STAFFTalk
A Newsletter for Beaverton School District Employees
School
District Goal:
All students will
show continuous
progress toward
their personal
learning goals,
developed in
collaboration with
teachers and
parents, and will
be prepared for
post-secondary
education and
career success.
School Board
Meeting
The School
Board will hold
a Work Session
at 9:00 a.m. on
Tuesday, August
18 at Westview
HS, and a
Business Meeting
at 6:30 p.m. on
Monday, August
31 at the District
Administration
Center.
August 2015
Physics teacher Bradford Hill to be honored by President Obama
Bradford Hill, a Physics teacher at Southridge High
School, was named a recipient of the Presidential Award
for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and
Science Teaching is awarded annually to outstanding K-12
science and mathematics teachers from across the country.
The winners are selected by a panel of distinguished
scientists, mathematicians and educators following
an initial selection process done at the state level. Each year the award alternates between
teachers of kindergarten through 6th grade and those teaching 7th through 12th grades. The
awardees named this year teach 7th through 12th grades.
Bradford will receive a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation and a trip to
Washington, D.C. for an awards ceremony, educational and celebratory events and visits with
members of the Administration.
In 2014, Bradford was named the Paul Zitzewitz Excellence in Pre-College Physics Teaching
Award winner, and was one of 12 teachers awarded a $7,000 grant from the M.J. Murdock
Charitable Trust of Vancouver, WA to support the efforts of outstanding high school science
teachers in the Pacific Northwest. In 2013, Bradford received the Outstanding Classroom
Science Teacher Award from the Oregon Science Teachers Association. From 2003-2008, he
was a Knowles Science Teaching Fellow, and from 2012-2014, he performed original research
in the Physics Department of Portland State University on characterizing Dark Current
in Charged-Coupled Devices, under a Partners in Science Grant from the M.J. Murdock
Charitable Trust.
Congratulations, Bradford!
Vose student wins 2nd place in National Spanish Spelling Bee
Kiara Rivas Vazquez, a soon to be sixth grader at Whitford Middle School,
won second place in the 5th Annual National Spanish Spelling Bee in
Albuquerque, NM last month.
Kiara competed against 26 spellers from Oregon, California, Colorado, New
Mexico, Texas, Massachusetts, Virginia and Florida. In the competition,
spellers not only have to correctly spell each word, they must also include in
their spelling the special diacritical marks of the Spanish language, such as
accents, the tilde and the dieresis.
Kiara’s cousin, Karla Rivas-Viatoro, a soon to be 9th grader at Sunset High School, made it to
the final eight in the National Competition.
Congratulations, Kiara and Karla, on this impressive accomplishment!
This newsletter is published by the Communications
& Community Involvement Department, 503-356-4360.
Stay Informed! Follow these stories and more at
www.beaverton.k12.or.us
STAFFTalk
Monthly Tech Tips: Bkey Enrollment & School Messenger
Bkey Enrollment
Time Saver Tip from the Help Desk: The Bkey Management screen allows users to change or reset a forgotten
password or a password that has expired. Staff are encouraged to enroll in Bkey now to reset a password that expires
in the near future. Any staff who is not enrolled in Bkey cannot reset their password and will need to create a Help
Desk ticket. To save yourself some time from waiting for the Help Desk to call you back during the busiest time of
the year:
•
•
•
•
•
Visit the District website: www.beaverton.k12.or.us
Click on STAFF.
In the left navigation window, click on BKEY PASSWORD.
Click on the link under Directions for enrolling in Bkey to view instructions on how to enroll.
Under Bkey Options, click on Enroll/Reset Password then Enroll into SSRPM. Follow the directions from the
above step to complete the enrollment process.
SchoolMessenger
Autodialer has been replaced with SchoolMessenger as the
new provider for our District’s Mass Notification system.
Automated attendance messages, low lunch balances, general
announcements, emergency alerts and other communications from the District and schools will be sent via this tool.
Beginning in late August, staff, parents and students can sign up to receive text messages on their
cellphones. It is important that HR has your most current mobile phone number on record via Employee Online
Services, as these will be used to send out the initial opt-in text messages. Please visit Employee Online Services and
update your mobile phone number under the Personal Information section. More details to follow soon.
New Phone System
A massive project is underway in Beaverton schools, one that will affect every staff member and family. This summer,
Inflow Communications installed new phone systems in 30 Beaverton schools. With several more locations still to go,
the project is ahead of schedule and under budget. “The telecommunications team has worked very diligently with
Inflow Communications to get everything set up and ready to go for the schools,” says Administrator for Technology
Services Jordan Beveridge. The project has been so successful, other school districts are visiting Beaverton to try to
replicate the process.
