The Current

Message from the Superintendent

First School District to Pilot Reusable Foodware

Celebrating School Lunch Hero Day

School Nurse Appreciation Week Coming Up

Next Week is Teacher and Staff Appreciation

Lake Oswego School Levy: 6 Things to Know

Social Media Workshop: Helping Your Child Navigate Our Digital World

Community Review: New K12 Math Curriculum

Time to Verify Your Student's Information

School Board & Advisory Committee Meeting

Board Advisory Committee Meetings

LMS Theatre Presents Footloose, Youth Edition!

Student Transportation of America Hiring School Bus Drivers

Health Information:

• Reminders from Our District Nurses
• LOSD COVID-19 Dashboard
  
• Community Level: Low

Enrichment & Recreational Programs

• Registration Open for Spring, Summer Enrichment & Recreation
  

Community News:

• If I Were Mayor Exemplary Submissions
• City Seekng Volunteers for Boards and Commissions

Regular Reminders:

• Hunger Fighters Oregon
  
• Safe Oregon
  
• School Incident Reporting
  
• Get Social with LOSD

May, nationally recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month, is one of many times we address mental health conditions throughout the year, such as anxiety and depression. Mental health is just as important as physical health; neglecting it can seriously affect one's overall well-being. It's vital that we start talking about mental health and normalize the conversation around it.

As parents and guardians, you play a crucial role in promoting mental wellness for your children. You can start by openly discussing mental health with them and encouraging them to express their feelings and emotions. It is crucial to create a safe and open space for them to share their thoughts and experiences without fear of judgment. Additionally, it's important to lead by example and prioritize your own mental health. Taking care of yourself will benefit you and set a positive example for your children. This can involve seeking therapy or counseling if needed, practicing self-care and stress-reducing activities, and prioritizing healthy habits such as exercise and a balanced diet.

Starting a conversation about mental health can be difficult, but it's important to remember that it's okay not to have all the answers or to feel uncertain about what to say. Being a good listener and showing empathy towards others is often enough to make someone feel heard and understood.

If you or a loved one needs someone immediately, call the Clackamas County crisis and support line at 503-655-8585. It’s open 24-7 with a caring person on the line.

Take care of yourself and each other.

In partnership with Portland-based reusable packaging solutions leader Bold Reuse, LOSD is the first school district in Oregon to pilot reusable foodware. The program aims to reduce waste and promote sustainability, starting with a pilot program at Lakeridge Middle School during May and June 2023. The pilot findings will inform how we roll out reusable foodware in more schools and tie our operations to the teachings and learnings of our students’ school food waste audits. Check out the promotional video LMS student Charles West created for his leadership class.

Today we celebrated School Lunch Hero Day! This is a special day of celebration to recognize school nutrition professionals and the difference they make every day! These nutrition professionals have a lot on their plate, from adhering to strict nutrition standards and preparing healthy food to navigating student food allergies. School nutrition professionals are true heroes.

National Nurses Week begins each year on May 6 and ends on May 12, Florence Nightingale's birthday. Please join us in recognizing our school nurses! It's been said before, and we will repeat it -- our learning community deeply appreciates our fantastic team of school nurses. They work tirelessly for our students, staff, and families every school day in our schools. Our nurses deserve our most incredible gratitude and respect.

Next week is National Teacher Appreciation Week, May 8-12. Here in LOSD we take this opportunity to say THANK YOU to our extraordinary teachers and staff who work tirelessly with students and their families to help them thrive in school and life.

LOSD is not only ranked the number one school district in Oregon and among the top in the nation, also LOSD is ranked number one for the best educators! Niche determines these annual rankings based on state and local data and comments from our community. What we say about our teachers and staff matters -- please let them know how much they are appreciated!

Here are 6 things to know about the proposed Lake Oswego School Levy Measure 3-592:
1. The measure is on LOSD voters May 2023 ballot
2. The measure would maintain current tax rate of $1.64 per $1,000 assessed property value

If passed, the measure would:

3. Fund the equivalent of 1/3 of all teaching positions in our district
4. Keep a 1-to-17 staff-to-student ratio
5. Maintain the current number of school days
6. Fund education electives and mental health supports for students

Learn more at www.LOSchoolLevy.org.

Our curriculum and instruction representatives recommended new K-12 mathematics textbooks and materials to the School Board. They shared the review process, provided perspectives, and answered questions. Our educators propose:

• K-5 iReady from Curriculum Associates
• 6-8 Big Ideas from Cengage
• 9-12 Big Ideas from Cengage

The proposed math curriculum is available for public review through May 17. Find details on the district website under Curriculum Adoption. Feedback from the public review will be shared before the School Board takes action on adopting a new curriculum.

