We shared this information with Office Managers on Friday, September 5, along with some more detailed instructions. Please reach out with any questions. We hope this change will help make the process easier and more efficient for everyone!

Reminders from Kayla in Safety

STAS & SIRC Training 

This week, an invitation to attend a training about Student Threat Assessment went to all new hires who are likely to be involved in this process at your site (Admin, Counselors, Psychs, etc.). Participants can choose one of two training days (October 2 or October 6). Training will be from 8-4 and lunch will be provided. If you yourself, or you have a staff member who you believe should participate, please simply sign up using THIS LINK. Questions? Contact Scott or Kayla in Safety.  

  • All new admin and counselors have been asked to attend one of the 8-hour sessions. REGISTER HERE.
  • Training dates are:
    • Thursday, October 2 -location TBD 
    • Monday, October 6- Pacific Crest Middle School 

Safety Cadre Invites have been sent out. Reach out if you have been missed. 

  • Dates are October 22, December 3, March 11, April 29 
  • Secondary will be 8:00-9:30am, Elementary will be 1:30pm-3:00pm

*8888 Extension Reminder 

  • When schools have an incident, we want to send a friendly reminder to use the *8888 voicemail. See handout attached you can share with any admin and front office staff. Handout here. 

From Kinsey in the Office of Policy and Advocacy:

Complaints: Recommended action item: 

Please go into your Complaints Dashboard and ensure you have either resolved the incidents submitted to date or are actively working on them.  (Looking for your Dashboard?  See my email titled “Complaints” sent Aug 14.)   

Take time with your admin team to notice trends so far: what is and isn’t showing up in your dashboard?  How is complaint response going for your team?  What feedback or opportunities are showing up there?  If you have questions about complaint process, timelines, etc, reach out.

From Lisa our Deputy Superintendent

Action Needed: Tier I Start-of-Year Check-In

Please take some time with your ICCL team to complete the survey below before the end of the day on October 3rd. The survey should be done together as a team (one survey per school) and will help the Task Force understand the roll-out of Tier I processes across the district. The Task Force will use this information in our first meeting together to recognize bright spots across the district, share trends back to our educator groups, understand consistency, and identify areas that may need more support as we move forward. You can access the survey using THIS LINK.

Amplify Math Update:

A few weeks ago Kerry Morton forwarded an email to be shared with kindergarten teachers regarding missing items from their Center Kits.  Amplify Desmos Math had a delay in their production, so we will not receive those for another 7-10 days.  Please alert your kindergarten teachers that items are delayed. If they need the items immediately, they can find the pdfs in the Unit Prep Packet (log into Amplify before clicking on the link). 

From Sara in the Student Services Department:

Questions regarding this? Please reach out to Sara Young, who can answer your question or help facilitate a team to problem-solve.

From Jennifer in Student Well Being

The required Waypoints summative assessment is now open for 3-12! The K-2 teacher observed will be ready October 1st. 

o    3-5 Implementation Guide

o    Admin Tutorial Video

Please review the help documents, from blog #2.

Please make sure that all teachers understand the “Why” behind the assessment and that the student results will help us to identify intervention skill building groups. Teachers need to read the instructions from the implementation guides to the students. This will ensure that we get quality data to inform interventions. Wayfinder will also recommend additional skill building activities based on what students in their specific classroom need.

Guest Speakers in the school: If your school is considering an outside speaker or organization for a classroom presentation or assembly, please submit a Guest Speaker Application at least three weeks before the event (instructions, application) . If you have any questions about the application process, please reach out to Dean Richards. All outside speakers and organizations must be vetted by district leadership to ensure they align with our curriculum and support programs.

Through Adi’s Act, the district has significantly invested in our Sources of Strength Peer Leader programs at our secondary schools, including funding for extended contract stipends and a site budget for activities.

To plan school-wide assemblies and activities that promote a positive school climate and culture, please collaborate with your Sources of Strength adult advisors, public health specialist, or district advocacy coach. (elementary counselors are our Sources contacts)

You can also partner with your public health specialist and/or district advocacy coach to review data from your School Health Improvement Process (SHIP) and Youth Truth surveys that are tied to student needs.Additional resources, such as the belonging curriculum and activity library in Wayfinder or materials from our advocacy coaches, are also available for planning ideas.

