Family Spotlight

Three outstanding employees of Bend-La Pine Schools were honored last week with the District's Excellence in Education Awards. They were selected from 77 staff members nominated for distinguishing themselves with their leadership, innovation, outstanding professional practice, and positive contributions at work and in the community.

Araceli Rigney, dual immersion educational assistant at R.E. Jewell Elementary School, was named Support Person of the Year. “Araceli supports the students and staff of Jewell with a smile and a wave. As a bilingual staff member, she uses her incredible patience and calming presence to support our Dual Immersion Spanish program with small-group instruction and push-in support," Principal Jesse Rasmussen said. "Our school would not be the same without Araceli and we are all blessed to work with her.”

Kate Tibbitts, kindergarten teacher at North Star Elementary School, was named Educator of the Year. “Kate goes to extraordinary lengths to open the minds, hearts, and neurons of her students," Principal Tim Burdsall said. "She is a collaborator, an intense and compassionate listener, and turns ideas into actions that benefit all of her students."

Kim Crabtree, Director of Transportation, was named Administrator of the Year. “Kim is an incredible leader,” said Brad Henry, Chief Fiscal and Operations Officer for the district. “Her hard work and ingenuity have helped create a culture that has led to the best student transportation staff providing vital services to almost 5,000 students every day. Kim’s dedication to providing safe and reliable transportation to our students is unmatched.”

Mid Oregon Credit Union presented each of the three honorees with $500 to use in their classrooms or department.

On October 9, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon met with representatives of Deschutes County, Bend-La Pine Schools, and Bend Senior High School, including six students, to discuss Healthy Schools.

Healthy Schools is a partnership between the school district and Deschutes County Health Services to promote positive youth development. The goal is to prevent student health issues from starting or growing worse and to improve student health and academic outcomes.

Healthy Schools embeds Public Health Specialists from the County into the school system to provide essential public health services.

To read more about the Healthy Schools program, you can visit: deschutes.org/healthyschools

The annual Central Oregon Skilled Trades Fair will be held at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds on Friday, November 17. Over 80 industry and community partners will come together to provide career exploration opportunities for youth.

Public and private employers will offer hands-on activities in areas such as welding, future energy, construction, coding, natural and industrial resources, structural fire science, graphic design, healthcare and more. Academic programs will be represented by COCC, Columbia Gorge Community College, Lane Community College, and Trade Union Apprenticeships.

Students have the opportunity to learn more about each represented trade through hands-on activities and question-and-answer times. Exhibitors will share how students can get involved in local activities and how to find internship and employment opportunities. To register, students should connect with their School-to-Career coordinator at their high school.

The Skilled Trades Fair is a regional partnership of Central Oregon STEM Hub, High Desert ESD, East Cascades Works, and Central Oregon Community College to increase collaboration between education and training programs in trade organizations, and to create student awareness about aligned career pathways in the trades.

The CTE-STEM Skilled Trades Scholarship will open November 17. Two $1,000 scholarships will be awarded to current high school seniors heading into a trade or Career Technical Education program after high school. This includes apprenticeship programs, community college CTE programs, certification programs and trade schools.

Students can use the funds for items or services needed to be successful in their program, such as childcare, safety equipment, tools, computers, transportation, and tuition expenses. All scholarships are paid directly to the recipient. Check back at Central Oregon STEM Hub for details.

Every day at school matters. Good attendance in school is considered 95 percent or higher (missing fewer than 9 days of school all year). Attending every day helps your child to:

• Reduce stress
• Connect with friends and teachers
• Prevent falling behind in classes

Getting into the habit of daily attendance is important. This habit building starts now.

Need some help?

Read this letter from Dr. Amy Yillik. The letter covers:

• 5 tips for how to support your child’s attendance
• What’s going on at this stage of development
• Why attendance matters
• Where to go for help

Andy Worcester, Student Success Instructor at Mountain View High School, was presented the Champion for Students award for September. This is Andy’s 20th year with Bend-La Pine Schools, and his 11th year at Mountain View. Before that he was at High Desert Middle School for 9 years. As a Student Success Instructor, Andy helps students in need of support for behaviors that are keeping them from being successful in a comprehensive school setting.

