KCSD & Me

• March 7: KCSD Board of Directors meeting.
• March 15: No school for students. Grade preparation day.
• March 20: Parent teacher conferences
• March 21: No school for students. Parent teacher conferences continue.
• March 22: No school for students and staff.
• March 25-29: No school. Spring vacation.
• April 1: Classes resume

COVER PHOTO: Henley High School's Dylan Clark won his second OSAA State Championship (126 pound) wrestling title on Feb. 23. See below for a KCSD winter sports update.

Rose Underwood, the head cook at Stearns Elementary School, was recognized and honored by the school district and its school board for her life-saving efforts in recognizing and acting to help a co-worker experiencing a medical emergency.

During the Feb. 15 KCSD school board meeting, district Human Resources Director Jamie Ongman presented Underwood with a certificate of appreciation from the district and a bouquet of flowers from KCSD’s Food Services Department. Underwood was honored for her recent heroic, quick-thinking action as well as for her many years of compassion towards co-workers and students.

“The positive impact Rose has had over the years is unmatched,” Ongman said.

Henley High School ag science CTE students have moved into their new classroom – a 2,700-square-foot greenhouse outfitted with an aquaponics watering and fertilizing system, a hydroponic grow table, and plenty of space for hands-on projects and plants. Henley High teacher Gretchen Iverson teaches four CTE (career technical education) classes – intro to agriculture, ag production, plant science, and food science -- in the new greenhouse. The food science classes will utilize a smaller, older greenhouse for growing produce. FFA and ag science students also will have individual and school-based agribusiness enterprises by raising, marketing, and selling plants they grow. Read more

A free online tutoring program in reading is now available for all first-, second-, and third-graders attending school in the Klamath County School District. The classes will be offered in the late afternoons and evenings and done online at home.

The 20-session program includes 30-minute online small-group classes (up to 4 students in a group) on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays starting April 2. Parents need to register their student and request a time block for the sessions. There is no cost, but families need to have access to a computer and the internet. The district will provide a BookNook certified tutor and student lesson information.

KCSD is using funds from a state early literacy grant to contract with BookNook, a synchronous online learning platform using high-impact tutoring to improve reading skills. The district is focusing efforts on first-, second-, and third-graders because solid reading skills are key to success in school. Deadline to register is Wednesday, March 13. Click here to sign up: https://forms.gle/CmwaDyxJSKfnX95T6

“Reading is the foundation to learning,” said Dr. Doris Ellison, KCSD elementary curriculum director. “We want to provide all young students a way to improve their reading skills through a focused teaching session that is geared to their level.”

A second program -- in-person, after-school tutoring at school sites -- will begin in mid-April. That program will only be available to eligible students. If you have questions or need more information, please contact Dr. Doris Ellison by email at ellisond@kcsd.k12.or.us.

A Lost River Junior/Senior High School senior won the Klamath County Chamber of Commerce’s Youth Leadership Award for his ongoing work as a leader and positive role model. Amadeus Hernandez, 17, accepted the honor last month at an event attended by more than 600 people. He was among 10 Klamath Basin youth who were nominated for the award. Read more

A Henley High School senior has qualified to compete on the world stage at the DECA International Career Development Conference in April. Lily Preston placed second overall in human resources management series at the State Career Development Conference competition on Feb. 12 and Feb. 13. DECA students must place in the top three to automatically qualify for the world competition. Preston also placed eighth in hotel and lodging management series and 12 other Henley DECA competitors scored in the top 20 at the state conference. Read more

Dylan Clark of Henley is now a two-time state wrestling champion and four other KCSD wrestlers placed in the top 6 at the OSAA State Championships on Feb. 23. Clark defended his 2023 title when he won the 2024 OSAA state 126-pound wrestling title match.

Other top placers are:

• Tyson Van Gastel of Mazama (4A), 3rd place, 190 pounds.

• Joel Rodriguez of Bonanza (2A), 4th place, 132 pounds.

• Armando Galindo of Mazama (4A), 5th place, 285 pounds.

• Kris Baldwin of Mazama (4A), 6th place, 165 pounds.

Overall, 26 wrestlers from Mazama, Henley, and Bonanza competed in the state championship rounds.

The Lost River Jr./Sr. High School boys basketball team finished in fourth place in the OSAA 1A State Basketball Championships.

The No. 7 ranked Raiders beat No. 8 ranked Union, 57-54, March 2 in Baker City to win the 4th place trophy. Connor Dunlea was named first team all tournament. Chase McAuliffe was named 2nd team.

The Raiders beat 10th ranked Perrydale, 58-44, in round 2 of the playoffs on Feb. 23 to win a quarterfinal spot. They fell to No. 2 ranked Nixyaawii Community School in the quarterfinals, but won their consolation bracket games to earn fourth place overall.

