Category Archives: Uncategorized

Together we thrive! And that we did today at our elementary kick-off. Appreciation for you all –for your presence, engagement, flexibility, and desire to learn today. Appreciation to Dan for an exciting story of thriving on the PCT to kick us off, Eric for helping us dig into Article 18 and how to proactively set our schools up for success, Jennifer for a brain break that was active and fun, Julie for helping us start to learn the ins and outs of EL, and Lisa McNulty back at the office who took care of lunch! It all made for a wonderful day.

I am aware the Feedback QR code for today was cumbersome to log into at a non-BLS site. (not to mention, I may have turned off the projector and forgot you were all scanning!) We are up to 17 people who have taken the survey—just 18 to go! Here is a link to do it here real quick–please and thank you!

The “slide decks” link in the top bar is updated with the slide decks from Julie and I today. Here are links for other resources I tossed your way today as well.

• Tier 1 Expectations
• Personal Electronic Device Expectations
• School Issued iPad Expectations (Draft–feedback here please)
• SIW Planning Doc with corrected Nov date
• Assurances for Learning

Also, here is the link from a sample schedule I shared last spring of building a main schedule with assurances if you find it helpful to see.

From Tammy

1. As we head into the planning of our inservice weeks, please make sure you share this strategic priorities document with your staff. It is important in defining what we are about, communicating a common message, and having a vision for where we are headed.

2. In going through our exit cards (“What are you still wondering about?) from earlier this week, I saw several common themes that we will start to work through answering. Some of the topics got covered earlier today at our training, but there is one in particular that I want to draw our attention to sooner than later, and that is in relation to the schools who, due to reduced funding, whether it be no longer having Title, or not having partial FTE in the staffing plan, have lost a reading specialist.

I know that there are aspects about that that make it feel impossible to continue a successful Walk to Skill program. Have hope–I know that there are several ways in which you can still have a very successful Walk to Skill program, but it is going to take us coming together, with some of our reading experts (Julie, Lindsley, and coaches) to talk about all the possibilities. Mark your calendars for Thursday, August 15 at 8:30, for any school without a reading specialist or anyone interested for that matter, in putting our heads together to work on this topic. Please RSVP here. Anyone available to host? When I hear of a place, I’ll email all who rsvp to let you know!

Action Items

• Update staffing plans to reflect your staff names and positions accurately (certified and classified tabs)
• Update your current enrollment, also changing the number of students per section as you adjust it (#s 1 and 2 on the photo)
• Note: Please show a blend like #3 on the photo (keep accurate numbers on grade level lines and color block the blend). This example is a 1/2 blend of 21 students.
• When you make a change, please update the last date you changed it. (#4 on photo). Or, if you don’t have a change to make, please put the date you last checked the plan.

• If you haven’t done so already, sign up here for one of the HR Trainings called, “Managing Performance–Investigations” from 12:30-4:30on either August 15th or 19th. (August 8 is not possible for elementary with our kick off day)

Important Links

• August Professional Learning Calendar
• K-5 Curriculum Checklists
• Inservice Week Certified work calendar for 24-25.

Notes from our Team:

From Colleen and Josh in Student Services: Update on Inclusion EA schedule:

Thursday 8/29 and Friday 8/30 – 8AM-11AM: All “new to the district” inclusion EAs will receive onboarding training.  Student Services central office team will host this “two mornings”  training to support the great start for our new inclusion EAs.  At the end of each session, EAs will return to the buildings to work the rest of the day with your teams.  This training will coincide with the instructional EA trainings that will occur on those same days. Inclusion EAs will report to work on Tuesday 8/27, Thursday 8/29, and Friday 8/30.

From Kinsey, Policy, Advocacy, and Equity: Family Liaisons and FAN Advocates: I know you are wondering who your Liaison and FAN Advocate will be this year.  We had some August changes with staff on those teams, so I am still completing hiring.  After hiring, I will finalize school placements but those will likely not be confirmed for another two weeks.  

In the meantime: If your school has August family events, please invite the Liaison and Advocate who have been serving your school most recently, and assume they’ll be with you again until/unless you hear otherwise.  (My goal is to make minimal changes to placements this year, so hopefully you’ll experience consistency within those roles.)  Liaisons and FAN are not back on contract until the last week in August, but some might be available for your earlier family events.  In addition to inviting those roles, don’t forget to request interpreters via Linguist Link.  

If you have questions or an urgent need related to family engagement or family support, reach out!

Sharezies: Eric has created a folder in which he will be dropping things that admin are asking for. I have created a link to that folder in “sharezies”, located on the top bar of this blog.

Important Dates

• August 13: Title Admin/ Office Manager Meeting, here in the board room from 9:00-11:00
• August 15: Optional planning for schools without a reading specialist, 8:30, location TBA
• August 15 or 19: Training: Managing Performance–Investigations, 12:30-4:30 (15th in the Brooks room at the Public Library)
• August 19-21: Tammy out at a Federal Programs Budget conference (text if you need me and if I can, I’ll step out and help)
• August 22: Elementary Admin Meeting—8:00-11:30, Jewell Elementary–thanks Jesse!
• August 26: New Teacher training–all admin attend to welcome them. Time/place TBD (it will be first thing in the morning)
• August 27: District Welcome Back! An interactive whole school event. 8:30-10:00

And finally…

From Tammy

Our motto in Bend-La Pine Schools is “Educating Thriving Students.” This year, we are expanding that to include creating spaces and systems where all adults in our system “thrive” as well. We want to support you, as leaders to grow, develop, succeed. We want you to prosper and flourish. We want you to be your best self. In doing that, you in turn will support your staff in creating spaces and systems within your buildings, where the adults there grow, develop, succeed, prosper and flourish. Where everyone in your building is their best self. Having schools where the adults are thriving, creates the conditions for all students to thrive in our system. As we kick off the year, this theme will be at the core of what we do.

You make it easy to love this job, as we have such an amazing elementary leadership team! You also know what a huge job, the role of Executive Director is for one person and while I would happily do it on my own if I had to, the reality is I would not be able to support to the same degree that you have received support these past 3 years having two of us. Many of you have asked if I will be flying solo this year, as we have yet to fill the position since Lisa’s move, but not to worry, I have been assured that I will not be doing it alone for much longer, but a solution is yet to be revealed (soon we hope!) In the meantime, I’m here! Continue to reach out to me (email, text, or phone call) with your questions, ideas, and meet ups, as I am at the ready to help you have a smooth and successful start to the 2024-225 school year!

Action Items

• Bring your computers, fully charged to the Admin Trainings next week (M, Tu, Th)
• Update staffing plans to reflect your staff names and positions accurately (certified and classified tabs)
• Update your current enrollment, also changing the number of students per section as you adjust it (#s 1 and 2 on the photo)
• Note: Please show a blend like #3 on the photo (keep accurate numbers on grade level lines and color block the blend). This example is a 1/2 blend of 21 students.
• When you make a change, please update the last date you changed it. (#4 on photo). Or, if you don’t have a change to make, please put the date you last checked the plan.

• If you haven’t done so already, sign up here for one of the HR Trainings called, “Managing Performance–Investigations” from 12:30-4:30on either August 15th or 19th. (August 8 is not possible for elementary with our kick off day)

Important Links

• August Professional Learning Calendar
• K-5 Curriculum Checklists
• Inservice Week Certified work calendar for 24-25.

Notes from our Team:

From Julie in Curriculum, Instruction, and Systems: Have you hired new teachers? If so, don’t forget to let them know about the optional new hire trainings and the required one on August 26. Please make sure they get this flier.

