5th grade BMCC

5th Grade Field Trip to BMCC

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All fifth graders in the Pendleton School District got a glimpse of the community college in their own hometown on Wednesday, April 19th.

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PELC Salmon Field Trip

Pendleton Early Learning Center Salmon Field Trip

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A chilly, rainy morning couldn’t dampen the excitement of kindergartners from the Pendleton Early Learning Center as they enjoyed a field trip to the Pendleton Accumulation Site of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) Fisheries Program on Wednesday, April 12th.

At the site in Mission, the students got an up close, first-hand look at some fish. They got to touch small Coho salmon and larger Steelhead salmon held in nets in tanks. But the stars of the show were the Pacific lamprey, which are eel-like fish that are anadromous, meaning they migrate from fresh water to the ocean during their life cycle, as salmon do.

The lamprey, held in a large cooler, were handled by Kanim Moses-Conner from the CTUIR Fisheries Program. When he opened the lid and lifted one of the wriggling fish out, squeals erupted from the young students. Moses-Conner pointed out the lamprey’s sucker-like mouth, gills and undulating body, explaining that they are part of an ancient superclass of jawless fish that have been on Earth since before the dinosaurs. After donning gloves, the kindergartners each got a turn to hold the lamprey, much to their delight.

This PELC field trip is part of a learning unit about Salmon or the Núsux Life Cycle, which has been taught by Shawndine Jones, Walk to Language Teacher at the PELC, and Mildred Quaempts, Umatilla Language Master Speaker for CTUIR. The kindergartners receive two or three lessons in the classroom about the salmon life cycle, how important salmon are and learn Umatilla words for types of salmon and where they live: rivers, Columbia River, ocean. Quaempts said the lessons focus on Áwni Tkʷátat, traditional foods like water, salmon, deer, roots and berries. “CTUIR believes that teaching to respect and honor Áwni Tkʷátat will promote a healthy lifestyle. Children must experience learning about Áwni Tkʷátat and stories, so the children will get cultural exposure at school and home,” Quaempts said.

Jones said CTUIR is doing amazing things with the Fisheries Program to help the salmon, and it’s a good experience for the students to see the live salmon on the field trip, which hasn’t occurred since before the COVID pandemic. “The PELC is very thankful for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Fisheries Program and staff for allowing our students to have this awesome experience,” Jones said.

Judging from the smiles on the small faces of the students, it was indeed an awesome experience!

The PELC thanks those from the CTUIR Fisheries Program who were on site for the field trip: Shaun Montgomery, Aaron Jackson, Ty Minthorn, Kanim Moses-Conner, Paul Sheoships and Jerrid Weaskus and Easton Powaukee.

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Native Voices Community Conversations

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You are invited to participate in a research study, Native Voices Across Generations: Reimagining Discipline in a New School Landscape (Native Voices or NV) project.

The Pendleton School District, in cooperation with a research team from the University of Oregon, is hosting a community conversation/listening session on Monday, April 24, at Washington Elementary, starting at 5:00 pm.  Dinner and childcare will be provided.

The research team is seeking to hear from parents, community members, teachers, administrators, and staff.

The purpose of this one-year project is to give voice to teachers, school and district administrators, and other school staff to look at discipline practices and investigate contributors to and consequences of disproportionate discipline for Native students in Oregon K-12 schools.

The findings of this project will inform, design and recommend school-based policies, trainings, resources, and supports that are culturally responsive and integrate Native tribal and community assets to shift any overrepresentation of AI/AN students in discipline data by researching (1) potential contributors to and consequences of disciplinary practices in Oregon K-12 school districts and (2) if district administrators, teachers, and other school personnel might benefit from professional development on Indian Education Policies and Language Restoration; Native Languages of Oregon; and Equity in School Policy for Native Students.

Equally important, this study queries what Native students, families, and communities envision as essential for healthy schools in which Native students belong and thrive culturally, socially, psychologically, and academically.

Community conversations/listening sessions will occur at the Washington Elementary School on Monday, April 24, from 5-7:30 pm. Each participant will receive an incentive of $25 for participating in the conversations.

This project involves the collaboration of the Center for Equity Promotion (CEQP) in the University of Oregon’s (UO) College of Education, the UO’s Northwest Indian Language Institute (NILI), the Native Wellness Institute (NWI), and participating Tribes and School Districts with funding from and in partnership with the Office of Indian Education/Oregon Department of Education (OIE/ODE).

