The Current

Message from the School Board

More Appreciation for Our LO School Board

Robotics Teams Impressive Open House

Celebrating Black History Month

Educational Data: iReady, HMH Growth Measures

Immersion Program Applications Now Open

2023-24 School Year Registration Now Open

Help Support Lake Oswego School Levy

Budget Committee Seeking New Members

Foundation Accepting Board Applications

New School Calendar Recommended

Amazing Educator Nominations Due Jan. 31

Health Information:

• LOSD COVID-19 Dashboard
  
• Community Level: Low

Community Reminders:

• Lunar New Year Festival
• Respond to Racism Community Meeting
• Women's BIPOC Series
  
• Safe Routes to School Poster Contest
• Calling Teen Artists: Outside the Art Room
  

Regular Reminders:

• What's New at Community School
  
• Hunger Fighters Oregon
• Safe Oregon
  
• School Incident Reporting
  
• Get Social with LOSD

We on the Lake Oswego School Board are encouraging all students to participate in the upcoming state assessments. These assessments provide valuable information on the progress and needs of each student and are an important tool for our teachers to use in order to support student learning and growth.

The state assessments are given in various subjects and are aligned with the state standards. This allows us to measure our students' progress toward meeting these standards and to identify areas where students may need additional support. Teachers use this data to differentiate instruction and to ensure that all students have the support they need to succeed.

Additionally, the results of the state assessments are used to inform instructional decisions, to monitor student progress throughout the year, and to measure the district's performance. This helps us to ensure that all students are on track to meet their academic goals.

Opting out of these assessments may put students at a disadvantage and may affect our district's ability to demonstrate student progress and achievement, which can have an impact on funding and resources for our schools, as well as property values and school rankings. College admissions officers may also consider state assessments as one of many factors when evaluating students' applications.

We understand that assessments can be stressful for both students and parents. However, we strongly encourage all students to participate in the state assessments as it is an important tool for supporting student learning and growth, as well as providing valuable data to inform instruction and to ensure that all students have the support they need to succeed.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher or to a member of the school board.

In continued appreciation for our Lake Oswego School board, Lake Oswego Education Association (LOEA) president Kelly Fitzsimmons shared words of gratitude for the board's support of our educators and showed it with some sweet gifts for the directors.

Lake Oswego Robotics and Lake Monsters hosted a grand opening event with the school board and district administrators to celebrate its new workspace. Our four high school robotics teams' students, mentors, and coaches have worked diligently together to create a layout and collaboration plan that optimizes students' opportunities to learn robotics, engineering, and computer programming. The open house provided an opportunity to meet the students, share the robots, and experience demonstrations and an example competition on the FTC field.

Learn more about the program and follow the robotics teams on Instagram:

• Lake Monsters @lakemonsters.robotics
• All Hands on Tech @allhandsontech_18127
• Tobor Tech @tobortech_ftc
• Mostly Operational @18119mostlyoperational

Black History Month was recognized at the Lake Oswego School Board meeting with a resolution read by all board members as well as the student representative from the Lake Oswego High School Black Student Union. BSU plans to bring the school community together to celebrate throughout the month of February. The adopted resolution encourages schools to infuse instructional learning activities that incorporate the contributions of Black Americans in order to learn, understand, and reflect upon the history, experiences, and contributions of those who have worked tirelessly and often without recognition for the advancement of humankind.

Integral to learning and improving is assessing data. In continued transparency, district staff shared at the LO School Board meeting an update on educational data related to iReady and HMH growth measures. For the complete presentation, visit the School Board meeting agenda and video for January 23, 2023.

Elementary Immersion Program applications are now open. 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.

The following are important dates for the 2023-2024 school year:

• Mandarin Chinese Immersion (MCI) kindergarten and first-grade applications available: Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023.
• Spanish Immersion (SI) kindergarten applications available: Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023.
• MCI and SI Application Deadline: Friday, Mar. 10, 2023, 3:30 p.m.
• MCI and SI Lottery Date: Wednesday, Mar. 15, 2023, 10:00 a.m.
• MCI and SI Lottery Notification: Friday, Mar. 17, 2023

Be sure to first register with your resident LOSD elementary school before applying for an immersion program.

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 & Verification 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.

