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Sept. 21, 2022

In this Issue:

• Superintendent's Message
• Join an Educator Network in Your Region
• School and Program Highlights
• Upcoming Events

Superintendent's Message

To the school communities in northwestern Oregon:

The 2022-23 school year is well underway and Northwest Regional Education Service District is buzzing with activity. I’ll keep my message short because there are an incredible number of events and opportunities packed into the rest of this newsletter. On behalf of our educators, I’m proud to be sharing so many meaningful ways for you to engage with us.

We kicked off the school year with an inspiring convocation and inservice: 100+ new NWRESD team members, an engaging hybrid event stretching across four counties, lots of connecting as a full team (thanks Outdoor School!), and two powerhouse speakers who are alumni from our region.

In her remarks, Eliana Mason – a two-time Paralympic goalball player and silver medalist who also received services from our specialists from birth through high school – offered advice to our educators:

“The 3 C’s I focus on: connect, celebrate and collaborate with your students. As a former student and a professional counselor I have found these three actions will help you cultivate strong, meaningful and possibly life-changing relationships with your students. Celebrate your students for the big and little accomplishments. You may be the only consistent adult figure in their life. Connect with them, make the students feel seen, valued and heard. Lastly, collaborate. No one knows what is best for you more than you, so give your students a voice and work with them to achieve success.”

Steph Littlebird is an artist, writer, graduate of Banks schools and curator of This IS Kalapuyan Land at the Five Oaks Museum.

During her remarks, she thanked teachers for the creative ways they reach and support their diverse students, including students of color and students on the neurodivergent scale: “I want to give gratitude to educators because educators saved my life. That’s why it’s such an honor to be here. Without the teachers I had in the Banks School District, I wouldn’t be here with you today.”

Steph also delivered a workshop you can view online: Reframing the Land Acknowledgement and Educating Ourselves on Our Region’s Diverse Stories and Histories (1 hour 28 minutes).

Clockwise from top left, I joined the Instructional Coaching Network for its 2022-23 launch; NWRESD staff host an inservice watch party at our Tillamook Service Center; Chief of Staff David Williams and I pose with Eliana and her silver medal; Eliana co-hosts our convocation and inservice with me.

As I shared with our staff, this school year is among the most critical of our careers. After the last two-and-a-half years, I’m personally focused on connecting with the people we serve and sustaining new practices learned throughout the pandemic that improved our students’ experiences. Most of all, I’m committed to being open and curious in 2022-23. Enclosed in this newsletter, I hope you can find some tools and resources to do the same.

As always, my door is open to hear your feedback and ideas as we strive to be the very best education service delivery partner. 

Wishing you a great school year,

Dan Goldman

Superintendent

Join an Educator Network in Your Region

Join the Regional Educator Network by Sept. 30

A teacher stands in his classroom with students in the background.

Through our Northwest Regional Educator Network, educators can receive professional learning, coaching and innovation grants for their work to improve the recruitment and retention of educators of color.

What We Do: We use improvement science as a catalyst for making school communities equitable and inclusive. This year, we are offering three tiers of support for teams or individuals whose work aligns with the Northwest Regional Educator Network (NREN) aim statement.

Depending on the tier, participants will receive individualized coaching sessions, access to the NREN networked community and resources, and access to flexible funds using the budget proposal application.

Our network supports five main areas, which we call change ideas. The focus areas for 2022-23 are:

• Equity coaches for administrators
• Equity learning for rural areas
• Mentors of color for educators of color
• Regional expansion of affinity groups
• Transformative human resources practices

Who Can Apply: Any educator working in Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook or Washington County can apply as an individual, team lead or student group advisor.

Join Our Early Literacy Network to Improve Your Pre-Reading, Reading Instruction

A teacher reads to three students using a tablet.

Northwest Regional Education Service District’s Early Literacy Network has recently launched a yearlong professional development opportunity for educators who work in early learning through second grade in Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook or Washington counties.

Teams will meet monthly and will have access to coaching and consultation, book studies, a monthly newsletter, a lending library, social emotional learning kits and quarterly workshops. Educators who join this professional development cohort will focus on topics such as oral language and vocabulary instruction, family engagement strategies, literacy routines and culturally responsive and sustaining practices.

