Category Archives: Uncategorized

“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

Kudos to the High School Team for a PD well done: We have talked with several of you (and others around the Ed Center) about the All Admin PD yesterday on Chapter 3: Feedback. Yesterday’s PD with a bit of fun, practice, and engagement with feedback in a real situation was just what we all needed to hear. I know for me personally, it gave me the opportunity to practice giving positive feedback in a meaningful and authentic way. (Besides, I couldn’t let Ben down, as I new he would be checking in on me!) I have found myself thinking about feedback quite a bit since then, and one thing I also reflected on about feedback is that the ability to receive it and act on it is what ultimately pays off in improvement and growth. How do you receive feedback that is hard? Positive? Unexpected? Just something else to ponder.

Staffing Plans are out! Just to remind you of a few important things

• Plans are in the shared drive under the 25-26 school year
• Please do not put names in the document
• On the front page, be sure to put the grade levels you have “open” meaning you need a teacher, and the ones you have “unassigned” meaning you need to lose that spot that you currently have. Same thing goes with classified positions.
• This document is currently confidential. We are not talking with staff, as we are waiting to hear specifics for how we will handle potential shifts. Letting staff know of unassigned positions now will cause stress around a lot of unknowns. Having answers will alleviate stress for people and we don’t have those yet.
• Call Tammy or Karen if you have questions or want to process thoughts. We are happy to help
• Plans due April 21

ICCL Update: We are planning on the Admin ICCL Team meeting on Tuesday, April 25, from 3:00-5:00. We will be focusing on your school design work for the year and planning ahead for next year. As I write this, I realize I can’t find the location, so stay tuned for that!

Breakfast and Belonging: Last week was such a great time connecting and enjoying each other. We are looking forward to the next ones. We will see Andy, Beth, Lybe, Patrick and Kimberly tomorrow morning at Jackson’s Corner at 7!

Thursday, April 17: Dan, Deborah, Ben, Jesse, Jennifer

Friday, April 25: Wendy, Megan, Michelle, Gary, Marc

Sharing is Caring: We wanted to pass on an idea for a flier (nice work Beth!) for one way you could share your Youth Truth data with your families in a family newsletter, on your social media, etc. It is friendly, easy to understand, and personal.

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 Supe, Lisa: 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 Josh Marks re: SLP Staffing for next year. “Administrators, starting the 25/26 school year our SLP team will be moving forward with a change in the way we staff. My hope is that this will bring greater flexibility and greater service to all of your schools. Here is the email that I sent to all SLP’s with the details. If you have any questions or would like to meet to discuss further, please let me know. Regards!

From Kerry Morton, Math TOSA

Bridges Math Disposal – Please do not dispose of any Bridges materials, yet. It will cause additional work for your custodial staff and cost extra money.Your office manager should have shared this survey with teachers to help the Custodial Department determine how many recycle bins and dumpsters are needed at your school for the disposal of the Bridges Math materials.  Please resend the survey to your staff so the Custodial Department can make a plan. We only have about 50% of teacher responses. Thank you!

Action Items

• Staffing plans due April 21—please follow guidelines above
• Remind ICCL Team of the upcoming training, April 25 from 3:00-5:00 location TBA
• Sign up for the Mandatory AI Training
• Reach out to Josh if you have questions and conversation regarding the SLP staffing for next year
• Got some poets? Share the contest with your school!

Important Dates

• April 11: Breakfast and Belonging, Jackson’s Corner, 7:00-8:30
• April 15: Horizontal meeting 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. at Ponderosa Elementary–PON and Jewell host
• April 17: Breakfast and Belonging, Jackson’s Corner, 7:00-8:30 (Thursday!)
• 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 25: Breakfast and Belonging, Jackson’s Corner, 7:00-8:30
• 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 30: Counselor Celebrations, 7:30-9:30 in the board room, at least one admin is required to attend, but both are encouraged!
• June 3: Horizontal meeting 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. at Highland, Highland and Three Rivers host
• 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…Friday April 11 is National Pet Day! Give a hug to the favorite pets in your life! Here’s Charlie Girl!

From Tammy and Karen

It looks like the weather is going to cooperate over the next few weeks for us to amp up our mindfulness throughout ACTIVE APRIL Month! I hope you will join me in this challenge to get moving more as a way to alleviate stress and build wellness!