The levy campaign team is looking for volunteers to help support our Lake Oswego School Levy, which is up for renewal in the May 2023 election. If approved by voters, the levy would protect educational excellence in Lake Oswego without increasing local taxes. Without the levy, we would be forced to make cuts critical to educational programs. It would also lead to shorter school years and class sizes increases. There are many ways you can contribute to the campaign efforts. If you are interested in getting involved, please email loschoolslevy2023@gmail.com.

LOSD is currently accepting applications for an open position on the Legal Budget Committee. The Legal Budget Committee consists of members of the LO School Board and five citizen members who are charged with reviewing and approving the budget for the upcoming school year. Citizen members are appointed to three-year terms and typically meet three to four times in the spring.

Learn more and find the application on the website under Business Services Department. Applications are due February 2 by 4 p.m.

Are you interested in contributing to a dynamic volunteer organization dedicated to advancing our community's commitment to educational excellence?

Please consider applying for the Lake Oswego Schools Foundation Board of Directors. The Foundation is seeking parents/guardians, students, and community residents to serve on its Board of Directors. Board members must demonstrate a commitment to the Foundation, the school district, and the Lake Oswego community.

The term for new board members will begin July 2023. Board members commit to a two-year term and may serve up to three terms. Please click HERE to access the online application form. The application provides more information about becoming a board member.

Interested people should submit applications by Friday, Feb. 24. The Nominating committee will review applications and conduct interviews in the March timeframe. If you are unable to access the online application, please contact woolfw@loswego.k12.or.us to receive a pdf version of the application.

A new calendar starting for the 2023-24 school year, developed by the Superintendent's Ad Hoc Calendar Committee, has been recommended to the School Board. Find the complete recommendation made at the school board meeting Tuesday, Jan. 10 on the website under School Board / Archived Meetings. Look for the video, and in the work session, part of the agenda click on item 3.0 to watch the presentation and listen to the discussion for more information.

Our learning community is encouraged to review the recommendation and provide feedback to the board. The final calendar will be decided at the board meeting on Monday, Feb. 6.

Nominations are still open for this year’s Lake Oswego Amazing Educator. The deadline for the nomination is Tuesday, Jan. In March, the Pamplin Media Group will honor educators from all of our Oregon communities who deserve to be recognized for their dedication, professionalism, and work in classrooms, schools, and in their communities. Consider nominating someone who goes above and beyond to inspire and serve. An Amazing Educator can be someone who works or volunteers in our schools.

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).

Celebrate the Year of the Rabbit at the Lunar New Year Festival, Lake Oswego Public Library, Saturday, Jan. 28, 11:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

• 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.: Stop by the Children’s Library (lower level) to make red envelopes and hanging lanterns. Listen to a children’s story read in Chinese or Vietnamese, and learn the traditional way to fold a dumpling.
• 1:15-1:30 p.m.: On the main floor, children from Heart Strings Mandarin will offer a special performance of songs, dance, and poetry.
• 2:00-2:15 p.m.: Enjoy a spectacular lion dance performance by members of The White Lotus Dragon and Lion Dance.
• 2:25_4:00 p.m.: Head to the second floor for a Chinese ink painting demonstration by local artist Yanan Dai.

This festival was organized in collaboration with LO for LOve and is sponsored by the Friends of the Lake Oswego Public Library. Admission is free. The Lake Oswego Public Library is located at 706 Fourth Street, Lake Oswego.

All are invited to join the Respond to Racism monthly community meeting. Bob Henderson and Joycelyn Jolly will discuss the concept of world citizenship as a means to create a globally integrated world.

Monday, Feb. 6

6:30-8 p.m.

Register today

The Outside the Art Room, Teen Art Showcase + Auction is back for its 6th year, and applications for artists are open! Any youth in grades 6-12 can apply to showcase and/or sell their artwork at the event on Friday, Feb. 24, 6-8 p.m. Pre-requisites: Artists must be in grades 6-12, be available to attend the event, and must donate one piece of artwork to the silent auction.

Find more information and apply to participate by Friday, Feb. 7. The program is hosted by the City of Lake Oswego Parks & Recreation department.

The LOSD Community School is offering virtual enrichment programs and activities for students of all ages including culinary, STEM, arts, language, and athletics. Check out this week's edition.

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

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