Month: May 2026

From Tammy and Karen

When I got home last night, the internet at my house was out. At first, I was frustrated and worried that I wouldn’t be able to finish the blog. But then, I leaned into the gift of some unexpected, forced rest. I curled up on the couch with my puppies and spent the evening watching and listening to the beautiful thunderstorm roll across the sky. As the rain fell and the thunder echoed in the distance, sending the blog a few hours late suddenly didn’t seem like such a big deal.

I hope each of you finds a few moments of “forced rest” over the next few days. You’ll need them as we careen into the final two weeks of school with our students!

Tammy and I were so proud and grateful following the exciting School Design Showcase last night! You are all doing some remarkable work and we were so impressed with the thoughtful way you connected your school goals to meaningful professional development and reflections of celebrations and dreams for your school! Kudos to all of you!

Important Links

• May 20^th Elementary TLC Update
• Special EDge   (May 28 edition)
• BLS School Libraries Newsletters!
• 1-Page Student Management guide
• Dates to recognize groups
• CPI Trained Staff List (let Sara Young know if you see staff who are not at your school)

Notes from our Team: 

Testing Coordinators- Julie Richards

iReady for 6^th grade math bypass- please be sure to let Dean Richards know when you finish testing students, so he can check the reports and let you know which letters to send.  

From Scott Maben, Communications

Update on ParentSquare rollout and training plan

On Wednesday of this week, we trained office managers on use of ParentSquare. Our family liaison team also attended this training. We learned more about how schools currently use School Messenger, including to message secondary students. This is helpful as we prepare for School Messenger to end on June 30 and we transition to use of ParentSquare as our primary family messaging and engagement tool.

Next week we will invite all district staff to activate their ParentSquare accounts. We are not ready for you (outside of our 5 South County pilot schools) to begin using ParentSquare to communicate with your families, but you will see some content we plan to share from the District level now through summer. Schools may begin using ParentSquare in August, and teachers will be able to use it once trained in early September.

Bringing families into the ParentSquare fold will take time, and we’d like to begin around the end of the school year. Parents will receive an invite to verify their accounts, set preferences, and download the ParentSquare app. We will schedule reminders to those who don’t respond to the initial invite. It’s important to know that even if a parent never responds to these invites, they will still receive our ParentSquare communications — as emails — but they won’t benefit from the full features of ParentSquare, such as setting their message preferences or using the handy mobile app.

We’re looking at dates when we can offer school administrators basic training on using ParentSquare and will communicate those details soon.

Our training opportunity for all teachers and any other staff who need to be ready to communicate with families will be the second day of in-service week:

PARENTSQUARE BASIC TRAINING

• Tuesday, Sept. 1, 10-11 a.m.
• Teams meeting (link to be shared later) with a trainer from ParentSquare
• Note that this will begin shortly after the Superintendent’s Welcome Back program at 8:30 a.m. You may want your team to remain together in the same space.

On Wednesday, Sept. 2, we will provide follow-up ParentSquare support opportunities at the District-led PD (elementary at Caldera, secondary at Pacific Crest).

After school starts, we would like to visit every school for drop-in sessions for staff who’d like to ask questions or get help using ParentSquare.

Please reach out if you have questions on any of this. Thanks!

Action Items

• Let us know if you have any end of year events you would like us to attend! These moments are so much fun and we love to be able to witness them with you!
• Contact Dean Richards when you finish math bypass testing.
• Be aware that families and staff will soon receive invitations to set up Parent Square. No action needed on your part, but you may receive some questions! Encourage people to set up an account for the most effective communication.
• Make sure to rest and relax a little- these days are some of the busiest of the school year and it is important to recharge.

Important Dates

• June 2: Elementary Counseling Celebration, 7:30-9:30 in the boardroom–expectation for at least one admin to be there
• June 2: Horizontal Meeting, 3:00-4:30-
• June 15: End of Year Administrator Celebration (and lunch!), High Desert Middle school 11:30-1:00
• June 16: End of year Elementary Leadership Celebration 3:00 – 4:30. Location TBA
• June 19: Juneteenth Holiday!

