Category Archives: News Release

Redmond School District is celebrating Classified Team Member Appreciation Week the week of March 4-8, 2019.

Celebrated the first week of March each year, the week is an opportunity to honor the contributions classified team members provide the school district.

“Last week’s snowstorms and the cleanup are a great reminder of the value of our hardworking classified team members,” Superintendent Mike McIntosh said. “From the onset of the first storm, our grounds, custodians and facilities crews were out in the elements clearing our pathways, driveways and parking lots, making our schools safe for the return of students and employees.”  

Redmond School District classified employees include administrative support, custodians, data support, fiscal services, groundskeeping, instructional support, maintenance, nursing services, nutrition services, technology and transportation.  

“We’re thankful and appreciative of all our classified team members as they keep the district on track and on time so we can provide a high quality education for students,” …

On Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019, Elton Gregory Middle School (EGMS) hosted an AVID showcase for educators from Bend – La Pine Schools, Jefferson County Schools and Redmond School District.

Advancement Via Individual Determination, shortened to AVID, is an international college and career readiness program that helps develop skills, habits and mindsets in preparation for higher education and the workforce. Ridgeview High School and Elton Gregory Middle School began AVID implementation in 2015, while Redmond High and Obsidian Middle School began the program at the start of the 2018-19 school year.

Showcase guests made classroom visits to watch AVID in action, which included student-led tutorials, socratic method discussions and a student panel where EGMS students explained how AVID has positively impacted their education and preparation for the future.

The Redmond School District (RSD) will conduct Title 1A pre-kindergarten screenings for the 2019-20 school year on Wednesday, March 13 and Wednesday, May 15, 2019 at the Redmond Early Learning Center (RELC).

Title 1A Pre-K is a federally funded program for four-year olds (by Sept. 1, 2019) who qualify based on literacy and other screenings. The program prioritizes students who need additional support gaining kindergarten readiness skills.

To be eligible to participate in the program, a child must:

● Be four years old on or before Sept. 1, 2019

● Participate in a comprehensive screening process – Healthy Beginnings and Pre-K Literacy. (A parent/legal guardian must accompany the child.)

   ○ Call to set up an appointment on one of the dates below (Healthy Beginnings at www.myhb.org, 541-383-6357 or Holly Hennessey at 541-923-5437)

   ○ March 13, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. or May 15, 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at RELC

● Qualify for pre-kindergarten services based on the outcomes of the screening process

● Reside …

The Ridgeview High School Performing Arts Department will open an eight-show run of “Sahara Nights” on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019.

The play is a fun spin on the Arabian Night tales of Scheherezade, Director Jerry Capson explained.

Lead roles are played by Senior Ashlynn Papworth as Sahara Scheherazade and senior Cameron Peck plays the Sultan. Additional characters include Aladdin, Ali Baba, Tom Jones, Elvis and many more.

The show consists of fifty-nine students making up the cast and crew, including eleven middle school students combined from Elton Gregory and Obsidian middle schools. The production was written by Wade Bradford and directed by Jerry Capson. It is produced by special arrangement with Eldridge Publishing Co.

Play synopsis from Director Jerry Capson: “The bored Sultan thinks Sahara Scheherazade is auditioning for the new position of Royal Entertainer, but what she’s really trying to do is get her friend Aladdin out of the dungeon. A quick thinker, she creates captivating stories to gain time. “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” becomes “Ali Baba and the Forty-Niners,” with a disgruntled …

The Redmond High School (RHS) boys swim team won the 2019 5A Intermountain Conference (IMC) district championship on Friday, Feb. 8, 2019 in Hood River, Ore.

Their first district championship in a decade, the RHS boys beat out Pendleton High School by just two points to cinch the title.

“I’m so proud of how our team swam on Friday,” Denise Maich, Panthers head swim coach said. “This win is the result of a lot of hard work, determination and passion. This is a huge victory for the RHS swimming program, and really just the beginning of many great things to come.”

Freshman Ryan Konop led the Panthers team by winning two individual events. He was also a member of the 200 medley relay and 200 freestyle relay. Konop’s individual wins in 100-yard freestyle (50.49 seconds) and 100-yard backstroke (58.30 seconds) automatically qualify him for the OSAA 5A State Championship Swim Meet on Feb. 15-16, 2019 at Tualatin Hills Aquatic Center in Beaverton, Ore.

