Remember the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me?” A guest speaker at some Pendleton schools on December 13th used that concept for his message to students. Brooks Gibbs is a resilience educator with a Ph.D. in Social Psychology. At an assembly at Sunridge Middle School, he spoke to all the students in the school about taking personal responsibility for how they feel and how to protect their emotions from the effects of mean or aggressive behaviors through emotional resilience.
In an example with a student volunteer, Gibbs had the student pretend to be mean to him. In the first scenario, Gibbs got very angry and upset about the comments. In the second scenario, instead, he was calm and kind and treated the person like a friend. “The more upset you get, the more you are giving them power and playing their game in losing mode,” Gibbs explained.
He went on to say that when people are using mean and negative words toward you, you can choose not to get upset and that nobody can hurt your feelings without you giving them permission. He teaches students two basic principles when dealing with aggression:
- Don’t get upset (Emotional Resilience)
- Treat them like a friend (The Golden Rule)
Seventh grader Kale said he learned that getting more frustrated will end up making the person have more fun, and staying calm can help in an aggressive situation. Kenzie, another seventh grader, said her takeaway from the assembly was to always be nice and kind to other people.
Gibbs said physical violence does require adult intervention and encourages students to seek help if they feel they are in danger or cannot handle the aggression on their own.
Piper Kelm, Principal at Sunridge Middle School, said increasing emotional resilience in middle school students is a perfect fit because, since the COVID pandemic, a lagging skill in many young people is the ability to self-regulate and adjust to adversity in their lives. “Any tools and strategies we can help provide to our students benefit them and our school climate,” Kelm said.
In addition to visiting SMS, Gibbs presented at Washington Elementary, Pendleton High School, and Nixyaawii Community School. The presentations were funded through Title XI funds in the Pendleton School District.
Gibbs is a popular youth speaker who has been hired by more than 3,000 schools to present his message to students, parents, and educators. For more information about him and his program, visit www.brooksgibbs.com.
District Appoints New Sherwood Elementary School Principal
/in News - District & All Schools /by rthornburgThe Pendleton School District School Board has approved the appointment of TJ Presley as Principal of Sherwood Elementary School, effective July 1, 2024.
Presley is currently the vice principal at Sherwood Elementary. Prior to his time in Pendleton, Presley worked in Pilot Rock School District, where he taught middle school math before being hired as their secondary principal and athletic director. Before going into public education, Mr. Presley worked in senior-level management at the Wal-Mart Distribution Center in Hermiston.
Colleagues describe Mr. Presley as a talented leader who is thoughtful, considerate, and passionate. He is also described as a leader who has a high level of integrity and puts the needs of students, staff, and parents at the forefront of every decision he makes.
Mr. Presley earned a bachelor of science in business and management/finance from Western Oregon University in 2007. He earned his Master of Arts in education from Eastern Oregon University in 2017.
According to Superintendent Kevin Headings, appointing Mr. Presley as principal of Sherwood was an easy decision. “Mr. Presley has proven to be a skilled and talented administrator – both during his time in Pilot Rock and in his two years with Pendleton. He has the respect of the Sherwood staff, students, and families. He possesses the qualities needed for Sherwood Elementary’s continued success – high integrity, student-centered decision making and strong communication skills. We’re fortunate he works in Pendleton School District.” Headings said.
Mr. Presley will officially take over as principal on July 1. He is replacing Principal Ronda Smith, who is retiring effective June 30, 2024.
January is Board Appreciation Month
/in News - District & All Schools /by rthornburgJanuary is School Board Appreciation Month, and we recognize the hard work and dedication they give to the Pendleton School District! YOU ARE APPRECIATED!
ELD Program Winter Celebrations Event
/in News - District & All Schools /by rthornburgThe Pendleton School District welcomed students in its ELD (English Language Development) Program to a family event on Thursday, December 14th, at the Pendleton Early Learning Center. The theme of the evening event was Winter Celebrations Around the World.
Former and current students and their families were invited. A variety of arts and crafts were set up at different tables in the PELC’s Commons, with activities from different countries. Activities included making a holiday card for England, lanterns and fortune cookies for China, a Hanukkah dreidel for Israel, mini pinatas for Mexico, and gingerbread house cookie decorating for Germany.
High School students in the ELD Program volunteered at the event, helping at the tables. Jaylene, a sophomore at Pendleton High School, was volunteering at the event “just because it’s really fun to help the kids do fun crafts.” She was helping with the gingerbread cookie decorating and said she was enjoying looking at everyone’s ways of decorating their house cookies because they were all very unique.
Auna Alferez attended the event with her two daughters, who are in third and fourth grade. She said her children like to come to family events like these. Asked what their favorite part of the night was, her two girls said, “Everything!”
