1st Grade Field Trip to Fire Station

June 17, 2025/in District Site News, Washington School News /by rthornburg

All first graders at Washington Elementary enjoyed a fun field trip to Pendleton Fire Station #1 in May. After walking from their school to the station on Court Avenue, the students rotated to different areas of the facility. Then, paramedics and firefighters talked to them about the fire trucks, equipment, how to put out wildland fires, what it’s like to work as a firefighter, and more.

Students got to walk through an ambulance, climb up into a fire truck, and ask lots of questions.

One firefighter showed them how he puts on all his equipment, including his boots, coat, helmet, gloves, mask, and oxygen tank. He talked to them through the microphone in his mask. He explained that, even though he sounds kind of like Darth Vader and looks different when he has all his equipment on, he is still the same person underneath. He let students walk around him, looking at his clothing and equipment. “If you saw me in your house or in a building with all this on, you can know I am there to help you.”

The paramedic showing children around the ambulance explained how paramedics may have to use oxygen to help people breathe and showed them the thermometer available to take someone’s temperature, just like their parents may do at home.

Morgan Hall, Paramedic and Firefighter with Pendleton Fire and Ambulance, said when students come on field trips, station employees want young people to learn about the tools and equipment they use, see the inside of an ambulance in case they ever have to ride in one and learn the basics of what the fire and ambulance department does and what they provide to the community.

“The fun part for us is interacting with the kids, sometimes kids of people in the community we may know. It’s great to hear the funny things kids say and the questions they ask, and we enjoy seeing their curiosity,” Hall said.

Thank you, Pendleton Fire and Ambulance, for a great field trip!

CTUIR Fisheries Program Visits 3rd and 4th Graders at Washington Elementary

April 25, 2025/in District Site News, Washington School News /by rthornburg

Third and fourth grade students at Washington Elementary School experienced some exciting hands-on learning with a visit from CTUIR Fisheries in mid-April.

Representatives from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation program brought young and adult lamprey and Coho salmon for the students to see and touch. Students learned that lampreys have been living on Earth for 400 million years.

Shaun Montgomery, Assistant Project Manager for Umatilla Hatchery Satellite Facilities, said it’s effective when children learn through interactive experiences. He said 500,000 Coho salmon are released each year through the program. “We want young people to learn about the salmon recovery program the tribes are doing and how important it is to the environment and to the tribe’s first foods,” Montgomery said.

Due to the COVID pandemic, third and fourth graders missed out on the annual field trip to visit the fisheries site. Shawndine Jones, Walk to Language Teacher at Washington, said the school appreciates the staff from the program visiting the school for those students who missed out a few years ago. “Thanks to the CTUIR Fisheries staff, students enjoyed this hands-on experience and learning about the importance of salmon and lamprey,” Jones said.

Washington Elementary thanks these visitors for sharing their time and knowledge:

Aaron Jackson
Kanim Moses-Conner
Jerrid Weaskus
Shaun Montgomery

Welcome to PSD – Marjorie Carter

November 7, 2024/in District Site News, Washington School News /by rthornburg

Marjorie Carter
Special Education Teacher
Washington Elementary School

Marjorie said she experienced a lot of different communities growing up but spent most of her time between Pendleton and Bothell, Washington. She attended school in the Pendleton School District from third to eighth grade before moving to Bothell. She has lived in Pendleton for a combined total of 40 years.

She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education from Western Governors University.

About working in the Pendleton School District, Marjorie said, “What excites me most about working in the Pendleton School District is that I get to support students from my own neighborhood to become the best version of themselves.”

In her free time, she loves to cook new foods.

Welcome to PSD – Haley Robinett

October 30, 2024/in District Site News, Washington School News /by rthornburg

Haley Robinett
4^th Grade Teacher
Washington Elementary School

Haley was born in Middleton, Idaho.

She attended Eastern Oregon University and earned her bachelor’s degree in Multidisciplinary Studies and her master’s degree in Elementary Education.

About working in the Pendleton School District, Haley said, “I am most excited about creating relationships with both my students and coworkers this year, especially with it being a new town and school (to me)!”

In her free time, Haley likes to spend time outdoors, hang out with friends, and play/watch sports, especially basketball!

Washington Admin Heidi Paullus Rachael Olson 2024-25

Washington Elementary Leaders Set Goals for the Year

October 10, 2024/in District Site News, Washington School News /by rthornburg

The new Principal and Assistant Principal at Washington Elementary School have started the 24-25 school year strong. Heidi Paullus and Rachael Olson are both new to their jobs, although they were both in the building last year. Principal Paullus was the previous assistant principal, and Olson was an administrative intern before assuming the role of Assistant Principal this year.

