Author Archives: Karen Rush

From Tammy and Karen

Welcome back! We hope you had a restful and joyful summer. As we step into this new school year, we’re filled with excitement and deep purpose for the work ahead.

Our theme this year—Thriving Forward: Rooted in Purpose, Steady in Growth—reflects both who we are and who we aspire to be. In a world of constant change, it’s grounding to know that at Bend-La Pine Schools, we remain unwavering in our commitment to students.

BLS Promise: Every student will be known by name, strengths, and needs, and will graduate prepared for college, career, community engagement, and life.

This promise is at the heart of everything we do. It’s what connects us, drives us, and inspires us to grow—together.

Upcoming Events

We’re thrilled to kick off the year with our Leadership Launch events:

• August 6–7 at Caldera High School
• August 11 at High Desert Museum. (please note the time from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.)

These gatherings will be a time to reconnect, build shared vision and goals, and walk through the calendar for the year. We can’t wait to see your faces, hear your voices, and begin this journey together. Thank you for the heart, energy, and care you bring to our schools and students. Let’s make this year one of meaningful growth—rooted in purpose, and steady in our collective strength.

Important Links

• June 4^th Elementary TLC Update
• 1-Page Student Management guide
• Topics of Interest/Problem of Practice
• FAQs for Special Education Inclusion Topics—Keep checking in here! BEA and BLS supported

Notes from our Team:

From Deputy Superintendent – Lisa Birk

As we approach the start of the school year, we wanted to clarify how the flexible workday is used for certified employees on a 191-day contract. We believe that this is needed based on the experience payroll had last year. Because several staff had confusion about this day, many staff members sent timesheets to payroll without realizing that this is a contract day for which they do not need to submit anything. Please help us communicate the following points below to your staff if or when they have confusion around this topic. Key points to support your staff:

• Certified staff have one paid flex day built into their 191-day contract. A returning certified staff member may choose to complete that flex day on August 21, August 22, or September 2. A NEW certified staff member must attend August 21, and this will take care of day 191 for them.
  • Elementary- there is a caveat on 8/27 (for math training completed this summer)
• If an employee completes one of those flex day options, no timesheet is needed—they are already paid for that day.
• If you approve of an employee working more than one of the flex day options, they should submit a timesheet for the additional day(s) – this would come from your site’s discretionary fund.
• New hire certified staff who are less than 1.0 FTE and attend the full 8-hour orientation will be given a pre-completed timesheet at orientation to sign for the portion that exceeds their FTE. 

The Inservice Week Calendar may help to answer other lingering questions too. When in doubt, reach out! We’re here to help! 

From Educational Technology – Robbie Faith

Clever Sub Badge Rollout – Reach out to Robbie to Schedule Your Training!

Since piloting Clever Sub Badges at High Lakes and Ponderosa in January, we’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback from both classroom and substitute teachers. Several additional schools joined the rollout in the spring, including La Pine, R.E. Jewell, Bear Creek, Silver Rail, and Highland.

During this 25-minute training, teachers will learn about Clever Sub Badges, create a dedicated resource page for substitutes in Clever, and be guided through the steps to generate a badge that gives substitutes secure access to the tools and curriculum they use daily. 

We recognize that back-to-school training time is limited, but we’d like to bring all teachers on board as soon as possible. If your staff has not received this training, please reach out to Robbie Faith ([email protected]) to schedule a session.

From Policy, Advocacy, and Equity- Kinsey Martin:

Hi Office Managers, I hope you are enjoying the sun and heat!  ☀️

Can you please share here the contact information for your school’s parent organization(s)?  

I would like to be sure your school’s parent/family perspectives are included in work like the re-design of fundraising policies, the development of a district family engagement calendar, and any trainings or activities they might want to participate in.  I don’t intend to spam them with lots of messages, and I’ll copy a member of your team in any messages I send, so you’re looped in.

Feel free to forward this to colleagues who have relevant info to provide for your school as well.  Let me know what questions you have. Thanks!

From Human Resources – Ryan Kelling:

Following up from a previous blog entry in the Spring, please know that we will require that all requests to hire use the documents provided in the new hiring guide on July 1, 2025 and thereafter. We prefer that you start using these new documents immediately. This guide can be found by looking in your “Recruitment” tab in UKG. It is labeled Administrator Hiring Guide 

From Custodial – Rob Johnson:

I am reaching out to ask for your participation in the School Operations & Collaboration Survey, an important effort by Custodial Operations to gather feedback from both school administrators and custodial staff. Please fill out the survey by August 8th.

The goal of this survey is to better understand what’s working well, what isn’t, where we can improve day-to-day operations in our schools and how we can better support our Custodial team. Your input is vital to helping us strengthen communication, improve efficiency, and support a cleaner, safer, and more effective learning environment for students and staff.

I encourage you to respond honestly and candidly as your feedback will be reviewed collectively, not linked to individual names or schools.

✅ Click here to take the Custodial survey: Custodial Survey

✅ Click here to take the Administrator survey: Administrator Survey

Your voice matters. By sharing your experiences and suggestions, you’ll help us make meaningful improvements in how we support our custodial staff and school communities.

Action Items

• August 4th – Make up session for administrators who did not attend Leading with Dignity session in June – Please RSVP.
• See you at Leadership Launch on August 6 and 7 at Caldera
• Check out the new Administrator Hiring Guide 
• Schedule Sub Badge Training with Robbie

Important Dates

• August 4: Leading with Dignity make up session 12:00- 4:00 p.m. in the Board Room
• August 6: Leadership Launch at Caldera High School
• August 7: Leadership Launch at Caldera High School
• August 11: Elementary Horizontal at High Desert Museum from 9:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m.
• August 18: Title 1 Kick Off for all Title Schools 8-10 @ ELK Meadow
• August 25 – 29: Inservice Week
• August 26: Welcome Back Kick Off – Virtual 8:30 a.m – 10:00 a.m.
• September 2: Optional Teacher Work Day
• September 3: FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

And Finally...I love the start of each school year because while much of it is predictable, there are always surprises! I try each day to appreciate the surprises, for whatever they bring me!

From Tammy and Karen

As we wrap up the final day of school, there’s a special kind of joy that comes with knowing we’ve completed another incredible year together. Summer break is calling—with rest, adventure, and well-deserved time to recharge—but it’s also a little bittersweet to say goodbye to the students who’ve filled our days with laughter, learning, and growth. Thank you for all the heart and energy you’ve poured into this year! Cheers to you!!

Floating Into Summer: Join us at Crux for the last horizontal meeting of the year. We will meet from 2:00 – 3:00 on the lawn! Bring a lawn chair and sunscreen, but no need to bring anything else! We will have some activities to close out the year. We hope you will stick around to socialize after 3:00! Appetizers are on Tammy and Karen! Please see Tammy’s email with the flyer for more info!

Important Links

• BEA and OSEA Bargaining Update Website
• June 4^th Elementary TLC Update
• Topics of Interest/Problem of Practice
• FAQs for Special Education Inclusion Topics—Keep checking in here! BEA and BLS supported

Notes from our Team:

From Lisa Birk – Deputy Superintendent

At the end of May, I let you know that we would be cancelling our June 4^th meeting and would reschedule later in June due to graduations. Our new training will be on JUNE 23rd (8-12). This training will be 4 hours in the morning and then teams will be able to continue the work after lunch if they choose.  Please complete this form so that we can plan accordingly! June 23rd SIGN UP SHEET

As a reminder, our Leadership Team End-of-Year lunch will be at the Ed Center on June 16^th from 11:30-1:00. At this time, we will be honoring those who are retiring and celebrate the closing of our year.

