AUGUST 14, 2026
Ready, Set, Learn!
🍎Welcome back students, parents, and staff!
As the start of a new school year approaches, we are excited to welcome everyone back to our Woodburn schools. This year, we'll continue sharing important updates, school news, and opportunities for families to stay connected and engaged. Be sure to read our first newsletter for important back-to-school information, upcoming events, and resources to help your family prepare for a successful year.
We look forward to another year of learning, growth, and connection.
Here's to a great school year ahead! 💙
#WeAreWoodburn
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Welcome Back, Woodburn: Growing Together for Every Student
Dear Woodburn Community,
As we begin the 2026–27 school year, I am grateful to welcome our students, families, staff, and community partners back for another year of learning, connection, and growth.
There is much to be hopeful about in the Woodburn School District. We have seen meaningful progress and we have a clearer sense of where we need to go next. At the same time, we know there is still important work ahead. Our responsibility is to hold both truths at once: to celebrate the growth our students and staff have achieved while remaining focused on the areas where our students need and deserve more from us.
This year, we begin that work with a revised Woodburn School District Strategic Plan for 2026–2029. At its heart, a strategic plan answers a simple but important question: What do we want for every Woodburn student, and how will we work together to make it happen?
Our mission and vision remain the same. We are still committed to engaging, inspiring, and preparing each student to learn, lead, and contribute to an equitable community. We remain proud to be a diverse, multilingual, and equitable community where every student is supported and prepared to succeed.
What has evolved is the way we will bring that promise to life.
Our updated plan centers on three commitments: preparing every student for college, career, and success in life; fostering a culture of belonging, engagement, and partnerships; and strengthening our stewardship of public resources and community trust.
Within those commitments is a sharper focus on what students need now and what they will need in the future. We want students to graduate with a plan, experience career-connected learning, understand their postsecondary options, attend school regularly, take ownership of their growth, and know that they are valued members of their school community. We are also placing even greater emphasis on the role of families and community partners in supporting student success.
That is intentional, because schools cannot do this work alone.
There is much from the past year that should give our community confidence.
Our ninth-grade on-track rate increased. More graduating seniors earned the seal of biliteracy and multiliteracy. We saw encouraging academic growth in individual schools, and when we follow groups of students over time rather than looking only at a single year of data, we can see meaningful gains in literacy.
These successes matter because they remind us of what is possible. They show us that when students are supported, when we are focused and aligned, and when families and schools work together, growth follows.
At the same time, we must be clear that our overall literacy results are not yet where we want or need them to be. We will not minimize that challenge. Helping every student become a strong reader is one of our most important responsibilities.
But understanding literacy in Woodburn also requires us to recognize something unique and powerful about our students.
Most of our students are learning in more than one language. Many participate in dual language programs and are developing Spanish or Russian, alongside English. For these students, literacy development is not happening in only one language, it is happening across multiple languages.
By the time many of our students graduate, they have achieved something remarkable: the ability to communicate, read, and write proficiently in two or more languages.
That is a strength.
Multilingualism is not something we want our students to leave behind as they learn English. It is an asset we want them to carry forward into college, careers, their families, and the wider world. It expands opportunity, deepens connection, and reflects the extraordinary cultural and linguistic strengths of the Woodburn community.
That is why multilingualism remains one of our district values and why our Strategic Plan continues to promise every Woodburn student the opportunity to become bilingual and biliterate.
As we look to the year ahead, literacy will remain a central focus, as will attendance.
Students cannot fully benefit from strong instruction if they are not consistently in school. Every day matters. Each day brings opportunities to read, write, ask questions, build relationships, practice new skills, and experience a sense of belonging.
Families play an essential role in that work. Making regular, on-time attendance a priority is one of the most powerful ways families can support learning. So is making reading and conversation part of everyday life at home.
And that reading does not have to happen only in English.
Read together in the language your family knows best. Tell stories. Ask children about what they are learning. Visit the library. Encourage curiosity. Talk about new words and ideas. Rich language experiences in any language help children grow as readers, thinkers, and communicators.
In our schools, we will continue improving the quality and consistency of instruction in every classroom. We must use data thoughtfully to understand where students are succeeding and where they need additional support. We must learn from the schools and classrooms where strong growth is occurring and make sure those effective practices reach more students.
Most importantly, we must continue building schools where students want to be, places where they feel challenged, supported, known, and valued.
Perhaps one of the most meaningful additions to our updated Strategic Plan is a single word: belonging.
Belonging matters because students learn best when they know they are part of something. When students feel seen, valued, and connected, they are more likely to attend, participate, persevere, and believe in their own potential.
That same sense of belonging extends beyond our students. It includes families, staff, and our broader Woodburn community.
The future of our schools will not be built by any one person, program, or initiative. It will be built through thousands of daily interactions and shared commitments: a teacher encouraging a student who is struggling, a parent reading with a child, a student helping a classmate, a community partner opening a door to a career opportunity, or a family reaching out to a school when support is needed.
This is how lasting progress happens, together.
We have meaningful accomplishments to build upon, and we have significant challenges that deserve our full attention. We can be proud without becoming satisfied. We can approach our challenges with urgency without losing sight of the tremendous strengths our students bring with them every day.
