Message from the Superintendent
Most of our students and staff members have jumped back into our new school routine, despite concerns of wildfires and hazardous air quality. It’s probably safe to assume all are grateful for the cleaner air expected to come our way soon.
For those who have been displaced by the wildfires and air quality, we continue to keep you in our hearts and offer you our support and assistance. Our community is here to help, and below in this newsletter are directions and resources for all to access.
Traumatic events affect people differently. LOSD has taken each day one at a time to assess and balance how best to support and serve all who are in our care. A keen desire for a predictable schedule and an understanding that people need to be in a receptive state to teach and learn have been driving our decision making. We hear many diverse opinions on how to achieve both. Decisions are not always popular with everyone, but know our decisions are made intentionally with care, compassion and consistency at the forefront of thinking.
This has been an exceptionally difficult period of time as we get our school year off the ground. Thank you for your understanding and for being flexible under new and challenging circumstances. Most importantly, even if you are not directly impacted by the wildfires, please take care of yourselves, your loved ones, neighbors and each other. What we know for sure is that in good times and in difficult times, schools are hubs of the community, and places of not only academic endeavors, but also of care and support. Even with our current challenges, these are central to our intentions as a school district.
Status of School, Receiving Notifications
Based on several different forecasts, we anticipate significantly improved air quality in Lake Oswego starting next week. Therefore, we anticipate opening our school buildings for staff who regularly report to or use our facilities. We also anticipate resuming our childcare service at Palisades and our Grab and Go meal pickups on Mondays and Wednesdays at all four locations.
We will send a message Sunday afternoon to confirm the status of our LOSD classes, facilities and services. You should receive the message via email, voice mail, text and/or the LOSD mobile app.
Please consider downloading the Lake Oswego Schools mobile app and enabling push notifications to receive important alerts and emergency notifications. During setup, be sure to follow both Lake Oswego Schools and the schools your students attend to receive district-level and school notifications. (Go to Settings, Follow schools)
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Heritage Month Resources For Parents, Teachers & Kids
Celebrating Latino Culture With Our Kids
We plan to bring attention each month to cultures, heritages and initiatives and continue our broader focus on inclusion through the work of the board-appointed Diversity Equity, Inclusion & Access Committee and the work of our Equity and Family Engagement TOSA, Teresa Sanchez. We encourage everyone to feel empowered to be engaged in these discussions.
Wildfires: How to Help and Get Assistance
If you or anyone you know needs assistance, please click here for a list of resources compiled for all school districts in our area by Clackamas Education Service District. Most importantly, please take care of yourselves and give each other grace during this traumatic time.
Register for the School Bus
Click here to register for bus transportation for 2020-21 school year.
Registration will remain open for the next two weeks, until Monday, Oct. 5, before begin determining exact bus routes. The sooner people register, the fewer route changes need to be made once bus service begins. Thank you in advance for your prompt response in this essential preparation for onsite school.
Committee Openings: Apply Now
LOSD has positions open for two of our district and three of our school advisory committees (SAC). The Bond Accountability Committee (BAC) has two openings. The Talented And Gifted (TAG) Advisory Committee is seeking a representative from Oak Elementary, Lake Oswego High School and Lakeridge High School. Lakeridge Middle School SAC and Forest Hills and Hallinan Elementary SACs each have two-four openings. Committee members are appointed to serve two-year terms, 2020-2022.
Are you interested in one of these positions? Please complete and submit the attached application to the chair of the committee listed below by Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 4 p.m. Applications will be reviewed, and recommendations sent to the School Board for appointments.
BAC: Tony Vandenberg, anthony.vandenberg@loswego.k12.or.us
TAG: Frank Luzaich, frank.luzaich@loswego.k12.or.us
LMS SAC: Kurt Schultz, kurt.schultz@loswego.k12.or.us
FH SAC: Patrick Shuckerow, patrick.shuckerow@loswego.k12.or.us
Hal SAC: Melissa Griffiths, melissa.griffiths@loswego.k12.or.us
All other board-appointed committees are complete at this time. The application process for the next term will open in February of 2021.
Preventative Security Measures for Your Protection
LOSD is implementing new security measures to ensure the safety of all students, teachers and staff. While it may feel like an inconvenience at first, taking these preventative measures now are protective acts for the duration on our virtual school year.
There are a myriad of ways emails can be hacked. Logging into other’s personal devices or giving passwords to students and/or software that breaks encrypted pass codes are a few of the more common hacking methods amongst students and schools. At this time, we do not know how a student’s email was recently compromised. That is why LOSD is implementing heightened security measures to reduce the risk of it happening again.
LOSD has installed a double authentication on the student’s email who was hacked, and we are offering all students, teachers and staff the double authentication feature. With double authentication, when a person hits send on an email, they get a system prompt to review and approve the message before it is actually sent. Also, people will receive an alert on a device of their choice (such as a mobile phone) to accept if the login is being used on a different device.
