The Current

Message from the Superintendent

Looking Forward to Classified Staff Appreciation Week

Last Day of School Remains Same For Now

More 100th-Day Celebrations

March is Women's History Month

Immersion Program Lottery Deadline Friday

Workshop About Substance Use & Prevention

School Board Meeting

Board Advisory Committee Meetings

Seeking Volunteers for Advisory Committees

2023-24 School Year Registration Now Open

YouthTruth Surveys Open

LO High Presents Legally Blond The Musical

Foundation Gala Tickets On Sale

Health Information:

• Reminders from Our District Nurses
• LOSD COVID-19 Dashboard
  
• Community Level: Low

Community Reminders:

• Respond to Racism Seeks Successor
• LO Public Library Visioning Community Forums
  
• You're Invited to the SASEE Awards Ceremony

Regular Reminders:

• Hunger Fighters Oregon
  
• Safe Oregon
  
• School Incident Reporting
  
• Get Social with LOSD

Feedback about calling snow days is as mixed as the patches of ice around town. I share the frustration of having our school schedules, work lives, and family responsibilities disrupted. I also must err on the side of caution when asking students and staff to travel in questionable conditions.

Inclement weather has many variables, and last week and this week had a lot of hurdles. Much goes into making inclement weather decisions. It starts as early as 4 a.m. when I talk with the City’s Public Works crew and LOPD patrols about the road conditions. At 5 a.m. our transportation company begins testing bus routes. Often times I get in my car to see the conditions for myself. Our field reports are correlated with forecasts from local meteorologists to try to predict the road conditions by 6:45 a.m. when our first bus leaves the transportation center.

Slushy snow and rain Tuesday evening followed by overnight lows in the 20s created icy conditions early Wednesday morning. Public Works crews did a great job clearing the main Lake Oswego arteries, but the neighborhoods where our schools and families reside were still icy at 6:30 a.m. That is when we called a 2-hour delay thinking conditions would improve by 8:30 a.m. The sun came out and warming temps started to thaw the ice, but not soon enough for us to confidently begin the process of starting the school day.

Fluffy snow is relatively simple, as long as it doesn’t become a physical barrier. But the ice and slopes of our Pacific Northwest region make our circumstances different than other parts of the county. I grew up in Minnesota, and several on my team are from Wisconsin and Alaska. While we remember treks to school in deep snow, ice creates a different challenge.

We cannot control the weather but we have assessed how we could better equip ourselves to respond in the future. We are in negotiations with a company to plow and deice our school properties and looking at the costs of purchasing our own plowing system. We are also looking at how to add one- and three-hour delay schedule options.

I am looking forward to some glimmers of sun, simple rain, and temps above 32 degrees this weekend.

(The photo was taken with a sampling of snow left as of today.)

Next week is Classified Employee Appreciation Week, March 6-10, a meaningful opportunity to honor a valued group of people who help run our schools: The bus drivers who transport children to and from school safely. The nutrition service workers who keep students well fed. The educational assistants who support teachers and students in classrooms. The building engineers who keep our facilities clean, functioning and welcoming. The administrative staff who handle the logistics of keeping all of us working efficiently. There's a reason classified staff are often referred to as the backbone of public education. Our schools and districts simply could not function without them. Please join us in saying thank you!

The end of the LOSD 2022-2023 school calendar has three extra days reserved (June 13-15), in case we need to add back instructional time. As of now, our last day of school for students remains Monday, June 12.

The LOSD school calendar is built on instructional minutes. The current schedule has a minimum of six days of minutes built in as a buffer. If we are at risk of meeting our required minutes, the District could consider different ways to add back time. One way is to tack days on to the end of the school year.

Despite a couple of delays, our kindergarteners got to celebrate their 100th day of school this week. Students in Christine Colacchio's class at Lake Grove Elementary took the opportunity to dress like people in 1923 and learn what school was like 100 years ago. It tied in nicely with their lessons about the past and present.

Join us this March in celebrating Women’s History Month, a way to honor the contributions women have made to society throughout history. It is a month that is focused on the important impacts powerful women have made, in both the past and the present. Our schools infuse instructional learning activities to incorporate the contributions of women this month, and every month.

