WLWV Community Update

Time is running out and the Education Foundation needs your help. Every year, the Honor Our Teachers (HOT) campaign provides a special way for WLWV families to share their 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, and they will also receive a notification that your gift was made in their honor. 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 four). 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.

As we inch closer to winter break the temperature outside continues to drop lower and lower. School schedules may be affected by snow or icy weather. The West Linn-Wilsonville School District generally announces school closure or delayed opening by 5:30 a.m. All Portland-Metro area media outlets announce the information on TV newscasts and online.

The School District will also notify parents via FlashAlert as well as via ListServ. Parents are encouraged to subscribe to both services if they haven't already. Even if you have previously subscribed to FlashAlert, it is important that you check your subscriptions as the FlashAlert service routinely removes subscriptions that have not been recently updated. Please note that FlashAlert is not a West Linn-Wilsonville system and the district can only provide limited help. Families are encouraged to consider getting the free FlashAlert Messenger app from the Apple AppStore or Google PlayStore.

The School District makes inclement weather decisions based on the ability to operate school buses safely, the ability for students and parents to get to school safely, and the ability for employees to get to work safely and on time. The decision to open, close, or delay the start of school is made for the entire West Linn-Wilsonville School District. That means that while inclement weather conditions might occur in only certain areas of the district, the decision to close or delay the start of school will be made for all schools. Families will also be notified when the District elects to utilize snow routes due to inclement weather.

West Linn High School’s CTE programs received a massive lift on Dec. 4, when the school learned that it will receive the CTE Revitalization Grant from the Oregon Department of Education. Worth a total of $422,715, the grant will go directly into existing West Linn High School CTE (Career Technical Education) programs, as well as new CTE pathways outlined in West Linn High School’s grant application.

The $422,715 grant will go toward a multimedia production studio, as well as a fully-functional, state of the art engineering lab to be used by West Linn-Wilsonville students. The multimedia production studio will serve CTE journalism, publishing, broadcasting, web design, and digital/multimedia and information resources design programs.

“West Linn High School has strong momentum and excitement around Career and Technical Education,” said Assistant Principal Anya Hershberger. “With this grant we have the opportunity to continue to grow our excellent robotics, journalism, and web design programs and place industry-grade tools and technology directly in the hands of students.”

As detailed in the grant application — which was written by WLHS staff — $94,500 of grant funds will go towards the recruitment of middle school students who have been historically underserved, providing them with the opportunity to take part in summer CTE and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) camps. Those camps will aim to grow interest and expertise in CTE career areas.

Read More about the grant and WLHS's future CTE programming plans.

During the Dec. 4 West Linn-Wilsonville School Board Meeting, the Board received the school district's updated District Equity Action Plan, which is utilized by all WLWV schools. The purpose of the district's Equity Action Plan is to articulate our equity-related priorities for the coming year in alignment with the WLWV District goals, school-based Equity Teams, and overall mission of the district: "How do we create learning communities for the greatest thinkers and most thoughtful people...for the world?"

The Board also unanimously voted to amend two policies during the Dec. 4 meeting: Policy EEACC and Policy JB.

To read more highlights from the Dec. 4 School Board meeting, read the latest edition of WLWV School Board Briefs.

West Linn-Wilsonville schools participated in the Hour of Code over the course of the past week – a nationwide initiative that aims to introduce students to computer science and programming. Students spent portions of the week engaging in Hour of Code programming activities. Hour of Code is part of Computer Science Education Week, which introduces students across the country to many STEM-related ideas.

Coding has the reputation of being incredibly complex and requiring advanced technical skill. Hour of Code is intended to show students that coding has advanced from what you see in television and movies. While it isn’t necessarily easy, it’s a skill more and more students are realizing is attainable. And while computer code has historically been text-based, there’s more and more coding that is graphical and easier to master for visual learners.

Students at the primary level participated largely in introductory activities — which teach ideas like problem-solving and increase digital literacy — which are meant to be fun and engaging. Some games are “Star Wars” themed, for instance, while others are based around popular children’s television shows.

At the high school level, students had more variety of options and received the chance to engage in more advanced coding activities. Some students learned skills to build and create their own video games, while others learned from the West Linn High School and Wilsonville High School robotics clubs. To learn more about Hour of Code go to https://hourofcode.com/us.

Primary Winter Strings Concert: Tuesday, Dec. 12 — West Linn-Wilsonville primary students will put on their first show of the year for friends and family Dec. 12. The annual winter concert will commence at 7 a.m. at Athey Creek Middle School.

Winter Break (No School): Monday, Dec. 18-Tuesday, Jan. 2 — School will resume Wednesday, Jan. 3.

School Board Meeting: Monday, Jan. 8 — The West Linn-Wilsonville School Board will hold a public meeting Jan. 8 at the District Office; 22210 SW Stafford Road, Tualatin OR, 97062. The meeting starts at 6 p.m.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day (NO SCHOOL): Monday, Jan. 15 — There will be no school on Jan. 15 in recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Early Release, Professional Growth Wednesday: Jan. 17 — 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.

• Updated 9/15/2017 Student Rights and Responsibilities

• FlashAlert

• ListServ

• Updated Equity Action Plan

• Education Foundation

• Music and Arts Partners (MAP)

• Volunteer in WLWV Schools

• SafeOregon Tip Line

• Bus Routes

The West Linn-Wilsonville School District is nationally recognized for its high student and staff achievement, including one of the top graduation rates in the State of Oregon. West Linn-Wilsonville serves nearly 10,000 K-12 students across 16 schools in West Linn and Wilsonville, with a mission of creating learning communities for the greatest thinkers and the most thoughtful people for the world. WLWV strives to provide challenging education opportunities that prepare students to be college and career ready.

Website: www.wlwv.k12.or.us
Location: 22210 SW Stafford Road, Tualatin OR, 97062
Phone: 503-673-7000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WLWVschools/
Twitter: @WLWVdistrict