HITEON HIGHLIGHTS NEWSLETTER

Greetings Hiteon Families,

We hope you all had a wonderful Winter break filled with time for much-needed rest, renewal, and preparing for all that lies ahead in 2021! We are excited to have students back in their Comprehensive Distance Learning classrooms. It has been warming to see the students with smiles on their faces, ready to learn.

A new year brings new beginnings. This year will be no different. With Governor Brown’s announcement, Beaverton is now readying itself for the return of students to their schools. It is important to remind our community that the Beaverton School District sets the time frame for this return. However, at Hiteon, we take the responsibility of students returning very seriously. Over the past months, we have been preparing Hiteon for the future return of our students. We have begun to clear any unnecessary furniture from our hallways and common areas to assure movement of 6 feet of distance and easier cleaning. Our main office has learned new workflows that require less sharing of paper and contact between staff. We continue to review procedures such as arrival, dismissal, and lunch. Every aspect of a school day is being analyzed to create the safest environment for our staff and students. These details will be shared with you, and your students as a return to school gets closer. Return to school information will continue to come from Beaverton School District in the interim. Information Beaverton published this morning is contained later in this newsletter.

Finally, with all that has transpired within our country this week, we hope this message finds you all safe. The world around us continues to be a reminder of the special work we do with students - it’s with great pride and responsibility we take on the role of educating them.

Thank you for entrusting your children to us. Hiteons’s staff continues to strive to do this job to the best of our ability.

Best,

Meghan Warren, Principal

Jenny Read-Emslie, Assistant Principal

BSD Community,

Thank you to all of you — staff, students and families — for your resilience during the past several months. We know that you’ve all been working diligently to provide the best educational experience possible during these challenging times. Your efforts are very much appreciated.

On December 23, Governor Kate Brown announced changes to the state’s approach to reopening schools. Rather than mandating that all school districts meet designated health metrics to begin in-person instruction, she has made those metrics advisory — meaning the decision to reopen will be made at the district level instead of the state level. However, the bulk of the 90-pages of safety requirements issued by the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) in the Ready Schools Safe Learners Guidance have not changed.

As we plan for the next steps, we’re currently considering several factors:

• On January 19, ODE is expected to announce revisions to the Ready Schools Safe Learners Guidance. We’re waiting to see if the state eases cohort numbers (current requirement: student cannot be exposed to more than 100 students/week) and social distancing requirements (currently requirement: 35 square feet of space per student). Those changes could impact what the District would be able to offer in terms of in-person instruction.

• Also on January 19, the state may change the health metrics. Under the previously-mandated health metrics, positive COVID-19 cases in Washington and Multnomah Counties had to drop below 100 per 100,000 residents (during the previous two-week period) to begin in-person instruction. As of this writing, the current case count in Washington and Multnomah Counties is 324 and 342, respectively.

• The Governor has prioritized teachers and district staff who have regular contact with students to be vaccinated in Phase 1b, after health care workers and residents of nursing facilities. As of this writing, it’s unclear when those vaccinations will be administered.

• Currently, changes in working conditions are being bargained with our teachers' association, the Beaverton Education Association (BEA). As such, finalized plans are subject to agreements made in those negotiations.

Given what we know at this moment, here’s our current thinking. We must emphasize that these plans are NOT final.

• Current guidance from ODE prioritizes the return of students in grades PreK - 2 to in-person instruction first. While not finalized, current hybrid plans have students who elect to come back to school being assigned to either mornings or afternoons (total in-school time: 2 ½ hours) on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. When not at school, these students would be learning online. All students would be online on Wednesdays. Currently, we don’t have a start date identified. We hope to know more after January 19. Prior to returning to in-person instruction, elementary families will be asked to make a commitment to either hybrid or Comprehensive Distance Learning (CDL) instruction.

• Because the District has committed to providing a Comprehensive Distance Learning (CDL) option for the entire school year, families should expect some teacher reassignments. Whether your elementary student remains in CDL or opts for in-person hybrid instruction, your child’s teacher may change. We realize that this is not ideal, but it’s also unavoidable. We will do everything in our power to minimize any disruptions to your child’s learning.

• Because middle and high school students have several classes and are exposed to more students, in-person instruction under current required safety protocols remains impossible. Our tentative plan is to have all secondary students remain online in Comprehensive Distance Learning (CDL). However, we are considering offering limited in-person instruction (LIPI) for students with disabilities, emerging bilingual students and students without reliable internet connectivity. We also may invite students who have credit-recovery needs to come to campuses.

• We know that our secondary students are desperately missing social interaction. To meet these needs, we’d also try to facilitate small-group, in-person interactions. For example, we may be able to bring students in for AVID, clubs, community service, specific course activities and specific social activities. In terms of school-sponsored sports and activities, we’ll continue to follow guidance from the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA).

We appreciate that many of you have passionately shared your opinions with us over the past few weeks — whether you adamantly want your child to return to in-person learning or you adamantly believe students should continue online. At the end of day, no solution will be perfect. We’re simply trying to do what’s in the best interest of our children in vastly imperfect times - both in terms of their education and their safety — and the safety of our staff.

For now, we will continue in Comprehensive Distance Learning (CDL) and await changes to be announced by ODE on January 19 — after which, we will have a better idea of how to proceed.

As always, thank you for your continued patience and support.

Report cards will be viewable through ParentVue on February 5th.

The Beaverton School District is transitioning to electronic report cards for all students. The electronic report cards will be accessed through ParentVUE (mobile and desktop). If you have not set up your ParentVue account, you will need to do that by January 2021.

There are resources and guidance on how to set up a ParentVue account. Please view the FAQ for instructions on setting up your account. There are several benefits to paperless report cards. You will be able to view grades days after grading days, rather than wait up to two weeks for a report card to come by mail or in your child’s backpack. In addition, moving away from paper is environmentally friendly and cost-effective for the District.

