The Current
LOSD News • Jan. 8, 2021
In this Message:
Message from the Superintendent
Plans to Begin Returning to In-Person School
Register for the School Bus
Grab & Go Meals Continuing Through End of School Year
Wednesday Workshops for Elementary Students; Take Survey for Planning
New Student Registration for 2021-22 School Year
Spanish Immersion Kindergarten Registration & Lottery for 2021-22
Interested in Waluga Memento?
New Elementary Standards-Based Report Cards
Supporting Students After Violent Media Events
School Board Meeting
DEI Advisory Committee Meeting
Bond Accountability Committee Meeting
LOSD CARES Connection and Resilience in Education Series
Get Social: Follow, Share, Engage @wearelosd
Rotary's SASEE Award Nominations Open
Regular Reminders:
- What's New at Community School
- Subscribe to Lake Oswego Schools App
- 3 Ws: Watch Distance, Wear Mask, Wash Hands
- Safe Oregon
Message from the Superintendent
The news of Governor Brown’s December 23 announcement signaled that we have a significant endeavor on the horizon. While the response to our plan to return students has been overwhelmingly positive, I also understand that there are mixed emotions about the news. As a district, we have engaged in serious contemplation and preparation throughout our system since last summer in order to be ready to safely return students to schools.
Per the Governor’s expectation, our plan for returning students prioritizes our youngest learners in the transition, and using that experience to inform additional transitions. Our local public health partners have emphasized that schools are safe when strict safety protocols are followed. As we proceed, and in coordination with our local health partners, we can look toward transitioning to in-person learning in our middle and high schools.
In order for this endeavor to be successful, we need your help. When students and families are seen around Lake Oswego gathering without masks, this erodes the confidence of teachers, staff and other families who want to know that everyone is contributing to a safe return of students. We all need to be able to trust each other and know that we are all helping make this possible. Please contribute to our ability to successfully return students to school by cooperating with preventive measures of wearing a mask and avoiding congregating. We are all counting on each other and the success of this endeavor is in all of our hands.
Plans to Begin Returning to In-Person School
For more information about our district and school blueprints, AM/PM Hybrid schedules, health and safety protocols, and more, please visit the district website Roadmap to Reopening.
Register for the School Bus
Click here to register for bus transportation for 2020-21 school year.
Registration will remain open until Friday, Jan. 15. After that, exact bus routes will be determined. The sooner people register, the fewer route changes need to be made once bus service begins. Thank you in advance for your prompt response in this essential preparation for in-person school.
Grab & Go Meals Free for the School Year
Due to new flexibility from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), LOSD is able to provide free packaged breakfasts and lunches for all children who wish to participate in the Grab & Go meal service.
Free meals have been extended from December 2020 through June 2021 to all children ages 1 to 18, even if they are not enrolled in LOSD. One meal kit per child. Face covering required at pick up.
Meal pickups are every Monday (three days of meals) and Thursday (four days of meals) at the following schools:
- Lake Grove, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
- River Grove, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
- Lake Oswego High School, 11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
- Lakeridge High School, 11:45 - 12:45 p.m.
While it is not currently essential to complete either the USDA or Oregon Expanded Income application, we encourage families that might be eligible to do so at your earliest opportunity. You can fill out the application online. Go to: https://www.ode.state.or.us/apps/frlapp
Wednesday Workshops for Elementary Students; Take Survey to Guide Planning
LOSD is exploring the possibility of offering enrichment classes on Wednesdays to create more connection experiences for our LOSD elementary students only and offered free of charge.
The goal of Wednesday Workshops is for each elementary student to take one, 60-minute enrichment class virtually that will run 4 to 6 weeks, from approximately February 10 to March 17, 2021. Classes will be scheduled from 9:15-10:15 a.m. and 10:30-11:30 a.m. and can accommodate both the AM and PM cohort schedules. Experience will determine if the program extends for a second session in the spring.
Wednesday Workshops will be offered through LOSD Community Schools, partnering with approved third-party instructors in art, science and engineering, as well as possibly world language.
Before the Wednesday Workshop is finalized, we are asking parents and guardians of elementary students to tell us your interest in participating in the program and letting us know what kinds of enrichment opportunities are most appealing to your family.