Additionally, for heightened security and accountability, we are requiring all LOSD staff members and students to use their full names and school-issued Gmails to access Zoom sessions, and teachers will admit students one at a time to review and confirm who should be in the session. If students choose to have a picture shown when their camera is off, the image must be a recent photo of their face, such as a school picture.
Tech Issues? Please Submit a Help Request
Authenticate Emails
Students will need to use their school-issued Gmail account to access Zoom sessions. To make sure your student has access, please click here for a step-by-step process for authenticating their emails and other Zoom access tips.
Tech Support Ticket
A majority of tech concerns can be resolved by submitting a Tech Support ticket . The link -- https://losdhelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us -- is on all school and district homepages for easy access to help with passwords, log-ins, hardware fixes, etc. This is the most efficient way to get your tech issues resolved quickly.
Internet Access
If you do not have internet access, please email john.parke@loswego.12.or.us to request a hot spot.
Tech Information Sessions
LOSD hosted two Tech Information Sessions covering the “how tos'' for getting started with distance learning. The session recordings and presentations are posted on the district site under Resources/Tech Support for Families.
Google Classroom Guardianship
By now all parents and guardians should have received an email requesting you to accept guardianship of your student's Google Classroom. If you need assistance with this request, please submit a request through the Tech Support button. Note: accepting guardianship simply gives you the option of selecting how often you would like to receive summaries (weekly, daily, or no summary) of your student's Google Classroom activity. Only student accounts have access to Google Classroom.
Technology Protection Payment Methods
If you have decided to insure your device, please see the following methods of payment:
Online payment through community schools
https://www.onlineregistrationcenter.com/register/207-6753
Check: Please put your child’s name and school in the memo area of the check and mail to:
LOSD Office c/o: Kim Wagner
2455 Country Club Road, PO Box 70
Lake Oswego, OR 97034
Fee Waiver: https://www.losdschools.org/domain/1838 mail to:
LOSD Office c/o: Kim Wagner
2455 Country Club Road, PO Box 70
Lake Oswego, OR 97034
Payment is due by October 1, 2020, to insure your child’s device.
School Board Meeting
Board of Directors Meeting
Monday, Sept. 21
Regular Session: 6:00 p.m.
Please click here for the agenda and meeting materials.
You can observe the meeting and listen to the discussion remotely in the same way you can with other board meetings. Simply click on the "View Live" link on losdschools.org. You can watch the meeting live or a recording afterwards.
Procedures for providing public testimony: The Board of Education values public input. If you wish to comment on an agenda item or another item not on the agenda, please submit your comments by 12:00 noon on Monday, September 21, 2020 by emailing losdschoolboard@loswego.k12.or.us. IMPORTANT: Please type “9/21/20 Testimony” in the subject line and include your full name in the body of the email. Names of patrons providing input will be read during the meeting and their written testimony will be posted online under the agenda item for which their testimony pertains to. All non-agenda item testimony will be posted online under agenda item 3.0. For testimony received after the 12:00 noon deadline, names of patrons will not be read during the meeting, however, their testimony will be posted online at the conclusion of the meeting in accordance with the aforementioned procedures.
Free Meals for All Children
LOSD Grab & Go meal service -- free to all children -- will resume its regular pick up schedule next week. Breakfast and lunch meals can be picked up on Mondays and Wednesdays at the following locations:
Lake Grove Elementary, 11 a.m. - 12 pm.
River Grove Elementary, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Lake Oswego High School, 11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Lakeridge High School, 11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Meals should be picked up at the school site located closest to you. Children may participate in one or both days of the week; they may pick up 2 days of meals on Mondays and 3 days of meals on Wednesdays. Face coverings are required at pickups.
Upcoming Candidate Forums
Candidate Forum -- Mayor
Friday, Oct. 9, 5 p.m.
Candidate Forum -- City Council
Wednesday, Oct. 14, 6:30 p.m.
Please email larsonm@loswego.k12.or.us if you have a forum to share in this newsletter.
3 Ws: Watch Distance, Wear Mask, Wash Hands
Local Testing Sites for Covid-19
For testing Covid-19 sites in our area, please click on the county:
Washington County COVID-19 Testing Sites
Multnomah County COVID-19 Testing Sites
Oregon Health Authority has also released a webpage that allows users to put in their address or zip code to find the nearest testing site. Click here to find a testing site near you
SafeOregon
Parents who have concerns about a student’s well-being are encouraged to reach out to their principal, and to maintain strong lines of communication and partnership between students, families, staff, and other resources.
SafeOregon is also an effective way to report a tip regarding safety threats or potential acts of violence to our students or schools.
(Students should also be aware that intentionally providing a false report is a serious offense.)
Lake Oswego School District
Email: info@loswego.k12.or.us
Website: https://www.losdschools.org
Location: 2455 Country Club Road, Lake Oswego, OR, USA
Phone: (503) 534-2000
Facebook: facebook.com/LOSDProud
Twitter: @LOSD_Proud