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Which leadership team are these babies? Send your guess to Karen to be entered into a drawing for a giant Chocolate Bar prize to be awarded at Horizontal!

From Tammy and Karen

Happy Last Day of School!

This has always been both my favorite and my least favorite day of the school year. As a principal, I loved the celebrations, promotions, parties, outdoor activities, and the hugs from students. I also looked forward to the quiet that followed—a few days to catch my breath and sift through the stacks of papers that had accumulated on my desk throughout the year.

At the same time, it was my least favorite day because of all the goodbyes. We all have those students who are especially hard to see head out the door for the last time. They are the ones we think about all summer, hoping they return in the fall. Saying goodbye to our fifth graders can be particularly bittersweet. Some of them arrived with a mouthful of baby teeth, and before we know it, they are walking out our doors ready for their next adventure.

And then there are the colleagues. We grow accustomed to seeing one another every day, sharing challenges, celebrations, caffeine connections, and countless ordinary moments that become meaningful over time. Knowing that some will be moving on to other schools, new roles, or new adventures makes this season of transition especially poignant.

Goodbyes have never come easily to me because relationships are what I treasure most. They are the heart of this work and the reason so many moments stay with us long after the school year ends. As you reflect on these final days, what memory from this year still makes you smile, laugh, or feel grateful? Which student, colleague, or family has left a lasting imprint on you? What goodbye feels especially difficult?

Perhaps the gift of this day is that it reminds us that endings matter because relationships matter. While this school year is coming to a close, the impact we have had on one another does not end here. The encouragement we offered, the lessons we learned together, and the connections we built continue to ripple forward in ways we may never fully see.

As we head into summer, let’s carry with us gratitude for what was and hope for what is still to come. The people who have touched our lives this year become part of our story, and in many ways, the best parts of this year will continue growing long after the last bus leaves!

Important Links

• June 3rd Elementary TLC Update
• Special EDge!   (June 11th 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, Curriculum and Instruction

Reminder from February 23rd:  Budget Request

As you all wrap up your budgeting by Wednesday, Karen, Julie and I have one request.  We are starting to see the hard work everyone is doing with the K-2 Literacy project, gaining some momentum and we are seeing changes in winter Dibels data like we have not seen in years.  For example, as noted in the TLC blog last week, Kindergarten data is seeing double digit improvements at this time of the year compared to years past.  Now is not the time to take our foot off the gas if we truly want to make a difference for our kids.  

That is where your budget comes in.  This coming year, the budget that has paid for the bulk of this work is no longer available for everything we are doing.  So, before we even have momentum to carry us forward, we are at risk of losing some programming that got us here.  We need you to add a line item in your budget for District K-2 Literacy Subs.  Looking through all the SIF plans for this year, most of you budgeted subs for certified workdays, so since SIF funds are now wrapped up in your discretion (forgot that?  Read the Blog, 2/5) we thought this would be a good place to set aside some of your funds for that work.  

Plan to set aside the following depending on what cohort your school is in:  

Budget $325 a day for subs.  2 days $1950, 1 day $975

Cohort 1:  2 days for one K, one 1st, one 2^nd (PRE, HLD, ROS, LPE, PON, LRE, BUC)

Cohort 2:  2 days for one K, one 1st, one 2^nd (NSE, SRE, EME, REJ, ENS, JUN, BCE)

Cohort 3:  1 day for one K, one 1st, one 2^nd (TRE, HLE, WEM, ACE)

We know this is a big ask and don’t take this ask lightly.  We also know that together we can make a difference and prioritizing our students’ learning to read is paramount to their future success. 

Thanks for your help! 

From Triz in Human Resources

Finalizing your Summative Evaluations?  Please remember the following steps to assist HR.

To allow HR to have access to all of the required pieces of the evaluative process, files must be dropped into the HR provided Google folders, in addition to being linked into the workbook.

What happens if you don’t?  Files are not accessible to HR and we have the potential of losing data.

If they are only shared in the spreadsheet without residing in the folders it is possible the files may get lost.

If you need technical assistance in accessing any of the documents or folders/workbook shared again, please reach out to Jessica Lamay.  

Thank you all so much, for your continued help in making staff evaluations successful!