…

Redmond High School will participate in a Poetry Out Loud contest on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019 at 7 p.m.

The competition, presented in partnership with the Oregon Arts Commission, National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, is part of a national program that encourages high students to learn about poetry through memorization, performance and competition. Over the past 12 years, Poetry Out Loud has reached more than 3 million students and 45,000 teachers nationwide.

More than 20 students from Redmond High will participate in the contest held at the Clyde Moore Auditorium of Redmond High School. The winner of the competition will advance to the state contest in spring 2019. The Oregon state champion will go on to the national finals held in Washington, D.C. in April 2019.

Redmond High’s Virginia Johnson will serve as master of ceremonies; local celebrity guest judges include Melissa Eaton and Graham Fox.

Eaton, a lifelong Bend resident, graduated from Sweet Briar College where she spent four years writing in workshops and one-on-one independent studies with poet Mary …

The Redmond School District will begin the official process of hiring a new principal for Redmond High School (RHS), Director of Human Resources Lynn Evans announced today.

Assistant Principals Sarah Peterson and Jason Chatterton, along with Director of Secondary Education Tracie Renwick, have been at the helm of RHS since May 2018, when the principal position became vacant.

“Inviting a new leader to our team is always exciting, but the journey of strategically locating the right candidate requires a great deal of time and effort,” Evans said.

The hiring process begins with several rounds of input sessions where district leadership team members seek suggestions and recommendations from school stakeholder groups who will work directly with the new principal. The sessions provide the opportunity to provide thoughts about the skills, experiences and characteristics they would like to see in a new leader.

The district will begin accepting candidate materials today, Jan. 28, 2019, although recruiting efforts began long before. Candidate materials will be screened by members of the recruiting and hiring team which includes members of …

Redmond School District graduation rates are up over three percentage points from last year –– outpacing the graduation rate of students statewide and increasing 12 percentage points over the past five years, according to a report released by the Oregon Department of Education today.

Redmond School District’s graduation rate for the Class of 2018 Cohort was 82.86 percent, up from 79.28 percent last year and four percentage points higher than the overall state average graduation rate of 78.7 percent.

“I’m elated our graduation rates are improving and our investment in student success is paying off,” Superintendent Mike McIntosh said. “Our district is moving in the right direction, and this level of improvement encourages us to continue to provide the opportunities that ensure all Redmond students are graduating prepared for college and career.”

According to Director of Secondary Education Tracie Renwick, several noteworthy strategic efforts have directly contributed to the district’s success:

High School Success Fund (Measure 98 Funding) supports Career Technical Education programming, and provides high school success coordinators in each high school. These new …

The Redmond School District will join the other 196 school districts throughout Oregon to celebrate January as “School Board Recognition Month,” Superintendent Mike McIntosh announced today.

“I’m very appreciative of the hard work and time our board members devote to the Redmond School District,” McIntosh said. “Their volunteer efforts to guide the district puts our students on a better path for the future. We’re lucky to have such a great board in Redmond.”

Governor Kate Brown signed an official proclamation in October 2018, designating the month of January for recognition of Oregon’s board members.

As elected officials, the board is responsible for the scope, depth and quality of education, and is the official policy-making body of the school district.

In addition to establishing policies for the operation of the district, the board defines the philosophy of the district, determines educational goals and standards, authorizes curriculum revision or development, and approves personnel recommendations.

“While we’re giving them special recognition during January, it’s important to note that our board members work year-round, even through summers, in …

On Monday, Dec. 3, 2018, Northwest Community Credit Union (NWCU) awarded three Redmond School District teachers with grant funds as part of their Project Community award program.

The program awards funding to educators for pre-K through twelth-grade students. The mini-grants are designed to help educators create meaningful learning experiences for kids that might not otherwise be funded by school budgets. Teachers are able to request classroom supplies, technology, books, funding for projects, programs and field trips.

The teachers applied for the grants but were not aware they had won until the NWCU “Prize Patrol” politely interrupted them in the classroom with the pleasant surprise.

Redmond High School language arts teacher Rachel Sarrett will use the grant funds to purchase supplies for her writing students to begin keeping an interactive writer’s notebook. The interactive notebook gives students a methodical system, where they learn how to organize their thoughts. Interactive notebooks have “input” and “output” pages; the input pages are readings, class notes, worksheets, etc. and the output pages are where students interact with the material in their own way, accommodating multiple …