You are invited to participate in a research study, Native Voices Across Generations: Reimagining Discipline in a New School Landscape (Native Voices or NV) project.
The Pendleton School District, in cooperation with a research team from the University of Oregon, is hosting a community conversation/listening session on Monday, April 24, at Washington Elementary, starting at 5:00 pm. Dinner and childcare will be provided.
The research team is seeking to hear from parents, community members, teachers, administrators, and staff.
The purpose of this one-year project is to give voice to teachers, school and district administrators, and other school staff to look at discipline practices and investigate contributors to and consequences of disproportionate discipline for Native students in Oregon K-12 schools.
The findings of this project will inform, design and recommend school-based policies, trainings, resources, and supports that are culturally responsive and integrate Native tribal and community assets to shift any overrepresentation of AI/AN students in discipline data by researching (1) potential contributors to and consequences of disciplinary practices in Oregon K-12 school districts and (2) if district administrators, teachers, and other school personnel might benefit from professional development on Indian Education Policies and Language Restoration; Native Languages of Oregon; and Equity in School Policy for Native Students.
Equally important, this study queries what Native students, families, and communities envision as essential for healthy schools in which Native students belong and thrive culturally, socially, psychologically, and academically.
Community conversations/listening sessions will occur at the Washington Elementary School on Monday, April 24, from 5-7:30 pm. Each participant will receive an incentive of $25 for participating in the conversations.
This project involves the collaboration of the Center for Equity Promotion (CEQP) in the University of Oregon’s (UO) College of Education, the UO’s Northwest Indian Language Institute (NILI), the Native Wellness Institute (NWI), and participating Tribes and School Districts with funding from and in partnership with the Office of Indian Education/Oregon Department of Education (OIE/ODE).
If you are interested in participating in this research study, please complete the Adult Consent form located here: https://tinyurl.com/NV-Adult-Consent.
Hard copies of the consent form will be available at the event.
If you have any questions about this study, please contact Rita Svanks at rsvanks@uoregon.edu, 541-346-4125.
FFA Plant Sale – May 12-13, 2023
/in News - District & All Schools /by rthornburgJoin Pendleton High School FFA Mother’s Day weekend for their plant sale! Students have been working hard the past couple of months, taking care of flowers and plants to sell at the annual fundraiser!
May 12 from 4:00 – 6:00 pm at the PHS greenhouse.
May 13 from 8:00 – 12:00 pm at the PHS greenhouse
Pendleton FFA Farm Day – May 3, 2023
/in News - District & All Schools /by rthornburgPendleton FFA is hosting a Farm Day from 4:30 pm-7:00 pm on May 3rd for our community. Students and kids can travel from station to station to learn about local agriculture and see some livestock animals our students raise throughout the year. There is a $5 entry fee.
We will also be hosting a BBQ fundraiser that will be available for purchase.
District Selects New Washington Elementary School Principal
/in News - District & All Schools /by rthornburgThe Pendleton School District School Board has selected Mr. Kevin Dinning as the new Principal at Washington Elementary School.
Dinning is currently the Superintendent/Secondary Principal of Ione School District. Prior to that, he served as Bonners County Middle School Principal in Bonners Ferry, Idaho. In 2016, he was selected as the Bonners Ferry High School Principal. In 2015-2016, Dinning served as both an elementary and high school vice-principal in Bonners County School District.
Colleagues describe Dinning as a talented leader who is thoughtful, considerate, and consistent. He is also described as a “people person” who puts the needs of students, staff, and parents at the forefront of every decision he makes. Other colleagues who have worked alongside Dinning describe him as a true professional who operates with a high level of integrity.
Dinning earned a bachelor of science in Secondary Education from the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho, and a master of science degree in Educational Leadership from Concordia University in Portland.
According to Superintendent Kevin Headings, “Mr. Dinning possesses the qualities we were looking for in our next Washington Elementary principal – high integrity, talented leader, student-centered, and a strong communicator. Finding someone with knowledge and understanding of our region and who is familiar with Pendleton was also important to the selection committee.”
Dinning will replace Coree Terjeson, who resigned effective June 30th earlier in the year. Dinning’s contract begins July 1st. He and his wife, Heidi, have two elementary school-aged children, Sofie and Henry.
Native Voices Community Conversations
/in District Site News, News - District & All Schools /by rthornburgYou are invited to participate in a research study, Native Voices Across Generations: Reimagining Discipline in a New School Landscape (Native Voices or NV) project.
The Pendleton School District, in cooperation with a research team from the University of Oregon, is hosting a community conversation/listening session on Monday, April 24, at Washington Elementary, starting at 5:00 pm. Dinner and childcare will be provided.
The research team is seeking to hear from parents, community members, teachers, administrators, and staff.
The purpose of this one-year project is to give voice to teachers, school and district administrators, and other school staff to look at discipline practices and investigate contributors to and consequences of disproportionate discipline for Native students in Oregon K-12 schools.
The findings of this project will inform, design and recommend school-based policies, trainings, resources, and supports that are culturally responsive and integrate Native tribal and community assets to shift any overrepresentation of AI/AN students in discipline data by researching (1) potential contributors to and consequences of disciplinary practices in Oregon K-12 school districts and (2) if district administrators, teachers, and other school personnel might benefit from professional development on Indian Education Policies and Language Restoration; Native Languages of Oregon; and Equity in School Policy for Native Students.