From Kinsey – Office of Policy & Advocacy

Formal Complaints:    -Action required-

Please go into your Dashboard and ensure you have completed your investigations and communication about each complaint or bias incident in your Dashboard.  Be sure to mark it as “Resolved By School” when you have included notes, links/attachments, and other documentation.  Reach out if you need support. 

CFEE:

We have a last-minute opening for the week-long CFEE (racial equity workshop that all of Cabinet and many of our leaders have attended).  June 22-26 in Salem, expenses covered.  If you’re interested or know someone who is, reach out asap—first come first served.

Community Engagement Bingo:    -Action requested-

Time for prizes!  Want to win a gift card ($25-$49.99) to places like El Sancho, Spork, downtown shops like Almadorada Coffee, and more?

If you attended any of the community visits and/or did a home visit this year, please note that here so we can celebrate your leadership and enter you into the raffle.  For each Bingo square you completed, your chances of winning will go up!  We’ll draw names at our June 15 admin lunch.  

From Eric Powell- Student Services

As you continue to review your end-of-the-year discipline audits (based on previous guidance from IT), please do not hesitate to call or Email me with any Incidents that are being flagged as having errors. I plan to spend time next week reviewing audits district-wide and I can help correct any ‘issues’ to help you finish the year. I know you all have so many things going on right now, so please do not hesitate to reach out!! These audits must be completed before you check out for the year.

Action Items

• Upload all Safety Committee meeting minutes into google drive shared folder
• Send in your timesheets for the end of year (2 for June)
• Complete all Discipline audits before checking out for the summer.
• Title 1 schools- be sure to check in with Tammy before checking out for the summer.
• Resolve all investigations and complaints in the smartsheet system before checking out for the summer.
• Here is the sign about office hours over the summer.

Important Dates

• June 12. Last day for most staff—progress reports due by 3:15
• June 15: End of Year Administrator Celebration (and lunch!), High Desert Middle school 11:30-1:00
• June 16: End of year Elementary Leadership Literacy Review and Celebration 3:00 – 4:30 @ Crux Fermentation Project
• June 19: Juneteenth Holiday!
• August 11, 12, 13: Leadership Launch at Caldera
• August 18: Elementary Horizontal all day at the new Central Deschutes County Library

And finally… Congratulations to our LAST (but not least) Duck Drawing winner, Jessica Scott!

Jess Scott is our newly hired Principal of W.E. Miller Elementary! Jess has been a teacher, Student Services Coordinator, Assistant Principal at Juniper, and over the last year has been an Administrator sub across multiple schools. She has been the Interim Assistant Principal at Miller since this winter and the staff is absolutely thrilled that she will be continuing as the Principal starting in July! The mom of two girls, and a care provider for her parents, she stays busy traveling to water polo tournaments and getting ready to move into her new home. Jess is a native of Bend, but you should never follow her directions to a location because she is known for never taking the most direct route! Sounds like a great explorer to me! Congratulations Jess and let us know your drink of choice.

…and the last days of school!!!

From Tammy and Karen

If you haven’t started your end of the year countdown yet, now is a good time to start, with only one week left (technically 5 student and 6 teacher days!). You got this!

We have had a couple people reach out asking when progress reports are due. We are in agreement with the union leadership that they are due at the end of the work day on Friday 6/12. Another reminder is that according to the contract, teachers can work from home on Friday as well. If you have staff who are working from home and are not planning on coming back in, then you will need to check them out entirely on Thursday (minus progress report completion) before they leave, otherwise, they can come back in on Friday to check out. When working from home, the employee must be available by phone during the contract hours.

Phly Like Canadians (PLC) has been working on some guidance on developing your Main Schedules. As you start thinking about next year and your main schedule, here is draft #2 of the guidance you can use to support your schedule development. The Commitments to Learning Team met this morning and we are in the phase of reviewing those and making minor changes to the document, so hopefully they will be reviewed and finalized before you all take off for summer.

Important Links

• June 3rd Elementary TLC Update
• Special EDge!   (June 4th 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: 

Please share this Camp Fire summer camp flier with your families. Camp Fire is one of our approved afterschool care programs.

From Stephen DuVal, Middle School Level Leader and TAG Coordinator

Here are some relevant documents regarding TAG.  Please familiarize yourself with them.

