Family Spotlight

Get ready to dive into forecasting season, celebrate our amazing school counselors, and help your student embark on a delicious culinary journey.

It’s forecasting season in Bend-La Pine Schools! Over the coming weeks, students will begin selecting courses for the 2026-27 school year. Forecasting is an important part of academic planning, helping students choose classes that support their interests, meet graduation requirements and align with future goals. Linked here is a general overview and timeline for this year’s forecasting process.

Students will receive support through school-based forecasting activities including:

• Grade-level lessons on graduation and diploma requirements
  
• Academic and postsecondary planning using SchooLinks
  
• Access to Curriculum Guides and forecasting resources
  
• Individual or small-group support from school counselors
  

8th grade students will also take part in high school transition activities, including fly-up visits and family information nights hosted at our high schools.

How Families Can Support

• Review course selections with your student
  
• Explore the Curriculum Guide and SchooLinks Course Planner
  
• Discuss diploma options, electives, and post-high school goals
  
• Reach out to your student’s counselor with questions before the forecasting window closes
  

Helpful Reminders

Course requests made during forecasting determine next year’s master schedule and staffing. For this reason, schedule changes in the fall are only made in cases of error or incorrect course placement.

If your student is interested in Bend-La Pine Online or other non-district courses, please review eligibility requirements and deadlines on our district website prior to submitting requests.

Together, we can help every student make thoughtful, informed decisions and set a strong path toward graduation and future success. Thank you for partnering with us during this important planning and transition period!

Bend-La Pine Schools is proud to support our teachers who pursue, achieve, and maintain certification with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).

Help honor two new National Board Certified teachers with Bend-La Pine Schools: Jackson Blackburn from Pilot Butte Middle School and Ryan McLaughlin from Pacific Crest Middle School. We’re also recognizing three teachers for maintaining their certification: Marci Adams, Elementary Instructional Coach; Alyssa Kornbrath, Pine Ridge Elementary School; and Jenny Brown, Caldera High School. Congratulations to all of them!

In achieving National Board certification, teachers demonstrate the professional knowledge, skills and practices required of an outstanding educator. Board certification allows teachers to reflect on their practice, showcase their teaching in the classroom, and demonstrate their dedication to students and their profession.

Our District now has 47 National Board Certified Teachers on staff – the most of any school district in Oregon. Bend-La Pine Schools is also the only district in the state to receive NBPTS' Distinguished District Award!

Sunday, February 15, is School Resource Officer (SRO) Appreciation Day, and the following week our school communities will be rolling out the love for these incredible individuals! Schools will share gifts, treats, thank-you cards, and plenty of gratitude to show just how much our SROs mean to us.

Our eight SROs do more than keep our campuses safe. They’re mentors, role models, teachers, and trusted allies. From safety lessons to leading clubs and building meaningful relationships, they help create schools where students feel secure, supported, and welcome every day.

A huge THANK YOU to our outstanding partners at the Bend Police Department and the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office. Your dedication, compassion, and commitment make a lasting impact on our students and staff. Because of you, our schools are safer, stronger, and better places to learn. We appreciate you, today and always!

Whether we're hit with snow or ice, help us keep your sidewalks clear and safe for students and families walking or rolling to school.

• Make sure driveways, crosswalks, and curb ramps are open and unblocked.
  
• Be careful to park your car so it doesn’t block any part of the sidewalk.
  
• Make sure sidewalks, driveways, crosswalks and wheelchair access ramps are open and unblocked.
  
• Keep bikes, scooters, signs, and garbage cans out of the path of travel.
  

Thank you for being a good neighbor!

Tell your students to pack their appetite and passport! Bend-La Pine Schools Nutrition Services is taking students on a flavor tour throughout southeast Asia. On Wednesdays beginning February 4, school communities will have the opportunity to explore a new country through a special lunch crafted by our own Executive Chef TJ Bennett. For this journey, no plane ticket is required!