Please click here to complete an interest form. Thank in advance for your input.
New Student Registration for 2021-22 School Year
Registration for the 2021-22 school year will begin soon.
- January 20, 2021 for registering new students enrolling into grades 1–12 who have never enrolled in Lake Oswego before and returning students enrolling into grades 1–12 who are not currently enrolled but will re-enroll for next year.
- February 24, 2021 for registering new students enrolling into kindergarten for the 2021-22 school year.
- Students who are currently attending LOSD during the 2020-21 school year do not need to register for the 2021-22 school year.
LOSD is pleased to offer online registration through its parent portal, ParentVUE (contact your resident school for help with logging in). See the Registration & Verification page of the LOSD website for guidance.
Spanish Immersion Kindergarten Registration & Lottery for 2021-22
- Application available on the District website: February 24, 2021
- Application Deadline: March 12, 2021, 3:30 p.m.
- Lottery Date: March 17, 2021, 3:00 p.m.*
- Lottery Notification: March 19, 2021
*Should the district receive more applications than spaces available, a lottery will be held. Those wishing to participate in the lottery must submit their application to the District Administration Office no later than 3:30 p.m. on Friday, March 12, 2021.
*Younger siblings of students currently in kindergarten through 4th grade of the Spanish Immersion program have priority for enrollment only at the kindergarten level. Sibling priority does not apply to current siblings on the waitlist. If you currently have a child enrolled in LOSD’s kindergarten through 4th grade Spanish immersion program, you will have the first choice for enrollment in the kindergarten program. You will not be entered into the lottery, but you must submit an application to the program prior to the March 12, 2021 (3:30 p.m.) lottery deadline to be assured a slot. Slots not filled from sibling applications will be available in the general lottery.
Visit the LOSD Spanish Immersion Website for more details.
Interested in Waluga Memento?
New Elementary Standards-Based Report Cards
This year, the Lake Oswego School District shifts to a standards-based report card for students in elementary schools. This new report card measures a child’s progress toward proficiency or mastery of the priority standards in Reading, Writing, Language, Speaking, and Math.
This approach provides the means for communicating a child’s learning in more specific terms. Standards-based reporting articulates clear end-of-year grade-level standards for each subject. Using the scale below, teachers will communicate where a child resides on a learning continuum by indicating the student’s progress toward mastery of each identified grade-level standard.
The standards-based reporting scale:
4 = The student is highly proficient and works consistently at an in-depth and complex level within or beyond the end of year standard*
3 = The student is proficient and meets the grade-level expectation of the standard
2 = The student is nearly proficient and nearly meets the end of year standard
1 = The student is developing and demonstrates limited proficiency on the end of year standard
Important notes about the scale:
- Reporting is based on the end-of-year grade-level expectation. Therefore, proficiency would not be expected in the middle of the school year.
- A “2” represents the expected target for the majority of the school year as this indicates the child is progressing with the standard as expected. A “3” will be given when the student completely meets the grade-level standard.
- Details of what is expected at mastery level can be found on the report card or on the list of assessed grade-level standards.
- A “1” may prompt additional communication from the classroom teacher so parents will better understand their child’s learning journey.
*It is rare that a child will receive a “4” especially at the end of the first semester. A “4” score may prompt additional communication from the classroom teacher to discuss ways he/she is meeting the child’s unique learning needs.
Behavior Learning Targets are approached differently than end-of-year standards. For more information about your child’s progress, contact the classroom teacher.
Supporting Students After Violent Media Events
This week many eyes were on the disturbing events at our nation's capital, as they have been on many events across the country and in our metro area for the past several months.
We know that students of all ages will have seen images of violence and unrest. As parents and educators, we must not only make sense of this for ourselves, but also support our students in making sense of it as well.
We recognize that each family has their own way of addressing such events, our educators are additional trusted adults in the lives of our students, who they will likely look to for reassurance and explanation. The conversations that will surely arise from these events at school and home present an opportunity to remind our students that we can and must disagree without disrespecting, dismissing or harming others.
Our teachers and staff use many resources in guiding these discussions. This is a quick resource here that was updated this week and may be helpful for home or school.