The TAG ID process flow-chart

A NEW editable PDF of the TAG ID Case Study Form

Remember, we don’t automatically ID students based on screening from a test.  However, we do flag students in the 97th percentile or above for a case study conversation that could lead to an identification.  Additionally, the 97th percentile is a starting point we CAN identify students with other high percentiles if we look at need and other factors impacting a student.  Please reach out to Jess Scott or Stephen DuVal with any questions.

From Andrea Wilson in Human Resources

Safety Committee Meeting Minutes. Please upload all Safety Committee Meeting minutes to your site’s shared Google folder no later than June 30.  Questions? Please reach out to Andrea Wilson.

BLAST Leave Records. BLAST members: If you have not already done so, please submit your leave records documenting all leave taken, including non-contract time, during 2025-26 school year. If using the digital leave record, please remember to print, sign, and submit the completed record to our payroll office. Paper leave records may also be used to document your time. Thanks for helping us close out the school year accurately! 

From COREN—Summer Learning Opportunities–registration closes 7/31

Share the following oppoitunities with your staff!

• 2026 Summer Institute Flyer
• Register Here!

From Kinsey in Advocacy and Policy

Dr. Karen Mapp’s Family Engagement and Attendance Workshop:

Thanks to all who attended—such great energy to get us through the end of the year!

Next steps: 1) As you work on SIWs, school design plans, and family events for next year, pull up her slides and your notes so you can build on that learning.  2) Be on the look-out for more opportunities with her team in the fall, and a copy of her book heading to your school soon.  

Community Engagement Bingo:

Time for prizes!  Want to win a gift card ($25-$49.99) to places like El Sancho, Spork, downtown shops like Almadorada Coffee, and more?

If you attended any of the community visits and/or did a home visit this year, please note that here so we can celebrate your leadership and enter you into the raffle.  For each Bingo square you completed, your chances of winning will go up!  We’ll draw names at our June 15 admin lunch.  

Action Items

• Check out the draft main schedule guidance
• Share the Camp Fire flyer with your families
• Review TAG idenification guidance and reach out to Stephen or Jess with any questions
• Review the Karen Mapp slides as you plan for next year and include authentic family engagement in your planning
• Fill out the form for Community Engagement BINGO, noting how many boxes you did

Important Dates

• June 11. Last day for students
• June 12. Last day for most staff—progress reports due by 3:15
• June 15: End of Year Administrator Celebration (and lunch!), High Desert Middle school 11:30-1:00
• June 16: End of year Elementary Leadership Literacy Review and Celebration 3:00 – 4:30 @ Crux Fermentation Project
• June 19: Juneteenth Holiday!

And finally… Congratulations to our Next Duck Drawing winner, Nichole Walker!

Nichole Walker is in her 4th year as Principal at Pine Ridge, home of the Pine Martens! Prior to that, Nichole was Assistant Principal at Juniper, and admin intern at Buckingham, as well as a reading specialist and teacher. Throughout her diverse career, Nichole has built a robust professional toolbox. Don’t let her focused demeanor fool you, as she is as funny and fun as they come. When not at work, Nichole is an avid outdoorswoman, where you will find her hunting and fishing all over Oregon. Nichole is an avid outdoorswoman who loves hunting and fishing across Oregon. It has been an especially unforgettable year for her: she recently ventured through New Zealand, took in its breathtaking landscapes and wildlife, and while there, got engaged to her beau! Congratulations Nichole! Let us know your drink of choice and we will bring it your way!

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!

From Tammy and Karen

May is here and from this point on it will feel like so much to do and so little time to get it done! I took a peek at the weather forecast and we are in for a beautiful change with at least 10 days of sunshine and high 70s! As a great mindfulness exercise, take a moment each day during arrival, recess duty, dismissal, or any other time to enjoy the feeling of warm sun on your face, the smell of blooming flowers, and the sounds of children playing! So much joy in the world!

We believe it is important to update you on upcoming certified staffing changes within the TLC department due to budget cuts. At this time, we have reduced our elementary instructional coaching staff by one position and our district mentoring staff by 1.5 positions. This represents a loss of over 20%. Like many of you, we are feeling the weight of these reductions and are doing our best to adapt for the coming year.

Consequently, our current instructional coaching and mentoring models will need to be reimagined. We are currently developing a plan to navigate these changes and will communicate exactly what support will look like for your schools next year. This plan will be shared with you before you leave for summer break.

As we finalize our strategy, we are carefully prioritizing several factors, including K-2 Early Literacy, Math GEN, and blended classroom support. If you have any questions in the meantime, please feel free to reach out to Julie.

