|
|
Dear colleagues -
I’m pleased to announce that the Junior Achievement Discovery Center in Hillsboro is just a few weeks away from opening its doors. I recently attended the grand opening and have included some photos from the night.
 Raya Cadiz, who coordinates career and college pathways work for Hillsboro School District and NWRESD, reflects back on the first email she sent in 2021 to Junior Achievement staff asking about creating a westside location. On Dec. 5, the new Discovery Center at the Hillsboro Civic Center will open its doors to the first group of students. Photos courtesy of Junior Achievement..
This new facility - which is the result of years of work and dozens of partnerships - will provide a truly unique experience to young people. Junior Achievement gives kids a concrete way to discover what’s possible in their lives. Students connect what they learn in school - especially around career opportunities and financial literacy - with life outside the classroom.
 The discovery center has the look and feel of a downtown street complete with trees, clouds, roads and greenspace. Over a dozen booths feature local businesses and community organizations.
For decades, Junior Achievement has operated in east Multnomah County, making it nearly impossible for schools in western Washington County and on the coast to participate.
We’re thrilled to be able to bring this opportunity closer to students in our region. I’m proud of the work our career and college readiness team has done to make this dream a reality. And I can’t wait for districts across our region to participate. Thirteen of our districts are already signed up: Banks, Beaverton, Forest Grove, Gaston, Hillsboro, Neah-Kah-Nie, Nestucca Valley, Scappoose, Seaside, Sherwood, St. Helens, Tigard-Tualatin, and Vernonia.
 Kudos to our career and college readiness team and our board for supporting this important work. The team includes from left: instruction director Jerome Townsend, NWRESD board members Becky Tymchuk and Maureen Wolf, me (Dan Goldman), professional learning coach Sara Franklin, executive director of instructional services John Peplinski, project management specialist Kevanna Doolittle and Hillsboro School District and NWRESD career and college pathways teacher on special assignment Raya Cadiz. Not pictured: Jaimie Brady, NWRESD professional learning coach.
If your district is interested, please email our career and college readiness team. We also have funding available to support your participation.
 Partners including the president and board chair of Junior Achievement participated in the ribbon cutting. I was pleased to be among those invited to speak and cut the celebratory ribbon.
As the winter holidays approach, I hope you have the opportunity to gather together with loved ones in a way that is meaningful to you. And if this time of year is difficult, I hope you are able to use this time to find comfort in whatever brings you joy and peace.
|
|
|
Enjoy the holidays –
 Dan Goldman
Superintendent
|
|
 A teacher stands in front of the classroom and calls on students.
Our Northwest Regional Educator Network is now accepting grant applications for the 2023-24 school year.
Grants are available to educators, grade level teams, building administrators, equity teams, superintendents, etc. in Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook and Washington counties. We’re looking for applications that propose ways to address inequities in our schools.
Proposals should focus on one or more of the following areas:
- Culture and climate
- Flexible school systems
- High-quality professional learning
- Improved systems
- Preparation and growth
The application is open through Feb. 2, 2024, and applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. There are currently no set caps on grant requests, so dream big for your community!
|
|
|
Recently released data from the Oregon Department of Education shows that attendance is the worst it’s been in decades. Last year, one in three students missed a month or more of school.
Here’s a snapshot of regular attenders for our four-county region (defined as attending at least 90% of the school year):
- 64% of students attended regularly in 2022-23 (15 percentage points below pre-pandemic levels).
- Communities that have been historically underserved or marginalized and where connection and attendance was already low saw further decreases in attendance. For example, in Latinx, American Indian and Pacific Islander communities fewer than 55% of students attended school regularly.
- The largest decreases in regular attendance occurred in the youngest learners, particularly those in primary grades.
Resetting expectations with families about why attendance matters is imperative right now, especially for families with younger children. Just two absences a month, whether excused or unexcused, puts students at risk of not learning how to read, falling behind in math and having a lower chance of graduating on time.
Now is the time for us to re-engage with our communities and rethink how we create these spaces that are central to students’ and families’ lives.
NWRESD’s attendance team can help your district or school with your attendance efforts.
|
|
Historical narratives told about Native Americans, including the first Thanksgiving, often perpetuate harmful stereotypes and racist ideologies. It is important to set the record straight, acknowledge Native peoples, debunk myths, and recognize Indigenous people as contemporaries with dynamic thriving cultures.
November offers many opportunities to move past one-dimensional representations of Indigenous people and asks us to add depth to our knowledge and understanding. Here are just a few ways to honor Native Americans this month – and every month.
-
Attend or host an educational event. View recent student webinars or view the upcoming schedule of student webinars hosted by Native Knowledge 360 and find topics that support your teaching and learning about Native Americans.