Their goals for Washington this year are to:

Provide effective academic support to students
Provide strong, solid support in classrooms
Provide emotional resources to support students
Effectively implement curriculum
Ensure continuity in intervention strategies

Paullus’ and Olson’s overall goal is to address the needs of all students and to always have the attitude that every student can learn.

“We want to be leaders who want to know more about our students every day and what they need to grow,” Olson said. She is excited about a new app on teachers’ iPads called Notability, which allows teachers to move around the classroom while teaching. This app can lead to increased student engagement and help with classroom management.

Paullus said she and Olson working as a team is another key to success at the school, as well as knowing your “why” every day. “I love my job. Getting to be here with the kids is why I work in education. We have amazing students, an amazing staff, and amazing parents to work with,” Paullus said.

For the 420 Washington Wildcats at school every day, that sounds like an amazing start!

To read more about Washington Elementary, visit their website at https://wes.pendleton.k12.or.us/ or find them on Facebook and Instagram.

Washington Elementary Intern Spotlight – Keri Kubesh

June 11, 2024/in District Site News, Washington School News /by rthornburg

Washington Elementary School would like to thank and acknowledge Keri Kubesh, who was an intern working on her Master of Social Work (MSW) degree at the school during the 23-24 school year.

Kubesh worked closely with Maria Davis, Child Development Specialist, and Jaime Larsen, Behavior Specialist, at the school, as well as with Principal Kevin Dinning and Assistant Principal Heidi Paullus.

Kubesh did job shadowing, ran student groups focusing on Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and responded to crisis calls. She said she loved the staff at Washington and that everyone was helpful and really supportive. She is grateful for the opportunity and for the school administrators.

What was one challenge? Kubesh said trying to make the SEL student groups engaging for different students, especially those who have trouble paying attention, was sometimes difficult.

However, Kubesh said, “I’ve always worked with kids, and I just love it.”

Washington Elementary Intern Spotlight – Rachael Olson

June 6, 2024/in District Site News, Washington School News /by rthornburg

Washington Elementary School would like to thank and acknowledge Rachael Olson, who was an Administrative Intern at the school during the 23-24 school year.

Olson, who works for InterMountain ESD, was a Special Education Instructional Coach at Washington this year, providing instructional support for two new teachers at the school. In addition, Olson was an intern obtaining hours toward earning her Administrative License through COSA (Coalition of Oregon School Administrators) and the University of Oregon.

She worked with Principal Kevin Dinning and Assistant Principal Heidi Paullus, doing job shadowing, observing meetings, and more.

Olson said the intern experience has been amazing and exceeded her expectations. She said she wasn’t sure how she would feel about someday being a school administrator, but she has grown to love it. “I could see myself doing this in the future. I really like being in a building, and I love seeing the little faces of the students.”

What was surprising to Olson was the amount of steps an administrator gets walking around in a day. She said you are never really sitting at a desk.

Washington Elementary 3rd Grade Students Publish a Book

May 22, 2024/in District Site News, Washington School News /by rthornburg

Author Gary Hogg Visits Washington Elementary School

March 5, 2024/in District Site News, Washington School News /by rthornburg

On Wednesday, February 28, 2024, all of the students at Washington Elementary School got to spend time with an author in their school. Gary Hogg, author of the Spencer’s Adventures and Charlie Bacon books series, plus other books for young readers, visited the school thanks to funds from Altrusa International of Pendleton and the Parent Club at Washington.

Hogg started the all-school assembly by relating a story of him and his children encountering spider monkeys in the jungle on a family trip. His descriptions of a monkey jumping in the car and several of his children trying to get the monkey out of the car had Washington Wildcats engaged and laughing. Hogg explained that everyone has stories to tell. “You have a voice in the world, and the world needs your author’s voice,” Hogg told the students.

When he was in elementary school, Hogg told jokes to his fourth-grade teacher, who finally encouraged Hogg to turn those jokes into stories into books that would be read worldwide. And that’s what Hogg has done. He encouraged students to listen to their teachers, who are working hard for students and whose “superpower is hearts that hold hope for all of their students.”

After the school-wide assembly, Hogg conducted workshops in the school library with each grade level. During the fifth grade, the author outlined a few strategies for effective writing:

Use fancy colors
Use interesting size descriptions
Put names on things
Describe places
Be a detail detective

Students then worked on writing personal narratives. One last piece of advice from Hogg was, “Remember, there is only one you in the world. When you write, to be powerful, you have to be original.”

Gary Hogg grew up in Burley, Idaho, with a mom who loved to read and a dad who loved horses. He is the author of 26 books and has visited more than 3,700 schools. Learn more about him at garyhoggbooks.com

Families Gather at Holiday TAPP Dinner

December 21, 2023/in District Site News, Washington School News /by rthornburg

Families 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.