While the new system will greatly improve communication in the District, it will also improve safety with a builtin Emergency Notification application. “We wanted a system that provided additional security features that tied
to our paging system, as well as provided first responders with more specific information as to where an incident
may be occurring,” says Beveridge. The application is designed to notify key people in schools and the District of
any security or safety concern with the touch of a button. Color-coded alerts can be sent to individuals or an entire
building, both over the intercom and through pop-up alerts on workstations. If a 911 call is made from a particular
classroom, emergency responders will automatically see where inside the building the call is being placed.
With the new system, come new phone numbers. Both the old and new numbers will work simultaneously until
the end of the 2015-2016 school year. Until all 51 schools are installed, if you are dialing a building or department
outside of your school, you will need to dial the 10-digit phone number.
Visit the New Phone system webpage for resources, timelines and FAQ’s.
STAFFTalk
Options School Application Process Information for 2016-2017
The process for applying to Beaverton School District option schools is being revised for students wishing to apply
for the 2016-2017 school year.
Applications will be accepted starting Monday, October 26, 2015​. All applicants must reside within the Beaverton
School District boundaries. Current Beaverton School District students will again be able to apply online, beginning
October, 26, 2015 using their student ID.
Resident students not currently attending a Beaverton school will need to complete a paper application available
online, or at any school office beginning October 26, 2015.
Applications will be due no later than Tuesday, January 5, 2016 at 4:00 p.m.
For more information, please contact the Learning Options Office at 503-356-4440.
Clothes Closet Update 2014-2015
The Clothes Closet will reopen for the 2015 - 2016 school year on Wednesday, September 2, 2015 and will be open
from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Two bins located in front of the Clothes Closet are available Monday through Thursday
during regular District business hours for clothing donations.
During the 2014 - 15 school year, 1,673 students were served with 2,370 visits to the program and approximately
24,000 items of clothing distributed. The Shoe Box purchased 74 pairs of shoes for students in extreme need.
Ongoing needs of the program:
• New underwear and socks for all ages and sizes
• Pants for elementary-aged students in sizes 5 to 12
• Coats for elementary-aged students in sizes 5 to 12
• Department store shopping bags with handles
For more information, please contact the Communications & Community Involvement Department at 503-356-4360.
The World Needs More Kid Made Things - G Douglas Bundy TEDxPortland
Doug Bundy, teacher at Raleigh Hills K-8, presented at
TEDxPortland last month. Google fellow and passionate teacher
on the frontline, Bundy, believes in reimagining our school
system and how we work WITH kids. Through Studentsource,
kids are connecting with each other with real work for a real
purpose through entrepreneurship, autonomy, creativity and
connection.
Bundy is a parent, musician, artist, and teacher at Raleigh Hills
K-8. Working from his underground lair at Raleigh Hills, he is
building a technology arts program that seeks to preserve and
develop creativity and the love of learning for children, teachers, and parents alike. Bundy uses project-based learning
that starts with something a kid is interested in to foster creativity through video-game design, web applications,
filmmaking, sound-design, programming, prototyping, and photography. At the core of his belief is the role of
teachers to become “interest creators” and to “draw out” the remarkable capacities in children. Ideally this allows
for teachers and students to collaborate to do real work for real purpose. One of his students encapsulated this
vision beautifully with the statement: “The world needs more kid made things.”
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local
community. Watch now: https://youtu.be/lbGpQ1gbOWQ
STAFFTalk
Wells Fargo Barnhart employees spruce up Mountain View MS
Sixty-seven volunteers from the Wells Fargo
Barnhart Center worked from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00
p.m. beautifying the campus at Mountain View
Middle School in July. Mountain View was one of
six schools to apply for the Barnhart Volunteer Day.
Staff and students wanted to revive the courtyard in
honor of a staff member who recently passed away.
Volunteers painted bulletin boards and the staff
room and pruned shrubs, removed crab grass, installed gravel and mulch and replanted flowers in the courtyard
garden. Mountain View provided the landscaping materials and volunteers brought their own tools. Wells Fargo
provided a hot dog lunch for everyone.
“Already our hallway just looks so much brighter with the boards painted. We can actually see some of the really
beautiful features in our courtyard area. Everything just looks great. The school would not have been able to
complete these projects without the Wells Fargo volunteers. To be able to mobilize this many people and be able
to take on multiple projects at the same time, having this many people really makes that possible,” says Assistant
Principal Kelly Bordwell.
Thank you, Wells Fargo, your dedication to Beaverton Schools is beyond measure. Together WE are stronger.
Westview HS sophomore wins girls-only Marvel Ant-Man Micro-Tech Challenge
Westview High School sophomore Anna Nixon was one of
five winners in the girls-only Ant-Man Micro-Tech Challenge.