The network has two strands. The first is for educators who work in child care, preschool or kindergarten settings. The second is for educators who work in kindergarten, first or second grades. Participants do not need to be licensed teachers to participate.

School and Program Highlights

Cascade, Pacific Academies Host Day of Connection Ahead of School Year

Jack Tallman, right, a ninth grader at Pacific Academy, mixes his homemade slime with a popsicle stick. Jonny Baldwin-Hansen, an instructional assistant, helps him with the materials.

Instead of dashing off to catch the bus on the first day of school, about a dozen middle and high school students at Cascade and Pacific academies were greeted with a laid back morning of games, mingling and breakfast burritos.

The day — dubbed Care and Connection Day — provides students and their families a chance to meet with teachers, enjoy a meal and participate in hands-on activities.

Jack Tallman, a ninth grader at Pacific Academy, created his own red slime out of Elmer’s glue, water and borax. As he added red sequins to his creation, he shared that he really loves his school.

Former Hillsboro School District Board Member Joins NWRESD Board

Yadira Martinez joined Northwest Regional Education Service District’s Board of Directors in the zone 3 position on July 1. Zone 3 represents the Hillsboro School District.

Yadira is a registered dental hygienist and is currently the dental hygiene program manager at Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center, a Washington County-based nonprofit that provides health care to underserved communities.

In her application for the position, she wrote that she learned about education service districts during her time on the Hillsboro school board and was impressed with the work NWRESD is doing for Hillsboro and other school districts. She says she is especially excited about the equity and antiracism work happening at NWRESD and wants to help expand that work.

“I have a solid background advocating for underrepresented students and families whether it is in health care or education,” she said.

Join Us As We Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month is recognized nationally from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15. This year’s theme is Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation. According to the Library of Congress, this national recognition dates back to 1968 and since that time has sought to celebrate and recognize the many ways Hispanic Americans have greatly contributed to our nation, both past and present. Although these dates are dedicated to highlighting Hispanic culture, histories and accomplishments, we seek to recognize these achievements all year long.

Our board officially recognized Hispanic Heritage Month at its August meeting and encouraged students, staff and community members to study Hispanic culture and history, recognize Hispanic contributions in our communities, and strive for appreciation and inclusion year-round in order to celebrate our past and brighten our future as an education service district.  

September is Suicide Awareness Month - Plug Into the Training Available for Educators

In light of Suicide Awareness Month, we highlighted a partnership between Sarah Davis, a suicide prevention coordinator at Columbia Health Services, and Jenn Johnson, NWRESD’s school safety and prevention specialist, at our September board meeting. Sarah has provided suicide prevention and youth mental health first aid training to NWRESD educators in Columbia County and is expanding her work to more schools this year. 

During the board meeting, Jenn shared what she learned during a recent Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) event. "It’s important to use direct language like are you thinking of suicide?," she said. "But it’s also important to practice saying those words out loud ahead of time because it can be a jarring experience to ask that question for the first time."

Metro Region School Districts, Led By Cascade Technology Alliance, Fortify Internet Access for 196 Schools

It started with a vision to connect the metro region's schools, so they would have a faster, more resilient fiber network. Ten years later, it grew to a partnership that included 10 school districts, 196 schools and three education service districts working together. The result is internet that is on average 20 times faster in our classrooms and much more reliable.

In September, project contributors celebrated the completion of the project and told the story of how it all came together.

Try Strategies Highlighted in the Community Partnership Toolkit

On Monday, our Integrated Guidance team published a Community Partnership Toolkit that provides tools and resources for focused community engagement. The purpose of the toolkit is to:

• Acknowledge the complexity and messiness of community-driven design while providing simple, easy-to-follow next steps for deepening and strengthening your district’s community engagement strategies.
• Prepare conveners, facilitators and community liaisons in your district to lead authentic conversations that build trust, elevate innovative solutions, and attend to the well-being of your students and community, especially those who have been marginalized or traumatized by public systems.
• Guide the sense-making of complex qualitative data and seamlessly connect it to the construction of your Integrated Plan.