From the High Desert ESD/BLS: The High Desert ESD Safety Team has established fall training dates (5 to choose from) for the Student Threat Assessment System (STAS) and the Sexual Incident Response System (SIRS). All new school administrators, school counselors, school psychologists, SROs and others who are part of School Site/Level 1 Teams will need to complete a 1-day training. Best Practice Standards for Threat Assessment Teams recommend a 1-day training every 5 years.  

Please sign up at this Registration Link. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Misty Groom at the ESD or our very own Sean Reinhart in Student Services. 

Important Dates

• August 5 and 6: K-12 Administrator District Welcome Back at the Riverhouse Convention Center (3075 N Hwy 97) breakfast at 7:15 and program starts promptly at 8:00.
• August 5: Administrative Dinner, 5:30 at the Hanai Foundation (62430 Eagle Road)
• August 8: Elementary Kick-Off, Hollinshead Barn (1235 NE Jones Rd) 8:00-3:30
• August 13: Title Admin/ Office Manager Meeting, here in the board room from 9:00-11:00
• August 15 or 19: Training: Managing Performance–Investigations, 12:30-4:30
• August 19-21: Tammy out at a Federal Programs Budget conference (text if you need me and if I can, I’ll step out and help)
• August 22: Elementary Admin Meeting—8:00-11:30, location TBD
• August 26: New Teacher training–all admin attend to welcome them. Time/place TBD (it will be first thing in the morning)
• August 27: District Welcome Back! An interactive whole school event. 8:30-10:00

And finally…

Almost!! Just 3ish days left!

Do Now:

1. wrap up evaluations
2. complete ALL Title stuff by 6/25–call Meryll or Tammy if you need help
3. close out expenditures–remember, you can carry over up to 20%
4. prepare staff for a smooth check-out process

Reminders:

• Elementary Admin Calendar 2024-2025
• August Professional Learning Calendar
• Tentative BEA Agreement can be found HERE
• Curriculum checklists: Curriculum Checklists Folder.
• Inservice Week Certified work calendar for 24-25.
• From Culture of Care: Check out our latest news and workshop offerings!
• ICCL Hiring: Please refer to this document on ICCL posting/hiring.
• June 12^th Elementary TLC Update

New Notes:

From Scott and Becca in Communications: We know you’re counting down the days left in the school year but we are already hard at work on the Welcome Back program on Tuesday, August 27. This year’s virtual presentation will have a direct feed to every building! That means your school community will have a moment to stand out and shine. Throughout the program, we’ll go live to each school for 20 seconds. Find a unique way to say HELLO to all of Bend-La Pine Schools across the district. There will be prizes to the most creative greetings. Let the idea buzz around your head this summer and be ready to offer ideas to your school when you return in August.  Have a great summer!

From Kinsey in Policy, Advocacy, and Equity:

Free and Reduced Lunch. With the great news about all our schools moving to CEP status (and school-wide free lunch), we need a thoughtful game plan for supporting families in accessing the district and community benefits that come with the traditional Free and Reduced Lunch application/status specific to their family.  Our first step in this process is to identify every possible component of our system that requires a FRL application in order to access/benefit (AP exam discounts, fee waivers, etc).   Can you please do two things: 1) Add any items here that you are aware of that are directly connected to a student’s qualification for Free/Reduced Lunch, and 2) Share this with your staff so they can contribute to creating a comprehensive list.  We will use this information to coordinate alternative ways to access these benefits, and/or to enhance supports for families in submitting applications even in CEP settings.  Thank you!

Upcoming professional learning opportunities: Please see my June 11th email about professional learning opportunities.  CFEE and Taking It Up are district priorities for professional learning, so please review and register for those as applicable.  Also, encourage your ICCL team or whole staff to attend Taking It Up.  Hearing that this matters to you as their building supervisor is a big motivator in increasing participation!

From Jackie Mueller in Sustainability: Summer Energy Conservation and SOP Here is the Holiday SOP as a reminder about shutting down the schools when the last of the staff and students depart for the summer holiday. Completing building walk-throughs, we have seen high participation in closing schools over the breaks which is translating into savings. Here is an alternative reminder for staff and a checklist that can be shared.

Schools are going into unoccupied mode on June 24^th. The morning purge is still active to try and get the schools down to 70 but the AC will be off. Please try to be cognizant of lighting and open windows and doors in schools to try and keep it cool.

Wonders Big Boxes: The Wonders hard back recycling boxes are being filled and your efforts and support are greatly appreciated. I will be working on a pick-up plan after the 19^th. Please reach out with any questions.

Waste Stations in Cafeteria’s: Next school year, we will be sharing waste reduction efforts for the cafeterias, where all schools will have silverware and boat stacking. We are currently in the design process of creating classy waste stations. Until these are complete, the sustainability, custodial, and admin teams will work together to assist any schools that do not have systems in place at the start of the year. We will also be providing education and training for staff and students at the commencement of the 2024-2025 school year.

From Tammy and Lisa:

Cheers to the last BLOG post of the 23-24 school year! (Anything burning that you need to know right away, we’ll email!)

Please share this flier with all your new hires, so that they don’t miss any opportunities to receives some professional development that will help them get a jump start to our materials.

Our last Horizontal of the year will be from 2:00-3:30 at the Environmental Center, across from Troy Field by the Ed Center. Well be going over things to know before you go and celebrating colleagues and friends. Afterwards, we will follow up at Crux to continue the celebration.

We’ll get to tell you on the 21st, but we also want to say it here, how much we love and appreciate all of you! Getting to lead the elementary team this year has been a real gift, as we have learned with you, stretched with you, I’m sure at times confused you, and laughed with you. While Lisa will be stepping into another role this next year and won’t be with us in the same capacity on the daily, we have comfort in knowing she will be still be with us, alongside Dr. Cook, leading and championing the work to educate thriving students in Bend-La Pine Schools. If you thought this year was good, just wait…to be continued in August!

Important Dates

• June 15-16: Juneteenth Community Celebration in Drake Park
• June 20: 11:30 am Admin end of year celebration at Ed Center. It is a lunch for you all and some words from Dr. Cook.
• June 21: Last Horizontal meeting/celebration of the year 2:00-3:30, at the Environmental Center, followed by some camaraderie at Crux!
• The month of July: Rest and relaxation!!
• August 5 and 6: K-12 Administrator District Welcome Back, Riverhouse
• August 8: Elementary Kick-Off, location TBD, but be prepared for a full day (7:30-3:30)

And finally…

This week, we were reminded during a graduation speech by Interim Principal Zach Harju at REALMS, of an inspiring story, heard long ago, about lessons we can learn from geese. As you watch the video below, reflect on lessons you learned this year as a leader, how you supported others, who was there to lift you up, and what lessons we still want to continue to work on in 24-25 together as a flock.

7.5 days left!

Do Now:

1. wrap up evaluations
2. complete ALL Title stuff
3. close out expenditures–remember, you can carry over up to 20%
4. prepare staff for a smooth check-out process

Reminders:

• Elementary Admin Calendar 2024-2025
• August Professional Learning Calendar
• 504 Training option for Administrators from CASE: LINK HERE!
• Tentative BEA Agreement can be found HERE
• Curriculum checklists: Consider attaching these to your school’s checkout list so that everyone has what they need as they start the year in the fall.  The documents live here: Curriculum Checklists Folder. 
• Roger White support: Want to help? Click this link. or Venmo Patrick to help with a bike for Roger!
• Inservice Week Certified work calendar for 24-25.
• From Culture of Care: Check out our latest news and workshop offerings!
• ICCL Hiring: Please refer to this document on ICCL posting/hiring.
• HERE is a link to the state-wide video from Steve and other Sups
• May 29^th Elementary TLC Update

New Notes:

From Julie in Curriculum, Instruction, and Systems

If you are interested in implementing Mindful Music Moment (Deborah from Rosland shared at our last horizontal meeting) at your school, please let me know.  Jackie Kreitzer from the Sunriver Music Festival has let us know that they have kindly donated this program to any school that would like to be a part of it.

