The West Linn-Wilsonville School District hosted an information night for families of interested incoming kindergarten students on Thursday, March 4. Below is the video recording of that meeting as well as the presentation that was shared.

Dual Language Information Night Video Recording 3/4/21
Dual Language Information Night Presentation 3/4/21
Dual Language Information Night Resources Page

Growing scientists from all across the West Linn-Wilsonville School District will come together for the 20th Annual CREST-Jane Goodall Science Symposium on Tuesday, March 9 beginning at 7 p.m. The prestigious event marks the culmination of months of hard work from high school students. 

The ISEF (International Science and Engineering Fair) process started for many students at the beginning of the school year. Despite working remotely, students have perservered through various research projects and scientific studies. Students participated in a Mock Symposium during the week of February 22, sharing their research with judges via Zoom and through video presentations. 

Dr. Avilash Cramer, a 2010 West Linn High School graduate, will serve as the keynote speaker for the March 9 Symposium, where he will discuss his work in COVID and Climate Change: Scientists' Role in Crises. That will be followed by an awards presentation, where students will earn recognition for their hard work and accomplishments.

The virtual symposium can be viewed thanks to the help of the Wilsonville High SChool Broadcast Network. To watch the livestream, please go to www.youtube.com/c/WilsonvilleBroadcastNetwork/.

  

Kindergarten students across West Linn-Wilsonville arrived at schools and entered classrooms for the first time on Wednesday, Feb. 24, for the first day of hybrid learning. Students were greeted by teachers, support staff, and administrators before beginning the school day.

Schools welcomed students in the 'A' Cohort on Wednesday, with students in the 'B' Cohort set to attend school in person on Thursday. Many students continue to learn remotely through the WLWV K12 Online Program and Comprehensive Distance Learning, meanwhile. Older grades will begin to phase into hybrid learning in the coming weeks, culminating with high school students on March 15. 

The month of February is Black History Month, reminding people across the United States of the great importance Black Americans have played in creating America. Black history is American history, and members of the West Linn-Wilsonville Black Student Union set out to highlight some of that history this month. Students compiled a list of 11 historically significant Black Americans, including the many contributions they have made. They will also be featured on the district website during the month of February.

The Black Student Union is a group of high school students at Wilsonville High School, West Linn High School, Arts and Technology High School, and the WLWV K12 Online Program who identify as African American/Black. The group meets twice a month to build relationships and connection among black students.

Technology Reminders for Students Transitioning to Hybrid Learning

1. We will expect all students to bring their fully-charged Chromebook (or personal device) to school every day that they come. We will also expect them to be taken home each night. Charging/power cords should be kept at home.

2. We suggest that students carry the device in their backpack. Please take extra precaution if sending any food/beverage to school to ensure that no leaks occur. If you are sending food/beverage to school in the backpack, consider enclosing the chromebook in a ziploc style bag inside the backpack.

3. If your child has been using a personal computing device this school year, they can bring that to and from school. That is up to you as a family to decide.

4. If you do not have a Chromebook or other device that you are comfortable transporting to and from school at this point, please submit a tekmee ticket to get directions for arranging for picking one up.

5. Please make sure that your child can independently log into their device, including remembering their password as well as how to turn the device on. Please practice this with your child if they have generally relied on parental support to do this.

6. We highly encourage you to keep the device plugged in while at home all the time. This will help ensure that it has adequate charge when brought to school.

7. Before your child returns to school, it would be wise to "test" the battery capacity. To do so, fully charge it and then use it for a full-day of normal school activities while not plugged in. Watch the power as you do this and connect power when/if the battery gets below 10%. This will provide the best estimate of the device's current battery capacity. If you had to plug it into power before the normal end of the school day, contact the school to arrange for a device swap.

West Linn-Wilsonville Bilingual Specialist Maria de Lourdes Horton was recently named the Oregon Association of Latino Administrators Distinguished Latina Educator Award for 2021.

The prestigious honor is no surprise for anyone who has interacted with Maria, either through West Linn-Wilsonville schools or through the district’s Family Empowerment Center, which Maria currently manages.

Maria was presented with the award in January, having been selected from a talented and dedicated pool of candidates from across the State of Oregon. Maria has served in the district for well over a decade, working at Boones Ferry Primary, Lowrie Primary, and for the district’s Human Resources Department before her transition to the Family Empowerment Center this school year. For years Maria has provided connection for students and families. Now, in her new role as the district’s bilingual specialist and at the FEC, Maria has partnered with local organizations to gather resources, connect parents, and empower families across West Linn and Wilsonville.

OALA’s mission is to create a vehicle to support and mentor Latino Administrators as well as Latino educators who aspire to become administrators in Oregon. Their goals include ensuring educational equity for all students, especially those of Latino heritage, and to advocate at the federal, state, and local level for equitable educational policies impacting Latino students.

Maria will be recognized virtually at the annual OALA conference on Friday, Feb. 5. Learn more about OALA by visiting their website, or learn more about the district’s Family Empowerment Center by visiting the district website.

