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Family Spotlight
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Helping families stay connected to Bend-La Pine Schools
Superintendent Steve Cook's Welcome Back Message
Get to and from school in a safe and responsible manner
Safety is a primary concern this week as students return to school. That begins with all of us doing our part to make sure students have safe ways to travel to and from school, whether by bus or car, bike or scooter, or on foot.
Students and families may experience some congestion and confusion outside schools this week. It will get better! Here’s how DRIVERS can help:
Slow down and watch for students making their way to buses, walking or rolling to school, and crossing streets and parking areas.
If you are dropping off or picking up your student at school, please plan for some extra time and be patient with the line.
STUDENTS & FAMILIES, here’s what we’d like you to know about getting to school:
SAFE ROUTES: We have fun, safe and convenient walking/biking routes to many of our schools. See all 19 Safe Routes for Bend-La Pine Schools at commuteoptions.org/safe-routes-to-school
ABOUT E-BIKES: Students 16 and older legally may operate e-bikes in Oregon. Anyone under 16 may not, according to state law. Be aware of this and use e-bikes legally and responsibly.
ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET if using a bike, scooter, skateboard or other wheeled device.
WATCH YOUR SPEED! The start of school brings more traffic around our schools and along key routes. Please slow down in high-traffic areas and around pedestrians.
DISMOUNT AND WALK your bike, scooter or skateboard when on school property. We ask that you not ride on school grounds, before or after school.
Thanks, and have a great year!
Be ready for School Improvement Wednesdays
This is an important time for your child’s teacher to improve student learning and achievement through collaboration, training, enrichment, and professional growth. When teachers have the weekly opportunity to discuss effective teaching methods, cooperatively design teaching materials, and coach one another, our schools make significant improvements.
Schools work with community partners to provide after-school opportunities for families on these days. Please contact your school for more information.
What to know before visiting or volunteering at a school
The beginning of the school year is busy and bustling with all aspects of student life. The district encourages families to participate in all of the fun activities that schools offer: fall sports, homecoming events, field trips. Visitors and volunteers play a vital role in enhancing the student experience inside and outside of the classroom, but there are safety procedures in place to ensure student safety remains of the utmost importance.
Visitors are individuals who visit a school for a one-time event that are not providing a service or supporting the supervision of students. Examples could be attending a concert, participating in an IEP meeting, or having lunch with a student. Volunteers have an elevated status requiring a criminal background check due to the close nature that they work with students. Volunteer roles vary based on the needs of each school. For more information, please see our district policy.
All visitors and volunteers must sign in at their school during regular business hours using our Raptor kiosk. This process requires a government-issued photo ID. The Raptor system is a digital sign-in roster with the added benefit of providing a sex offender registry search. Staff will manually sign you in on your initial visit to a school, but you can sign yourself in after that! It is critical to know who is in our schools at all times with access to students, and no exceptions can be made in this process.
If you are interested in volunteering, reach out to your desired school to inquire about opportunities and see our volunteer site.
Family Handbook & Calendar available now
Download our new Family Handbook & Calendar for 2023-24 today! This calendar includes key information, policies, contact information and a full 12-month school calendar featuring our amazing students! And be sure to watch the mailbox for your copy of the handbook/calendar to arrive this week.
Sign up for text alerts today
Families, take a moment to visit BLConnect to check your text alert settings are selected to the correct schools. If you’ve moved or your children have moved from middle or high school, for instance, you may not be signed up to receive alerts for the correct school.
Log in to BLconnect and click “Manage my subscriptions” at the top of the page to make updates.
This text alert system is used as an urgent notification for events such as weather delays.
Resources for Families
Student Mental Health
Families in Need
Health & Wellness
School Meals
Accessing ParentVUE
Transportation
Accidents happen, iPad insurance is here
If your student has a school-issued iPad, cover your family with insurance. Tablets come with covers, but accidents happen. Accidental damage, cracked screens, liquid submersion, fire, flood, theft, and vandalism in and out of school are covered.
Learn more here and don’t sweat it if the tablet hits the ground. (iPad insurance is not needed for grades K-5.)
Let us help with college application season
Bend La Pine Schools’ school counselors invite seniors and their parents/caregivers to a College Application Kickoff Night where they can learn more about the admissions process and resources available in our schools. This event will take place on Tuesday, September 19, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Caldera High School and La Pine High School.
We 're also excited to announce that we are partnering with SchooLinks, a college and career readiness platform to prepare students for what comes after graduation. SchooLinks helps students discover their interests and strengths, explore colleges and careers, and create a personal graduation plan that best reflects their post-secondary goals.
Additionally, using SchooLinks, 12th graders will be able to:
- Track college applications and request transcripts
- Request Letters of Recommendation
During this BLS College Application Kickoff Night, students and families will hear about the following topics:
- Brief overview of the college application process
- Introduction to SchooLinks and the college application manager
- Review BLS School Counseling and STC resources to support students with college applications
- Connect with School Counselors and STC from each high school
We look forward to seeing you all there!
Know when to keep your student at home
Next School Board meeting is Sept. 12
The Board of Directors for Bend-La Pine Schools will hold its next business meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 12, at 5:30 p.m. at the Education Center, 520 NW Wall St.
For information about board members, meetings and agendas, please visit our School Board page.