Westridge Wildcat News
January 24, 2020
In This Edition
- Health Curriculum Information
- School News
- Office Information
- District News
- Elementary Boundary Review
Important Dates:
- No School: January 24th: (Grade Prep day)
- SAVE THE DATE! Westridge STEM Night February 13th 5:30-7:30pm
Important to Know About our Health Curriculum
The State of Oregon requires local school boards adopt curriculum in alignment with state law. One issue that can be contentious is around Oregon’s Human Sexuality Education curriculum.
Following is important information to know about the health curriculum:
Sexual Abuse Prevention
In 2015, the State of Oregon passed Senate Bill 856 - Erin’s Law - that addresses sexual abuse prevention instruction, and it requires schools to provide a minimum of four instructional sessions each year on sexual abuse prevention instruction. The sessions are in every grade level, kindergarten through twelfth grade.
The bill also creates a state requirement for districts to develop comprehensive sexuality education plans that integrate sexual abuse prevention. The plans must be aligned with state standards and will be revisited every two years.
Also required is sexual abuse prevention instruction that is:
Age appropriate, medically accurate and not shame or fear based;
Clear about the effects of trauma on victims of abuse; and
Culturally inclusive and responsive to diverse students.
Equity and Access
Another impact on the school district's curriculum is the revised 2015 version of the National Health Education Standards. One major adjustment is a new chapter on equity and access for all students.
Equity involves fair treatment of each and every student, while access involves making services open to everyone who is entitled to them, free of any form of discrimination based on factors such as gender, culture, race, religion and sexual orientation.
NOT OPTIONAL
Consistent with the law, in 2017, the Lake Oswego School Board voted in favor of creating a human sexuality education plan that maps out how to implement new state health education standards and achieve compliance with new state legislation on sexual abuse prevention instruction and education.
As part of that plan, LOSD adopted the Great Body Shop. It is a curriculum used nationally, that includes lessons noted as “for consideration.” However, these lessons are mandated by the State of Oregon Department of Education standards. Therefore, what some refer to as “optional” are not optional for public schools in Oregon.
LOSD's mission is to provide a safe and inclusive schools for each and every student in our care. The safety of our students is paramount.
Questions - please ask your child's teacher, our RTI Specialist (Lindsey Kopacek), or me!
Principal Montgomery
School News:
Kids Heart Challenge!
Westridge is getting ready to kick off Kids Heart Challenge with the American Heart Association!
Kickoff: January 21-23
Activities in PE: January 27-February 14
Meet our Heart Heroes that will help us fight heart disease and teach us how to keep our hearts happy while helping others! You can get a jump start by registering online today! Download the FREE App called Kids Heart Challenge for Apple or Android or visit www.heart.org/kidsheartchallenge and search Westridge Elementary to get started. #kidsheartchallenge
Thank you for helping our school and the American Heart Association save lives!
Office Information:
Cut off time for change of "go home" plan or bus passes:
If you need to change your child(ren)'s go-home plans or have a bus pass issued by the office, please let the office and teacher know via email by Noon. You can also call in to the office by Noon. If you have last-minute emergency changes, please call into the office instead of emailing. Thank you
Reporting Absences
District News:
Elementary Boundary Review:
Principal Montgomery and two Westridge parents are representing Westridge at the Elementary Boundary Review Committee Meetings.
Information regarding the Elementary Boundary Review, along with meeting minutes can be found on the Boundary Review webpage: https://www.losdschools.org/Page/7385
There will be an Open House on February 5th at Lakeridge High and March 4th at Lake Oswego High School from 6-8pm. We encourage community members to provide feedback and hear about the committee's work. See the website for more information.
Save The Date! Foundation Gala!
Please save the date for the First Annual Foundation Gala.
Hosted by the Lake Oswego Schools Foundation Board, this will be a fun evening of coming together to celebrate education in our community (yes this will replace the luncheon). We hope you can join us! More details coming, tickets go on sale in early February.
First Annual Foundation Gala, a celebration of education
March 7, 2020
6:30 to 10:00 p.m.
Ironlight, 525 3rd Street, Lake Oswego, OR 97034
p.s. This event is the same day as Coyote Day. We hope you will still be able to join us, please buy a ticket and let us do the rest!
Making Sure You Receive Important District News
The Lake Oswego School District newsletter The Current is emailed to all families every Friday afternoon. It contains important district-wide news and information. As of this November, it is now coming to you from LOSD's new director of communications, Mary Kay Larson, mary.kay.larson@loswego.k12.or.us.
Because Mary Kay is a new sender, the newsletter message is going straight to many people's Spam folders. To recover the message and start receiving it directly in your in-box, please follow these steps:
- Go to your Spam folder.
- Find the message to move out of Spam.
- Click on “not spam” and the message will move to your in-box
Please note, in Spam, the newsletter formatting is compressed as a way of protecting your system from potentially unsafe content. Moving the message out of Spam will open up the newsletter in full view.
After moving the message out of your Spam folder once (maybe twice), your system should start accepting the newsletter directly into your in-box.
Thank you!
Lake Oswego School District App:
Safe Oregon
The Oregon State Police is pleased to announce the availability of SafeOregon, a new school safety tip line program available to all public k-12 schools in Oregon. SafeOregon is a way for students, staff, or other members of the public to anonymously report and share confidential information of a threat or a potential threat to student safety. Trained staff are available 24-hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year reached through a phone call, text message, mobile application or website. The main goal of SafeOregon is to intervene at the earliest possible point in the life of a young person who is struggling, helping them when they need it, before the situation turns into a tragedy.
SafeOregon is designed to encourage Oregon students to share and respond to anything that threatens their safety or the safety of others, anything that makes a student feel unsafe, or if a student knows someone who feels unsafe. Here are a few examples: safety threats, violence, threats of violence, fights, drugs, alcohol, weapons, bullying or friends that talk about hurting themselves, harassment, intimidation, cyber bullying, or self-harm.
Tips can be submitted 24/7/365 through the SafeOregon.com web portal, by email to tip@safeoregon.com through the SafeOregon mobile application (available for android or ios device), or by calling or texting 844-472-3364. Tips are promptly analyzed and routed for the most appropriate follow up and urgency. This may be to school officials, law enforcement, community mental health programs, or other appropriate local or state agencies. Tip Line staff make sure follow-up is noted.
For more information, please visit safeoregon.com.
Additionally, it is a violation of ORS165.570 to improperly use the SafeOregon system.
Oregon State Assessments Opt Out:
Every year, Oregon students take assessments prescribed by the State Department of Education. The purpose of these assessments is to provide data that schools can use to ensure each and every child is on track and achieving learning goals. Results are also used to inform course placement and provide focused feedback to students and parents.
State law requires us to inform you that a form is available from the Oregon Department of Education that allows you to opt your child out of the math and English Language Arts assessments for the 2019-20 school year. Should you wish to opt out your child, fill out the form and submit it to the main office at your child’s school.
If you have questions or want more information about state assessments, please contact your child’s principal or teacher(s).
Click here for opt-out form for Math and English Language Arts
Westridge Elementary
Email: kari.montgomery@loswego.k12.or.us
Website: https://www.losdschools.org/wr
Location: 3400 Royce Way, Lake Oswego, OR, USA
Phone: (503) 534-2371