If you are interested in participating in this research study, please complete the Adult Consent form located here: https://tinyurl.com/NV-Adult-Consent.
Hard copies of the consent form will be available at the event.

If you have any questions about this study, please contact Rita Svanks at rsvanks@uoregon.edu, 541-346-4125.

 

Pandemic EBT for Summer 2022 Benefits

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Did you know Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) for Summer 2022 Benefits may be on the way?  You can visit us at the Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) website at PEBT.oregon.gov.

Questions can be answered using the call center:  844-673-7328 or 844-ORE-PEBT

FAQ for Families – ENGLISH | SPANISH

 

P-EBT

Safety First

Sherwood Heights Elementary – Safety Efforts

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Fire, lockdown, and earthquake drills are all in a day’s work for today’s students. Because they practice these regularly, they know what to expect if and when a real emergency occurs. And that is what the leaders at Sherwood Heights Elementary are counting on.

“We have a fire drill every month, and we practice one other drill every month,” said TJ Presley, Assistant Principal at Sherwood. “By practicing these scenarios, our staff and students are all more prepared and able to remain calm in situations that do arise.”

Presley and Sherwood Principal Ronda Smith said they collaborate with local law enforcement officers when they have drills, so officers can be on site if possible to help discuss response time and things that could be improved. Pendleton School District School Resource Officer Lance Zaugg was in the building at the school’s March Lockdown drill and debriefed with school administrators afterward. “We test different modalities with our alarm system and phone system to ensure we practice different methods to initiate our emergency protocols when necessary and to be as quick and efficient in a real emergency,” Principal Smith said.

Sherwood recently received two grants totaling $10,000 from the Walmart Distribution Center in Hermiston to purchase new radios for all staff in their building. Presley said the new radios are helpful, as the ability to communicate quickly between all staff in the school is essential.

In addition to physical safety, Sherwood also focuses on social-emotional safety, with regular lessons about feeling safe, trusted adults, reporting concerns, and more.

At the school’s Open House last fall, several parents asked the school leaders to tell them about emergency procedures and protocols, which Smith said they were glad to communicate about. As part of a district-wide plan, Sherwood will host an after-school safety evaluation/walk-through in May with officers from several local law enforcement agencies to identify potential safety issues that can be resolved.

“Safety at our school for students, staff, and visitors is always our number one priority, no matter what,” Presley said. “Having consistent procedures, excellent communication, practice drills, and having everyone on board are essential for our teachers and assistants to facilitate learning and for students to feel safe and learn in the best environment possible.”

Sherwood Heights Elementary and the Pendleton School District use the I Love U Guys Standard Response Protocol for emergency response; visit https://iloveuguys.org/ for more information.

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SMS Parent-Teacher Conferences Summary

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Recent Parent-Teacher Conferences were a whole new experience at Sunridge Middle School in early March. The two evenings on March 7th and 9th were created to be part conference, part school open house, and part student showcase.

Parents could still make appointments to meet with their student’s teachers, and those meetings occurred in the classroom setting. In addition, multiple interactive activities were set up in other classrooms – parents and their students could experience a virtual Escape Room on computers in math class, and microscopes were set up in science. SMS counselors had prepared presentations about what they have been working on with students, including Character Strong, a curriculum that impacts engagement, belonging, and student well-being. These presentations were set up for the entire conference evenings.

For the showcase part, there were performances by Sunridge band, orchestra and choir groups, as well as completed student projects in the Wood Shop that parents and students could view.

Sunridge also fed those who attended conferences with a free baked potato bar each night.

“Ensuring that students and parents feel welcome in our building is always a priority at Sunridge,” said Principal Piper Kelm. “While the interaction and information between teachers and parents are important at Parent-Teacher conferences, we felt it was a good opportunity to connect with our families and show them what students have been learning.”

Stacy Hansen

PHS Science Teacher, Stacy Hansen

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PHS Science Teacher Brings Renewed Passion to Classroom Through Research Grant

Pendleton High School teacher Stacy Hansen spent a lot of time on a beach last summer, but she wasn’t soaking up the sunshine or playing in the surf; she was studying octopuses and endangered abalones. Hansen is the recipient of a Partners in Science Program Grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. This unique Pacific Northwest program pairs high school science teachers with mentor scientists doing cutting-edge research in an academic lab. The purpose is to “help teachers bring knowledge from the research lab directly into the classroom to promote hands-on science education,” according to the program’s website.