Important Links

•  April 22nd Elementary TLC Update
• Special EDge  (April 30 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 Scott and the team in Information Technology:

We wanted to share a quick note about web filtering and content blocking. Our system does a strong job of protecting students from the less appropriate parts of the internet. That said, no system is perfect—some content (especially games) may occasionally get through. When that happens, staff play an important role in helping us respond quickly.

If you come across a site that should be blocked, please copy the URL and submit it through a Web Help Desk ticket. Select “Software and Services” and then “Website Filtering.”

There are two reporting options available—please reserve “High Risk” for situations involving student safety.

Alternatively, you can work with your building’s Client Services representative or contact the Help Desk at x1200.

From the Educational Technology Team:

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, introduced a new version of their product, designed specifically for educators, and it is now available to all BLS staff by request. It includes expanded capabilities, higher usage limits, and protections for professional use in education, going beyond what is available in a standard free ChatGPT account. You can find details about access, best practices for use, and how it fits alongside MagicSchool in our EdTech blog post: ChatGPT for Teachers. Please feel free to share with your staff. 

From Eric Powell, Student Support

For ALL Administrators: Please take a moment to review the “Incident Approval Queue” in Synergy for your school (you can access this via a Quick Launch search). 

We currently have 485 incidents waiting to be approved via this queue (district-wide) with some occurring all the way back in September – And our Administrators are the ones who need to approve/deny these incidents.

If you are unfamiliar with the Incident Approval Queue, please call Eric Powell (4810) and he can help you out. 

From Jennifer Hauth, Student Wellbeing

Please remind your teams about implementing the Waypoints Core Skills assessment for the end of the year summative😊 K-5 closes May 22^nd and Secondary closes May 28th!

From Robi Cole:

From Tami Pike, Director of School Health

Action Items

• Check out the incident approval queue in Synergy
• Plan for Middle School Bypass Assessment for identified students
• Identify which admin will attend the Karen Mapp training on May 21, from 8-12
• Correct school discipline audit data–if you do it now, you have less to do at the end!

Important Dates

• May 1: Asian Family Night 
• May 4 – 8: Teacher (Staff) Appreciation Week
• 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
• May 19: PLC1 Meeting at Westside Village 3:00 to 4:30
• 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 15: End of Year Administrator Celebration

And finally… Congratulations to our Next Duck Drawing winner Marc Zollinger!

Marc is the Principal at Bear Creek Elementary! He began his career as a high school Spanish teacher, and his fluency in Spanish continues to be a tremendous asset—especially in supporting Bear Creek’s Dual Immersion program and building meaningful connections with students and families. Marc brings a strong equity lens to his work, consistently advocating for students at his school and beyond. Marc joined Bend-La Pine Schools after serving as an administrator in the Reynolds School District, so he is a fairly recent transplant to Central Oregon. As a dad of two young sons who attend elementary school in BLS, and the husband of a BLS science teacher, Marc is a busy guy who is always on the go and shows a tremendous amount of energy and enthusiasm for learning! Marc, let us know your beverage of choice and we will deliver!

From Tammy and Karen

Karen and I just want to acknowledge how hard this week has been and how proud we are of you all for buckling down and doing the hard things. Our rational brains know how the system works with budget reductions; you can’t buy what you want when you don’t have money. But, the decisions, conversations, and feelings that you and your staff are experiencing are about people you care about and it hits right at the heart, and that hurts. Knowing that, take care of yourself and your people. When the time is right, I like leaning into the phrase, “Yes…and….” when it come to things like this. Yes, this is hard, upsetting, confusing, etc….and what new opportunities will present themselves for change, growth, collaboration, etc. that you haven’t thought about before? You got this!

Important: Please update your staffing plans with names, certified and classified as soon as possible. This is necessary for the next conversations around classified employees. In addition, For all the title schools, I have gone into your plans and placed all the certified positions, and in some cases, classified ones as well. Please do not adjust those, as they have been budgeted for and are done. They support your current certified FTE and school improvement plans. As in the past, when the dust settles later this year (August/Sept) we may be able to add more funds to be used for materials and/or classified hours.

Important Links

•  April 22nd Elementary TLC Update
• Special EDge  (April 23 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

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

Testing coordinators need to 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. 