Breakfast and Belonging:

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Belonging Survey for Administrators! We received 26 responses, and you can view the results in this slideshow. These insights will help us build on our strengths as a team while also identifying areas for growth.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on the responses and explore ways we can foster an even stronger sense of belonging within our team. To gather your ideas, we’ll be discussing this further during our Breakfast and Belonging meetings with Principals and our Ice Cream and Inclusion meetings in May with APs. Your input is invaluable in shaping a more connected and supportive Elementary Administrator Team. Looking forward to the conversation!

Breakfast and Belonging Group Reminders: These groups will take place at Jackson’s Corner at the big table (we reserved it!) from 7:00-8:30, and includes breakfast and beverages! We are excited for time to connect in small groups. If you are unable to attend your assigned time please just let us know!

Friday, April 4: Scott, Tim, Nichole, Kate, Julie

Friday, April 11: Andy, Beth, Lybe, Patrick, Kimberly

Thursday, April 17: Wendy, Deborah, Ben, Jesse, Jennifer

Friday, April 25: Dan, Megan, Michelle, Gary, Marc

Spring Conferences Schedule Reminder: For Spring conferences, the work days are as follows: Wednesday, April 16, from 7:15-3:15 (first 8 hours if your day is slightly different) is work time–no conferences during this time and 3:15-7:15 is conference time. Thursday, April 17, 7:15-7:15 are conferences. Friday, April 18, is a day off to trade.

Bargaining Updates: This spring we are sharing our bargaining updates on our Staff Portal. Our first update, covering last night’s first session with the BEA and District teams, is available HERE.

Bargaining dates:

BEA-BLS: April 2, 16 and 30; May 12 and 19; June 2 and 3

OSEA-BLS: April 10 and 24; May 8, 22 and 29; June 4

Important Links

• BEA and OSEA Bargaining Update Website
• State Testing Folder
• March 19^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 Kerry Morton, Math TOSA

Bridges Math Disposal – Please do not dispose of any Bridges materials, yet. It will cause additional work for your custodial staff and cost extra money.Your office manager should have shared this survey with teachers to help the Custodial Department determine how many recycle bins and dumpsters are needed at your school for the disposal of the Bridges Math materials.  Please resend the survey to your staff so the Custodial Department can make a plan. We only have about 50% of teacher responses. Thank you!

From Kinsey in Policy, Advocacy, and Office of DEI

Emergency contacts: We’ve learned from other districts across the country who have experienced immigration raids, or smaller-scale detention/deportation actions in their community, the importance of having up-to-date emergency contacts in Synergy for each student.  If parents/guardians suddenly become unavailable, we rely on emergency contacts–outdated information adds stress to an already traumatic situation.  

With conferences coming up, please encourage families (all families, not just those to whom the above situation might apply) to update their emergency contacts.  This might look like a station in your lobby with iPads and instructions (I’m working on getting some we can provide you), a reminder by classroom teachers, etc.  

Day of Silence: The 2025 Day of Silence is coming up (student-led advocacy day to support the LGBTQ community).  I have asked your DEI-ICCL rep and/or GSA advisor to send a message to staff about this day, so staff are aware and know how to navigate.  

If you haven’t seen that message come out to your staff, or if you’d like to re-send it in your staff memos, please reach out to your DEI-ICCL rep.  Teachers should plan for nonverbal or written means of participation in class that day, if possible.

From Ryan Kelling in Human Resources

Contract letters for licensed employees were sent to all licensed employees via UKG and must be returned no later than April 15.mIf you have not yet completed yours, please log in to UKG to review and submit your response as soon as possible. 

Administrators, please ensure your staff are aware of this deadline and follow up as needed – and don’t forget to return yours too! If you have any questions or need assistance, please reach out to Candy Gelatt or [email protected]

From Julie Richards in Elementary Curriculum and Instruction

Educator Network Day – April 23 will be dedicated to learning about Amplify Desmos Math. This will be virtual and facilitated by Fawn Nguyen from Amplify Desmos Math. The staff will need to be in one location (library) and the administrator’s role is to open the link on their computer and manage the chat and be the communication liaison between Fawn Nguyen and your staff. The zoom link will be sent to you on the day of the training. 

