BSD Briefs
September 17, 2018
District Goal: WE empower all students to achieve post-high school success.
Students, staff and community members gathered at William Walker Elementary School for a ceremonial groundbreaking on Saturday, September 15.
Talking about Personal Safety with Children
You’ve likely heard the term “stranger danger,” the idea that children need to be wary of strangers. Did you know that many organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), doesn’t support the “stranger danger” message? Here’s why. NCMEC says children do not fully understand the concept and are confused by the idea of “good” and “bad” strangers. They will often describe a stranger as someone who is “ugly or mean” and don’t perceive “nice-looking or friendly” people as strangers.
NCMEC suggests empowering children with positive messages and safety skills that “will not only build their self-esteem and self-confidence, but also help keep them safer.” This includes learning how to recognize and avoid potentially dangerous situations, as well as learning effective steps to remove themselves from the situation.
It is important to teach children in a way that allows them to understand the situation without scaring them. Here are a few tips for parents:
- Instruct children to always join a friend when walking or biking to and from school.
- Teach children to never take short-cuts or go into isolated areas.
- Walk the route with your child, pointing out landmarks and safe places to go if they need
- help. A safe place can be a police station, fire station, church or retail shop along the route.
- Make sure your child knows that adults shouldn’t ask children for help.
- Teach children to trust their feelings if they feel uncomfortable, scared or confused.
- Teach children that it is more important to get out of a threatening or uncomfortable
- situation, than it is to be polite.
Please see the attached discussion guides offering age-appropriate messages and strategies.
BSD Communication About Lockouts
We received inquiries from parents about practices for communicating about lockouts following two instances of lockouts during the first week of school.
We encourage parents to watch our video outlining the difference between a “lockout” and a “lockdown.” A lockdown is called when there is a possible threat inside the school, while a lockout is called when there is a possible threat near the school or in the neighborhood.
The Beaverton School District does not typically send out parent notifications for lockouts for the following reasons:
- They are most often unrelated to what is happening inside the school.
- They are often due to police activity in the neighborhood.
- They are usually resolved quickly, often within minutes.
We always post a banner on our website when a lockout is in effect and is cleared. You can subscribe to our RSS feed so that you are always notified when a banner is placed on our website.
We do not typically send out notifications about lockouts via SchoolMessenger because the lockout will likely be resolved before the system is even finished sending out the notification. We do make exceptions to this practice if a lockout goes on for an extended period of time, or if it affects dismissal.
If a lockout happens during arrival, we work closely with our Transportation Department to hold or reroute buses as necessary, as well as with law enforcement agencies who provide support to ensure that students can be ushered into the school building safely.
Early Release
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
(students will be dismissed 90 minutes early)
School Board Business Meeting
Monday, September 24, 2018
6:30 p.m.
Administration Office
16550 SW Merlo Rd., Beaverton
Early Release
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
(students will be dismissed 90 minutes early)
Bond Accountability Committee Meeting
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Administration Office
16550 SW Merlo Rd., Beaverton
Absenteeism and its ill effects start early. One in 10 kindergarten and first grade students are chronically absent.
#EveryDayMatters #Attendance
*Source: Attendance Works
Did you know...Beaverton School District parents can create their own Canvas Parent Observer Accounts.
The Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) is used by many middle and high school teachers as an extension to in-class instruction. Teachers using Canvas can post assignments, give feedback, and communicate with students.
Parents or guardians do not need a Canvas account to monitor student progress, you can continue to use ParentVUE; however, you can create a Canvas account to view more detailed assignment information, view feedback and communicate with the teacher.
Think of Canvas as a virtual backpack, giving you a look at the day-to-day assignments. ParentVUE will still be the source for attendance and permanent record grades.
Visit the BSD Canvas for Parents webpage to learn more about how to create your own Canvas account, as well as answers to frequently asked questions.
Beaverton School District
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The District prohibits discrimination and harassment based on any basis protected by law, including but not limited to, an individual's actual or perceived race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national or ethnic origin, marital status, age, mental or physical disability, pregnancy, familial status, economic status, veteran status, or because of a perceived or actual association with any other persons within these protected classes.
Email: community_involvement@beaverton.k12.or.us
Website: beaverton.k12.or.us
Location: 16550 SW Merlo Rd, Beaverton, OR, United States
Phone: (503)356-4360
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeavertonSchoolDistrict/
Twitter: @beavertonsd