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Southern Oregon Equity Summit 2019

By News, School Improvement Services

Kick off the 2019-20 school year by joining us for the Southern Oregon Equity Summit 2019. The event includes high-profile speakers and breakout sessions that provide strategies for understanding equity through a trauma-informed practices approach.

When

Monday August 19th & Tuesday August 20th, 8:30 am ā€“ 03:30 pm

Location

Inn at the Commons
200 N Riverside Ave,
Medford, OR 97501
(866) 779-5811

Register Here

Free

For SOESD component districts. For attendees outside the SOESD, price is $129 for one day and $199 for both.

Contact Information

Nancy Hayes at 541-776-8564

PDUs

14.50

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Carmen X Urbina is a proven leader who brings the diverse, lived-experience and unique skills we need in Oregon today. She has developed her exceptional talents serving in early learning settings, K-12 school districts and ESDs, higher education, and leading culturally specific and highly respected community-based organizations in Oregon. Carmenā€™s efforts are always grounded in equity, focused on the needs of all our students and families, and designed to bring community and education organizations together in both safe and effective ways.

Dr. Donna Beegle: Born into a migrant labor family and married at 15, earned her GED at age 26, within 10 years she then received her doctorate in Educational Leadership. She is an authentic voice from poverty that speaks, writes and trains across the nation to break the iron cage of poverty for others through Communication Across Barriers (CAB). For more than 25 years, she has traveled throughout hundreds of cities in 47 states and four countries to assist professionals with proven strategies for breaking poverty barriers. State agencies, politicians and other organizations have partnered with her to implement community-wide approaches to improving outcomes for citizens in poverty.

Ricky Robertson

Ricky Robertson has had the privilege to work with students from pre-K to 12th grade who have persevered in the face of adversity and trauma.Ā  Ricky is the co-author of the book, ā€œBuilding Resilience in Students Impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Whole-Staff Approach.ā€Ā Ā As a consultant and coach, Ricky assists schools in developing trauma-informed systems of support and Restorative Practices that foster resilience and success for staff and students.

 

Eric Butler is a Restorative Justice Educator and Activist. A Hurricane Katrina survivor, he relocated to Oakland, California where he rebuilt a new life, successfully facilitating Grief Circles in response to homicide and extreme violence in area schools as part of Catholic Charitiesā€™ crisis response program. He also worked as a lead mediator with Youth Uprising, where he mediated conflicts on the ground in Oakland neighborhoods and schools.

While in Oakland, Eric gained prominence for his impactful Restorative Justice work with youth in West Oakland as the School Coordinator at Bunche High School with Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth (RJOY). Today, Eric travels from New Orleans to Texas, to New York, to California and all around the country with a personal mission to spread Restorative Justice around the globe.

SESSION SPEAKERS

Leah Hinkle has been an education consultant to ten school districts with the Teaching and Learning Department at Clackamas Education Service District for the last four years. Her specialty is English learner instruction and services funded through Title III. She formerly worked in the Greater Albany School District for ten years, first as a bilingual educational assistant, then an ELD teacher at the middle and high school levels, and lastly as the district’s Teacher on Special Assignment to English Learner Programs.

Raphaelle (Raphi) Miller, Director of Education & School Services joined the staff of Resolve in 2013, having previously served as a volunteer and intern since 2011. In her work as a restorative justice practitioner, trainer, coach and consultant, Raphi supports schools in system-wide implementation of restorative justice practices. Raphi works collaboratively to advance restorative justice in education through participation in regional collective impact initiatives and as a planning committee member for the Northwest Justice Forum. Raphi is currently pursuing a Masterā€™s in Public Administration from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. She graduated magna cum laude from Southern Oregon University with her B.A. in Human Communication, certificates in Conflict Resolution and the Management of Human Resources, and a minor in Business Administration.

