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10th annual Klamath Promise Graduation Sensation Parade and Party

By News, School Improvement Services, School-Wide Improvement

The 10th annual Klamath Promise Graduation Sensation Parade and Party in the Park took place in downtown Klamath Falls on Thursday, May 29th. Hundreds of spectators cheered on the nearly 1500 students.Ā  The parade included bands, mascots, almost 700 Class of 2025 graduating high school seniors in caps and gowns and the nearly 800 Kindergartners from across all of Klamath County School District, Klamath Falls City Schools, Tulelake High School, Butte Valley High School and Elementary (Doris), and North Lake High School (Silver Lake). Seniors wore their caps and gowns while kindergarteners donned Class of 2037 ā€œI am the Klamath Promiseā€ t-shirts in their school colors donated by Klamath Community College and Oregon Institute of Technology. The parade was live streamed by My Basin at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh9jOubqrIc

Immediately following the parade, the high school graduates joined together with family, friends and supporters in Veterans Park for the Party in the Park celebration and awards distribution. MJ Atkins, a graduating senior from Klamath Union sang the National Anthem, Klamath Community College President Roberto Gutierrez provided keynote remarks. The Graduation Sensation Party in the Park includes the awarding of gift cards for those going on to college, into the military, into the workforce, or who are undecided on their next step, as well as scholarships for those going to college. A total of 68 scholarships and 57 gift cards worth $68,500 were announced to the crowd of graduates, families, and supporters. This year 29 local business, organizations, and individuals contributed to awards:

  • Friends of the Klamath County Library
  • Glenn & Ursula Gailis
  • Hispanic Health Committee
  • Holliday Jewelry
  • Ray & Susan Holliday
  • Integral Youth Services
  • Kersey Law
  • Klamath Basin Behavioral Health
  • Klamath Basin Senior Citizens’ Center Board
  • Klamath Community College
  • Klamath County Chamber of Commerce
  • Klamath County Commissioners
  • Klamath County School District
  • Klamath Falls City School Administration
  • Klamath Promise – Anonymous Donors
  • Lithia & Driveway
  • LuluLily’s Legacy Foundation
  • Maurita Johnson
  • Moai!
  • Oregon Tech Office the President
  • Pelican Education Foundation
  • Ross Ragland Theater & Cultural Center
  • The Redd Family, minusamillion.com
  • Sky Lakes Medical Center
  • SMART Reading Program
  • Soroptimist International of Klamath Falls
  • Stork Family
  • The Klamath Tribes: Education and Employment
  • Windermere Real Estate

High school graduation is a significant achievement setting students up for future success, greater earnings and opportunities, and greater long term health outcomes. As the largest graduation celebration in all of Oregon and the entire West, this event is not possible with the many event supporters and volunteers. Special thanks to

  • American Sanitation
  • City of Klamath Falls Parks
  • City of Klamath Falls Streets
  • Citizens for Safe Schools staff
  • Ray Holliday & Holliday Jewelry
  • Integral Youth Services staff
  • Klamath Basin Behavioral Health staff
  • Klamath Community College
  • Klamath County Library
  • Klamath County School District teachers, parapros,Ā  principals, bus drivers, district office staff, and others!
  • Klamath Falls City Schools teachers, parapros,Ā  principals, bus drivers, district office staff, and others!
  • Klamath Falls Police Department
  • Klamath Tribes Education & Employment staff
  • Klamath Union High School Digital Media program
  • Klamath Works
  • The Kersey Family
  • My Basin and KLAD
  • Oregon Department of Humans Services staff
  • Oregon Tech Educational Partnerships & Outreach
  • Bethany Osborn
  • Pacific Crest Federal Credit Union staff
  • Billy Redd and family
  • SkyLakes Foundation
  • SkyLakes staff
  • Southern Oregon ESD Sign Language Interpreters
  • Southern Oregon ESD staff
  • Holly Stork & SMART Reading
  • Trevor McClung Construction
  • And many many others!

Congratulations Class of 2025 graduates!

The Klamath Promise is a community-wide initiative connecting the community and schools, from preschool through career and college readiness. Since 2012 the Klamath Promise has aimed to increase ā€œSuccess through Educationā€ for all students in Klamath County, whether success looks like joining the workforce or military, or going to college.

The Klamath Promise: Connecting and inspiring the community about the importance of education, attendance, and graduation, from early childhood to career or college transitions. Visit klamathpromise.orgĀ to learn more!

Contact klamath_promise@soesd.k12.or.us with questions.