Life and Career Readiness (Jenny White and Jennifer Hauth)

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

Photo’s Lately

From Scott and Kayla in Safety

Please check out the slides from the most recent Safety Cadre Meeting: Safety Cadre #3 Training Slides- Elementary

Dyslexia Training Opportunity Central Oregon Dyslexia Conference – May 3,   9am – 3:30pm

Location:  Ridgeview High School

This conference is designed with educators, administrators, and parents in mind, bringing you resources and tools from the International Dyslexia Association and specialists in our community. You’ll walk away with a clear understanding of what Dyslexia is, experience a simulation putting you in the seat of a child with learning disabilities and take a deeper dive into understanding how to best support these students.  Learn why children struggle with reading and what you can do in the classroom to help! 

Teachers – Earn 5.5 Professional Development Units for FREE. No additional paperwork necessary – certificates will be distributed after the event.

Join us if you are just learning about dyslexia or you are ready for a deeper dive into strategies and tools for working with children with dyslexia.   Together, we can help our struggling readers!

More information and registration :  https://CentralOregonDyslexiaConference.eventbrite.com. The conference is $12 and includes lunch and snacks. 

Action Items

• Do not dispose of Bridges Materials yet
• Update emergency contacts at spring conferences
• Make sure you and your staff have signed their contract letters by April 15

Important Dates

• April 4th: Breakfast and Belonging, Jackson’s Corner, 7:00-8:30
• April 8: School Board Meeting 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
• April 9: Administrator Professional Development 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. Perseverance Hall, Read Ch 3 of Thriving Leaders
• April 11: Breakfast and Belonging, Jackson’s Corner, 7:00-8:30
• April 15: Horizontal meeting 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. at Ponderosa Elementary–PON and Jewell host
• April 17: Breakfast and Belonging, Jackson’s Corner, 7:00-8:30
• 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 25: Breakfast and Belonging, Jackson’s Corner, 7:00-8:30

And finally…A lovely reminder from the American Heart Association! Keep moving forward and walking down that road! Good things are coming!

From Tammy and Karen

Spring: Definition: to originate, to arise from, a season of the year Break: Definition: a pause in work, an activity, or event Spring Break: Definition: a time in which all educators around the globe breathe a deep sigh of relief, take time to rest, relax, rejuvenate, and do things to help them feel good, all in an effort to prepare for the last big push to June. Enjoy your well deserved Spring Break!

Excellence in Education: Before you take off for spring break, please take a moment to nominate a certified and a classified member from your school, who embodies “service above self” and has a high degree of professionalism.

April Site Visit Sign Ups: It’s time again to sign up for our next site visits. These visits will include Tammy, Karen, and Julie when available.

Belonging Survey: Thank you to all of you who have taken the Belonging Survey for Administrators. We appreciate your input, as it will help guide our conversations during “Breakfast and Belonging” for principals, and for our May events for Assistants and Deans. If you have not yet taken it, please take a few minutes to engage with the survey. Thank you so much!

Breakfast and Belonging Groups: We are excited for the April “Breakfast and Belonging” groups. These groups will take place at Jackson’s Corner at the big table (we reserved it!) from 7:00-8:30, and includes breakfast and beverages! We are excited for time to connect in small groups. I will send you calendar invites for your dates/times below.

Friday, April 4: Scott, Tim, Nichole, Kate, Julie

Friday, April 11: Andy, Beth, Lybe, Patrick, Kimberly

Friday, April 18: Wendy, Deborah, Ben, Jesse, Jennifer

Friday, April 25: Dan, Megan, Michelle, Gary, Marc

Spring Conferences: Time Frames and Schedule: After consultation with BEA two years ago, we have landed on the following information regarding length of a conference.  If a teacher has 25 or less students, their conferences need to be between 25-30 minutes to accommodate for transition times as needed (25 min  gives time for a quick restroom break, time in case one goes longer, etc.).  If a teacher has 26 or more students, their conferences can be 20 minutes, giving the teacher the ability to have a few longer ones as well as building in transition times if needed.  

For Spring conferences, the work days are as follows: Wednesday, April 16, from 7:15-3:15 (first 8 hours if your day is slightly different) is work time–no conferences during this time and 3:15-7:15 is conference time. Thursday, April 17, 7:15-7:15 are conferences. Friday, April 18, is a day off to trade.

Important Links

• State Testing Folder
• March 19^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 Shelby Paulson, District Librarian-Please consider supporting your Media Managers to go to this amazing event!

From Paul Dean and Kim Crabtree

Transportation of Students. Please be advised that we have some outdated policies regarding what is permissible when transporting students to/from off-site activities and athletic events.  Please follow EEADBA-AR and do not refer to EEACD-AR, EEBB-AR or EEADB-AR.  It is always advisable to contact the Executive Director of Transportation, Kim Crabtree, when you have questions regarding student transportation.