Cara Walsh, As the Director of Restorative Justice, Cara has been working to support the development, implementation, and delivery of restorative justice services since 2010. In addition to providing training, consultation, and coaching on a local level, Cara works for the advancement of restorative justice throughout the region via her leadership with the Restorative Justice Coalition of Oregon, the Northwest Justice Forum and the Transforming Justice Advisory Committee. Her professional and educational experience is grounded in her passion for creating and facilitating integrative opportunities and experiences for community engagement, empowerment and transformation. Cara earned her M.A. from Prescott College.

Dr. Julie McCann has been an educator for 40 years currently working as a professor in the Concordia College Doctoral Program and as a Senior Associate for the Oregon Center for Educational Equity (OCEE). She was the 2000 Oregon Principal of the Year and as a leader focused on underserved children and families and systemic reform. She has consulted throughout the state on issues of diversity, inclusion, equity and school change.Ā  She has presented at both state and national conferences around her dissertation topic: White Leaders Examine Power and Privilege: The Challenges of Leading for Equity.

has been an educator for 20 years.Ā  He is currently a middle school social studies teacher in Eugene, Oregon, focusing on teaching history through a non-dominant lens.Ā  He guides his students to critically examine, discuss and explore, through historical analysis and current events, an array of social justice issues and actions.Ā  Jesse embraces opportunities to engage in challenging conversations around equity, diversity and inclusion with his colleagues, his students, and his own multi-racial children. He also provides professional development as a Facilitator for the Oregon Center for Educational Equity (OCEE).

Kā€™Ehleyr is a member of the Ohlone Costanoan Esselen Nation whose traditional homelands are located in the now Greater Monterey Bay Area of California. She is the Youth Development Specialist for the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, primarily supporting families with youth ages 0-15. Her work includes providing resources to families with early learners, IEP and 504 support for students and families, tutoring at the Expanding Horizons Youth Center, Tribal education benefit program management and, of course, duties as assigned.

Kā€™Ehleyr grew up in a small town in rural Northern Arizona and is working to reconnect with her Tribal heritage, traditional knowledge, and language. She earned a Bachelorā€™s of Science in Paleobiology from the University of California, Santa Barbara where she became an active member of the campus American Indian Student Association. Finding a family with these Native peers cemented her desire to pursue working in Indian Country, where she hopes to stay for the duration of her career.

Renae Guenther is a member of the Cow Creek South Umpqua Tribe of Indians and has been on the Tribal Attendance Pilot Project (TAPP) since its beginning in 2016. TAPP is a collaborative project of all nine federally recognized tribes of Oregon with the Oregon Department of Education to address chronic absenteeism of American Indian/Alaska Native students in selected schools. Now three years into the project, TAPP is showing gains in AI/AN attendance rates.

Being a Tribally enrolled student herself, Renae battled with chronic absenteeism and a lack of positive and accurate representations of the Native American culture and peoples. Through making connections with her peers and her tribe, Renae is now a graduate student attending Southern Oregon University. Renae focuses her efforts on encouraging the youth of American Indian/Alaska Native descent to finish primary school and progress to higher education for the success of themselves and their tribal communities.

Cow Creek Umpqua Tribal Member Rhonda Richardson has worked for the Tribe for 28 years. She has been dedicated in her previous position as the Human Services Director and is now continuing on her path as the Cultural Development Coordinator. It has been a long time passion for Rhonda to continue her career in the Cultural field. She is working alongside the Natural Resources Team. Rhonda has been involved in various committees and projects throughout the years that has touched the life situations from ages 0-99, from birth to death and helped people navigate through life. The revitalization of the Takelma Language has become the main focus of developing the culture for our Tribal community.

Lynda Coates is a Gold Star Speaker with Communication Across Barriers (CAB), a national consulting firm that provides training and keynotes that empower professionals who assist people with moving out of poverty. Lynda has a Masterā€™s Degree in ComĀ­munication from Portland State University and has been speaking and training for over a decade across the country. She is an authentic voice, born into generational poverty, who grew up homeless with her parents and five siblings.

May 2019: Update and FAQs regarding Jackson County PDHH Resource Classrooms

By Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Homepage, News

SOESD provides services for students through the Program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (PDHH) using both an itinerant model where teachers travel to students’ schools and a resource classroom model with three classrooms currently located in elementary, middle, and high schools at Central Point School District (CPSD). This update provides information about the resource classroom model in Jackson County.