Immunizations are required by state law for children and students in attendance at public and private schools, preschools, child care facilities, and Head Start programs in Oregon. Nearly every facility that provides care for a child outside the home requires immunizations or a medical or non-medical exemption to remain enrolled.

Children who are not up-to-date on their immunizations by February 17, 2021, will be excluded from school until their immunizations are updated. During Comprehensive Distance Learning, that means students will be put on a list and will not be allowed on campus for any reason until they’re up-to-date (i.e., no limited-in-person activities, no hybrid learning, no in-person learning, no athletics, no school events).

Keeping children up-to-date on immunizations will help schools transition safely and quickly to in-person learning when they’re able.

Students and families in the Beaverton School District may access immunizations at both the Beaverton School-Based Health Center and the Merlo School-Based Health Center in addition to their own health care providers.

To keep our Hiteon Community safe, healthy and help prevent the spread of COVID 19 we ask that you delay your visit to the Library book distribution if you or your family are not feeling well, tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 10 days, or have been in close contact with someone testing positive for COVID-19 in the previous 2 weeks.

This is a good time to remind your children to practice the 3 Ws:

• Wash your hands
• Wear a face covering
• Watch your distance – 6 feet apart.

Your children will look to you to model, teach, and reinforce these safety practices.

The district has more than 10,600 library books that are overdue or lost. In addition, we have more than 2,200 textbooks and devices (those that are NOT currently being used for Comprehensive Distance Learning) that also need to be returned. Some of these items are likely under your student’s bed or sitting in a backpack.

Please return these items if you have any at home.

Hiteon will have a Book Return Cart outside the main office. You can place your books and devices in that cart.

Please search for overdue and lost items: library books, textbooks from last school year, and school-issued devices (iPads, Chromebooks) that your student isn’t currently using. Search your in-box, too, for any emails from no-reply@ intouchreceipting.com or do-not-reply@ nwresd.k12.or.us, which will indicate that your student has a missing item.

Then return that item to any BSD school. You have several options: (Please arrive in a mask.)

• Return items to Hiteon during between the hours of 7:30 - 5:30 Monday - Friday. Hiteon has a Book Return Cart, just drop your items inside.

• Return items to Hiteon's Library Book Curbside or Bus Distribution sites.

• Pay lost fine through the district’s Online Payment System.

If you’ve already returned materials or items that were left in classrooms last spring, please contact your school library staff via email to let them know. Library materials are quarantined for up to one week before being checked in, so it will take time for fines to be resolved in InTouch accounts.

Thank you for helping us get resources back to our schools so that they can be re-distributed to those students who need them.

Happy New Year! We are excited to host our 2nd Annual Walk + Roll Art Contest during the month of January. Last year we had over 1000 entries, and this year the Grand Prize is a new bike from WashCo Bikes!

BSD students in grades K-5 are encouraged to enter the 2nd Annual Walk + Roll Art Contest. This year’s theme is “Places We Love to Walk + Roll.” The deadline to enter is January 29. The grand prize is a new bicycle from WashCo Bikes. Visit www.beaverton.k12.or.us/safe-routes for contest details.

Additionally, January is a great time to remind your students to be more active. Here is a great reminder that we encourage:

Resolve to Be More Active!

January is the perfect time to build new healthy habits. Try to incorporate a walk or bike ride into your daily routine. The CDC recommends children get 60 minutes of daily physical activity.

Thank you for your support!

Leah Biado-Luis
Safe Routes to School Coordinator

Follow us @BeavertonSafeRoutes
Beaverton School District | Transportation
1270 NW 167th Place, Beaverton, OR 97006
Office: 503-356-4274 | Mobile: 503-915-2129

Happy New Year!

BSD is excited to introduce Clothes for Kids, formally known as the Clothes Closet. It may take some time to get used to, but the new name reflects who we serve, that the program is much larger than a closet, and the important role of the community as both volunteers and donors.

Appointments are available now!

The button to schedule an online appointment is under the Families tab on the District's website, or click the picture above.

• To see open appointment slots, families first need to select either a Large Family (4 or more students) or Small Family (1 - 3 students).
• Open appointments for a date selected will be on the right side of the screen.
• You need to click on a time that works for you and then complete a short form to book the appointment.
• While online is best, families can call 503-356-4322. (1 for English and 2 for Spanish.)

Please let me know if you have any questions or if I can help you with anything.

Johanna Shrout
Coordinator, District Volunteer Services
Beaverton School District | Clothes for Kids
16550 SW Merlo Road, Beaverton, OR 97003
Office: 503-356-4443

All classes and school schedules will continue on time in Comprehensive Distance Learning (CDL), even if district facilities are closed due to inclement weather. In other words, we will not have any "snow days" in CDL.

If district facilities are closed, any on-site classes/programs including Limited In-Person Instruction (LIPI) will be canceled. All daytime and evening activities/events also will be canceled.

The Internet Activity Parent Report is a weekly summary of your child's internet activity while using a BSD managed Chromebook or iPad. You should be receiving it weekly. Please take time to review it and make sure your child is using their CDL learning time appropriately. Click on the Chromebook to go to an information page with how to maneuver the report.

Meghan Warren, Principal

Jenny Read-Emslie, Assistant Principal

Hiteon’s Mission Statement

Hiteon is a community dedicated to providing an educational experience in which everyone can reach their full potential and make positive societal contributions. We strive to enhance personal, community, and global identities while developing life-long learners.

Email: meghan_warren@beaverton.k12.or.us
Website: https://www.beaverton.k12.or.us/schools/hiteon/
Location: 13800n SW Brockman Road, Beaverton Oregon 97008
Phone: 503-356-2140