From Julie Richards in Elementary Curriculum and Instruction

I am looking for a school that would be willing to have some visitors come to observe EL one day during the week of April 7-10th.  This would be a team of 6-7 teachers from Sisters School District.  Please let me know if you would be open to having visitors.  Thank you.

From Maddy Paquette Sustainability and Energy Specialist: Please share the following information with your staff so that we are all doing our part to be sustainable over the break. Thank you!

From Eric Powell in Student Services

If you notice a YELLOW “Restrict!” bar on a student’s Synergy page, it most likely means they are either currently Expelled or that they have been Expelled at some point in their educational history. 

The purpose of this practice is to ensure that schools do not unintentionally enroll an Expelled student into their school (if a family attempts to move a student from one school to another to avoid disciplinary measures, for example) AND to encourage schools to review student records for any newly enrolled students (specifically those who were ever Expelled that we are aware of). 

If a student ever enrolls in your school from out of the area and the family references a past Expulsion (or you notice a prior Expulsion in the student records), please communicate with me so that I can help research the student’s disciplinary history from their former district(s) and to help us update their “Restrict” status. 

If you ever notice a student with this YELLOW “Restrict!” bar, you can call myself or April Jorgenson to discuss the student and we can help you if any Synergy limitations exist while this Restrict is placed on their file.

If you click on the “Other Info” tab (next to Parent/Guardian in the Student screen) you can see the possible Enrollment Restrictions (and corresponding dates) for the specific student:

We will utilize the Enrollment Restriction titled “Other Restriction” for those students who have a past Expulsion on file (but who are not currently Expelled). Thank you!

From Scott and Kayla in Safety

Our School Resource Officer team is rotating out the supervisor position with Bend PD. Most of you know Sergeant Joe Pacheco and the outstanding job he’s done to support our schools and the SRO team over the past few years. Joe was recently promoted to Lieutenant with Bend PD and will be moving to his new supervisory role within their department after this week.

We will be working with Bend PD on Wednesday to select the new Sergeant for the SRO team, but due to Bend PD staffing management, the new Sergeant will not be able to start working with us until September, as we begin the next school year.

You can find the updated SRO contact list in the safety resource google drive, here.

Please follow the guidelines in the contact roster to get support from law enforcement or our SROs as appropriate for the situation and your school. Please let us know if you have any questions. Thank you,

Life and Career Readiness – Jenny White and Jennifer Hauth

Principals, here is a fun activity you can do with your staff before a staff meeting or at the start of a SIW. You will need coins, or soft balls (maybe from PE) or bean bags.

From Ryan Kelling in Human Resources: 2 things!

1. Hi all, we have A LOT of contract letters that are still outstanding. Contract letters for licensed employees were sent to all licensed employees via UKG and must be returned no later than April 15. If they have not yet completed theirs, please have them log in to UKG to review and submit their response as soon as possible. Administrators, please ensure your staff are aware of this deadline and follow up as needed – and don’t forget to return yours too! If you have any questions or need assistance, please reach out to Candy Gelatt or the email group [email protected]
2. Excellence in Education Nominations are due tomorrow!

• To date, I have received responses from 7 administrators. Please make this a priority; it is an important tradition and one that is consistently cited by employees – both those recognized and those who see their peers recognized – as an event that brings them pride in their work.
• Nominations should only come from administrators. We have a number of submissions from employees and, while we are happy that employees see their peers as deserving of recognition, that is not the purpose of this particular recognition. If you have already shared with employees and asked for them to submit, please take the time to disregard that and complete the survey yourself.
• The recognition event will be held at Mountain View in the auditorium on Tuesday May 20^th from 5:00 – 6:30(ish). Thanks to the Mountain View team for being flexible with our ask.

Action Items

• Turn in Excellence in Education Nominees before spring break
• Please complete the Belonging Survey for Elementary Administrators by March 21st
• Sign up for an April Site Visit
• Let Julie know if you can have an EL visitation
• Share the Energy/Sustainability information before break
• Make sure you and your staff have signed their contract letters by April 15

Important Dates

• March 24-28: The long awaited Spring Break!
• April 4th: Breakfast and Belonging, Jackson’s Corner, 7:00-8:30
• April 8: School Board Meeting 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
• April 9: Administrator Professional Development 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. Perseverance Hall, Read Ch 3 of Thriving Leaders
• April 11: Breakfast and Belonging, Jackson’s Corner, 7:00-8:30
• April 15: Horizontal meeting 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. at Ponderosa Elementary–PON and Jewell host
• April 18: Breakfast and Belonging, Jackson’s Corner, 7:00-8:30
• 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 25: Breakfast and Belonging, Jackson’s Corner, 7:00-8:30

And finally…Spring Equinox is today!