Families who live in Medford School District (MSD) received a letter dated February 25, 2019 from MSD Special Education Director Tania Tong, indicating MSD was planning for MSD students to be served next year by the SOESD PDHH program in resource classrooms located in MSD instead of in Central Point School District (CPSD). We understand that MSD has now determined it will not open classrooms in MSD for students to receive PDHH services during the 2019-20 school year. This means that students would continue to attend SOESD PDHH resource classrooms located within CPSD next school year.

At this time, MSD has indicated their intention is to extend their timeline for students to begin being served by SOESD’s PDHH resource program in MSD starting with the 2020-21 school year. Additionally, we understand that MSD has updated their guidance so that MSD students currently being served in CPSD may remain in CPSD through high school graduation, regardless of students’ current grade level and whether students are transitioning between elementary, middle, or high school.

SOESD values input and feedback regarding proposed changes. We recognize that districts we serve may choose to host resource classrooms where SOESD would serve PDHH students, and understand that changes to locations of PDHH resource classrooms impact students and families.

Please know that SOESD will serve students that are eligible for SOESD’s PDHH services regardless of where students live or attend school.

FAQs re: SOESD’s Program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (PDHH}

Why was a change being planned for PDHH classroom locations?
Approximately half of the PDHH students in the three classrooms hosted by Central Point School District (CPSD) where SOESD serves Jackson County students are Medford School District (MSD) residents. MSD would like to serve their resident students in MSD schools.

Where will students attend PDHH resource classroom during the 2019-20 school year?

In 2019-20, PDHH resource classrooms will be located in CPSD. MSD has indicated their timeline is for students to begin being served by SOESD’s PDHH resource program in MSD classrooms starting with the 2020-21 school year.

Where will students attend PDHH resource classrooms during the 2020-21 school year?
In 2020-21, it has not yet been determined if PDHH resource classrooms will operate in CPSD, MSD, or both districts. We understand that MSD has updated their placement guidance so that MSD students currently being served in CPSD may remain in CPSD through high school graduation, regardless of students’ current grade level and whether students are transitioning between elementary, middle, or high school.

Where would MSD classrooms be located in the 2020-21 school year?
We understand that MSD’s current plan is to host classrooms at Howard Elementary, Mcloughlin Middle, and South Medford High schools.

Who will be the SOESD staff assigned to MSD classrooms in the 2020-21 school year?
Staff assignments would be determined once student placements are determined.

How would SOESD serve my child as a result of any changes in classroom locations?
SOESD will serve students that are eligible for SOESD’s PDHH services regardless of where students live or attend school.

How do school districts and SOESD partner to fund services for PDHH students?

SOESD’s PDDH teachers are funded through the ODE Regional Programs contract facilitated by SOESD. SOESD interpreters are funded by the school districts where students live. The district hosting PDHH classrooms receives funds from districts that have students attending their classrooms in order to support those students’ general education.

Who can I contact if I have questions about SOESD’s DHH Program?

Please direct all questions about SOESD’s DHH program to SOESD Special Education Director Susan Peck at 541-776-8555.

Who can I contact regarding Medford’s plans to open classrooms in 2020-21?

Please contact Medford School District Special Education Director Tania Tong at 541-842-3628.

Who can I contact regarding the location of my student’s PDHH resource classroom?
Please contact the special education director in the district where you live.

What are the next steps?
SOESD will continue to partner with school districts to create continuity of services for PDHH students.

SOESD ANNOUNCES SOUTHERN OREGON REGIONAL TEACHER OF THE YEAR

By Homepage, News

On behalf of the Oregon Department of Education, Southern Oregon Education Service District (SOESD) is proud to announce the selection of Ms. Tia McLean, kindergarten teacher at Helman Elementary School in the Ashland School District, as a 2019 Oregon Regional Teacher of the Year. Ā Ms. McLean will be honored at a Helman School assembly on March 21, 2019 at 9:30 AM, where she will be awarded a check for $500.00.

