The Current

Message from the Superintendent

Presidents Day Holiday, No School Monday

LOSD Teams Make Mark at Science Bowl

DECA Competitors Take Top Honors at State Competition

Seeking Volunteers for Our Advisory Committees

Workshop About Substance Use & Prevention

School Board Meeting Tuesday

Important Items for Incoming Kindergarteners

Unique Opportunity for Our Rising First Graders

2023-24 School Year Registration Now Open

YouthTruth Survey Coming Soon

LO High Presents Legally Blond The Musical

Save the Date: Asian Cultural Festival

Foundation Gala Tickets On Sale

Foundation Accepting Board Applications

Health Information:

• LOSD COVID-19 Dashboard
  
• Community Level: Low

Community Reminders:

• Feminine Hygiene Products Donation Drive
  
• Women's BIPOC Speaker Series
• If I Were Mayor Contest
  
• Calling Teen Artists: Outside the Art Room
  

Regular Reminders:

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

Hip, hip, hooray! We are celebrating being in school for our 100th day! Students throughout our district are marking the milestone with spirited academics and activities. Westridge Elementary recognized the 100th day by dressing up as 100-year-olds and participating in creative calendaring and counting activities. Finding fun ways to teach is part of how educators keep our students engaged in their learning. It's also an opportunity to acknowledge hard work and milestones thus far.

The 100th day can mean many things to people in our learning community. For sentimental folks, it brings up feelings of time flying. For others, it may spark some panic about what they still want to accomplish before the year is over.

Every single day in school matters. We understand absences are sometimes out of our control, but we ask our families to make attendance a priority whenever possible. Students who attend school regularly are more likely to succeed academically because they gain background knowledge from discussions while learning in school. Being in school also provides time for social interactions with peers, which is an essential part of their education. Regular attendance fosters a classroom community between teachers and children.

That leads me to a third thing the 100th day of school conjures up. It signals that spring is near, a magical time between educators and students who have formed bonds and are hitting strides.

It’s been a wonderful 100 days. Let’s make the most of each remaining day of this year.

(Pictured: Ms. Nicky, the pre-K teacher for Westridge class at Hallinan)

On the third Monday in February, Americans remember the achievements of two of the nation's greatest presidents. Students across the country learn about the achievements and contributions of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, whose birthdays both were in February. All LOSD schools and offices are closed Monday, Feb. 20 in honor of the national holiday.

Congratulations to our two LOSD teams who participated for the first time in the annual Science Bowl competition at the University of Portland last weekend. Out of the 34 high school teams from Olympia to South Eugene, in a movie-like dramatic turn, our two teams met in the final bracket to see who would play the winner of the other bracket in the final match. The match went into overtime, which has never happened in the finals. LO1 beat LO2 and played Mountain View, a long-established team and perennial winner. LOSD finished overall with an impressive 2nd and 3rd place.

The Science Bowl is a nationwide academic competition hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy hat tests students’ knowledge in all areas of science and mathematics. Middle and high school student teams face off in a fast-paced question-and-answer format covering a range of science disciplines, including biology, chemistry, Earth science, physics, energy, and math.

Congratulations to our International Marketing DECA Competitors. This year more than 50 students in several different groups from Lake Oswego and Lakeridge High Schools competed with more than 850 Oregon students in the state competition. More than 12 groups represented our high schools on the podium and two groups won the state championship in their event. Several groups will advance to regionals.

DECA, formerly Distributive Education Clubs of America, is a not-for-profit career and technical education student organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management.

We need you! Please consider applying for our school or district advisory committee for terms starting next school year. There is one application for all committees; in the form mark the committee that is of interest to you. Only committees with vacancies -- School Advisory Committees (SAC) and Long Range Facility Planning (LRFP) -- are listed in the application for this period. See the charters posted on the School Board Advisory Committees web page for more information about each committee.

Applications are due Monday, March 13 at 5 p.m. Recommendations and selections will be made in April. All applicants will be notified by May 1.

Children as young as elementary-school age are reporting the use of alcohol and illicit drugs. To support students’ social, emotional, and physical health, LOSD CARES is hosting a virtual workshop with Brian McCrady of the Clackamas County Prevention Coalition discussing substance abuse prevention for children in grades kindergarten through 12th grade.

