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Multnomah Education Service District
Pooling Professional Resources for Education
All Access
All Access is a MESD Public Information Office Publication
11611 NE Ainsworth Circle
Portland, Oregon 97220
Laura Conroy, Public Information Officer: lconroy@mesd.k12.or.us
February 2015
Contents
Superintendent’s Message
1
Helensview Student Honored
2
OEA Choice Trust
3
Fire Information Day
4
Outdoor School Campaign
5
Wheatley Guest Narrators
6
1
February
All Access
Superintendent’s Message
This update, long overdue, comes
to you after what has hopefully
been a restful and rejuvenating
three day weekend, culminating
with President’s Day. President’s
Day is an occasion to remember
all presidents and to acknowledge
accomplishments in leadership.
With that perspective, I would like
to extend my thanks to several
groups of leaders in our MESD
community. Thank you to: the
bargaining teams of MESD and
MESDEA for their continued
thoughtful participation in
conversation about MESDEA staff;
the Equity team and the Wellness
team who are leading important
work about inclusion and healthy
living; and to the Social
Committee, Safety Committee,
and Operations Committee for
your efforts in creating a fun, safe,
and smooth work environment.
And please know that all of your
individual work is most
appreciated also.
President’s Day is an occasion to acknowledge the accomplishments of leadership groups in our
MESD community.
Barbara Jorgensen
Barbara Jorgensen has been
the Superintendent of
Multnomah ESD since 2012.
Prior to becoming
Superintendent, Barbara was
the Chief Program Officer and
Director of Special Education
Upcoming meeting with component district superintendents
This month I am meeting with our component district leaders to resolve
any remaining issues around service planning and costs for 2015-16.
Thanks goes to all of those individuals who worked so hard to prepare
cost estimates and personnel requirements for the service plan!
Labor Relations
MESD has a new place for staff to find information about labor relations,
including contract conversations. If you have questions related to
AFSCME or MESDEA contract conversations, please visit the Labor
Relations page which has information about the conversation process,
current proposals, FAQs, and updates. You can navigate to the page
from the “Quick Links” section on the homepage, or find it on the
Human Resources page.
at MESD since 1993. Barbara
holds a teaching degree from
Montana State University and
a master’s degree from
Portland State University.
Legislative Updates
The Legislative session is in full swing. The Governor’s budget proposal
of $6.9 billion is a fair distance away from the $7.8 billion budget that we
and districts around the state need to serve our students. Specific MESD
initiatives include supporting the creation of a School Nurse Consultant
and Task Force within the Oregon Health Authority and funding for
Outdoor School. A bill tracker will be available soon on the website.
Thanks, as always, for the work you do on behalf of students,
families, schools and our community.
February All Access 2
Helensview School
Helensview Principal Kris Persson, student and awardee Zandra
Johnson, Helensview staff member Shantae Clayton
Helensview Student Receives Award
Helensview Senior, Zandra Johnson received the “Drum Major”
Humanitarian Award and Scholarship at the Salute to Greatness
Awards Ceremony presented by the Vancouver Avenue First
Baptist Church on Saturday January 17th, 2015 at Legacy Emmanuel
Hospital. MESD and Helensview staff members Kris Perssen,
Principal, Shantae Clayton, Jerelyn Carlson, Andy Aguilar, and Bob
Carlson Volunteer also attended.
Ms. Johnson credited her mother, family, and teacher Shantae
Clayton for “never giving up on me during what ended up being
one of the toughest times of my life, but turned out being one of
my greatest accomplishments.”
Four years ago, Zandra was a freshman who hated school, her
classmates, and her teachers. She dropped out and started
hanging out with the wrong type of friends which led to fighting,
the criminal justice system, and probation. A condition of her
probation was attending school; her alternative was the juvenile
detention center.
Zandra began attending Helensview, and over time school became
a place she wanted to go. At Helensview, Zandra made friends,
earned the respect of her teachers, and found academic success.
Zandra will graduate this spring, a feat she didn’t think was
possible four years ago. After graduation, she hopes to attend
college and study criminal justice which she will use to pursue a
career as a probation officer.
Helensview school annually
enrolls between 250-270
youth ages 12-21 and provides
an engaging and supporting
environment to help students
with needs that have not been
met in other educational
settings.
Visit:
www.mesd.k12.or.us/ea/Hele
nsview for more information
about Helensview school and
services.
3 February All Access
MESD Receives OEA Choice Trust Grant for
Employee Wellness
MESD received word in late December that it was one of six
recipients awarded the OEA Choice Trust Employee Wellness
grant. The grant provides funding up to $75,000 over the next
three to five years to develop and implement a district wide
employee wellness program.
School Health Services Director Margo Lalich pursued and
worked with a team of committed MESD employees to draft the
“Journey to the Well” grant. One of the team members,
Steffannie Roache was a one-on-one nurse for many years, and
in addition to her role as school counselor at Helensview, will be
leading district-wide wellness initiative as Wellness Coordinator.
The OEA Choice Grant “furthers MESD’s commitment to creating an environment where the work
culture, policies, and logistical arrangements foster choices that promote health and wellness
among employees.”
Stay informed of Wellness
Events, Activities, and
Resources
Subscribe to:
http://mailman.mesd.k12.o
r.us/mailman/listinfo/welln
ess
Contact:
Steffannie Roache BS, MS
Employee Wellness
Coordinator
Counselor | Helensview School
Multnomah ESD
Office| (503) 262-4169
Grant funds will facilitate activities that support exercise,
stress management, nutrition and healthy living for MESD
staff. Specific activities include walking groups, mindfulness
workshops, and revival of a district weight-watchers group.