SOESD convened a Blue Ribbon Panel made up of diverse and unbiased panel members who equitably represented the geographic region of Jackson, Josephine, and Klamath counties. The panel, who reviewed six applications from a larger set of nominations, looked for a teacher who exemplified the following attributes:

  • Is an exceptionally dedicated, knowledgeable, and skilled teacher in any state-approved or accredited school, pre-kindergarten through grade twelve, who is planning to continue in an active teaching status
  • Is an expert in their field who guides students of all backgrounds and abilities to achieve excellence
  • Collaborates with colleagues, students, and families to create a school culture of respect and success
  • Deliberately connects the classroom and key stakeholders to foster a strong community at large
  • Demonstrates leadership and innovation in and outside of the classroom walls that embodies lifelong learning
  • Expresses themselves in an engaging and articulate way

The Oregon Teacher of the Year Program started in 1955, and is managed by the Oregon Department of Education. Ā Anyone can nominate a candidate for the recognition, but teachers may not nominate themselves. Once selected, the Oregon Teacher of the Year is also a candidate to apply for the National Teacher of the Year recognition. Ā The selected teacher serves as the face and voice of exemplary educators across the state of Oregon, and engages and inspires other teachers and community leaders as a representative of the profession.

The Oregon Department of Education chose in 2017-18 to expand the selection process for the Ā nominees. The goal of the expansion is to honor teachers in every region of the state. Education Service Districts across Oregon reviewed applications submitted from their geographic region and facilitated a Blue Ribbon Panel using a review process to identify winners in their regions. Ā Thirteen winners will go on to be considered for Oregon Teacher of the Year, which will be decided in September.

SOESD is proud of the amazing teachers in our three county region, exemplified by Ms. McLean, who are focused on quality teaching, learning, and student achievement.

SOESD Migrant Program Participant Mrs. Raquel Garay Receives National Migrant Parent of the Year Award!

By Homepage, Migrant Ed/ELL/Indian Ed, News

Raquel Garay has been named the 2019 National Migrant Parent of the year after being named the Oregon Migrant Parent of the year in 2018. Raquel will be receiving recognition for the national award at the National Migrant Education Conference. The Oregon and national awards recognize Raquel for her excellent leadership skills and passion to help better her community.

Raquel has been part of the Southern Oregon Education Service District (SOESD) Migrant Education Program for over a decade. She currently holds the position of Vice President of the Migrant Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) at Eagle Point School District where her child attends, and is the regional representative for Southern Oregon on the Migrant State Parent Advisory Committee (SPAC), where she also serves as Vice -President. Raquel has also been a member of the Eagle Point School Districtā€™s Budget Committee, Bond Committee, and Soccer Club, as well as the Southern Oregon University Latino Programs Planning Committee.

Additionally over the last three years, through the Northwest Health Foundation (NWHF) Healthy Beginnings + Healthy Communities grant written and facilitated by the SOESD Migrant Education program, migrant parents have been able to attend various leadership development conferences, as well as the NWHF Gatherings hosted by different communities. Raquel has attended every one of these meetings for three years and clearly represented the voice of migrant parents.

The Rogue Valley is home to many amazing individuals who change and make our community a better place to be. We are lucky to have people like Raquel Garay advocating for the future of her own children and the children in our community that are part of the SOESD Migrant Education Program. Raquel is no stranger to positively using her voice to improve outcomes for students and families through helping others better understand community needs.