Each school district received a couple of printed copies of this toolkit. If your district needs more, email communications@nwresd.k12.or.us. Sign up to receive more Integrated Guidance Updates.

Upcoming Events

ASIST Suicide Prevention Training Opportunity

Sept. 29-30 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

We're hosting a free, in-person ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) workshop on Sept. 29-30 for educators and community partners who work with school-age youth in Columbia, Clatsop, Tillamook or Washington Counties.

ASIST is an in-depth, two-day workshop that prepares people to provide suicide first aid intervention using LivingWorks’ evidence-based Pathway for Assisting Life (PAL) model. It teaches participants to recognize when someone may have thoughts of suicide and work with them to create a plan that will support their immediate safety. Suicide prevention experts recommend that each school building have two people who are trained in ASIST interventions.

Field Trip Opportunity: Introduce Students to Modern Manufacturing Work at Manufacturing Day

Oct. 7 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

A student attends the 2019 Manufacturing Day event.

Join the Northwest STEM Hub and partners for our first in-person Manufacturing Day since 2019. Held annually on the first Friday in October, Manufacturing Day is a national movement to help show students the reality of modern manufacturing work.

Manufacturing Day will be held at the Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center (OMIC) Research and Development Center and the Portland Community College OMIC Training Center in Scappoose on Friday, Oct. 7 from 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Lunch will be provided. 

Funding for bus and substitute coverage is available for attending classes, courtesy of the Northwest STEM Hub. If you have questions about attending as a class, please email Myronda Schiding at mschiding@nwresd.k12.or.us.

MTSS/Ion User’s Conference

Oct. 7 - 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.

We’re hosting a daylong, in-person MTSS/Ion User’s Conference for teachers and school teams on Oct. 7 at our Washington Service Center in Hillsboro. Speakers include Chris Perry, a social emotional learning expert, and Kyle Holder, ion chief developer and trainer. Participants will have the opportunity to learn more about how to use ion to support school data teams and make data-based decisions. This free workshop is ideal for administrators, literacy specialists and teachers.

Currently, 12 school districts (Astoria, Clatskanie, Gaston, Jewell, Knappa, Neah-Kah-Nie, Nestucca Valley, St. Helens, Scappoose, Seaside, Tigard-Tualatin and Tillamook) are using ion to bring together data and streamline their multi-tiered systems of support for students. You do not need to be from a district currently using ion to attend this conference.

A reminder that all districts in our region can access a non-competitive statewide initiative grant to offset the cost of the software. NWRESD’s research, assessment and evaluation team will provide free training and support. 

You’re Invited to a Virtual Native American Board Resolution Celebration

Oct. 11 from 6- 8 p.m.

Join us at our next board meeting for a community recognition of Native American Heritage Month. Community members, educators, partners and NWRESD staff are invited to attend the virtual meeting from 6-8 p.m. on Oct. 11.

The meeting will include a special presentation by Steph Littlebird, an artist, curator and registered member of Oregon’s Grand Ronde Confederated Tribes. Sharif Liwaru, NWRESD’s director of equity and family partnerships, will present the official Native American Heritage Month proclamation to the board.

Data Privacy Training

Oct. 18 from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

The Cascade Technology Alliance is teaming up with the U.S. Department of Education’s Privacy Technical Assistance Center and the Oregon Department of Education to provide educators with a free, all-day training on data privacy. This event is for educators who manage student data, technology staff and administrators, data submitters, registrars and special education staff.

The event will take place 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 18 at our Washington Service Center in Hillsboro.

Sessions will cover data security, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), transparency best practices, how to vet educational technology and tips for working with the Oregon Department of Education. The training is currently full, but we are working to relocate to a larger facility to accommodate more people. Questions? Please email info@cascadetech.org.

Save the Date: NWRESD Foundation Fundraiser to be Held Oct. 26

Our NWRESD Foundation board is excited to once again host an in-person fundraising reception from 5-7 p.m. on Oct. 26. The event will be held at Miller Nash in downtown Portland. 

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