What is that you ask?
Vector trainings of course! Elementary leaders as of 1:30 today still have 63 Vector trainings to complete (4 of you still have all 10!) If you did not get a celebration text from Tammy today that you are done, please log into your system and get them done, as some of you still have 1 that was assigned later hanging out there. Have you checked your staff completion rate lately? Please do that as well and poke those who are not done to get ‘er done. Thank you for prioritizing this as important and urgent.
From Tammy and Karen
Keep this in mind, as you move about your year. We know this is the hard season for a lot of reasons, but even on the hardest of days, there are small steps and celebrations you are making forward, which are going to take you places!
As we head into conference week, we just wanted to wish you all an amazing time connecting with families, staff, and catching up with yourself, because we know that pile called “to do during conference days” is getting big! Let us know if there is anything we can do to support!
Important Links
- October 22nd Elementary TLC Update
- SPECIAL EDGE LINK OCTOBER 2, 2025
- 1-Page Student Management guide
- Topics of Interest/Problem of Practice NEW–someone is asking an MTSS question
- FAQs for Special Education Inclusion Topics—Keep checking in here! BEA and BLS supported
- Dates to recognize groups
Notes from our Team:
From Julie in Curriculum and Instruction
From Ryan in Human Resources
To support consistency across schools and ensure appropriate use of substitute coverage, guidelines outlining expectations by role classification for the 2025–26 school year have been developed.
These guidelines can be accessed here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1X5QnwsfOyZIeS2UlkhPjl3EbIDWMXSPvkg_mPJUYIgA/edit?usp=sharing
Please review and share with office staff and others responsible for approving or entering substitute requests. These guidelines reinforce responsible staffing decisions while maintaining operational continuity and student support.
From Jennifer in Student Well Being
Just a quick reminder that tomorrow, October 25 is the last day for grades 3-5 Waypoints fall assessments. The K-2 Waypoints are open until November 21.
From Dave VanLoo in Teaching and Learning
ODE requires schools to report OSAS results to parents annually. Individual student reports (ISR) with ELA, Math, and Science scores from spring 2025 testing have been loaded into Synergy. Here is a folder with brief instructions for staff, parents, and students to access OSAS state test scores in a variety of ways in Synergy. All users can view and download the one-page ISR that ODE creates each year. Teachers also can view lists of prior year OSAS scores for their classes in TeacherVue. Whether Spanish ISRs are loaded for a student is based on the ‘resolved’ language in Synergy. Schools should be prepared to print an ISR for any parent who requests it and may continue to print ISRs as makes sense. Teachers who want to use ISRs at conferences can quickly pull them up in real time and display them on any screens that are available to them.
From Michelle Rhoads in Transportation:
We’re excited to announce 2025 Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day on November 14. This special event is an opportunity to celebrate Ruby’s courage by walking to school and is the perfect opportunity to teach students about the Civil Rights Movement and connections to collective efforts for change.
The history of Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day: On November 14, 1960, Ruby Bridges bravely integrated William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans. In May 2018, a group of fifth graders from Martin Elementary School in South San Francisco, California, learned about Ruby and asked their school board to pass a resolution making November 14 Ruby Bridges Day. This day honors Ruby’s historic role in advancing civil rights and serves as a reminder of the importance of equality, justice, and education for all children. Communities across the country participate in this event to recognize Ruby’s courage and to inspire future generations to continue her legacy. Here is a video about Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day. Here is a link to the Ruby Bridges Foundation.
Your school is encouraged to promote this special day in meaningful ways. Here are some ideas on how to participate, found on the Oregon Safe Routes to School website. English Bingo Below, Spanish Bingo Below.
For information on how to participate in this event, please contact Michelle Rhoads, Bend – La Pine Schools Active Transportation Coordinator, [email protected] , phone 541-355-5721.
Action Items
- Get your Winter and Spring DIBELS dates on your main calendars
- Review Substitute guidelines and share with office staff
- Review with your 4-5 grade teachers how to get OSAS scores for conferences and print for parents if requested
- What is your plan to celebrate Ruby Bridges Day? Don’t have one and want to celebrate? Check out the resources and call Michelle Rhoads for some inspiration and help.
Important Dates
- 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, 7:15-7:15
- October 31: No School and School Improvement Plans are due today.
- November 4: Horizontal Meeting 3:00 – 4:30 at the Board Room
- November 11: Veteran’s Day–Enjoy!
- November 12: All Admin PD from 3:00 – 4:30 at Perseverance Hall
And finally… Congratulations to our Next Duck Drawing winner Tom Lence !
Tom is the Assistant Principal at High Lakes Elementary, where he was a teacher there prior to becoming Assistant Principal. Did you know that Tom and his wife taught in China prior to coming to Bend-La Pine Schools? Tom has also recently discovered that he likes to hunt rocks, so if you know of any good rock hounding areas, hook him up with the coordinates! He is the proud dad of two daughters and proud husband of Tami, a teacher at Silver Rail. Thanks for all you do, Tom, for the High Lakes Lynx and Bend-La Pine Families. We’ll be bringing you a beverage of your choice soon!
