Connecting JCSD 509J

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509J Feature Stories

Metolius Elementary Students Honored at School Board Meeting

More than a dozen Metolius Elementary students were highlighted at JCSD 509J’s School Board Meeting on Monday, January 9. These students were selected by the school for their involvement in the Wolf Pack Leader Program.

“This is pretty cool because we have our future leaders here in the room with us,” Metolius Elementary Principal Adam Dietrich said.

The program is designed to reward those students who are responsible, encourage other students to develop personal responsibility and provide a set of expectations for students to learn to make correct decisions while in school.

“These are our fifth grade students that have exhibited excellent leadership,” Metolius Counselor Ansel Evans said.

JCSD 509J School Board Swears in Student Representative

The Jefferson County School Board of Directors officially swore in their student representative for the 22-23 school year at their January meeting. The student is Yael Carlon from Madras High School.

He took the oath of office and will regularly bring reports about what is happening in his school to the board. JCSD 509J values student input and this is one of many ways students can make their voices heard.

Carlon is a senior at MHS this year. He has been actively involved in numerous activities while in high school. He has served on the school’s ASB team for the past three years, and this year he is the President. He is also the team captain of the Tri-Valley League Winning Boys Soccer Team.

JCMS adds Spanish class to bolster options for students

JCMS is now proudly offering students the opportunity to learn Spanish inside a classroom.

Starting in the 2nd quarter, seventh and eighth grade students could add Spanish to their schedule. The plan is for students to take the class for the rest of the year. JCMS hired Lisa Stroup to teach three periods of Spanish to dozens of students. She is excited for the opportunity.

“Helping students see the possibilities for learning it,” Stroup said to what she is looking forward to the most in the class.

She has set goals for the students to achieve by the end of the school year. Those goals include being able to talk in the present tense, describing themselves, their family and friends, being able to talk about the clothes they are wearing, how to order food in a restaurant and more.

JCMS revamps sixth-grade elective ‘wheel’ options for 22-23 school year

In the 22-23 school year, JCMS is offering new courses as part of their sixth-grade ‘wheel’ elective classes. This year, each 6th-grade student will have the opportunity to take CTE, STEM, AVID, and Culinary. The students will take each class for nine weeks and then rotate.

The school changed the offerings for the students this school year. One reason was to give the sixth graders new experiences in their classes. Each course was designed to give the students a unique experience, and show them the skills they learn in one class can be applied to another.

The videos below showcase each class.

JCSD 509J 2021 Bond Update

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509J Set to Begin MHS Soccer Complex Enhancements in 2023

The Jefferson County School District will begin a series of enhancements to the Madras High School Soccer Complex in early 2023.

“There is a huge need for upgraded locker rooms and bathrooms,” Boys Varsity Soccer Coach Clark Jones said. Right now, there are only two bathrooms to serve 80 plus players, boys and girls, during practice, not counting games.

Thanks to the community’s passage of the 2021 Bond, the district will conduct a number of safety improvements and facility upgrades, including:

New field lights,
Expanded concrete pathways,
Upgraded gates for security; and
A new, 2,000 square foot field house with concession space, restrooms, athlete locker rooms, and a shared coaches office.

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2021 Bond Supports 6 Classroom Addition at Warm Springs K-8 Academy

The passage of the 2021 Jefferson County School Bond will allow the district to fund the expansion of the Warm Springs K-8 Academy by 6 classrooms in 2023. Over the last 6 months, a design team of school leadership, Warm Springs Tribal education and facilities leaders, district staff, and architectural teams have been hard at work planning for the new expansion that is set to begin this Spring.

The work will begin in the Spring of 2023 with estimated completion by the end of 2023. The district is thankful for the community’s support of the 2021 Bond. Thanks to this measure, several much needed improvements are being made to make 509J schools safer and updated for generations of students to come.

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Planning Ahead in the Era of Inflation

Inflation continues to impact the global landscape. This has become especially true for building and material costs, affecting construction timelines across the country. 509J is not immune to this impact as it begins work to complete 2021 bond projects.

As the District pushes forward to fulfill the projects promised in the bond, it is carefully preparing for unexpected financial hurdles along the way. The $24 million bond was approved by voters with projects committed to every school in the district.

509J is committed to ensuring every school will receive bond funded projects, but project scopes could see adjustments based on cost estimates received from architects and contractors.

Around 509J

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Metolius Elementary Snowshoeing

4th grade students from Metolius Elementary went on a snowshoe trip to Mt. Bachelor! It looks like they had a great time getting out in the snow and learning about winter ecology and about geology in our region! They also learned about the Deschutes National Forest watershed and the plants and animals found throughout this area.

What an experience!

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MHS Native American Liaison Featured by Career Journeys

Career Journeys latest video featured Mariah in her role for the school district. She works closely with students to bridge the gap between members of the Madras community and Warm Springs.

An alumna of Madras High School, she knows the community and understands the challenges many indigenous students face. Mariah knew she wanted to return to her community and advocate for Native American students. We are so fortunate to have her!

Watch the Video

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MHS Manufacturing Students experience "Blue Collar Tour"

Six of our MHS manufacturing students took a trip to Redmond High School to learn more about a career in welding.

Western Welding Academy, located in Gillette Wyoming, was on their "Blue Collar Tour." This tour takes them to 30 schools across the country in 60 days. Redmond High was one of those schools. The purpose is to get high school students interested in the blue-collar trades like welding.

Our students got a chance to learn more about welding, the school, and career opportunities.

Employee Spotlight

509J recognizes one of our Certified and Classified employees every month. These employees are nominated by their colleagues for the work they do to ensure that Students Flourish in the District.

December's recipients were:

Courtney Poindexter, Special Education Teacher at Metolius Elementary

Freddy Povis: JCSD 509J Transportation Bus Driver/Mechanic

Watch the videos below to learn more about them and their work!