From Kinsey in Policy and Advocacy

1. Chronic Absenteeism: Family Engagement and Attendance:  (Action needed)

We know you are working hard to get kids to school.  As part of our broader efforts to improve student attendance under the leadership of Eric and his team, and in alignment with our ongoing work on student voice, dignity, and belonging, in addition to our school design plan improvement cycles, we will be taking a closer look at the connection between family engagement and chronic absenteeism.  Research shows that specific, practical family engagement strategies can significantly improve student attendance across K–12.

On Thursday, May 21 from 8:00–12:00 (and continuing into next school year), national expert Dr. Karen Mapp will join us in person to help us reflect on our current work, identify school-specific and districtwide coordinated efforts, and plan concrete, evidence-based strategies to reduce chronic absenteeism. This is a valuable opportunity to reflect on this year and begin planning for next year.

Your Advocacy ICCL rep will attend, with substitute costs covered by the Office of Policy and Advocacy. If there are one or two additional staff members (ex: family engagement committee members) who would benefit from participating, they are welcome as well—we can support some additional substitute costs; please contact me if interested in adding participants. Please also plan for an administrator to join us. This work will directly inform your 2026–27 school design plan and provide practical tools to strengthen attendance efforts.

More information to follow—for now, please mark your calendar.

2. ELL/Multilingual Services (From Liza):  (FYI)

Hello admin teams! I wanted to inform you about a change in ELPA test scores this school year, per ODE:

• There is a new ELPA score called “Early Proficient.” 
• “Early Proficient” means the student scored very close to proficient, so they may be able to exit English Language Learner (ELL) status.
• Next steps: Language Specialists will connect with the families of students who have scored “Early Proficient” and set up meetings to discuss their options during their case management periods. See the attached family flyer.
• The decision must be made by a parent, guardian, or by the student themselves if they are an adult (18 yrs. or older).  All forms are due by June 11, 2026. 

Your Language Specialist will be connecting with you on this new process.  If you have additional questions, please reach out to me directly. Happy to support!  -Liza

From Jason Westmorland in IT

Admins at schools will need to correct data in the ‘School Discipline Audits’ dashboard prior to June for ODE State Reporting.

NOTE: Due to a bug in Synergy, these reports are being hindered from being published directly to PAD Tree locations / screens in Synergy, however, once those issues are resolved they will be much easier to locate and use (by simply using Quick Launch or PAD Tree navigation). Level Leaders should also have access to these reports & should monitor them to verify their schools are making progress cleaning up audits.

Users may have to sign out and back into Synergy to see these changes.

NEW REPORTS

Currently, there are two dashboards being exposed to Principals & VPs, the ‘School Discipline Reports’ & ‘School Discipline Audits’ Analytics reports.

The ‘School Discipline Reports’ displays reports of incidents at schools for which specific reporting requirements at the district or state level are required. These include:

• Title IX Incidents – Incidents of Title IX (sex-based discrimination) incidents at school
• Title VI incidents – Incidents of Title VI (discrimination based on race, color, or national origin) incidents at school
• Threats / Intimidation – Incidents of Threats or Intimidation at the school
• IAES (Interim Alternate Educational Settings – SPED) – Specific IAES alternate placements for SPED at school
• Expulsions – Specific expulsions at school
• Weapons & Counts – Specific weapon violations & counts by school
• Suicides – Typically these are selected in error, but should be verified.
• Homicides – Typically these are selected in error, but should be verified.

The ‘School Discipline Audit’ displays reports of incidents having some kind of known data entry issues, which will need to be verified / corrected prior to ODE data submission by June. These include:

• Discipline Missing Elements V2 – This audit displays data that is missing or mis-configured for the incidents shown
• Disposition Date Issues – This audit returns incidents / students where the date(s) associated with their State Reportable dispositions have some kind of issue and/or conflict with the ‘Days Assigned’
• Overlapping Dispositions – This audit returns dispositions assigned to students on the same day (totally more than a single day) indicating overlapping discipline
• Attendance vs Discipline Mismatched – This report is currently a work in progress and will be released at a later date before the end of the school year. It will show where suspension data & attendance don’t match.

ACCESSING DASHBOARDS

To access these reports, users will need to navigate to the ‘Synergy Analytics Home Page’ screen (using Quick Launch).

Once in this screen, they will need to locate the ‘hamburger’ icon at the top left and expand the navigation menu.