The West Linn-Wilsonville School District hosted the second annual Equity Summit for leaders in West Linn and Wilsonville. Facilitated by Keynote Speaker Dr. Shauna Adams, school, city, and community leaders discussed issues of racism in West Linn and Wilsonville, looking for areas of collaboration around anti-racism work. The Wilsonville Spokesman's Corey Buchanan wrote about the event if interested community members would like to learn more. 

For the fourth-consecutive year, the West Linn-Wilsonville School District recorded a graduation rate of 93% or higher. The Oregon Department of Education releases graduation rates for schools and districts across the state on Thursday, Jan 21. West Linn High School, Wilsonville High School, and Arts and Technology High School combined for a graduation rate of 93.3 percent for the 2019-20 school year.

West Linn High School recorded a graduation rate of 98.0 percent, No. 1 in the State of Oregon for graduating class larger than 150 students, and Wilsonville High School improved by nearly 2 percent to 96.8 percent.

Students in the West Linn-Wilsonville School District with an IEP saw graduation rates climb nearly 8 percent to 88.1 percent for the 2019-20 school year. The overall state graduation rate in Oregon improved to 82.6 percent for comparison. Congratulations to the Class of 2020, to our incredible school and district staff, and to the entire West Linn-Wilsonville community for this accomplishment.

Government Finance Officers Association presented the West Linn-Wilsonville School District with the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award on Tuesday, Jan. 20. 

The award represents a significant achievement, reflecting the commitment of the district and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. In order to receive the award, school districts must meet nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. Those guidelines are designed to assess how well the district's budget serves as:

• a policy document
• a financial plan
• an operations guide
• a communications device

Budget documents must be rated "proficient" in all four categories and in the 14 mandatory criteria within those categories to receive the award. The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) advances excellence in government finance by providing best practices, professional development, resources, and practical research. 

Dear West Linn-Wilsonville School Community,

Last night, the School Board voted to amend our K-5 reopening timeline in light of several developments during the past two weeks. This new timeline accounts for recent prioritization of vaccination availability for K12 educators, meeting advisory health metrics, and provides reopening dates for grades 6-12.  

Timeline for Reopening ALL GRADES

When we reopen West Linn-Wilsonville schools for in-person learning, the county will have met the health advisory metrics, or, all staff working directly with students will have had the opportunity to access their first dose of the vaccine. 

• February 22 — Kindergarten returns to in-person learning
• March 1 — Grade 1 returns 
• March 3 — Grade 2 returns 
• March 8 — Grade 3 returns 
• March 10 — Grades 4-6 return 
• March 15 — Grades 7-12 return

Primary Schools: The February 22 start date assumes that Clackamas County is still meeting the K-5 health metrics, or, all staff directly working with that group of students have had the opportunity to access their first vaccination dose. This includes bus drivers, nutrition staff, office staff, teachers, and support staff involved with each K-5 grade level reopening. 

Secondary Schools: The March 10 and 15 reopening dates assume that K-5 reopening has been able to limit transmission effectively. It also assumes that Clackamas County health metrics for grades 6-12 have been met, or, all staff directly working with these students have had the opportunity to access their first vaccination dose. 

Continuation of Other Programs

• Students in Grades K-12 who wish to extend Comprehensive Distance Learning (CDL) at home before starting the Hybrid Model may continue to do so and will continue to have curriculum designed by the classroom teacher.
• Students who are enrolled in the WLWV K12 Online Program will continue with this program through the remainder of the school year as intended. 
• Limited In-Person Instruction will continue and expand to more students. Once a grade level band has returned to in-person learning, LII will discontinue for that grade level band.
• Co-curricular activities will continue to expand on campus with middle and high schools, following Oregon’s K12 Recreation Guidance and Ready Schools, Safe Learners Guidance for health and safety protocols. District high schools will participate in OSAA approved activities for athletes, coaches, and spectators as outlined by OHA and OSAA.
• We know that our secondary students are missing social interactions. To meet these needs, we will expand our co-curricular activities additionally beyond athletics, music, arts, drama, robotics to bring some small groups of students in for clubs, community service, and specific social activities. 

Plans Are Subject to Change

While we are confident in this adjusted timeline, I want to remind everyone that this plan is based on current guidance and what we know at this time. The School Board or district administration may amend any of these plans at any future date should new requirements be mandated at the state level or if new information is made available that could improve conditions for teaching and learning in the district.

Next Steps Transitioning to Hybrid Learning

You can expect to see more information sent home from your principals as we share expectations with students and families on health and safety protocols; describe hybrid learning routines; and organize for our students’ return. There will be opportunities for families to learn more about the Hybrid model as well as what to expect for those students who choose to remain in CDL.

I want to thank our entire school community, including our families, School Board, and especially our staff. There continue to be many emotions and opinions as we work to get students back in the classroom. Those feelings are valued and are important to me, our School Board, and to this District. 

We are stronger together,

Kathy Ludwig, Superintendent