According to Cary Wasem-Varela, ELD Teacher, the events the program staff previously organized were not very well attended, so they started talking to the parents. “We found out they didn’t want to come to events to fill out paperwork or be asked to serve on committees. They enjoy socializing and getting together, so we feel like we really succeeded with this arts and crafts winter event where they can have fun as a family.”
Julie Smith, Director of Special Programs for the Pendleton School District, said one of the goals at the event is for ELD staff to circulate and talk with parents and families. “Our bilingual educators help bridge the language gap so parents can share their thoughts about our program. The staff try to talk to as many families as they can to gather information on what is working well and how we can improve our programs,” Smith said.
About 115 students are currently enrolled in the Pendleton School District’s ELD Program, and they are K-12 students from all of the district’s schools.
Operation Christmas Bags at PHS
/in District Site News, High Schools News /by rthornburgOperation Christmas was a huge success at PHS this year. The PHS Counseling Office was able to organize gift bags for 50 students this year. This could not have happened without the generous donations we received from PHS Staff and community members. A special shout out to Wildhorse Resort and Casino, Medical Center Dental, Pendleton Faith Center and Premium Tire and Lube.
The joy and appreciation that each student displayed was heartwarming and made all the work that went into it worth every minute. We hope all of you have a wonderful Christmas this year.
Families Gather at Holiday TAPP Dinner
/in District Site News, Washington School News /by rthornburgFamilies Gather at Holiday TAPP Dinner
Washington Elementary School hosted families for some holiday fun at the December TAPP (Tribal Attendance Promising Practices) Dinner on Thursday, December 14, 2023. TAPP is a program focused on supporting the attendance of Native students in nine Oregon school districts. Pendleton School District is one of those districts.
About 250 people enjoyed dinner from Mazatlan Mexican Restaurant and had the chance to visit Santa and get a photo with him. Families were encouraged to take home ornament-making kits, and every student received a free movie pass and concessions from Wildhorse Cineplex. There was a candy jar guessing game and raffles for five chances each to win Safeway gift cards or Arrowhead Travel Plaza gas cards. Families were serenaded with holiday music by Mrs. Dinkel playing a present wrapped piano.
Stacey Jacobs is the TAPP Family Advocate for the Pendleton School District. “We were really happy about the turnout for our Holiday Dinner. It’s always a fun event to celebrate the season with our families.” Jacobs organizes three dinners each school year with the intention of fostering connection between Native students/families and the school and helping adults feel comfortable in the school.
Little Bucks Day at PHS
/in District Site News, High Schools News /by rthornburgPHS Little Bucks Day Brings Holiday Fun
What if you were a preschooler or kindergartner and got to spend the morning at the big high school in your town? That’s what about 20 kids got to do during Little Bucks Day at Pendleton High School on December 14th.
A PHS tradition of 24 years this year, Little Bucks Day is organized by PHS Leadership Class students to offer “Little Bucks” the chance to spend some time at the high school. According to Stu Clem, PHS Leadership Teacher, the event is a leadership program that helps Big Bucks (leadership students) give back to the community.
For a couple of hours, children ages three through kindergarten went on a Scavenger Hunt around the school, picking up clues and prizes in different classrooms, taking a photo with Santa, participating in arts and crafts activities, and decorating cookies.
Each Little Buck is paired up with a high school student for the morning to enjoy the activities together. Clem said it is amazing how many former Big Bucks (former PHS leadership students) are now sending their Little Bucks. “We have had dozens do it – pretty cool!” Clem said.
PHS Senior Miranda is this year’s Little Bucks Day Chair for PHS Leadership. She said it’s been a lot of work to get the event organized, but she was looking forward to taking her three-year-old sister around for Little Bucks Day. “I love Christmas, and little kids are cute; plus, I really like to do arts and crafts.”
Snow Globes for Kindergartners
/in District Site News, Early Learning Center News /by rthornburgPendleton Center for the Arts Leads Snow Globe Art for Kindergartners
What do you get when you have a few hundred plastic cups, some white fluffy stuffing, silver glitter, and 229 kindergartners? You get a lot of snow globes with cute, smiling faces inside them.
All of the kindergartners at the Pendleton Early Learning Center (PELC) had the opportunity to create their own snow globes on Monday, December 11, 2023.
Staff from the Pendleton Center for the Arts were at the school leading the art activity. Roberta Lavadour, Executive Director at the Arts Center, instructed the young artists about coloring with markers on their clear plastic cups. She also provided directions about where to glue the fluffy “snow” on the bottom paper disc and not to touch the snow after the glitter was applied.
