Multnomah Education Service District Pooling Professional Resources for Education All Access All Access is a MESD Public Information Office Publication 11611 NE Ainsworth Circle Portland, Oregon 97220 Laura Conroy, Public Information Officer: [email protected] February 2015 Contents Superintendent’s Message 1 Helensview Student Honored 2 OEA Choice Trust 3 Fire Information Day 4 Outdoor School Campaign 5 Wheatley Guest Narrators 6 1 February All Access Superintendent’s Message This update, long overdue, comes to you after what has hopefully been a restful and rejuvenating three day weekend, culminating with President’s Day. President’s Day is an occasion to remember all presidents and to acknowledge accomplishments in leadership. With that perspective, I would like to extend my thanks to several groups of leaders in our MESD community. Thank you to: the bargaining teams of MESD and MESDEA for their continued thoughtful participation in conversation about MESDEA staff; the Equity team and the Wellness team who are leading important work about inclusion and healthy living; and to the Social Committee, Safety Committee, and Operations Committee for your efforts in creating a fun, safe, and smooth work environment. And please know that all of your individual work is most appreciated also. President’s Day is an occasion to acknowledge the accomplishments of leadership groups in our MESD community. Barbara Jorgensen Barbara Jorgensen has been the Superintendent of Multnomah ESD since 2012. Prior to becoming Superintendent, Barbara was the Chief Program Officer and Director of Special Education Upcoming meeting with component district superintendents This month I am meeting with our component district leaders to resolve any remaining issues around service planning and costs for 2015-16. Thanks goes to all of those individuals who worked so hard to prepare cost estimates and personnel requirements for the service plan! Labor Relations MESD has a new place for staff to find information about labor relations, including contract conversations. If you have questions related to AFSCME or MESDEA contract conversations, please visit the Labor Relations page which has information about the conversation process, current proposals, FAQs, and updates. You can navigate to the page from the “Quick Links” section on the homepage, or find it on the Human Resources page. at MESD since 1993. Barbara holds a teaching degree from Montana State University and a master’s degree from Portland State University. Legislative Updates The Legislative session is in full swing. The Governor’s budget proposal of $6.9 billion is a fair distance away from the $7.8 billion budget that we and districts around the state need to serve our students. Specific MESD initiatives include supporting the creation of a School Nurse Consultant and Task Force within the Oregon Health Authority and funding for Outdoor School. A bill tracker will be available soon on the website. Thanks, as always, for the work you do on behalf of students, families, schools and our community. February All Access 2 Helensview School Helensview Principal Kris Persson, student and awardee Zandra Johnson, Helensview staff member Shantae Clayton Helensview Student Receives Award Helensview Senior, Zandra Johnson received the “Drum Major” Humanitarian Award and Scholarship at the Salute to Greatness Awards Ceremony presented by the Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church on Saturday January 17th, 2015 at Legacy Emmanuel Hospital. MESD and Helensview staff members Kris Perssen, Principal, Shantae Clayton, Jerelyn Carlson, Andy Aguilar, and Bob Carlson Volunteer also attended. Ms. Johnson credited her mother, family, and teacher Shantae Clayton for “never giving up on me during what ended up being one of the toughest times of my life, but turned out being one of my greatest accomplishments.” Four years ago, Zandra was a freshman who hated school, her classmates, and her teachers. She dropped out and started hanging out with the wrong type of friends which led to fighting, the criminal justice system, and probation. A condition of her probation was attending school; her alternative was the juvenile detention center. Zandra began attending Helensview, and over time school became a place she wanted to go. At Helensview, Zandra made friends, earned the respect of her teachers, and found academic success. Zandra will graduate this spring, a feat she didn’t think was possible four years ago. After graduation, she hopes to attend college and study criminal justice which she will use to pursue a career as a probation officer. Helensview school annually enrolls between 250-270 youth ages 12-21 and provides an engaging and supporting environment to help students with needs that have not been met in other educational settings. Visit: www.mesd.k12.or.us/ea/Hele nsview for more information about Helensview school and services. 3 February All Access MESD Receives OEA Choice Trust Grant for Employee Wellness MESD received word in late December that it was one of six recipients awarded the OEA Choice Trust Employee Wellness grant. The grant provides funding up to $75,000 over the next three to five years to develop and implement a district wide employee wellness program. School Health Services Director Margo Lalich pursued and worked with a team of committed MESD employees to draft the “Journey to the Well” grant. One of the team members, Steffannie Roache was a one-on-one nurse for many years, and in addition to her role as school counselor at Helensview, will be leading district-wide wellness initiative as Wellness Coordinator. The OEA Choice Grant “furthers MESD’s commitment to creating an environment where the work culture, policies, and logistical arrangements foster choices that promote health and wellness among employees.” Stay informed of Wellness Events, Activities, and Resources Subscribe to: http://mailman.mesd.k12.o r.us/mailman/listinfo/welln ess Contact: Steffannie Roache BS, MS Employee Wellness Coordinator Counselor | Helensview School Multnomah ESD Office| (503) 262-4169 Grant funds will facilitate activities that support exercise, stress management, nutrition and healthy living for MESD staff. Specific activities include walking groups, mindfulness workshops, and revival of