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Monthly Messenger

Stories

Opportunities

Events

June 6, 2024

In this Issue:

• Message from Superintendent Goldman
• Teams Across Northwest Regional Education Service District Sharpen Listening Skills to Advance Liberatory Design Work
• At This Educator Conference, Students Are the Teachers
• Celebrating Our Retiring Educators
• NWRESD Foundation Reception Raises More than $20,300
• Upcoming Trainings & Events

Message from Superintendent Goldman

In a couple days, many of our educators will 🦆out for much deserved rejuvenation. This year, our team suffered losses and celebrated joy. Through it all, thank you for another year of partnership in service to the children of Northwest Oregon. 

See where we’ve come from and where we’ve gone by skimming our 5 top stories from the year.

1. Cuts to Early Intervention, Early Childhood Special Education Gut-Wrenching for Families, Educators
2. Deaf and Hard of Hearing Teacher Wins Regional Teacher of the Year
3. VIDEO: Hear Directly From Families, Educators Why Early Intervention, Early Childhood Special Education Programs Matter
4. How Scappoose School District is Tackling Early Literacy
5. Partner Spotlight: Amazing Minds Child Development Center Serves as an Outstanding Model for Partnership Preschools

From the #1 Story of the Year: Oregon Rep. Lisa Reynolds, left, meets a student who receives Early Childhood Special Education services. The student attends a better together class that brings neurotypical and neurodivergent children together so children who experience autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or other related conditions can interact with and learn from peers.

Enclosed, we have more year-end news to celebrate. Of special importance, please join me in congratulating our 13 retiring educators for reaching such a thrilling milestone. Thank you for your years of service to your community! 

In partnership –

Dan Goldman

Superintendent

Teams Across Northwest Regional Education Service District Sharpen Listening Skills to Advance Liberatory Design Work

Artwork created by children who attended a resource fair in Clatsop County. Clatsop County educators have been focused on building bridges with their families, especially Spanish-speaking families through listening strategies like interviews, story circles and a resource fair. Partners who attended the resource fair included Head Start, WIC (Women, Infants and Children), Columbia Pacific Coordinated Care Organization (CCO), and the Art Room Astoria.

When a reporter sets out to cover an issue, they may picture the outline of an article. But the best reporting will send them on a twisted path and the story that emerges could surprise them.

NWRESD’s 19 equity learning teams work in much the same way. That’s because listening skills, and thus an evolving understanding, are core to uncovering both a good story and an authentic equity mission.

An equity learning team is a group of educators in a shared setting, for example at the same location or in the same department, who identify inequities in their context, define a focus, and trial creative solutions. They do so using liberatory design – a framework that encompasses a set of process stances called modes and a set of value stances called mindsets.

“There is no one right way to use all the mindsets and modes from liberatory design or act as an equity learning team,” explains Katie Jones, who facilitates five design labs for the 19 teams each year. “But there are three key things you will see happening in a healthy team: relationship building and trust among team members; an intentionality to co-design with those who are impacted, not for those who are impacted; and the use of data, both qualitative and quantitative, to determine focus areas and changes.”

At This Educator Conference, Students Are the Teachers

Ingrid (left) and Khloe, both fifth graders at Witch Hazel Elementary School, participate in a story circle about how teachers should respond to racism. Ingrid and Khloe both said teachers should intervene immediately during a racist incident. Ingrid says she wants teachers to understand what is happening to Black people. “I want them to do something about it,” she says. Photo by Tracey Goldner.

Want to know how to become a better teacher? 

Just ask your students. That’s what Northwest Regional Education Service District’s recent Cascade Alliance for Equity Conference was all about. For the first time ever, NWRESD hosted a conference led entirely by students -- some as young as 10. 

Khloe, a fifth grader at Witch Hazel Elementary School in Hillsboro, said it felt great to share her ideas about how she would like her school to change. 

The students’ ideas included having more Black students and teachers, teaching more about African American and African history, teaching all students how to talk about race and racial experiences, and most importantly, intervening immediately and following up on racist comments and incidents, including asking students who engage in racial aggressions to do reports for the class about why their words are harmful.

Celebrating Our Retiring Educators

This year's retirees have contributed a total of 263 years of service to our organization. Whether they were here for 6 years or 32, each person listed here made a lasting impact on our organization. They collectively helped thousands of children and families over the years. 

This year's retirees include: 

• Kathy Andre (1999) - Early Childhood Education Specialist
• Tammie Carlson (1998) - Instructional Assistant
• Mary Dorry (2000) - Early Childhood Education Specialist
• Eva Foster (2018) - Administrative Assistant
• Mary France (2000) - Speech-Language Pathologist
• Peggy Marchant (2006) - Early Childhood Education Specialist
• Tricia Moore (1992) - Early Childhood Education Specialist
• Teresa Morse (2016) - Instructional Assistant
• Sue Schimmelpfennig (2003) - Teacher of the Visually Impaired
• Mark Sprague (1998) - Special Education Teacher
• Joann Stillman (2020) - Physical Therapist
• Tim Umbenhower (1995) - Special Education Teacher

NWRESD Foundation Reception Raises More than $20,300

Northwest Regional ESD board members Becky Tymchuk and Maureen Wolf pose for a photo with their bidder numbers.

It was truly a special event -- complete with testimonies from teachers about how vital foundation grants are for helping students feel included. We also had the opportunity to hear directly from students about what being included in school means to them. 

Upcoming Trainings & Events

FEATURED EVENT

Innovate & Educate: Bridging Pedagogy and
Computer Science

Wednesday, August 14 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. (Portland Community College Rock Creek Campus)

Join us for an inspiring exploration of computer science career pathways! Dive into innovative pedagogical strategies and hands-on experiences to elevate your teaching and inspire your students. Don't miss this opportunity to shape the next generation of tech leaders.

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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.