Action Items

  • Have you completed your Safe Schools yet? Has your staff? There was another one that just showed up, so double check if you think you are done. Due October 31 
  • Did you catch the new change with personal leave?
  • All signed up for safety cadre dates if your are the appointed admin at your school?
  • Are you new and need STAS/SIRC training?
  • Check your Dashboard for any complaints you need to resolve or update–check even if you don’t think you have any…just in case! (Kinsey’s Aug 14 email for directions)
  • Alert your K teachers about the Amplify Center Kits delay.
  • Calendar time for your ICCL team to take the survey shared by Lisa by the end of the day on Oct 3.
  • Make sure that your staff give the Waypoints assessments within the assessment window

Important Dates

  • September 23: PLCs 3 and 4, 3:00-4:30 (PLC 3 @ Ponderosa and PLC 4 at Elk Meadow)
  • September 22-24: Rosh Hashanah–no scheduling of evening events on these days.
  • October 1: All Admin PD 3:00- 4:30 at Perseverance Hall
  • October 7: Elementary Leadership Meeting, 3:00 – 4:30 at Education Center Board Room
  • October 14: PLCs 1 and 2, 3:00-4:30 at (1 @ Rosland and 2 @ Lava Ridge)
  • October 16: TAG Admin ICCL 3:30 – 5:30 Education Center Board Room
  • October 21: PLCs 3 and 4, 3:00 – 4:30
  • October 22: Elementary Safety Cadre 1:15 – 3:45 at Silver Rail Elementary
  • October 29: Teacher work day (8 hrs)   Conf. (4 hrs.) Admin will have a ½ day Amplify training on this date.
  • October 30: Parent Teacher Conferences
  • October 31: No School

And finally… Congratulations to our Next Duck Drawing winner, Dan Wolnick!

Dan is the Principal at Juniper. He has held several positions at BLS at the elementary and middle levels and is a resident expert on creating and maintaining a positive school culture and technology integration. You can also catch him riding the trails on his bike, hiking the PCT, or summiting the Dolomites in Italy! Dan, let us know your drink of choice and we will deliver this next week!

September 11, 2025

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Take a moment and notice: your dignity is never something you have to prove. It doesn’t hinge on what others think of you, the roles you hold, or your achievements — your worth is built in. How might you honor that dignity in your own life today? Perhaps by speaking truthfully in a hard conversation, setting a boundary that reflects your values, or simply resting when you need rest, knowing you deserve it.

From Tammy and Karen

We have been enjoying our site visits and have been impressed with how well the school year is starting at each of your schools! Great learning happening in classrooms, and lots of smiles all around! Hooray!

We are getting a jump start on SLGGs (Student Learning Growth Goals) this year, in an effort to have them turned in by October 15.  Chat GPT has made us a quick reference guide for what is required in the state of Oregon:Two SLG goals are required.  Of these two:

  • One goal must address the whole class or course load of students.
  • One goal must focus on a subgroup of students who have historically been underserved or who need additional support (e.g., students with disabilities, English learners, students below grade level, students from specific demographic groups, etc.).
  • Both must still meet the other parameters: standards-based, measurable, based on baseline data, rigorous but attainable, with clear growth targets and progress monitoring.

This is explicitly stated in Oregon Department of Education guidance and is part of the Oregon Framework for Educator Evaluation and Support Systems (aligned to OAR 581-022-2410).

Here is the SLGG form that your teachers and you will use to fill out your SLGGs as well as a list of plug and play SLGGs for everyone in your building.  Some of them are open-ended for your specialists who will design goals specific to their content.  Please be aware that you may have some SLPs who do not need to do SLGGs because of their licensing.  In addition, counselors and Student Success Clinicians do not do SLGGs either, but Jennifer Hauth does require them to do goal setting, which is also linked on the document.  

SLGGs are due by October 15.  The pre-arranged conversation you have with each staff member about their goals counts as one of the mini observations you are required to do for the year. 

Reminder: Time sheets are due on Monday. Please use the electronic time sheet that was sent to you by Jessica Houser. You simply enter any time off in the 25-26 tab and it will autopopulate the time sheet for September. Simply print it, sign it, and send it to April Jorgenson! Thanks!

Important Links

Notes from our Team:

From Educational Technology

We have something exciting to share!  Please pass this onto your staff. 

New Resource: Swank 🎥

Swank is our district’s new streaming service for feature films, offering a library of 215 titles, with the option to request additional films when needed. It provides a simple, legal way for teachers and administrators to use movies in the classroom and for school events, while replacing personal streaming services and hardwiring devices. Learn more in our Introducing Swank blog post.