Summer Reading Resources

By News, School Improvement Services, School-Wide Improvement

ā–Ā  See if your school offers Sora ebooks, including Sweet Reads.

ā–Ā  Or use the public library’s Libby app for free ebooks and audiobooks.

If you live in Jackson County

Get your card online Libby ebooks & more

If you live in Klamath County

Get your card Libby ebooks & more

If you live in Josephine County

Get your card in person or online Libby ebooks & audiobooks

Eco-Explorers: Turning Ideas into Action!

By Administration, News, School Improvement Services, School-Wide Improvement

What an incredible day at Eco-Explorers! The SOESD STEAM Hub, in collaboration with community partners and dedicated educators, came together to design relevant, place-based, career-connected projects that students will engage in throughout the school year. With the generous support of Innovaciones Alumbra, educators from Josephine, Klamath, and Jackson counties worked alongside local industry and community partners to develop meaningful learning experiences that introduce students to careers in sustainability, conservation, and green industries—all while deepening their connection to the places they live and learn.

From firewise school campuses to habitat restoration projects, these collaborations are just getting started, and we can’t wait to see students bring them to life in the coming months. Stay tuned—we’ll be sharing their progress along the way!

Here’s what participants are saying:

ā€œThank you for such a powerful workshop—this has inspired me to do so many things with my students.ā€
— 4th Grade Teacher

ā€œThis is such an amazing opportunity! Many of my students have difficult family situations and providing them with a chance to experience hands-on learning outside the normal scope of their day is such a gift! Thank you for this!ā€
— 3rd Grade Teacher

ā€œThank you so much for hosting such a wonderful event! It was a great opportunity to sit down and connect with Southern Oregon educators.ā€
—Community Partner

Refocusing Professional Learning

By News, School Improvement Services, School-Wide Improvement

SOREN Implementation Jay Schroder co-authored an article, “Refocusing Professional Learning: Cultivating Teacher Wellbeing to Promote Agency” that has been published in theĀ Holistic Ed ReviewĀ Journal. This article discusses Jay’s work with Teach From Your Best Self (TFYBS) and shares promising results from early research findings about the impact of this important professional learning. You can read the article here:

https://her.journals.publicknowledgeproject.org/index.php/her/article/view/3221/3058.

 

Oregon Regional Teacher of the Year Nominations are Now Open

By News, School Improvement Services, School-Wide Improvement

The Oregon Department of Education, in partnership with the Oregon Lottery, is pleased to announce the continuation of Oregon Regional Teacher of the Year to honor exemplary educators in every region of the state!

  • Nominations are open statewide through February 6, 2025
  • Teachers will submit their applications by April 6
  • Oregon Education Service Districts will select a winner from their region
  • Regional Teachers of the Year will be honored across the state in May 2025!
  • One of the Regional Teachers of the Year will be named the 2025 Oregon Teacher of the Year in September 2025 and will be eligible to apply for the honor of the National Teacher of the Year!

Regional Teachers of the Year will receive a cash prize of $1000 and will be celebrated across the state.Ā  The 2025 Oregon Teacher of the Year will receive a $10,000 cash prize (with a matching $5,000 going to their school!) and serve as a spokesperson and representative for all Oregon teachers.

Anyone can nominate a teacher! All Oregonians are encouraged to nominate their favorite teacher today at: oregonteacheroftheyear.org

Herald & News Article: Klamath Community College helps find transitional housing solution

By News, School Improvement Services, School-Wide Improvement

The apprenticeship program at Klamath Community College is about to roll out temporary housing units under two separate projects that are giving its students hands-on experience in home building, while helping those in need.

The construction of small cottages is part of Gov. Tina Kotek’s housing initiative pumping millions of dollars into small home construction, or transitional housing. Once completed, the homes are sent to areas of need. In Klamath County, two such cottages and a storage shed will help families who lost their homes to the Copperfield Fire east of Chiloquin. Eight primary residences and 22 other buildings were destroyed in the 3,822-acre fire which started on Sept. 1, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry.

Read More.

Southern Oregon AI Summit 24

By Autism, Curriculum and Assessment, Distance Learning for All, Homepage-Notices, News, School Improvement Services, School-Wide Improvement

Oregon! This state-wide in-service October 11th, come join us for a full day of session on AI and emerging developments in the field. We will cover education uses from teacher support, and student use to AI and the law. We hope to have something for both our educational audiences, and the larger community. A wide range of speakers has been selected to provide topics designed to meet your needs and inspire your exploration into the expanding uses of AI.

When

October 11th is Statewide In-service Day!