Have a great wrap to this awesome year! -L

From Ryan in HR:

Following up from a previous blog entry, please know that we will require that all requests to hire use the documents provided in the new hiring guide on July 1, 2025 and thereafter. We prefer that you start using these new documents immediately.

This guide can be found by looking in your “Recruitment” tab in UKG. It is labeled Administrator Hiring Guide 

Thank you for your support for our efforts to improve practices.

If you have any questions or need support, please reach out to [email protected] 

From IT:

Please continue to monitor your school’s Discipline Incident Audits as you close out the 24-25 school year.

Audits to Run in Synergy:

BEN > School Reports > Discipline Incident Reports > Discipline Audits > Discipline Incident Missing Elements

Synergy Tasks (Home Page) > State Reporting Extract Validation – Discipline

If you have any issues/questions, please contact Ted Helton (1224) and/or Jason Westmoreland (1222)

From Tami Pike – Nurses

Dear Amazing Bend-La Pine Schools Administrators,

BLS Health Services is pleased to offer two CPR/First Aid training sessions this August for BLS administrators who need to obtain initial certification or wish to renew their certification before the school year begins.

Training Session 1:
📅 Date: Tuesday, August 12, 2025
🕗 Time: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
📍 Location: Caldera High School

Training Session 2:
📅 Date: Friday, August 15, 2025
🕗 Time: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
📍 Location: Three Rivers School

👉 To register, please sign up using this link.

Action Items

• June 23! For an All Admin PD – complete this form June 23rd SIGN UP SHEET
• Check out the classified calendar for the 25-26 year. Stay tuned for the rest
• Sign up for the CPR/First Aid classes
• Check out the new Administrator Hiring Guide 
• Discipline Audit in Synergy
• Complete the Outdoor School Report form. This has been delegated to you or someone on your team and you should have an email from OHSU extension inviting you to complete the report. If you have questions, please contact Karen.

Important Dates

• June 13: Last Day staff
• June 16: Leadership End of Year Luncheon 11:30 – 1:00 at Education Center
• June 17: Elementary End of Year Celebration! 2:00 at CRUX
• June 23: All ADMIN training

And Finally –Channel your inner sloth this weekend and put your feet up!

From Tammy and Karen

As we turn the corner into June next week, it’s hard to believe there are only a handful of days left with our students and staff. This time of year is often packed with activities, deadlines, and final events—but in the midst of the busyness, don’t forget to pause and soak in the moments that make it all worthwhile. From heartfelt goodbyes to joyful celebrations, these are the memories that stay with us. Let’s finish strong—and take time to truly enjoy the journey.

Important Links

• BEA and OSEA Bargaining Update Website
• State Testing Folder
• May 7^th Elementary TLC Update
• Topics of Interest/Problem of Practice
• FAQs for Special Education Inclusion Topics—Keep checking in here! BEA and BLS supported

Notes from our Team:

From Julie Richards, Curriculum and Instruction: Please share with your classified staff

Are you interested in helping to check-in, unpack and organize our new Elementary Mathematics Curriculum?  If so, we are hiring internal classified employees to work for 2+ weeks from August 6th-the 19th.  If you would like to apply to be a part of this team follow these steps:

1. login to UKG
2. Go to 3 bars at top
3. click on my info
4. click on my career
5. click on search for jobs
6. search for “Elementary Mathematics Materials Distribution”
7. click on Apply Now

Please reach out to Julie Richards with any questions you have. 

From Eric Powell – Student Support

Hello School Leaders!

As you all plan for your annual end-of-the-year activities on campus (carnivals, field days, etc.), we wanted to encourage school teams to be thinking about our students who tend to struggle during unstructured activities and events. 

Please work with your various teams on campus to identify students who may need extra scaffolding and/or supports to participate in these fun end-of-the-year events. 

Thank you all for your continued leadership and enjoy these last few weeks of school.

From Ryan Kelling – Human Resources

Secondary Assistant Principal Pool Now Open

We’ve officially opened our recruitment process for the Secondary Assistant Principal Pool, with separate tracks for Middle School and High School roles. While this pool currently reflects just one confirmed vacancy (resulting from Mary Thomas’ exciting move to Realms as Principal), we are still determining where the resulting opening will ultimately land.

If you’re currently in an elementary role and are interested in exploring a move to secondary – or if you’re in a secondary AP role and considering a shift – please connect with Ryan before applying to talk through how this process works and what possibilities might emerge.

Stay tuned for more updates as things evolve.

BLAST Classification and Title Change

We’re excited to share a small but meaningful update to the titles used on our BLAST salary schedule. Beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, we will be eliminating the Dean of Students title from the schedule and moving to a single title of Assistant Principal for all staff in these leadership roles.

What’s changing?
Only the title. The calendar days and salary schedule remain the same. This update is simply a move toward consistency and clarity across our school leadership structure.

Why the change?
The work our Deans of Students do every day is already aligned with that of Assistant Principals, and in many ways indistinguishable in terms of impact, leadership, and responsibility. This adjustment brings greater alignment to the title and the role, something we believe better reflects the incredible contributions of these team members.

We’re grateful for the leadership of all our school administrators and are excited to continue supporting this important work under a shared title. If you have any questions about the change, feel free to reach out to Ryan.

New Hiring Practices 

In the coming days, you’ll see a new Hiring Guide along with updated hiring documents available through the Administrator/Office Manager box on your UKG home screen. These tools have been developed over the past year as part of a comprehensive review of legal requirements and best practices in the hiring process.

The Hiring Guide is designed to support you in your role by providing a consistent set of expectations for all hiring actions. It reflects federal EEOC guidance, widely recognized HR standards, and our district’s commitment to equity, transparency, and excellence. Its goal is to bring clarity to each step of the hiring process and ensure that our values are reflected in every hire we make.

Going forward, the documents included in the guide will be required for all hiring actions. Requests submitted using outdated forms will be returned for correction.

Thank you for your continued partnership in aligning our practices with our shared expectations. As always, Human Resources is here to support you, whether you’re navigating a complex situation or looking for a thought partner to help strengthen your team.

From Jessica Houser in Payroll

FYI: Payroll Year-End Guidance Sent to Office Managers

Last week, on May 22, the payroll team sent year-end guidance and key timeline reminders to all district office managers and timekeepers. This communication included:

• Final deadlines for timesheet and leave sheet submissions
• Year-end payroll processing notes
• Reference materials to support staff wrap-up

We wanted to ensure you’re aware of this communication, as you may see increased questions at your sites related to time and leave entry or final pay. Office managers were provided this information in advance to help prepare and guide employees.

If questions come up, the team is here to support. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to [email protected] or call (541) 355-1123.

From Kerry Morton in Teaching and Learning

It’s that time! Bridges & Number Corner Recycling and Disposal! 

• Your custodial staff received this message from Madalyn Paquette on Wednesday.
  • In the email, it indicates the custodians should check with admin about where the containers should be placed
• Please share this flyer with your teachers about the process for recycling the materials. Miller, High Lakes, and Pine Ridge will only receive the bin for binders since you are donating materials.