Did you know on the Spring Equinox you can balance a raw egg on it’s end? Something fun that my nieces and I tried out many years ago (the little gal in the picture is now 16!) Give it a try today!

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

March, the month that sometimes can’t make up it’s mind. 63 degrees and flip flops one day and snow the next. The bridge between the winter doldrums and a renewed spring. May you embrace each day whatever it may bring and celebrate that our daylight will be lasting longer into the evening. Yes, that’s your reminder to “spring forward” this Sunday!

Don’t forget: All-Staff Meeting with Dr. Cook this next Thursday; Please remember to remind your staff about this optional districtwide virtual staff meeting. Links will come soon. The two time options are:

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

Youth Truth by April 30: You heard Lisa talk about this date as being the day by which we would like your sharing of Youth Truth data with your staff and families to be done. The blog 2 weeks ago had this slide deck to help guide you if you needed, as well as an email shared by Dave VanLoo this week. We are happy to help brainstorm ideas and can talk more at our site visits about this if you need.

Important Links

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

Notes from our Team:

From Information and Instructional Technology – Scott McDonald and Karen Rush: We are forming an Instructional Technology Stakeholder group comprised of teachers, parents, students, administrators, and community members.  We have great representation from district staff and community members, but are hoping to have parents from across the district and grade levels join the group. We have shared this information in the Family Spotlight but would love to see more applications!  Will you please send out this notice to your school community members?  Thank you! Parent Newsletter IT Stakeholder (English and Spanish)

Also from Instructional Technology, Tracy Howk and Robbie Faith: Students in grades K-8 will now find a new icon on their iPad home screen directing them to the research databases hosted on our media center websites. Utilizing carefully curated research databases, instead of generic search engines, is crucial for fostering responsible information-seeking in the vast sea of online resources. Check out Quick Access to Safe and Reliable Research for more information. If you’d like support with research projects in your classrooms, please reach out to your instructional coach or our instructional technology team, Robbie Faith and Tracy Howk.

From Social Emotional Wellness – Jennifer Hauth

What fun celebrations of teachers and schools this week with Wayfinder. Kudos to Silver Rail, who was the elementary school with the highest Wayfinder usage as a school, and Juniper’s second grade, for the highest usage as an elementary grade level team. Hearing the teachers talk about the difference it has made in their classrooms and students was really inspiring. If you are struggling with Wayfinder implementation, please reach out!

Potential Inspiring School Visit: Is your school and/or PTO interested in having a Challenged Athletes Ambassador and a Paralympic Gold Medalist speak to students about inclusivity and perseverance on Friday, May 9th? motivational speaker Rudy Garcia-Tolson  is available for an uplifting talk. Contact Mark Dean, [email protected], to schedule the speaker. Rudy’s visit is partially subsidized by the Challenges Athlete’s Foundation so he would ask for a donation of their choice from the schools he speaks at. 

From Sean Reinhart in Student Services, Re: High Needs Funds When you received your school’s 25/26 discretionary funds dashboard last week, you may have noticed that the line item called “High needs” is no longer in your budget.  Several years ago, the Student Services department transferred funds from our discretionary budget and placed them directly into each school’s discretionary budget.  The intent was to allow you to procure 70 hours of substitute EA time quickly and without having to go through our office.  For next year, we have decided to hold those funds in our discretionary budget.  When the need arises and you need extra staffing support due to new student move-ins, etc., please reach out to Student Services Admin and we will collaborate with your team to provide support.  Please reach out with any questions.

Action Items

• Don’t forget Dr. Cook’s districtwide staff meeting, 3:05 or 3:50
• Start planning when and how you are going to be sharing Youth Truth information with your staff and families.
• Share the request with families to have representation on the Technology stakeholder team

Important Dates

• 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–Silver Rail Library
• March 24-28: The long awaited Spring Break!

And finally…

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!

