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FAMILY SPOTLIGHT
Jan. 5, 2023
Helping families stay connected to Bend-La Pine Schools
Applications Now Open for Choice Options, ACRs; Deadline Jan. 20
Applications are now open for families to submit an Attendance Area Change Request (ACR) or to apply for a choice option school for the 2023-24 school year. Interested families have until 3 p.m. Jan. 20 to submit a request or application for students in grades 1-12 (deadlines for incoming kindergarten students vary and are listed below.)


During the coming months, families and students will have the opportunity to learn about Choice Option schools during information sessions. All events will be accessible in English and Spanish.

Learn more about choice option high schools
Bend-La Pine Schools has two small choice option high schools, Bend Tech Academy at Marshall and Realm High. Families can learn more about the unique programs during upcoming information sessions or by watching the short video below. Applications are due 3 p.m. Jan. 20.
Together we can increase belonging in our schools and community
From Superintendent Steven Cook:
For me, the start of a new year is a time for reflection as I think about goals and intentions for the coming months. As I thought about my hopes for our students and schools, one powerful word kept coming back into my mind: Belonging. 

We know that a sense of belonging has a tremendous impact on student learning, connection and engagement. Every individual should walk into a school where they feel they are part of a community. Our 33 schools are places where people come together and learn in community with one another. But what does it mean to belong to a place and what can we do to foster belonging in our schools and, frankly, in our broader community? 

A sense of belonging starts with a culture that says we all have a right to be here and one that honors the worthiness of everyone.

News from the Board of Directors
Celebrating Bend-La Pine Schools’ Board of Directors

It’s time to celebrate the contributions of Bend-La Pine Schools’ Board of Directors as part of School Board Appreciation Month. Every January, School Board Appreciation Month is celebrated by school districts across the United States, including Bend-La Pine Schools, which will recognize the board during the Tuesday, Jan. 10 school board meeting.  
 
“Thank you to the seven dedicated volunteers who make up our Board of Directors. These community members spend countless hours in service of our students, staff and schools and I offer my heartfelt thanks of appreciation for their service,” said Superintendent Steven Cook.  
 
The work of the Board of Directors includes reviewing and approving budgets, education initiatives and policies as well as meeting with constituents and attending regular board meetings. The school board has governance responsibilities in four areas: vision, accountability, policy and advocacy. In addition to their policy work, board members invest their time in support of multiple key district initiatives.  
 
Members of Bend-La Pine Schools’ Board of Directors are Kina Chadwick, Chair Melissa Barnes Dholakia, Carrie McPherson Douglass, Vice Chair Marcus LeGrand, Shimiko Montgomery, Shirley Olson and Amy Tatom, Learn more about the Board of Directors on the School Board Member webpage.
Board policies in review: learn what's up next at January 10 meeting

The Board of Directors will review policies and regulations focused on student attendance, public contracting, purchasing limits and field trips/special activities at their January 10 board meeting. 
 
To view drafts of upcoming policies and regulations in review, please visit our Policies in Review webpage.
Stay up-to-date with Bend-La Pine Schools’ Board of Directors and Policies in Review

Individuals interested in receiving additional updates about the work of Bend-La Pine Schools’ Board of Directors can sign up to receive additional news. The information will include agendas and packets for upcoming board meetings, links to policies in review and other board-related news.   
 
Kudos and Celebrations
Join us in celebrating our law enforcement partners!
Jan. 9 is Law Enforcement Appreciation Day and we hope you’ll join us in saying thank you to our dedicated School Resource Officers and School Resource Deputies from Bend Police Department and Deschutes County Sheriff's Office. These dedicated individuals not only help keep our schools safe, but join our school communities to form meaningful relationships with students and staff. Our schools are truly safer and better places because of our SROs and SRDs!

(Pictured here is School Resource Officer Keely Cashman-Caceres sharing a high five with the Mountain View High School mascot.)
Key Dates
Upcoming key dates and days of recognition:

JANUARY
  • Jan. 9 - National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day
  • Jan. 10 – School Board Meeting
  • Jan. 16 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, No School
  • Jan. 20 – Area Change Request Deadline (grades 1-12)
  • Jan. 20 – Choice Option Application Deadline (grades 1-12)
  • Jan. 22 - Lunar New Year
  • Jan. 24 – School Board Meeting
  • February - Black History Month
  • Feb. 2 – No School, All Schools, Except BTA @ Marshall and Realms High
  • Feb. 3 – No School, All Schools
  • Feb. 14 – School Board Meeting
Parent Connect Workshops

Deschutes County is hosting upcoming workshops aimed at helping parents prevent substance abuse. Parent Connect workshops provide families with knowledge and skills to start conversations with their adolescents around difficult topics like vaping and other drug use. The workshops are intended for parents and guardians with adolescents in 5th-9th grade – ideally before substance use begins.
 
See the links below for the sign-ups for the final workshops:
Resources for Families
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