Dear MRSD Parents and Community,

Next week is Spring Break - Schools will be closed March 24-28. I hope that you have the opportunity to recharge your batteries as we enter the last third of the school year.

Here are some recent happenings around the District:

• Dale and Julie Burghardt generously donated $1 million towards improvements at the Burghardt Sports Complex.
• We hosted Mulino families for an incident debrief about the Route 22 bus accident on March 11.
• Volunteer presenters are needed for Clarkes Elementary Career Day on May 30..
• Mulino's May 4 Grandparents Day Hosted 200 Guests for Drop Everything and Read.

On March 4, there was an accident on bus route 22 from Mulino Elementary School. As we shared before, there were no apparent serious injuries, and students were reunified with parents at the bus depot. However, the communication processes were not up to our standards of providing the right information at the right time. We fell short at the time of the accident and communication errors continued through the week. In the March 5 community newsletter, we said that school staff had contacted the families to check on the students: and we had not contacted all families at that time. On March 11, First Student Molalla Depot Manager, and First Student Regional Manager, Principal Mitchell and I met in person with the families, where the District apologized for the communication issues and explained the new procedures which are being adopted. Parents can expect to hear from us within 15 minutes of any bus accident, which are fortunately rare occurrences. Modeling continuous improvement, I want to share that we know we missed the target and will improve.

Thank you for your trusting us with your children and your time to help us improve.

Dale and Julie Burghardt have generously committed $1 million toward improvements at the Burghardt Sports Complex. This generous gift will result in an all-weather play surface to improve the playability for football, soccer and many community events, such as graduation.

Dale and Julie are alumni, who have previously donated over $600,000 to originally construct Burghardt Stadium and joined in with Terry & Cheryl Holden to invest in the Career Technical Education program at Molalla High School, as well.

“As shown by our actions over many years, we want to make a positive impact on the Molalla community and create a legacy that transcends generations. It is important for us to give back to the community where our life journey began and our foundations were formed. Important teachers and coaches that helped Dale form his foundation include: Coach and teacher Keith Jensen; journalism teacher Isabell Martell; and coach/teacher/vice principal Ralph Capasso.” stated Dale Burghardt.

“Hopefully the community will seize this opportunity and quickly get behind raising the remaining monies needed to fully fund these improvements,” added Dale Burghardt. Other alumni and community members who have interest in joining this effort are invited to contact Mike Lord, Molalla High School Athletic Director at (503) 503-759-7306 or mike.lord@molallariv.k12.or.us.

The project costs are estimated at $2.7 million, with the remaining $800,000 in funds needed to complete the all-weather and track resurfacing being raised from the Molalla community before the end of 2025. The construction is expected to begin in June 2026. The Oregon National Guard has pledged labor support for the site preparation in the summer of 2026.

“The Burghardt family has generously supported Molalla Schools in the past,” said Superintendent Tony Mann. ”Their legacy highlights their generosity and belief in supporting young people.”

“Molalla athletics is about excellence in character, academics and athletics,” said Athletic Director Mike Lord. The Burghardt family’s investment in the ideal athletic program will pay dividends well into the future, assuring that the facilities reflect excellence.

March 24-28: Spring Break

April 16: Clarkes Kindergarten Round Up at 5:30pm

April 16: Rural Dell Kindergarten Round Up at 6pm

April 17: Molalla Elementary Kindergarten Round Up at 5:30pm

April 18: Mulino Kindergarten Round Up at 4pm

April 24: Molalla Elementary Schools Multicultural Night at 6pm

May 30: Clarkes Elementary Career Day

Clarkes Elementary will host their Career Day on May 30 from about 1:30-3:00pm. If you are able to volunteer to showcase your career (or a spouses, grandparents, friends, etc.) please sign up as a "Career Day Presenter Sign Up" below. Presenters are not in charge of students, so you do not need to be an approved volunteer to be a career day presenter.

Grandparents Day at Mulino was held on March 3. The event celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday with a D.E.A.R (Drop Everything And Read) time, cookies, and the launch of an Everybody Reads fundraiser put on by our own Mulino Parent Group. We had 200+ grandparents attend!

Over 1333 Books were donated to Title I reading programs and the Molalla Service Center in Claire's Book Drive.