Dear Friends,
Marcola School District is putting systems in place to align with our vision, “Students, Staff and Community Dedicated to
Excellence.” To make sure we are held accountable, our school board has made the decision to complete a system wide
accreditation of all our programs using the AdvancEd (National and International) standards for quality schools and quality
school districts. As the Superintendent of Marcola School District, I am proud to work with a school board, staff, and
community who are truly dedicated to achieving excellence by improving the systems that are preventing our people (staff,
students and parents) from doing their best work.
As I reflect on what our district/community has accomplished in one year, I feel exhausted in a very positive way. We started
the year identifying systems that are working well and systems that are preventing our people (students, staff and
community) from doing their best work. We discovered that we need to focus on the systems that have a direct impact on
our students – this includes instructional programs and delivery of instruction, facilities, budget, and two-way communication.
So we made a few changes. Below is an accurate reflection of the 2014-15 School Year highlights:
1. Passed a bond for a new elementary school
2. Began the process of developing a strategic plan leading to a full district-wide accreditation in spring of 2016.
3. Implemented a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) program in grades 7-12.
4. Added new courses (Robotics, CAD, Construction/Engineering, Anatomy and Physiology, Health Occupations)
5. Added an Advisory class for all students in grades 7-12 and increased the number and percentage of students passing all
their classes to stay on track for graduation.
6. Tripled our Alternative Funding by accessing additional revenue through grants.
7. Added a softball team and softball field with great support from the community.
8. Added additional clubs (FFA, LEO, 100% Team).
7. Purchased enough chromebooks for students and staff to be 1:1 and use technology every day.
8. Purchased new buses to reduce costs on maintenance without a negative impact on the general fund.
9. Developed the 2015-16 schedules and hired all staff prior to the end of the 2015 school year.
10 .Hired another elementary teacher to eliminate all combined classes in grades K-4, without increasing expenses.
We are looking forward to continue the momentum of the 2014-15 school year into 2015-16 and beyond. Our new
elementary principal, Ms. Tami White will help us keep the momentum. Ms. White comes to us with a vast amount of
knowledge and experience in curriculum, instruction, assessment and behavior management. She is a wonderful addition to
our team. Over the summer a few of our teachers and Ms. White had a chance to meet and work on the English Language
Arts and Math curriculum. We focused on identifying specific learning targets (what students should know and be able to do)
at each grade level and we simplified the format to include language that students, staff and parents can understand.
Our Summer Maintenance and Custodial crew have been very busy getting the elementary and Jr/Sr high school ready for the
first day back. I’ve walked through the rooms and hallways and have walked the perimeter of the school grounds and can
honestly say we are almost a month ahead of where we were last year at this time. Our summer crew, including the three
students we hired, are commended for their outstanding work.
Marcola Elementary Bond Project Oversight Committee - Update
The school bond project oversight committee has been formed and operates under a charter that has been approved by the
school board. The chair of the committee is Ms. Helen Kennedy, vice-chair is LeRoy Robinson and Secretary is Brenda
Robinson. The full committee consists of 8 members (5 voting members and 3 alternates) including a student representative.
The purpose of the committee is (as the name implies) to provide oversight of the project. This committee does not make
decisions instead they bring forward recommendations to the board who will make the final decision. Initially, the committee
is meeting with the Owner Agent (Cornerstone) on a weekly basis until all players/firms for design and construction have been
hired and a schedule/timeline for completion is in place. The committee will also request consistent checks and balances to
make sure we are not exceeding the bond revenues for a new school.
Most recently, we hired our Architect (BBT) out of Bend, Oregon. They come to us with excellent references and many years
of experience designing 21st century K-12 buildings. The end of August and through September, our staff, students and
community will work with the architects on a schematic design for the new school. As we provide information for the
schematic design, there will be other sub-contractors/engineers working on building and site permits.
The oversight committee has been representing the needs of our community very well. They are asking all the right questions
and making sure we stay on a timeline to get the school built in the shortest period possible.
Curriculum and Instruction:
Last year we spent time identifying systems that destroy a child’s enthusiasm for learning and then we changed them. Most
of the changes were directly connected to grading policies and procedures that were not aligned with the continuous
improvement model Marcola School District and the Oregon Department of Education have adopted.
