RRSD #35 Community Update

At school board meetings and in several of my community updates this year, I have highlighted some of the specific initiatives the Rogue River School District has undertaken to improve student performance. When the Oregon Department of Education released our graduation rates last week, we were able to see positive results from our efforts.

Our district 4-year cohort graduation rates rose from 70.5% in 2022 up to 79.6% in 2023.

Each school in our District either matched or improved its graduation rates from the previous year.

The RRSD is celebrating this significant improvement, but we are still committed to doing even better. Our goal is 100% of our students graduating on time.

It is important to note that our graduation rates tend to jump up and down more dramatically than those of larger districts. Due to our smaller number of students, our rates can be more volatile, so we can't put too much stock into sudden rises or drops on a year-to-year basis. Instead, we should look at longer term trends to truly measure how we are doing. The good news is that our ten-year trend is one of marked growth in our graduation rates.

We are also excited to see that our 4-year cohort graduation rates are higher than our neighbors in Central Point, Grants Pass, and the Three Rivers School Districts.

We gratefully acknowledge the hard work of students, families, staff, and administration in helping to make this success possible.

Bond Updates:

• At a special board meeting on February 6, 2024, our Board named S+B James as the winning bidder responsible for our upcoming bond work. It is great to be partnering with a local company for this bond project.

Early Learning and Wellness Center Updates:

• Early design work is well under way for the new building. Pre-application processes for the construction have begun with the city of Rogue River.

Upcoming Dates:

• There is no school on February 19, 2024, in observance of Presidents Day.
• Parent Teacher Conferences are scheduled for March 7 and 8, 2024. We hope to see all of our families this year.
• Spring Break will begin on March 25, 2024. Students will return to school on April 1st.

Kudos:

• Rebecca Moulder: The care that she shows her students is on another level. She continually creates a classroom culture where students know they belong, and as a result so much positive growth is happening.

• Ashtyn James: Ashtyn's presence and support throughout the RRES campus has had such a huge impact on what they are building. She brings so much to the table that is positively influencing the academic growth our elementary school is seeing.

• Nicole Bambino and Travis McGoffin: Nicole, with Travis' help, raised over $40,000 at the Beef Feed fundraiser on February 3, 2024. Over 400 Community members participated.

• Supporters of our local FFA: For years this community continues to go above and beyond to support our award winning FFA program. Year after year the giving, and support continue to elevate this amazing program. Thank you all for your generosity.

• Carlos Amaya: Carlos works diligently with our seniors to help them get across the finish line. he is a strong advocate for them, and he is appreciated for that work.