Anna created an interactive nutritionist teddy bear.
The Micro-Tech Challenge, sponsored by Marvel, Dolby
Laboratories, Visa and Raspberry Pi, was paired with AntMan, Marvel’s new superhero flick, and encouraged girls to
create projects that can inspire other girls to pursue interests
in STEM fields, or science, technology, engineering and
math.
As a winner, Anna received a trip to Hollywood, California to walk the red carpet at the World Premiere of Marvel’s
Ant-Man, the opportunity to attend a special “The Evolution of Technology” workshop at the Disneyland Resort
where she met Walt Disney Imagineers, and a tour of Walt Disney Studios.
Congratulations, Anna!
Visit the Ant-Man challenge website to view a video featuring Anna and her winning project.
STEAM in Action at Axian
Students from the School of Science and Technology (SST)
recently teamed up with staff at Axian, a custom software and
data solutions company in Portland, to develop proposals
and wireframes with concepts to evolve the District’s teacher
collaboration tool, TeacherSource.
The project was featured on the Axian company blog...
SST students with Axian staff. Photo credit: Axian
STAFFTalk
They Love Barry at Oak Hills Elementary School
Students in Lori Therrien’s Academic Learning Center (ALC) classroom at Oak Hills Elementary School
were given the royal treatment from several community partners and none other than Barry Manilow in June. It is
no secret that Mrs. Therrien is a diehard Barry Manilow fan, she has posters and photos of Manilow on her bulletin
board and plays his tunes in the background as students work.
Listening to the music sparked the students’ interest and their love of Barry Manilow grew. Therrien encouraged
them to write letters to Mr. Manilow asking him to visit them at school. Manilow’s manager responded. Although
Mr. Manilow was not available to visit the students at school, he sent them 38 tickets to go to his show in Portland.
But the awesome didn’t stop there...an Oak Hills parent and manager of the Outback Steakhouse offered dinner
to the concert-goers and even pitched in on the charter bus ride home. Cedar Mill Bales Thriftway donated a
cake and Hoffman Farms donated fresh berries for the “Very Barry” pre-concert party.
Thanks to several community partners and one teacher’s love of Barry Manilow, the Oak Hills ALC class, parents,
teachers and even principal Cheryl Hagseth had a night to remember.
Peer Buddy Program at CPMS brings students together
At Cedar Park Middle School, students in specialized
programs (students with autism and social communication
challenges) and students in general education are teaming
up to be ambassadors around the school.
In 2013-2104, Speech Pathologist Carolyn Farran
noticed a need for more familiarity and understanding
from students in the general education population of the
students in the specialized programs. To address the issue
she developed a Peer Buddy program. Ten Peer Buddies
were selected as volunteers to serve as ambassadors throughout the school for students in the specialized programs.
Peer Buddies met twice a week during Advisory time, they visited specialized classrooms, played board games and/
or participated in outdoor/athletic activities with the special needs students. Throughout the day, Buddies greeted
students around the school.
By the end of the 2013-2014 school year, the program had grown to 75 Peer Buddies. In 2014-2015, Pauline Lee,
Structured Skills and Routines (SRC) teacher, embraced the Peer Buddy program and included volunteers
in her SRC classroom activities, lessons and field trips in the community. Students visited the Oregon Zoo, World
Forestry Center, WinCo grocery store and the BSD Special Education Track and Field event. Peer Buddy volunteers
were paired with SRC students for all of the field trips and given tasks to complete together.
Additional activities for Mrs. Lee’s SRC students and Ms. Farran’s Peer Buddy volunteers at Cedar Park Middle
School included a Valentine’s Day fundraiser, Earth Day Community Service activities, a Mother’s Day tea, a Father’s
Day Bar-b-que, a Color Run and an 8th grade graduation picnic game event.
David Engler, Structured Communication Center (SCC) teacher, also integrated Peer Buddies into his
students’ program. His students met with Peer Buddy volunteers weekly, during Advisory, to play a variety of board
games in the library and/or group basketball activities in the gym. Some of Mr. Engler’s 6th graders even requested
additional Peer Buddy time during lunch recess. Mr. Engler’s class also attended the BSD Special Education Track
and Field Event with their Peer Buddies. Peer Buddies facilitated SCC students’ participation in the Events, while
adults took a more supervisory role in the background.
The Peer Buddy program is a wonderful opportunity for students in general education to connect with students with
special needs. The program allows for multiple interactions and opportunities for learning, community service and
building social communication skills for all involved.