Click here to learn more about the World Day of Social Justice

From Tammy and Karen

I was listening to the Podcast, “The Dr. Hyman Show” today, and he had on another one of my favorite people, Simon Sinek. The topic they were discussing was called, “Friendship is Medicine:The Surprising Science Behind Connection”. It’s a great listen as you drive to and fro. Turns out, friendship is a huge positive factor in our overall health. As we start to wrap up a month that has been very taxing for many, turning to your friends can help, so make sure you do something good for your health this month…connect with a friend!

Erin’s Law: Let’s get ready to deliver these important child abuse prevention lessons to our kids. Here is the letter for admin, to know what needs to be done for your staff and for the documentation. ( Nothing has changed since last year.) Here is a similar letter for you to give your teachers about the planning and preparing for these lessons. Know that your counselors are prepared to be a resource for you.

Youth Truth: Thank you for all your engagement on Wednesday with your Youth Truth data. Last year we made it a priority to share your school data with staff and families, and that is the same this year as well. Here is the slide deck that we shared last year for you to use to share your data with your staff and to follow up with your ICCL team. The slide deck has sample data for you to see, so that you know what snapshots to take from your data to share. We know several of you used the deck as is and some of you added your flair and dug into additional data as well. Either way is good! The important part is that we are sharing the data with stakeholders, reflecting on the data and working to make our schools amazing places for our students, staff, and families. Several of you had great newsletters and graphics you used to share the data last year. If you don’t mind sharing samples in this folder, I am sure that others would appreciate the collective creativity.

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 Social Emotional Wellness – Jennifer Hauth and Wayfinder. Please share this poster with your staff. Unlike the picture below, the poster has live links for them to click on.

From Kinsey – Policy, Advocacy, and Office of DEI: Please review these messages and share with your staff:

Family Liaisons and Translation/Interpretation: Remember that our Family Liaisons are not translators/interpreters–these are distinct positions with different functions, required skills, and pay rates.  Here are details about how to effectively engage Family Liaisons to support our work.  If you need someone to translate or interpret a family communication (including for time-sensitive requests) please review the various options available to you here.  

Immigration information: Make sure your team is very clear that they are prohibited from asking about or documenting students’ or families’ immigration status, even when doing so might be well-intentioned.  

If staff want to coordinate extra support for students or families who might be undocumented, it should be organized based on an educational purpose, not based on immigration status.  Students/families themselves then choose to opt into or access these, without needing to disclose their status or without staff needing to know it.   Examples: 

• A counseling group for students with anxiety (rather than a counseling group for undocumented students),
• flyers for local Know Your Rights workshops made available to all parents or via PTA group lists (rather than sent home with families we believe are undocumented), etc.

Title IX and gender support protocols: I have received several questions about the status of our gender support protocol.  Yes, our procedures for supporting gender-expansive students are still in place.  Thank you for initiating this process when a student indicates a need for support.  

Regarding Title IX more generally, while the national landscape is bringing some policy-based changes to our Title IX procedures (generally reverting back to our procedures from a few years ago–more on that later), please continue to contact me for any concerns or complaints related to Title IX, which includes:

• discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity; 
• sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, stalking;
• athletics, academics, and activities;
• admissions, hiring, access;
• pregnant and parenting students

All-staff update and Q&A with Superintendent Cook: Please make sure that on March 13, you do not have anything scheduled at 3:05, so that staff can have the option to attend one of the sessions below.

With K-12 school funding a big topic in the Oregon Legislature right now, and everything we’re hearing from Washington, D.C., on education and federal funding for schools, we understand that many employees wonder what all this means for us in Bend-La Pine Schools.

Superintendent Steven Cook will address these issues and answer your questions during two back-to-back virtual meetings with District staff on Thursday, March 13. Everyone is invited to join us for one of these 30-minute virtual meetings: The first will be 3:05 to 3:35 p.m., accommodating staff in our elementary schools. The second will be 3:50 to 4:20 p.m. to align with secondary schedules.

The intent is to provide you a quick update on state and federal actions pertinent to our work, and how we can remain focused on teaching students in our communities and serving their needs. The second half of each meeting will be set aside for staff to ask Dr. Cook questions. We will solicit written questions during the meeting and answer as many as time permits.

