Sunridge Middle School Registration - Aug 14 from 7:30-1 pm and 2-7 pm

All incoming 6-8th graders need to register for the 2025-26 school year.

High School Registration - Aug 12 from 7-1 and 2-7 pm

The format is the same as in previous years, with all Registration Stations housed on the first floor. You start at the west side of the hallway and finish at the main office window. It is important that you come in to register your student during this time. If you are a new student to the district or did not attend Pendleton High School in the previous year, please contact Renee Moore, Registrar, at 541-966-3848 at any time. If you are unable to attend on this day, please call Shelby McQuinn, PHS Secretary, at 541-966-3804.

Sherri Kilgore

Welcome Back from Principal KIlgore

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Dear Mustang Families and Students,

As the proud principal of McKay Creek Elementary School, I would like to welcome you to the 2023-2024 school year.  McKay is Mustang Mighty and boasts a reputation of rigor, engagement and kindness.  It is nestled near McKay Creek and stables approximately 250 Mustangs grades first–fifth.  McKay has phenomenal teachers who practice instructional excellence, respond to the needs of all students, and who are innovative.  They promote high expectations for active learning while increasing emotional awareness, self-management, and leadership skills in all of our students.  The staff is dedicated to meeting students where they are and identifying and addressing the learning needs of all students through enrichment and student-specific interventions in reading, writing and math.

The staff and I are excited to have the opportunity to work with you and your child and provide a safe space where all students belong, succeed, learn and grow.  The Pendleton School District will occasionally send messages to families using School Messenger or Remind and the webpage and Facebook pages are also great resources for updates.

McKay and community are dedicated to establishing a safe, nurturing environment in which each student experiences success in learning and positive self-esteem. We hold the interest of children at the heart of all decision making. We nurture, instruct, and encourage our students to become lifelong learners capable of maximizing their potential as responsible, productive citizens. In addition, we value the culture and experiences of every family and welcome you to be part of our school family.

It is a pleasure and honor to extend a warm and heartfelt welcome to every student and family as the school year begins. If you have questions, concerns, or ideas, my door is open, and I am here to listen. As a staff, we look forward to joining you in this exciting partnership.

Kindly,

Sherri Kilgore
Office Phone: 541-966-3000

Washington Students

4th Grade STEM Week at Washington Elementary

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Washington Elementary – 4th Grade STEM Week

Washington Elementary had its annual 4th Grade STEM Week earlier this month. Every year, the teachers organize this special week of instruction focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math learning.

This year, there were five stations, each lasting one hour. Two stations used kits from GO-STEM to make catapults and straw structures. Another station involved the construction of tin foil boats, and another was marbles on ramps made from pipe insulation. The last station was coding on Code.org!

According to Michelle Herburger, 4th Grade Teacher, students enjoyed each session, returning ready to share what they had learned. The students also really enjoyed seeing their teachers dressed up as scientists in white lab coats and big white wigs.

What do teachers want the kids to take away from STEM Week? “We really focus on thinking and trying during this time. We offer students the supplies with limited direction and allow them to work together to make mistakes and learn from each other. It is a structure we don’t get to utilize much, and students aren’t used to not having a scripted plan given to them. They persevere and process so many concepts in such a short amount of time,” said Herburger.

Washington’s teachers said it’s powerful to have fun with the students and to watch this style of learning. They said they listen to the conversations that students have with each other and appreciate the respect they have for their peers and their learning. “We love it when they see success after several failed attempts. We love it when it’s time to stop, and they don’t want to. It reminds us why we became teachers.”

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Posted 5/25/2023

Sherwood Students

Sherwood Heights Elementary Spring Field Trips

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Do you remember going on field trips in elementary school? Most people can remember a trip to a pumpkin patch, a local farm, a science center, a museum or art center, or maybe a local historical place. But combine more robust academic requirements, increased testing in schools, and the COVID pandemic, and many schools have not had field trips for a few years.

The principal and assistant principal at Sherwood Heights Elementary are changing that this spring. Principal Ronda Smith said they are trying to create a culture of memories through learning outside the school building. “Field trips offer an opportunity for students to be kind and responsible to each other in a different setting and learn to be a school family together,” Smith said.

In May and June, Sherwood students in various grades will go to the Heritage Station Museum, and Blue Mountain Community College, walk to a local park, participate in the Pendleton High School FFA Farm Day, attend track meets, and, have a field day.

TJ Presley, Assistant Principal, said many of the trips and events create chances for students to cooperate, take turns, and be independent. “This summer, when a little kid closes his eyes and thinks about school last year, what will he remember? We want them to remember something great and end the year on a positive note so the student can’t wait to return to their school family in August.”

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PELC Farm Day

PELC Farm Day Field Trip

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If you think there is nothing cuter than a kindergartner petting a cute, fuzzy chick, you are probably right.

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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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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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