The Math Curriculum Review team will field test three math programs next year.  Here are lessons/units from each program and the dates the team will be out of the building. There is a possibility to add additional teachers. Because of substitutes, we can only add 11 more to attend the publisher training days. These teachers will not attend the studios or the debrief with the rest of the team. The MCRT is reaching out their team and Julie or Kerry will follow-up with you before asking them to commit.

Life and Career Readiness with Jenny White

Enjoy some End of the Year Activities in Wayfinder. Directions on how to find the End of the Year Activities

 Direct Links. Kindergarten. 1st – 2nd. 3rd – 5th

From our Outdoor School Grant partner, OSU

As part of the Malheur Summer Institute, we are hosting an Integrating Outdoor School into the Classroom workshop. This is open to all educators, not those just within the Malheur ESD.

This will be from 9am-3pm on Wednesday, July 17^th at EOU in La Grande. Stipends are available for eligible educators and there is a $60 subsidized credit through EOU available.

In this workshop, we will explore how we can build and maintain connections between outdoor school and the classroom, with the goal of maximizing the benefits – academic and social/emotional – for all students and teachers.

See the email below or our events page for more information and to register.

[email protected]

From Kelly Marty, Classified Specialist in HR:

The classified work calendars for the 2024-25 school year can be found here.

You will notice that there were changes to most of the EA work calendars.  Some had an increase and others had a decrease in their workdays in 2024/25.  The changes are due to aligning ES/MS school days and the need to consolidate multiple EA calendars.  We will send out an email to the impacted EAs and notify them of the change. We will also send an email to all classified employees that will include links to the calendars on the employee portal.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

From Tammy and Lisa:

Cheers to the second to last BLOG post of the 23-24 school year!

As we start to wrap things up over the next couple of weeks, there are a few loose ends we want to make sure to tie up.

First, this next Wednesday, June 12, is a typical SIW, where kids have early release and teachers have a work day. That changed when the snow days were added. Tuesday, June 18, the last day with students is an early release day as well.

Next, your self-evaluations need to be done asap. We are working on evals this weekend and need them done to do our part. If you forget what sections to fill out (don’t do all 67) Here is an excerpt from an email sent a couple of weeks ago: When you go into UKG to do your self-reflections, please only put a rating in the first domain and standard for each domain.  When you put down that rating, that score should be inclusive of the other standards in that domain (just like it has been in the past).  Read each of the standards in the domain, but only give yourself one score and put it in the first domain and standard.  You are still welcome to add comments for each domain if you wish.

For Title Schools—Your completed Title folder needs to be signed off by Tammy before you leave for the summer. This next year, we will be having an audit on this year, and we want to make sure everything is complete and ready to go. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Meryll or Tammy before June 25.

Our last Horizontal of the year will be from 2:00-3:30 (we are hoping to have it in the Amity Cafeteria, but we need to confirm with Andy first). Then we will follow up at Crux for a little celebration.

Important Dates

• June 7: LPHS Graduation @7:00 pm
• June 8: SHS Graduation @10:00 am
• June 8: MVHS Graduation @2:00pm
• June 8: CHS Graduation @6:00pm – FIRST Graduating class in school history!
• June 10: BTA Graduation @ 7:00 pm
• June 11: Seal of Biliteracy (Silver Level) @5:30 at CHS
• June 11: Realms HS Graduation @ 7:00 pm
• June 15-16: Juneteenth Community Celebration in Drake Park
• June 20: 11:30 am Admin end of year celebration at Ed Center
• June 21: Last Horizontal meeting/celebration of the year 2:00-3:30
• The month of July: Rest and relaxation!!
• August 5 and 6: K-12 Administrator District Welcome Back
• August 8: Elementary Kick-Off, location TBD, but be prepared for a full day (7:30-3:30)

And finally….

If you’re around this weekend join Family Advisory group is hosting a booth at Pride in the Park! Click on the image above for more information about Pride Month.

Do Now:

Thank your counselors for the wonderful work they do in our schools. The counseling celebration was a huge success (thanks Jennifer and Jess!). Take a look at this slideshow to gain some ideas about how you might connect more with students in the coming year!

Don’t forget to share your YouthTruth information with families in the next week or so. Dan shared a great example two blogs ago if you’re looking for inspiration.

Reminders:

• Elementary Admin Calendar 2024-2025
• August Professional Learning Calendar
• 504 Training option for Administrators from CASE: LINK HERE!
• Tentative BEA Agreement can be found HERE
• Curriculum checklists: Consider attaching these to your school’s checkout list so that everyone has what they need as they start the year in the fall.  The documents live here: Curriculum Checklists Folder. 
• Roger White support: Want to help? Click this link. or Venmo Patrick to help with a bike for Roger!
• Inservice Week Certified work calendar for 24-25.
• Dibels Testing Dates: Here is the schedule. (make 12 stations, let them test all K-5 kids, clear schedules and make testing the priority)
• From Culture of Care: Check out our latest news and workshop offerings!
• ICCL Hiring: Please refer to this document on ICCL posting/hiring.
• HERE is a link to the state-wide video from Steve and other Sups

New Notes:

From Lora: Just a reminder that we agreed to abbreviated standards in the fall for our summative evaluations with contract teachers. Please review these guidelines for certified evaluations.

From Stephen: Anyone in need of a piano? Reach out to Lisa or Tammy if your school might be interested.

May 29^th Elementary TLC Update

This week’s update includes:

• Disposal plan for Wonders and Maravillas curriculum materials
• Summer PD opportunities from the Culture of Care team at HDESD
• End of year activities from Wayfinder
• Movement moments

From Tammy and Lisa:

Thank you Tim for supporting our dear North Star this year. We are excited to hear what your next years have in store for you as you launch into retirement! As we move forward to fill your shoes (no one ever will btw), we will be looking to have some type of internal process in the next few weeks. Stay tuned for more information.

Thank you so much for providing excellent feedback as we work to plan for next year. Please look for an e-mail from us early next week with the compiled information. There are two more things that we forgot to ask about- our district launch and our small group teams (the ones where you are to meet three times per year). Please take a moment to give us your two cents using this link on both of these by Wednesday. The sooner, the better for planning purposes!

Jackie will be communicating about box drop-off and where the COIC crew will be supporting as we work to begin to recycle our old materials. Please refer to past blogs for more info.

As you create your schedules for next year, please let staff know about Back-to-School nights before you leave for the summer. This will allow for the advanced notice that is within the new contract language.

Important Dates

• June 1: Pride @ Drake Park (BLS Family Advisory hosting a booth)
• June 4: Seal of Biliteracy (Bronze Seal) @ 5:30 at HDMS
• June 6: GSA in the Park: 10-1 at Troy Field/Ed Center
• June 6: TAG Night at Juniper 5-6 pm
• June 6: BSHS Graduation @7:00 pm
• June 7: LPHS Graduation @7:00 pm
• June 8: SHS Graduation @10:00 am
• June 8: MVHS Graduation @2:00pm
• June 8: CHS Graduation @6:00pm – FIRST Graduating class in school history!
• June 10: BTA Graduation @ 7:00 pm
• June 11: Seal of Biliteracy (Silver Level) @5:30 at CHS
• June 11: Realms HS Graduation @ 7:00 pm
• June 15-16: Juneteenth Community Celebration in Drake Park
• June 20: 11:30 am Admin end of year celebration at Ed Center
• June 21: Last Horizontal meeting/celebration of the year 2:00-4:00, location TBD!
• The month of July: Rest and relaxation!!
• August 5 and 6: K-12 Administrator District Welcome Back
• August 8: Elementary Kick-Off

And finally…

Looking for a way to celebrate JOY in June? Click on the image to link to a joyful calendar to round out your school year.