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

Purple Up Day! Hello! We are Lorene Moore, Lead Child & Youth Coordinator for the Oregon National Guard Child & Youth Program, and Barret Grimm, Senior Ambassador on the Oregon Military Teen Panel. The Oregon Military Teen Panel is composed of twenty-one National Guard Youth who strive to be an active part of their community.  Current members reside in Salem, Sublimity, Albany, Portland, Estacada, Sherwood, Klamath Falls and Happy Valley.

In Oregon, many families are going through a service member being gone for deployment. We are here to support Oregon’s military youth as they go through military life challenges and face occurring obstacles.

We are reaching out to you today to request that you show your support for military kids in your school district by participating in PurpleUp Day! this April, which is recognized nation-wide as Month of the Military Child. Creating a spirit day on April 10^th in schools across the state where students and staff wear purple would provide a visual way to recognize and celebrate military youth, especially National Guard youth here in Oregon.

On April 10th, local groups and communities are encouraged to take part in PurpleUp Day! by wearing or displaying purple. The goal is for military kids to SEE that they are supported and loved by their local communities.

According to Military OneSource, in 2023 there were 8,259 National Guard Members in Oregon. That includes 4,713 Army Guard and 2,159 Air Guard Members, most of whom have families and children.

Attached is a flier promoting PurpleUp Day! Please consider taking part in this annual display of support. Your participation matters!

Here is some more information regarding Month of the Military Child: Please let me know what other questions you may have! 

Action Items

• 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
• Clarify with your staff how we can respectfully and legally support our immigrant populations

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 listen to 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….. are those temperatures in the 50’s on the horizon?

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!

From Tammy and Karen

There is no business like snow business these days! It’s been fun seeing all the snow people and forts being crafted throughout playgrounds across our district. While out having fun, please take care to drive cautiously, walk carefully, and catch a snowflake or two on your tongue!

We are excited to start our next round of site visits. This round we will be coming together and Julie will attend ones that fit her schedule. As a reminder, we will be focusing on talking about data based on our horizontal this week. Not to worry if you were sick or out, we’ll catch you up when we are there.

State Testing: Thank you to all who were able to make the state testing meeting this week. We covered quite a bit of information and you had some amazing resources to share! 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! Also, please note Dave’s section below, as he highlights some important testing information as well.

Train Your Brain: Thank you to those of you who have signed up for Train Your Brain sessions to come to your school. We still have many who need to sign up. Now would be appreciated! All who are signed up by end of the day tomorrow will be in the drawing for lunch duty covered at your school!

Taking It Up: It’s not too late to sign up for the two day Taking it Up equity training. It is Feb 18-19 and there are still plenty of spaces. If interested, sign up in UKG–have questions, reach out to Kinsey.

Field Trip Tip: High Lakes learned the hard way, that when transportation reaches out for more information from your teachers about a trip, it is not “spam”. Great job to High Lakes 4th grade teachers who were very suspicious of a system that didn’t look like ours, asking for class lists and lesson plans. After great debate, they decided to report it for phishing! They were fishing alright, for more information about the trip! Be aware that it could look suspicious, but in reality, the system just needs more info. Ha-ha-ha!

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:

Health Services–Tami Pike

Field Trip Reminder. To prioritize student safety, please notify the school nurse about any upcoming field trips at least two weeks in advance. Last-minute notices can create safety concerns and may interfere with the care of other students, as the nurse needs time to review health conditions and medications. This applies to both middle and high school students. There have been instances where a nurse only learns of a field trip when an announcement is made over the school intercom. 😳

Finance, Business Office–Jessica Houser

Hello Admins!This is a friendly reminder that time and leave sheet cut-off is Sunday, February 9th. All completed time and leave sheets you receive for sign off are due to the Payroll Office by Monday, February 10th.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to [email protected] with any questions or if you need additional support. Thank you for all you do!

School Improvement- Dave VanLoo

“Testing season” is quickly approaching. Here are a few pointers and resources to help with planning and organization. Please reach out with any questions or suggestions.

