BSD Briefs
September 5, 2017
District Goal: WE empower all students to achieve post-high school success.
Welcome to the 2017-2018 School Year!
Welcome to the 2017-2018 school year! I look forward to working with teachers, staff parents and community members to make a difference for all kids in the Beaverton School District.
As a District, WE have a lofty goal. WE empower all students to achieve post-high school success. Students deserve to be prepared with the academic skills, confidence and work ethic to be successful when they leave high school. The Beaverton community’s success depends on our students’ success.
Here are some of the key issues, goals and initiatives we will be working on this year include:
Safe & Welcoming Schools: Regardless of your political views, it is very apparent we are continuing to experience many volatile issues and events at the national level that are making their way into our classrooms, schools, and across all sectors of our educational environment. WE expect that each and every child walking into the Beaverton School District enters a supportive, safe, welcoming, and rigorous learning environment with high expectations. WE are committed to ensuring all students feel safe, supported, have the ability to reach their potential, are respected, and are free from prejudice, bullying, or harassment. We continue to refine school and District practices, policies, and governance strategies to make these goals a reality.
Improving Student Achievement and Opportunities for All Students: Our four Pillars of Learning described in our Strategic Plan will guide our work. Being able to expect excellence, innovate, and collaborate through an equity lens is needed to improve student outcomes. The District will be allocating additional resources to address some barriers to improving student achievement and opportunities. We are hiring specialists to address serious behavior issues at the elementary level, increasing career technical educational opportunities at the high school level, and ensuring students entering the Beaverton School District are prepared for kindergarten by developing an early childhood education program. We are committed to ensuring our students and parents receive timely and effective feedback by grading and reporting progress consistently. I believe these strategies will improve outcomes and opportunities for all of our children and families.
Early Release/Teacher Collaboration: One of the most valuable commodities in education is the gift of time. Our District has a tremendous opportunity this year to improve student achievement, engage in valuable professional development, and make adjustments to our instructional practices in an effort to help our students succeed. Beginning Wednesday, September 13, 2017, students will be released from school 90 minutes early to allow educators to engage in this valuable work. You will learn more about how this time is being used throughout the year.
Local Option Levy:
Our current Local Option Levy which generates $30 million annually and funds 300 teachers will expire in June 2018. The School Board is looking at options to bring forward to voters on the May 2018 ballot.
You will be hearing more about our local option levy in the near future.
I am humbled and honored to be leading the Beaverton School District. Please join us this year in helping us achieve our goal of student success. This will be a great year! Thank you!
Superintendent Don Grotting
First Day of School
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
(See the Back-to-School Packet for specifics)
Early Release
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
(students will be dismissed 90 minutes early)
Early Release/Teacher Collaboration – Wednesdays
Beginning next Wednesday, September 13, 2017, the District will implement a 90-minute early release on Wednesday afternoons to allow educators time to collaborate and participate in professional development opportunities.
Beginning Wednesday, September 13, 2017, dismissal times will be (subject to change):
- Elementary schools that start at 8:00 a.m. will dismiss at 1:05 p.m.
- Elementary schools that start at 8:30 a.m. will dismiss at 1:35 p.m.
- Hazeldale @ 118th will dismiss at 2:25 p.m. (2017-2018)
- Middle schools will dismiss at 2:20 p.m.
- High schools will dismiss at 1:00 p.m.
- Bridges Academy will dismiss at 1:00 p.m.
- ACMA, Health & Science, SST, ISB, Rachel Carson and Merlo will dismiss at 12:35 p.m.
The Early Release/Teacher Collaboration webpage has an updated FAQ and an animated video (English & Spanish) explaining Early Release and Teacher Collaboration.
Nutrition Services Information
Beaverton School District Nutrition Services (NS) Department serves meals that meet the nutrition standards set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These meals are funded by USDA reimbursements and meal sales. Breakfast and lunch is served at all schools, and afternoon snacks are served in qualifying schools.
The Oregon legislature provided funding to eliminate the reduced payment for School Breakfast and Lunch. For the school year 2017-2018, breakfast and lunch will be accessible at no charge to students who qualify for reduced price meals.
Meal prices for the 2017-2018 school year:
Elementary
- Breakfast: $1.45
- Lunch: $3.05
Middle
- Breakfast: $1.50
- Lunch: $3.25
High
- Breakfast: $1.60
- Lunch: $3.60
Adult
- Breakfast: $2.00
- Lunch: $4.50
Payments for school meals can be made by:
- Sending a check made out to "BSD-Nutrition Services" or sending cash.
- Making payments online at the SchoolCafé website or app. SchoolCafé is an on-line payment system that is linked to your student's cafeteria. Parents can register for a free SchoolCafe account on the SchoolCafe website. You will need to have your student's 6-digit school ID to do so, which you can get by contacting the school.
Note: If your student does not bring a meal from home and has a zero cafeteria account balance, then the District Meal Charging Procedures will be followed.
If you have further questions, please call the Nutrition Services Department at 503-356-3955.
Three New Schools to open this fall
Mountainside High School
Vose Elementary School
Sato Elementary School
On September 5, 2017, the Beaverton School District will welcome students into three brand new schools. The schools were built as part of the 2014 Bond Program. We thank the community for their support!
Mountainside High School is the District's sixth comprehensive high school. Mountainside will only have 9th and 10th grade students during the 2017-2018 school year, and will eventually grow to all four grade levels in 2019-2020. The school is an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma School, and will also have the IB Middle Years Programme for freshmen and sophomores. Mountainside will offer a variety of Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses, including marketing, culinary arts and construction.
Wood from the old barn on the property was salvaged and is used in the décor of the auditorium lobby.
The new Vose Elementary School will open its doors to students on September 5th as well. Vose students and staff spent the 2016-2017 school year in a temporary school in the Timberland area, while their school was demolished and rebuilt. The new Vose will have a capacity of 750 students and will open as a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) school.
Visitors to the new school may wonder what happened to the two giant sequoia trees that stood in front of the old building. Those trees were cut down to align the school's new main entrance drive to King Blvd. The wood from the trees was repurposed and will be used for several artistic and functional items in the new school.
Sato (pronounced saw-toe) Elementary School will also be a STEAM school. The District originally planned to build this new school in the North Bethany area during this school year, but moved it up a year due to growth and overcrowding.
Sato is named for a Japanese-American family who came to the area in 1926. Their four children graduated from Beaverton High School. During World War II, the Sato family was sent to the Minidoka Internment Center. Two sons, Shin and Roy, enlisted in the military. Shin died in combat in 1944. Roy was wounded twice and received the Purple Heart. The Sato family is buried in the Bethany Presbyterian Church cemetery on Kaiser Road.
Paying tribute to the site's farming roots, wood from the barn on the property was repurposed and covers a wall in the main office.
District Budget Committee Seeks Volunteers
The Beaverton School District has two vacancies on the Budget Committee and seeks a diverse candidate pool. These positions are in School Board Zone 1 (School Board member Susan Greenberg) and Zone 2 (School Board member Anne Bryan).
Individuals interested in serving on the Budget Committee need to live in the zone they wish to represent. The School Board Zones do not entirely match school attendance areas. Zone maps are available on the District website.
Candidates must also meet the following qualifications: be a qualified voter of the District, have lived in the District for one year and cannot be a Beaverton School District employee. For more information, or to apply, click here.
Beaverton School District
Read past issues of the BSD Briefs.
The Beaverton School District recognizes the diversity and worth of all individuals and groups. It is the policy of the Beaverton School District that there will be no discrimination or harassment of individuals or groups based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, marital status, age, veterans status, genetic information or disability in any education programs, activities or employment.
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