"Andy has a fantastic ability to recognize what is weighing kids down today, and how it’s different from what’s weighing them down tomorrow," said Becky Aylor, Assistant Principal for Mountain View. "He is regularly in our hallways checking in with his 'list' of students, while keeping his eye on the masses passing by, including our school staff. His heart is huge, work ethic solid, sense of humor on point … and my favorite quality is that Andy is as real and genuine as they come."

October’s Champion for Students is Kristina Ebner, a 3rd grade teacher at La Pine Elementary School. "There is no doubt that she genuinely cares for all students. She not only cares deeply about the students in her classroom, but she always goes out of her way to build relationships with all students here at La Pine Elementary," La Pine Elementary Principal Megan Silvey said. "She is proactive in all that she does. She takes the time to sit down with all students and gets to know them not only academically but personally. Kristina is the teacher who attends dance recitals, baseball games, football games and so much more."

Congratulations to our newest Champions for Students!

LISTEN HERE - We kicked off this season with a visit to Bend Tech Academy to discuss the school's recent name change and emphasis on career-technical education and preparing students for college and careers. Our new BTA Principal, Dr. LaKisha Clark, and BTA parent Sharon Miller, a member of the school’s Site Council, discuss what makes BTA an exciting high school option for students in Bend-La Pine Schools.

LISTEN HERE - Have you heard about WEB in our middle schools? It stands for Where Everybody Belongs and features 8th grade students volunteering to welcome new 6th graders and help them adjust to middle school life and feel welcome and included throughout the school year. In this episode, Dr. Cook visits High Desert Middle School, where language arts teacher Elissa Freeman coordinates WEB and speaks to the impact this approach has on building positive school culture. Also joining Dr. Cook is Abby Johnson, one of the school’s 8th grade WEB leaders.

Get an inside look at Bend-La Pine Schools from Superintendent Steven Cook. In every podcast, Dr. Cook will serve up news and insights about our schools, programs and decision-making.

Select a player below or download the podcast on your favorite provider:

• Online: bls.fyi/podcast
• Apple Podcasts: bls.fyi/listenonapple
• Spotify: bls.fyi/listenonspotify
• Google: bls.fyi/listenongoogle

On Sept. 11, the first Monday of this school year, Bend-La Pine Schools chose to keep Summit High School students home for the day in response to a safety threat posted to social media. Law enforcement soon identified the student responsible and determined the threat was a hoax.

This incident was incredibly disruptive, costing over 1,350 students a day of instruction and causing worry and fear among the Summit community. In response, Principal Michael McDonald reflected on these events in messages with Summit families and students. Here are some excerpts from what he shared:

To parents and guardians:

• It is important that we publicly acknowledge and work to condemn the frightening influence and power anonymous posting has on our community. Posts run the gamut from the insensitive and embarrassing to the racist and misogynistic. They are indirect sources of bullying and harassment and lead to what we experienced yesterday.
• Any student is susceptible to grabbing this global megaphone in a time of frustration, boredom or in an attempt to join peers or be inappropriately humorous. The in-the-moment intent of any post is usually tiny compared to the larger, often damaging impact.
• Please continue to discuss appropriate social media use with your child, especially as it pertains to the awesome individual and collective impact it can have on the person they want to become in the future.

To students:

• Your voice and opinions and actions matter. Your commitment to your own well-being and that of others, matters, not only for what happened yesterday or last week, but for what kind of person you want to be, what kind of friend or classmate you want to be, and what kind of school Summit is tomorrow, next week, next year.
• Harassing, threatening, or insulting others under the cover of an anonymous post will make Summit worse for everyone. It will make us regret the past, and it will ruin tomorrow. I can’t make it stop. Your teachers and parents can’t make it stop. Only you have this power, and I am asking you out of respect to yourself and everyone in our community to make the right choice and not participate.
• We deserve the community we build together, and I hope you’ll join me in making ours one that we are proud of every day of the year.

Community vigilance and collaboration is one of the best ways to prevent incidents in our schools and to help students who are struggling. Bend-La Pine Schools encourages students, families and community members to feel comfortable sharing if they are informed of or witness unsafe or unhealthy behaviors. If you are told something by a student, observe abnormal behaviors, or see alarming social media posts, please say something.

SafeOregon is a reporting tool that can be used by anyone via phone call or website form to report a student safety concern. Examples of these student safety concerns could include: vandalism, cyberbullying, suicidal ideation, insufficient food or safety concerns at home, or anything that poses a risk to the safety of a student(s) or school facility. Reporters can share their information or remain anonymous.