• Like last year, the recommendation is for elementary schools to complete NNAT3 testing in March, OSAS ELA testing in April, and OSAS Math and Science in May.
• NNAT3 is for 2^nd graders and new to district 3^rd-5^th graders in March. Synergy has a report for identifying new to district students at your school. Here are instructions for accessing that report. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WW8zrUU1ShqHulNh12iMxQHzm10Xq4eXuMWZeO1LGM4/edit?usp=sharing
• New this year, NNAT3 is supposed to be integrated with Clever, which would eliminate the need for students to manually log in. That functionality currently is not working, but we are in contact with Pearson and expect to get it resolved (if possible) before March. In the meantime, manual log in processes should work.
• Here is a folder including manuals and teacher scripts for NNAT3 https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vBy6RnI2rYM0PPhbqsFFYO1kqLbL5zuX?usp=sharing
• Here is the updated for 2024-25 OSAS Essential Information and Planning Resources document for school test coordinators. This resource is meant to compliment ODE’s resources by and help highlight some of the most important big ideas.  This document will be updated as is helpful. Please save and use as a resource https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EJzxywh4ykm_WHT7uA4pNBpQsT2csXarETHJvtXquQE/edit?usp=sharing
• I’m resending this high-level summary of 24-25 test and survey timeframes. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IQxbIzjNj6l-1KNWzsrXjEeSGJ7uVIocWEX7IOpeeRk/edit?usp=sharing
• I’m also resending this document that summarizes key purposes and scheduling considerations of many commonly used tests in the district. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I8YT25DGBaAtIgkpGc2XvzFDhY2b9s7sf-sJD_DqGGY/edit?usp=sharing

Policy, Advocacy, and Equity – Kinsey Martin
Winners! Thank you to all who participated in the Asian Family Night’s Year of the Snake drawing contest.  Submissions came from: Pacific Crest, Buckingham, Lava Ridge, Ponderosa, Highland, Pine Ridge, Juniper, Bear Creek, Miller

The winners from the submissions above will be announced shortly—stay tuned!

Having some FOMO?  Here’s another opportunity:

February is Black History Month.  Your school’s DEI-ICCL rep should have shared with staff some teaching and learning opportunities related to this important topic.  This includes our annual Door-Decorating Contest!  

Please encourage your teachers (and non-teaching staff—counselors, athletics, front-office teams, principal’s office, Superintendent’s office, transportation etc) to participate!   Don’t be left off the list of schools engaging in this important work of representation, belonging, equity, and celebration in what might otherwise feel like a time of fear and frustration for many students and colleagues of color in our community.  Some details you can share with them here.  

From Curriculum, Instruction and Systems-Julie Richards

Principals:  This information will be shared with teachers Friday morning.

The Math Curriculum Review Team met on February 6th and came to consensus on Amplify Desmos for a K-5 mathematics curriculum. This recommendation will be presented to the school board on February 11th.  If you would like to take some time to check out this program here is login information:

Amplify Desmos Math Sample accounts:

• Password: Amplify1-bend_lapine_sd_k-5_amplify_desmos_math
• Go to learning.amplify.com and select “Log in with Amplify”.
• UN: Teacher Logins: [email protected]

From Social Emotional Wellness – Jennifer Hauth

Care Solace is a care coordination service to help students, staff, and their families find mental health and substance use treatment matched to their needs. Care Solace’s multilingual and culturally sensitive Care CompanionTM team is available 24/7/365 to quickly connect individuals to community providers regardless of need.

Register & Login to your Care Solace Account. If you missed the registration email for your Care Solace account, reach out to Lisa McNulty. Administrators, School Counselors, Student Success Clinicians/Coordinators, School Psychologists and Nurses have accounts.

Care Solace Family and Staff Flyers

Spanish Flyer Family Version and Letter

MTSS and using Care Solace for Warm Handoffs

Care Solace Best Practices for School Site Teams:

1. Integrate Messaging into Your Communications. Care Solace creates monthly mental health messaging and social media posts for you to use in your communication with your school community. Send this content to your school families and staff as a resource, share it on your social media, or share it at school events.

2. Print and Distribute Flyers Around Campus. Post flyers around the school for students and staff to provide additional information about Care. Solace. You can find these flyers in the Care Community in the Resource Center.

3. Configure Your Email Signature & Out-of-Office Notification. Add information about Care Solace to your email signature and out-of-office messaging. This will. promote access and ensure support outside of school hours or when staff members are away from work.

Action Items

• Start Preparing for state testing—choose your testing dates by around Feb 17!
• Sign up for Train Your Brain if you haven’t already
• Timesheets due Monday!
• Encourage Door Decorating for Black History Month!
• Check out the new math adoption recommendation
• Encourage people to sign up for a Care Solace account

Important Dates

• February 10: Admin ICCL Training on hold and will not happen today–please communicate that to your team. We will let you know of a future date.
• February 11-12: Tammy and Karen are in Salem at a COSA conference–please text before calling as we will be in sessions.
• 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…..