Meanwhile, Kate Brizendine, Coordinator of Education and Outreach at the Arts Center, took Polaroid photos of each student to place inside the globes. For the photo, students could choose from a variety of props to use, like reindeer antlers, a red Rudolph nose, Santa’s beard, a candy cane, and more.
The students did a good job of listening and working, and most of all, not getting glitter on the carpet.
“We love when the Arts Center is able to visit our school and lead a fun, creative art project for our students,” said Angela Lattin, PELC Principal.
Guest Speaker Promotes Emotional Resilience at SMS
/in District Site News, Sunridge News /by rthornburgRemember the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me?” A guest speaker at some Pendleton schools on December 13th used that concept for his message to students. Brooks Gibbs is a resilience educator with a Ph.D. in Social Psychology. At an assembly at Sunridge Middle School, he spoke to all the students in the school about taking personal responsibility for how they feel and how to protect their emotions from the effects of mean or aggressive behaviors through emotional resilience.
In an example with a student volunteer, Gibbs had the student pretend to be mean to him. In the first scenario, Gibbs got very angry and upset about the comments. In the second scenario, instead, he was calm and kind and treated the person like a friend. “The more upset you get, the more you are giving them power and playing their game in losing mode,” Gibbs explained.
He went on to say that when people are using mean and negative words toward you, you can choose not to get upset and that nobody can hurt your feelings without you giving them permission. He teaches students two basic principles when dealing with aggression:
Seventh grader Kale said he learned that getting more frustrated will end up making the person have more fun, and staying calm can help in an aggressive situation. Kenzie, another seventh grader, said her takeaway from the assembly was to always be nice and kind to other people.
Gibbs said physical violence does require adult intervention and encourages students to seek help if they feel they are in danger or cannot handle the aggression on their own.
Piper Kelm, Principal at Sunridge Middle School, said increasing emotional resilience in middle school students is a perfect fit because, since the COVID pandemic, a lagging skill in many young people is the ability to self-regulate and adjust to adversity in their lives. “Any tools and strategies we can help provide to our students benefit them and our school climate,” Kelm said.
In addition to visiting SMS, Gibbs presented at Washington Elementary, Pendleton High School, and Nixyaawii Community School. The presentations were funded through Title XI funds in the Pendleton School District.
Gibbs is a popular youth speaker who has been hired by more than 3,000 schools to present his message to students, parents, and educators. For more information about him and his program, visit www.brooksgibbs.com.
Forest Service Visits 4th Grade at Washington Elementary
/in District Site News, Washington School News /by rthornburgFourth Graders Enjoy Visit from U.S. Forest Service
Washington Elementary School’s fourth grade students learned about the U.S. Forest Service and had a special guest in their classrooms on December 8, 2023. Two Northwest Youth Corps interns, Bailey Langley and Fabian Spencer, visited the school and talked about the U.S. Forest Service and the Umatilla National Forest.
The two were there to promote the Every Kid Outdoors program, which provides free access to national forests to every fourth grader in the United States.
First, Langley and Spencer talked about where the Umatilla National Forest in eastern Oregon is and asked students what they could do when visiting the forest. Answers ranged from camping, playing, and fishing to making tree forts and taking a sleigh ride.
Students then participated in a group activity about the ten essentials a person should carry in their backpack when exploring a forest. Through a group effort, the students decided which items were most important, things like a flashlight, matches, map and compass, clothing, and food. They were correct in choosing eight of the ten crucial items, which Spencer said was really good.
Langley then read the students the true story of Smokey Bear, the bear cub rescued from a wildfire in New Mexico in 1950. And then the real Smokey Bear walked into the classroom to the delight of the students! After some high-fives and a couple of photos, Smokey left to get back to his important forest work.
Washington Elementary fourth grade teachers thank the Umatilla National Forest for visiting and leading the lesson.
PHS Leadership Organizes Canned Food Drive
/in News - District & All Schools /by rthornburgDistrict Food Drive Aims High to Help Community
All schools in the Pendleton School District worked hard for their community this holiday season through the district-wide Annual Food Drive. Organized by Leadership Class students at Pendleton High School, this annual effort collects non-perishable food items from schools across the district.
According to Lea, PHS Senior and Chair of the Food Drive Committee, the goal of this year’s drive is to collect more than 2,000 food items. At the high school, students have donated food items in their Advisory class, and leadership students have kept track of which class has given the most. There are two categories that can win prizes.
PHS students recently traveled to the other schools in the district to pick up those donations.
Lea said the drive has gone well. “I like that this project helps people in our community, and I like being part of that. I also think students feel good when they can help someone less fortunate,” she said.
PHS brought in more than 2,800 cans of food. The expected total for the Food Drive is more than 8,000 cans. The food will be given to St. Mary’s Outreach and Salvation Army in Pendleton.