And finally… Congratulations to our Next Duck Drawing winner, Kit Galloway!

Kit is in her first year as the Principal at Elk Meadow Elementary! She is a new Central Oregon resident who joined us after serving as an administrator in Portland. Kit is a strong advocate for her students, school, and community and impresses with her ability to keep the focus on the needs of students. She is a strong instructional leader who brings with her a wealth of knowledge of best practice and ways to bring them to life in the classroom. Kit and her fiancee Mark recently bought a log cabin and and enjoying time spent together remodeling and shaping it into their dream home! Congratulations on being our winner this week, Kit; let us know what your favorite beverage is, and we will happily bring it your way to celebrate!

From Tammy and Karen

It has been a beautiful week! While these summer temperatures definitely make it harder to focus on school, now is the time to keep our momentum going. Our students have gained incredible knowledge over the past several months, our teachers are in a fantastic instructional groove, and the environment is absolutely ripe for putting all that learning into action. You got this!

Just a friendly reminder that Waypoints closes tomorrow (5/22)! Here is some information from Wayfinder for how to check the percentage complete, so you can make sure your school is completed. For grades 3-8, go to the Waypoints tab; the overview shows the percent completed (make sure you are filtered to student-reported and summative). 

For K-2, you cannot see completion rates because they did not complete the summative. Custom Formative assessments (what was created for K-2 in Bend-La Pine) are not tracked for completion. You would have to go into each school and click on each assessment to see completion.

Lastly, a big thank you to Karen, for picking up things for me this week in my absence. My mom is doing very well with her new knee and has been a model patient, but I can’t wait to get back to my own bed! Catch you all next week. Enjoy the 3 day weekend!

Important Links

• May 20^th Elementary TLC Update
• Special EDge   (May 21 Edition)
• BLS School Libraries Newsletters!
• 1-Page Student Management guide
• Dates to recognize groups
• CPI Trained Staff List (let Sara Young know if you see staff who are not at your school)

Notes from our Team: 

From Kinsey Martin in Policy and Advocacy:

School Supplies: As you know, state law prohibits us from requiring families to provide school supplies for their children’s education.  Even suggesting contributions in a way that creates undue pressure or expectation for family donations is inappropriate and doesn’t align with our equity values.  Please be sure your staff clearly understand this expectation and the reasons for it.

That said, some families would really like to contribute, and I know we’re all interested in maximizing community support to take the edge off our budgets.  To balance these competing interests, here are some recommended practices:

• Make it very clear to families that there is no obligation for any family to contribute any school supplies. 
• Avoid publishing classroom- or grade-specific “lists” that can create a sense of obligation. 
• Let families know that, for those who have extra supplies at home or who simply enjoy purchasing and contributing supplies to prepare for school each fall, the school will accept voluntary donations of general, unused supplies during your fall Welcome Back/Curriculum Night events. 
• Have school-wide “Optional School Supply Donations” buckets/tubs available in the front lobby during fall events, rather than having families take supplies to a particular teacher or classroom (where donations are more attributable to individual students, which increases pressure).  

Pride Month: June is Pride Month!  Bend-La Pine Schools will have our regular booth at the summer Pride festival on June 6th–drop by and visit!   

Encourage your teachers to cover LGBTQIA2S+ history (supported by Oregon required standards) by implementing some of the lessons, read-alouds, and activities available on our district Equity Resources page (click on Cultural Calendar, then scroll to June).  Here are some teacher prep tips, and/or contact the Advocacy Coaches for instructional support. 