STAFFTalk
Staff Spotlights
Scott Johnson - Facilities Project Manager
Beaverton School District Project Manager Scott Johnson has
always enjoyed building things. From playing in the sandbox with
his brother as a kid, to working on high-rise condos downtown, to
his multi-year, home remodeling project, construction has been
part of Scott’s entire life.
His latest undertaking? The new middle school being built in the
Timberland development by the Beaverton School District. “You get
to see something go from a raw piece of dirt, all the way to seeing
kids walk through the front doors,” says Scott. He brings a wealth of
knowledge and experience to the project, including his experience
as a student in the BSD.
Scott attended Fir Grove Elementary School, Highland Park Middle School and Beaverton High School. He went
through an apprenticeship and spent ten years in the field as a commercial union carpenter before moving to
Colorado to finish his degree in Project Management. Scott joined Beaverton eight years ago as a project coordinator.
When asked what it’s like to manage a project of this magnitude, Scott credits his strong team. Chances are if you
can’t find Scott, his project coordinator, Ryan Hendricks, will know exactly where to find him.
When he’s not managing building projects for the District, Scott is working on projects at home. He’s about ninety
percent of the way through a whole-home remodeling project that’s been going on as long as he’s worked for the
District. “Someday, I hope to be finished,” he says. Scott also enjoys spending time with his wife and two kids, who
were on hand for the groundbreaking of the new middle school in May.
Scott says in the coming months, the building footprint of the school will be taking shape. Neighbors and passersby
can expect to see foundations being poured, cranes moving in, structural steel going up and scaffolding for brick
masons. “This school is going to be so cool, I think we all wish we could go to it,” says Scott.
Doug McNeill - Senior Field Services Tech
Doug McNeill says he’s always been “plugged in.” So, it’s only fitting that he works in the Beaverton School District’s
Information Technology Department.
Doug’s fascination with computers started in the 5th grade, with
an Apple II Plus. You may remember the familiar green type and
the educational games “The Oregon Trail” or “Where in the World
is Carmen Sandiego?” Doug used to stay after school every day
to play those games or learn how the computer worked. “Every
night I would walk home ten miles in the dark. I was so enamored
with that computer,” he says.
In high school, Doug worked all summer to buy his first computer.
He attended Clackamas Community College and started a
computer business with a friend. From there, he branched into
technology. After working in the Lake Oswego School District for
five years, Doug joined the Beaverton School District in 2005.
“Every year we have this large task and with technology changes, it keeps getting bigger and bigger,” says Doug. For
example, last year, he and five fellow technicians set up and deployed 2,200 computers for the District.
STAFFTalk
Staff Spotlights continued
Doug serves six elementary schools, a middle school, high school and 2/3 of the Administration Office. He’s the guy
you call when your computer isn’t behaving. Says Doug, “I like the changes and the effect that I have. You can see
the outcome on people’s faces.” Doug also enjoys learning about new technology. “We’re really branching out with
a lot of different types of technology that we didn’t use before.”
As you might expect, during his downtime, Doug is an avid gamer. But he’s also recently taken up woodcarving. “It’s
artistic, but still technical,” he says. In fact, Doug plans to travel to Pennsylvania to learn the craft from seasoned
professionals.
2015-16 BEF Classroom Innovation Grants
Beaverton School District staff are encouraged to apply for 2015-2016 BEF Classroom Innovation Grants of $500 to
$1,000 for student-engaged projects that enrich and encourage classroom innovation.
Applications will be evaluated monthly by the BEF Grant Committee. You may submit an application
anytime throughout the academic year. Please allow 6-8 weeks to process your request. Please submit your
application as an attachment to: [email protected]. We do not need paper copies. You will receive
a confirmation e-mail. If you do not, please contact the BEF office. Please use the 2015-2016 BEF Classroom
Innovation Grant form found on the BEF website. The scoring guide used by the BEF Grant Committee, Frequently
Asked Questions, and BEF Classroom Innovation Grant projects funded in the past are available on the BEF website
to assist you.
An additional pool of funds is available to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics through
the BEF Building STEAM 4 All program and the Dave Gettling Technology Fund. The Patricia Knecht
Memorial Award Fund supports BEF grant programs for fitness, activity, health and wellness.
Funding is also available through The Spirit of New Seasons Market Award Fund for projects that fit New
Seasons Market core philosophy and are awarded through the BEF Classroom Innovation Grant process. Information
about the funding sources can be found on the BEF website.
For more information, please contact Susan Bailey at the BEF office at 503-643-7453 or by email at:
[email protected]
The Beaverton School District recognizes the diversity and worth of all individuals and groups. It is the policy of the Beaverton School District that there will be
no discrimination or harassment of individuals or groups based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national
origin, marital status, age, veterans’ status, genetic information or disability in any educational programs, activities or employment.