From Paul Dean – Chief Operations Officer

We are initiating a districtwide enrollment forecasting study in partnership with FLO Analytics, a firm specializing in K–12 demographic and facility planning. Their work will support our ongoing efforts to align resources, programs, and facilities with student needs.

FLO will be analyzing:

  • Historical and current enrollment trends
  • Housing development and land use data
  • Grade progression and demographic patterns
  • Heat maps identifying where students live, what school they attend and how this is expected to change in the next 10 years

The forecast will be completed in the first quarter of 2026  and is designed to inform future planning conversations. We will share the findings in a way that supports transparency and collaboration as next steps emerge.  Please direct any questions about the process to me

From Transportation: Thank you for your patience as we continue to work through our backlog of requests from families.  If you have an immediate need don’t email [email protected].  Instead, please contact our office directly via phone.

From Kinsey – Policy, Advocacy, and Equity:

1. Student Anti-Bias Lessons:

The 25-26 anti-bias student lessons are here!  As a reminder, this is an annual lesson for all students K-12, required to be completed before Oct 31.  While there is a sequence of suggested lessons, there is only one required lesson.  For self-contained classes or longer advisory periods, you can fit it into one session; for shorter periods, plan on two sessions to complete it.

The lessons have been refreshed with improved slides, updated content, and new activities.  For 6th-12th grades, there is a new video featuring the voices and experiences of our very own students!  (Fun fact: it was filmed and produced by a recent BLS graduate.)  

Principals, please be sure to:

  1. review the materials yourself (watch the student video!),
  2. consider adding in your own message to personalize the lesson (see Slide #3 on the HS slide show for an example of a principal’s message to the school)
  3. share all lesson materials with your teachers asap,
  4. ideally, provide planning time for teachers to review the updated materials,
  5. make a copy of the Family Letter, hyperlink your level’s slides, edit any of the message as you see fit, and send to your families at least a few days before the lesson is taught,
  6. contact the Advocacy Coaches if you’d like prep or co-teaching support for your teachers,
  7. be in classes and participate in the lesson with students if possible,
  8. send any feedback from your teachers or families afterward, if applicable.

2. Policy notes: 

Distribution and display of materials:  If you have local community partners or external groups requesting to share information with families or students, please direct them to the Community Bulletin Boards in your lobby area.  Some select partners and organizations can distribute materials more directly, but those are limited:  

Here is policy guidance on those levels of distribution, and here is a reference chart.  Principal or designee needs to approve, and all materials should support our values.  Related: Here is our Advertising policy on what businesses or groups can be displayed for donation/advertising-related purposes–you might share this policy with your PTA groups.  

Animal visitors: Thanks for the conversation on this this week.  As a reminder, any animals on your campus must be approved by you.  Policy here.  Quick reference: 

  • If service animal for staff: direct them to Benefits.  
  • If service animal for student: contact Student Services.  
  • Therapy animal, classroom pets, or other visitors: request form here, principal approves/denies. 
  • If parent bringing animal at pick-up or school activities: No.  Comms will send a reminder to families via Spotlight.  

Immigration guidance: At your request, here is that guidance again. Let me know if you have questions!  

From Ryan Kelling, Executive Director of Human Resources

We have gotten some questions on the application of Article 15.4 of the BEA/BLS CBA should apply to itinerant staff – that is, those employees who work at more than one site – and are asking for some input on current practice. The contract language outlines expectations for Certified Employees to attend a set number of after-school/evening events each year. For itinerant staff, however, the application of this requirement is less clear and may require collaboration between sites.

To help us determine a standard practice moving forward, we’ve created a short Google Form with background information and a request for feedback. Please take a few minutes to review the form and share your perspective.

https://forms.gle/4yqAkmMwbYLSMqKNA

Only administrators who currently supervise itinerant staff need to respond. Your input will be important as we work to establish clear and consistent expectations for these situations. Please fill this out by Wednesday, September 17, so that we can review and offer guidance.

Let Ryan know if you have any questions.

From Dave VanLoo – Director of School Improvement

Rapid Online Assessment of Reading (ROAR) Updates

  • ROAR is available for use. Our focus is on the English version of the four core measures (Letter, Phoneme, Word, Sentence). Other optional reading or math tests should become available for staff to use soon. Be aware that these other measures are not as far along in the research and development process and reports are likely to contain less information.
  • These previously shared resources are full of helpful information ROAR Training ROAR-Teacher Scripts and Logistics.pdf
  • Please share the following information about ROAR to share with families via newsletters or other communication methods. (Note that opting out of ROAR applies only to research happening at Stanford University. This does not opt the student out of taking ROAR at their school.) Feel free to edit this text to meet your school’s needs. 

