April 8 Update: On track for All-In Instruction

We are having a great first week with all of our kindergarten through fifth grade students back in class yesterday and are excited to welcome back all students – including grades 6-12 – for all-in instruction on Monday, April 12.

Update March 30, 2021

En Español

Bend-La Pine Schools Parents and Guardians,

As I shared last week, we at Bend-La Pine Schools are excited to begin implementation of a proactive, phased-in return to in-person learning every day for all students. By mid-April, nearly 17,000 students will be back in classes, with their peers and teachers, where they will thrive and grow. Our students and staff have proven that they are committed to embracing safety protocols that have all but eliminated COVID-19 spread in our schools, setting us up for a successful return to the classroom full-time.

We are having a great first week with all of our kindergarten through fifth grade students back in class yesterday and are excited to welcome back all students – including grades 6-12 – for all-in instruction on Monday, April 12.

With distancing guidance changing from 6-feet to 3-feet, we can now host more students in our classrooms daily. This new schedule protects learning time and accelerates the return of students to a full, five day-a-week schedule, without adding additional days at the end of the school year.

School Schedules

Elementary schools

Bell times are unchanged. Students will release 90 minutes early on Wednesdays for School Improvement Wednesday staff professional development work.

• Bear Creek Elementary, Buckingham Elementary, Elk Meadow Elementary, Juniper Elementary, La Pine Elementary, North Star Elementary, Rosland Elementary, Silver Rail Elementary, Three Rivers and William E. Miller Elementary schools:
 Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays
 7:45 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., and
 Wednesdays 
7:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
• Amity Creek at Thompson, Highland at Kenwood, and Westside Village at Kingston schools:
 Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and Wednesdays 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Ensworth Elementary, High Lakes Elementary, Lava Ridge Elementary, Pine Ridge Elementary, Ponderosa Elementary, and R.E. Jewell Elementary schools:
 Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays 
8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and Wednesdays 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Middle schools

Bell times have been adjusted slightly, beginning April 12. Students will release 90 minutes early on Wednesdays for School Improvement Wednesday staff professional development work.

• Cascade Middle, High Desert Middle, La Pine Middle, Pacific Crest Middle, Pilot Butte Middle, 
and Sky View Middle schools:
  Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays 
10:35 a.m. to 4:25 p.m. and Wednesdays 10:35 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Realms Middle School: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays 
10:55 a.m. to 4:05 p.m. and Wednesdays 10:55 a.m. to 2:35 p.m.

High schools

Bell times will be extended, beginning April 12, to give students additional time for in-person learning. Students will release 90 minutes early on Wednesdays for School Improvement Wednesday staff professional development work.

• Bend Senior High, La Pine High, Mountain View High and Summit High schools: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays 
9:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. and Wednesdays 9:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.
• 
Bend Tech Academy at Marshall High, Realms High, Skyline High schools: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays 
9:25 a.m. to 3:20 p.m. and Wednesdays 9:25 a.m. to 1:50 p.m.

Remote Learning Options

For those families who are not comfortable with in-person learning, enrollment is open for the District Comprehensive Distance Learning program or Bend-La Pine Schools Online. Families who have found success with distance learning are welcome to continue this programing without interruption.

As shared in January, students who wish to move from the aforementioned programs to brick-and-mortar classrooms will be accommodated with a 1:1 opening, as space is available. Due to teacher assignments and class size caps, few to no spaces are currently available.

Update March 25, 2021

Greetings,
The Oregon Department of Education and Oregon Health Authority has revised school distancing guidance, aligning with revised guidelines released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which say students can safely sit 3-feet apart in classrooms under certain conditions.

The change in guidance gives Bend-La Pine Schools the green light to offer All-in (in-person, 5 days a week) instruction. The district will phase in the change, beginning April 5 with 4th and 5th graders going All-in and will add students in 6th through 12th grades going All-in on April 12.

Three Rivers School and Westside Village Magnet will follow the K-5 schedule.

Schools will follow these bell times:

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

Current bell schedules (start and stop times) remain the same*; schools will follow a School Improvement Wednesday (SIW) schedule on Wednesdays, releasing 90 minutes early.

*Three Rivers School, La Pine Elementary School, Rosland Elementary School, and Ensworth Elementary School are currently All-in K-5.