In the menu, select the ‘Discipline’ category, then locate either of these Analytics dashboards to view the reports they contain.

Each individual report can be expanded to use the whole screen (helpful for smaller screens or for the audits having many columns). You may need to SCROLL DOWN to see all of the reports on a given dashboard.

This can be done using the icon with 4 arrows pointing to each corner.

The SIS_NUMBER and INCIDENT_ID columns contain links to either the Student Incidents or Incidents screens, respectively, in Synergy so you can directly access the discipline data entry elements corresponding to that entry / row.

Additionally, these Analytics reports can be filtered, columns re-ordered or hidden and exported to Excel if needed. For details, connect with Ted Helton or Jason Westmoreland.

IMPORTANT

Items that are displayed in the reports on the ‘School Discipline Audit’ dashboard need to be corrected prior to ODE data submission. Please review these items ASAP.

Policy & Procedure questions should go to Eric Powell [[email protected]], while data entry or issues with Synergy should be directed to Ted Helton [[email protected]] and/or Jason Westmoreland [[email protected]].

If anyone that SHOULD have access to these reports does NOT have access, please contact Ted Helton or Jason Westmoreland.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please let us know as well.

Action Items

• Update staffing plans with names asap
• Plan for Middle School Bypass Assessment for identified students
• Identify which admin will attend the Karen Mapp training on May 21, from 8-12
• Correct school discipline audit data–if you do it now, you have less to do at the end!

Important Dates

• April 28: The PLC3PO and We Are the Winners meet from 3:00-4:30
• April 29: Safety Cadre #4 at Pine Ridge, 1:30-3:00
• April 30: Life and Career Readiness Fair
• May 1: Asian Family Night 
• 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
• May 25. Memorial Day Holiday, no School
• May 28: School Design Plan Showcase 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.

And finally… Congratulations to our Next Duck Drawing winner Andy Slavin!

Andy Slavin serves as Principal at Amity Creek Choice Option School, where he has been principal for many years. Under his leadership, Amity has really strengthened it’s identify, focused on student connection, and placed an emphasis on learning. It is also a place that feels like home, and you feel that, as you walk around the building with him and students say, “Hi Andy!”, “Andy, watch this…” or you attend morning meeting with the entire school and parent community. Andy has had an amazing education journey, spending a lot of time in education overseas, most notably in Bali! Can you imagine? When he is not at school, he loves hanging with his grandchildren (who also attend Amity), traveling with his wife, and especially enjoying the great outdoors. Congratulations Andy! Let us know your coffee order and we’ll head your way!

From Tammy and Karen

In a week filled with challenge and pressure, I found myself returning to a simple but powerful leadership idea shared by Susan, our interim Chief Human Resources Officer. In addition to many interesting leadership moves, she shared the distinction between “low self” and “high self,” and the idea that we could flip it like a switch. I could feel when I was slipping into low self after an especially long day full of aggravation: tight, reactive, and carrying the quiet belief that I had to figure it out alone. The shift came when I chose something different, asking for support, leaning into problem-solving, and grounding myself in the belief that together, we can do hard things. That movement into high self didn’t remove the challenge, but it changed how I showed up within it: more open, more steady, and more connected to the kind of leadership this moment requires. What opportunities have you had this past week to recognize yourself shifting into “high self” mode?

Important Links

•  April 8th Elementary TLC Update
•  Special EDge  
• 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: 

Student Opportunity: Road Safety Art Contest

Our partners at the Oregon Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) invite students to unleash their creativity and let their imagination shine by participating in the annual Road Safety Art Contest.

Contest Details

• The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (part of USDOT) is holding its annual Road Safety Art Contest, inviting K-12 students nationally to creatively depict how to stay safe on the road around large trucks and buses. 
• Submissions can be original artwork, digital art, a photo or a video – whatever inspires the student – and winners will be awarded in four categories based on grade.
• Entries are accepted through June 5, 2026.
• View contest rules, how to enter and more at https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/OurRoadsArtContest.

Contact Us

• Please contact [email protected] with any questions.

From Ryan in Human Resources

We will be announcing the honorees for the 2026 Excellence in Education on Thursday, April 23^rd in an email to all staff. Please be sure that your site/department’s honorees are recognized ahead of this date so that you can capture the significance of the recognition in a way that is distinct and celebrates the individual.