Please check in with each other, create safe places for students to reflect and process, and ask for help if you need it.
School Board Meeting
All are welcome to observe the public sessions remotely.
Tuesday, Jan. 12
Executive Session 5:45 p.m. (private)
Contract Review Session approximately 6:00 p.m. (public)
Regular Session approximately 610 p.m. (public)
Click here for the agenda posted on district website
You can observe the meeting and listen to the discussion remotely in the same way you can with other board meetings. Simply click on the "View Live" link on losdschools.org. You can watch the meeting live or a recording afterwards.
Procedures for providing public testimony: The Board of Education values public input. If you wish to comment on an agenda item or another item not on the agenda, please submit your comments by 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021 by emailing losdschoolboard@loswego.k12.or.us. IMPORTANT: Please type “1/12/21 Testimony” in the subject line and include your full name in the body of the email. Names of patrons providing input will be read during the meeting and their written testimony will be posted online under the agenda item for which their testimony pertains to. For testimony received after the 12:00 noon deadline, names of patrons will not be read during the meeting, however, their testimony will be posted online at the conclusion of the meeting in accordance with the aforementioned procedures.
DEI Advisory Committee Meeting
All are welcome to observe the meeting remotely.
Wednesday, Jan. 13
4:30-6:30 p.m.
Please click here for Zoom link posted on the district calendar.
Bond Accountability Committee Meeting
Thursday, Jan. 14
4-6 p.m.
Please click here for Zoom link posted on the district calendar.
Introducing LOSD CARES: Connection and Resilience in Education Series
These are challenging times and almost everything about our daily lives looks different. LOSD strives to support our community and mental health continues to be a top family concern. In partnership with the LOSD Wellness Team (school counselors, social workers and district psychologist) and community mental health partners, LOSD is developing a workshop series for parents and guardians to support, inform, and empower families on issues surrounding mental health.
Workshops will be held virtually via Zoom and will include focused discussions and question and answer opportunities. Please mark your calendar for the first workshop Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021, 5-6 p.m.: “Resilience Panel” with Shannon O’Dell, PsyD & Pediatric Associates of the Northwest.
In the meantime, please complete this family interest survey: LOSD CARES Survey . Your input will help shape future workshops.
Resource of the week: A video about the importance of resilience https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm6Bf7JwK4g&feature=youtu.be
Please contact your school counselor or social worker with any questions.
Get Social: Follow, Share, Engage @wearelosd
Rotary's SASEE Award Nominations Open
Lake Oswego Rotary Club is seeking nominees for this year's SASEE Awards, which honor service above self in educational excellence.
Do you know an educator, support staff member, student or citizen who demonstrates a commitment to education through work, projects and activities that emphasize "service above self?" LO Rotary Club wants to recognize and support the people who make education in Lake Oswego exceptional.
Please click here to learn more and nominate someone.
LO Rotary Club awards thousands of dollars in cash and scholarships in several SASEE categories. In each case, SASEE Award recipients have the opportunity to “pay it forward” by passing their monetary award on to their school or project.
- Teachers, administrators and support staff: $1,000 for their school or project
- Students: $1,000 for their school or project
- Citizens: $2,500 scholarships awarded in their names to students who also demonstrate "service above self"
What's New at Community School?
The LOSD Community School is offering virtual enrichment programs and activities for students of all ages including culinary, STEM, arts, language, and athletics.
Subscribe to Lake Oswego Schools App
3 Ws: Watch Distance, Wear Mask, Wash Hands
SafeOregon
Parents who have concerns about a student’s well-being are encouraged to reach out to their principal, and to maintain strong lines of communication and partnership between students, families, staff, and other resources.
SafeOregon is also an effective way to report a tip regarding safety threats or potential acts of violence to our students or schools.
(Students should also be aware that intentionally providing a false report is a serious offense.)
Lake Oswego School District
Email: info@loswego.k12.or.us
Website: https://www.losdschools.org
Location: 2455 Country Club Road, Lake Oswego, OR, USA
Phone: (503) 534-2000
Facebook: facebook.com/LOSDProud
Twitter: @LOSD_Proud