From Directors in Student Services

As we prepare for the end of the year, we wanted to make you aware of a new check-out process that your Learning Specialists, Psychologists, Speech and Language Specialists, and OTs will be doing. Please make sure you have received the green light from Colleen, Josh, or Sara before checking out with you. Here is their process:

Please schedule a bookings appointment or phone call with the records clerks. You may book now but these meetings will not take place until the beginning of June. During this meeting, the Records Clerks will be checking:

• Learning Specialists:
  • All IEPs are completed and finalized
  • All progress notes are completed and finalized
  • All equipment lists are updated
  • High cost and staffing needs are submitted
  • Restraint and Seclusion paperwork have been turned in
  • If required for your role: All Senior Paperwork
• Psychologists:
  • Evaluations finished and uploaded
  • Location of test kits have been verified
  • For PILOT participants: Medicaid logs are completed in SEAS until last day served
• Speech and Language Pathologist:
  • All IEPs are completed and finalized
  • All progress notes are completed and finalized
  • Medicaid logs are completed in SEAS until last day served
  • Evaluations finished and uploaded
  • Audiometers have been turned in
  • If required for your role: All Senior Paperwork
• Occupational Therapists:
  • Feeding protocols have been updated, completed, and sent to records
  • Evaluations finished and uploaded
  • Medicaid logs are completed in SEAS until last day served
  • All equipment lists are updated

When you have completed this meeting and have all of your paperwork complete, the admin who supports your site (Josh, Colleen, or Sara) will let your building administrator know that you have the GREEN LIGHT from Student Services to check-out for the year! 🙂. If you have any questions, please reach out to the coach who supports your site!

From McScott in IT

Due to the recent changes shared by Deputy Superintendent Lisa Birk, we will not be replacing student devices for the 26-27 school year. As a result, we need to make a few adjustments to our previously communicated device roll-in plan.

Elementary and Middle School students will keep the same devices for next school year. With that in mind, please plan to collect and store devices in a manner that works best for you and your building.

From Lisa, Deputy Superintendent

See this Spring Update regarding Technology and Assessments for the 26-27 school year.

From Tami Pike, Director of Health Services

Please review the Bend-La Pine Schools Protocol and Procedures for Management of Concussions ~ May 2026 update. More information about concussions can be found on our BLS website under Health and Wellness.

From Jason Westmorland in IT

Additional updates for discipline audits have been added to the School Discipline Audits analytics report dashboard. Specifically, an updated version of the “Discipline & Attendance Mismatch” report is at the bottom of the dashboard (you will need to scroll down to see it).

Jason Westmoreland [[email protected]] would like additional feedback on this audit specifically. Are there changes that would be helpful, are there any false positive or incorrect entries shown, or is there any confusion surrounding how to resolve the audits?

To access the discipline audits (until we are able to publish this to a PAD Tree location), you will need to use the Quick Launch, by typing ‘Synergy Analytics Home Page’ and selecting the entry.

Once you are on the Synergy Analytics Home Page, click the ‘hamburger’ under the label, and expand the navigation links. Find the Discipline option and select it.

You may be presented with a number of options to choose from (I recommend exploring when you have time), however, to review discipline audits, you will need to select the ‘School Discipline Audits’ dashboard from the Audits group.

Once you have selected the appropriate dashboard, there will be multiple audits available on the page. The new ‘Discipline & Attendance Mismatched’ audit is at the bottom of the page (you will need to scroll down using the far-right scroll bar – multiple scrolls may be nested).

The audit is intended to show you where ISS/OSS discipline and attendance are not matched on a given day. Based on what actually happened with a specific student / disposition, you should correct either the disposition Dates & Days, or the Attendance codes for those days (and appropriate periods).

Remember that you can expand individual reports in the dashboard to expand the entire display window by using the four arrows pointing to the corners. This will expand the report to use the whole screen for easier navigation.

NOTE: If you have questions regarding how to resolve these audits (or any audits on this dashboard) please connect with Jason Westmoreland (x1222)

Please review ALL your audits on this dashboard including the new Discipline & Attendance Mismatched audit. These audits need to be resolved prior to the end of the school year.

From Rodger Moore, Director of Facility Operations

To help schools manage classroom relocations smoothly and minimize disruption to instruction, the district is developing a standardized process for both same-school and inter-school moves. The procedure is intended to outline clear responsibilities for administrators, teachers, custodial teams, maintenance, and IT staff to help ensure moves are coordinated efficiently. The district is currently testing our work order platform Hero HQ for submitting move requests and coordinating details such as scheduling, technology needs, furniture, and specialty equipment. Additional procedures, expectations, and implementation guidance will be communicated in an upcoming Level Leaders’ Blog once the workflow and support processes are finalized.  