As a reminder: The event will take place at Mountain View High School on Wednesday, May 13 from 4:30–6:30 p.m. 

From Rodger Moore in Operations:

Here is a one page guideline about who is responsible for costs when it comes to repairs and improvements.

Action Items

• Respond in a timely way to the middle school requests for information to transition students
• Notify your Excellence in Ed winners in your building in a meaningful way prior to the big announcement on April 23.
• Review the guidelines from Operations and check in with Karen or Tammy with questions

Important Dates

• April 21: #1 PLC and Phly Like Canadians meet from 3:00-4:30
• April 28: The PLC3PO and We Are the Winners meet from 3:00-4:30
• April 30: Life and Career Readiness Fair
• May 1: Asian Family Night 
• May 14: Latino Family Night and KínderFiesta
• May 28: School Design Plan Showcase 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.

And finally… Congratulations to our Next Duck Drawing winner Heidi Thomas!

Heidi Thomas serves as assistant principal at Highland, where her passion for belonging and social-emotional learning is evident in the way she supports both students and staff. A Bend native and former Buckingham Elementary student, she has a deep-rooted connection to the community she now serves. Outside of school, Heidi loves spending time on the river, camping, and exploring the beauty of the western United States with her family. As a mother of two, she brings both heart and perspective to her work, creating spaces where students feel seen, valued, and truly connected. Heidi, let us know your drink of choice and we will deliver!

From Tammy and Karen

I have been in awe with the Artemis II astronauts this past week. So much about this mission seems unfathomable, yet here they are, 4 human beings (and many more people on earth), making this amazing mission happen. They will have traveled 695,080 miles by the time they return, with a maximum distance of being 252,756 miles away from earth. Now that is a lot of frequent flier miles! As impressive as all the math and science is that makes all this happen, the expertise, teamwork, and camaraderie of the crew is equally impressive. Here’s wishing them the best as they are set to splash down in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of San Diego on Friday night at 8:07.

ECSC Transition Meetings: Many of you are getting ready to start ECSC transition meetings for your incoming kindergarteners next year. Here is some guidance we have put together to help you know how to make sure your kindergarten teachers, who are being asked to attend the meetings are being covered with subs, or in some instances, compensated for their time.

Guidance for upcoming ECSC transition meetings (* is from the contract):

• *The district will provide substitute release time or compensation for preparation for, as well as attendance at ECSE meetings. 
• *Kindergarten teachers who are required to attend ECSE meetings will be compensated at the certified employee’s per diem rate unless a substitute is provided to allow for such meetings to occur within the workday. 
• *If the certified employee volunteers to attend such a meeting outside of the workday, such member shall be compensated at their per diem hourly rate.
• Kindergarten teachers can attend IEP meetings for their current students during their scheduled prep time. However, if a teacher misses their prep time to attend ECSC meetings (requiring sub coverage), they must either be provided with equivalent makeup prep time or be compensated at their per diem hourly rate.
• If Kindergarten teachers attend ECSC transition meetings after the student contact day during a designated ‘work day’ (2:30–3:15 PM), they will be compensated at their per diem hourly rate. If other meetings are scheduled during that time—such as staff meetings, PLCs, MTSS, committees, etc.—the teacher will be excused to attend the ECSC meeting instead.

Important Links

•  April 8th Elementary TLC Update
•  Special EDge   April 9th
• 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

Here is the list of sessions for Educator Network Day on April 15^th from 2:05-3:15.  

Admin:  Please note your location for the session.  Also, please plan to participate in the session you are attending. 

For our virtual hosts, A link will be sent to you with a list of participants and a zoom link to the session.  Please plan to email participants the zoom link about 30 minutes before the session begins.  Plan to take attendance.  Virtual sessions are below:

• Tammy- TDG
• Karen and Anna- NEWSELA
• Gary and Laci- Wayfinder

From Triz in Human Resources

Hope you all continue to cruise through your evaluation process and have experienced some relief in getting all the steps complete.  Just a friendly reminder that we need to have files dropped into your provided Google Files as well as the workbooks for HR to have access.  If you are having any issues with the sheet, please remember to reach out to Jessica Lamay or me.

We should be starting the summative cycle for classified staff, so if you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.  

Thank you again for all your work on these!

Classified Eval Guide

Certified Evaluation Guide

Helpful hints about uploading to your google drives.

