Author Archives: smiller

Redmond, Ore.–The Redmond School District has selected HMK Company to serve as the bond project management firm for its 2020 bond projects.

HMK, which has offices in Medford, Albany and Bend, has more than 25 years of experience in executing large-scale bond projects, and has worked with 98 school districts around Oregon. Most recently, the firm has worked with the Ashland School District, the Greater Albany Public Schools and the Dayton School District.

The company will oversee and manage the bidding, planning and construction of bond projects, as well as master scheduling and other oversight. 

“This was a very difficult decision due to the high quality of the firms that submitted proposals, but after an extensive process HMK rose to the top as the best partner for the Redmond School District,” said Tony Pupo, the district’s executive director of operations.

The district put out a request for proposal in November, and selected HMK from five applicants.

The $27.5 million bond measure, passed by voters in November, will allow the Redmond School District to upgrade and update all of the district’s …

Jan. 8, 2020

RSD families, 

Since Gov. Kate Brown announced changes to the state’s COVID-19 metrics for reopening schools, district leaders have met with stakeholders and the Deschutes County Public Health Department to discuss how best to get students back on site for in-person instruction. 

As a result, we are going to begin the process of bringing students back into the classrooms. All students will start attending classes in person on a hybrid basis the week of Feb. 2. School will look a lot different — students will be expected to wear masks and practice social distancing and cohorting. We know that, just because the state has changed the requirements, the pandemic hasn’t ended — simply put, we believe that the risk of the virus is outweighed by the risks our students face during extended time without access to in person learning. Students can be in school with safeguards in place, and we are thrilled to welcome them back. The Redmond School District continues to prioritize the benefits of a safe return to in-person learning to make success possible for …

RSD Families,

We hope you are enjoying a great winter break. As you’ve likely seen, Gov. Kate Brown recently announced that as of Jan. 1, the state’s COVID-19 metrics for reopening schools are advisory instead of mandatory, and she is expecting school districts to bring as many students as possible back to classrooms in person by mid-February. It is now up to individual school districts to work with local health officials and stakeholder groups to determine when that can safely be accomplished. ‘

This coming week beginning Jan. 4, all Redmond schools will continue in comprehensive distance learning. 

District leaders are meeting next week with building principals, representatives for teachers and classified staff, as well as officials from the Deschutes County Health Department, in order to firm up a timeline to return our students to the classrooms. 

On Jan. 8, you can expect to see detailed information about when students will return to in-person instruction over the coming weeks, and what that will look like for each grade level. 

We know many of you are eager for your students to …

  This month’s Team Member Spotlight features… Elton Gregory MS custodian Lavina Webb!

 

 

In her nearly six years as custodian at Elton Gregory Middle School, Lavina Webb has left a real impression on those she’s worked with. One universal word everyone has used to describe her? Amazing. Another? Hardworking. 

Webb, who retires at the end of 2020, started as a substitute, traveling between schools. But once she got to Elton Gregory, she knew it was where she’d finish out her career. 

Webb started working as a custodian at Elton Gregory after almost 25 years painting custom ceramic tile for a local company.

Before the pandemic, Webb worked in the evenings, cleaning and disinfecting the building and making sure it was ready for students each day. In the summers, she and the rest of the team would strip and rewax floors, clean furniture, paint and do detail work. 

“I have always enjoyed being busy,” she said. 

It’s not easy work — Webb had to get used to being on her feet all the time, …

Dear Redmond School District community member,

As you may have heard, Governor Brown issued a memo yesterday that once again modified the regulations and expectations on how schools operate in a COVID-19 environment. The big news is that as of January 1, the state metrics for school reopening have moved from mandatory to advisory. While the metrics have not been removed, the ability to work together to improve the safety of the schools has increased for local governments and agencies.

