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Dear Helman Families,

If we were in person, this next week we would join together for a districtwide assembly and March to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's teachings and share in our collective learning and hope. Each school is holding their own Zoom assembly this year. Helman students are learning about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement in class and we will hold our assembly Friday, January 22.

Monday there will be no school in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's birthday. This year, in lieu of an in-person community celebration, a community-wide challenge to read his book Why We Can't Wait has kicked off. You can learn more about the challenge here. On Monday, January 18 at 2:00pm a video event with a panel discussion will take place. You can visit https://www.somlk.org/ to learn more about the challenge and the event. I'm taking the challenge to learn more about Dr. King’s nonviolent organizing and apply his teachings to my life in Southern Oregon today and reading Why We Can't Wait. I hope you will join me.

Warmest regards,

Michelle Cuddeback

Principal (she/her/hers)

i-Ready Diagnostic Testing

The Fall i-Ready diagnostics provided us with helpful student data. Next week, we will begin to administer our Winter i-Ready diagnostic assessment. These assessments in Reading and Math help us to understand how to best support your child’s learning. Please look for communication from your child's teacher regarding the specific dates and times for these assessments.

About the i-Ready Diagnostics

• The diagnostic is adaptive, which means it will get easier or harder based on the questions students can answer.
• Students will see questions they do not know how to answer, and that’s okay!
• Help reassure your child; 50% of the questions might feel really hard, and that is normal!
• This diagnostic assessment determines what students have learned, and what they still need to learn so that their personalized instructional program fits their learning needs.
• Remind your child of how the data will be used. This assessment will help make sure lessons are “just right” for them. The assessment will also help us know how to best support their learning.
• Help your child be ready: in a quiet work space, on-time to class, and understanding that the most important thing is to try each problem and do their best!

Remember!

• Do not help your child. This skews the data, and makes it more difficult to provide an appropriate support and a personalized instructional program.

Please watch this family i-Ready Preparation Video and the linked family flyer for more information. Please note that we are not requesting that families return any of these forms.

Thank you for your continued support!

Do you think your child could benefit from counseling services? We have partnered with Family Solutions and have a limited number of available counseling services for students who currently have OHP. If you would like to pursue these options for your child, please contact meredith.mcfadden@ashland.k12.or.us.

Families who have experienced income loss may now be eligible for free or reduced-price school meals. Apply online or contact your local school.

DHS will continue to work with federal partners to provide help to Oregonians in need. To apply for Nutrition Assistance, visit needfood.oregon.gov or call 2-1-1.

If you need help paying your electric bill, check out the Oregon Energy Fund. It provides funds for energy assistance to more than 30 partner agencies and nonprofits in Oregon. Find more information here.