During the 1-hour online workshop, parents/guardians will learn how to identify signs of substance, how to talk with their child about it, and how to find help. This workshop is for adults only and is relevant to parents/guardians of children in all grade levels.

Wednesday, March 15

11:30-12:30 p.m.

https://loswego-k12-or-us.zoom.us/j/81471437242

LOSD CARES is a connection and resilience education series hosted by our district's team of counselors, social workers, and psychologists to provide our families with greater access to mental health resources.

Tuesday, Feb. 21

Legal Budget Committee Interviews 5 p.m.

Regular Session 6 p.m.

Agenda posted on the district website

LOSD Central Office, Boardroom

The Lake Oswego School Board meetings are held in person and are 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 prior to the start of the public session. All may observe 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.

We have a few popular and time-sensitive items specifically for our incoming kindergartener families:

Consider language immersion. Our language immersion program at Palisades World Language School will have three classes of kindergarten next school year: two classes for Spanish Immersion and one class for Mandarin Chinese. Learn more and consider applying for our immersion educational track before the lottery deadline of March 10.

Sign up for Kindergarten Transition. Each of our elementary schools will offer a Kindergarten Transition Program on August 7-10. This one-week, eight-hour experience is designed to help incoming kindergartners acclimate to school in a calm, inclusive, and engaging learning environment. See our summer elementary enrichment programs for more information and to register. If you are considering language immersion, still sign up for kindergarten transition at your neighborhood school now. The district will transfer registrations to Palisades after the immersion program lottery in March.

Mark your calendar. Find the district calendars for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years on the district and school websites under Find It Fast / Calendar. Please note that kindergartners in Lake Oswego begin with a Kindergarten Orientation and a staggered start during the first week of school. At the end of the summer, your school’s main office will send information about your child’s orientation appointment time during September 5-7. The first day for all kindergartners will be on Friday, September 8.

Our kindergarteners rising to first grade next school year are eligible for a unique opportunity.

LOSD is launching our newest language immersion program, Mandarin Chinese, starting next school year at Palisades World Language School. We hired two teachers last year to immerse themselves in helping build the culture at Palisades while helping develop our newest language immersion program. We are very fortunate to have these amazing teachers to be able to start the new Mandarin Chinese program with a cohort for kindergarten and another one for first grade.

Our kindergarteners are eligible to start in Mandarin Chinese as part of the first-grade cohort next year. Prior knowledge and understanding of the Mandarin Chinese language are not required. Learn more about it and consider applying. Our immersion track lottery deadline is March 10.

Registration for the 2023-24 school year is now open for new students who have never enrolled in Lake Oswego before and returning students who are not currently enrolled but will re-enroll for next year. LOSD is pleased to offer online registration through its parent portal, ParentVUE. See the Registration & Transfer Information page of the LOSD website for guidance. Parents/guardians do not need to register students for 2023-24 who are currently attending during the 2022-23 school year.

It’s that time of year…Lake Oswego schools administer the YouthTruth every spring to help improve students’ experiences in our learning community. Responses from students, staff, and parents/guardians are incredibly valuable. Principals will be sending the survey link at the end of February, and we asked that you please take 15 minutes to complete it before March 24.

All parents/guardians and community residents are cordially invited to attend the Lake Oswego Schools Foundation Gala.

Tickets are on sale now.

Purchase tickets

Are you interested in contributing to a dynamic volunteer organization dedicated to advancing our community's commitment to educational excellence? Please consider applying for the Lake Oswego Schools Foundation Board of Directors.

Please click HERE to access the online application form. If you are unable to access the online application, please contact woolfw@loswego.k12.or.us to receive a pdf version of the application.

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).

Mayor Joe Buck, along with the Oregon Mayors Association (OMA), invite Lake Oswego students grades 4-12 to participate in the “If I Were Mayor...” contest where students can share their creative and inspirational ideas about what they would do as a mayor. Entries must be submitted by March 24, 2023. Click here for more information.

The Outside the Art Room, Teen Art Showcase + Auction is back for its 6th year, and applications for artists are open! Any youth in grades 6-12 can apply to showcase and/or sell their artwork at the event on Friday, Feb. 24, 6-8 p.m. Find more information and apply to participate by Friday, Feb. 7. The program is hosted by the City of Lake Oswego Parks & Recreation department.

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.