HOA Happenings

Hello HOA Families! We made it to the end of Quarter 1 for the school year 2024-25. I hope you are enjoying the beautiful fall colors and crisp weather. For me fall means lots of football games. I have two graduates from the University of Oregon and one child still in college at Oregon State University, so we are a house divided! Go Ducks…and Beavers!

It has been a really strong start to the school year for our students and our teachers are feeling really good about the partnership with families and the students’ engagement so far this year. Again, thank you for being a part of our Hillsboro Online Academy family. One of our School Improvement goals this year was to make sure we have more student and family voice in our school decisions. Teachers are working on strategies during their Homeroom and Advisory classes to gain student voice. In order to hear from families we are working on creating a K-8 Parent group and a 9-12 parent survey. Some activities coming up to help promote family voice and build community are:

• Family Bingo Night (K-8 with HS siblings welcome) on Nov. 15th. SO many great prizes available to win - and it is free!

• Canvas Training and Technology Questions for all K-12 families, Nov. 6th Virtual Meeting, Google Meet Code: http://meet.google.com/upb-bjtb-uja

• Mental Health Discussion for families, Dec. 11th Virtual Meeting, Google Meet Code: http://meet.google.com/upb-bjtb-uja

We hope to see you at our family events. As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns.

Shannon Lawson

K-12 Administrator, Hillsboro Online Academy

Retake day is quickly approaching. If we did not see you on picture day or you would like a new image, Dorian Studio will be taking pictures at your school again soon. Do not miss out on ordering pictures of your student.

Monday, November 18 - 10:00 AM-1:00 PM

• Who should go to the camera on retake day?

• Any student that was absent on the original picture day

• Any new students who have not been photographed.

• Students wanting a retake photo. If a student ordered a package and wants a new photo please have them return the original package to the photographer on retake day.

• Ordering Information

• Parents can order online at mydorian.com before picture day and up to 2 days afterward.

The NNAT (The Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test) will be administered between November 4th → December 13th 2024. All Hillsboro School District 2nd, 4th, and 9th grade students will participate in the district wide assessment. Teachers will use this information to inform their instruction.

The Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT), developed by Pearson Inc., is a standardized test designed to assess the reasoning ability of students ages 5 to 17. The NNAT is utilized extensively in the U.S. as an admissions criterion for gifted schools and programs.

The Naglieri test assesses nonverbal reasoning and general problem-solving skills in children. The NNAT is considered culturally neutral as it contains minimal use of language and directions, and does not require reading, writing, or speaking. Instead, the Naglieri test incorporates abstract shapes and designs, which allow for unbiased scoring regardless of a child’s primary language, education, and socioeconomic background. The use of only two colors in the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (yellow and blue) contributes to the unbiased nature of the test for students with minimal color vision impairment.

Results will be available to parents sometime in January. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s teacher.

The District will conduct vision screenings on Wednesday, November 6 (8:30 - 11:00 AM) for our students in grades K-6, in partnership with the Oregon Lions Sight and Hearing Foundation. This annual vision screening meets the requirements of Oregon House Bill 3000.

For more information, please contact Mrs. Webb at 503-844-1050 or call the District’s Vision Screening Team at 503-844-1748.

The Hillsboro School District is proud to offer an athletics/activity scholarship program that allows qualifying HSD students to receive up to $150 toward their registration fee for a community athletic/activity program. The program is made possible through private donations and grant funding and will continue for as long as funds are available.

Eligible families must submit an application to access available funding. Applications are reviewed and approved during “open windows” for upcoming seasons. It takes approximately two weeks to review applications after they are received. Once reviewed, you will receive an email indicating the status of your application.

A Conference Preference Google Form was sent to your email, giving families the opportunity to select their preferred time slots. Teachers will be sending out appointment times soon.

Please sign up for Conferences which will take place November 25th and 26th

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1WeFvaecYxHl6glgklL86Ef9MnJu7P03X4zNIKkhHJZw/prefill

Be aware that if you have siblings in HOA who are K-6th, we will make every effort to place your conferences close together for your convenience.

High school conferences will take place virtually on Monday, November 25th from 4:00 pm-8:00 pm and on Tuesday, November 26th from 8:00 am-8:00 pm. Be on the lookout for an email this week from your student’s Advisory teacher on how to sign up for a time slot.

Dear Parents and Guardians of 11th and 12th Graders,

We are excited to remind you about Xello, an excellent tool designed to help your student plan for their future! Through Xello, students can explore career pathways, research colleges, and prepare for life after high school.

Under the "Resources" section, we’ve linked valuable tools like scholarship search engines and resume-building information to help students secure financial aid and prepare for job opportunities.

We encourage you to explore these features with your student and support them on their journey toward success!

• Nov. 1: No School
• Nov. 4: Quarter 2 starts
• K-6 Clubs start! If you asked for your child to join a club and have not yet heard, reach out to their teacher.
• Nov. 5: HS New Student Orientation (12-2 PM @ OSC)
• Nov. 6: Parent Canvas Training - online via Google Meet @ 6:00 PM
• Nov. 15: Family BINGO Night (see above)
• Nov. 25-26: Conferences
• Nov. 27-29: Thanksgiving Break

1. Check the Announcements in your Homeroom or Advisory! Teachers & staff are sharing important information - especially at the high school level!
2. Your teacher's availability is posted on the main page of each of their classes! If you need to meet with them or talk with them, please check here first to see if they're free!

If student didn't attend their Morning Meeting/Advisory Meet or answer the Attendance Question, depending on what is scheduled, they are marked absent for the entire day (UNV = unverified absence). Our Attendance Team is working hard to more accurately reflect students' attendance and are reviewing every absence. If a student has worked in their classes and submitted work on a day they were marked absent, the UNV is being changed to a T (tardy) and if a student was attending an in-person class or event, on a day they were marked UNV, the absence will be changed to OC (on campus).

Please help your student remember to attend their Moring/Advisory Meets and answer their Attendance Questions every school day as scheduled:

• K-6:
• Morning Meeting: Tuesday, Thursday & Friday @ 9:00 AM
• Attendance Question: Monday & Wednesday
• 7th & 8th:
• Advisory Meeting: Monday, Wednesday & Friday @ 9:30 AM
• Attendance Question: Tuesday & Thursday
• 9th-12th:
• Advisory Meeting: Tuesday & Thursday @ 10:30 AM
• Attendance Question: Monday, Wednesday & Friday

The School Based Health Center will host six vaccine events for students in November and December. Four of these will take place at our school-based health center (SBHC) located on the Century High School campus, and two will take place on-site at Evergreen and South Meadows Middle schools. Click here for more detailed info and site location.

If you plan on attending one of the events, please let our office staff know so we can get you the needed paperwork!