It’s time to verify your student's information in our system!

Are you wondering if your information is complete? Maybe not. For example, 86 students have emergency contacts listed without any phone numbers. It would be hard to reach them. This is just one example of the kind of information guardians need to update in the system.

Log into ParentVUE and review/update your students' information through the Register/Verify tab. If you have forgotten your ParentVUE password, go to the login page, click "I am a Parent," then click "Forgot Password." If you are unsure whether you have a ParentVUE account, contact your student's school. For assistance with the verification process, refer to the user guide on the LOSD website or contact your student's school.

Monday, May 8

Contract Review Board: 6:00 p.m.

Regular Session: approximately 6:05 p.m.

Advisory Committee Meeting: 7:00 p.m.

Click here for the agenda posted on district website

Lake Oswego High School

The Lake Oswego School Board meetings are held in person and open to the public. In-person attendance is limited to those who occupy available seating first and observe meeting guidelines for conduct. Doors will open approximately 15 minutes before the start of the public session. All may follow the public session remotely by clicking here.

Board members take both written and in-person testimony. Click here for instructions for members of the public who wish to provide in-person testimony. Submit an email to the Board Secretary kelli.cranston@loswego.k12.or.us by 12 p.m. day of the meeting. IMPORTANT: Type “In-Person Testimony” in the subject line.

All are welcome to observe the board advisory committee meetings.

Tuesday, May 9

5:15-6:45 p.m. - Sustainability

7:00-8:30 p.m. - Health & Resiliency

Thursday, May 11

5:15-6:45 p.m. - Culture of Belonging

7:00-8:30 p.m. - Equitable Academic Outcomes

All four meetings are held in the LOSD Central Office Boardroom.

Lakeridge Middle School Theatre Arts is proud to present Footloose: Youth Edition!

May 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 7:30 pm

May 13, 1:00 p.m.

Lakeridge Middle School

Tickets are $12 for general seating and are available here: https://www.eticketexpress.com/event/lakeridgejh/footloose

Dress for the show! There will be prizes for the best 80's outfit at every performance.

Asthma/Allergy Medications at School

It is critical to the health and safety of your student to bring ALL doctor-recommended medications to school. Over the summer, speak with your doctor to get the proper supplies for school, and then go to the LOSD web page to find the proper forms to be completed with the medications. If your student is in Elementary or Secondary and will store their meds at school, watch for a medication drop-off time for your particular school. If they are in secondary and keeping their medication in their possession, please submit the proper paperwork so we know where to find their medication in case of an emergency.

Individualized Health Plan? - Watch for an Email

If your child has an LOSD Individualized Health Plan (IHP) developed in consultation with your District Nurse, please watch for an email! Your response is needed to confirm or update your student's plan. We appreciate your prompt reply.

Immunizations

Please review the OHA requirements and information on required immunizations for students. Please arrange to complete immunizations and update Synergy over the summer to avoid exclusion in 2024.

If you want to speak to your school nurse, click here: contact your district nurse

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).

LOSD facilities are used by community vendors and our schools to offer students enrichment and recreational opportunities after class and during breaks. For a full list of offerings from our schools and community vendors for elementary, middle and high school students, please visit the Community Programs on the district website.

Congratulations to all the students from Lake Oswego and Lakeridge Middle Schools and Hallinan and Palisades Elementary Schools who were celebrated at a City Hall meeting on Tuesday, May 2, for their exemplary submissions to the "If I Were Mayor..." contest. Of particular note is Sophia Lu, an LOJ 8th grader, who won the Lake Oswego and the state contests, too!

Sophia’s proposal focused on compassionately supporting residents experiencing homelessness, offering more public transportation options, incentivizing local businesses to remain and/or open in Lake Oswego, and analyzing the current budget for excessive expenditures. Sophia also identified the various areas of city government responsible for collaborating to achieve each goal.

All entries from local “If I Were Mayor…” contests across the state were forwarded to the Oregon Mayor’s Association which selected Sophia’s essay to win first place in the state! You can read her essay HERE.

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.

Report microaggressions, bias, harassment and discrimination in a school related to race, ethnicity, religion, age, disability, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other aspect of identity:

• Incident Report for Elementary School
  
• Incident Report for Middle Schools
  
• Incident Report for High Schools
  

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

You are receiving this message because you are the parent or guardian of a student in the Lake Oswego School District. We hope you will assist us in our efforts to communicate efficiently and economically by continuing to receive these messages. If you need to change your parent email address, please contact your school.