Congratulations to our new Deputy Superintendent! We are so lucky to have you championing leadership and the support of all students in Bend-La Pine Schools! (and I’m not just saying it because she will be my boss–ha-ha–it’s true!). We are proud of you Lisa!

Do Now:

All the things

Reminders:

• 504 Training option for Administrators from CASE: LINK HERE!
• Curriculum checklists: Consider attaching these to your school’s checkout list so that everyone has what they need as they start the year in the fall.  The documents live here: Curriculum Checklists Folder. 
• Youth Truth. By May 29, meet with your ICCL teams to synthesize the information you get from the posters at the data walks, and decide what you want to focus on. Write the 2 areas of focus and link them in your School Design Plans under the Annual Plan Review Tab in the mid-year location. Thank you!
• Roger White support: Want to help? Click this link. or Venmo Patrick to help with a bike for Roger!
• TLC Update: May 15^th Elementary TLC Update
• Inservice Week Certified work calendar for 24-25. (note–we will be talking about some required training for Instructional EAs on the 29th and 30th, that may influence your PD time. We’ll go over this at our May 28 Horizontal
• Dibels Testing Dates: Here is the schedule. (make 12 stations, let them test all K-5 kids, clear schedules and make testing the priority)
• From Culture of Care: Check out our latest news and workshop offerings!
• ICCL Hiring: Please refer to this document on ICCL posting/hiring.

New Notes:

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

Are you interested in helping to check-in, unpack and label our new Elementary Language Arts Curriculum?  If so,  we are hiring 7 internal classified employees to work for 2+ weeks from July 29th-August 9th.  If you would like to apply to be a part of this team follow these steps:

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

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

Wonders Recycling–PDF of the two pages below is here. It needs to be printed and posted in important locations in your school. You can also send it to staff as a pdf. Let’s work on our sustainable practices in BLS as we get ready to transition to a new curriculum!

From Jenny White, Life and Career Readiness: Planning and Prioritizing Collections in Wayfinder: Enhance students’ organizational and time management skills with this collection of activities and lessons. Through planning templates, prioritization exercises, and goal-setting strategies, students will learn how to effectively manage their tasks, responsibilities, and commitments. These resources promote efficiency, accountability, and a balanced approach to academic and personal life.

Directions on how to find the collections on Wayfinder

Direct Links: Kindergarten. 1 – 2. 3 – 5

From Scott in IT: CHANGE IN i-PAD information. A majority of schools were slated for either a complete swap of their student iPads or were going to be receiving replacements for 6^th and 7^th gen iPads. This swap is currently on hold. A purchase is still anticipated, but the timeline has changed.  The determining factors for this delay are:

**Moving to the next generation of iPad involves investment in peripheral technology that is greater than anticipated – namely keyboard and headphone adaptors.

**Logistical and instructional considerations that may impact school locations that actually need to swap devices.

At this time, plan on your roll-in to continue as planned outside of any devices being retired. iPads will need to be stored like in years past by student last name, next year’s teacher, etc. The Tier 1 website will reflect these changes as soon as possible. Please reach out to your building’s IT Client Services tech, a fellow Tier 1 or Roy Fuller for help or idea’s for rolling in. For a quick reference see below for all Elementary iPads:

o    K-4^th grade iPads will stay with the current student

o    5^th grade will roll down to incoming KG

We will continue to remove any 6^th gen iPads that have issues or swap any 6^th or 7^th gen iPad for a student who needs a newer device for OCR support as we’ve always done. High Schools will continue to receive 9^th gens as replacements to keep device types consistent.

From Nick Shein in the Business Office: As we approach the end of the year, we wanted to get some quick accounting information and reminders out to you all.  Please review, and reach out to Nick Shein ([email protected]) if you have any questions or concerns.

• Budgets:  A recap of the typical funds available to you can be found here in case you are looking for other budgets to charge expenses too.  It is perfectly acceptable to move allowable expenses out of your discretionary budgets and into some of these other funds as a way to balance your budgets or to preserve the spending flexibility that your discretionary budgets provide (ie discretionary can be spent on the widest variety of items).
• Carry Overs:  With the reductions planned for next year, we are allowing a carry over of 20% in your school discretionary and athletics budgets this year. That is up from the typical 10%.
• Petty cash: If you have petty cash, please make sure it is counted and reconciled before you close your school for the summer.

Guidance on Gift Cards:

• For Staff:  Gift cards for staff CANNOT be purchased with District funds at any time or for any reason.  You may, however, purchase gift cards with your personal funds (your own pocket) and give them to staff so long as the value is less than the gift threshold of $50
• For Students:  Gift cards CAN be purchased with District funds for students as prizes or incentives.  The value must be $10 or less, and the cards must only be valid for stores that do not sell alcohol, tobacco or other items inappropriate for students.  You must keep an inventory of the cards if purchasing in bulk. The exception is Title–please do not buy any gift cards with Title funds.
• For FAN:  Your FAN advocates cannot accept gift cards to be used for FAN families, so your school should not solicit gift cards for FAN.  Your PTOs are separate entities and, though inadvisable, CAN do a gift card drive for FAN if they really want too.  However, the PTO must maintain ownership of the cards and will ultimately have to donate the cards to the FAN Foundation instead of your advocate ( https://familyaccessnetwork.org/).

From Tammy and Lisa:

The Levy The failure of the levy was a disappointing moment this week and we would be remiss not to acknowledge that. Dr. Cook said it well when he stated, “While this news is undoubtedly disheartening, I want to assure you that we will regroup and navigate this funding challenge together. Our commitment to providing a high-quality education for all our students remains steadfast, and we will continue to advocate vigorously for the resources we need.” We believe that! Now more than ever, we need to come together in a unified message that the state of Oregon needs to better support schools, where future of Oregon is currently seated.

HERE is a link to the state-wide video that Steve and other Superintendents put together regarding the 25-27 biennium and was discussed during the training on Wednesday.

School Administrator Performance Evaluation: Whoa! We just found out that you all are evaluating yourself on 71 domains/standards! Stop the presses–pause your self-evals if you haven’t done them yet. Let us talk with HR tomorrow to see if we can clean that up. It should only be about 10 domains—It looks like all the “look fors” for each domain got entered as tasks—that is not right. Stay tuned!

Reminder: Our next Horizontal meeting is the day we get back from break. It will be at Rosland Elementary and will still start at 3:00. Please plan accordingly to get there on time.

School Counselor Celebrations, May 30 in the board room. We are looking forward to seeing every school represented who currently have counselors and hoping that even those who do not, will come see the great work that our counselors are doing, knowing that next year, all elementary schools will have some level of counseling. What a celebration! Hats off to Jennifer Hauth, for her steadfast work in making this happen for our students.

Important Dates

• May 28: Horizontal Meeting @ Rosland 3:00-5:00 (Please add in travel time, as we will be starting on time)
• May 30: School Counselor Celebration in board room 8-9:30
• June 1: Pride @ Drake Park (BLS Family Advisory hosting a booth)
• June 6: GSA in the Park: 10-1 at Troy Field/Ed Center
• June 6: TAG Night at Juniper 5-6 pm
• June 15-16: Juneteenth Community Celebration in Drake Park
• June 20: 11:30 am Admin end of year celebration
• June 21: Last Horizontal meeting/celebration of the year 2:00-4:00, location TBD!

