Family Spotlight

Bend-La Pine Schools’ choice options provide learning opportunities that are significantly different from our traditional programs, while meeting the same standards and requirements as other schools within the district. From Dual Immersion to Career Technical Education, the choice option schools have many programs to meet the individual focus of its students.

Have your documents ready. Enrollment for the 2025-26 school year opens January 2. Entry into the Choice Options lottery, Dual Immersion lottery, and Priority Area Change Requests all require a current enrollment into Bend-La Pine Schools for the school year requested.

• Kindergarten: Amity Creek, Highland, Juniper, Westside Village
  
• Dual Immersion Kindergarten: Bear Creek, R.E. Jewell
  
• Grades 1-12: Amity Creek, Bend Tech Academy, Highland, Juniper, Realms Middle and High, Westside Village
  

Learn more about our schools at bls.fyi/options2025. And stay tuned for school info nights coming in January.

Want to learn more about the high-quality instruction and Career Technical Education programming at Bend Tech Academy? Thinking about academic excellence through Expeditionary Learning at Realms High School? Check out these videos!

What’s cooking in the department that offers breakfast and lunch to 17,000 students in Bend, Sunriver and La Pine?

In our latest superintendent’s podcast, Garra Schluter, Director of Nutrition Services for Bend-La Pine Schools, sits down with Dr. Cook for a chat about current trends and challenges in feeding students in our 33 schools.

Their conversation covers the huge move this school year to extend free meals to all students, how many more meals we’re serving now as a result, and the staffing needs in kitchens across the district. (Guess what: We’re hiring!)

Garra also describes the extensive “made from scratch” meal prep that happens in our district and reveals the dishes students love the most. Tune in for this fun episode of the Supe’s On! Podcast.

Listen to the podcast today:

• Online – bls.fyi/podcast
  
• Apple Podcasts – bls.fyi/listenonapple
  
• Spotify – bls.fyi/listenonspotify

Three outstanding employees were honored with the District's 2024 Excellence in Education Awards surprise presentations this fall. They were selected from 73 staff members nominated for distinguishing themselves with their leadership, innovation, outstanding professional practice, and positive contributions at work and in the community.

Tiffany Schreiber, Inclusion Educational Assistant at La Pine Middle School, was named Support Staff Member of the Year. “Tiffany treats every student and family with respect and dignity, taking the time to understand their individual educational, social, and emotional needs,” Principal Brian Barringer said. “Over the years, she has built meaningful, trusting relationships with families through her care and professionalism."

Lauren Miller, Learning Specialist at Cascade Middle School, was named Educator of the Year. “Lauren is a standout leader and advocate for students who is full of creativity, compassion, and a commitment to inclusive education,” Superintendent Steve Cook said. "She is a collaborator, an intense and compassionate listener, and turns ideas into actions that benefit all of her students."

Scott Olszewski, Principal at La Pine High School, was named Administrator of the Year. “What truly sets Scott apart is his unwavering dedication to the people he serves,” Superintendent Cook said. “He is the first to step in when there’s a need, and the last to leave when there’s work to be done. His collaborative spirit, combined with his deep understanding of the needs of our students and staff, has earned him the respect and admiration of all who work with him."

MidOregon Credit Union presented each of the three honorees with $500 to use in their classrooms or department.

Ross Tomlin took the oath of office and joined the Board of Directors for Bend-La Pine Schools on Tuesday night. A retired community college president who lives in La Pine, Director Tomlin was appointed by the board last month to fill a vacancy in the Zone 6 at-large seat.

“I am thrilled and honored to have been appointed to the Bend-La Pine School Board to fill the vacant position,” Ross said. “The vast majority of my career has been in education, and I am passionate about its importance and impact on the world. I will work hard with the other board members and the superintendent to maintain a high quality of education in our district and help all of our students to succeed.”

Ross and wife Joanne love Central Oregon and enjoy being outdoors camping, hiking and exploring the area with their chocolate lab Cassidy. They also love to travel and see new places. “I enjoy landscape photography as a hobby and am glad to have more time with it now that I am retired,” Ross added.

He was born in Texas and has lived in eight states from New England to the South to the Pacific Northwest. He shared they love Oregon the most.

Ross recently retired as President of Tillamook Bay Community College after 42 years in roles with several community colleges. He recently taught forestry at Central Oregon Community College and helped the La Pine High School forestry program prepare for state competition.

