KFCS Friday News Flash

March 15, 2024

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In this Issue

A note from the Superintendent
Upcoming School, Community Events
KFCS Headlines
Sky Lakes Wellness Center Lifestyle Medicine Facts
KUHS Alumni
Phone App Download for District Website
Join Our Team
KFCS Board of Education

A note from the Superintendent;

I am pleased to share with you an exciting development in our ongoing efforts to bolster support for the mental health and well-being of our students, staff, and families. We are forging a new partnership with Care Solace, a renowned organization dedicated to simplifying access to mental health care resources.

Recognizing the critical importance of mental health within our school community, we are committed to prioritizing it alongside academic success. The myriad challenges and pressures faced by our students, staff, and families demand comprehensive support tailored to their individual needs.

Through our collaboration with Care Solace, we reaffirm our commitment to providing accessible and effective mental health support services. Care Solace offers an intuitive platform connecting individuals with personalized mental health care resources, ranging from counseling to therapy, ensuring easy access to vital services.

This partnership extends its benefits not only to our students but also to our dedicated staff and supportive families. By facilitating access to mental health care resources, we cultivate a culture of support and well-being across our entire school community, fostering an environment where everyone can thrive.

I encourage all members of our school community to utilize the resources and support services available through Care Solace. Whether seeking support for oneself, a colleague, or a family member, Care Solace stands ready to assist.

For immediate assistance, students, staff, and families can reach out to Care Solace's multilingual team at 888-515-0595, or access providers confidentially through our district's custom link: caresolace.com/kfalls. Additionally, the same information has been emailed to KFCS families, and the Care Solace link can always be found on the KFCS website homepage, under the "popular links" tab: https://www.kfalls.k12.or.us/page/care-solace.

It is important to note that Care Solace complements existing agreements, partnerships, and practices with agencies such as KBBH or Squibb Counseling. They serve as an additional resource, working alongside individuals and families to access services as needed.

Let us continue to prioritize mental health and well-being within our school community. Together, through collaboration and support, we can cultivate a healthier, more resilient environment for all.

Thank you for your unwavering dedication to the well-being of our students, staff, and families.

Sincerely,

Keith A. Brown

Every student, every day, whatever it takes!

Click to access document

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KU Girls Basketball Earns Best Postseason Finish in School History

The Pelicans make school history! Klamath Union girls basketball defeated Marist Catholic, 54-43, to claim fourth place in the Oregon School Activities Association Class 4A state championships this past Saturday in Forest Grove, the best finish in program history.

The last time Klamath Union girls basketball made it to the final eight in the state competition was in the year 1989.

Roster

Jersey No. | Player | Position | Grade

2 Ariah Miller G/W 10th

3 Kshalee Thomas G/W 12

5 Andi Harmon C/P 11

10 Keely Hall P/F 12

11 Erin Garcia G/W 12

12 Farrah Zumwalt G/W 11

13 Dianara Peña G/F 12

15 Anyssa Jimenez F/W 10

20 Bella Armijo F/W 10

21 Jazzi Wilson G/W 11

22 Leah Segura F/P 11

25 Dakota Neese P/F 12

Head Coach: John Najar

Assistant Coaches: Sam Stewart, Jefferson Harmon

Managers: Sam Huffman, Kiera Lonner, Aubrey Burnham, Dorana Kobrossi

Ponderosa students earn top honors at MESA regional competition at Oregon Tech

Photo: Ponderosa students Jazlynn Pineda, Audriana Morehouse, Alyson Giese Maeva, Lucy Chase and Azalea Weiser earn first place in MESA Oregon Demo Day 2024 March 5 at Oregon Tech.

By Joaquin Aguilar-Flores, KFCS

Mathematics, engineering, science and technology is alive and well at Ponderosa Middle School. A mixture of Ponderosa seventh and eighth grade students impressed Mathematics, Engineering, Science and Technology (MESA) Oregon judges during a competition March 5 at Oregon Tech against students across Klamath County.

The competition, named MESA Oregon Demo Day 2024, was a competition many of the Ponderosa students remembered well from a year ago.

Ponderosa science instructor Elizabeth Neuman has been working with students after school to prepare for the event after bringing back MESA to the middle school last year.

For the second consecutive year, Ponderosa took the honor of top middle school. All Ponderosa MESA students placed in this year’s regional competition.

The team of Jazlynn Pineda, Audriana Morehouse, Alyson Giese Maeva, Lucy Chase and Azalea Weiser took first place. The recognitions kept coming as Jacob Culp, Lizzie Childress, Lexie Childress and Lilla Perkins earned second place for Ponderosa.

The MESA spirit award went to seventh graders Oliver Case, Alex Brown, Lily Rumsey, Kaden Flowers and Kingston Clark.

Morehouse, Lizzie Childress, Lexie Childress, Giese Maeva and Pineda were brought back to the same feeling of success after earning first place in the regional competition last year.

Culp was also in a familiar spot after he earned second palace a year ago as well, along with being named chapter student.