Three Rivers K-8 5th grade teacher Jaime Kinsella was honored at the January School Board meeting as January’s Champion for Students. She’s taught at Three Rivers since 2012 and was nominated by her fellow 5th grade teacher, Ross White.

Principal Tim Broadbent said about Mrs. Kinsella, “Jaime is a caring and compassionate teacher who works diligently to build strong, meaningful relationships with all of her students and families. She goes above and beyond her classroom role by leading our elementary student council, where she empowers students to serve others and take pride in their school community. Under her guidance, students organize school-wide events such as food drives, blanket drives for Bethlehem Inn, and Spirit Week, fostering empathy, leadership, and school spirit. Jaime is also our go-to person when staff need support during difficult times, always stepping in with thoughtfulness and care. She is the kind of teacher students long remember. My own daughter had Jaime ten years ago and still asks about her every time she comes home from college, a testament to the lasting impact Jaime has on the lives of her students.”

Mrs. Kinsella, thank you for your focus, kindness, and creativity in everything you do for Three Rivers students, staff, and families. You enrich the learning environment for the entire community. Bend-La Pine Schools is proud to honor you as a true Champion for Students!

Every school day, our Transportation Department helps keep learning rolling across Bend, Sunriver, and La Pine. With more than 110 routes, our team safely transports about 6,000 students every day. That’s a lot of backpacks and bright smiles!

Behind the wheel are 120 certified drivers who collectively travel more than 1.5 million miles each year. Supporting them are our skilled bus mechanics, dispatchers, and support staff, all working together to make sure students arrive safely and on time.

To our entire Transportation team across the district, THANK YOU for keeping our district moving - rain, shine, or snow!

This week marks National School Counseling Week, and we're taking a moment to honor our 55 incredible school counselors who make a lasting difference in students' lives every single day.

Our counselors are truly at the heart of our schools. They provide essential social-emotional and academic support, recognizing and celebrating each student's unique strengths, experiences, and backgrounds. They use these assets to empower learning and foster growth.

From guiding students through college applications to exploring career pathways, our counselors are dedicated partners in helping each student realize their post-secondary plans and dreams. They work closely with students to ensure every path forward is one of possibility and purpose.

As valued members of our mental health team, our counselors work tirelessly to create positive school environments where healthy learning, living, and growing can thrive. Their dedication helps students achieve success today and plan for bright futures tomorrow.

Please join us in giving a BIG THANK YOU to our amazing school counselors, not just this week, but every day!

Black History Month

Career & Technical Education Month

Love the Bus Month

February 2-6: National School Counseling Week

February 14: Valentine’s Day

February 15: National SRO Appreciation Day

February 16: Presidents Day

February 17: Lunar New Year

February 17: Ramadan begins

February 21-28: National FFA Week

Getting help can be a daunting process. Care Solace provides 24/7/365 mental health care coordination Service for all employees of Bend-La Pine Schools, their family members, as well as our students and their families. Click the button above to connect with Care Solace.

If you need to talk, the 988 Lifeline is here. At the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, we understand that life's challenges can sometimes be difficult. Whether you're facing mental health struggles, emotional distress, alcohol or drug use concerns, or just need someone to talk to, our caring counselors are here for you. You are not alone. Click the button above to learn more.

Top row from left: Board Chair Marcus LeGrand, Shirley Olson, Ross Tomlin, Jenn Lynch.

Bottom row from left: Cameron Fischer, Kina Chadwick, Board Vice Chair Amy Tatom

The Board of Directors for Bend-La Pine Schools will hold its next board meeting on Tuesday, February 10 at 5:30 p.m. at the Education Center, 520 NW Wall St.

For information about board members, meetings and agendas, please visit our School Board page.

Catch up on all the news from the latest School Board meetings. Click here for Dr. Cook's recaps.

Are you curious which district policies and regulations are currently under review? To see proposed changes and give feedback on new language, click here.