Large-scale moves, such as the Realms transition, will be exempt from this process.

Action Items

• Check your Waypoints report–make sure all assessments are done by tomorrow (Friday)
• Understand School Supply Donation ideas
• Read the Spring Technology and Assessment update for the 26-27 SY
• Review concussion Protocol
• Resolve the Discipline Audits in Synergy
• Take Monday off! Like really, don’t do any work!

Important Dates

• May 22: Waypoints Assessments closes today
• May 25: Memorial Day Holiday, no School
• May 26: PLC3PO at Silver Rail and We are the Winners at Bear Creek 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.
• May 28: School Design Plan Showcase 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
• June 2: Elementary Counseling Celebration, 7:30-9:30 in the boardroom–expectation for at least one admin to be there
• June 2: Horizontal Meeting, 3:00-4:30–Site to be determined (not the boardroom)
• June 15: End of Year Administrator Celebration (and lunch!), High Desert Middle school 11:30-1:00
• June 16: End of year Elementary Leadership Celebration 3:00 – 4:30. Location TBA
• June 19: Juneteenth Holiday!

And finally… Congratulations to our Next Duck Drawing winner, Jessica Reilly!

Jessica Reilly is currently in her third year with Bend-La Pine Schools, having brought her leadership to administrative roles at High Desert Middle School and, currently, Silver Rail Elementary. At SRE, Jessica is loved by her students for her deeply empathetic heart and her profound understanding of those who struggle the most. Her impact extends to the staff as well, who recognize her work in leading professional development and trainings. Outside of school, Jessica is an avid reader who loves to snuggle up with a great book, and a passionate online gamer who enjoys connecting with friends in virtual worlds. Don’t let her quiet nature fool you, though—she is also a master of self-defense who can easily take you down if you make a wrong move! Congratulations on being our winner this week, Jessica; let us know what your favorite beverage is, and we will happily bring it your way to celebrate!

From Tammy and Karen

We’d love to hear from you!

So far, 23 people have responded to our survey on Belonging in our Elementary Team, and if you haven’t had a chance to complete it yet, we hope you will take a few minutes to share your voice. Our goal is to hear from everyone, and your feedback truly matters as we continue moving forward together.

Please take the survey here:
https://forms.gle/9NbzmT4THN4TDG6G8

Important Links

• May 6th Elementary TLC Update
•  Special EDge   (May 14 Edition)
• BLS School Libraries Newsletters!
• 1-Page Student Management guide
• Dates to recognize groups
• CPI Trained Staff List (let Sara Young know if you see staff who are not at your school)

Notes from our Team: 

From Julie in Curriculum and Instruction

Reminder: DIBELS has started!   Here is the schedule.  

Please plan to have testing area set up.  Plan to have 8-9 people from the testing team and also the testers available from your building.  Send me the testing schedule so I can share it with the team.  Plan to have a runner who is bringing classes to the testing area.  If you have had new students in grades 3-5 be sure to have them tested.  

End of Year Assessment Windows: Please share with your staff and ask that these required assessments are complete by the end date.  

• MClass and ROAR- May 15-June 5th
• Wayfinder Waypoints- April 28th- May 22nd

From Rodger Moore, Director of Facilities Operations

To help schools manage classroom relocations smoothly and minimize disruption to instruction, the district is developing a standardized process for both same-school and inter-school moves. The procedure is intended to outline clear responsibilities for administrators, teachers, custodial teams, maintenance, and IT staff to help ensure moves are coordinated efficiently. The district is currently testing our work order platform Hero HQ for submitting move requests and coordinating details such as scheduling, technology needs, furniture, and specialty equipment. Additional procedures, expectations, and implementation guidance will be communicated in an upcoming Level Leaders’ Blog once the workflow and support processes are finalized.  

Large-scale moves, such as the Realms transition, will be exempt from this process.