The lottery deadline for our Elementary Immersion Program applications is coming up next Friday, Mar. 10, at 3:30 p.m. Should we receive more applications than spaces available, a lottery will be held for spots in the newest cohorts.

For the fall of 2023, Spanish Immersion is accepting applications for students entering kindergarten and Chinese Mandarin Immersion is accepting applications for students entering either kindergarten or first grade.

Children as young as elementary-school age are reporting the use of alcohol and illicit drugs. To support students’ social, emotional, and physical health, LOSD CARES is hosting a virtual workshop with Brian McCrady of the Clackamas County Prevention Coalition discussing substance abuse prevention for children in grades kindergarten through 12th grade.

During the 1-hour online workshop, parents/guardians will learn how to identify signs of substance abuse, how to talk with their child about it, and how to find help. This workshop is for adults only and is relevant to parents/guardians of children in all grade levels.

Wednesday, March 15

11:30-12:30 p.m.

https://loswego-k12-or-us.zoom.us/j/81471437242

LOSD CARES is a connection and resilience education series hosted by our district's team of counselors, social workers, and psychologists to provide our families with greater access to mental health resources.

Monday, Mar. 6

Contract Review Board 6 p.m.

Regular Session following CRB at approx. 6:15 p.m.

Agenda posted on the district website

LOSD Central Office, Boardroom

The Lake Oswego School Board meetings are being held in person and are open to the public. In-person attendance is limited to those who occupy available seating first and observe meeting guidelines for conduct. Doors will open approximately 15 minutes prior to the start of the public session. All may observe the public session remotely by clicking here.

Board members take both written and in-person testimony. Click here for instructions for members of the public who wish to provide in-person testimony. Submit an email to the Board Secretary kelli.cranston@loswego.k12.or.us by 12 p.m. day of the meeting. IMPORTANT: Type “In-Person Testimony” in the subject line.

All are welcome to observe the board advisory committee meetings.

Tuesday, March 7

5:15-6:45 p.m. - Sustainability

7:00-8:30 p.m. - Health & Resiliency

Thursday, March 9

5:15-6:45 p.m. - Culture of Belonging

7:00-8:30 p.m. - Equitable Academic Outcomes

All four meetings are held in the LOSD Central Office Boardroom.

We need you! Please consider applying for our school or district advisory committee for terms starting next school year. There is one application for all committees; in the form mark the committee that is of interest to you. Only committees with vacancies -- School Advisory Committees (SAC) and Long Range Facility Planning (LRFP) -- are listed in the application for this period. See the charters posted on the School Board Advisory Committees web page for more information about each committee.

Applications are due Monday, March 13 at 5 p.m. Recommendations and selections will be made in April. All applicants will be notified by May 1.

Registration for the 2023-24 school year is now open for new students who have never enrolled in Lake Oswego before and returning students who are not currently enrolled but will re-enroll for next year. LOSD is pleased to offer online registration through its parent portal, ParentVUE. See the Registration & Transfer Information page of the LOSD website for guidance. Parents/guardians do not need to register students for 2023-24 who are currently attending during the 2022-23 school year.

YouthTruth surveys are now open. We encourage you to participate in the survey as it is an incredibly valuable way to help us improve students’ experiences in our school. Please take the survey provided by your school principal before it closes at midnight on March 24.

Please note:

• The survey needs to be completed in one sitting; about 15 minutes to complete.

• We ask that one member of each household fill out the survey.

• If you have more than one child who attends the same school, you may respond to the survey multiple times - one time per child.

• If you write any comments, please do not include your name or anything else that might identify you. Your responses are anonymous, and they will be combined with the responses of other parents and guardians before being shared back with school and district leadership.

If you have any questions about the survey or our plans for how we will use your feedback, please contact the principal. We sincerely thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. Your response is incredibly valuable to us.

All parents/guardians and community residents are cordially invited to attend the Lake Oswego Schools Foundation Gala.

Tickets are on sale now.

