Ashland School District

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Previous Smore Newsletters

Email: Jacqueline.Schad@ashland.k12.or.us
Website: ashland.k12.or.us
Location: 885 Siskiyou Boulevard, Ashland, OR, USA
Phone: (541) 482-2811
Facebook: facebook.com/ashlandpublicschools/

• Superintendent's Message
• Does your student walk, bike, or roll to school? Safe Routes to Schools Need Your Voice!
  
• Math Curriculum Open House - April 12 (In-Person and Virtual)
• Walker Elementary Opening - It's Getting Close!
  
• Special Revenues Integrated Plan
• Elementary Rezoning
• Summer School Planning
• Otterlifter Caretaking and Ceremony
  
• Snow Make-Up Days

Ashland Families, Students and Community Members,

As we approach the much-awaited Spring Break, I am delighted to share some exciting news and updates about our schools.

Over the past several months, a dedicated committee of educators from across our district has been hard at work finalizing recommendations for a new math curriculum that is based on universal design for learning and creates opportunities for developing persistent, adaptive, problem solvers in real world contexts. I am incredibly proud of the time and effort that these educators have put into this project, and I am excited to share their recommendations with our community.

As part of this process, the School Board is inviting community review and feedback on these recommendations. The input of our families and stakeholders is critical to the success of any new curriculum, and we value your thoughts and opinions as we move forward. Look for details below.

I am also excited to share that the construction of the Walker Elementary building is almost complete. This state-of-the-art facility will provide our students with an optimal learning environment, featuring cutting-edge technology, spacious classrooms, and modern amenities. We are grateful for the hard work of our district's construction team and the many capable hands that are helping to complete the project. While there are still a number of items to complete to stay on track, we are looking forward to welcoming students and staff to this new facility in the near future.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our students, parents, guardians, and staff a restful and enjoyable Spring Break. We hope this time provides everyone an opportunity to recharge, spend quality time with those who matter most to you, and return to school with renewed energy and focus as we move towards the last quarter of the school year.

With gratitude,

Samuel

Samuel Bogdanove

Superintendent

Ashland Public Schools

Pronouns: He, Him, His

Does your student walk, bike, or roll to school?

With planning assistance from the Oregon Department of Transportation, the City of Ashland and Ashland School District are working on a Safe Routes to School Plan to improve conditions for students and families who walk and bike to school. We could use your help identifying challenges and opportunities for active transportation.

How can I participate?

1) Join us for walk audits!

April 10th:

- 7:50 at Ashland Middle School, Willow Wind, and TRAILS Outdoor School (Meet at main entrance of Ashland Middle School)

- 2:30 p.m. at Ashland High School

April 11th:

- 7:30 a.m. at Helman Elementary School

- 2:30 p.m. at Bellview Elementary School

We will be observing students’ arrival and dismissal and documenting walking and biking conditions in the area of the school.

2) Attend a public meeting!

Meet with us on April 11th, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Ashland Middle School library at 100 Walker Ave. to share your ideas and experiences.

3) Share feedback using our interactive online map!

Link to the online map: http://odotsrtsprojectid.com/

People who provide feedback on the map will be entered to win fun prizes.

Questions? Contact Jacqueline Schad, Jacqueline.Schad@ashland.k12.or.us

For detailed information, visit our Safe Routes to School Page

Ashland School District is conducting a review of math curriculum for K12 adoption. The community is invited to preview materials under consideration and provide feedback to the School Board.

In-person Open House April 12 at 5:30 in the AMS Library.

A virtual Open House April 17 at 5:30. A link to the virtual open house will be emailed after Spring Break.

To read the presentation on Math Curriculum Adoption to the School Board, click here.

Walker Readies for Students in May!

We are thrilled to share that our anticipated first day of school for students in our new building will be Monday, May 8, 2023.

Construction is expected to be completed in late April and then we will begin to move from Walker Village soon after. There are still many activities to complete and all of our teams are working hard to ensure a smooth process so our students, staff, and families can experience the new building spaces before the conclusion of the school year.

As long as construction continues to stay on track with this timeline, we are planning to hold an evening Open House (instead of DaVinci Night) at our beautiful new building on May 18th!

What will the transition look like for students and families?

Students will remain at the Walker village until all work is complete and teachers have readied their new classrooms. Families will be notified of the move-in date for students at least one week in advance.

When will we hear more?

We will keep families and our community posted through Walker’s Weekly Howler updates and the ASD Bond web page. If you have an incoming Kinder or prospective new student/family, Principal Tiffany Burns will call you after Spring Break to answer questions and welcome you to Walker!

How can families help with the move?

Please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher or Principal Tiffany Burns if you are interested and willing/able to help volunteer with the move. We would love families to help!

What is the anticipated timeline contingent on the remaining tasks?

April 17th The district takes beneficial occupancy of the building.

April 18 - 21st Final construction touches and “punch list” items.

April 24 - 28th Furniture moved in, assembled, and placed in all locations.

April 26 - 29th Teacher classroom materials moved in from Walker Village.

May 1st - 5th Teachers and staff set up classrooms and all learning spaces.

May 8th Students anticipated the first day in the new building!

May 17th Kinder Open House.