From Travis Hanford, Custodial

Are you in need of a complete class set of these chairs?  If so, please reach out to Custodial Manager, Travis Hanford to get them.  We would like them to go as a complete set if possible, not a few here and there.  In the next few weeks, we may also have more available as we prepare Buckingham for the inclusion of Realms Middle and are finding there are quite a few of these there as well. 

Action Items

• Please complete our Belonging Survey as soon as possible. Should only take a few minutes!
• Share End of Year assessment windows with teachers and see that all assessments are done

Important Dates

• May 19: PLC1 Meeting at Westside Village 3:00 to 4:30
• May 21: Karen Mapp Family Engagement Training–Unitarian Church, coffee and breakfast 7:45, Session is 8:00-noon
• May 25: Memorial Day Holiday, no School
• May 26: PLC3PO at Silver Rail and We are the Winners at Bear Creek 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.
• May 28: School Design Plan Showcase 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
• June 2: Horizontal Meeting, 3:00-4:30–Site to be determined (not the boardroom)
• June 15: End of Year Administrator Celebration (and lunch!), High Desert Middle school 11:30-1:00
• June 16: End of year Elementary Leadership Celebration 3:00 – 4:30. Location TBA
• June 19: Juneteenth Holiday!

And finally… Congratulations to our Next Duck Drawing winner, Dr. Michelle Wilson !

Michelle Wilson has been leading Buckingham Elementary for the past three years, bringing a wealth of experience from the valley where she served as an instructional leader, elementary principal, and assistant superintendent. Michelle is known for her professionalism, passion, courage, energy, and unwavering commitment to equity. She has guided Buckingham through the transition of sharing learning spaces with Realms with compassion, thoughtfulness, and heart, always keeping students and staff at the center of her leadership. Outside of school, Michelle is an avid Pilates practitioner, loves to hike and downhill ski, and has been embracing the beauty of Central Oregon through cycling adventures across the region.

From Tammy and Karen

First full week of May and the weather did not disappoint! Sure hope you have all been able to get out and enjoy the sun–it does wonders for the soul!

We know you have all been working hard to show appreciation to your staffs this week and have gotten a kick out of the variety of themes we have seen all around. I mean, a picture of Kit from the early 90’s is kind of hard to beat!

We just wanted to extend our appreciation to you, for entering this busy time of the year with a smile, gratitude, and can-do spirit, even on some heavy days. You’re the best!

Important Links

• May 6th Elementary TLC Update
•  Special EDge   (May 7 Edition)
• BLS School Libraries Newsletters!
• 1-Page Student Management guide
• Dates to recognize groups
• CPI Trained Staff List (let Sara Young know if you see staff who are not at your school)

Notes from our Team: 

From Kinsey, Office of Policy and Advocacy

“Do Not Schedule” Dates:    – Action required – 

Here is the updated (26-27 through 28-29 school years) list of key religious observance dates to protect when scheduling any academic or extracurricular events.  This applies to field trips, family nights, info sessions, tests and exams, special one-time assemblies or events, etc. 

Please be sure you have shared that document with all relevant staff: office managers, activities and athletics, counselors, family engagement team, PTA/Booster Club leadership, ICCL team, etc.

Those key observances are also all populated into our 26-27 district-wide Family Engagement calendar in Outlook.  If you add that calendar to your school or dept calendar, those “do not schedule” dates (along with any district-wide family events) will be visible to you, to avoid scheduling conflicts.

From Julie in Curriculum and Instruction

Reminder:  DIBELS starts next week.  Here is the schedule.  

Please plan to have testing area set up.  Plan to have 8-9 people from the testing team and also the testers available from your building.  Send me the testing schedule so I can share it with the team.  Plan to have a runner who is bringing classes to the testing area.  If you have had new students in grades 3-5 be sure to have them tested.  

End of Year Assessment Windows: Please share with your staff and ask that these required assessments are complete by the end date.  

