WLWV Community Update
West Linn-Wilsonville School District news and notes
Welcome Back! A message from Superintendent Kathy Ludwig
Our first day of school together began with sunshine-peeking through the haze, but warm and inviting nonetheless-and thousands of smiling faces! It has been incredibly satisfying to walk into schools today and see our children and their teachers deep into the joyful remembering of who we are as a caring community and setting the expectations for the important learning to come.
Our two new school buildings were also ready for children today, eager to step foot into new learning spaces and leave their inaugural print! Thank you to the hundreds of crew members, staff and teachers for your contributions in launching a successful first day of the 2017-2018 school year! Thank you parents for all you have done to help your children be ready for today!
Our district has a compelling mission, "How do we create learning communities for the greatest thinkers and most thoughtful people…for the world?" This mission question challenges and inspires us to commit our best efforts every day to our students-preparing them academically and socially with a global mindset so that they graduate high school confident, competent, compassionate and prepared for the world ahead.
This year our teachers, staff and administrators are approaching our mission with a focus on "leading together". Research demonstrates that while individual expertise can accomplish great feats, collective belief and endeavors have a powerful impact. This "collective efficacy"-belief and action-has the strongest statistical outcome for learning. We commit to being an organization with clear alignment, purpose and collective leadership towards those priorities and efforts that truly make a difference for each child, every child.
I look forward to this school year and to sharing examples with you over the course of the year as to how we are "leading together."
Welcome back to school and three cheers for a great first day together!
Kathy
Meridian Creek Opens
New Learning Opportunities
Sunset Ready for School
WLWV Welcomes Two New Schools!
The West Linn-Wilsonville School District officially welcomed students for the first day of school Tuesday, Aug. 29, marking the beginning of the 2017-18 school year and the opening of two new schools in Meridian Creek Middle School and Sunset Primary School.
Meridian Creek is the District’s fourth middle school, situated on Advance Road in Wilsonville. The opening of the building is the result of countless hours of work from building engineers, contractors, District officials and volunteers. The school includes a full-sized gym, cafeteria, performing arts classroom and performance stage, library, and a track and field that will be finished later in the year.
Sunset Primary also opened the doors to its new building for the first time Aug. 29. The school includes a new gym, music room, playground, and library in addition to many other features. Construction on the site of the old school will continue into the winter, resulting in an eventual visitor’s parking lot and play field for students.
Back-to-school Curriculum Nights
Welcome back to school!
With school back in session it’s time for students and their families to meet teachers and prepare for another great school year. Parents will get the chance to meet their students’ teachers, receive updates on what their children will learn this year, and what classroom expectations for the coming year will look like. All 16 of West Linn-Wilsonville’s schools will hold curriculum nights in September and October, where parent guardians can ask questions and learn more. Curriculum Night dates include:
- Wednesday, Sept. 6 — West Linn High School, 6:30 p.m.
- Thursday, Sept. 7 — Stafford Primary, 5:30 p.m.; Bolton Primary, 6 p.m.; Cedaroak Park Primary, 6 p.m.; Sunset Primary, 6 p.m.; Trillium Creek Primary, 6 p.m.; Willamette Primary School, 6:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, Sept. 12 — Meridian Creek Middle School, 6 p.m.; Rosemont Ridge Middle School, 6:30 p.m. (sixth-grade only)
- Wednesday, Sept. 13 — Boones Ferry Primary, 6 p.m.
- Thursday, Sept. 14 — Athey Creek Middle School, 6:30 p.m.; Wood Middle School, 6:30 p.m.; Rosemont Ridge Middle School, 6:30 p.m. (seventh- and eighth-graders)
- Monday, Sept. 18 — Wilsonville High School, 6:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, Sept. 20 — West Linn High School, 6 p.m. (freshman only)
- Thursday, Sept. 21 — Lowrie Primary, 6 p.m., Boeckman Creek Primary, 6:30 p.m.
Safe Routes to School
New 2017-18 Bus Routes! With a growing School District and a new school year comes updated bus routes for ALL West Linn-Wilsonville schools. While many stops and routes remain the same, several have changed to optimize efficiency. To view up-to-date routes, including snow routes, visit the District's website at https://www.wlwv.k12.or.us/buses. Bus routes can always be found under the District website's 'Community' tab.
WLWV also encourages students who wish to walk or ride their bikes to school, which is a healthy part of active living. For those students who choose to walk or ride their bike to school, WLWV has walking boundaries to ensure the safety of each and every student. Walkers and bikers should also utilize traffic signs and lights, hand signals when biking, and caution when cars are turning across bike lanes or through sidewalks. Students are also encouraged to wear bright colored clothing so that they are visible, and go slowly on sidewalks when biking. To view walking boundaries and safe routes to school, go to ‘Safe Routes to School’ under the Operations tab of the WLWV website at http://www.wlwv.k12.or.us/Page/11479.