-
Read books. Buy or check out history books by Native people.
- "An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
- "Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants" by Robin Wall Kimmerer
- "The Seven Circles: Indigenous Teachings for Living Well" by Chelsey Luger and Thosh Collins
- "Notable Native People: 50 Indigenous Leaders, Dreamers, and Changemakers from Past and Present" by Adrienne Keene
- "Project 562: Changing The Way We See Native America" by Matika Wilbur
-
Support native-owned businesses and charities. One resource for finding Native-owned businesses is the Northwest Native Chamber’s member list. Another is the Buy Native Guide. Another is Portland’s Indigenous Marketplace.
-
Visit a native history museum.
-
Rethink your Thanksgiving dinner (and your lesson plan). Learn the real history of the land you’re on, introduce Indigenous foods to the dinner table, listen to Native voices on the painful history of this day, and teach students about the myth of Thanksgiving.
Read the full Native American Heritage Month resolution passed by our NWRESD Board of Directors. Thank you to Steph Littlebird and Daria Martin-Bingham for helping our equity and family partnerships team write and edit this resolution.
|
|
 Yellow bar charts show regular attender data for all grades and other demographic data for Neah-Kah-Nie School District.
We’ve updated our data dashboard with attendance data from the 2022-23 school year. Information is available for every district in Oregon.
View bar charts from the past 5 years with data by grade, racial identity, and other demographic signifiers (e.g., disability status, economically disadvantaged, English language learner, etc.)
|
|
Our early literacy team is available to help your district with your Early Literacy Success School District Grant submission. The Oregon Department of Education will accept grant applications between Dec. 1, 2023, and Jan. 8, 2024. Email Ryan Blasquez, instructional services director, if you need assistance.
These Oct. 30 and Sept. 29 messages from ODE also include helpful resources. |
|
|
These are the last two days to apply for a grant from the NWRESD Foundation. The application is open to any educator working for NWRESD or at one of the 20 component school districts in our region.
The foundation supports grants that seek to support children in one of these five areas:
- Birth to age 5 special education
- Early learning and kindergarten readiness
- English language learners and migrant education
- School‐age special education
- Regional inclusive services
The application will close at 11:59 p.m. tomorrow, Nov. 17. All applicants will receive a response about whether they have been funded by Feb. 16, 2024.
Grant requests should be between $100-$2,500.
Grants will not cover staffing costs (including substitutes) and professional learning efforts.
|
|
ASIST Suicide Prevention Training
11/30 - 12/1/2023 - 8am - 4pm - NWRESD Regional Office in Hillsboro
14 PDUs
This in-depth, two-day workshop will prepare participants to provide students with an evidence-based suicide first aid intervention. Participants will learn to recognize when someone could be having thoughts of suicide and work with them to create a plan that will support their immediate safety. This training is for school administrators, counselors, social workers, deans of students, mental health specialists, behavior specialists, special education educators, wellness room support staff, and others in student support roles. Learn more and register.
MTSS Approach to School Attendance
12/4/2023 10-11am | Virtual
1 PDU
In this one-hour session, we will focus on how to build an MTSS structure to support strong attendance rates and decrease chronic absenteeism. We will focus on foundational supports and learn about which interventions have the biggest impact on helping chronically absent students return to school. This training is for educators and support staff leading attendance initiatives. Learn more and register.
Understanding Section 504
12/13/2023 8:30-11:30am | In Person (Hillsboro, OR)
3 PDUs
Section 504 covers many areas. We’ll review disability rights; district obligations; nondiscrimination; identification, evaluation and placement; abbreviated school day requirements set out by Senate Bill 819 and much more. This training is for 504 coordinators, 504 case managers, district and building administrators, student services directors, school counselors and school nurses. Learn more and register.
School Safety and Mental Health Summit
1/31/2024 8:30am - 3:30pm | In Person (Hillsboro, OR)
6 PDUs
The current state of safety and mental health in schools remains a topic of critical concern and discussion. In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the need to prioritize the emotional well-being of students alongside physical safety. This shift in perspective acknowledges that a safe learning environment encompasses not only physical security but also emotional and mental security.
The 2024 School Safety & Mental Health Summit aims to bring together school and community partners to discuss current topics related to school safety, school culture and climate, and mental and behavioral health through a lens of equity and culturally sustaining practices. Workshops and panel discussions will explore various aspects of fostering a school environment where students feel both physically and emotionally safe, such as preparing for and responding to crises, building community mental health partnerships, supporting historically marginalized students and families, and integrating social and emotional learning into classroom practices. Learn more and register.
|
|
The Monthly Messenger is a monthly update for Northwest Regional Education Service District partners. Would you like to see your team's work featured? Email communications. |
|
|
|
|
