WLWV Community Update
Thanksgiving Special Edition
Happy Thanksgiving! A Message From Superintendent Kathy Ludwig
Dear Community of West Linn-Wilsonville,
This time of year prompts us to pause, gather with our family and friends, open our hearts and homes, and give thanks. To nurture gratitude for the tangible and intangible aspects in our lives actually has research-based benefits! Recent studies link a fostering of gratitude to increased physical health, positive mental outlook and greater resilience.
I can easily count my blessings: I am grateful for the opportunity each day to work alongside a highly talented group of professionals where everyone commits to doing what is best for children, every day. They bring thoughtfulness and deep care to their work, collaborating with others and stretching their own skillset to grow in new and exciting ways. I’ve seen countless examples of teachers and staff, “leading together”, stepping into roles of leadership or initiating new ideas that move our mission forward. They inspire me to be a better educator, a better leader and a better person.
I am grateful to our parents and patrons for the many ways you volunteer, contribute and support the success of our students, staff and school communities. You help nurture a culture of warmth, inclusivity, and kindness in our schools. I am grateful for our energetic PTAs, booster clubs, MAP volunteers and Education Foundation board members; for volunteers who give their time and spirit to expand the educational opportunities for all children in our district. I am grateful for our School Board members who lead with integrity, generosity of time, and a spirit of optimism and belief in our students and staff.
I wish all of you a joy-filled Thanksgiving holiday with family, friends and neighbors. Embrace the sights, sounds, traditions, foods, and moments with those you love.
With gratitude,
Kathy Ludwig
Education Foundation Kicks Off HOT Campaign
Each year from November until Winter Break, the West Linn-Wilsonville Education Foundation celebrates the season of gratitude with the Honor Our Teachers campaign.
The Honor Our Teachers (HOT) campaign provides a special way for you to share your appreciation for our dedicated educators. By making a donation to the West Linn-Wilsonville Education Foundation, you can thank our teachers and staff. They will receive a special certificate of recognition to hang in their classroom or office. They will also receive a notification that your gift was made in their honor. It’s an exciting way to celebrate our teachers and staff.
With a donation of $250 or more, the Foundation will also include a $10 gift card to each teacher or staff member you honor (up to 4). The gift cards are funded by a generous grant, so your total tax-deductible donation can be used by the Foundation to help fund additional teaching positions to our schools.
The West Linn-Wilsonville Education Foundation is a nonprofit organization that raises funds to hire new teachers, maintain effective class sizes, and foster excellence in the WLWV School District.
WLWV Staff Engage in Professional Learning
With Thanksgiving just a couple short days away, it’s natural to have turkey on the brain. But before West Linn-Wilsonville staff gather around the Thanksgiving table, teachers and administrators spent Monday and Tuesday engaging in some high level professional development and learning.
Principals and their school teams spent their time without students working on a variety of subjects. At the primary level, many schools participated in work around word study — a cohesive approach to spelling that addresses word recognition, vocabulary, and phonics. By looking at patterns, word study is an alternative to the traditional method of simple memorization of random words. The district’s work around word study has been ongoing in an effort to increase reading comprehension and other relevant skills for WLWV students.
WLWV instructional coordinators, with the help of principals and district administration, recently finalized a comprehensive word study document that was made available for teachers of all levels. The resource provides specific lesson planning and assessment measures that aid in instructional planning. Primary school staffs reviewed the document and concepts of word study on Monday and Tuesday.
“I’m really excited about the work our instructional coordinators have done around word study,” said Assistant Superintendent of Primary Schools David Pryor. “That document will be a great resource as teachers really take a deep dive into their work.”
Primary school staff also engaged with math curriculum during their professional learning time, taking a closer look at recent Smarter Balanced data as well as interim testing through Measures of Academic Progress, also referred to as MAP testing.
“The first half of Monday we’re going to continue to work on mathematics with a focus on conferring and also how we utilize formative assessment to help look at the next steps that you might use in a teacher-student conference,” said Boeckman Creek Principal Lindy Sproul.
Other schools like Willamette and Stafford Primary spent time thinking about their PLCs (Personal Learning Communities). Small teacher teams that collaborate throughout the year, PLCs are a continued focus for principals and their staffs, who have spent the early part of the year working to improve teacher practices and student outcomes in the classroom.
“We’re going to focus on building our collective efficacy through a renewed focus with our PLCs,” said Willamette Principal Patrick Minor. “We’ve done a lot of good work recently around our practices and our beliefs, and our PLCs allows us time to build off some of the deep work we’ve been doing.”
At the middle and high school levels, school teams reviewed the Five Dimensions of Teaching and Learning — Purpose, Student Engagement, Curriculum and Pedagogy, Assessment for Student Learning, and Classroom Environment and Culture.
Like primary schools, secondary schools also took advantage of their time on Monday and Tuesday to continue working on inclusive practices, student equity, and student efficacy. Teachers are focused on empowering students as learners, while bringing them into the conversation around their own learning.
“Giving students a voice and really listening to what they have to say about their progress as learners continues to be an emphasis for us at West Linn High School,” said Principal Kevin Mills.
Social studies teams revised lessons to add access points for students based on professional learning they participated in last week, while language arts, world language, and science teams also engaged in professional learning of their own by taking a look at assessment and instructional practice among other topics.
"This type of work requires the deprivatization of your practices and it requires you to be vulnerable," said Athey Creek Middle School Principal Joel Sebastian. "We know that we're most effective when we're collaborating, and true collaboration requires time, training, persistence, and that vulnerability piece."
At Arts and Technology High School, teachers spent part of Tuesday exploring the school's new maker space. CTE Teacher Philip Clark taught staff about new technologies the school has purchased, and how they might be able to implement them into their own classes and curriculum.
To cap off their learning before enjoying Thanksgiving themselves, schools took the time for some staff bonding during Monday and Tuesday's professional learning time. Stafford Primary painted their own Gratitude Rocks to start out Monday (which they will spread throughout the community), and other schools ended their work with ice cream and other light-hearted activities.
“We had a great day of rich, meaningful learning,” said Lowrie Principal Patrick Meigs.
Athey Creek Enjoys Exercise with Annual Turkey Trot Celebration
Athey Creek Middle School's longstanding tradition, The Turkey Trot, was another rousing success. Students brainstormed class themes before performing elaborate skits at a morning assembly on Friday, Nov. 17. There were math themes such as "Thanksgiving Pi," as well as unity themes like "The Inclusive Wrappers."
Students followed up their schoolwide showcase by taking part in an entertaining obstacle course around the school, the culmination of a weeks-long canned food drive fundraiser that raised money for disaster relief. And of course no Turkey Trot is complete without a treat at the finish line, ensuring students went off to Thanksgiving break on a high note.
Upcoming Events
Thanksgiving Break: Monday, Nov. 20-Friday, Nov. 24 — There will be no school for all WLWV schools from Nov. 20-24. Staff and teachers will participate in staff development on Nov. 20-21.
Professional Growth Wednesday (Early Release): Wednesday, Dec. 6 — Professional Growth Wednesdays include a two-hour early release on select Wednesday afternoons to allow educators time to collaborate and participate in professional development opportunities.
School Board Meeting: Monday, Dec. 4 — The WLWV School Board will hold a public meeting on Monday, Dec. 4. The meeting will be held at the district office; 22210 SW Stafford Road, Tualatin. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. and is open to the public
About West Linn-Wilsonville
Website: https://www.wlwv.k12.or.us/
Location: 22210 SW Stafford Rd, Tualatin, OR, United States
Phone: 503-673-7000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WLWVschools/
Twitter: @WLWVdistrict