Kevin Headings

Superintendent Message – August 21, 2023

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August 21, 2023

Dear PSD Parents –

The start of school is only a few days away. This time of year is always exciting, with new classes, new teachers, new faces, and the overall start of a new year.

Our teachers and staff are excited to serve you and your child(ren). The principals are already back at work, along with the secretaries, teachers, and support staff, preparing their buildings, yearly plans, and school functions for the 2023-24 school year.

The safety and security of our district facilities is always our highest priority. We’ve spent a good portion of the summer making sure our emergency plans are highly functional and in place and that our buildings have strong security. Recently, our district safety team attended a regional “Safety Summit” at the Pendleton Convention Center. Our plans, procedures, and security measures are comprehensive, strong, and effective.

After attending this summit, there are several things that are important for you, as parents, to do and not do if there is an emergency/crisis at your child’s school. Please see below.

Do:

  • Go to the district website for the latest information, including where to pick up your child or what to do next.
  • Listen to local radio – 1290 KUMA or 103.5 FM – for information
  • Visit the Pendleton School District Facebook page

Don’t:

  • Call the school or district office, as the phone lines will be needed for the school/district to communicate with 1st responders and emergency personnel.
  • Go to the school – you won’t be able to get in as it will be sectioned off. First responders and emergency personnel need the space to operate.

While we know that in situations like this, stress levels will be high, it is best to be prepared ahead of time.

And now, a few logistics for the new school year. The first day of school for all our students is Tuesday, August 29.   We will have bussing routes and bussing information on our district website the week before school starts. Additionally, we have added 5 minutes to our school day, so please check the website of your child’s school, or call the school for school day start times and end times, along with any other questions you may have.

One more logistic about our school year. 6th and 9th graders will have orientation on Monday, August 28. Kindergarten and 1st graders will have a soft start from August 29-31. Again, please visit the school’s website, or call the school’s office for specific information regarding K-1, 6th, and 9th grade soft start and orientation.

We are excited to see our students and families back in our buildings and looking forward to serving you for the 2023-24 school year.   I wish you a great start to the school!

Sincerely,
Kevin Headings, Superintendent

Summer Lunch Program

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The Summer Lunch Program will be at the PELC from 11:30-12:30 beginning June 19 – August 18, Monday – Thursday (Closed July 4).

Rules of the Summer Lunch Program:
1. Must be 1-18 years of age
2. All food and milk must be consumed in the cafeteria
3. No one over the age of 18 or under the age of 1 can eat or drink any part of the meal
4. Shoes and Shirts must be worn
5. No horseplay

graduation caps

PHS 2023 Graduation Live Stream Link

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The Pendleton High School Class of 2023 Graduation will be live-streamed on the PHS Media YouTube account: https://youtube.com/@PHSMedia

June 3, 2023
Ceremony begins at 10:00 am in the Round-Up Stadium.
Gates open at 9:00 am
Seating is at the West end of the stadium
Programs are handed out in three locations (Top of stairs to West Grandstands. Bottom of rail to West Grandstands. South entrance)
Bathrooms are open on the second level of West Grandstands
Suggestion: Bring a water bottle with you

graduation caps

Signage

Native American Outreach Grants

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Three schools in the Pendleton School District recently received Native American Families Outreach Grants. The Pendleton Early Learning Center received $10,000, Washington Elementary received $7,000 and Sunridge Middle School received $10,000. The purpose of the grants is to support Native American students in navigating public school systems.

SMS Principal Piper Kelm said the majority of the grant at Sunridge will be used to produce signage in the school that incorporates the Umatilla language. Similar signage is already in place at Washington Elementary School.

Kelm said she believes the new signage will help Native American students to feel seen at their school while offering the opportunity for non-Native students to be exposed to words in a different language that is right next door. “We hope this helps foster a school climate of neighbors together in community and also helps sustain this native language for future generations,” Kelm said.

Pendleton Early Learning Center received $10,000 and is also producing signage incorporating native language.

Washington Elementary received $7,000 and has scheduled a Native American Family Dinner on May 25th, during which the Pendleton High School food truck will provide dinner. Washington is also planning some other projects.

Signage

FFA Plant Sale – May 12-13, 2023

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Join Pendleton High School FFA Mother’s Day weekend for their plant sale! Students have been working hard the past couple of months, taking care of flowers and plants to sell at the annual fundraiser!