Location

Jackson County Health & Human Services
140 S Holly St.
Medford, OR 97501

Free for Southern Oregon ESD Region Educators, Community Partners and educators from other areas welcome at a nominal $50 registration. If you group would like to set up group registration please contact us.

Contact Information

Aaron Cooke at 541-261-0107 aaron_cooke@soesd.k12.or.us

Register Here

Speakers

Dr. Rachelle DenƩ Poth

Educator, Attorney, Consultant, Author
Dr. Rachelle DenĆ© Poth is an edtech consultant, presenter, attorney, author, and teacher of Spanish and STEAM: Emerging Technology. Rachelle has a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law, a Master’s, and a Doctorate in Instructional Technology. Rachelle specializes in AI, AI and the Law, AR/VR, Cybersecurity, SEL, and STEM, in addition to other topics as requested. She has more than six years of teaching and presenting on AI in her classroom and working with educators worldwide.
Rachelle is an ISTE-certified educator and recipient of the ISTE Making IT Happen Award and several presidential gold and silver awards for volunteer service. She presents regularly at state, national, and international conferences and provides professional development and coaching for educators on a variety of topics, including assessments and emerging technologies such as AI, AR and VR, and STEM. She is the author of nine books and a blogger for Defined Learning, Edutopia, and Getting Smart.

 

Mandy DePriestĀ forĀ AI for Education
Our mission is to provide AI literacy training to 1 million educatorsĀ and lead the responsible adoption of Generative AI in the education ecosystem, empowering teachers and ultimately improving student outcomes while preparing them for the future.

Mandy is a Curriculum & Content Developer at AI for Education. SheĀ has over 15 years of experience in public education, having served asĀ a classroom teacher, library media specialist, and instructional coach.Ā She has also taught education technology courses in higher educationĀ settings as well as professional development workshops for teachersĀ on the transformative power of technology. She is committed toĀ ensuring that students are prepared for the dynamic demands of theĀ future by leveraging the power of technology-driven instruction.

Victor Villegas

Broadband & Digital Technologies Adoption Coordinator
Oregon State UniversityĀ |Ā Extension & Engagement Computing Technology Unit

As Broadband and Digital Technologies Adoption Coordinator at Oregon State University, I engage with communities and organizations across Oregon to help them access and use broadband and digital technologies safely and responsibly for education, telemedicine, workforce and economic development. This includes promoting and educating on topics such as digital equity, digital literacy, safe computing/cybersecurity, and digital technologies adoption.

Anjali Rajpara from Brisk
Brisk Teaching is a Chrome Extension designed for educators and school leaders, offering tools that streamline lesson planning, align curriculum with academic standards, and provide real-time data insights, helping teachers reclaim 10-20+ hours per week.

Anjali serves as the Customer Success Lead at Brisk Teaching. Since joining the team early this year, she has supported hundreds of schools and districts in implementing Brisk. Previously, Anjali spent five years on the Customer Success team at NoRedInk, also partnering with districts in a similar capacity. She is passionate about supporting teachers and students through leveraging the power of technology.

 

Little girls and teacher learning at preschool.

Grants Pass EI/ECSE SOESD Programs Featured in Media

By News, School Improvement Services, School-Wide Improvement

Free Preschool for 4 and 5 Year Olds

With the assistance of SOESD, starting in the 2024-25 school year, the Grants Pass School District will offer FREE preschool for four and five-year-olds living within GPSD7 boundaries. The new preschool program will accommodate 36 children in its first year, and bring together children with and without disabilities into one inclusive classroom.

Read the article

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The Power of Inclusive Classrooms at Gilbert Creek Child Development Center

In this episode, host Rafael Otto visits Grants Pass, Oregon, to talk with Shannon Bilbao and Susan Peck from Gilbert Creek Child Development Center. They discuss why inclusive classrooms are so valuable for the healthy development of all children and share examples of what they see in their classrooms.

Listen to the Podcast

 

 

 

Southern Oregon Career Center

By News, School Improvement Services, School-Wide Improvement

OUR MISSION FOR TODAY

Empowering Southern Oregon students for career success and regional prosperity.

OUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE

Transforming Southern Oregon’s future workforce by empowering students to pursue meaningful career pathways. We envision a regional hub where students discover their passions, acquire in-demand skills, and gain hands-on experience, preparing them for successful careers that drive our region’s economic growth.

OUR VALUES ALONG THE WAY

  • Equity and access to opportunities
  • Partnerships with education, community, and industry
  • Community involvement and investment
  • Innovation in the way we teach, learn, and apply knowledge
  • Responsiveness to evolving needs
  • Commitment to achieving a future of possibilities
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