Press Contact: Charlie Bauer, Migrant Education Coordinator Southern Oregon Education Service District (541) 776-8590 | charlie_bauer@soesd.k12.or.us

2019-2020 Local Service Plan

By News

Southern Oregon Education Service District (SOESD) is proud to present the 2019-20 Local Service Plan (LSP). The LSP is a product of our collaboration with school districts to deliver services that are responsive to districtsā€™ individual and collective needs, by providing flexibility in service choices, while maintaining service quality and stability, and leveraging regional advantages in cost effectiveness and increased opportunities for students.SOESD utilizes State School Funds to provide services required by the LSP process for school districts in Jackson, Josephine, and Klamath counties that serve approximately 50,000 students representing 8.8 percent of the students in Oregon. The SOESD geographic region is the largest ESD region in Oregon comprising almost 10,600 square miles, which is larger than seven of the states in the US. SOESD brings added value to our districts surpassing the requirements of the Local Service Plan by historically obtaining over half (59% in 2018-19) of our annual revenue ($54,857,340 in 2018-19) through grants, contracts, and entrepreneurial services, expanding our partners and the area we serve, while providing enhanced or additional highly valued services to benefit our local districts.SOESD is proud of our accomplishments as a progressive leader in the ESD community, within our region, and in the state. This 2019-20 LSP represents the continued leadership of our organization to provide a leading number of highly valued and innovative services aligned with Oregonā€™s initiatives, delivered through a modern business model.On behalf of the SOESD board and administrative leadership, I would like to recognize that our success is due to the work of our staff in cooperation with our component districts. It is through staffā€™s service, responsiveness, and expertise ā€“ with a focus on customer service and satisfaction ā€“ that we have established and continuously build our value on doing what is best for children, families, and our communities.

View Plan

Nominations for 2020 Oregon Teacher of the Year

By News, School Improvement Services

The Oregon Department of Education, in partnership with the Oregon Lottery, is pleased to announce that the Oregon Teacher of the Year program is again honoring exemplary educators in every region of the state!

Nominations are open statewide through January 31, 2019
Teachers will submit their applications by March 29, 2019
Oregon Education Service Districts will select a winner from their region
Regional Teachers of the Year will be honored across the state in May 2019!
One of the Regional Teachers of the Year will be named the 2020 Oregon Teacher of the Year in September 2019!

Regional Teachers of the Year will receive a cash prize of $500 and will be celebrated across the state. The 2020 Oregon Teacher of the Year will receive a $5,000 cash prize (with a matching $5,000 going to their school!) and serve as a spokesperson and representative for all Oregon teachers.

Anyone can nominate a teacher! Please consider nominating a deserving teacher today at oregonteacheroftheyear.org. Who knows, the teacher you nominate just may be selected as the Southern Oregon Regional Teacher of the Year and be in the running for the honor of 2020 Oregon Teacher of the Year!

Safety

Representative Lead Drinking Water Results Show Concentrations Below EPA/DEQ Action Levels For District Facilities

By Business Services, News

SOESD retained Coleman Creek Consulting, Inc. (CCC) to perform representative lead drinking water sampling and analysis to determine lead concentrations in representative drinking water sources at District facilities.Ā  Sampling was performed June 28, 2017 and July 6, 2017 and analysis indicated that all drinking water sources sampled were below the EPA and DEQ lead action level concentration.Ā  A report for each facility was prepared by CCC, and can be found at the SOESD website atĀ Ā Ā https://www.soesd.k12.or.us/Page.asp?NavID=2216.Ā  The facilities tested were:

  • Phoenix Office
  • Klamath Falls Office
  • Grants Pass Regional Office
  • Early Childhood Services Program
  • Medford Office
Camps

SOESD Facilitates 2017 Science Curriculum Materials Review

By Curriculum and Assessment, News

During the Week of June 26-29th five school districts joined together with the SOESD to review Next Generation Science Curriculum Materials.Ā  38 teachers worked with 4 grade level band facilitators.Ā  The participants attended a one-day training and calibration, June 26th, on the EQUiP Rubric from Achieve that would be used to review the unit. From June 27-28th, teams reviewed four programs. On June 29th each facilitator led their teams in a collaborative discussion around each of the rubric items and the evidence the reviewers had gathered. Together they agreed on the evidence that was to be included in the final review, the sub category ratings, and the final ratings.

Click hereĀ for the final review of the materials.
Click hereĀ to access all final reports by band.

What’s Happening in November, 2016?