And finally…

Do Now:

• Please add one last effort to your families to encourage everyone to vote. The levy page has information about the levy as well as videos that you may want to share with others to increase information access. LEVY VIDEO
• For those of you who have a reader board at your site, please put up a levy message to stay up between now Tuesday, Election Day. Thank you!
• Please meet with your 5th grade teachers and take this survey by Wednesday regarding Camp Tamarack. We need your input to move forward. Thanks!
• By now you should have shared YouthTruth information with staff and are likely processing with ICCL members. If you haven’t already, make a plan to share information with families. HERE is an example from Juniper that may come in handy when you design your share with families. Dan used Canva to make this. Thanks for sharing!

Reminders:

• 504 Training option for Administrators from CASE: LINK HERE!
• Curriculum checklists: Consider attaching these to your school’s checkout list so that everyone has what they need as they start the year in the fall.  The documents live here: Curriculum Checklists Folder. 
• iPad Roll-in: Refer to last week’s blog for direction on this.
• Lewis and Clark Admin Cohort: If you know of anyone who is interested in starting their administrative (Principal) licensure program this next fall please share the flyer below with them. Flier for more information.
• Packing Up Wonders: Please refrain from boxing any hardbound books as we are finalizing a specialized box for shipment to a recycling facility in Vancouver. If books are already boxed, please leave them as is until the next steps are finalized. Soft-cover books and paper product manipulatives can be recycled in the large blue co-mingle bins or go home with students. Please start this process early so as to not overload the carts.
• Youth Truth. By May 29, meet with your ICCL teams to synthesize the information you get from the posters at the data walks, and decide what you want to focus on. Write the 2 areas of focus and link them in your School Design Plans under the Annual Plan Review Tab in the mid-year location. Thank you!
• Roger White support: Want to help? Click this link.
• TLC Update: May 1,  Elementary TLC Update
• Inservice Week Certified work calendar for 24-25
• Dibels Testing Dates: Here is the schedule. (make 12 stations, let them test all K-5 kids, clear schedules and make testing the priority)
• From Culture of Care: Check out our latest news and workshop offerings!

New Notes:

From Scott in IT: Bend-La Pine Schools IT is rolling out a security change to staff Macs that you may need to be aware of if you have installed personal software on your Mac.

There is a new process to gain administrator access on your computer for installing or updating non-standard software. If you need administrator access on your computer, please review our guidance on the staff portal:
https://bendlapine.sharepoint.com/sites/technology/SitePages/Make-Me-Admin.aspx

If you run into any issues with this process, you can contact the IT Help Desk at ext. 1200 or open an IT support ticket at https://help.bend.k12.or.us.

From Kinsey: Can you please take a moment to share here your feedback related to our Admin PD session this week?  Thank you for taking the time to share your perspective! 

Here are the policies referenced during our scenario work at the Admin PD session this week, in case any of them piqued your interest:

• Appropriate Use of Technology: AR 
• Administrator Responsibilites related to Technology: AR 
• Social Media Use and Expectations: AR 
• Hazing, Harassment, Cyber-bullying: BP 
• Personal Communication Devices: AR
• Bias Incidents: BP and AR
• Grades and Credits: AR
• Public Complaints: AR 

Have a suggestion for a policy update or revision?  Share it here!

Regarding your team’s bias incident data analysis: I’d recommend saving somewhere the link to your level/school’s data, for use next fall as you prepare staff to teach the bias lessons.  If your team would like to further discuss your data (or your response or record-keeping processes), please reach out.  

From Special Programs: Administrators and Supervisors, Good News our pool posting(s) for our Inclusion EA positions for 24-25 school year are now posted on our website. Please direct any interested candidates to these postings (this would include any temporary Inclusion EA’s who are interested in returning). There are three postings, one for Bend Area, one for South County, and one temporary.

TLC Update: May 15^th Elementary TLC Update

From HR:

Snow Days & Time Off Approvals: Please remind your staff whose snow make-up day(s) time off was approved to enter them into UKG

ICCL Hiring: Please refer to this document on ICCL posting/hiring.

School Administrator Performance Evaluation Bug: We’ve encountered some problems with Domain 9, Standard 6 populating correctly.  If that domain/standard appears on your self-reflection or summative evaluation, please skip it for 2023/24.

From HR part II: Summative Evaluations – Due by June 30th

We are entering into the final stretch of the performance evaluation process for 2023/24.  Please refer to the self-reflection videos for information on how to interact with the ratings and submit summative evaluations forms in UKG.  It is an expectation that you meet with the people that you supervise to discuss their evaluation before Finalizing it.  

If you have an employee of concern, please be sure that your summative evaluation captures the areas of deficiency that you’ve discussed with them.  In addition, add to your summative evaluation comment box if you are moving them to Focused Performance Review for 2024/25.  

• Contact [email protected] or Stu at x1107 for technical help.  
• Drop an Outlook calendar invite to Paul if you have an employee of concern that you wish to discuss.

HR will have a virtual training for anyone who would like a refresher on how to complete Summative Evaluations on Thursday, May 16 at 11 am.  Use this link for the meeting (Join the meeting now). If you can’t make this session and would like us to schedule another one next week, please email [email protected] with your desire for an additional session.

Resources

• Here is an instruction video to share with your staff on how to complete self-reflections
• Here is an instructional video for admin on how to review, submit and finalize self-reflections
•   UKG Performance Evaluation Guide for District Administrators
• Slides from the January 31 Leadership training

From Tammy and Lisa:

HERE is a link to the state-wide video that Steve and other Superintendents put together regarding the 25-27 biennium and was discussed during the training on Wednesday.

Important Dates

• May 18: Kinder Fiesta 10-1 at Ed Center (newly enrolling Spanish-speaking kindergarten families)
• May 28: Horizontal Meeting @ Rosland 3:00-5:00 (Please add in travel time, as we will be starting on time)
• May 30: School Counselor Celebration in board room 8-9:30
• June 1: Pride @ Drake Park (BLS Family Advisory hosting a booth)
• June 6: GSA in the Park: 10-1 at Troy Field/Ed Center
• June 6: TAG Night at Juniper 5-6 pm
• June 15-16: Juneteenth Community Celebration in Drake Park
• June 20: 11:30 am Admin end of year celebration
• TBD: Last Horizontal meeting/celebration of the year will be rescheduled! Stay tuned!

And finally…

Give some extra kuddos to our Speech and Language Pathologists this month! May is a time to celebrate their often unseen, but so important work! Thank you SLPs!

Do Now:

Keep up the good work inputting observation data and start planning for your end of the year evaluations.

Reminders:

• Packing Up Wonders: Please refrain from boxing any hardbound books as we are finalizing a specialized box for shipment to a recycling facility in Vancouver. If books are already boxed, please leave them as is until the next steps are finalized. Soft-cover books and paper product manipulatives can be recycled in the large blue co-mingle bins or go home with students. Please start this process early so as to not overload the carts.
• Give the Middle School Transition and Math Bypass Testing for 5^th grade
• Youth Truth. Reminder: Now, by May 29, meet with your ICCL teams to synthesize the information you get from the posters at the data walks, and decide what you want to focus on. Write the 2 areas of focus and link them in your School Design Plans under the Annual Plan Review Tab in the mid-year location. Thank you!
• Roger White support: Want to help? Click this link.
• Performance Evaluation Reminders: At site visits we will look over your UKG dashboard with you–so far, they are looking pretty good. Keep on loading your observations and getting them done!
• Here is an instruction video to share with your staff on how to complete self-reflections
• Here is an instructional video for admin on how to review, submit and finalize self-reflections
• Erin’s Law: When you finish with these, let April Jorgenson know!
• TLC Update: May 1,  Elementary TLC Update
• Inservice Week Certified work calendar for 24-25
• Dibels Testing Dates: Here is the schedule. (make 12 stations, let them test all K-5 kids, clear schedules and make testing the priority)
• From Culture of Care: Check out our latest news and workshop offerings!