Hansen is working on a Master of Biology degree from Walla Walla University. In the summer of 2022, Hansen worked at the Walla Walla University Rosario Beach Marine Biology Laboratory in Anacortes, Washington. Dr. Kirt Onthank, associate professor of biology at Walla Walla University, is the facility’s director and is also Hansen’s mentor. The purpose of Hansen’s study is to study the impacts of climate change on the predatory/prey relationship between Octopus rubescens and pinto abalone. This species of abalone is the only one present in the state of Washington and has experienced a 97% decline in population since 1992. Octopus rubescens is a commonly seen species in Washington’s Salish Sea. Working on this research project was “a whole big adventure and gave me so much inspiration and renewed passion for science and for teaching science,” Hansen said.

After collecting specimens in the ocean, working in the lab, and taking thousands of hours of video of abalones, Hansen prepared a scientific poster of her research and presented it in January in San Diego, California, at the 2023 Partners in Science National Conference.

At Pendleton High School, Hansen teaches Freshman Physical Science, Sophomore General Biology, and Sophomore Honors Biology 1. What does her recent research bring to her classroom and lab at PHS? In addition to reigniting her passion for science, which she shares with her students, Hansen said she is working to make science instruction more than just vocabulary and create labs that promote critical thinking. “I would like to align my class labs with a more realistic view – many times, experiments scientists work on do not turn out the way they predict. This frustration can be good for students because they have to ask themselves, ‘what could I have done differently?’ and gives them the opportunity to persevere.”

Hansen enjoys seeing her students work together and see how important collaboration is to learning, plus she said more hands-on experiments appeal to a different group of students and diversifies who emerges as leaders during lab work. “The world is in desperate need of people who can solve problems, and that sense of accomplishment is amazing,” Hansen said.

This summer, Hansen will return to Anacortes to continue her research. She will then present, defend and write about her research in San Diego in 2024.

For more information about the Partners in Science Program, visit: https://murdocktrust.org/science-research-and-education/partners-in-science-program/

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Sherwood Students

Sherwood Elementary Celebrates Academic Progress & Plans for Parent-Teacher Conferences

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The months of January, February, and March before Spring Break may seem like a long, cold stretch without many days off, but for schools, that time is golden. This period of time offers the longest uninterrupted time in the school year, making it ideal for focused academic time for teachers and students. And at Sherwood Heights Elementary, they are making the most of it.

“Right now, we are really encouraging students and their parents to prioritize good attendance at school, to eat healthy meals, especially breakfast, and to get enough sleep, all of which make for a productive school day,” said Ronda Smith, Sherwood Principal.

Smith is pleased with recent data at her school that Sherwood Spurs are growing academically. Students recently completed i-Ready testing in math and reading. Comparing initial scores in September with January scores indicates that more students are on or above grade level in both math and reading, and the number of students below grade level in the subjects decreased during that time. “We are really happy with our mid-year check data, and we continue to use strategies to help students keep up the progress,” Smith said.

One strategy parents can help with is attending Parent-Teacher Conferences on the evenings of March 7 and 9. Sherwood encourages parents/guardians to make the most of the 20-minute conferences with teachers and to really focus on their child. At conferences, teachers will discuss a student’s i-Ready scores and academic progress, show samples of their work, and talk about their strengths and areas to work on and their social progress. Smith suggests parents ask these questions at conferences:

  1. What kind of academic progress has my child made since the start of the school year?
  2. How is my child doing socially and while interacting in the classroom?
  3. Is there anything I can do at home to help my child’s education?

Another thing parents can emphasize and work on with their child is “soft school skills,” which Smith explains include regular school attendance, active participation in the classroom, following school rules and teacher instructions, and completing and turning in assignments on time. Smith said these skills translate into middle school, high school, and adulthood, helping a child learn organization, time management, and the ability to focus and complete tasks. “Our goal at Sherwood is to help students grow and ultimately become a contributing part of their community.”

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Pendleton School District
107 NW 10th Street, Pendleton, OR 97801
Phone:  541.276.6711  Fax:  541.278.3208

The Pendleton School District assures that no person shall on the grounds of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability or income as provided by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and related authorities, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any Pendleton School District sponsored program or activity.

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