Superintendent Jorgensen welcomed the grant which
“furthers MESD’s commitment to creating an environment
where the work culture, policies, and logistical
arrangements foster choices that promote health and
wellness among employees.
According to its’ website, the Trust “seeks to assist in
promoting the health and well-being of Oregon school
employees through the provision of wellness grants. In
doing so, it helps seed programs and culture changes for
healthy living that go beyond the school setting; to students,
parents and communities. Through the OEA Choice Trust
Wellness Grant Program school employees have the
opportunity to improve their health, be role models, and
even a catalyst for community wellness and health.”
February All Access 4
Visit
www.mesd.k12.or.us/Wheatley
Wheatley Staff and Portland Fire District
Bring Fire Information Day to Students
From 1:00 to 2:00 on Monday, January 26, the Portland Fire
Department paid a visit to Wheatley School, but it wasn't an
emergency--for some of the students, it was their first
opportunity to interact with emergency personnel in the
absence of an active crisis. Kim Kosmas, Senior Fire Inspector
at Portland Fire & Rescue, brought a fire truck and crew from
Portland's Station 30 to give the kids a kinesthetic
opportunity to learn about our helpers in the community.
Principal Jeremy Berliss explains “Many of our students
experience health challenges, and only have experience with
emergency personnel when they are called to their residence
to provide assistance. We wanted to give our students an
opportunity to experience emergency personnel in a more
positive light, see the fire truck and meet the fire
fighters. Additionally, going to a fire station and meeting the
crew is a typical kid thing to do. Because of some of the
challenges our students experience, they do not get that
opportunity, so we wanted to bring the experience to them.”
Secretary Janice Doran added “For many of the students it
was the first time to ever see a real fire truck up close and to
touch it. The sensory aspect of the visit was important. It was
also something fun that they could experience with their
staff who enjoyed the whole experience as well.”
for more information about
Wheatley School and Services.
2 February All Access
5
Outdoor School For All Campaign Launch
The Oregon Outdoor Education Coalition launched its’
Outdoor School For All Campaign, at the World Forestry
Center on Friday January 21, 2015. MESD Outdoor School
staff Dan Prince (Teal), Scott Sieversen (Weasel), Doug
Lloyd (Flank) and Andrea Hussy (Coho) hosted a table with
information about MESD Outdoor School, and spoke about
the positive academic and social impact of Outdoor School
on students.
On hand to support Outdoor School was
Portland Timbers’ own “Timber Joey”
pictured here with MESD’s Dan Prince
and Scott Sieversen.
Multnomah ESD
Outdoor School
Visit
www.mesd.k12.or.us/OutdoorSchool
for more information about
MESD Outdoor School Programs.
Please visit
www.friendsofoutdoorschool.org
for information about Friends of
Outdoor School and the Outdoor
School For All Campaign.
Prince explains “Right now we have an inequitable access
to Outdoor School because of unstable and inadequate
funding. Some students in our component districts attend
for 3 days, some for 6 days, some not at all. It's not
because the districts don't value or aren't committed to
the experience for their students, it's about resources.
Adequate and stable funding will restore an equitable
access to this experience, and allow MESD to enrich
curriculum, enhance programming, and develop new
partnerships to deepen the experience that youth in our
component districts have at Outdoor School.
According to the Coalition website, its long term goal is
“to integrate placed-based programs into the school
system that build upon children's skills in hands-on science
and their abilities to be effective stewards and leaders in
their communities. To get there, the Coalition is currently
focused on securing significant and lasting public funding
for every Oregon student to experience a full week of
Outdoor School or similar programming.”
February All Access 6
Wheatley students and staff listen to MESD Student Health Services Director,
Margo Lalich, read Frog and Toad Together. Photo Credit: Jeremy Berliss
Guest Narrators Bring Stories to Life for
Wheatley Students
A new tradition has emerged at Wheatley school, as students
and staff at Wheatley School gather for story time. It occurs
Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 930am, and Tuesday and
Thursday at 1pm.
Eager students settle into their places while the narrator
takes their place in front of the group. The book binding
crackles as it is opened, and pages are read with animation,
then rotated to show each student the illustrations. The
audience is generous with frequent clapping and standing
ovations at the end of each book.
Students recently enjoyed “Frog and Toad Together”
narrated by guest Margo Lalich, MESD’s Director of School
Health Services. On Tuesdays, any MESD staff member is
invited to read to the students.
It is BYOB (Bring Your Own Book) or books are provided. To
arrange a visit, contact Principal Jeremy Berliss.
Visit
www.mesd.k12.or.us/Wheatley
for more information about
Wheatley School and Services.
February 2015 All Access
MESD Social Committee Makes Valentines
Cards for Hospital Kids
Members of the MESD Social Committee got
together Friday February 6th after hours with
scissors, construction paper, glue and glitter to put
together Valentines Day cards for 120+ students
that are part of the MESD hospital program.
Valentines were delivered, to the delight of the kids,
by members of the social committee.
Hospital Teacher Joseph Cirillo commented that
“students greatly appreciate the cards as another
way to let them know that their hard work in school
is noticed, even through the challenging times.”
Visit https://mesdhospitalschool.wordpress.com for
more information about the Hospital Program.
Multnomah Education Service District
Pooling Professional Resources for Education
11611 NE Ainsworth Circle
Portland, OR 97220
For Article Submissions Email
Laura Conroy
Public Information Officer
lconroy@mesd.k12.or.us