The Current

Message from the Superintendent

Walk & Roll To School Day Movement

Focusing Red Ribbon Week on Fentanyl Crisis

Wear Orange for Unity Day

Dyslexia Awareness: What are the Signs?

No School Tomorrow

Last Day to Share Input in Math Curriculum Survey

Offering Flexible Job Opportunities

Seeking Students for Superintendent Council

You're Invited: Fall Musicals and Theater Performances

When to Stay Out of School: Self-Screening Checklist

LOSD COVID-19 Information:

• LOSD COVID-19 Dashboard
• Community Level: Low

After-School Programs:

• Laker Cheer Youth Clinic
• Laker Dance Game Day Workshop

Community Reminders:

• Women's BIPOC Speaker Series Starts Tonight
• Stafford/McVey Corridor Vision Study
• LO Library Hosting Activities Celebrating Diwali
• Diwali Celebration
• City Council Candidate Forum

Regular Reminders:

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

Collaboration through committee work is core to our learning community. More than 120 volunteer parents/guardians, community residents, students, teachers, staff, administrators, and school board directors gathered for the fall district-wide advisory committee meeting this past week.

Committee members participated in an introductory workshop to discuss how to serve on a high-functioning committee and contribute effectively. Many of our board-appointed committees are new this year, with charges that directly align with the strategic plan. Accompanying the new committees are the school advisory committees (SAC), which work directly with their school principals.

A resounding message from the meeting is our committee members are motivated to share their time, talent, expertise, and experiences to help better our schools for students.

I encourage all in our community to actively engage with the committees and their work with the school board. Find more information about each committee's charge, and how to participate, on the website under School Board / Advisory Committees. Committee meetings are on the district calendar, and open to the public for observation. We are fortunate for the strong partnership with our community and look forward to working together this year.

This past week several of our schools participated in Walk & Roll to School Day October 12, an annual event that involves communities from across the country (and the globe!) walking, biking, and scootering to school on the same day. This celebration has become part of a movement for year-round safe routes to school. Our schools marked the day with organized "bike buses" and walks to school, where students were met with uplifting music, safety stickers, healthy snacks, and more!

The LO School Board proclaimed October 23-31, 2022, as National Red Ribbon Week in this school district to bring critical attention to the education and response required to protect the students and adults in the opioid and fentanyl crisis.

Rising youth and adult opioid overdoses and deaths across our country are a public health crisis. Accidental overdose or intentional self-poisoning by opioids is the most common cause of drug-related mortality in the United States. Illicit fentanyl appears to be the primary driver of the increase in opioid overdose deaths. Important information about Fentanyl & Opioids is available on the Safety & Security section of the district website.

Unity Day is the signature event of National Bullying Prevention Month. It has been recognized in the United States since 2011. To participate in Unity Day, individuals, schools, communities, and businesses wear or share the color orange in unison to visibly show support for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion in an effort to help prevent students from being bullied. Join our schools in wearing and sharing orange next Wednesday, Oct. 19.

Dyslexia is a common condition that affects the way the brain processes written and spoken language. It can be associated with trouble reading, but it also can affect writing, spelling and even speaking. Many children have one or two of these issues on occasion. But kids with dyslexia have several of these issues, and they don’t go away. Here are some signs to look for:

Preschool, Kindergarten, & First Grade:

Difficulties:

• Difficulty learning (and remembering) the names of letters in the alphabet

• Seems unable to recognize letters in his/her own name

• Mispronounces familiar words; persistent “baby talk”

• Trouble learning common nursery rhymes

• Doesn’t recognize rhyming patterns like cat, bat, rat

• A family history of reading and/or spelling difficulties (dyslexia often runs in families)

• Reading errors that show no connection to the sounds of the letters on the page—will say “puppy” instead of the written word “dog” on a page with a picture of a dog

• Does not understand that words come apart

• Cannot sound out even simple words like cat, map, nap

• Does not associate letters with sounds, such as the letter b with the “b” sound

• Complains about how hard reading is; “disappears” when it is time to read

• A history of reading problems in parents or siblings

Strengths

• Curiosity

• Great imagination

• Ability to figure things out; gets the gist of things

• Eager embrace of new ideas

• A good understanding of new concepts

• Surprising maturity

• A larger vocabulary than typical for age group

• Enjoys solving puzzles

• Talent for building models

• Excellent comprehension of stories read or told to him

Second Grade through High School:

Reading

• Very slow in acquiring reading skills. Reading is slow and awkward

• Trouble reading unfamiliar words, often making wild guesses because cannot sound out the word

• Has a tough time sounding out unfamiliar words

• Avoids reading out loud

• Gets tripped up by word problems in math

School and Life

• Trouble remembering dates, names, telephone numbers, random lists

• Struggles to finish tests on time

• Extreme difficulty learning a foreign language

• Poor spelling

• Messy handwriting

• Low self-esteem that may not be immediately visible

Speaking

• Searches for a specific word and ends up using vague language, such as “stuff” or “thing,” without naming the object

• Pauses, hesitates, and/or uses lots of “um’s” when speaking

• Confuses words that sound alike, such as saying “tornado” for “volcano,” substituting “lotion” for “ocean”

• Mispronunciation of long, unfamiliar or complicated words

• Seems to need extra time to respond to questions

Strengths

• Excellent thinking skills: conceptualization, reasoning, imagination, abstraction

• Learning that is accomplished best through meaning rather than rote memorization

• Ability to get the “big picture”

• A high level of understanding of what is read to him/her/they

• The ability to read and to understand at a high level overlearned (or highly practiced) words in a special area of interest

• Improvement as an area of interest becomes more specialized and focused—and a miniature vocabulary is developed that allows for reading in that subject area

• A surprisingly sophisticated listening vocabulary

• Excels in areas not dependent on reading, such as math, computers and visual arts, or in more conceptual (versus fact-driven) subjects, including philosophy, biology, social studies, neuroscience and creative writing

If you have questions or concerns regarding your child’s learning, please contact the school principal and/or literacy specialist. Another great parent resource would be to contact your school’s Special Education Advisory Committee representative.