Action Items

• Share the flyer about Recycling Materials with teachers.
• Share information about Curriculum unpacking opportunity with classified staff
• Attend Counseling Celebration on June 5th
• and…All the many things you do to make the end of the year joyful and memorable for your students!

Important Dates

• June 5: Counseling Celebration in the board room, 7:30-9:30
• June 5: TAG Team meeting, 3:45 in the boardroom
• June 12: Last Day students—half day
• June 13: Last Day staff
• June 17: Elementary End of Year Celebration! 2:00 Somewhere!

And finally…

Photo credit: Stephanie Jensen

From Tammy and Karen

Congratulations to Tammy on her OUT OF THIS WORLD award at the Administrative PD. Having the opportunity to work beside her each day is an honor and I can vouch for the fact that her skills are ASTRONOMICAL!!!

Thank you all for your participation in the Administrator PD opportunity on Coaching. The slides and the Coaching Vs. Feedback document are available here and we would love to have your feedback on the training if you didn’t get a chance to respond yesterday. Heidi Thomas shared this great and timely article on the 5 Coaching Languages that make the end of year matter! A great read – thank you Heidi!

Looking forward to our second session of Ice Cream and Inclusion in which we get to know our Assistant Principals even better! Reminder, we will meet on the front steps of the Ed Center at 1:30. We will walk from there to Goody’s on Wall St. to get the yummy stuff!

Important Links

• BEA and OSEA Bargaining Update Website
• State Testing Folder
• May 7^th Elementary TLC Update
• Topics of Interest/Problem of Practice
• FAQs for Special Education Inclusion Topics—Keep checking in here! BEA and BLS supported

Notes from our Team:

From Ryan – Human Resources

Extra Duty Rosters: HR would like you to review the current and projected vacancies for any Extra Duty positions at your site. To the extent possible, it would be extremely beneficial for all involved – employees, admin, HR, Payroll – to have all year-round and fall Extra Duty positions filled before the end of the current school year.  Please remember that all Extra Duty positions must be filled through a competitive hiring process.

To support this work, here is a link to the current allocations and rosters for each site: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wRC0hwxXUMv5R8Ni7h82rIAiKj1ElCY7QE_5pD-Qmgk/edit?usp=sharing

Please reach out to [email protected] for clarification as needed.

SafeSchools Update. Thank you SO MUCH for the quick response to the SafeSchools trainings that were outstanding or unaccounted for. It was incredible to see the quickness with which that list got smaller. The list will be updated every Monday, so please check back. 

New Blast Roles. The recruitment for  two new vacant BLAST positions has commenced. 

• We are currently recruiting for an Elementary Assistant Principal; we have two known vacancies for the 25-26 school year: one at North Star, as Lynne Tat is in that role in an Interim capacity for this school year; and one at Juniper, as Jessica Scott is taking a leave of absence for the 25-26 school year. By posting this as a pool posting, we are looking to maximize an ever-shrinking calendar. 
• Walt Norris, current Director of Custodial and Sustainability, will retire effective June 30. After a review of the current state of the Custodial Department and a review of organizational methods in other districts, a decision was made to delimit the Director of Custodial and Sustainability classification and to create a new classification, the Director of Facilities Operations, to lead the combined Custodial and Maintenance departments. This position will report to Doug Pigman, the Executive Director of Facilities and Maintenance and will begin July 1, 2025. If you have any questions about these vacancies, please connect with Ryan.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Canopy, the district’s Employee Assistance Plan provider, is available to ALL employees. Canopy has free, confidential resources designed to help employees thrive and includes these kinds of services: 

✔ 24/7 Confidential Counseling – provides access to professional, real time, support anytime, anywhere.
✔ Personalized Coaching – offers one-on-one guidance to help you set goals and find balance.
✔ On-Demand Learning – includes webinars, tip sheets, and resources to support your mental wellness. 

Check out this flyer to learn more and find out how to access Canopy’s services.

From Kinsey – Office of Policy, Advocacy, and Equity:

Summer groceries/food access: Can you please share this in your next school newsletters (for families and for staff)?  

Need help with buying groceries for your family?  The state of Oregon offers a program that can help families with school-age children who need help with access to food while school is out for summer.  For details and to apply, see flyer: 

Summer EBT Flyer English

¿Necesita ayuda con alimentos para su familia?  El estado de Oregón ofrece un programa que ayuda a las familias con niños de edad escolar a comprar alimentos durante las vacaciones de verano.  Para más detalles y para aplicar, véase este volante:

Summer EBT Flyer Spanish

Family engagement staff: Evaluations: I am working on summative evaluations for FAN Advocates and Family Liaisons.  You consistently engage with them and see their work in your buildings weekly–if you have any feedback to contribute to their evaluation, please send it my way or give me a call.  I appreciate your partnership and insights.

Staffing: Curious who your school’s Advocate, Liaison, or Language Specialist will be next year?  The goal is to keep these positions as stable and consistent as possible year to year, as this is key for relationships and trust with families, colleagues, and students.  Until/unless you hear otherwise, assume these roles will be filled by the same people you currently have assigned.  

From Kayla and Scott- Safety. Thank you for a wonderful year of training- we value your active participation and feedback with our four sessions this year! Here are the slides from our Cadre training session last week. We followed up with executive leadership on who our designated licensed administrators are for reporting. The language in the slides was, “Any employee who has reasonable cause to believe that abuse has occurred is required to:

• Report to DHS or law enforcement

• Notify Designated Licensed Administrator (DLA)” 

For now, please advise staff to continue notifying DHS of child abuse/mandated reports with our current procedures. If questions arise, please reach out to our team or Kinsey Martin.

Operations – Paul Dean

Grounds and Athletic Fields  Like other departments, Maintenance is responding to budget constraints and limited staffing.  Our Outside Services Team, therefore, is adjusting our fertilization schedule to better manage available resources and align with sustainability initiatives.  

Instead of applying fertilizer during early spring (spring break), we will now fertilize in late June or early July, with an additional application for athletic fields in the fall. This change—along with scaling back from the previous 3–4 applications per year—will save the district thousands of dollars and significantly reduce water usage, which aligns with conservation efforts encouraged by both the City of Bend and the BLS.

These adjustments will also allow our crews to focus on other critical turf maintenance tasks, such as edging and weed control, which we can better manage as the grass growth slows. Rest assured, playing surfaces will remain safe and the turf healthy.

We’re also prioritizing aeration this year—something we haven’t done consistently in the past. This will have a major positive impact on the overall condition of our fields. Finally, we are in the process of organizing a dedicated field maintenance crew and hope to bring on summer help soon to accelerate this work.

Thank you for your patience and support as we implement these changes.

Action Items

• Share Summer Food access information in your newsletters to families
• Review Extra Duty rosters and let HR know if there are changes ([email protected] )
• Ensure your Non-Contract time is up-to-date in Employee Online
• Principals, complete your Year End Summative Reflection by May 26, comment on areas of pride and areas of growth.

Important Dates

• May 26: Memorial Day, No School
• May 27: June Horizontal (Changed from June 3rd) at Highland – HLD and Three Rivers host
• June 4: All Admin PD at Aspen Hall, 3:00-4:30
• June 5: Counseling Celebration in the board room, 7:30-9:30
• June 5: TAG Team meeting, 3:45 in the boardroom
• June 12: Last Day students—half day
• June 13: Last Day staff
• June 17: Elementary End of Year Celebration! 2:00 Somewhere!