Two other 1A KCSD teams – the Bonanza boys and Chiloquin girls – lost their second round state playoff games, ending their successful seasons.

Henley boys and girls basketball teams won their playoff games on March 2, qualifying for the OSAA 4A state basketball quarterfinals.

No. 7 ranked Henley boys beat No. 10 ranked Astoria, 59-53, on Saturday to earn a place in the quarterfinals. They play No. 2 ranked Junction City at 6:30 p.m. March 7 in Forest Grove.

No. 2 ranked Henley girls beat No. 15 ranked St. Helens, 71-48, on Saturday to earn a place in the quarterfinals. They play No. 7 ranked Madras at 8:15 p.m. March 7 in Forest Grove.

More than 850 fourth-graders attended the annual Farm Expo Feb. 21-22 at the Klamath County Fairgrounds, getting a hands-on and up-close look at agriculture products made in the Klamath Basin. Fourth-graders from all KCSD elementary schools attended as well as students from private and city district schools.

Volunteers from agriculture, OSU Klamath Basin Extension, 4-H clubs, and Lost River, Henley, Mazama, and Bonanza FFA clubs provided hands-on learning at 16 stations. Topics included products from sheep, trees, dairy, potatoes, wheat, and other agriculture commodities. Students had a chance to pet a baby goat, chicken, pigs, and rabbit, and see cows and horses.

The Klamath County Cattlewomen organize the annual Farm Expo with the help of community sponsors.

More than 150 Klamath County School District FBLA students qualified to represent their schools in the FBLA State Business Leadership Conference in Portland in April. The qualifying FBLA Regional Skills Conference included 254 students from nine schools, including Bonanza, Brixner, Gilchrist, Lost River, and Mazama. Four schools from Deschutes County – Culver, Mountain View, Redmond, and Ridgeview also competed during the Feb. 6 event at Oregon Tech. Read more

Students at Shasta and Ferguson elementary schools got explosive lessons in chemistry in early February, complete with test tubes, chemical reactions, oxygen and fire, and a flaming balloon.

Both schools participated in Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) React-O-Blast outreach education program. At schoolwide assemblies, students helped OMSI Outreach Educator Marco Anderson conduct experiments with colorful, unexpected, and flaming results.

The program focuses on chemistry, giving students a chance to see firsthand the different types of reactions when chemicals are combined or heated.

Ferguson Elementary School’s Booster Club brought the React-O-Blast program to all students at their school. At Shasta, the program was brought in as part of the school’s project-based learning activities. All grades from both schools participated.

Second-graders at Henley Elementary School created Freedom Quilts in February after learning about the Underground Railroad as part of Black History Month.

The students read two books – "The Patchwork Path: A Quilt Map to Freedom" by Bettyre Stroud and "The Patchwork Quilt" by Valerie Flournoy. Both authors tell the story of Southern slaves escaping to freedom from the point of view a child. The books describe how slaves used the patterns on the quilt to determine the next location on the path to freedom.

Julie Cleland, a second-grade teacher at Henley Elementary, started the project four years ago. Instead of sewing, students create the quilt patterns with paper and then combine them to make a quilt. Henley’s other two second-grade classes taught by Kerry Fuller and Gina Nunnelley also do the project and the three quilts are displayed together.

“It’s important for kids to understand that we all come from different races – all shapes and sizes and colors,” Cleland said, adding that her second-graders also have learned about Hispanic and Native American cultures.

Black History Month and other cultural lessons also align with Oregon second-grade social studies learning standards, including evaluating how individuals, groups, and communities manage conflict and promote justice and equity.

This month's KCSD Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m., Thursday, March 7 at the District Office, 2845 Greensprings Drive. When the agenda and livestream links are available, they will be posted here: KCSD School Board Agenda and Materials. Board meetings are now being streamed live on YouTube.

Check out our 2022-23 annual report for fun facts, financial information, and progress towards our goals. You can find copies at the District Office or read it online here: https://www.kcsd.k12.or.us/KCSD_Annual_Report_2022-23.pdf

Click here for the 2023-24 school year calendar: https://www.kcsd.k12.or.us/cms_files/resources/23-24%20School%20Calendar%20revised.pdf

Check out our job openings: KCSD Employment Opportunities

In our KCSD & Me district newsletters, we will provide updates as well as share news from across our district. If you need information between newsletters, go to our webpage at www.kcsd.k12.or.us and follow us on social media. Keep track of KCSD & Me newsletters at: https://www.kcsd.k12.or.us/district/kcsd--me-newsletters.cfm. Follow district news here: https://www.kcsd.k12.or.us/district/district-news.cfm

Inspiring today's students to meet tomorrow's challenges!

Read our Strategic Plan

Email: kcsd_communications@kcsd.k12.or.us
Website: www.kcsd.k12.or.us
Location: 2845 Greensprings Drive, Klamath Falls, OR, USA
Phone: 541-883-5000