Family Spotlight

• Wednesday, September 3 – 1st Day for grades 1-6, 9
  
• Thursday, September 4 – 1st Day for grades 7-8, 10-12
  
• Friday, September 5 – 1st Day for all kinders*
  

*Kindergarten start is staggered, with half attending on September 3, the other half attending on September 4, and the whole group coming together on September 5. Your school will communicate your start date to you.

New to Bend-La Pine Schools? We can’t wait to meet you! Go to bls.fyi/enrollment2025 to begin your enrollment process. If your student attended Bend-La Pine Schools last year, there is no need to re-enroll.

It’s almost time to set the alarms!

• Elementary: 7:45 a.m. – 2:15 p.m.
  
• Middle: 8:45 a.m. – 3:45 p.m.
  
• High: 8:45 a.m. – 3:45 p.m.
  
• Three Rivers School: 8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
  
• Westside Village: 8:35 a.m. - 3:35 p.m.

Be ready for School Improvement Wednesdays!

Beginning September 10, students will be released 90 minutes early every Wednesday. This is an important time for your child’s teacher to improve student learning and achievement through collaboration, training, enrichment, and professional growth. When teachers have the weekly opportunity to discuss effective teaching methods, cooperatively design teaching materials, and coach one another, our schools make significant improvements.

School Improvement Wednesday release times:

• Elementary schools: 12:45 p.m.
  
• Middle and high schools: 2:15 p.m.
  
• Three Rivers School: 1:00 p.m.
  
• Westside Village: 2:05 p.m.

Schools work with community partners to provide after-school opportunities for families on these days. Please contact your school for more information.

Registration for fall sports and activities is open now! We are excited to announce our partnership with FinalForms to provide a streamlined tool to register students for athletics and activities.

If you have a student who will be participating in middle school or high school sports, you will use FinalForms to complete and sign their participation forms. The best part is that FinalForms saves your information from season to season and year to year. You also may review your registration information at any time to verify it’s up to date. You will be asked to sign your forms once every year and after any update. We invite parents and guardians to create their FinalForms account at:

bend-or.finalforms.com

You can find instructions here. We hope you’ll like this new tool for getting students ready to play and participate in school activities. We are excited to see them this year on the fields, courts and other competitive venues!

In Bend-La Pine Schools, all of the materials students need for instruction are provided. Families are welcome to provide personal items such as backpacks, water bottles, and headphones.

If your family needs help securing a personal item, reach out to your school’s FAN advocate for support. Not familiar with FAN? Your Family Access Network Advocate is here to assist all families with children, birth through graduation! If you have questions about Wi-Fi connectivity, Oregon Health Plan, food, rent, or utility help, reach out. Their goal is to make sure that your child has everything they need to be ready to learn. Call your school’s main office or go to bls.fyi/fan.

Is your student riding the school bus during the 2025 - 2026 school year? Registration is required, even if your student rode the bus last year.

If you have a student this year who is eligible for transportation, please log into your ParentVUE account and use the Online Registration tool. Select the "Annual Request for Transportation" tile to walk you through the bus rider registration process. If you need assistance with logging into or trouble shooting your ParentVUE account, please email student-request@bend.k12.or.us. To find out if your student is eligible for transportation, go to bls.fyi/bus.

Our transportation department is using a new and improved app for families - My Ride K-12. It includes notifications and real-time updates.

For in-person assistance with transportation registration, we have two events just for you. You’ll find technical assistance, translators, and snacks.

Monday, August 18, 1:30 - 6:30 pm at Bend Transportation Office, 501 SE 2nd St, Bend

Wednesday, August 20, 1:30 - 6:30 pm at La Pine Elementary, 51615 Coach Rd, La Pine

You can also find step-by-step instructions in this video. If you have any other questions, please email transportation@bend.k12.or.us. And happy riding!

If you plan on visiting your child's school, don't forget your government-issued photo ID. You may be visiting for a concert, to enjoy lunch with your student, or to participate in an IEP meeting. Whatever the reason, safety procedures remain in place to keep our school community safe. All visitors must sign in at school during regular business hours using our Raptor kiosk, the digital sign-in roster. It is critical to know who is in our schools at all times, and no exceptions can be made in this process.

If you are interested in volunteering at your student’s school, learn more at bls.fyi/volunteer.

Did you hear the scrumptious news? All schools in the District qualify for the federal Community Eligibility Provision program. All students are eligible to receive one free breakfast and one free lunch each school day. No application is required.

Daily menus including nutritional information and allergens can be found on our website: bls.fyi/menu. Parents/guardians of students with special dietary needs may reach out to their school nurse.

Stay in the loop regarding all important information. Sign up for BLConnect, an emergency alert text messaging system. Register at bls.fyi/blconnect.

Signing up for the text message alerts through BLConnect allows families to hear news and updates directly from Bend-La Pine Schools, rather than from an alternate source. Stay connected!

Are you covered? Bend-La Pine Schools does not carry accident insurance for students. This means that you are responsible for the medical bills if your child gets hurt during school activities. As a service to you and your child, Bend-La Pine Schools does provide access to a voluntary, low-cost student accident and sickness insurance program that families may purchase through Myers-Stevens & Toohey, Inc. Learn more at bls.fyi/insurance.

As September approaches, keep your eye on your mailbox and grab the 2025-26 Family Handbook and Calendar! Along with all the important dates you need throughout the year, it includes all the information listed here plus a greeting from Superintendent Steve Cook, BLS mission and beliefs, links to more details, and relevant monthly articles.

We believe the best way for students to engage in their learning is to limit distractions in the classroom. Restricting access to phones and personal electronics during the school day helps students focus on learning, engage with teachers and peers, and develop skills and habits for life beyond school.

Please be sure your student is aware of the following expectations for personal electronic devices:

High School - Students will silence their phones and place them in a classroom phone caddy at the beginning of each class period. Phones are to remain in the caddy until the class period is over.

Elementary and Middle School - Students are not permitted to have phones or wireless earbuds during the school day.

Smartwatches - Students are not permitted to use smartwatches to access mobile apps or the Internet, or to send and receive messages (text or call) during class periods.

We recognize that it can be challenging to manage personal device expectations. We are committed to working with students, families, and teachers to provide the best learning environment we can. Please call your school office if you have an urgent need to contact your student.

Regulations regarding personal devices are changing at the state level. Students may experience policy changes during the school year.

On July 2, 2025, Governor Kotek signed Executive Order 25-09, which prohibits the use of students’ personal electronic devices in all K-12 schools during the instructional day (with defined exceptions) and asks school districts to take the lead in developing policies to support this goal. School districts are required to adopt policies aligned with the order by October 31, 2025. Full implementation of these policies must begin by January 1, 2026. In accordance with the Governor’s executive order, Bend-La Pine Schools is preparing to revise its current student device policy to align with the order once the Oregon Department of Education has released the administrative rules that set out the conditions of the order. We will have a draft policy available for public review prior to the October deadline.

September 2: Labor Day

September 7-13: National Suicide Prevention Week

September 11: Patriot Day

September 15-October 15: National Hispanic Heritage Month

September 22-24: Rosh Hashanah

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, September 9 at 5:30 p.m. at the Education Center, 520 NW Wall Street in Bend. The Board of Directors will hold a work session meeting on Tuesday, September 23 at 5:30 p.m.

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

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