And finally…May 16th is National Classic Movie Day! What is your favorite? Let me know and I will give it a go! I am old enough that my favorite movie is now considered a classic!

From Tammy and Karen

Happy School Principal’s Day to each and everyone of our awesome Elementary Administrators Teammates! Tammy and I want to take a moment to shine a light on you and tell you how deeply appreciated you are. The care, leadership, and love you pour into your schools every single day does not go unnoticed. You show up every day for students, families, and staff with strength and compassion—and in doing so, you create environments where children feel seen, safe, and inspired to grow. Thank you for your unwavering dedication, your steady presence, and the joy you bring into the work. We are so grateful to be on this journey with each of you!

Horizontal Meeting: Tuesday, May 6th at Silver Rail. 3:00- 5:00 p.m.

Karen’s Schedule: I will be in Minnesota assisting my mom during a surgery on Monday, May 5 and Tuesday, May 6. I may not have access to email or phone that day (hospitals and airports), so if you have an urgent need, please reach out to Tammy! Thanks for your kind support as I take time to care for my parents.

Important Links

• BEA and OSEA Bargaining Update Website
• State Testing Folder
•  April 23^rd Elementary TLC Update
• Topics of Interest/Problem of Practice-Heartfelt gratitude from a colleague and a new ask
• FAQs for Special Education Inclusion Topics—Keep checking in here! BEA and BLS supported

Notes from our Team:

Curriculum and Instruction-Julie Richards

*DIBELS begins on May 12th.  Here is the schedule. 

*Note:  TLC and Instructional Coaches will begin preparing for summer professional learning beginning the week of May 5th.  Instructional Coaches will only be in buildings:  Tuesday, Wednesday PM and Thursday. 

Life and Career Readiness-Jenny White
Principals here is the LINK to a Wayfinder activity you can do with your team before a staff meeting or SIW.

Random Facts

Admin:  Share this with teachers in your newsletters

Teachers below are the activity highlights for the week. 

 Kindergarten: Secret Spyglass – Students practice thinking about the future and share their hopes with each other.

1st grade: Big Mistake – Students listen to the story Regina’s Big Mistake, by Marissa Moss, and identify and celebrate areas of learning where they might make mistakes.

2nd grade: Cars that Can’t See – Students explore trusting someone while navigating uncertainty through an embodied partner activity.

3rd grade: Someone I Trust – Students engage in a visualization about the experience of feeling safe in a classroom.

4th grade: A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words – Students recreate a simple drawing with their eyes closed, relying solely on the descriptions and directions of a partner.

5th grade: I Can’t Believe My Eyes – Students practice paying attention and problem solving by looking at optical illusions.

This document links EL Module 1, 2, 3 and 4 with Wayfinder’s 20 Minute lessons that teach the skills students need and Collections that go with the unit.

Technology – Scott McDonald

iPad Roll-In is Coming! As many of you know, all students will be turning in their iPads before the last day of school. Since we are transitioning to keyboard-equipped devices at all high schools, every student will receive a new or different device for the 2025–26 school year.

This will be a massive undertaking—the first time in 12 years that we are either replacing or swapping all 17,000+ student devices in a single summer. To make this a success, we need your help:

Communicate early – Remind students to back up their work, update their devices, and locate their charging bricks and cords.

Create a school-specific plan – Connect with your IT Client Services representative to understand the process and build a plan to collect student iPads before the end of the year.

Recruit help – This is not a job for media/library staff alone. Plan to involve available staff, students, or volunteers to support the roll-in process.

I’ll be sending more detailed instructions, tips, and ideas for iPad roll-in over the coming weeks. Please also check out this link for information.

Thank you in advance for your support!

From Ryan Kelling–Human Resources

SafeSchools Training Update: Next week, we will be sharing a list of employees who have not yet completed their required SafeSchools trainings with supervisors via email. 

These trainings are a critical component of our ongoing commitment to maintaining a safe environment for all students and staff. They also serve to establish a shared understanding of protocols and expectations that can be applied consistently in any situation. Supervisors will be responsible for ensuring that all employees they supervise complete the trainings as soon as possible. These trainings may be completed during work hours. Certified employees are already compensated for this time, and Classified employees may be provided paid release time if necessary.

Looking ahead, we recognize the need to improve communication around training deadlines and will work to establish clearer expectations next year, including potential accountability measures for non-completion. Thank you for your attention to this important matter and for helping reinforce our collective responsibility for school safety.

BLAST Vacancies: The recruitment for two more vacant BLAST positions has commenced. 

We are currently recruiting for an Athletic Director/Assistant Principal at La Pine High School and for the Principal vacancy at Elk Meadow Elementary School.

The AD/AP vacancy is a result of the MOA moving these positions to the BLAST schedule. 

The Elk Meadow vacancy is due to Ben Johnston’s resignation. 

If you’d like to learn more about either vacancy, please connect with Ryan.

From Kinsey – Policy, Advocacy, & Equity:

Complaint Management: Please go into your bookmarked Complaint Dashboard and ensure each complaint submission is either resolved or actively being investigated:

• The “Resolved By School” column should say: Yes if resolved, No if still under investigation (and within the timeline for investigation and response), or Help Requested if you need support.  Click on the row for that complaint, and scroll down to change this status.
• Complete these fields for each complaint: 1) Confirmed Bias Incident (Yes, or No if not founded or if it’s a general/other complaint), 2) Response Steps, 3) Other Notes (this one’s optional).  Feel free to paste links to Google Docs, or attach documents with notes/findings/communications.  

Weekend Snack Bags: The Giving Plate is resuming their weekend snack bag program!  As a reminder, this program provides extra snacks for students in need, to supplement food access over the weekend.  Please note:

• Families must complete a form to qualify and begin receiving this resource.  
• FAN Advocates continue to be the point of contact for family qualification/permission forms and for snack bag distribution to students.
• If your school’s parent volunteer network has stepped in to organize snack bags during the Giving Plate’s pause in service, please let them know this program is resuming and they can phase out their coordination.  Better yet, if this is an issue your Booster Club/PTA cares about, they can volunteer with the Giving Plate as individuals or a group–that effort will directly benefit food access for students in your schools.  

Do Not Schedule dates: As you start to schedule dates and events for next year, don’t forget to schedule around these dates. 

Action Items

• Think of a difficult conversation and one other topic to bring to Problem of Practice time at Horizontal meeting.
• Check out and plan for DIBELS on this schedule
• Get the “do not schedule” dates in your calendars now, so in your planning, you avoid school events on these days.
• Go to the Complaint Dashboard and indicate if complaints are resolved or being investigated.
• Prepare for the iPad rollover at the end of the year
• Sign up for the Mandatory AI Training

Important Dates

• May 1: National School Principal’s Day
• May 5-9: Teacher Appreciation Week
• May 6: Horizontal meeting 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. at Silver Rail, SRE and Rosland host
• May 7: National Association of School Nurses National School Nurse Day (Proclamation here.)
• May 7: Safety Cadre Meeting, 2:00-3:30, location TBA
• May 14: All Admin PD at Perseverance Hall, 3:00-4:30 Read Chapter 4!
• May 26: Memorial Day, No School
• May 27: June Horizontal (Changed from June 3rd) at Highland – HLD and Three Rivers host
• May 30: Counselor Celebrations, 7:30-9:30 in the board room, at least one admin is required to attend, but both are encouraged!
• June 4: All Admin PD at Perseverance Hall, 3:00-4:30
• June 12: Last Day students—half day
• June 13: Last Day staff
• June 17: Elementary End of Year Celebration! 2:00 Somewhere!

