The Current

Message from the Superintendent

Select Your Bus Stop -- New Routes are Ready

Serving New Developments for School Meals

Welcome Back Events Next Week

Prepare for Smart Start Next Week

Still Time to Verify Your Student's Info

Join Your School Advisory Committee

Get Your River Grove Keepsake Tile

Sign Up for Elementary Strings & Orchestra

Season Closing at Lake Grove Swim Park

Registration Open for LO Youth Cheer

LOSD COVID-19 Information:

• COVID-19 Protocols: What to Expect
• Community Level: Low

Regular Reminders:

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

Positive and hopeful energy for the new year is filling our buildings. All of our teachers and staff return to work next week to prepare to welcome students back to school.

We are looking forward to capping off what is always a busy week with opportunities to meet students and families before classes begin. A cherished event is Smart Start, an open house specifically for students with IEPs and 504s to meet their teachers and help ease into the first day of school. New this year at Smart Start, and our elementary school supply drop offs/meet and greets, will be our bus drivers. They look forward to introducing themselves to our families and giving students a chance to check out the bus before riding it to school.

We are enjoying the last week of summer and getting excited for the start of school!

Bus routes and access points -- or what many call bus stops -- for the 2022-2023 school are now available on the district and school websites under Find It Fast / Transportation. Please review the new routes and select the stop(s) that works best for your family. Families with students receiving special education transportation services will receive bus information directly from case managers next week.

Student Transportation of America (STA) provides bus transportation for LOSD. Drivers will be at Smart Start and the elementary supply drop offs/meet and greets on August 25.

Walking zones. Students who live farther than 1 mile from their resident elementary school and 1.5 miles away from their resident middle or high school are eligible for bus transportation. However, typically, service is provided closer to avoid walkers and bikers crossing major thoroughfares. Students may walk up to several blocks to their nearest stop.

Bus registration is not necessary. Routes and stops are designed based on historical patterns and current student residences. Elementary students may sit up to three to a seat, and secondary students up to two to a seat on our buses. Ridership for LOSD fluctuates during the first weeks of school and between mornings and afternoons throughout the year. If ridership requires rebalancing, STA will adjust routes and possibly add more buses once more drivers come on board.

Primary student tags. During the first weeks of school, students in grades K-2 will be given luggage tags on their backpacks to help school staff, drivers, and students remember their routes and stops.

Help prepare your child to ride the bus. Select the stop(s) that works best for your family.

• Visit your stop before school starts to familiarize your child with it.
• Look for visual clues to help them identify when it is time to get off the bus.

Kindergarteners need an adult to greet them off the bus. Bus drivers are obligated to return unattended kindergarteners to school for safekeeping. Please be sure to be at your child’s stop ahead of time to help keep the bus moving for all onboard.

Students in the PreK program require parent/guardian transportation. The program starts and ends 30 minutes later than the rest of the school, and PreK students are not eligible to ride the school bus unattended.

The universal free meals waiver with USDA expired on June 30, 2022. That means starting this school year LOSD will be serving meals under the free, reduced, and paid categories.

We are able to provide free meals to more families using the Oregon Expanded Income Guidelines (EIG) this year. A family of four making $83,250 annually can now qualify for free meals compared to the USDA standard of $36,075. To set up your student's meal account or apply for free/reduced meals look for Meals under Find it Fast on district and school website homepages.

We are speeding up the lunch lines with new pinned/scanners at the point of sale (POS). Students can scan their ID barcode at the POS making it easy and fast to go through the lunch line. They can also use the pin-pad in case they forget or lose their ID badge.

• Secondary students can have the option of using the barcode on their Student ID card. They can also take a picture of it with their phone and use that picture at the POS. This is up to each school if they want to allow students to use their phones for this.
• Elementary students will be given a meal ID badge left in the classroom and used only when getting lunch.

Be sure to check your school's calendar for welcome-back events happening next week.

Elementary Schools

Find out class rosters via email on Wednesday, Aug. 24

Meet your teacher at school supply drop-offs Thursday, Aug. 25

Plan for Smart Start for students with IEPs, 504s Thursday, Aug. 25

Middle and High Schools

Check school calendars for various dates and times to pickup class schedules, books, lockers, pictures, and more

Plan for Smart Start for students with IEPs, 504s Thursday, Aug. 25

First Days of School

Aug. 29: first day for students in grades 1-5, 6, and 9

Aug. 30: first day for students in grades 7-8 and 10-12
Sept. 1: first day for all kindergarteners

Aug. 29-31: kindergarten orientation. Kindergartners will be invited to an orientation at their new schools on one of those three days. Parents/guardians can expect an invitation from their principal by early next week regarding your student's orientation day.

Smart Start is an opportunity specifically for our students with 504s and IEPs, and their parents/guardians, to make introductions with their teachers and feel prepared for the start of school.

Smart Start will be held in person at each LOSD school, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022, 1-3 p.m. In advance of the event, students are invited to prepare a one-page profile to share a little about themselves with their teacher. Look for Smart Start on the district and school website homepages for more information.

If you haven't done so already, please be sure to verify your student's information. All students who are enrolled for the 2022-2023 school year need their information updated by September 9, 4 p.m. The only exceptions are students who are new to LOSD; information is verified during their initial registration process.

Log into ParentVUE and access 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.

Many schools have open positions on their school advisory committees. Please consider applying for one of the schools listed below by Monday, Sept. 12. The board will review applications and appoint new members by the end of September for two-year terms beginning immediately. More information and applications are on the district website under School Board / Committees.

• Lake Oswego High

• Lake Oswego Middle

• Forest Hills Elementary

• Hallinan Elementary

• Lake Grove Elementary

• Oak Creek Elementary

• Palisades Elementary

• River Grove Elementary

Before construction began, we hired a professional photographer to capture and create keepsakes of artwork that had adorned the former River Grove Elementary School building. If you are interested in getting your keepsake tile, please go to www.losdschools.org/RG and scroll down to Trending Topics for the link to order your tile. Orders must be placed by August 31, 2022

Registration is open for the beloved Elementary Strings and Orchestra after-school program for LOSD students in grades 4-5. Find detailed information about the program, including important dates for parents/guardians and interested young musicians, on the district website under Community Programs / Elementary Strings.

With lifeguards and the director heading back to school, the Lake Grove Swim Park is preparing to close for the season. The last day patrons can access the swim park is Sunday, Aug. 21. It's been a wonderful season at our little spot of special. We are already looking forward to reopening in June of 2023.

Registration is now open for the Lake Oswego Youth Cheer Program. Learn cheer skills and fundamentals. Be part of team comradery and have FUN! The program is open to all LOSD students in grades 3-8.

For more details and registration please visit the Lake Oswego Community School website at Laker Youth Cheer Registration or contact Coach Danica Buttkus at danica.buttkus22@gmail.com

LOSD continues to follow required protocols in response to COVID-19. Following is an overview of what our students, staff, and families may expect when school begins. More LOSD COVID-19 Information is on the district website under Find it Fast / Resources.

• Masking remains optional, recommended when CDC has community in level high
• Please stay home when ill
  
• Schools must exclude individuals who test positive with COVID-19
• Quarantining is not required and close contacts are not being traced
• Call your school nurse if infected, for support and guidance
• Self-reported cases are communicated on the district dashboard when school is in session
• COVID-19 test kits are available for at home use; if interested, request one from your school
• Oregon requires all adults in schools to be vaccinated; LOSD is allowing volunteers to apply for an exemption

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 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.

Parents-guardians who have concerns about a student’s well-being are encouraged to reach out to their principal, and 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/

(Students should also be aware that intentionally providing a false report is a serious offense.)

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.