• MClass and ROAR- May 15-June 5th
• Wayfinder Waypoints- April 28th- May 22nd

From Ryan in Human Resources

Staffing Update: We are continuing our Classified staffing reconciliation process to ensure that all staff entitled to positions for next school year are appropriately placed. As we complete this work, we are going to temporarily pause posting additional Classified positions until those staff impacted are notified.

We expect communication regarding employees who will be involuntarily transferred to go to building leaders on Wednesday, May 13th, with the expectation that conversations with staff occur by Friday, May 15th.

Following that process, we will move forward with posting Classified positions for next year. In an effort to align our Certified and Classified staffing processes, we will also pause posting new Certified positions for the 2026–27 school year until May 15th.

A quick reminder of expectations under Policy GCPC/GDPC-AP: Reemployment of PERS-Retired Staff. Policy Summary: Employees who retire under PERS may request to continue working through the end of the school year. Requests to be rehired upon retirement must be submitted in writing at least 30 days before the end of the school year.

Approval is based on:

• District need
• Satisfactory performance history

If the request is approved:

• Continued employment is Temporary through June 30
• There is no guarantee of continued employment beyond the current school year
• Final decisions are made at the discretion of the Superintendent or designee

The district may choose to reemploy a PERS retiree beyond the year of retirement:

• Employment may be offered for a maximum of one year for each hiring action
• All employment is Temporary for the single school year
• Licensed staff may be rehired for up to three years following retirement
• Different rules and limitations may apply for licensed and non-licensed staff
• A shortened hiring process may be used

From Jessica Scott, Talented and Gifted Program

Hello–we are asking that each Admin TAG Coordinator send this flier to rising 4th and 5th-grade TAG-identified student families. 

From Scott and Kayla in Safety on behalf of Bend PD

Just giving you a heads up that your school SRO may be contacting you about gathering some student generated art that they can display in the Bend Police Department. We are unsure about the amount of space they have to display these works, so please talk with your SRO before doing anything. There is also talk that it may be theme related (Nature, animals, F1 cars-wink-wink, etc.) Your SRO may know about that as well.  Thanks for considering helping make their space feel fun and celebrated.

Action Items

• Document your “Do Not Schedule” dates for next year and see that they are honored
• Send Julie your DIBELs Schedule ahead of time so the team can come prepared
• Share End of Year assessment windows with teachers and see that all assessments are done
• Share TAG information with rising TAG identified 4th and 5th grade families

Important Dates

• May 11: Phly Like Canadians at Lava Ridge 3:30 to 4:30
• May 12: Horizontal Meeting, 3:00-4:30 at Pine Ridge Elementary
• May 13: All Admin PD at Mt. View High School from 3:00-4:30, (note the change of venue due to the next event)
• May 13: Excellence in Education—plan on attending to honor your two staff—at Mt. View
• May 14: Latino Family Night and KínderFiesta, 5:30 at Mt. View High School
• May 19: PLC1 Meeting at Westside Village 3:00 to 4:30
• May 21: Karen Mapp Family Engagement Training–New East Bend library, 8-noon
• May 25: Memorial Day Holiday, no School
• May 26: PLC3PO at Silver Rail and We are the Winners at Bear Creek 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.
• May 28: School Design Plan Showcase 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
• June 2: Horizontal Meeting, 3:00-4:30–Site to be determined (not the boardroom)
• June 15: End of Year Administrator Celebration (and lunch!), High Desert Middle school 11:30-1:00

And finally… Congratulations to our Next Duck Drawing winner, Brian Uballez !

We are thrilled to celebrate Brian Uballez, who is now in his 6th year as Assistant Principal at Bear Creek Elementary! Brian brings a wealth of experience to the Bears, having previously served as an AP at Sky View and High Desert Middle Schools, as well as a teacher at Pilot Butte. He has a special talent for connecting with students who are having a tough time; his calm and caring approach provides exactly the kind of steady presence they need to feel supported. Outside of school, Brian stays busy embracing the outdoors, whether he’s working on his latest yard projects, mountain biking with Dan, or relaxing at his cabin on the McKenzie. Nature is truly his lifeline! Congratulations, Brian—please let us know your favorite drink so we can bring a treat your way!