Our students deserve to be engaged, inspired, and prepared every day. They deserve to be present, connected, and known at school. They deserve rigorous learning and opportunities that prepare them for life after graduation. They deserve the opportunity to become bilingual and biliterate. And they deserve to graduate not simply with a diploma, but with confidence in who they are, pride in where they come from, and a plan for where they are going.
That is the promise we are working toward.
Together, as students, educators, families, community partners, and neighbors, we can continue building a Woodburn School District where every student belongs, every language is valued, every day of learning matters, and every young person has reason to believe in what is possible.
Thank you for your partnership, your trust, and most importantly, for the privilege of serving your children.
Welcome back, Woodburn. I am hopeful about what lies ahead, and I look forward to what we will accomplish together.
Juan Larios
Superintendent
Woodburn School District
We wanted to take a moment and remind everyone of the process we have for visitors accessing our school sites. Thanks to the hard work of our community in passing a bond years ago, we were able to build secure vestibules and add entry safety measures at sites. That means that every main entrance has a camera and a microphone that is connected to the school office. This is the main access point for all visitors who do not have keys or badges. All visitors will be asked to stop at the outside door and buzz into the office. If it is your first time going to the school, and the staff do not recognize you, you will be asked to identify yourself and your purpose. This means any visitors who do not have a legal or legitimate reason for entering the school, would not be allowed entrance. This is why the vestibules and entry cameras were added. They are a tremendous safety tool and we are grateful to have them. We do ask that if you are outside waiting to come in, please be patient. Our staff will get to you as soon as they can. Thank you for your understanding and helping us keep our buildings safe.
Visitor Entry Procedures:
Locate main entrance
Locate microphone and camera and press buzzer
Wait for office staff to greet you through the intercom
Be prepared to identify yourself and your purpose
Enter school vestibule area if buzzed in
If entrance is denied, you can request administration assistance to meet you at the main door
- Contact your school directly
- Web Portal - www.safeoregon.com/report-a-tip/
- Download the mobile app in your app store
- Call or text - 1-844-472-3367
Please remember, if you see or hear something, say something.
👏🎉 Join us in congratulating Jenne Marquez (Executive Secretary to the Superintendent and School Board) on receiving a well-deserved recognition for her years of service to the Woodburn Community Connection - Kids Fest & Planning Committee!
Her dedication, leadership, and commitment have helped make this event a cherished tradition in our community.
Thank you, Jenne, for everything you do for our students, families, and community. We appreciate you! 💙
Once on This Island
Music by Stephen Flaherty
Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Inspired by Caribbean folklore, Once on This Island tells the powerful story of Ti Moune, a brave peasant girl who rescues and falls in love with Daniel, a wealthy boy from the other side of the island. Guided—and tested—by the island’s gods, Ti Moune journeys across a world divided by class, privilege, and tradition to prove that love can change people and communities. Filled with energetic music, storytelling, dance, and ensemble-driven performance, the musical blends humor, heartache, and hope into an unforgettable theatrical experience.
November 6-7, 13-14, 2026
Walkout 1968
By Caleb Thurston
A new original bilingual play, Walkout 1968 follows a scrappy group of East LA high school students who are increasingly fed up with their treatment in Los Angeles high schools. Under the encouragement of their charismatic history teacher, Sal Castro, the students resolve to protest the oppression of Hispanic students. Their bold, nonviolent, unified actions became legendary and changed the course of the Chicano movement.
February 11-13, 2027
Rumors
By Neil Simon
Rumors is a fast-paced comedy packed with outrageous lies and nonstop chaos as a group of wealthy friends arrives at a dinner party to discover the host injured and his wife mysteriously missing. Determined to avoid scandal, the guests invent increasingly ridiculous stories to cover up what they think happened, causing the night to spiral completely out of control. Filled with sharp humor, physical comedy, and collaborative storytelling, the play explores how fear, gossip, and social pressure can quickly turn small problems into hilarious disasters. (Rated PG-13; recommended for middle school age and older.)
May 6-8, 2027
As we prepare for the upcoming school year, we want to reminder our families to sign up for Flash Alert and receive the latest weather updates in our District!
If you would like automatic Woodburn School District notifications, you can register to receive email or cell text messages by clicking on this FlashAlert link.
You can also learn more about FlashAlert here on our website.
- Delete the existing Flash Alert app from your mobile device
- Go to your Android or Apple app Store and install the new app
- Follow registration instructions
Follow WSD on social media!
Our district is committed to providing consistent communication and updates for students, families, and the community. Stay informed and engaged by following our Facebook and Instagram pages using the QR codes below.
INSTAGRAM QR CODE
FACEBOOK QR CODE
SCHOOL CONTACT INFO:
Heritage Elementary - (503)981-2600
Lincoln Elementary - (503) 981-2825
Nellie Elementary - (503) 982-4300
Washington Elementary - (503) 983-3050
French Prairie Middle School - (503) 983-3550
Valor Middle School - (503) 981-2750
Woodburn High School and Success High School - (503) 980-6250
SCHOOL REPORT/RELEASE TIMES:
ELEMENTARY: 7:55am - 2:20pm
MIDDLE SCHOOL: 8:20am - 3:15pm
HIGH SCHOOL: 8:30am - 3:30pm