The governor’s goal is to get most schools safely reopened by February 15. To that end, the RSD administration will begin meeting on Monday, December 28 to create a safe and staged reopening strategy. We have been planning for this eventuality for months and we will be able to communicate our concrete plan soon. This will depend on coordination between the Redmond School District and the Deschutes County Health Department. It also depends on everyone doing their part to drive down the spread of the disease by wearing masks and social distancing. As the governor has shifted decision-making authority back …

Dear Redmond School District Families,

The state of Oregon requires all school districts to notify families of their right to opt their student out of the Smarter Balanced Assessments (Oregon’s standardized tests in English language arts and mathematics). This year, the Oregon Department of Education is planning to apply for a waiver that, if approved, would cancel testing for the 2020-21 school year.

Please see the two messages attached from the Oregon Department of Education (ODE):

ODE Annual Notice for Statewide Tests English Version ODE Waiver Message to Families English Version

We will keep families up to date as soon as we know whether state testing will be canceled for this school year. If testing is not canceled, we will make available an opt-out form at least 30 days before testing begins. 

Sincerely,

Redmond School District  

EN ESPAÑOL: 

Estimadas familias del Distrito Escolar de Redmond,

El estado de Oregón obliga a todos los distritos escolares notificarles a las familias de su derecho para omitir a su estudiante a que rinda las pruebas de la Evaluación Smarter Balanced (pruebas …

All kids ages 18 & under are eligible to receive FREE meals for winter break. See more information below.

FREE Meals over Winter Break (English)Comida Escolar durante vacaciones del invierno – GRATIS (Spanish)

The Redmond ReporterBiweekly All District Memo12.09.2020

Hello RSD Family:

This holiday season, lots of our students are giving back to their community. Even in hard times, our students know how to pay it forward. Here are just a couple ways our students are helping others this season. 

Vern Patrick Elementary is running a canned food drive for NeighborImpact. Now through Dec. 17 the school is accepting donations weekdays between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. or at its Polar Express Event on Dec. 15 from 5:15 p.m. to 6 p.m. Donations can be placed in bins for each grade level/wing color — the teal wing (kindergarten and second grades) and mauve wing (first and third grades) on the south drive-through lane, and blue wing (fourth and fifth grades) on the north drive-through lane. Members of the winning wing will win Domino’s Pizza coupons — pride is on the line! 

Obsidian Middle School is helping spread joy this holiday season with a month of Wolfpack Joy Project events. In addition to having themed dress-up days each school day throughout December, every …

Dear Redmond Parent or Guardian:

Over the past two weeks, we’ve seen the number of COVID-19 case numbers increase dramatically in Deschutes County. The rates are currently more than double the numbers we would need to expand Limited In-Person Instruction or begin the process of bringing our students back to in-person learning. 

As a result, the Redmond School District — in consultation with the Deschutes County Health Department — has made the difficult decision to pause Limited In-Person Instruction effective Wednesday, Dec. 9. 

The health and safety of our school community is of paramount importance, and teachers will continue to serve your students through Comprehensive Distance Learning. 

We know there is no substitute for in-person instruction and LIPI has been a valuable addition to comprehensive distance learning. However, until our county’s numbers decline, we believe it is the right choice to suspend LIPI. Over the coming weeks, we will consult with the Deschutes County Health Department to determine the appropriate date to reopen LIPI.  

If you have questions, please contact your school administrator. 

We hope to bring students back into …

This month’s Team Member Spotlight features…RHS VP/AD Doug Taylor and RVHS VP/AD Sam Platt!

Everyone has had to improvise over the past nine months as we’ve sought to keep students engaged, active and learning, even if we can’t see them face to face.

Perhaps no one has had to learn on the go this year more than Doug Taylor and Sam Platt, both of whom have taken on new positions as vice principals and athletic directors at the high-school level — and they’ve risen to the challenge, working to ensure student-athletes get opportunities on the court, in the pool and on the field. 

Sam, the Ridgeview High vice principal and athletic director, has been with the Redmond School District since 2007, while Doug, Redmond High’s vice principal and athletic director, has worked in our district for seven years. 

Here’s a little more about Sam…

How long have you worked for RSD and what did you do before coming here?

I started my career in 2007 at Elton Gregory Middle School, teaching social studies and …