Equally important, this study queries what Native students, families, and communities envision as essential for healthy schools in which Native students belong and thrive culturally, socially, psychologically, and academically.
Community conversations/listening sessions will occur at the Washington Elementary School on Monday, April 24, from 5-7:30 pm. Each participant will receive an incentive of $25 for participating in the conversations.
This project involves the collaboration of the Center for Equity Promotion (CEQP) in the University of Oregon’s (UO) College of Education, the UO’s Northwest Indian Language Institute (NILI), the Native Wellness Institute (NWI), and participating Tribes and School Districts with funding from and in partnership with the Office of Indian Education/Oregon Department of Education (OIE/ODE).
If you are interested in participating in this research study, please complete the Adult Consent form located here: https://tinyurl.com/NV-Adult-Consent.
Hard copies of the consent form will be available at the event.
If you have any questions about this study, please contact Rita Svanks at rsvanks@uoregon.edu, 541-346-4125.
Superintendent Message – April 6, 2023
/in News - District & All Schools /by rthornburgOur thoughts and prayers go out to the Nashville Covenant School community in Nashville, Tennessee, for their tragic loss last week.
Pandemic EBT for Summer 2022 Benefits
/in District Site News, News - District & All Schools /by rthornburgDid you know Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) for Summer 2022 Benefits may be on the way? You can visit us at the Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) website at PEBT.oregon.gov.
Questions can be answered using the call center: 844-673-7328 or 844-ORE-PEBT
FAQ for Families – ENGLISH | SPANISH
Pesticide Application Notification
/in News - District & All Schools /by rthornburgPendleton School District will be applying pesticides on the school district properties March 20 – October 31, 2023 between the hours of 6:00 am – 2:30 pm, weather dependent. See the list of pesticides on the Facilities Page.
PHS Science Teacher, Stacy Hansen
/in District Site News, High Schools News /by rthornburgPHS Science Teacher Brings Renewed Passion to Classroom Through Research Grant
Pendleton High School teacher Stacy Hansen spent a lot of time on a beach last summer, but she wasn’t soaking up the sunshine or playing in the surf; she was studying octopuses and endangered abalones. Hansen is the recipient of a Partners in Science Program Grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. This unique Pacific Northwest program pairs high school science teachers with mentor scientists doing cutting-edge research in an academic lab. The purpose is to “help teachers bring knowledge from the research lab directly into the classroom to promote hands-on science education,” according to the program’s website.
Hansen is working on a Master of Biology degree from Walla Walla University. In the summer of 2022, Hansen worked at the Walla Walla University Rosario Beach Marine Biology Laboratory in Anacortes, Washington. Dr. Kirt Onthank, associate professor of biology at Walla Walla University, is the facility’s director and is also Hansen’s mentor. The purpose of Hansen’s study is to study the impacts of climate change on the predatory/prey relationship between Octopus rubescens and pinto abalone. This species of abalone is the only one present in the state of Washington and has experienced a 97% decline in population since 1992. Octopus rubescens is a commonly seen species in Washington’s Salish Sea. Working on this research project was “a whole big adventure and gave me so much inspiration and renewed passion for science and for teaching science,” Hansen said.
After collecting specimens in the ocean, working in the lab, and taking thousands of hours of video of abalones, Hansen prepared a scientific poster of her research and presented it in January in San Diego, California, at the 2023 Partners in Science National Conference.
At Pendleton High School, Hansen teaches Freshman Physical Science, Sophomore General Biology, and Sophomore Honors Biology 1. What does her recent research bring to her classroom and lab at PHS? In addition to reigniting her passion for science, which she shares with her students, Hansen said she is working to make science instruction more than just vocabulary and create labs that promote critical thinking. “I would like to align my class labs with a more realistic view – many times, experiments scientists work on do not turn out the way they predict. This frustration can be good for students because they have to ask themselves, ‘what could I have done differently?’ and gives them the opportunity to persevere.”
Hansen enjoys seeing her students work together and see how important collaboration is to learning, plus she said more hands-on experiments appeal to a different group of students and diversifies who emerges as leaders during lab work. “The world is in desperate need of people who can solve problems, and that sense of accomplishment is amazing,” Hansen said.
This summer, Hansen will return to Anacortes to continue her research. She will then present, defend and write about her research in San Diego in 2024.
For more information about the Partners in Science Program, visit: https://murdocktrust.org/science-research-and-education/partners-in-science-program/
Superintendent Message – Snow Make Up Day
/in News - District & All Schools /by rthornburgHello PSD Families,
The Pendleton School District will be conducting school as normal on Friday, May 12th. This day was originally put on our 2022-2023 Calendar as a “snow make-up day.” It’s hard to believe, but we have had six late starts and two full “snow days” this school year. Each of these days represents lost instruction for our students. The state requires a minimum number of instruction hours each year, and when we fall below this number, we find ways to make up for the lost time. As a result, we create our yearly school calendar with at least one “snow make-up day.” If we don’t need to use it, great. If we need to make up instructional hours, as we do this year, we use it without adding days to the end of the year. So again, there will be school on Friday, May 12th, so please plan accordingly. Here is the link to the updated school calendar.
Sincerely,
Kevin Headings
Superintendent
Superintendent Video Message – February 2023
/in News - District & All Schools /by rthornburg