May 12 from 4:00 – 6:00 pm at the PHS greenhouse.
May 13 from 8:00 – 12:00 pm at the PHS greenhouse

 

FFA Plant Sale

FFA Farm Day 2

Pendleton FFA Farm Day – May 3, 2023

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Pendleton FFA is hosting a Farm Day from 4:30 pm-7:00 pm on May 3rd for our community. Students and kids can travel from station to station to learn about local agriculture and see some livestock animals our students raise throughout the year. There is a $5 entry fee.

We will also be hosting a BBQ fundraiser that will be available for purchase.

FFA Farm Day

Kevin Dinning

District Selects New Washington Elementary School Principal

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The Pendleton School District School Board has selected Mr. Kevin Dinning as the new Principal at Washington Elementary School.

Dinning is currently the Superintendent/Secondary Principal of Ione School District.  Prior to that, he served as Bonners County Middle School Principal in Bonners Ferry, Idaho.  In 2016, he was selected as the Bonners Ferry High School Principal.  In 2015-2016, Dinning served as both an elementary and high school vice-principal in Bonners County School District.

Colleagues describe Dinning as a talented leader who is thoughtful, considerate, and consistent.  He is also described as a “people person” who puts the needs of students, staff, and parents at the forefront of every decision he makes.  Other colleagues who have worked alongside Dinning describe him as a true professional who operates with a high level of integrity.

Dinning earned a bachelor of science in Secondary Education from the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho, and a master of science degree in Educational Leadership from Concordia University in Portland.

According to Superintendent Kevin Headings, “Mr. Dinning possesses the qualities we were looking for in our next Washington Elementary principal – high integrity, talented leader, student-centered, and a strong communicator.  Finding someone with knowledge and understanding of our region and who is familiar with Pendleton was also important to the selection committee.”

Dinning will replace Coree Terjeson, who resigned effective June 30th earlier in the year.  Dinning’s contract begins July 1st.  He and his wife, Heidi, have two elementary school-aged children, Sofie and Henry.

Kevin Dinning Family

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Native Voices Community Conversations

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You are invited to participate in a research study, Native Voices Across Generations: Reimagining Discipline in a New School Landscape (Native Voices or NV) project.

The Pendleton School District, in cooperation with a research team from the University of Oregon, is hosting a community conversation/listening session on Monday, April 24, at Washington Elementary, starting at 5:00 pm.  Dinner and childcare will be provided.

The research team is seeking to hear from parents, community members, teachers, administrators, and staff.

The purpose of this one-year project is to give voice to teachers, school and district administrators, and other school staff to look at discipline practices and investigate contributors to and consequences of disproportionate discipline for Native students in Oregon K-12 schools.

The findings of this project will inform, design and recommend school-based policies, trainings, resources, and supports that are culturally responsive and integrate Native tribal and community assets to shift any overrepresentation of AI/AN students in discipline data by researching (1) potential contributors to and consequences of disciplinary practices in Oregon K-12 school districts and (2) if district administrators, teachers, and other school personnel might benefit from professional development on Indian Education Policies and Language Restoration; Native Languages of Oregon; and Equity in School Policy for Native Students.

Equally important, this study queries what Native students, families, and communities envision as essential for healthy schools in which Native students belong and thrive culturally, socially, psychologically, and academically.

Community conversations/listening sessions will occur at the Washington Elementary School on Monday, April 24, from 5-7:30 pm. Each participant will receive an incentive of $25 for participating in the conversations.

This project involves the collaboration of the Center for Equity Promotion (CEQP) in the University of Oregon’s (UO) College of Education, the UO’s Northwest Indian Language Institute (NILI), the Native Wellness Institute (NWI), and participating Tribes and School Districts with funding from and in partnership with the Office of Indian Education/Oregon Department of Education (OIE/ODE).

If you are interested in participating in this research study, please complete the Adult Consent form located here: https://tinyurl.com/NV-Adult-Consent.
Hard copies of the consent form will be available at the event.

If you have any questions about this study, please contact Rita Svanks at rsvanks@uoregon.edu, 541-346-4125.

 

Kevin Headings

Superintendent Message – April 6, 2023

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Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Nashville Covenant School community in Nashville, Tennessee, for their tragic loss last week.

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Pendleton School District
107 NW 10th Street, Pendleton, OR 97801
Phone:  541.276.6711  Fax:  541.278.3208

The Pendleton School District assures that no person shall on the grounds of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability or income as provided by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and related authorities, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any Pendleton School District sponsored program or activity.

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