By Uncategorized

Flower: Chrysanthemum
Birthstone: Topaz

Month-Long CommemorationsĀ 

Adopt-a-Senior Pet Month
Adopt a Turkey Month
American Diabetes Month
Child Safety Protection Month
Family Stories Month
Lung Cancer Awareness Month
Manatee Awareness Month
Military Family Appreciation Month
Movember
National Adoption Month
National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness MonthĀ 
National Family Literacy MonthĀ 
National Inspirational Role Models MonthĀ 
National Native American Heritage Month
National Novel Writing MonthĀ 
National Runaway Prevention Month
National Scholarship MonthĀ 
Peanut Butter Lovers’ MonthĀ 
Picture Book Month
PTA Healthy Lifestyles MonthĀ 
Ā 

Special Weeks

World Communication Week (11/1-11/7)
National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week (11/5-11/11)
National Young Readers Week (11/6-11/10)Ā 
National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week (11/11-11/20)
Geography Awareness Week (11/12-11/18)
World Kindness Week (11/12-11/18)
American Education Week (11/13-11/17)
National Book Awards Week (11/13-11/19)
Better Conversation Week (11/24-11/30)
National Game and Puzzle Week (11/19-11/25)Ā 
Ā 

Special Days

Autistic Speaking Day (11/1)
Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) (11/1)
National Authors Day (11/1)
National Family Literacy Day (11/1)
U.S. Weather Service Established in 1870 (11/1)
Cookie Monster Day (11/2)
ClicheĀ Day (11/3)
Public Television Day (11/3)
National Candy Day (11/4)
First Wagon Train Reached California(1841) (11/4)
King Tut’s Tomb Discovered (1922) (11/4)
Use Your Common Sense Day (11/4)Ā 
Daylight Savings Time Ends (11/5)
International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict (11/6)Ā 
Scientist Marie Curie born in 1867 (11/7)
Election Day (11/7)
X-Ray Day – X-Ray was discovered on this day in 1895 (11/8)
National STEM/STEAM Day (11/8)
Holocaust Began in 1938 (11/9)
Kristallnacht (11/9-11/10)
Sesame Street Debuted in 1969 (11/10)
Veterans Day Observed (11/10)
Origami Day (11/11)
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Women’s Rights Leader, was born in 1815 (11/12)
Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated in 1982 (11/13)
World Kindness Day (11/13)Ā 
William Steig born, 1907 (11/14)
International Girls Day (11/14)Ā 
National Spicy Guacamole Day (11/14)
National Young Reader’s Day (11/14)
America Recycles Day (11/15)
I Love to Write Day (11/15)
National Clean Out your Refrigerator Day (11/15)
Daniel Pinkwater born in 1941 (11/15)
Georgia O’Keefe born, 1887 (11/15)
National Educational Support Professionals Day (11/15)
International Day for Tolerance (11/16)
Great American Smokeout (11/16)
Use Less Stuff Day (11/16)
National Unfriend Day (11/17)
Substitute Educators Day (11/17)
Lewis & Clark Reached the Pacific in 1805 (11/17)
Mickey Mouse’s Birthday (11/18)
Antarctica discovered in 1820 (11/18)
International Games Day (Libraries) (11/18)
Gettysburg Address Delivered in 1863 by President Lincoln (11/19)
Mother Goose Day (11/19)
UN Universal Children’s Day (11/20)Ā 
Mayflower Compact Signed in 1620 (11/21)
John F. Kennedy Assassinated in 1963 (35th President) (11/22) 50th Anniversary
Fibonacci Day (11/23)
Thanksgiving Day (11/23)
D.B. Cooper Day (11/24)
National Day of Listening (11/24)
Native American Heritage Day (11/24)
Marc Brown born in 1946 (11/25)
UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (11/25)Ā 
World Day of Giving (11/25)
Magellan reached the Pacific (1521) (11/28)
Madeline L’Engle born, 1918 (11/29)
Square Dancing Day (11/29)
National Meth Awareness Day (11/30)
Mark Twain born, 1835 (11/30)
U.S. Representative, Shirley Chisholm born, 1924 (11/30)

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