As I continue to promote the continuous
growth model of learning, you will constantly
hear and read about the ZPD (Zone of
Proximal Development) and the LtoJ curve
used to measure student learning. Any
system that does not fit the continuous
growth model of learning needs to be
changed or eliminated. To your left, is an
illustration of the ZPD (Zone of Proximal
Development) chart – a very important
system for the continuous growth model.
Keeping students in the zone to prevent
them from being bored or frustrated is a
very simple explanation of this model. When
students are not bored or extremely
frustrated, they are enthusiastic learners. The gaming industry has been using this concept for years and years. The gaming
industry keeps learners in the zone by engaging them to achieve the next level of performance. In the classroom, we use the
word differentiation of instruction to keep all learners in the zone. Students who are frustrated will need additional support
to stay in the zone and students who are bored will need additional challenges to stay in the zone.
Activities in the Marcola School District
Mr. Bill Krei, Marcola School District Director of Activities and also a teacher at Mohawk Jr/Sr high school is having a busy
summer hiring coaches and getting our Fall Sports program up and running. We encourage all students to be involved in an
extra-curricular activity of some sort – athletics, clubs, art, music, etc. Volleyball will have their first practice August 15th and
1st practice for football is August 17th. XC running will begin their season on August 17th as well. Schedules for Volleyball
and Football have been posted on the web-site. The schedule for XC running is yet to be determined. Volleyball camp for
students in grades 5-12 started on August 10th, grades 5-8 in the morning and grades 9-12 in the afternoon. As we begin our
journey to improve and expand our School District Activities program, we highly encourage the adults of the Marcola
community to get involved with the booster club and/or any other organization that promotes and supports our youth – such
as FFA club, LEO club, robotics club and 100% club.
Welcome our new friends to Marcola School District:
Ms. Merry Burton is a new teacher at Marcola elementary. Merry is a graduate of Thurston High School and earned her
credentials at Western Oregon University. For the past two years Merry has been teaching in Wisconsin and although she had
two wonderful years in Wisconsin she is happy to be returning to her home. Merry will be teaching 1st grade and is not
replacing a teacher – instead she is an additional teacher to help us move away from combined classes.
Ms. Tami White our new elementary principal and director of Special Education comes to us with numerous years of
experience and a wealth of knowledge in the field of education. Ms. White actually lived in Marcola many years ago and
spent most of her teaching career in Sweet Home. Most recently Ms. White was a principal in a small school district and was
responsible for implementing necessary systemic changes resulting in very noticeable improvements. We have been working
together through the summer and I am very excited to have her on our team.
Ms. Carissa Childs is the new math teacher at Mohawk Jr/Sr High School. Ms. Childs can teach basic math through calculus
and she is very proficient with the standards (what students should know and be able to do at every level of math). In
addition, Ms. Childs is very computer literate and uses technology to enhance her instructional program. I had the
opportunity to work with Ms. Childs this summer on the math curriculum review and I was very impressed with her
organization, professionalism and most importantly her enthusiasm for teaching.
Mr. Corey Klein is our new Transitions employee at Mohawk Jr/Sr High School. Mr. Klein will be working with students who
need additional support to achieve academic success. He will also work with specific students who need additional assistance
to develop a plan for careers beyond high school. Mr. Klein has years of experience working with youth who need help with
transitions in school and out of school. He also comes to Marcola with a very strong background in technology and will most
likely be assisting with our new “Robotics” club.
Professional Development Days – August 24, 25, 26, and 27
Ms. Tami White, our new elementary principal, and I have been preparing for the August 24-27 Professional Development
week. Topics and Training for these days are:
1. Review Revise Handbooks, Policies and Procedures
2. Review Professional Evaluation Documents and Discuss “Smart” Goals for the 2015-16 school year
3. Discuss the Curriculum review process and review the Math and ELA updates.
4. Training for: Step Up to Writing, Reading Wonders, RTI, Google Apps, and Smart Boards
5. Give teachers the afternoons to work in their classrooms
Upcoming Events:
August 15th & 17th
August 19th
August 24-27
August 27th
September 1st
First Day of Practice for Volleyball & Football respectively
School Registration
Teacher in Service Days
Schedule Change Day
First Day of School
In closing, I hope everyone is enjoying the summer months and getting excited about the 2015-16 school year. Please call or
stop by and visit if you have any questions or suggestions.