And finally….It’s May 1 and time to break out the Meaningful May daily calendar from Action for Happiness! Visit the site at https://actionforhappiness.org/calendar

“If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile and blossom like a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace.” — Thich Nhat Hanh, Being Peace

Here is a little movie to make you happy! Elementary Administrators and Boomwhackers!

From Tammy and Karen

This morning, during one of our Breakfast and Belonging conversations, I was reminded of the research that validates the importance of caring for ourselves and seeking our own happiness. The time we spend being there for ourselves pays off in so many ways, including supporting and helping others to be happier! This is complicated research, but here is a 5 minute read from Harvard Medicine on the Contagion of Happiness that I hope you will take some time to review! It would make me really happy if you did that (teehee)!

Youth Truth – Be sure to share staff data with staff and family data with families by April 30!

Synergy Behavior Module: If you have feedback to IT admin about Synergy Behavior module, please email Eric Powell or follow the link provided on slide 8 of the Presentation.

Synergy History Platform: Do you want to pilot the student history tab on Synergy? Reach out to Jason Schneider if you would like to help out!

Slides from Horizontal Meeting: For access to the slides, visit this link.

Middle School Transition and Math Bypass Testing for 5th grade: An assessment needs to be given for some 5th grade students who could potentially skip 6th grade math if they meet the requirements. This assessment will only be given to 5th grade students whose teacher nominates them based on their math proficiency being exceptional, parents request their child take the test, or students who nominate themselves. This assessment will use iReady and takes approximately 45 minutes to complete on the iPad.  

FAQ you can provide families

Schedule this assessment for some time in May and pull the identified students to a space and administer the assessment before the end of the year. 

Staffing Plans are due April 21: Please reach out to Karen and/or Tammy with any questions.

ICCL Update: The Admin ICCL Team meeting is at RE Jewell on Tuesday, April 22, from 3:00-5:00. We will be focusing on your school design work for the year and planning ahead for next year.

Important Links

• BEA and OSEA Bargaining Update Website
• State Testing Folder
•  April 9^th Elementary TLC Update
• Topics of Interest/Problem of Practice-Got something you want some collaboration with? (New Request about systems to support student behavior)
• FAQs for Special Education Inclusion Topics—Keep checking in here! BEA and BLS supported

Notes from our Team:

From the Deputy Superintendent, Lisa Birk: This year we have done a lot of work on policy and implementation discussion related to AI use in BLPS. This training is MANDATORY for all school admin and you may choose between 4 options (5/20, 6/10, 6/17). Please refer to the document below to sign up for a time. They are listed in Yellow. 

As a reminder, Optional PD opportunities are available for all. As always, if you have an interest in a specific topic, please feel free to let me know so we can work on standing up some trainings. Have a great day. -L

Mandatory AI Training

From Paul Dean – Operations:

Please click on this Important Update On Fundraising for Capital Improvement Projects

From Life and Career Readiness – Jenny White and Jennifer Hauth

Principals here is the Link to a Wayfinder activity you can do with your team before a staff meeting or SIW.

From Scott Maben- Communications

On our way to brand new websites for Bend-La Pine Schools

A team from District Communications and IT have started the process of converting all our websites to a new platform for the 2025-26 school year. We have partnered with Finalsite, a leading provider of websites for schools. We are beginning this month with design for a new District site and will follow that with a new school template. We will work through the spring and summer with the goal of launching the new sites before school begins in September. If we run into issues or need to change the timeline, we can continue to use our existing sites as long as needed.

We have been talking about this change for a couple of years now, and we’re excited to be underway. The benefits include greater online security, cost savings, cleaning up and better organizing our web content, improved features for those visiting our sites, better mobile functionality, a much-improved content management system (for web editors), visual appeal, and improved accessibility for people with disabilities.

Starting next week, Scott Maben will begin reaching out to each school admin team to ask you questions about your existing website, your thoughts on your new website, and who will be your primary school website content manager in the 2025-26 school year. We also will share details on project timelines and staff training as we solidify those details.

Feel free to ask questions now or hold them for when we connect in the coming weeks.

Local meteorologist offers to help students learn about weather, forecasts

KTVZ chief meteorologist John Carroll is a familiar face both from his local TV reports and his time in classrooms helping young students learn about weather and forecasting in Central Oregon. He has written three children’s books about the weather, and he welcomes students to join him on air for weather reports as part of the KTVZ Junior Forecaster program.

John has been invited to speak with classes in several of our schools, and he let us know he’s available for more school visits and would love to make it to all elementary schools in our district. In his long career as a meteorologist John has developed presentations suitable for young elementary students (K-2) and older ones (3-5). He asks you to reach out if interested in scheduling a visit: [email protected] or 860-729-1814.

More about John: https://ktvz.com/about/ktvz-news-team/2023/07/31/john-carroll/

Action Items

• Staffing plans due April 21—please reach out to Tammy and Karen for any questions
• Remind ICCL Team of the upcoming training, April 25 from 3:00-5:00 at Jewell Elementary
• Sign up for the Mandatory AI Training
• Send Math Bypass info to interested parents
• Youth Truth staff survey shared with staff and family data shared with families by April 30
• Send feedback to Eric regarding Synergy Behavior Module and/or reach out to Jason if you want to pilot the History Tab on Synergy

Important Dates

• April 19: On the Road to Kindergarten Event 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at various parks
• April 22: Admin ICCL 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
• April 23: Educator Network Day – 1:45 – 3:15 p.m. (Intro to Amplify Desmos Math)
• April 25: Breakfast and Belonging, Jackson’s Corner, 7:00-8:30
• April 30: SIW – reserved for Math planning
• May 5-9: Teacher Appreciation Week
• May 6: Horizontal meeting 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. at Silver Rail, SRE and Rosland host
• May 7: Safety Cadre Meeting, 2:00-3:30, location TBA
• May 14: All Admin PD at Perseverance Hall, 3:00-4:30 Read Chapter 4!
• May 26: Memorial Day, No School
• May 27: June Horizontal (Changed from June 3rd) at Highland – HLD and Three Rivers host
• May 30: Counselor Celebrations, 7:30-9:30 in the board room, at least one admin is required to attend, but both are encouraged!
• June 4: All Admin PD at Perseverance Hall, 3:00-4:30
• June 12: Last Day students—half day
• June 13: Last Day staff
• June 17: Elementary End of Year Celebration! 2:00 Somewhere!

And finally…Today, April 17th is International Day of Mastering Conversations that Matter! OR, International Pizza Cake Day! Choose your own Adventure!

From Tammy and Karen

Belonging is the feeling of being valued, included, and connected to those around us. In our workplaces, a strong sense of belonging leads to deeper collaboration, greater job satisfaction, and a more supportive environment where everyone can thrive. When we feel a sense of belonging, we are more engaged, innovative, and empowered to do our best work.

To better understand and strengthen our culture of belonging (and to help Karen complete her assignment for the COREN book study group ;>) we are conducting a Belonging Survey for Administrators. Your feedback will help us identify opportunities to foster a more inclusive and connected team. This will take just a few minutes and we hope to have the responses by March 21st. This survey is optional, but we would love to have everyone’s voice included!