Education Foundation celebrates 25 years
The West Linn-Wilsonville Education Foundation has been a vital partner to the West Linn-Wilsonville School District for the past 25 years, raising money for the hiring of new teachers with the goal of maintaining effective class sizes while fostering excellence in the District.
The Foundation donated a total of $114,000 to the District in August, all of which went to the hiring of new teachers. Now, the Foundation is back and ready to go for 2017-18, starting with a campaign to celebrate its 25th year. The campaign, called $25 for 25, asks for willing West Linn-Wilsonville families and community members to donate $25 for the occasion.
The Foundation is also gearing up for its Honor Our Teachers Campaign, also known as HOT, which recognizes and celebrates WLWV teachers and staff. Each donation includes a special certificate of recognition for a teacher or staff member. With each donation of $250 or more, a $10 gift card will be included and given to the selected individual. The HOT Campaign will start up in November and run through winter break.
For more information about the West Linn-Wilsonville Education Foundation, or to make a donation, go to www.wlwvfoundation.org.
Music and Arts Partners Gear Up for 2017-18
Music and Arts Partners, also known as MAP, are back and ready for another school year. The independent, volunteer nonprofit began raising funds for the West Linn-Wilsonville School District’s music and arts programs in 1995, raising nearly $1 million since then.
MAP raises money through membership donations as well as through their “Dollars for the Arts” campaign, which encourages every WLWV child to donate $1 in the spring. Funds raised by MAP go toward instruments, workshops, professional artists in residence, staging equipment for drama departments, and scholarships for graduating seniors. To become a MAP member or to learn more about the organization, go to http://bit.ly/2vMnAUW.
WLWV is Looking for Volunteers
Are you a past or present WLWV volunteer?
In an effort to increase safety and security for all West Linn-Wilsonville students, the District has launched an updated process for volunteer registration and sign-in, which better monitors exactly who is working in WLWV schools. While similar to the past system, the new system is implemented in a district-wide fashion.
That means that all volunteers will need to re-register, even if they've registered and volunteered at WLWV schools in the past. To register, simply visit http://www.helpcounter.net/wlwv and click 'Start' to fill out your application. You will receive an email when you have been approved, but the application approval process could take up to 2-3 days.
The first time that you sign-in to volunteer at any WLWV school you will also be prompted to accept a Volunteer Agreement.
Volunteering in WLWV schools is an extremely rewarding experience and it is greatly appreciated, by both staff and students.WLWV Partners With the SafeOregon Tip Line
In an effort to improve student safety across all West Linn-Wilsonville schools, the District is joining forces with Safe Oregon and the SafeOregon Tip Line. Many students already report issues of safety concerns, bullying, harassment, or possible suicidal thoughts to trusted adults around them, and the District will continue to foster an environment where children feel comfortable to confide in parents, teachers, school counselors, or building administrators. But in an effort to provide even more resources for students, the State of Oregon has developed an additional channel and method for obtaining help called the SafeOregon Tip Line.
The goal of the SafeOregon tip line is to prevent threats to school safety by providing schools and communities with a relevant reporting tool. Tips can be submitted by students through email, phone, text messages, the Safe Oregon mobile app or web portal. Tips are quickly reviewed by SafeOregon technicians, and are then passed to school administrators and local law enforcement agencies. If the tip requires an urgent response, technicians from Safe Oregon will call 911 for immediate help, as well as provide information to West Linn-Wilsonville school administration or school officials.
West Linn-Wilsonville administration will respond to all tips in an appropriate and timely matter, which can include gathering more information, communicating with key stakeholders, using the District Threat Assessment System, using the District Suicide Risk Assessment process, connecting the student with additional resources, contacting law enforcement, or any other responses that are appropriate.
You can learn more about Safe Oregon at http://safeoregon.com/, or contact your child’s counselor for more information.
Upcoming District Events
Early Release Wednesdays
Starting Sept. 27, the district will implement a two-hour early release on select Wednesday afternoons to allow educators time to collaborate and participate in professional development opportunities. Upcoming Early Release Wednesdays include (subject to change):
Wednesday, Sept. 27
Wednesday, Oct. 25
School Board Meeting
Monday, September 11
6 p.m.
Administration Office
22210 S.W. Stafford Road
Tualatin
About the West Linn-Wilsonville School District
The West Linn-Wilsonville School District is nationally recognized for its high student and staff achievement, including one of the top graduation rates in the State of Oregon. West Linn-Wilsonville serves nearly 10,000 K-12 students across 16 schools in West Linn and Wilsonville, with a mission of creating learning communities for the greatest thinkers and the most thoughtful people for the world. WLWV strives to provide challenging education opportunities that prepare students to be college and career ready.
Website: https://www.wlwv.k12.or.us/
Location: 22210 Southwest Stafford Road, Tualatin, OR, United States
Phone: 503-673-7000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WLWVschools/
Twitter: @WLWVschools