Our school is using a new tool to help meet students’ learning needs. The Rapid Online Assessment of Reading (ROAR) is a set of student-friendly, game-like activities that assesses important reading skills and provides valuable information to teachers. More detailed information and resources for families are available at this link ROAR Family Guide.pdf. 

ROAR comes from Stanford University and results are used in research to improve teaching, learning, and assessment in schools. If you wish to have your child’s performance on ROAR excluded from this research, complete the form linked in this letter ROAR Research Information Sheet – English and Spanish.pdf. Submitting this form does not exclude your child from participating in our school’s universal screening assessment systems. It simply means that their results will not be included in Stanford’s research studies.  

2025-26 District Assessment, Testing, & Surveys

Here are two updated documents summarizing common standardized tests and surveys for the current school year. One is a schedule showing when different assessment activities occur. The other is a general overview of the purpose and logistics of these assessments. Both of these documents will continue to be updated throughout the year as is beneficial. Please reach out with any questions.

BLP Testing Schedule 2025-26

Major Tests & Surveys 2025-26 Bend-La Pine

2024-25 OSAS Local TAG Percentiles

Here are local percentiles from OSAS last spring.  

2425 OSAS Local Norms Table TAG

Action Items

  • Have you completed your Safe Schools yet? Has your staff? Due October 31 
  • Complete Ryan’s feedback form: https://forms.gle/4yqAkmMwbYLSMqKNA
  • Complete your time sheet on the electronic tracker, print, and send September time sheet to April J.
  • Share ROAR information with families
  • Share info about SWANK with your teachers (this can also be used at evening events!)
  • Review Anti-Bias lesson and complete the 8 steps in Kinsey’s section.

Important Dates

  • September 16: PLCs 1 and 2, 3:00-4:30
  • September 23: PLCs 3 and 4, 3:00-4:30
  • September 22-24: Rosh Hashanah–no scheduling of evening events on these days.
  • October 1: All Admin PD 3:00- 4:30 at Perseverence Hall
  • October 7: Elementary Leadership Meeting, 3:0 – 4:30 at Education Center Board Room
  • October 14: PLCs 1 and 2, 3:00-4:30
  • October 16: TAG Admin ICCL 3:30 – 5:30 Education Center Board Room
  • October 21: PLCs 3 and 4, 3:00 – 4:30
  • October 22: Elementary Safety Cadre 1:15 – 3:45 at Silver Rail Elementary
  • October 29: Teacher work day (8 hrs)   Conf. (4 hrs.) Admin will have a ½ day Amplify training on this date.
  • October 30: Parent Teacher Conferences
  • October 31: No School

And finally… Congratulations to our First Duck Drawing winner! Erich Brocker from RE Jewell

Erich is the Assistant Principal at RE Jewell. He has held several positions at BLS and is a resident expert on Creating a Culture of Belonging through Dignity. You can also catch him mentoring assistant principals at the BAM group! Erich, let us know your drink of choice and we will deliver this week!

September 4, 2025

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Just taking a moment to highlight Ensworth Elementary and how they incorporated the 6 Wayfinder core skills into their 3 schoolwide expectations. Pretty clever Coyotes–Aawwoooo!

From Tammy and Karen

Thank you for an incredible first day and a strong start to the year! We are so grateful for the way you and your staff leaned in with positivity, flexibility, and grace as you navigated both the expected and unexpected changes that always come with a new year. Each of you set a welcoming tone that helped students feel safe, excited, and ready to learn. The energy across our schools was uplifting, and that’s because of your leadership and the dedication of your teams. What a great way to launch the year—as we stay rooted in purposed and steady in growth!

Thank you to Robi Cole for putting together this amazing calendar of special dates throughout the year in which you can recognize the different groups that make up a staff. We’ll keep it in the important links below throughout the year.

Once again, we will share any fun field trips that come our way that you can connect to EL, math, Science, etc. This week, here is a flyer for Schillings Garden and their fall field trip experiences for our primary students. As a friendly reminder, we should not be asking families for money for field trips. You can do a fundraiser for things, but we do not charge families for an opportunity that is part of the school day.

Important Links

Notes from our Team:

From Jennifer Hauth–Director of Student Wellness.