Bend-La Pine Schools’ staff uses this reported information to coordinate with our law enforcement partners to keep the school community safe. If there is ever information needing to be shared with our students, families, and partners, we will send messages via BLConnect. These are text message alerts in English or Spanish that individuals can subscribe to in order to receive timely updates about school closures, lockdowns, or weather events. Please sign up on our district website here.

Congratulations to Buckingham Elementary! The school was awarded the GOLD level for their efforts to transform STEM education and elevate themselves as a STEM school. This was the culmination of a four-year grant through the Oregon Department of Education.

The award was presented at the STEMPOSIUM by Portland Metro STEM Partnership. Tracy Wilson Scott at the High Desert Education Service District is the Central Oregon STEM coordinator and has been integral to supporting Buckingham’s journey.

STEM learning (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) provides a range of collaborative opportunities for students. “Through STEM we practice curiosity, collaboration, critical thinking – important skills and mindsets for life and career readiness,” said Buckingham Elementary Principal Michelle Wilson.

Pictured: Buckingham Elementary staff Katy Wyant and Kristine Hable

Deschutes County Clerk's Office invites local students to enter the Deschutes County “I Voted” Sticker Contest. K-12 students are encouraged to design an “I Voted” sticker that will be used during the 2024 Presidential Primary and General elections, and featured in each election’s Voters’ Pamphlet.

Elementary school (K-5) sticker design submissions will be accepted through the end of the year, with the winner announced in February. Middle-high school (6-12) sticker design submissions will be accepted through the end of June, with the winner announced in August. Winning artwork will be used in Deschutes County Elections materials, promotions and outreach, and exhibited throughout the Deschutes County Services Building in downtown Bend.

Click here to download the “I Voted” Sticker Contest Entry Form. Design Templates are also available at the Clerk’s Office.

Elementary school (K-5) students should mail or deliver their entries by December 31, 2023.
Middle-high school (6-12) students should mail or deliver their entries by June 30, 2024:

• In-Person: Deschutes County Clerk's Office, 1300 NW Wall Street, Suite 202, Bend
• By Mail: Deschutes County Clerk's Office, “I Voted” Sticker Contest, PO Box 6005, Bend, Oregon 97708
• Email: artcontest@deschutescounty.gov

Someone turned 60 last month! That’s six decades of serving families in Bend’s southeast neighborhood. On September 22, our community celebrated the 60th year of Bear Creek Elementary School with a one-mile fun run/walk and other festivities.

Big news from Bend Senior High School, where science teacher Ron Crawford has received the Outstanding High School Classroom Teacher Award from the Oregon Science Teachers Association. Mr. Crawford, who is teaching 9th grade physical science and International Baccalaureate physics this year, was nominated by colleague Kathleen Glogau, science teacher at Caldera High School.

“Ron is awesome. He has been my mentor for 15 years of teaching and still continues to invest in this next generation of teachers,” Kathleen wrote. “He is innovative in the classroom and still creating the best content and engagement for students.”

Mr. Crawford has taught in our District since 1995 and has been at Bend Senior High School since 2004. On behalf of all of us at Bend-La Pine Schools, congratulations Ron on this exciting recognition, and thank you for all the years of opening the world of science to our students.

Congratulations to Laura Gemignani, Caldera High School biology and biotechnology teacher, for receiving the Fred Fox Distinguished Service to Science Education Award from the Oregon Science Teachers Association! The award honors individuals who make outstanding contributions to mentoring and developing new teachers.

Laura has worked to invest in the next generation of science teachers. She mentors teachers pursuing their professional teaching standard certification and has worked with 15 student teachers. Laura has given so much to support the next generation of teachers and the quality of science education in our schools. We are proud to have her part of our district community!

La Pine Elementary School got a special visit on September 22 from the Portland Trail Blazers and Moda Health. The stop was part of the Rip City Rally, a tour of Oregon towns and schools. Assistant Principal Hjeresen, staff, and students helped welcome Blaze the Trail Cat, Douglas Fur, and other Blazer friends. Such an exciting way to kick off the basketball season.

The Board of Directors for Bend-La Pine Schools will hold its next board workshop on Tuesday, October 24, at 5:30 p.m. at the Education Center, 520 NW Wall St. The board's next business meeting will be Tuesday, November 14, at 5:30 p.m. at the Education Center.

For information about board members, meetings and agendas, please visit our School Board page.