Lifting Belief & Belonging!
August 29, 2022
Welcome back! It is so exciting to welcome our students back into buildings today! It has been wonderful to have the opportunity to see so many of our colleagues these past couple of weeks getting set and ready for students to enter the doors this morning. It is a huge accomplishment every year to support our community.
Something that makes our return to school so special, is the incredible dedication of each and every individual. You! This weekend I had the opportunity to attend a concert at Edgefield. It was beautiful as always. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss have a mesmerizing tone, but that is not the point of this story ;) During one moment, Robert Plant was sharing about a song that meant a lot to him when he was younger. He referenced it as “before I became the other guy.” It had a tone of nostalgia with a sense of distance from a former self. I found myself wanting to close that distance for Robert Plant and celebrate that it isn’t distance from a former self, but rather his experiences, his life, and his journey that are always coming together to provide the opportunities for him to share who he is with others. Likewise, we could reflect on our former selves, or celebrate our journeys and how that shapes who we are today for our students, for our colleagues, our families and ourselves.
Our shared work for students is so deep, and so complex, and so collaborative. It is each individual and their journey and their experience that create our collective and contribute to making our schools exactly what they need to be for students. You . . . and your myriad of experiences, near and far, are exactly perfect for our students. Now, not to be like Led Zepplin and ramble on, thank you for being you, for sharing yourself, and your passion.
WE’VE GOT THIS!
Meet NICOLE HYATT, our New Assistant Director!
Hello! As we start the new school year, please allow me to introduce myself and to tell you how excited I am to be here, working alongside you. I have always admired you for your commitment to inclusive practices, your students, and to each other. As I had mentioned at the SpEd Kick Off, this district is really the only district that could have enticed me to leave Newberg.
I cannot believe I’m going to say this, but I am starting my 32nd year in education (32nd?!). I started my career at Newberg High School, first as a social studies teacher, and then as a learning specialist. During my time in Newberg I worked as a learning specialist, an instructional coordinator, and an administrator across all levels. I have particular interests in supporting students on the autism spectrum, as well as creating access to grade level content for all students. My favorite moment is always the one that happens when we’ve worked with a family through multiple meetings, over time and all of the sudden, the plan we worked so hard to create is actually working. That is a glorious moment.
During my years in special education, I worked with my husband, Tim, to raise two young men who I happen to think are pretty fantastic. Nate is 28 and a graphic artist in Portland. Colin is 24, lives in Tualatin, and is figuring out what he wants to do with his degree in political science (I doubt it will have anything to do with politics). While my sons were growing up, I often found myself a little lonely as the only woman in the family. Even our dogs were male. That all changed though when Nate married his beautiful wife,Talline. Not only is she another woman in the family, but she is also a high school social studies teacher! I enjoy talking shop with her and I am so very grateful she is part of our family.
I couldn’t talk about family without mentioning my two furry family members. We have a Schnoodle named Louie who loves people. He also loves to climb trees and pry loose fence boards open so he can meet more people! Pepper, a Yorkie, is my grandpup and Louie’s best friend. He is a typical Yorkie and doesn’t really care whether you live or die, but he is proud of his new haircut and wants you to notice it.
When I’m not working, I try really hard to find time to kayak, read, oil paint and draw. I also follow my husband Tim on whatever new crazy adventure he’s cooked up. The most recent one involved a
hydroplane he built from the ground up to race in boat races across southern Oregon and northern California. It didn’t really play out the way he’d hoped. Next time you see me, ask me what happened and I’ll tell you the story.
I am so very honored to be working with all of you. Not a day goes by where I don’t reflect on how grateful I am to be part of this community. I look forward to meeting you all personally throughout the year and to sharing this incredible journey with you.
Thank you,
Nicole
Supporting our Students Participating in WKOA
Our fabulous learning specialist partners at Bolton Primary School and Stafford Primary School will be providing the supports and case management from a learning specialist. Our teams are new in this work and new to our students, but they are determined, deep professionals and will do great in this work! You will see one of their names listed for case management in epep for students who are attending WKOA.
~A quick shout out to these professionals:
Priscilla Kelly, Katie Madson, Morgan Price, Myndi Brand, & Becca O'Brien! ~
Our school based teacher librarian, counselor, school psych, SLP, PT, OT and Nurses will continue to wrap around our students in WKOA. Thank you everyone for continuing to grow with this academy.