All schools are closed tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 14 for statewide professional services day. Schools will be back in session the following Monday, Oct. 17.

Our elementary students are out of school Friday, Oct. 21. On old calendars this was noted as a half day but the most current, approved calendar is a full day out of school.

This year we will be adopting new K-12 math instructional materials. To help inform the process, the adoption committee is seeking feedback from all in our learning community including our parents/guardians. Please click on the survey link below for the level of your oldest child in LOSD.

• Elementary School Math Survey for Parents/Guardians
• Middle School Math Survey for Parents/Guardians
• High School Math Survey for Parents/Guardians

The survey will close tomorrow Friday, October 14. Thank you in advance for your input.

We offer flexible days and hours for our student support staff in classified positions. Please contact Peggy Kennedy peggy.kennedy@loswego.k12.or.us to discuss your availability and assist with your application process.

We are seeking middle and high school students to serve on the Superintendent's Student Advisory Council. Students who are interested in sharing views, ideas, and beliefs for the benefit of the student body should complete this interest form by Friday, Oct. 21.

Selected students will be notified soon thereafter about meetings, which will alternate between being held in person at their school and virtually with students from multiple schools. Council terms are for one year.

All in our community are encouraged to enjoy the talents of our middle and high school drama and musical performances. Taking in a show is a great way to entertain your family and support our performing arts programs! Tickets are on sale now for all fall performances.

Lake Oswego High presents Clue on Stage on October 27, 29, and 30

Lakeridge High presents The Music Man on November 10, 12, 17, and 19

Lakeridge Middle School presents The Giver on December 15, 16 and 17

Lake Oswego Junior High presents its show in the winter.

Find a new self-screening checklist on the nurse page of the district website, developed in collaboration with local and state health authorities. Use this tool to screen for common symptoms of illness that may require you or your child to stay home. LOSD uses a layered mitigation approach to respond to communicable diseases in schools. We encourage you to continue practicing personal mitigation measures such as hand washing and covering your cough. A school nurse may contact you by phone to gather more information about your reported illness.

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).

The one-day dance workshop, led by the Lake Oswego High School dance team, is open to all youth, pre-K-8th grade.

Friday, Oct. 14 (Professional Day -- No School)

10 a.m. - 1 p.m., check-in at 9:30 a.m.

Lake Oswego High School Gymnasium

$60 for pre-register, $65 at the door

• Youth Workshop t-shirt for each registered dancer
• Showcase performance October 14 for parents and friends
• Football game halftime performance with Laker Dancers October 14
• Laker Dance spirit items available for purchase

Register today! Click HERE. For questions or assistance with registration, contact whitney.woolf@gmail.com or 503-784-9054

Attention all K-8th graders! Lake Oswego High School Cheer Team is holding its annual Laker Cheer Youth Clinic fundraiser. Participants will perform at halftime with the Laker Cheerleaders on Friday, Oct. 28 at the home game vs Lakeridge.

Wednesday, October 26

6-8 p.m.

Lake Oswego High School cafeteria

Register for $65. Cost includes t-shirt, poms, bow, and halftime performance.

Respond to Racism is kicking off its Women's BIPOC Speaker Series with Bandana Shrestha, Oregon Director of AARP, tonight.

Thursday, Oct. 13, 7 p.m.

Mary’s Woods

17520 Mesnard Street, Lake Oswego

Live stream attendance is welcome. https://youtu.be/BtzIbByGTB8

The City of Lake Oswego is working on a vision study along the McVey Avenue/Stafford Road corridor to identify potential street improvements to efficiently move people through this busy corridor and to improve the safety of all roadway users, including those walking, rolling, riding, and driving. This study is part of the City Council’s 2022 goals to improve transportation connections, mobility, and safety for all travelers and for all types of trips in Lake Oswego.

School staff and parents are encouraged to participate in two upcoming public outreach events:

• Virtual Presentation, Wednesday, Oct. 12, 6-7:30 p.m. (via Zoom) to review preliminary findings and how to use the open house online mapping tool.
• Online Open House, October 12-28, survey to share thoughts using the interactive map.

To learn more about the study and online open house, people can review the attached factsheet or visit www.lakeoswego.city/mcveystafford

Diwali is a festival of lights and is one of the major festivals celebrated by Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs. The Lake Oswego Library in partnership with LO for Love is hosting a series of activities to celebrate the holiday including:

• Explore Your Creative Side, October 1 - 31, all open hours. Make your own diyas, earthen lamps which represent the triumph of light over dark, and good over evil.
• Book displays. Find books by Indian authors and about Indian culture for all ages.
  
• Live Indian Folk and Classical Music Performance, Wednesday, Oct. 19, 6-7 p.m.
  
• Cardboard Painted Rangoli, Saturday, Oct. 22, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
  

These activities lead up to the large community gathering being hosted by LO for Love and the Asian American and Pacific Islander Student Union at Lakeridge High School on Sunday, Oct. 23

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

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.