As part of this initiative, we are excited to introduce Breakfasts and Belonging with Principals in April. These gatherings will provide a space to connect, share experiences, and build stronger relationships. If there is a Friday in April that you are unavailable, please let Karen and Tammy know. In May, we will continue this focus with a series of sessions designed specifically for Assistant Principals. Principals will receive an invitation with more details soon. We look forward to engaging in these important conversations together!

Kindergarten Oops!    My apologies, as I (Tammy) did not attach the expectations around kindergarten orientations in the past links about signing up for your days.  Please review this document and make any necessary adjustments to your kindergarten orientation information if you need.  If you haven’t signed up, now is the time. We appreciate you!

Important Links

• State Testing Folder
• March 5^th Elementary TLC Update
• Topics of Interest/Problem of Practice-Got something you want some collaboration with? (New Request about systems to support student behavior)
• FAQs for Special Education Inclusion Topics—Keep checking in here! BEA and BLS supported

Notes from our Team:

From Kinsey – Policy, Advocacy, and Office of DEI:

Congratulations: Be sure to celebrate the folks in your building who won our recent community engagement contest opportunities, and include kudos to all your staff who participated!  Winners, participants, photos of submissions, and more are here.    

Complaints:  Before spring break: Please go into your Dashboard and ensure you have followed up on all complaints or bias incidents logged there.  You should ensure there is documentation on your findings and follow-up actions/communications.  

Please always circle back with the reporting individual to let them know you received and handled their submission, and to share whatever outcomes you can (respecting confidentiality, of course).  This last step continues to be a frustration of students, feeling like they’re not hearing ‘anything’ from their school on incidents or complaints they report.  Whether that’s true or not, it never hurts to double-check that we’re closing communication loops!

Budgets: As you prepare your budget for next year, be sure to include dollars to purchase all school supplies required by your teachers, as well as dollars to cover the fines/fees being assessed to any McKinney-Vento-qualifying student (see policy here—this will be a very minor impact on your budget, but is significant to our families experiencing houselessness).  

From COO Ops Team

Here is the link to last week’s leadership team slide deck.

From Instructional Technology, Tracy Howk and Robbie Faith: Digital Curriculum Access for Substitute Teachers

Clever has recently introduced Clever Sub Badges, a new feature that allows teachers to provide secure, temporary login credentials for substitute teachers. With this badge, substitutes can access resources like ILC, Really Great Reading, and Wayfinder without needing the teacher’s personal login information. Teachers can also share video links, Google Slides, PDFs,  and other digital resources to simplify substitute planning.

Since January, we have been piloting this new feature at High Lakes and Ponderosa Elementary, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. 

We are now looking for a few more schools to introduce this new feature this spring. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Robbie Faith to schedule a short meeting with your admin team.

From TLC – Lindsay Gehrig:
Great to see you all yesterday.  If you feel it would be supportive of your staff and timely, I am happy to come and recognize the incredible work happening with EL and literacy in general any time between now and the end of the year. Just throw out a couple of dates and times, and I’ll get you on my calendar.  Do not feel obligated in any way, just an offering.

From Transportation – Kim Crabtree

Can we please ask schools NOT to give out candy and food treats at the end of the day. Students are not allowed to eat on the bus, and it causes a lot of friction when we tell kids to put it in the garbage. They will not keep it in their backpacks. Last week we had suckers and cupcakes come onto buses. 🙁

Life and Career Readiness – Jenny White

Principals below is an activity you can use at the beginning of a SIW or staff meeting.

Motivation and Inspiration

From School Improvement – Dave VanLoo

We have built new Synergy reports designed to help schools monitor students who are approaching 10 consecutive absences. This document explains how to access and navigate these reports. Please share this document with staff at your school who need to use these data (e.g., Office managers, counselors, grad coaches, attendance secretaries, etc.).

Action Items

• Provide Kindergarten Orientation information in this document by March 14th.
• Share Youth Truth information with your staff and families by April 30. See February 20 blog for slide decks and info from Dave VanLoo
• Please complete the Belonging Survey for Elementary Administrators by March 21st
• Reach out to Robbie Faith if you are interested in learning more about the Clever Sub Badge.
• Share instructions for Synergy consecutive absence report with staff who need the data.
• Follow up on Complaints/Bias reports in your dashboard before Spring Break.

Important Dates

• March 19: Elementary Safety Cadre, 1:30-3:30–Silver Rail Library
• March 24-28: The long awaited Spring Break!
• April 8: School Board Meeting 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
• April 9: Administrator Professional Development 3:00 – 4:30 p.m.
• April 15: Horizontal meeting 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. at Ponderosa Elementary
• April 19: On the Road to Kindergarten Event 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
• April 22: Admin ICCL 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.

And finally…I thought this as I slipped on the snow when I walked out of my house this morning!

From Tammy and Karen

Welcome to March (in 2 days)! You will see above that the new Action for Happiness Calendar is out and we are focusing on Mindful March! What I love about the suggestions in this calendar is that they are simple strategies that when put into action can make a big difference in our mindset and overall happiness. At this time in the school calendar, we are all working on our plans for next school while keeping our schools vibrant places for learning through this school year. When I was a principal, it was in March that I often found myself putting aside my own needs and making the argument that I couldn’t slow down for even a minute. I could not have been more wrong! Mindfully slowing down and taking even a few minutes to rest between activities is the best thing we can do for ourselves! My challenge for you is to choose a chair somewhere in your workspace (not your desk chair) and go and sit in it for 5 minutes. Text or email me a photo of the chair so that I can send you some good wishes for peace and a surprise in the mail!

Sign up for March Site Visits: It is time to sign up for our March Site Visits! We will send an agenda at the beginning of next week and add them to your calendar invitations. Plan on spending some of the time talking about staffing and visiting a classroom or two!

Readings for Admin Meetings: In preparation of our next admin PD meeting, please be sure to complete the Leadership Intention activity from Chapter 1 of Thriving Leaders.  Here is the document in case you want a digital copy. We will also be talking about Chapter 2, so please read that prior to attending on Wednesday!

Kindergarten and the Contract: It’s that time of the year to start thinking about the 25-26 kindergarten season!  There are a couple of things in the contract regarding kindergarten in the springtime we want to make sure you are on top of.  First, 16.2.5.4. For kindergarten staff, no later than the first week of April, you need to convene your team to plan for transitioning students into kindergarten.  This means what are you going to do for your May information day/evening as well as your plan for transitioning and building classes in the fall. 

Secondly, speaking of May information day/evening, please go to this document here and please let us know your May Kindergarten orientation date, time, and activity.  This should be chosen now to be within the contracted 60 calendar days if you are doing it as one of your after contracted hours events you are requiring.  You can also make it optional to your kindergarten team and pay them to attend.  We also advertise it on our website and media outlets very soon and need the information for that.  

Common Language:  We had a conversation at cabinet regarding the use of the term “graduation” for anything other than seniors who “graduate” from high school.  We are going to align K-12 to reserve the terms “graduation”, “graduate”, etc. for graduating seniors only.  For other kinds of celebrations K-8, the terms “celebration” or “promotion” will be used to represent those types of transitions.  So, long story short, if you do any type of Kindergarten or 5th grade celebrations, please be sure to use other words to describe that celebration instead of graduation.