Purchase tickets

Handwashing

While hand sanitizer is a great option, it cannot replace good handwashing. Be sure to wash your hands after using the restroom, sneezing or coughing, or touching your face to help keep our community healthy.

Allergies?

If your student has a health plan that includes an Antihistamine (Benadryl), please be aware that you must provide it. If your child has an allergic reaction or potential exposure to the allergen and you have not provided it, we will have to call 911 per the regulations and guidelines of OHA/ODE/CCESD.

If you would like to speak to your school nurse, click the link below for contact information.

Contact your District Nurse

The LOSD COVID-19 Dashboard is updated. The dashboard shows the number of staff and students who have reported testing positive for COVID-19, regardless of school exposure.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) looks at the combination of three metrics — new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population in the past 7 days, the percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients, and total new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population in the past 7 days — to determine the COVID-19 community levels. Using this data, the COVID-19 community level is classified as low, medium, or high. Clackamas County is currently in low (green).

Community leader Willie Poinsette is stepping down from the helm of Respond to Racism, the community organization dedicated to promoting anti-racism and inclusivity in Lake Oswego.

While R2R seeks to hire her successor (see more information about the executive director search), LOSD would like to acknowledge and thank Willie for her activism and advocacy in our schools. Willie served as principal of Portland Public for many years before turning her full attention to her home community of Lake Oswego. She founded Respond to Racism and served as an inaugural member of the district’s committees focused on equity.

One of Willie’s most enduring legacies is our civic, business, and school leaders and members committed to creating a culture of belonging. While Willie may be taking a well-deserved retirement, her example and lessons will carry on in all she has taught, motivated, and inspired. Please join us in thanking Willie for her service.

Join our greater community for one of the upcoming Lake Oswego Public Library Visioning Community Forums:

• Friday, Mar. 10, 5-7 p.m. at Lake Oswego Public Library
• Saturday, Mar. 11, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. at Lake Grove Elementary

The format for these forums will be a 20-minute presentation followed by interactive discussions at various library visioning stations. Feel free to stay the whole time or drop by any point during the event! For more information, visit www.lakeoswego.city/LibraryVisioning.

This is your time to Shape Your Library, Create Our Future!

Show your support for this year's SASEE Award recipients and finalists at the Award Celebration being held in the Lakeridge High School Auditorium, Wednesday, Mar. 15, 6:30-8:30 p.m. It's the first in-person ceremony since before the pandemic. Purchase your ticket for $10 in advance of the event.

It is the 7th year the Rotary Club of Lake Oswego has presented SASEE Awards to educators, students, and community citizens in our community who exemplify Rotary's Service Above Self by an exceptional contribution in support of education.

Visit the food pantry at 4 Monroe Parkway, Suite A. Deliveries are available on Mondays.

Shop in hours:

• Wednesdays 5-7 p.m.
• Friday 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
• Sundays 3-5 p.m.

Learn more at hungerfightersoregon.org.

Reach out to your principal with concerns to maintain strong lines of communication and partnership between students, families, staff, and other resources.

SafeOregon is also an effective way to report a tip regarding safety threats or potential acts of violence to our students or schools. https://www.safeoregon.com/ Be aware that intentionally providing a false report is a serious offense.

LOSD Incident Reports are for students and adults to report incidents that occur in school. Incidents may be microaggressions, harassment or discrimination related to race, ethnicity, religion, age, disability, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other aspect of identity. Find incident reports on each school's website under Find It Fast / Report an Incident. Incidents may also be reported to an administrator, a trusted staff member, or anonymously to SafeOregon.com.

LOSD has ramped up its social media presence. Please join us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @weareLOSD

Email: info@loswego.k12.or.us
Website: https://www.losdschools.org
Location: 2455 Country Club Road, Lake Oswego, OR, USA
Phone: (503) 534-2000
Facebook: facebook.com/weareLOSD
Twitter: @weareLOSD

You are receiving this message because you are the parent or guardian of a student in the Lake Oswego School District. We hope you will assist us in our efforts to communicate efficiently and economically by continuing to receive these messages. If you need to change your parent email address, please contact your school.