WSD Superintendent NEWSLETTER
June 18, 2021
www.woodburnsd.org
Vol. 1, No. 18
We end our school year with celebration and reflection Dear Woodburn Families and Community, We’ve reached the end of the unprecedented 2020-21 school year and we do so with celebration and reflection. The last two weeks Juan Larios WSD Acting have Superintendent included celebrations for our kindergarteners, 5th graders, and 8th graders and on June 4th and 5th, we celebrated our graduating class of 2021! The two-day ceremony was a special thank you to our graduates. From the moment they walked through our doors, we promised to engage, inspire, and prepare them to learn, lead, and contribute toward a just community, both local and global. We celebrate our graduates and are filled with faith, hope, joy, and excitement to see the contributions they will make to make our world a better place, for what they have accomplished, and for what is yet to come.
See 2020-21 Page 2
WSD Class of 2021
To see more photos go to: www.woodburnsd.org/classof2021/
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www.woodburnsd.org
June 18, 2021
State of Oregon Seal of Biliteracy WSD Recipients
199 WSD students obtained the Seal of Biliteracy The Oregon Seal of Biliteracy is a significant acknowledgment of the culmination of our dual language programs, it recognizes and values student’s heritage languages, and is a valuable credential for our bilingual students. The award not only is a part of the high school transcript and diploma, but it also certifies biliteracy for employers
and universities. It is a statement of accomplishment that helps to signal evidence of a student’s readiness for career and/or college, and engage as a global citizen. There was a total of 199 WSD students who obtained the Seal of Biliteracy, 190 in Spanish and 9 in Russian. Click on school logos.
Click on school logos to launch YouTube presentations featuring 2021 graduating students who received Seal of Biliteracy.
Larios: Have a wonderful and safe summer vacation 2020-21 from page 1 In addition to our graduates, this June, we also say farewell to twelve staff members retiring. Combined, these twelve staff members have served to support educating students for 253 years. Thank you for the many ways you’ve supported students and families over so many years! In the face of challenges and difficulties this year, we have been learners and leaders, persevering and adapting, to move our mission forward in the service of our children. While our circumstances may have shifted throughout the year from hybrid, to distance
learning, to limited in-person, and back to hybrid, our vision remained the same. Our vision to continue with an exceptional, equitable, and multilingual district, where all students are motivated, empowered and prepared to succeed never changed. Cesar Chavez once said that “To make a great dream come true, the first requirement is a great capacity to dream; the second is persistence.” This year we relied on our capacity to maintain our dream, our vision, and our persistence through the changes and challenges of the year. We are excited and looking forward to the 2021-22 school year and returning
students to full-day, five-daya-week in-person instruction! We are proceeding with planning for our 2021-22 return while awaiting further guidance from the Oregon Department of Education. We recognize that some COVID-10 related safety procedures may still be in place and we an-
ticipate final guidance to be released on July 22. Stay tuned for more information later this summer. We’re eager to see you back for our first day of school on August 30! Have a wonderful and safe summer vacation! Juan Larios WSD Acting Superintendent
June 18, 2021
www.woodburnsd.org
Page 3 WSD Bond and Facilities
Bond and Facilities Update: What facilities will look like in 21-22 WSD Bond and Facilities Update: As the current school year comes to a close, we wanted to provide an update on what our facilities will look like when staff and students return to class for the 21-22 school year. Lincoln Elementary: Second-story annex completed. New playground area near completion. Nellie Muir: Gym completed. Annex, new office/ entrance, and new parking completed prior to the start of the 21-22 school year. Valor Middle School: West Wing completed and in use. Heritage Elementary:
Addition to annex completed and in use. Modulars removed and are currently repairing and restripping the parking lot where they were located to increase parking. New playground accessible prior to 21-22 school year. Woodburn HS: New CTE building and annex to be completed and accessible prior to the 21-22 school year. New softball field nearing completion. These projects would not have been possible without the support of our community. Thank you for helping us provide access to the learning environments our children deserve!
Valor Middle School ‘s West Wing has been completed and it is now in use.
The new CTE building and annex are to be completed and accessible prior to the 21-22 school year. The new softball field is nearing completion.
Woodburn Area Chamber of Commerce
WSD Superintendent wins Distinguished Service Alma Award
Woodburn Area Chamber of Commerce representatives and School Board Chair recently gathered at the WSD District office to notify Juan Larios about his award. From left to right, Liz Knocil, Stephanie Wells, Jenne Marquez, WSD School Board President Anthony Medina, WSD Superintendent Juan Larios, and John Zobrist.
