A Message from our Assistant Superintendent of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Taye Spears
Hello DDSD Community,
I trust that many of you are aware of the recent incidents pertaining to race that have affected our football team/community. This issue is not confined to the David Douglas Community alone but is prevalent across Oregon. We take these incidents seriously and are actively collaborating with caregivers, administrators, coaches, and OSAA to address and prevent such occurrences. Your support in this endeavor is greatly appreciated.
If you are interested in contributing to our ongoing efforts, please join us at our Community Forum on November 18th at 6:00 pm. The forum will be held at David Douglas High School South Cafeteria, located at 1500 SE 130th Ave.
Thank you for standing with us in support of our students and community.
- Taye Spears
Native American Heritage Month Resources from NYC Public Schools
This resource includes a summary, reading list for K-12 (easily adapted for PreK-21+), videos, audio resources, and resources for educator learning as well.
Oregon Tribal History/Shared History Lessons
In 2017, Oregon Legislature enacted Senate Bill 13 which directs Oregon Department of Education (ODE), in partnership with Oregon's nine federally recognized tribes, to create Native American K-12 curriculum for Oregon public Schools. Looking towards the future of Tribal History/ Shared History through the Office of Indian Education we are currently working with each of the nine federally recognized Tribes of Oregon to collaborate a Tribal based Curriculum specific to each individual Tribe
From Outdoor School lead to Future Kindergarten Teacher
When asked to share a little bit about herself, Rosalinda Bolivar responds, “I would want people to know that I’m really easygoing and love connecting with others. I welcome everyone. We will always find something in common” Rosalinda is a 2024 DDHS Graduate and one of our newest GYO participants. She currently works as an ELD assistant at Earl Boyles Elementary School and her long-term goal is to become a Kindergarten teacher.
Rosalinda began exploring education as a career pathway her junior year at Douglas: “It was my third year in ASL and I learned about an opportunity to support deaf students in outdoor school. It was an amazing experience! Working with kids younger than me, 6th graders, helped me realize that this is what I wanted to do. Seeing them laugh, bond, and enjoy the delicious food at outdoor school, I noticed that wow, I had the patience to work with kids.”
Rosalinda continued supporting youth by joining Link Crew, a DDHS class where juniors and seniors orient incoming freshmen. “I remember being a freshman and being so scared. Douglas is so huge!” She also decided to apply for the GYO summer internship her senior year, a program where DDHS graduates work as instructional assistants in district summer schools while taking education classes at community college. “I remember when I finally heard back about getting an interview. It was only my fourth interview of all time! Thankfully the answers came easy to me because I could relate them to outdoor school and Link Crew. Once I got the internship, we did summer school. I had the opportunity to work with 1st graders, they were all so funny and kind, and were very excited to be at school!”
Today, Rosalinda works as an ELD assistant at Earl Boyles Elementary while attending evening classes at Mt. Hood Community College. While she is already bilingual, speaking English and Spanish fluently, Rosalinda loves learning from her multilingual students. “I already know how to say hello in Vietnamese, Swahili, Arabic, and Russian. When it's time for the group I see their excitement, not only is it speaking but also writing, we play games, and socialize amongst each other.”
In 4 to 5 years, Rosalinda dreams of having her own classroom. She is inspired by Earl Boyles Kinder teacher and GYO graduate, Mikhelle Kim. “I’ve been working a lot with Ms. Kim and I can see she really makes her kids happy by how enthusiastic she is and the rhythm she has.” There is no doubt that Rosalinda will be an equally dynamic Kindergarten teacher! Another source of inspiration for Rosalinda is Earl Boyles Language Development Specialist, Maria Adams. “Mrs. Adams has taught me a lot, and we have so much in common. She is such a great communicator, not only to adults but also to students. Ms. Adams has amazing patience and a great sense of humor. I'm happy to be working with Mrs. Adams.” Similarly, we are thrilled that Rosalinda chose to work at Earl Boyles and be part of the GYO program!
If you are or you know a David Douglas student, family, or community member who is interested in pursuing a career in education, please contact Andreina Velasco (andreina_velasco@ddsd40.org), Grow Your Own Pathway Navigator
Intercambio @ Menlo Elementary School
“We knew we had the community for it, so we thought an Intercambio would be a great thing to try out!” Said, Nicole Cabrera Perez, Sun Site Manager at Menlo Park
Menlo Elementary School just finished up their first experience with Intercambio at their school. Intercambio is a program for both Spanish and English speakers “where speakers of both languages come together to practice each other’s language.”. I had a wonderful conversation with the Sun Site Manager at Menlo Park, Nicole Cabrera Perez, who was a part of the initial planning of this group starting.
Last year, a group of folks from Menlo including Dr. Sarah Philips (Principal), Diana Velador ( Family Resource Navigator) , Susie Bang (Title One Teacher) , Laura Memon ( Language Development Specialist, and Nicole Cabrera Perez (Sun Site Manager), came together to plan what an Interambio could look like at their school. Intercambio is a concept that has been used in various ways around the district. At Menlo, they participated in a training with a few other schools at the beginning of the school year, and ran with the idea from there.
They had four morning meetings this fall in which families could come together for light snacks and practice their speaking skills in both English and Spanish. The first half of the meeting was in Spanish. They had a deck of cards with “get to know you” questions on them that were in both English and Spanish. We took turns reading our questions, answering them, then going around the room to allow for others to answer the same questions. The second half was similar, except all the questions were in English. This hour was felt with laughter and joy.
Menlo is unsure if they will continue Intercambio in the same way that they have this time. But Nicole was very clear, “We want to make sure that we are connecting with our families so that they feel supported and seen by our school.”
Groupito with Sabrina @ Mill Park Elementary
"Their faces just lit up, you could tell they were so excited," stated Taye Spears when observing a new Spanish language group at Mill Park Elementary School.
Equity Specialist, Sabrina Sommer, started a lunch group for Spanish speaking elementary students in K-2nd grade. Every Tuesday, Groupito is a space where students bring their lunch and come together in affinity to speak in Spanish with their peers and an adult.
