WLWV Community Update

It's official. Meridian Creek Middle School and Sunset Primary were welcomed to the WLWV School District with separate dedication ceremonies last week. Students, parents, staff, and community members gathered in each school's gym (Wednesday, Sept. 27 at Meridian and Friday, Sept. 29 at Sunset) to cut the ribbon and celebrate.

Choirs from both schools, as well as the Meridian Creek Advanced Orchestra and band, serenaded their respective crowds before principals and District administrators spoke to those in attendance. Superintendent Kathy Ludwig thanked the many people that played a role in the two new schools, before Board Chair Ginger Fitch and Vice Chair Chelsea Martin officially dedicated each school.

About once a month, West Linn-Wilsonville students leave school two hours early for the District’s Professional Growth Wednesdays. Those two hours are used as time for teacher learning, giving staff throughout the District an opportunity to collaborate and engage in professional development. That work leads to better teachers and, in turn, a better education for WLWV students.

West Linn-Wilsonville teachers met Wednesday, Sept. 27, for their first Professional Growth Wednesday of the 2017-18 school year. But what takes place at Professional Growth Wednesdays, and what teacher learning will translate into the classroom? The answer, for the first meeting of the year at least, was a lot of deeper preparation for the school year based on getting to know the students in their classes.

In talking with teachers, the first Professional Growth Wednesday of the year was all about continuing the planning they started together in August with a focus on mapping out instruction for the school year, aligning practices of teaching and assessment, and gearing up for parent-teacher conferences coming up in October and November. For the first session of the year, teachers at all three levels individually and collaboratively selected learning and work that fit with the immediate needs in their classrooms.

Primary teachers met at schools throughout the district, as did middle school teachers and high school teachers. Instructional coordinators met with counterparts from other schools, as educators got the opportunity to select areas for their own learning.

Primary music teachers all met at Willamette to go over yearlong schedules for performances, plan instruction for each grade level, and prepare for upcoming conferences. Wellness teachers planned units, teacher librarians discussed the maker spaces they are planning to fit with STEM learning, and instructional coordinators collaborated to plan for supporting the classrooms and teachers in their schools. Middle school teachers worked within their subject areas to plan major units of study. Just a few weeks into the school year, it’s all about beginning focused planning to adjust lessons and units for the students in each classroom.

“Our teachers love Professional Growth Wednesday. This first Professional Growth Wednesday is teacher-led and we’ll employ a principal-led session next month,” Patrick Minor, principal at Willamette Primary said. “Especially at the primary level, teachers are choosing to prepare for those beginning-of-the-year conferences as well as for the school year as a whole.”

Collaboration time allows for teachers to learn what their peers are doing in the classroom, determine what’s working, and finalize their goals for the school year. Teachers have a variety of goals every year — whether it’s for individual students, their class as a whole, a grade level at a particular school or across the entire district — but Wednesday’s Professional Growth session allowed for teachers to share those goals with one another.

Teachers said they will engage in increasingly focused work as the year goes on, as they know more about their students and specific needs, but that this first collaborative learning session is used to look at the larger picture of the school year and what they know from these first weeks of working with students.

Music and Arts Partners will host the annual Wilsonville Fall Festival of the Arts on Saturday, Oct. 21. The festival showcases exemplary talents from Wilsonville High's fine and performing arts programs, including band, orchestra, choir, drama, and fine arts. Space is limited, so interested families are encouraged to reserve tickets ahead of time. Go to the MAP website or Wilsonville High School website for more information.

Music and Arts Partners, also known as MAP, is a nonprofit, independent volunteer organization that works to provide additional funds for the music and arts programs in all West Linn-Wilsonville Schools. To volunteer with MAP, donate, or become a MAP member, go to www.musicandartspartners.org/.

To celebrate its 25th birthday, the West Linn-Wilsonville Education Foundation is seeking $25 donations. The nonprofit organization's mission is to raise money that goes toward the hiring of new teachers in the District to maintain effective class sizes.

To participate in the Foundation's $25 for 25, or to learn more about the organization, go to

https://www.wlwvfoundation.org/.

The West Linn-Wilsonville School District recently updated portions of its Student Rights and Responsibilities handbook on Sept. 15. Access the links below to view the updated Student Rights and Responsibilities for the 2017-18 school year.

• Student Rights and Responsibilities (English)
  
• Guia de Responsabilidades Derechos del Estudiante (Spanish)
  

Are you a past or present WLWV volunteer?

In an effort to increase safety and security for all West Linn-Wilsonville students, the District has launched an updated process for volunteer registration and sign-in, which better monitors exactly who is working in WLWV schools. While similar to the past system, the new system is implemented in a district-wide fashion.

That means that all volunteers will need to re-register, even if they've registered and volunteered at WLWV schools in the past. To register, simply visit http://www.helpcounter.net/wlwv and click 'Start' to fill out your application. You will receive an email when you have been approved, but the application approval process could take up to 2-3 days.

The first time that you sign-in to volunteer at any WLWV school you will also be prompted to accept a Volunteer Agreement.

Volunteering in WLWV schools is an extremely rewarding experience and it is greatly appreciated, by both staff and students.

CREST Fall Festival

The CREST Farm (Center for Research in Environmental Sciences and Technologies) will host its annual Fall Festival on Saturday, Oct. 14 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. The whole family is invited to the free event, which will include a variety of kid-friendly activities, farm tours, face painting, cider making, seed saving, a CSA raffle, pumpkins for sale, and CREST Farm vegetables available for purchase. Information about CREST and opportunities for students will also be available at the open house. The CREST Farm is located at 7151 S.W. Boeckman Road in Wilsonville.

Early Release Wednesdays

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. Upcoming Early Release Wednesdays include (subject to change):

Wednesday, Oct. 25

Wednesday, Dec. 6

School Board Meeting

Monday, Oct. 2

6 p.m.

Administration Office

22210 S.W. Stafford Road

Tualatin

Agenda

• Updated 9/15/2017 Student Rights and Responsibilities

• Flash Alert ListServ

• Education Foundation

• Music and Arts Partners (MAP)

• Volunteer in WLWV Schools

• SafeOregon Tip Line

• Bus Routes

• Past WLWV Community Updates

• WLWV School Board Briefs

• Follow WLWV on Facebook

• Follow WLWV on Twitter

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