RRSD #35 Community Update

The steady rise in our district’s four-year cohort graduation rates for the third consecutive year is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our students, staff, families, and administration. After dropping to 68% in the post-COVID year of 2021, our district graduation rate has improved each year. For the class of 2024, our four-year cohort graduation rate improved again, rising to 82.3%. We have more work to do to get that rate even higher in the future, but we should all be proud of the strong improvements our schools have shown. Congratulations and thanks to all who are a part of making this growth happen.

Late Start Fridays:

Many students, staff, and families took the time to respond to a survey from The District regarding potential changes to our Late Start Friday schedule for next year. We sincerely thank each of you for your feedback and thoughtful comments.

The survey was distributed to gather feedback on the possibility of aligning Friday start times with the rest of the week. The additional instructional hours gained would be traded for three or four full-day breaks for students, during which staff would remain at work. This adjustment would create dedicated full days for professional development, providing staff with opportunities to enhance their skills while giving students additional days off. The idea aimed to optimize both instructional and professional development time, with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of education in the Rogue River School District.

The feedback we received was evenly divided between those in favor of keeping Late Start Fridays and those against it. Both sides shared thoughtful and compelling reasons for their perspectives. Thanks to the valuable input from our students, families, and staff, it’s clear that we are not ready to implement a significant schedule change for the upcoming year. As a result, we will continue with Late Start Fridays next year, maintaining the schedule we’ve followed for many years.

Recognizing that there was some confusion about the details and purpose of the proposal, we may revisit this idea in the future and continue discussions to provide clearer communication and ensure everyone fully understands what is being proposed. However, for the upcoming year, there will be no changes to Late Start Fridays.

State Assessment:

• Very soon families of 3rd -12th grade students will be receiving a communication about the importance of our state assessments. Our district struggles with low participation and poor assessment efforts from our students. The communication you will receive soon will better explain how the assessment data is used, why the assessments are important, and how you can help your student and your school by partnering with us to improve our efforts and results on those assessments.

Bond Updates:

• The skeleton for the new JSHS is complete, and now the contractors are working on fleshing out the building. Progress has been excellent to date. We are still optimistic we can occupy the building next fall.
• Safety vestibule work is underway at the elementary. While things look a little messy and traffic flows are disrupted, this is all designed to make your children safer in our schools. We are hopeful for completion late this spring. Once the project is done, you will receive communication about where parents can enter the building and how they can pick up their child.
• Plumbing and electrical upgrades throughout the district are in early stages of development. The majority of that work needs to happen over the summer, so contractors are planning accordingly.

Attendance Matters:

• Establishing a routine of daily attendance at school helps reduce stress at home and supports a habit of attendance that will help your student get and keep a job in the future.

Kudos:

• The District Office Staff: I want to take a moment to recognize and thank each member of the District Office. We have a small but incredible team doing great work to support our schools. Pam Weaver and Christina Schloegl are wonderful assistants who help me in countless ways. My work here would be less effective and less joyful without their help and guidance. Don Sweeney, Amy McColpin, and Shelly Brown are the ones who keep the district finances chugging along. Through planning, forecasting, strategizing, payroll, and paying the bills, they make sure we get the most out of our resources.
• The District Administrators: Few people except for those in the role of a school administrator know just how complicated, challenging, and taxing the work actually is. I am blessed to work with an amazing team of intelligent, talented, compassionate, and hard-working administrators. In their roles they tend to hear a lot of negatives and complaints. I encourage you to take some time to thank them for the challenging work they do and offer a word of encouragement or support to them. Trust me when I say that they need it. Jennifer Parks is the principal at SVA, Tori Kirkpatrick is the principal at the JSHS, Emily Figueroa-Wolfe is the assistant principal at the JSHS, Ashtyn James is the principal at RRES, Angie Caschera is the assistant principal at RRES, and Michele Cleveland is our Special Programs Director.