Click the link to open the Rubric.

Choose the Download Icon to download and save your own copy to complete digitally complete or print and complete.

Save and/or upload with the correct naming convention to your provided Google folder and the correct employee spot in your workbook.

Linking Files:

Once you’ve dropped your files into the shared site folders  

Please be sure to link them into the correct column of your workbook. 

See steps in the samples below:

2. Click to select the file you are attaching in the workbook.
3. Click the ‘chain link’ icon to copy the link to that file -OR- Ctrl/Command+C.

2. Click on the ‘File Chip’ in the corresponding row and column for that employee/eval piece. Ctrl/Command+V -OR- Right mouse click, then click Paste, to attach the file.
3. Tab -OR- click on the file name pop-up (as above) to complete the attachment.
4. File is attached.

From Tami Pike in Nursing

From Kinsey, Policy and Advocacy

May Day. May Day (May 1st) celebrates the labor movement and workers’ rights, and is often recognized internationally with protests and rallies.  This year, a national “Day Without Immigrants” is also being planned on the same date.  

Locally, there are some community groups organizing strikes and community action on May 1st.  They are hoping our educators and students will participate in their May Day Strike, and have asked the district to support by facilitating student/staff absences and allowing teams of community volunteers to do service projects on our campuses as a form of the protest on that day. 

As you know, our neutrality here is important.  If you get similar requests for your school to engage in this effort, here are a few tools:

• Our response to their request—feel free to borrow any of this language;
• Our guidance on participating in protests;
• Please let us know if you believe your school will be impacted by substantial student or staff absences that Friday, so we can support you;
• Media inquiries should be directed to Communications.  

Other Dates For Your Calendars: 

Thurs, May 14 = Latino Family Night and KínderFiesta*   *These can be found on our district Outlook Family Engagement calendar

• Thurs, April 30 = Life and Career Readiness Fair*
• Fri, May 1 = Asian Family Night*

From our Middle School Partners

Our middle school partners either will be reaching out or already have reached out regarding information on your 5^th grade students.  They are looking for data around supports as well as critical need to know information.  Please be on the look out for this and ensure your teams are responding to these requests in the desired time frame.  Thank you!

From Ryan in Human Resources

Next week, we’ll be sending out the complete list of each site’s Excellence in Education honoree.

Emails inviting each honoree to the recognition event will go out on Thursday, April 23.

Before that goes out, pleaes take a moment to notify their honorees directly.

We encourage you to start thinking about how you can deliver the news in a celebratory fashion – announce it at a staff meeting, share it in front of peers, or however feels right for your setting. These recognitions reflect the incredible work happening across our system, and we want the entirety of the process to feel meaningful.

The event will take place at Mountain View High School on Wednesday, May 13 from 4:30–6:30 p.m.

Action Items

• Look at your Educator Network Day assignment for Wednesday and plan on attending and supporting the instructor, whether it is live or virtual
• Follow the directions for end of the year summative evals that Triz sent–make sure you can access them and get questions answered before you need it
• Orient yourself with the May Day protest information and how to respond
• Respond in a timely way to the middle school requests for information to transition students
• Notify your Excellence in Ed winners in your building in a meaningful way prior to the big announcement on April 23.

Important Dates

• April 14: Elementary Horizontal 3:00 – 4:30 location North Star Elementary
• April 15: Educator Network Day for SIW
• April 21: #1 PLC and Phly Like Canadians meet from 3:00-4:30
• April 28: The PLC3PO and We Are the Winners meet from 3:00-4:30

And finally… Congratulations to our Next Duck Drawing winner Jesse Rasmussen!

Congratulations to this week’s winner, Jesse Rasmussen, Principal at RE Jewell. Prior to being the Principal at Jewell, Jesse was the Assistant Principal and a teacher at there as well. One could say that the Jaguar pride runs deep with him! Jesse has had a worldly upbringing and education. From growing up in Africa to spending three years teaching in the Middle East, he has experienced diverse educational environments firsthand. Jesse and his wife, who is also a teacher in the district, are proud parents to 3 amazing daughters, who have all had the opportunity to attend school with him at Jewell. When he is not “principaling”, Jesse enjoys various hobbies, from designing board games, painting figurines for the games, and getting energized weekly on the Taekwando mat. Please let us know your drink of choice Jesse and we’ll deliver!