The group of Ponderosa students, though they won the regional event, elected to not compete in the state competition. This year will be different, Culp hinted.

“It was down in New Mexico. You have to sign and agree, if you win state, to go to nationals. We did not want to do that because of the distance, and it was our first year in the program,” Culp said. “This year, we are prepared, though. We can even go down there by bus.”

The state competition will be at Portland State University in May, and the national competition will be in San Diego.

MESA Oregon gives teams the task of designing a project each year relating to climate change. Last year, students had to prepare for projects and presentations based on how climate change affects humans, and this year, how it affects animals.

The group of Ponderosa students interviewed clients who worked in Klamath County to help them with their illustration, which would be evaluated by judges.

Ponderosa’s first place team interviewed John Fitzroy, a supervisory park ranger for Fish and Wildlife in Tulelake, Calif. The group’s project was to make a comfortable home for a pacific fisher and protect it from wildfire in its ecosystem.

“It has heat sensors at the bottom to make sure there isn’t a root fire and heat resistant materials to protect the oasis in case of a wildfire,” Pineda said. “A hard part of making it was not knowing where we would get the wood or even how to cut it up. Our next steps will be to learn what it will take so an actual animal can live in the domain.”

The state competition will require teams to include programming in their illustrations.

“For the state competition, we will all be adding more to our projects. Our team who won the spirit award is dealing with robotics. Overall, we are learning about the environment and so much more,” Morehouse said. “We want to see how we will do in the state tournament since we did not get that chance last year.”

Klamath County Public Health Shares at KLC

Klamath County Public Health Program Coordinator, Miranda Hill, along with Colton Osborn, took a part in a presentation with Klamath Learning Center students this past Tuesday.

Hill and Osborn, through KLC classes in conjunction with Klamath Works, shared about the facts and dangers of vaping.

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Roosevelt Dr. Seuss Night

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Pi Day

KU DECA Fundraiser for International DECA Competition

Klamath Union DECA is fundraising for the international DECA competition on April 26-30 in Anaheim, California!

To raise funds KU DECA has partnered with Howard's Meat Center, Pourhorse, and KU Culinary to make and sell dinner boxes. All proceeds will go directly to reducing the travel cost ensuring the 10 students who qualified can compete. KU students selling dinner boxes:

Cassidy Bogatay
Paetyn Eckert
Halina-Lee Ganong
Carter Harmon
Jacob Martin
Brooke Nelson
Alyse Perez
Eleanor Rodriguez
Aeris Saindon
Evangelina Stanfield

If one of these students asks you, please be sure to include their name on the Salesperson line, so they receive credit for the sale.

Order your Dinner Box:
Click this link, leading to the online website that takes credit cards, or print out the attached order form and mail or drop it off at KU's main office Attn: Joel McPherson with payment (cash or check payable to KU DECA). Orders are due by April 2nd with meal pickup on April 12th at the KU Cafeteria. If you have any questions about the meal boxes, please contact Joel.

Thank you for supporting our amazing students!

Sky Lakes Wellness Center Lifestyle Medicine Facts

Parenting - Family Meals

Right now, many families don’t sit down to eat together for any meals – instead, maybe everyone grabs their own food and goes to different places to eat while looking at phones, computers, or tv’s. While this may be easier there is lots of research out there that shows that children who share at least 4 meals/week with a caring adult at home benefit in multiple ways. These benefits can include improved academic performance, better self-esteem, improved cardiovascular health, and a reduced risk of substance misuse, depression, teen pregnancy, and obesity. As parents or caregivers of children, we model how to eat in a healthy manner – taking our time and enjoying our food. We are improving communication and expressing that we are interested in hearing about our child’s day as well as being able to share our own day with others. The power of looking at someone directly instead of around a phone or tv is hard to describe – maybe practice actually looking at the face of each of the people you share a home with to notice how good it can feel to be seen and to see! Your homework is to plan to eat 4 meals/week - breakfast, lunch, or dinner – with another or all members of your household.

You don’t have to have a table to do this – just turn off the tv, set aside all devices, and commit to at least 15 minutes of time to eat and to be with each other. This will be challenging at first, but once you have set the expectation, the kids will actually follow through and may hold you accountable, too, if you bring that device to the meal! Good luck! Referenced from: https://www.parents.com/recipes/tips/unexpected-benefits-of-eating-together-as-afamily-according-toscience/#:~:text=A%202018%20study%20in%20JAMA,fast%20food%20and%20sugary%20beverages.

Have a question? Submit yours by emailing us at SkyLakesellnessCenter@skylakes.org

Information provided by

Stewart Decker, MD, MPH, FAAFP, FWMS

Jeanette Rutherford, MA, LPC

Jennifer Newton, RD, LD, CDCES, MPH

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KUHS Alumni

The new district website has an Alumni page for graduates of KU. This past week, six KU alumni sent us updates on their lives since they graduated. Take a look on the KU Alumni page on the district website. And, if you are an alumni, be sure and send us YOUR update!

Read about our alumni

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