New Notes:

From Roy Fuller in IT re: iPads. We’ve almost reached the end of another school year. Always funny how slow it seems to go, until May hits and it’s all about over. Even if we’ve had fresh snow fall!  I’m reaching out to give everyone some updates to the questions some of you have been asking. Our Tier 1 website has been updated with the latest information regarding the end of year plan when it comes to iPads. We will removing all the remaining 6^th/7^th gen iPads from school’s this summer. The breakdown should look like this for the fall of 2024:

·         High Schools – 9^th gen iPads

·         Middle Schools – 8^th and 9^th gen iPads

·         Elementary Schools – 8^th, 9^th 10^th gen iPads

We will be introducing the 10^th gen iPads into 10 schools for next year. Swapping out the entire school will make it easier since those iPads have USB-C only charging port (lightning port is gone), plus are slightly larger than the previous gen iPads. The 8^th/9^th gen iPads from the schools we are swapping out will roll out to the remaining elementary schools to remove their 6^th/7^th gen iPads. For the schools listed below, please follow the Roll-In Overview on the Roll-In Elementary page (top of the page). The schools receiving 10^th gen iPads include:

• Elk Meadow 
• Pine Ridge 
• Miller
• Lava Ridge
• Ponderosa 
• Buckingham
• RE Jewell 
• Highland
• Three Rivers (K-8)
• Westside Village (K-8)

For the remaining elementary schools you’ll find your Roll-In Overview listed below the schools receiving new iPads. Please read through for helpful information and slideshows that can be followed in the classrooms, or library when it comes time to turn in the iPads. Included for all is a helpful checklist, station signs and an iPad Inspection form if needed. Some of you received a full school swap with 9^th gens last year, so you won’t be swapping out anything. Those that didn’t will be swapping out 6^th/7^th gen iPads for new to them 8^th/9^th gen iPads.

All middle schools will be turning in their iPads at the end of the year. Your roll-in overview can be found on our Roll-In for Secondary page. The information on that page should help answer questions you might have, with slideshows that can be used with the teachers or in the library depending on how your school plans their roll-in.

High schools will run the same like previous years. Students will be keeping their iPads over the summer outside of 12^th graders who’s iPads will be collected and rolled down to incoming 9^th graders. The overview of that process can be found on the Roll-In for Secondary page below the middle school’s information.

Please review all the information on our Tier 1 page for spring iPad information and talk with your client services tech to start planning. I believe some of you have already dug in with the planning process and hopefully with the information provided that will help fill in the any missing pieces. Feel free to reach out directly to me if you have any questions. Enjoy the warming trend headed our way finally! Thanks everyone for another great year.

Curriculum and Instruction Updates from Julie: As we start to think about the end of the school year classroom checkout systems,  we have created Grade level curriculum checklists to support materials management as classroom teachers pack up at the end of year.  Schools end up being responsible for purchasing materials that go missing and it can be confusing to keep track of what belongs with each program. Consider attaching these to your school’s checkout list so that everyone has what they need as they start the year in the fall.  The documents live here: Curriculum Checklists Folder.   Also, if you would like to use these and need copies for your teachers, please reach out to your instructional coach to support you in that work.

From Jackie in Sustainability: Thank You!! A big shoutout to everyone involved in the Walk and Roll to school day—staff, students, admin, PTO, and Commute Options—for making our Spring Walk and Roll to School Day an absolute blast! Across our 19 schools, 13 reported to provide data for 105 classes. Big shout out to Pine Ridge and Ponderosa for the most classes reporting. Here’s the breakdown: 334 students walked, 270 biked or rolled, 324 used the bus, and 1,190 arrived by car.

Special kudos to Three Rivers and Buckingham for hosting their very first Walk and Roll Day! Staff and students gathered at a designated spot and walked together, a new tradition that may well continue in the future. Reports from both schools were glowing, highlighting the positive impact and fun of this event!

From Colleen and Josh in Special Programs: 504 Training

We wanted to extend an invitation to administrators and teams to join a virtual 504 Training sponsored by the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE). This Section 504 legal conference features Julie Weatherly, Esq., and is designed to provide learning opportunities to strengthen and grow the leaders in the field. There are opportunities for basic and advanced sessions.  Buildings to cover cost, group rates available.

Having attended multiple conference sessions featuring Julie Weatherly, Esq., our administrative team can attest to her engaging and informative presentations. This is an opportunity not to be missed for administrators seeking to deepen their knowledge and expertise in Section 504 compliance. LINK HERE!

Basics Training: Foundational review of anticipated new 504 regulations

Advanced Training: New hot topics and hypotheticals! Scenario-based…what would you do?

Basics Training. *NOTE:  Central Time Zone, two hours ahead.			Advanced Training *NOTE:  Central Time Zone, two hours ahead.
June 10, 2024			June 11, 2024
1:00 pm-4:00 pm (CT) 11-2 pm (PST)			9:00 am-4:00 pm (CT) 7-2 pm (PST)
$250 CASE Member			$350 CASE Member
$350 Non-CASE Member			$450 Non-CASE Member
$225 Group Rate (per person for 3 or more)			$315 Group Rate (per person for 3 or more)

From Stuart in HR re: Job Posting and Hiring. Elementary Pool postings have gone live and we have reduced the postings to only 4 pools.  We have added a sort feature to sort by location, so you can sort by people who apply for Sunriver and La Pine as well as Bend.

1.0 FTE K-2 Classroom Teacher–Regular1.0 FTE K-2 Classroom Teacher – Temporary1.0 FTE 3-5 Classroom Teacher – Regular1.0 FTE 3-5 Classroom Teacher – Temporary Within the application, there is a question asking the candidate to select locations where they would be willing work and they can choose Bend, Sunriver, and La Pine. 

In order to tell a candidate’s response to that question, you will need to access the questionnaire responses. This can be accessed in UKG using: 

Menu – My Team – Recruitment – Candidates – Recruitment Questionnaire Answers

This populates a report with all the responses to all questions which is too much to see.

When this page loads, click on the ‘x’ on this: 

 and it will make the data show up. Select the three dots (…) and choose ‘Save As’. This will save it so you can always see the data. I have shared out a report view to all administrators entitled ‘Pool Applicants – Location Preference’ which has been presorted to show you the answers to the candidate’s preference. Select the blue [System] pull down to select the report that Stuart shared. You will see the data change to only responses to the location question.  This currently shows the responses from the Job Fair, so you can practice sorting through the responses. As candidates apply to the positions, this list will encompass their responses as well. When you see applicants you are interested in, you may use the Icons to navigate to their responses ( ) , their applicant profile ( ) or their application ( ) to work through the usual hiring process.  

From Tammy and Lisa:

Excellence in Education and Admin PD: Please note that there is a location change for our all admin PD next Wednesday from 3:00-5:00. It has been moved from Perseverance Hall at BSH to the Mountain View High School cafeteria. That way, we are all there to jump right in to celebrating our Excellence in Education Award winners, from 5:00-6:00 in the MVHS auditorium.

