From Tammy and Karen
2026 Theme for Black History Month: “A Century of Black History Commemoration
As we observe Black History Month, I’m inviting all of us to pause and reflect not just on the few names we hear most often, but on the many Black educators who changed the face of education in America, from the founders of schools and literacy programs to the leaders who fought for equity and opportunity against impossible odds. The list at the link below highlights 50 African Americans whose contributions reshaped how and where learning happens, from those who opened doors for access and inclusion to those who stood on the front lines of academic thought and civil rights. Take a moment this month to explore that collection, learn their stories, and think about how their courage, creativity, and commitment continue to impact classrooms and communities today. (ctulocal1.org)
.Conference Information:
With conferences quickly approaching, we have several topics to go over concerning this time of the year.
Conference Length Expectations: In past partnership with the BEA, we landed on the following information. If a teacher has 25 or less students, their conferences need to be between 25-30 minutes to accommodate for transition times as needed (25 min gives time for a quick restroom break, time in case one goes longer, etc.). If a teacher has 26 or more students, their conferences can be 20 minutes, giving the teacher the ability to have a few longer ones as well as including transition times if needed.
How we conference: The following link to staff is a mutually developed message from Bend-La Pine and BEA that needs to be copied and pasted into your staff newsletter regarding the parameters around “how” we conference. Following the letter to staff is a link for a family letter you can use to send to your families explaining what may happen if they choose to go on a vacation during conference times.
Link to message for teaching staff
Letter to Families re: leaving during conferences. Using this letter is at your discretion.
Interpreters: Principals, work with your office team to submit your requests for interpreters ASAP via Linguist Link (do not rely on CAFE members at this point–they should be used for back-up only). Language Specialists and Family Liaisons can help coordinate languages and appointments. On conference nights, a front-office staff member needs to be available to support interpreters (direct them to their assignment location, clarify scheduling or meeting access info, etc).
Important Links
- February 4th Elementary TLC Update
- Special EDge (February 12)
- NEW: BLS School Libraries Newsletters!
- 1-Page Student Management guide
- Dates to recognize groups (Coming soon: March 2-6 Classified Appreciation Week)
- CPI Trained Staff List (let Sara Young know if you see staff who are not at your school)
Notes from our Team:
From Dave VanLoo in School Improvement:
NNAT3 Resources: Here is a folder with recent versions of NNAT3 resources including platform and administration user guides, information for identifying new to district students, parent notices, and other documents. If there is anything else helpful you would like added, please let me know.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1YVGfeexotrnkH6-oMBM33uLVhGsYL_wd?usp=sharing
From Kayla and Scott in Safety
SRO Appreciation Day– Schools are encouraged to celebrate their SROs the week of February 17th for SRO Appreciation Day. Some ideas for appreciation that have been done in past school years are: decorate their office doors, buy lunch for them one day during the week, have students make cards and drawings, or have breakfast and invite the entire team. You have all done so amazing that the past two years BLS has been featured in the national SRO magazine!!
From Tami Pike – Health Services
As we continue navigating cold and flu season, OSU Extension’s Family and Community Health Department is offering updated High Speed Hand Washing materials for our K–5 classrooms. This method, originally developed and piloted in Central Oregon more than 15 years ago, demonstrated an 82.6% increase in proper handwashing frequency among 1,687 fourth-grade students and has been associated with significantly reduced absenteeism during flu outbreaks. Designed to allow an entire class of 20–30 students to wash their hands thoroughly in under three minutes, the routine supports consistent hygiene before eating or handling food. OSU Extension is hoping to distribute laminated color posters (English, Spanish, or bilingual) across our elementary classrooms and may also offer a brief five-minute demonstration for staff, along with an updated instructional video. Contact Tami if you are interested. This opportunity aligns well with our ongoing focus on healthy habit-building and strong attendance. Please see the linked flyers (English and Spanish) for additional details.
From Scott M. in Technology
Never let an outage go to waste! On Monday, Clever access was restricted for students and teachers due to an outage. We know that determining whether something is a “user error” or an actual outage can be frustrating.
You can reduce your frustration by visiting-https://bls.fyi/status
This handy dashboard lists all of our common tools and their current operational status. Our team will also update a custom message at the top of the site listing any known issues. Go ahead and bookmark it now. That way, you can check it out the next time something gets wonky!
Action Items
- Add Date, Time, and Activity to the Kindergarten Spring Orientation List
- Let Lisa know here if you want to be on the assessment team: SB141 Assessment Consideration Team
- Let Lisa know here if you want to be on the Data Dream Team
- Get a jump on planning for interpreters at Spring Conferences
- Make plans to honor SROs the week of February 17th!
Important Dates
- February 16: President’s Day—you must use non-contract to take this day off, as it is not a paid holiday for us. It is a day off for Students and the rest of the staff.
- Feb 17-20: Walk throughs with APs
- February 17: PLC 4, 3:00 – 4:30
- February 18: All Admin PD 3:00 – 4:30 Perseverance Hall
- February 24: PLC 3 3:00 – 4:30
- March 3: Elementary Horizontal 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. in the Board Room
- March 4: Educator Network Day
- March 18: Teacher work day (8 hours) Conferences (4 hours)
- March 19: Conferences (12 hours)
- March 20: No School
- March 23-27: Spring Break!
And finally… Congratulations to our Next Duck Drawing winner Wendy Winchell!
Wendy Winchel has led Westside Village K-8 Magnet School for over 25 years. It was the brainchild of Wendy and a group, who were at the time, teaching in the basement of the old Kenwood School gym (Kenwood is the current home of Highland Magnet School). Prior to that, Wendy taught in England for several years, where she first experienced teaching in a more project-based, justice-driven, blended school, where the desire to provide students with an alternative educational experience, different than a more traditional setting was born. Wendy loves the outdoors, whether it is on an outdoor adventure with the kids at Westside, paddleboarding on local lakes and rivers, or gardening with her husband, she lives for fresh air! Congratulations Wendy—let us know your drink of choice and we’ll head your way with your goodie.