MIDDLE SCHOOLS

Students will attend daily (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) from 10:35 a.m. to 4:25 p.m. Schools will follow a School Improvement Wednesday (SIW) schedule on Wednesdays, releasing 90 minutes early.

HIGH SCHOOLS

Students will attend daily (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) from 9:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.Schools will follow a School Improvement Wednesday (SIW) schedule on Wednesdays, releasing 90 minutes early.

For those families who are not comfortable with in-person learning, or who have found success with distance learning, we will continue to offer remote instruction opportunities. Families may enroll in the District Comprehensive Distance Learning program or Bend-La Pine Schools Online. Please contact these programs on, or after, March 29.

Sincerely,
Lora Nordquist

Update March 24, 2021

Start and Stop Times Set for All-In Learning

When Bend-La Pine Schools is able to resume all-in learning, schools will follow these bell times:

Elementary Schools

Current bell schedules (start and stop times) remain the same; schools will follow a School Improvement Wednesday (SIW) schedule on Wednesdays.

Middle Schools

Bell schedules are currently under review, and a slight adjustment to start/stop times is possible. Any changes will be communicated to families the week of March 30. Schools will follow a School Improvement Wednesday (SIW) schedule on Wednesdays.

High Schools

Schools are extending the school day to five periods and students will attend daily (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) from 9:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Schools will follow a School Improvement Wednesday (SIW) schedule on Wednesdays.

March 19, 2021

RE: New CDC Guidance, Anticipated Plan for Return to ALL-IN In-person Instruction for All Students

Bend-La Pine Schools Parents and Guardians,

As spring arrives, COVID-19 spread stays low, and more community members receive vaccinations, I can feel our world shifting and optimism returning. Tomorrow is the first day of spring and, fittingly, we are hopeful to start another new chapter, together.

We made a conscious decision to prioritize in-person instruction, and we were the first large district in Oregon to return to in-person learning. This is a priority because our schools have seen many students struggle during distance learning, with negative impacts on attendance, grades, and mental health over the past year. Additionally, in-person learning allows for more hands-on instruction (ceramics, welding, culinary, and chemistry to name just a few) and inter-personal connections between students and staff. We feel more confident bringing students back, as well, because studies continue to show that schools are not major sites of COVID-19 spread.

Today the CDC announced new guidance for physical distancing in school settings, reducing distance requirements from six feet to three feet in many instances, so long as COVID-19 safety protocols are maintained. This change in guidance could allow us to offer ALL-IN instruction to more students, as the distancing requirements were the major factors preventing us from having students in grades 4-12 attend every day.

Governor Kate Brown and Oregon Health Authority’s Dr. Dean Sidelinger addressed these changes during a mid-day press conference. They confirmed that they have been in active communication with the Oregon Department of Education and will “get those guidelines incorporated into Ready Schools, Safe Learners guidelines as quickly as we can, so that schools will have that in place as they plan the rest of their school year and have conversations in their communities.”



With news of this impending statewide change, Bend-La Pine Schools has developed a proactive plan to return our students to ALL-IN full-time, in-person learning, pending the formal change at the state level:

This plan is dependent upon the Oregon Department of Education applying the CDC’s new guidance to their Oregon’s Ready School Safe Learners guidance by March 30, 2021.

*Westside Village and Three Rivers School will operate on the K-5 schedule, above.
** Schools will communicate student conference dates. Conferences will be scheduled for mid- to late-April. 


Again, I want to remind families that, while this our plan, it could change based on state guidance. We believe that by proactively planning ahead for a change to Oregon’s Ready Schools, Safe Learners Guidance, we can give families more time to begin making adjustments to their own planning. We will keep you all updated as we receive new information about a formal change to Oregon’s distancing requirements.

For those families who are not comfortable for in-person learning, or who have found success with distance learning, we will continue to offer remote instruction opportunities. Families may enroll in the District Comprehensive Distance Learning program or Bend-La Pine Schools Online. Please contact these programs on, or after, March 29.

Thank you, families, for your partnership and flexibility during the past year as we do our best to serve our students. Please know that we are thinking of you and will keep you informed as plans are solidified or change.

Sincerely,
Lora Nordquist, Interim Superintendent