4J Parent News

Information for Eugene School District 4J parents and guardians

• Make-Up Day: This Monday, Feb. 19, is the first of two school make-up dates

• Black History Month: Students honor and celebrate rich cultural heritage in February

• Response Protocol: Learn more about system that students, staff use in emergencies

• New Addition: 4J employee selected as first classified staff on Oregon Educators Benefit Board

• Exclusion Day: Get your student’s vaccinations up to date before February 21

• State Testing: Opt-out forms available

• Upcoming Events: Cheer on our Unified Basketball teams; attend free showings of "The R-Word"

• Super insights: Learn how our educational assistants are trained through 4J–UO partnership

• CTE Month: We're highlighting our innovative career and technical education programs all month

• Work for 4J: Serve local youth and the community — apply for a job at 4J today!

Due to school closures caused by the ice storm in January, the school board approved adding two previously designated inclement weather make-up days to the school calendar: Monday, February 19, Presidents Day, and Friday, June 14. For more calendar information, visit: 4j.lane.edu/calendars.

February is Black History Month, a time to honor and celebrate the rich cultural heritage, adversities, and triumphs and that are an indelible part of our nation's history. 4J schools are holding assemblies and other special events to commemorate the month.

In addition, you and your child can learn about Black history, both nationally and locally, and influential Black leaders in the following ways:

• Check out these podcasts for preschool through 12th grade
• Take a walking tour of Eugene's Black history
• Click through the Black history Choice Board for students, curated by 4J Librarian Amy Page:
• Listen to audiobooks for Black History Month and Beyond.

In the event of an emergency, such as the afterschool incident in Willagillespie Elementary School's parking lot, 4J staff and students are trained to follow a simple, clear and flexible standard protocol to help ensure their safety.

The protocol, developed by the I Love You Guys Foundation, is built around five different action words— Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate and Shelter—which are followed by an instruction:

• Hold: Students and educators remain in their classroom or area and clear the hallways, even if a class period is ending, until an all-clear is announced.
• Secure: Students and educators go into the school building, if they aren’t already there, and all doors, windows and other access points are secured and locked. Classroom activities can continue uninterrupted, when possible
• Lockdown: Students and educators lock doors classrooms, offices and other securable areas, move away from windows, turn off lights and maintain silence.
• Evacuate: Students and educators move from one location to another on- or off-site.
• Shelter: Students and educators take specific steps to protect themselves in response to a specific threat or hazard, such as an earthquake or hazardous chemical spill.

The actions can be sequenced as situations evolves, either escalate or de-escalate. For instance, a Hold instruction could be followed by an Evacuate directive if it's confirmed a fire alarm is detecting an active and spreading fire. A Lockdown instruction could be followed by a Secure directive if additional information gathered following a report of an armed individual near school grounds de-escalates a perceived threat.

The benefit of the protocol is that it is built on clear and simple action words that can provide quick response and flexibility in an evolving situation, as opposed to students and educators having to recall specific steps to take for each individual type of emergency.

Information will be shared with families and staff during emergencies as quickly as possible, recognizing there can be a delay in notification as confirmation of information can be difficult in a rapidly evolving situation.

Kudos to Sally Duerfeldt, 4J's classified benefits coordinator, who was confirmed this week by state senators as the first classified employee to sit on the Oregon Educators Benefit Board.

Sally was selected among the tens of thousands of classified workers across the state to be nominated for this position, created under a new law that seeks to ensure classified workers have a seat on several state educational boards, including OEBB. She is well-versed in educator benefits and, in this new role, is looking to expand support to classified and licensed educators across the state.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to go beyond what I’m capable of doing now in my current role and to have a platform to make further improvements to classified benefits and wellness resources,” she told the Oregon School Employees Association.

Congratulations, Sally. We're so proud!

Routine immunizations are required by state law for students for diseases such as polio, measles and pertussis. If your student does not meet the state requirements for immunization, your student will be excluded from in-person learning and on-campus activities, such as sports, starting on Wednesday, Feb. 21, and until their immunizations or medical records are in compliance.

Vaccines are available at 4J's school-based health centers and at many pharmacies, healthcare providers’ offices and Lane County Public Health.

Under Oregon law, a parent or student age 18+ may opt out of Oregon’s annual statewide math and language arts assessments by filling out an annual opt-out form provided by the Oregon Department of Education. Exemptions from the English language proficiency or science tests may also be requested based on a student’s disability or religious beliefs. Opt-out/exemption requests are only valid for the school year in which they are completed.

• This year, Unified Basketball game nights will take place at all our high schools: Churchill at North Eugene, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 5:30–6:30 p.m.; Sheldon at South Eugene, Tuesday, Feb. 29, 5:30–6:30 p.m.; North Eugene at Sheldon, Friday, March 8, 6–7 p.m.; and South Eugene at Churchill, Thursday, April 11, 6:30–7:30 p.m. The game joins athletes (students with developmental and intellectual disabilities) with partners (students who are neurotypical) for an evening of competition, teamwork and sportsmanship. Admission is free. Let's cheer on our student-athletes!

• Our district will offer three free showings of "The R-Word," a documentary film that explores the history of the word in making the case about why the conversation surrounding people with intellectual and developmental disabilities needs to change. The showings are open to the public: Thursday, Feb. 22, 5–7 p.m., Madison Middle School, 875 Wilkes Dr.; Thursday, Feb. 29, 5–7 p.m., Sheldon High School, 2455 Willakenzie Road; and Thursday, March 7, 6–8 p.m., Broadway Metro Cinema, 888 Willamette St. in downtown Eugene.

• SAVE THE DATE! The second annual Strength in Neurodivergence Festival will be held on Friday, March 15, from 5–8 p.m., at Sheldon High School, 2455 Willakenzie Road. Students and families can celebrate neurodivergence, connect to community resources, and enjoy fun activities, music and food. Spanish interpretation will be provided.

The newest episode of Super Insights, our podcast featuring Superintendent Andy Dey, is now ready for your listening pleasure. The newest episode focuses on the partnership between 4J and the University of Oregon College of Education to provide valuable training to our educational assistants.

Super Insights podcast gives listeners an in-depth look at the major programs, priorities and issues for our district. Happy listening! Submit your questions / topic suggestions for Superintendent Dey.

In celebration of National Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month, we're highlighting our expansive CTE offerings here at 4J. So far, we've checked in advanced engineering students taking flight at South Eugene High School, the Rachel Carson natural resources pathway at Churchill High School, entrepreneurs at Sheldon High School, the Center for Applied Learning and Community Impact (CALCI), and fourth-grade inventors at Holt Elementary School — and we still have two more weeks to go!

Check out 4J's Instagram and Facebook pages and our website to share in the excitement and engagement our students and staff bring to CTE. Let's celebrate the power of education that goes beyond the classroom and equips our students for a future full of possibilities!

Accounting & Business Systems Specialist • Coaches • Building Behavior Support Assistant • Educational Assistants • Fleet Mechanics • Food Services Coordinator • Instructional Coach • Japanese Teacher • Jewish Student Union Program Coordinator • NATIVES Program Tutors • Special Ed Educational Assistants • Senior Groundskeeper • and more!

2/19 School Make-Up Day

2/21 School Board Meeting

3/6 School Board Meeting

3/20 School Board Meeting

3/25–29 No School: Spring Break

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