ALL-STAFF MEETINGS MARCH 13 WITH DR. COOK: Please remind all your building staff of the virtual meetings with Dr. Cook on Thursday, March 13. These 30-minute virtual meetings are open to all District employees, with two afternoon time slots to accommodate different work schedules. 

Dr. Cook will provide updates on bills making their way through the state Legislature and how they could impact our work to build a budget for next school year. He also will touch on directives related to public education coming out of Washington, D.C. Dr. Cook will leave time to answer a few staff questions. PICK YOUR TIME!

• 3:05 to 3:35 p.m. (best for elementary schedules)
• 3:50 to 4:20 p.m. (best for secondary schedules)

We will provide meeting links closer to the date. Attendance is optional, and we will provide recordings of both meetings afterward.

Important Links

• State Testing Folder
• February 19^th Elementary TLC Update
• Topics of Interest/Problem of Practice–Someone is looking for a Field Trip Checklist!
• FAQs for Special Education Inclusion Topics—Keep checking in here! BEA and BLS supported

Notes from our Team:

From Information Technology – Scott McDonald: We need to talk once again about security and keeping our organization and personal data safe.  Email phishing and scams continues to be our number one threat.  And lately, the bad guys have been busy.  Fortunately, there are actions both we in IT and you can do to protect our data:

Report any suspicious email message– Use the “Phish Alert” button in Microsoft Outlook to flag any suspicious message.  Of course, do not click any links in the email before reporting!

Note External Messages– Along with the yellow banner, you will now see the label “External” beside any message that is not from a Bend-La Pine user. In some cases, you may  also see additional information about the sender.

Only use Microsoft Outlook!- The security features that we invest in and maintain as a district are only available on Microsoft Outlook mail clients and tools.  Please do not add your work email to any other mail application (examples include Apple Mail, Gmail, etc.). 

Soon, we will be disabling the ability for users to view their work email on third party applications.  There will be additional messaging to support users who will be impacted by this change.

Finally, you might have noticed our email phishing campaign has become a lot harder lately.  That is because the bad guys are also getting trickier as well.  Do not be afraid to over report when you are suspicious of a message!

From Social Emotional Wellness – Jennifer Hauth

Join us in celebrating our incredible Student Success Coordinators, Clinicians, Instructors and Educational Assistants the week of March 3rd – March 7th! This coincides with School Social Work Week & Classified Appreciation week.

Student success staff are instrumental in supporting students with significant social, emotional and mental health needs. These amazing humans work tirelessly to provide intensive care coordination, family engagement, academic support and emotional support.  

Our student success staff serve as vital members of a school’s education team, playing a central role in creating partnerships between the home, school, and community to improve student well-being and academic success. 

Please take a moment during this week to celebrate and acknowledge the student success staff in your building! Thank you. 

Wayfinder. Please share this poster with your staff. Unlike the picture below, the poster has live links for them to click on.

Life and Career Readiness- Jenny White

Principals below is an activity you can use at the beginning of a SIW or staff meeting.

Six Word Story: Direct Link to the lesson in Wayfinder

From School Improvement – Dave VanLoo: NNAT3 Update. After several days of back and forth with Pearson, we have confirmed that students cannot use Clever to login to the NNAT3 on iPads. Currently Clever is used for rostering and for adults to log into the website to manage testing and reporting. Unfortunately, this means that students will need to install the TestNav app using Self Service and login to it via username (BLP Perm ID#) and password (Session ID # generated in the website). The Synergy report STU408 (Class list and click 2nd grade and Perm ID) can be used to get usernames. In addition to the NNAT3 resources that were shared in the blog a couple of weeks ago, here is the link to the great slide deck Laci made to help with installing TestNav and administering the test.  Let me know if you have additional questions. https://www.canva.com/design/DAF-weB3_o8/q_rg5hHIpyVC33qE4hfziw/edit?utm_content=DAF-weB3_o8&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

From Director of Multilingual Services -Liza Huet: SIGN UP HERE. *Space is limited

Action Items

• Sign up for a March Site Visit
• Complete the document from Chapter 1 and read Chapter 2 of Thriving Leaders for March 5th meeting.
• Consider participating in the “Chair” challenge! Send a photo to Karen to get a surprise in the mail!
• Start planning Erin’s Law lessons–share the information with your staff
• Start planning when and how you are going to be sharing Youth Truth information with your staff and families.
• Share the Wayfinder contest with your staff
• Share SIOP training with staff

Important Dates

• March 3-7: Better Lesson will be here to do school walk-throughs this week–if we haven’t notified you that they will come to your school, no need to note this.
• March 5: All Admin Professional Learning at Perseverance Hall, 3:00-4:30
• March 11: Horizontal Meeting 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. at Pine Ridge hosted by PRE and NSE
• March 13: 3:05 or 3:50—Take 30 minutes to participate in the All Staff Update with Dr. Cook
• March 19: Elementary Safety Cadre, 1:30-3:30–thanks Scott and Kayla for moving it for us!
• March 24-28: The long awaited Spring Break!

And finally…a photo of my chair!

From Tammy and Karen

Tammy and I had a fantastic time attending the COSA Winter Conference earlier this week. One session that particularly stood out was titled “Leadership Matters.” The discussion explored the significance of effective leadership and delved into the skills, knowledge, and dispositions that make leaders credible, convincing, and inspiring. During the partner talk times we enjoyed reflecting on the incredible leaders we are fortunate to work with each day.

A key takeaway from the session was the fact that leadership demands an immense amount of courage. Simply stepping into the role of leading teams is an act of strength and bravery. It requires the ability to hold space for everyone in your community, working toward a more just and equitable world for all. We know this isn’t always easy or comfortable, so we are truly grateful to know you are there every day, serving our community with dedication, courage, and care.

State Testing: Erich has added to/updated the State Assessment Resources folder. Here is the folder that has been created full of things for you. Start with the checklist to check off the things you have done and see what needs to happen next!

Teacher Contracts: Certified and Admin staff will be receiving their 25-26 contracts through UKG. Please see the important information below from HR around timelines, resignations and retirements, etc. Hard to believe we are already shifting into the world of “next year!”

Important Links

• February 5^th Elementary TLC Update
• Topics of Interest/Problem of Practice–Someone is looking for a Field Trip Checklist!
• FAQs for Special Education Inclusion Topics—Keep checking in here! BEA and BLS supported

Notes from our Team:

Curriculum and Instruction – Julie Richards and Kerry Morton

The Amplify Desmos Math materials will be displayed at your school for the next few weeks to allow community members to view and provide feedback around the materials. Please share the information below with caregivers.

Dear Bend-La Pine Caregivers,

Would you like to learn more about the recommended K-5 math curriculum? Bend-La Pine Schools is seeking public feedback on the proposed new elementary math program

Caregivers and community members are invited to review the curriculum materials in two ways:

• In person: Visit your child’s elementary school to view program samples.
• Online: Explore digital sample lessons and program summaries using the links below.

🔍 Program Overview (English | Español)
💻 Sample Digital Lessons

We value your input! Please share your feedback by completing the survey below:
📝 Feedback Form (English | Spanish)

Thank you for partnering with us in shaping the future of math learning for our students.