a district weight-watchers group. Superintendent Jorgensen welcomed the grant which “furthers MESD’s commitment to creating an environment where the work culture, policies, and logistical arrangements foster choices that promote health and wellness among employees. According to its’ website, the Trust “seeks to assist in promoting the health and well-being of Oregon school employees through the provision of wellness grants. In doing so, it helps seed programs and culture changes for healthy living that go beyond the school setting; to students, parents and communities. Through the OEA Choice Trust Wellness Grant Program school employees have the opportunity to improve their health, be role models, and even a catalyst for community wellness and health.” February All Access 4 Visit www.mesd.k12.or.us/Wheatley Wheatley Staff and Portland Fire District Bring Fire Information Day to Students From 1:00 to 2:00 on Monday, January 26, the Portland Fire Department paid a visit to Wheatley School, but it wasn't an emergency--for some of the students, it was their first opportunity to interact with emergency personnel in the absence of an active crisis. Kim Kosmas, Senior Fire Inspector at Portland Fire & Rescue, brought a fire truck and crew from Portland's Station 30 to give the kids a kinesthetic opportunity to learn about our helpers in the community. Principal Jeremy Berliss explains “Many of our students experience health challenges, and only have experience with emergency personnel when they are called to their residence to provide assistance. We wanted to give our students an opportunity to experience emergency personnel in a more positive light, see the fire truck and meet the fire fighters. Additionally, going to a fire station and meeting the crew is a typical kid thing to do. Because of some of the challenges our students experience, they do not get that opportunity, so we wanted to bring the experience to them.” Secretary Janice Doran added “For many of the students it was the first time to ever see a real fire truck up close and to touch it. The sensory aspect of the visit was important. It was also something fun that they could experience with their staff who enjoyed the whole experience as well.” for more information about Wheatley School and Services. 2 February All Access 5 Outdoor School For All Campaign Launch The Oregon Outdoor Education Coalition launched its’ Outdoor School For All Campaign, at the World Forestry Center on Friday January 21, 2015. MESD Outdoor School staff Dan Prince (Teal), Scott Sieversen (Weasel), Doug Lloyd (Flank) and Andrea Hussy (Coho) hosted a table with information about MESD Outdoor School, and spoke about the positive academic and social impact of Outdoor School on students. On hand to support Outdoor School was Portland Timbers’ own “Timber Joey” pictured here with MESD’s Dan Prince and Scott Sieversen. Multnomah ESD Outdoor School Visit www.mesd.k12.or.us/OutdoorSchool for more information about MESD Outdoor School Programs. Please visit www.friendsofoutdoorschool.org for information about Friends of Outdoor School and the Outdoor School For All Campaign. Prince explains “Right now we have an inequitable access to Outdoor School because of unstable and inadequate funding. Some students in our component districts attend for 3 days, some for 6 days, some not at all. It's not because the districts don't value or aren't committed to the experience for their students, it's about resources. Adequate and stable funding will restore an equitable access to this experience, and allow MESD to enrich curriculum, enhance programming, and develop new partnerships to deepen the experience that youth in our component districts have at Outdoor School. According to the Coalition website, its long term goal is “to integrate placed-based programs into the school system that build upon children's skills in hands-on science and their abilities to be effective stewards and leaders in their communities. To get there, the Coalition is currently focused on securing significant and lasting public funding for every Oregon student to experience a full week of Outdoor School or similar programming.” February All Access 6 Wheatley students and staff listen to MESD Student Health Services Director, Margo Lalich, read Frog and Toad Together. Photo Credit: Jeremy Berliss Guest Narrators Bring Stories to Life for Wheatley Students A new tradition has emerged at Wheatley school, as students and staff at Wheatley School gather for story time. It occurs Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 930am, and Tuesday and Thursday at 1pm. Eager students settle into their places while the narrator takes their place in front of the group. The book binding crackles as it is opened, and pages are read with animation, then rotated to show each student the illustrations. The audience is generous with frequent clapping and standing ovations at the end of each book. Students recently enjoyed “Frog and Toad Together” narrated by guest Margo Lalich, MESD’s Director of School Health Services. On Tuesdays, any MESD staff member is invited to read to the students. It is BYOB (Bring Your Own Book) or books are provided. To arrange a visit, contact Principal Jeremy Berliss. Visit www.mesd.k12.or.us/Wheatley for more information about Wheatley School and Services. February 2015 All Access MESD Social Committee Makes Valentines Cards for Hospital Kids Members of the MESD Social Committee got together Friday February 6th after hours with scissors, construction paper, glue and glitter to put together Valentines Day cards for 120+ students that are part of the MESD hospital program. Valentines were delivered, to the delight of the kids, by members of the social committee. Hospital Teacher Joseph Cirillo commented that “students greatly appreciate the cards as another way to let them know that their hard work in school is noticed, even through the challenging times.” Visit https://mesdhospitalschool.wordpress.com for more information about the Hospital Program. Multnomah Education Service District Pooling Professional Resources for Education 11611 NE Ainsworth Circle Portland, OR 97220 For Article Submissions Email Laura Conroy Public Information Officer [email protected]
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