Waypoints Assessment for grades 3-12:  This required assessment opens September 18th and closes October 25th for grades 3-12. Student results will  become available for all admin/counselors on the Wayfinder MTSS dashboard once all schools have completed the assessment, or October 27th. If all schools are done before October 24th, I will close the assessment so the data is available sooner. End of the year assessment is scheduled for: April 28th – May  30th

The assessment takes 15 to 20 minutes and can be completed on a student’s Ipad, using Clever and then selecting Wayfinder. Here are instructions for how it will appear in Student View. 

For students in grades 3–5: When they log in to the Wayfinder platform, the Waypoints assessment will be clearly visible at the top of their dashboard. It will appear as a box containing the assessment’s name with a “Start” button next to it. Students can leave and return to the assessment at any time, as their progress is automatically saved. 

Please make sure that all teachers understand the “Why” behind the assessment and that the student results will help to identify students in need of additional skill building groups. They need to read the instructions to the students so that we get quality data to inform interventions. Wayfinder will also recommend additional skill building activities based on what students in their specific classroom need.

Finally, we don’t need to get parent permission for Waypoints. However, there is a letter that you can make a copy of to use for your newsletter if you would like.

This was information was shared with all school counselors:

For the 2025–26 school year, we recommend not completing a school-wide needs assessment by school counselors. Between Synergy’s Early Warning System (EWS), Wayfinder’s Waypoints Assessment, and your school’s Request for Assistance (RFA) process, we should have sufficient data to identify students who may need additional targeted support. If, after consultation with your administrative team, you determine that an additional needs assessment is still necessary, please connect with Jennifer Hauth and Jess Calbreath before moving forward.

If your school chooses to administer a needs assessment, please follow the guidelines and best practices listed on this document.

From Julie Richards- Director of Elementary Curriculum & Instructional Supports

Forefront is for math and LITERACY! Here’s a help doc for leaders — it’s a friendly reminder and how-to regarding monitoring that teachers are getting in that expected data!

This is being shared with teachers on Wednesday, September 10th – mClass Beginning-of-the-Year math assessment – Here is a video about how to assign the assessment. Here is a helpful checklist to get ready for mClass. To get deeper into administering, here is a full document. Here is a description of the Benchmark Goals. There will be more professional learning about how to use the data as the year progresses.

From Sara Young-Director of Student Services

Here is the pdf of the above graphic. Please pay close attention to #4, as it is required to keep the correct ratio of CPI trained staff. If you need to have a training, please reach out to your student services support for information on how you can schedule one.

From Kinsey – Policy and Advocacy:

Cell phone policy: As of Sept 9th, you’ll find here the updated policy draft related to cell phone use in schools.  This is going out for community feedback on Sept 9; feedback will be incorporated as applicable into the final version for adoption October 14.  Much of this language derives from state legislation and as such cannot be significantly modified.  Secondary admin have also provided great input already.  However, if you, your staff, or your students and families have feedback on these drafts, please share (see feedback form available on the webpage linked above).  Engagement in our policy process is always valued and appreciated.

Office team trainings: All Office Managers and Registrars will be out of your building for required trainings during afternoon SIW on the dates below.  Please plan accordingly for alternative coverage or office closure on these afternoons.  Thank you!

Sept 17, Oct 22, Dec 3, Jan 14, March 11, April 29, May 27

From Ryan Kelling, Executive Director of Human Resources

UKG To-Do’s. You may have outstanding Personnel Action (PA) items in your To-Do section in UKG that require your approval for employees, whether they are new hires or returning staff. Please take a few moments this week to review and approve these items. Timely approval ensures that employees are correctly rolled over in the system, properly credited for their service, and paid without delay.

If you have any questions or need assistance with the process, please reach out to HR-Tech ([email protected])

Action Items

  • Update student enrollment numbers daily
  • Drop main schedule — live document into this folder
  • Clean up your UKG actions
  • Mark the dates office staff will be out for trainings and you need to cover or close the office
  • Check Your CPI percentages—are you compliant?
  • Have you completed your Safe Schools yet? Has your staff? Due October 31 

Important Dates

  • September 9: Elementary Leadership Meeting, 3:00-4:30 at the Ensworth Media Center
  • September 16: PLCs 1 and 2, 3:00-4:30
  • September 23: PLCs 3 and 4, 3:00-4:30
  • September 22-24: Rosh Hashanah–no scheduling of evening events on these days.

And finally… How did you feel at the end of your first day?