Message from the Superintendent
January is National School Board Appreciation Month, and here in Lake Oswego School District we have so much to appreciate! Our school board members dedicate countless hours to our community, our students and our schools. With ongoing efforts to be available, approachable and responsive, our school board members are ever present at a myriad of community events, are always advocating for healthy and balanced approaches for students, supportive of teachers and staff, and lead with equitable practices to support each and every student. I personally feel so fortunate to work with such a caring school board, and I believe our school district benefits greatly from having these leaders supporting our continuous improvement. Please join me in thanking our LOSD School Board!
Weather Event Communications
Winter is here. Please be sure to review the LOSD emergency communications page of our district website for information, including when and how you will be notified if we have a school closure or delay.
If schools are closed, the district is closed, which means classes, as well as athletic events, enrichment activities and meetings are canceled, too.
Kindergarten Registration Coming Up
Registration for kindergarteners, and all students who are new to LOSD, will open online that day at losdschools.org/domain/63.
An information night, Kindergarten Counts, will be hosted at each elementary school that evening, 6-7 p.m. Kindergarten Counts will provide parents and guardians an opportunity to meet the principal, kindergarten teachers, and other parents. You will learn about several upcoming opportunities for your new student between now and the first day of school.
Plan to register and attend Kindergarten Counts at your student's resident elementary school. Visit losdschools.org to verify. LOSD welcomes kindergarteners who will be five years old by Sept. 1.
SASEE Awards Nominations Due Today
Do you know an educator, support staff member, student or citizen who demonstrates a commitment to education through work, projects and activities that emphasize "service above self?" LO Rotary Club wants to recognize and support the people who make education in Lake Oswego exceptional.
To nominate someone, go to https://www.rotarysasee.org. Nominations close on Jan. 10, 2020.
LO Rotary Club awards thousands of dollars in cash and scholarships in several SASEE categories. In each case, SASEE Award recipients have the opportunity to “pay it forward” by passing their monetary award on to their school or project.
- Teachers, administrators and support staff: $1,000 for their school or project
- Students: $1,000 for their school or project
- Citizens: $2,500 scholarships awarded in their names to students who also demonstrate "service above self"
Share Your Tales from Middle School
As we anticipate a move out of the current school building and into a new Lakeridge Middle School in fall 2020, LOSD wants to honor the stories and experiences that have taken place at 4700 Jean Road over the years. Whether you have memories from the Bryant, Waluga, Lakeridge Junior High or Lakeridge Middle School days, we want to hear from you.
Help LMS Theatre Arts with a salute to the lives impacted by this community institution. We are looking for real stories and memories from people who were/are students, staff, parents of students of our school. Poignant, funny or just interesting stories are welcome as long as they're middle school appropriate. If your story is selected, the creative writing class will dramatize it for the Theatre arts department to produce as a spring play in 2020. Not all submissions will be selected, but we hope this can be part of a fitting celebration of this building’s impact on our community from 1962 to 2020.
Boundary Review Committee Work Underway
Additionally, the committee will be hosting open houses on Feb. 5 and Mar. 4 to share current thinking and gather your feedback. More details on the open houses will be available soon.
School Board Meeting
Board of Directors Meeting
Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020
LOSD Administration Building
Live streaming and archived video of School Board meetings
Agenda Summary:
I. Contract Review Board - 5:45 pm
II. School Board Working Session - approx. 6:00 pm
Save the Date: First Annual Foundation Gala
Please save the date for the First Annual Foundation Gala event. This event, hosted by the Lake Oswego Schools Foundation, will be a fun evening of coming together to celebrate education in our community (yes this will replace the luncheon).
Saturday, Mar. 7, 2020
6:30-10 p.m.
Ironlight event space
525 3rd Street, Lake Oswego
Tickets go on sale February 4, 2020
Financial Assistance for Sports Registration Fees
Kids in the Game is a nonprofit that provides financial assistance to low income families for sports registration fees. This program has found that engagement in school/intramural sports helps increase student attendance in schools and also brings positive mentors into the lives of students.
Please find additional information on their website, or contact Amanda Conde, program administrator.
Important to Know About Health Curriculum
The State of Oregon requires local school boards adopt curriculum in alignment with state law. One issue that can be contentious is around Oregon’s Human Sexuality Education curriculum. Following is important information to know about the health curriculum.
Sexual Abuse Prevention
In 2015, the State of Oregon passed Senate Bill 856 - Erin’s Law - that addresses sexual abuse prevention instruction, and it requires schools to provide a minimum of four instructional sessions each year on sexual abuse prevention instruction. The sessions are in every grade level, kindergarten through twelfth grade.
The bill also creates a state requirement for districts to develop comprehensive sexuality education plans that integrate sexual abuse prevention. The plans must be aligned with state standards and will be revisited every two years.
Also required is sexual abuse prevention instruction that is:
- Age appropriate, medically accurate and not shame or fear based;
- Clear about the effects of trauma on victims of abuse; and
- Culturally inclusive and responsive to diverse students.
Equity and Access
Another impact on the school district's curriculum is the revised 2015 version of the National Health Education Standards. One major adjustment is a new chapter on equity and access for all students.
Equity involves fair treatment of each and every student, while access involves making services open to everyone who is entitled to them, free of any form of discrimination based on factors such as gender, culture, race, religion and sexual orientation.
Not Optional
Consistent with the law, in 2017, the Lake Oswego School Board voted in favor of creating a human sexuality education plan that maps out how to implement new state health education standards and achieve compliance with new state legislation on sexual abuse prevention instruction and education.
As part of that plan, LOSD adopted the Great Body Shop. It is a curriculum used nationally, that includes lessons noted as “for consideration.” However, these lessons are mandated by the State of Oregon Department of Education standards. Therefore, what some refer to as “optional” are not optional for public schools in Oregon.
LOSD's mission is to provide a safe and inclusive schools for each and every student in our care. The safety of our students is paramount.
15th Annual Preschool Forum
Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020
6-8 p.m.
Christ Church, 1060 Chandler Rd., Lake Oswego
Meet representatives and caregivers from dozens of local schools to learn about different teaching philosophies and get a feel for the wide range of opportunities available in Lake Oswego and across the region. This event is co-sponsored by the Lake Oswego Mothers Club and Lake Oswego Parks & Recreation.
For more information, visit lomoms.com or contact Connie Harrell at preschool@lomoms.com.
Free Immunization Clinic Feb. 5
Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020
4-6:30 p.m.
Boones Ferry Primary School
11495 SW Wilsonville Rd., Wilsonville
Questions? Call 503-655-8799.
If West Linn-Wilsonville School District is closed due to inclement weather, the clinic will be cancelled.
Free Immunization Clinic Feb. 12
Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020
4-7 p.m.
Providence Willamette Falls Community Health Center
519 15th Street, Oregon City
If North Clackamas School District is closed due to inclement weather, the clinic will be cancelled.
ILovelakeoswego Moved to the Green House
Ilovelakeoswego has moved behind the "green house" located on the far North corner of Lake Oswego High School, 2301 Hazel Road. ILoveLakeOswego is a student managed, donation based clothing closet for students enrolled in Lake Oswego School District.
Open Saturdays, 1-3 p.m. or other times by appointment
LOSD middle and high school students created the organization to benefit families who cannot regularly afford to buy new clothes, with the goal of helping foster confidence for a successful experience at school.
SafeOregon
Parents who have concerns about a student’s well-being are encouraged to reach out to their principal, and 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.
(Students should also be aware that intentionally providing a false report is a serious offense.)
Lake Oswego School District
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/LOSDProud
Twitter: @LOSD_Proud