Lewis and Clark Admin Cohort: If you know of anyone who is interested in starting their administrative (Principal) licensure program this next fall in an all in-person, small cohort, central Oregon focused program, please share the flyer below with them.  All instructors are central Oregon leaders.  Please also share with your principals or other leaders who would know teachers who might be interested.   Flier for more information.

We will be holding an information session: Thursday, May 23, 2024, 4:30-5:30 at the HDESD in the Cascades Conference Room

Please let Lora, Lisa or Paul Andrews at the ESD know if you have any questions.

Important Dates

• May 15: Monthly Admin PD at Mountain View High School, 3:00-4:30
• May 15: Excellence in Education right after admin meeting at MVHS
• May 18: Kinder Fiesta 10-1 at Ed Center (newly enrolling Spanish-speaking kindergarten families)
• May 28: Horizontal Meeting @ Rosland 3:00-5:00 (Please add in travel time, as we will be starting on time)
• May 30: School Counselor Celebration in board room 8-9:30
• June 1: Pride @ Drake Park (BLS Family Advisory hosting a booth)
• June 6: GSA in the Park: 10-1 at Troy Field/Ed Center
• June 6: TAG Night at Juniper 5-6 pm
• June 15-16: Juneteenth Community Celebration in Drake Park
• TBD: Last Horizontal meeting/celebration of the year will be rescheduled! Stay tuned!

And finally…

This is a salute to the glorious weather that is here for a little while!!

Do Now:

Levy News: Keep up the messaging about the Levy. Make sure you have the posters up, reader boards informed (see messaging from Scott), let us know if you want us to speak to any groups, pass our fliers, etc. Thanks for sharing the news!

Reminders:

• Give the Middle School Transition and Math Bypass Testing for 5^th grade
• Youth Truth. Reminder: Please share the data presentations with your staff by May 8. By May 29, meet with your ICCL teams to synthesize the information you get from the posters at the data walks, and decide what you want to focus on. Write the 2 areas of focus and link them in your School Design Plans under the Annual Plan Review Tab in the mid-year location. Sounds like presentations are being received very well!
• Roger White support: Want to help? Click this link.
• Performance Evaluation Reminders: At site visits we will look over your UKG dashboard with you
• Here is an instruction video to share with your staff on how to complete self-reflections
• Here is an instructional video for admin on how to review, submit and finalize self-reflections
• Erin’s Law: When you finish with these, let April Jorgenson know!
• TLC Update: May 1,  Elementary TLC Update
• Inservice Week Certified work calendar for 24-25
• Dibels Testing Dates: Here is the schedule. (make 12 stations, let them test all K-5 kids, clear schedules and make testing the priority)

New Notes:

From Dana Pedersen Re: FAN Evaluations: If your FAN Advocate is due for a summative evaluation this spring, you received an email from Dana Pedersen earlier this week.  Please provide her with the requested information by May 10.  All feedback will be summarized, and Dana will complete the evaluation conference with the Advocate later in May. Thanks!

From Colleen Funderburg Re: Acadience Math Benchmark Testing

As we gear up for the spring reading DIBELS schedule (starting May 9th), let’s seize this opportunity to complete Acadience math assessments!

All elementary learning specialists have the essential student materials for the benchmark tests.  They were conveniently left at your site in the fall. 

📚📽️ Resources:

• Access our digital scoring materials through the provided link here.
• For a quick refresher on administering the test, we’ve embedded helpful instructional videos right here.
• Need additional booklets?  Contact Lisa McNulty in Student Services

🙋‍♂️🙋🏽‍♀️ Support:  Remember, our dedicated Student Services Coaches are just a message away! Whether you have questions, need assistance with materials, or require help entering scores post-assessment, they’re here to ensure your experience is seamless.

From Brad Henry Re: Pace, More than Just Insurance

Many of you are aware that our property, liability, auto, cyber and other insurance is provided by an insurance pool, Pace.  Pace was formed in 2006 by the Oregon School Boards Assoc and Special Districts Assoc of Oregon.  With the exception of three large school districts, all school districts and community colleges in Oregon are members of the pool.  This unique insurance structure not only provides for great coverage when there are claims but also allows Pace and these two organizations to provide many risk prevention strategies, trainings and tools across risks like cybersecurity, playground safety, athletics, and CTE classrooms.  One area that cannot receive enough attention and resources is the prevention of abuse, including sexual abuse. 

Sexual abuse prevention education is crucial for all students and staff, despite its discomfort. Empowering district employees with the knowledge and skills to protect students’ physical and mental well-being is paramount. Understanding signs of potential abuse, recognizing grooming behaviors, and responding effectively are critical roles employees play in fostering a safe learning environment. When employees are well-informed about prevention strategies, it promotes transparency, communication, and collaboration, strengthening relationships within the school community and enhancing overall safeguarding measures. 

If you would like more information, please visit the Pace website for lots of information and tools regarding sexual abuse prevention and reporting requirements.  While on the website, check out the other items available on the “resources” tab at the top of the page.  You can find District policy GBNAB/JHFE-BP on Suspected Abuse of a Child Reporting Requirements here and District Administrative Regulation GBNAB/JHFE-AR on Reporting of Suspected Child Abuse here.

Thanks for all you do to help create an environment where students and staff can thrive! 

From Culture of Care: Check out our latest news and workshop offerings!

Curriculum and Instruction Updates from Julie:

• Instructional coaches will only be in buildings on Tuesdays and Thursdays during May and June.  They will be busy prepping for summer professional learning!! 
• Your instructional coach will be reaching out to set a time for end of the year reflection on how coaching went in your building this year and beginning to make plans for next year
• I will be reaching out to set up a site visit with each of you to review coaching in your buildings and talk over a few curriculum and instruction related topics.  Look for an invite very soon!

Life and Career Readiness with Jenny White: Help students navigate the complexities of friendships with this collection of lessons and activities. It offers guidance on resolving conflicts and cultivating healthy and supportive friendships.

How to find the Navigating Friendships Collections in Wayfinder.

Direct Links. Kindergarten. 1 – 2. 3 – 5

From Tami Pike Re: National Nurses Day, May 8

NATIONAL SCHOOL NURSE DAY IS WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2024!!! 

Nurses practicing in the school setting play such a crucial role in keeping students healthy and safe. Please take a moment to honor the nurse in your school for their dedication and hard work with supporting students, staff, and families.

Architects in School Summer Opportunities. Please share with families! I am excited to share some architecture and design related resources and opportunities with you, in hopes that you will spread the word to your network of families, students, educators and more!

Virtual Architects in Schools Summer Camp (designed for youth ages 8-12)

Please help us in sharing our Architects in Schools Summer Camp information (see attached English and Spanish flyer). Our virtual camp held from June 24-28 is free and designed for youth ages 8-12. During this camp, students will learn about the benefits of adaptive reuse and how the built environment must evolve with cultural, societal, and environmental changes. They will take on the role of an architect and builder to redesign a structure for their community. Learn more here or through the link in the attached flyer. Register by June 14 to participate (Oregon residents can request a free supply box by June 7).

2024 Summer Camp Catalog (for students K-College)

There are several great camps for Oregon students to explore design this summer (including our Architects in Schools Camp, NOMA PDX’s Project Pipeline, ELSO’s Wayfinders and more) and we have compiled those opportunities into our 2024 Summer Camp Catalog (please see PDF attachments, English and Spanish version). Registration deadlines are approaching soon. Here are the weblinks in case those are easier for you to share: English Catalog, Spanish Catalog.