The Woodburn Area Chamber of Commerce recently completed its annual nominations for the 70th Annual Distinguished Service Alma Awards (DSA) and our very own, Woodburn School District Superintendent Juan Larios, was nominated and selected as an “Outstanding Educator,” for 2021. Larios, along with other Distinguished Service Alma Awards recipients, will be honored during a live broadcast on June 25, 2021, at 7:30 p.m. Other Distinguished Service Alma Award recipients include: • Senior First Citizen Alice Swanson • Junior First Citizen – Stephanie Wells The DSA awards are a way of recognizing individuals from the Woodburn area
who go above and beyond in giving back to the community by: • Performing outstanding volunteer community service over several years • Participating in more than one major community project or committee • Donating their time outside of business, profession, or vocation • Providing recognized leadership in community affairs More detailed information about recipients, the award, and the reasons for their nomination will be released during the live broadcast and press releases afterward.
www.woodburnsd.org
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Fenya Snegirev 40 Years of Service
Mary Parra 30 Years of Service
Cherene Mills 25 Years of Service
Rolonda Meye 22 Years of Service
June 18, 2021
Mark Lidtke 30 Years of Service
Annie Karlson 21 Years of Service
2021 WSD Retirees have provided 253 years of service
Lilya Zaltsman 20 Years of Service
Susan Belleque 16 Years of Service
Fetina Bright 19 Years of Service
Jamie Eck 8 Years of Service
Jim Barnes 17 Years of Service
Andrew Cotton (not pictured) 5 years
June 18, 2021
www.woodburnsd.org
Page 5 WHS Band
WHS Band perform their last concert of the year, video record selections Woodburn High School (WHS) musicians could not ask for more than a perfect day when they had their final performance outside the WHS front entrance, on Thursday, June 10th. Lingering pandemic regulations, social distancing, and mask-wearing made it difficult to have an inside performance, which is part of their annual routine. Performers at the event included the WHS Mariachi
Band, the Concert, and the Jazz band. Anticipating an overwhelming response for reservation registrations where there was a very limited number of seating allowed, WHS Band director Nadia Maskimov had a few performances recorded earlier in the day and the recordings can be found on Woodburn School District’s YouTube channel. Follow this link to watch their performances and to see more photos.
WHS Mariachi Band performs at their last concert of the year outside WHS doors, Thursday June 10, 2021. WSD in the News
STEM activities coming home with WSD students You may have already seen these backpacks full of summer reading and STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) activities coming home with your students! We were excited to be able to utilize some of the funding we received for extended learning to support K-8 students in their learning throughout the summer. With books in English and Spanish, covering fiction and nonfiction as well as STEM activities, we hope
that students will be engaged in extended learning all summer long! Students who are attending school on site will be bringing them home in the next week (unless they already have). Schools are also arranging opportunities for students engaging through CDL to get these backpacks as well. If you have questions about how to get your K-8 students summer backpack please contact your student’s school.
Pamplin Media Group reporter Gabby Urenda reached out to WSD for an interview about attendance numbers at the district. “My company received a grant to take a deep dive into solutions-based education stories about how Black, Indigenous, and
students of color are doing during the pandemic,” wrote Urenda in her request. “We’re trying to not just find problems but also highlight solutions that are helping students during COVID-19.” Click on the image above or this link to read the story.
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www.woodburnsd.org
June 18, 2021 HS 2.0
WHS evolves with plans to reorganize the high school system For the past 14 years, the Woodburn small schools initiative has seen a great deal of success, increasing graduation rates and helping students meet post secondary goals. However, we also recognize the need to continue to evolve to support students. As we evolve, we will be planning and reorganizing the high school system. Here are some of the areas we are working on: Transition from Grade 8 to 9: Next year, we will begin to restructure our high school so
that all 9th and 10th graders are in small, supported cohorts as they transition from middle to high school. This will address dropout prevention and ensure that they have the skills and credit for success. Career and College: In grades 11 and 12 we will focus on career and technical education and college level education opportunities. As part of Oregon’s Measure 98 High School Success Act and Student Investment Accounts, we want every student to have a head start on either college
or a career when they leave high school. Some students will choose a 2 or 4 year college pathway. Others will choose a career technical pathway. Whatever a student chooses, our high school will provide access to skills and resources needed for student success. Your Voice: You can get involved by being on a high school reform work team, being part of a site council, by reading the information that comes to you about the process and decisions, and by
giving us your input through focus groups, key communicators groups and surveys. We will update you regularly throughout next year, and you can contact your school principal if you have questions along the way. We Are excited to strengthen our already existing programs and add new opportunities so that we can keep our promise, to we can keep our promise to engage, inspire, and prepare all students to learn, lead, and contribute toward a just community, both local and global.