Life and Career Readiness – Jenny White

Principals below is an activity you can use at the beginning of a SIW or staff meeting.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Human Resources – Trish Uhart and Candy Gelatt

  Over the course of the next couple of days, we will be initiating the Contract Letters for 2025-26 through UKG.  Certified and Administrative staff will receive an email notification that they have a To Do Item to complete.  This is their Contract Letter to be reviewed and signed.  Same as last year, Candy and I will keep track of which letters have been returned and will chase down any stragglers.  

Below is the email being sent out to all Certified Staff this morning; in case you get questions.  

Hello!  The Bend La Pine Board of Directors acted on the renewal/extension of licensed contracts during the February 11, 2025, Executive Session.    Over the course of the next couple of days, we will be initiating the Contract Letters for the 2025-26 school year through UKG.  You will receive an email notification stating you have a To Do item to complete – this is your Contract Letter to be reviewed and signed.  The letters are assigned one at a time so you may not receive a notification at the same time as your collogues.  We ask for your patience while we work through all our licensed staff.  If you have not received a notification by Monday, February 17^th, please let us know.   

The steps to access your letter are outlined below:

• Access your letter from your To Do list in UKG (click on the bell in the upper right-hand corner of your UKG profile to find your To Do tab)
• Click Modify at the bottom right corner 
• Read your letter

• Click in the signature box
•  Enter the last four digits of your social security number to electronically sign your letter
• Click modify again in the upper right-hand corner 
• You will receive a pop up, choose “modify” again and “okay” to complete the submission to the Certified team. 

You must sign and submit your letter no later than April 15^th.  

If you are not planning on returning for the 2024-25 school year, you will reject your letter, add a comment as to why you are rejecting the letter and then you will need to submit a formal letter of resignation to [email protected] no later than April 15^th.  

Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions.  

From Human Resources – Ryan Kelling

As we move through the school year, it’s important to ensure that we are handling employee resignations in a timely and compliant manner. If you receive a resignation—whether verbal or written—it is critical that you notify HR immediately.

Why This Matters: Oregon law requires final paychecks to be issued within strict timelines. Delays can result in statutory penalties and, if not processed on time, overpayments that require collection efforts. To avoid compliance issues, send all resignations to HR immediately (hr-certified@ for licensed employees; hr-classified@ for non-licensed employees).

What You Need to Do

1. Report Resignations Right Away – As soon as an employee notifies you of their intent to resign, ask them to deliver that information to you in writing via email and then forward that notification to HR. If the resignation is verbal and a written resignation will prove difficult to obtain, confirm the details with the employee and document the conversation before sending it to HR.
2. Do Not Hold Resignations – Even if an employee has given a long notice period, HR needs to process it immediately to ensure proper payroll and benefits adjustments.
3. Be Mindful of Final Paycheck Deadlines – Employees who resign with at least 48 hours’ notice (excluding weekends/holidays) must receive their final paycheck on their last day worked. Employees who resign without notice must be paid within five business days.

Failure to meet final paycheck deadlines can result in financial penalties for the district, as well as frustration for the departing employee. This is easily preventable by ensuring that all resignations are sent to HR as soon as they are received.

Your prompt attention to this process helps us maintain compliance, support smooth transitions for staff, and avoid unnecessary complications. If you have any questions, please reach out to the HR team for guidance. Thank you for your diligence and partnership in this important process.

From Social Emotional Wellness – Jennifer Hauth

🌟 You’re Invited! Mark your calendars! Join us for inspiring presentations led by our dedicated BLS school counselors. In these brief school presentations, our teams will share their progress on their yearly goals, highlight their programming initiatives, and discuss the data they’ve gathered throughout the year. This reflection on our year will help us develop future programming as we continue to develop a comprehensive student support framework as part of our MTSS process. More importantly, this data informs our practices and aids us in better supporting all of our students in Bend La Pine Schools through a multi-tiered system of support and a coordinated continuum of care.

Your presence is invaluable as we reflect on our progress and plan for the future. Let’s celebrate our achievements and inspire each other to continue nurturing the potential of every student. 

Facilities Development Office – Paul Dean

The FDO project management team has been working on major construction projects.  For Bond Project Updates – visit: https://www.bend.k12.or.us/district/news-events/2022-bond.  And a recap of all the Bond Projects in this upcoming 2022 Bond Cycle – visit: https://www.bend.k12.or.us/application/files/3116/7407/4163/2022_Bond_Management_Plan.pdf

March Leadership Team Meeting: COO Ops leaders from Transportation, Facilities/Maintenance, Safety, IT and Custodial/Sustainability will be facilitating the Please submit at least one question, concern, curiosity or comment that you have for one or more of our departments at this link.

Network Outages: Be prepared for power/internet outages by printing a copy of Power & Internet Outage Emergency Protocols

Field Trip/Athletic/Club Transportation All district staff are required to communicate with their administrators and the Transportation Department prior to scheduling an off campus trip. Below are reminders to keep everything moving smoothly and in compliance. 

• Submit ALL trip requests through BusHive as early as possible (months ahead).
• Questions about your trip? Call Daniel Lopez X5706 (Bend) Call Scott Steinhauer X5753 (La Pine)
• Don’t have a BusHive log in- Call Daniel Lopez X5706 (Bend) Call Scott Steinhauer X5753 (La Pine)
• Charter Buses- We do NOT use these unless we have no other options.
  • Schools cannot book these trips directly. You must contact Daniel Lopez X5706 (Bend) Call Scott Steinhauer (La Pine)
  • We are required to document use of any charter plus, plus a copy of the parent notification letter. ODE requires we maintain a documentation file for charters.
  • We have not used charters for several years. We have drivers & school buses available. 
• Drivers of students must hold an ODE certificate (Bus, Type 20, Type 10) for school sponsored event transportation.
• Student transportation must be provided in an ODE approved vehicle. (Bus, Type 20, Type 10).  
• Rental vehicles- contact Transportation prior to renting any vehicle being used to transport students.
• What about after a game? A student wants to go home with another family, but came to the game on a bus? This is between the student and the parent. The teacher, AD, coach should not be involved in this conversation, other than you know the student has permission from their parent to go home another way. If the teacher/AD arranges or organizes transportation for a student, the liability is on the school district- meaning we use ODE approved transportation. This area can be “grey”. Be very careful not to organize transportation outside of ODE approved transportation. 
• We understand that trips have been taken in the past that do not follow these protocols- we are working to clarify policies and procedures.
• Staff members who fail to follow these requirements may be subject to disciplinary action. 
• Questions?? Give us a call- we are here to help!  541-355-5702 

Action Items

• Start Preparing for state testing—choose your testing dates by around Feb 17! Detailed info from Dave is in the February 6th Blog
• Encourage Door Decorating for Black History Month!
• Check out the new math adoption recommendation and send information home to caregivers

Important Dates

• February 17: Just a reminder that this is Presidents Day and it is a contracted BLAST day. If you are taking it off, you will need to use non-contract time. No students/staff this day
• February 19: Administrator Professional Development from 3:00 – 5:00–Perseverance Hall
• March 3-7: Better Lesson will be here to do school walk-throughs this week–if we haven’t notified you that they will come to your school, no need to note this.
• March 5: All Admin Professional Learning at Perseverance Hall, 3:00-4:30
• March 11: Horizontal Meeting 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. at Pine Ridge hosted by PRE and NSE
• March 19: Elementary Safety Cadre, 1:30-3:30–thanks Scott and Kayla for moving it for us!
• March 24-28: The long awaited Spring Break!

And finally….. Send us any fun photos of snow structures at your schools!