Oregon Student Opportunities Hub (for students K-College)

Our Hub is a resource for students, Kindergarten through Post-Secondary, to explore architecture, engineering, construction, and design opportunities across Oregon. This includes programs, camps, internships, scholarships, events, and more. Check it out and share with a student! 

Please let me know if I can supply you with anything else to help spread the word. Thank you and have a great rest of the school year! Candice Agahan (she/her). Education Program Manager, [email protected]. work: 503-542-3823. cell: 858-243-8720

From Walt and Jackie (Custodial and Sustainability). Thank you for your patience as we work on retiring/removal of the Wonders Curriculum books. Please refrain from boxing any hardbound books as we are finalizing a specialized box for shipment to a recycling facility in Vancouver. If books are already boxed, please leave them as is until the next steps are finalized. Soft-cover books and paper product manipulatives can be recycled in the large blue co-mingle bins or go home with students. Please start this process early so as to not overload the carts. Thank you for your cooperation.

From Tammy and Lisa:

Sharezies: Now contains the tentative BEA Agreement

Self Care: We are in the middle of the long stretch to the end. It’s important to take care of yourself. You know the ol’ adage, you can’t pour from an empty cup? Here are some self-care tips—are you able to do 2-3 of these on a daily basis? Remember, don’t live to work, but rather, work to live!

1. Get regular exercise. Just 30 minutes of walking every day can boost your mood and improve your health. …
2. Eat healthy, regular meals and stay hydrated. …
3. Make sleep a priority. …
4. Try a relaxing activity. …
5. Set goals and priorities. …
6. Practice gratitude. …
7. Focus on positivity. …
8. Stay connected.
9. ….and more!

Mark Your Calendars: Next Wednesday, May 8, will be the Deputy Superintendent Forum for all admin. The Forum starts with dinner served from 5:00-6:00, followed by the Forum from 6:00-7:00. It would be great if admin could make it. The Deputy Superintendent directly impacts teaching and learning and the work we do in our schools, so let’s come give some input into our next leader. Thanks! —Tammy

Important Dates

• May 4: Queer Prom 7 pm at BTA (Star Wars theme)
• May 4: Official Star Wars Day—May the 4th be with you!
• May 6-May 10: Teacher Appreciation Week!
• May 8: Deputy Superintendent Forum in the Board Room 5-6 dinner, 6-7 Forum
• May 15: Monthly Admin PD at Perseverance Hall, 3:00-4:30
• May 18: Kinder Fiesta 10-1 at Ed Center (newly enrolling Spanish-speaking kindergarten families)
• May 28: Horizontal Meeting @ Rosland 3:00-5:00 (Please add in travel time, as we will be starting on time)
• May 30: School Counselor Celebration in board room 8-9:30
• June 1: Pride @ Drake Park (BLS Family Advisory hosting a booth)
• June 6: GSA in the Park: 10-1 at Troy Field/Ed Center
• June 6: TAG Night at Juniper 5-6 pm
• June 15-16: Juneteenth Community Celebration in Drake Park
• TBD: Last Horizontal meeting/celebration of the year will be rescheduled! Stay tuned!

And finally…

Help! Please reach out to your friends and family connections within the community to help find a house to rent for Beth Martin and family. Beth is our newest administrator who will be leading North Star next year and they are on their way….but are struggling to find something to rent. Preferably a 3+ bedroom, 2+bath (family of 5), and a yard for a 4 legged friend! You can email Beth any leads at [email protected].

Do Now:

First Aid/CPR: If your school is under the ration needed for CPR/First Aid shared by Stephanie Bent this week, please make a plan to meet this before we leave for the year. It will help you be prepared for next year without a question. If you need help or ideas, please reach out.

Levy Talk: Consider the ways in which you might educate your PTOs related to the upcoming levy. Tammy and I are happy to support you with this type of connection too. Ballots will go out in just a week! HERE is some information that Scott has put together if you’re looking for a bit more information than the flyers.

• Middle School Transition and Math Bypass Testing for 5^th grade: An assessment needs to be given for some 5^th grade students who could potentially skip 6^th grade math if they meet the requirements. This assessment will only be given to 5^th 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. 
  • 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. 
  • Math Bypass Test Info:
    • FAQ you can provide families
• DIBELS Testing will begin on May 9th.  Here is the schedule.
  • Reminders:
    • The testing team tests all students K-5
    • Be sure to set up the testing area with 12 stations
    • Clear schedules for school testing staff so they can also test students on testing day

Reminders:

• Four hour and less sub payments: Every sub coded between July 1, 2023 and the date of March 4,2024, covered by the district. Anyone who was coded 4 hours after 3/4/24 will be paid by you. As of April 5, if you put in for a 4 hour sub they will be paid for only 4 hours.
• Youth Truth. Reminder: Please share the data presentations with your staff by May 8. By May 29, meet with your ICCL teams to synthesize the information you get from the posters at the data walks, and decide what you want to focus on. Write the 2 areas of focus and link them in your School Design Plans under the Annual Plan Review Tab in the mid-year location.

• Interested staff members must indicate their interest in having their child attend KIDS Inc by filling out the KIDS Inc Interest Form and submitting an application to the program that can be found on the KIDS Inc website. The application period is May 6- May 17.
• Roger White support: Want to help? Click this link.
• Performance Evaluation Reminders: All goals, formal observations and most mini’s should be finalized in UKG by the end of April.  We are asking Level Leaders to review your progress during their next one-on-one site visit.
  • In addition, please initiate Self-Reflections (SRs) for your staff this week. You may ‘skip’ instead of ‘initiate’ SRs those who are not on a full evaluation cycle this year.  Staff are instructed to complete their SRs by May 1.
• Here is an instruction video to share with your staff on how to complete self-reflections
• Here is an instructional video for admin on how to review, submit and finalize self-reflections
• Erin’s Law: When you finish with these, let April Jorgenson know!
• Transfer Interviews: Update, they have now been moved to April 30
• TLC Update: April 18,  Elementary TLC Update
• Tentative BEA Agreement can be found HERE
• Inservice Week Certified work calendar for 24-25
• April: Naglieri testing & SBAC for ELA
• May: SBAC for Math and Science

New Notes:

From Tammy and Lisa:

Please look for an e-mail coming from Aimee Snyder, our District/County Partnership Health Supervisor. She is sending an invite for parents/caregivers of students in grades 4th-10^th to participate in a 20-minute online survey.  This survey is part of a county-wide assessment of prevention needs for families around topics like substance use and mental health. And, the first 85 English respondents and 85 Spanish respondents will receive a $15 Visa gift card for their participation!

Important Dates

• April 30: All goals, formal observations, and most mini observations finalized in UKG
• April 30: Transfer interviews: High Lakes Elementary, 3:15-5:15
• May 1: BRYT Focus Groups for SSCs/SSEAs during SIW
• May 4: Queer Prom 7 pm at BTA (Star Wars theme)
• May 6-May 10: Teacher Appreciation Week!
• May 15: Monthly Admin PD at Perseverance Hall, 3:00-4:30
• May 18: Kinder Fiesta 10-1 at Ed Center (newly enrolling Spanish-speaking kindergarten families)
• May 28: Horizontal Meeting @ Rosland 3:00-5:00 (Please add in travel time, as we will be starting on time)
• May 30: School Counselor Celebration in board room 8-9:30
• June 1: Pride @ Drake Park (BLS Family Advisory hosting a booth)
• June 6: GSA in the Park: 10-1 at Troy Field/Ed Center
• June 6: TAG Night at Juniper 5-6 pm
• June 15-16: Juneteenth Community Celebration in Drake Park
• June 18: Last Horizontal meeting of the year @ Hollinshead Barn, 3:00-5:00.

And finally…