“My passion has always been education,” Ross said in his application for the appointment. “I truly believe it is one of the main keys to the success of our country. I would like to continue contributing to a successful educational system in Central Oregon that gets kids excited about learning and helps them find their passion in life to be a contributor to society.”

His appointment will run through June 30, 2025. The Zone 6 seat will be on the ballot in the May 20, 2025, election for a two-year term.

UpShift is a program for students who need help addressing their use of substances, including alcohol, tobacco, marijuana or other drugs. Students who are 12 or older can enroll in UpShift through a referral by caring adults.

Additionally, if a student violates school policy, instead of receiving an out-of-school suspension they may complete a series of individual counseling sessions, or be referred to individual counseling sessions with a healthcare provider. Services depend on the student's risk for substance use disorder.

Parents and guardians are involved in the process. Research shows that parents and guardians are the number one influence on the choices young people make about substance use.

UpShift uses a proven approach to reduce current substance use or prevent future substance use. It involves two to three individual counseling sessions. The main goal of the program is to help students be healthy, do well in school and related activities, and prevent future substance use.

CLICK HERE to learn more about UpShift.

Dinner was served for our community crafted by the talented Mountain View culinary students. Families enjoyed an inspiring guitar performance by two students from Caldera High School as we welcomed several community partners including the Bend Police Department, Deschutes County Healthy Schools, Deschutes Library, and representatives from Bend-La Pine Transportation, Human Resources, IT, and more.

Check out more photos from the evening. To all who joined us, families and staff, we are glad you are here!

Bend-La Pine Schools partners with community organizations working to promote safe storage of firearms in households. The goal is to prevent children and other unauthorized users from accessing guns kept in homes and vehicles.

Gun owners are welcome to pick up free keyed cable and trigger locks firearms at the Education Center, 520 NW Wall Street, in Bend. The locks were purchased by Gun Owners for Responsible Ownership with a grant, in part, from St. Charles Healthcare System. The nonprofit GOFRO also shared information on options to safely secure firearms at this link.

Central Oregon Gun Safety Advocates is also active in distributing free gun locks. Visit the COGSA website for details.

Here are additional resources for firearms safety:

Alliance For A Safe Oregon, an organization that works to prevent gun-related homicides, suicides, injuries, and unintentional shootings.

Be SMART For Kids, which promotes safety with its SMART program. SMART stands for:

• Secure all guns in your home and vehicles

• Model responsible behavior around guns

• Ask about unsecured guns in other homes

• Recognize the role of guns in suicide

• Tell your peers to Be SMART

Winter Break is around the corner and for many, it’s a joyful time for creating memories with family and friends. It also comes with stress and challenges. While we each celebrate the season, it’s important to stay mindful and take care of ourselves.

For helpful tips on creating a more stress-free holiday and contact information for professional support, click here.

We hope you have a safe, peaceful, and happy holiday season!

Bend-La Pine Schools will send you a text message if there is a lockdown or emergency evacuation at your student’s school, or if severe weather prompts the district to delay the start of school or close schools. You must sign up for our BLConnect service to receive these alerts.

Often, families sign up for BLConnect when their students are young, selecting the elementary school they attend. Don’t forget to update your subscription as your student advances to middle school and high school. You can easily change or add schools for which you want to receive alerts by visiting the BLConnect log-in page here: connect.bend.k12.or.us/login. Forgot your password? Look for the password retrieval link at the bottom of the log-in window.

To sign up for BLConnect alerts, please go to connect.bend.k12.or.us

December 21: Winter Solstice

December 25: Hanukkah begins

December 25: Christmas

December 26: Kwanzaa

The Board of Directors for Bend-La Pine Schools will hold its next meeting on Tuesday, January 14 at 5:30 p.m. at the Education Center, 520 NW Wall Street in Bend.

For information about board members, meetings and agendas, please visit our School Board page.

Catch up on all the news from the latest School Board meeting on November 12. Click here for Dr. Cook's recap.

Are you curious which district policies and regulations are currently under review? To see proposed changes and give feedback on new language, click here.

Bend-La Pine Schools has proposed updates to nine administrative policies and regulations concerning student enrollment, choice option programs, attendance areas and student transfers, admission of exchange students, and transfers related to high school athletics. The updates were presented at the December 10 School Board meeting and are scheduled to be adopted by the District in January.

Feedback regarding the proposed changes will be accepted until 5 p.m. on December 31, 2024. To see the proposed changes and provide comment, visit the Policies page of the District website or complete the comment form linked here.