May 18th Open House/DaVinci Night.

On Monday, March 13, the Ashland School Board voted to approve the District's Integrated Application to the Oregon Department of Education. The application combines planning for multiple special revenue streams and programs including the Student Investment Account (SIA) that is focused on reducing academic opportunity gaps and supporting mental health and behavioral health needs of students, and the High School Success Act (Measure 98) that is focused on improvement of graduation rates as well as career and college readiness. The goal of the integrated plan is to blend funds to support student needs in critical areas.

The development of the integrated application, plan, and budget drew from a comprehensive needs assessment that included feedback from families, students, staff, and administration. Specific priorities identified are:

• Mental Health Counseling
• Social Emotional Learning
• Academic Supports
• Access to a variety of CTE courses
• Advancing equity for each student

The District web page, "Aligning for Student Success," holds detailed information on several aspects of the plan and budget including:

• The needs assessment including summaries of families, students, staff, and administration feedback
• The complete application and budget
• Information on next steps.

The next step in the application process will be a review by the Department of Education before final approval. The integrated application and plan are part of a four-year continuous improvement cycle that will continue to gather feedback and adjust to needs over time in support of reaching the District's strategic goals.

You may provide feedback on the plan here.

On March 13, 2023, the School Board voted to approve the recommended rezoning scenario for Bellview, Helman, and Walker. The final plan was the result of a year-long effort with multiple engagement points. Many thanks are due to the members of the rezoning committee for their thoughtful engagement and unerring focus on students.

To view the new boundary map, click here.

To view the revised transition plan, click here.

To view the Board presentation, click here.

To view the process, click here.

In 2021 and 2022, the Oregon legislature set-aside additional dollars for summer school programs to help students and communities after the disruption of the pandemic. Over the last two summers, the District offered robust summer programs to help re-engage students and remediate much of the unfinished learning that occurred during COVID. We saw tremendous academic growth and a return to the sense of community that in-person learning provides as results of the summer opportunities.

There has been discussion in the current legislative session about continuing funds for the coming summer, but the legislature has not yet voted on the funds at the time of this newsletter.

If additional funding becomes available, we hope to provide a summer program similar to last summer's. If the funding is not passed, the District will operate smaller programs similar to those we ran prior to the pandemic. We are hopeful that we will hear about a clear legislative outcome soon so that we can offer families specific summer program dates in late April.

On Tuesday, March 21st, the Spring equinox, a small gathering of students, staff, and community members came together at the Otterlifter canoe on Siskiyou to plant camas and renew our commitment to honor Indigenous communities. In addition, we welcomed leaders in the Education Department of The Klamath Tribes nation to our campus for the first time since installing our Land & People Recognition.

Throughout last summer, members of the AHS Native American Student Union, the AHS Equity committee, Dan Wahpepah, ASD family volunteers, and Native community members planted a garden of indigenous plants and installed the canoe in its new home. Otterlifter is a handmade canoe donated by the Wahpepah family as a reminder of the land and the waters, an acknowledgement of the original inhabitants and our history, and the importance of a regenerative way of living for our children and our children’s children. The installation signage is in English and has a QR code to a website in English and Spanish with the full story of the canoe, its meaning, and the beauty of this gift to the community and schools. The canoe was formally celebrated with a ceremony last October., which welcomed members of Grand Ronde, Siletz, Cow Creek Umpqua, and many other local and global Native backgrounds and nations.

The Ashland School District is extremely grateful for this gift to our community and students, now and in the future, and to all those that contributed to landing it on our campus.

Due to the snow days in February, our school district will be making up the 2 missed school days.

ALL SITES EXCEPT HIGH SCHOOL:

Schools will be in session April 17.

There will be a full day of school June 14 and a half day of school June 15.

HIGH SCHOO ONLY:

Schools will be in session April 17.

There will be a half-day of school June 14. June 15 will be a teacher professional development day. AHS held classes March 1 and will not have school for students on June 15th.

NO CHANGE TO GRADUATION DATES.

We understand that scheduling changes like this can be difficult for families, and we want to assure you that we have taken the time to carefully consider the best options for our students and staff. By scheduling these make-up days in April and June, we can ensure that our students receive the full amount of instructional time they need to succeed while also minimizing disruptions to the end-of-year activities.

Please mark these dates on your calendar so that you and your child are prepared for the upcoming changes. We appreciate your understanding and support as we work to provide the best education possible for your child.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your school principal.

This fall, we implemented Peachjar. Peachjar provides a tool for parents to connect with vital resources they need to develop their children’s social, emotional, and academic skills.

The Ashland School District Peachjar site

Please Note: Flyers are distributed to Ashland School District students as a courtesy to parents per board policy. Ashland School District does not endorse or sponsor community activities including any described in Peachjar. If you have questions regarding this policy, please contact your child’s Principal.

If you feel unsafe or know someone who feels unsafe, please report it here. After you fill out the form, SafeOregon sends an email to a school administrator with all of the details from your report. You can also download one of our apps from the Apple Store or the Android Marketplace to submit a report.

Email: tip@safeoregon.com
Call or Text: 844-472-3367

ASD Web SIte has a new look: https://www.ashland.k12.or.us/

Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ashlandpublicschools