4J Parent News

Information for Eugene School District 4J parents and guardians

• School News: Repeat state golf champ, middle schoolers back on track, and more!

• ACE Award Champions: Meet Robin, school nurse and 4J's lifetime achievement award recipient

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

Superintendent Andy Dey addressed the disruption and anxiety caused by the recent automated threatening calls after South Eugene High School received its fourth such call in as many weeks on the morning of Wednesday, May 24.

Dr. Dey acknowledged how disruptive and frightening the threats have been for students and staff, both in a message to the 4J community and while speaking to reporters alongside Eugene Police Chief Chris Skinner. He said district has sent care teams to South Eugene to support students who need someone to talk to.

The superintendent praised the calm response of students and staff. He also expressed gratitude to our partners at the Eugene Police Department, the Central Lane 911 dispatch center and the local FBI office for their rapid response to the calls and ongoing work to put a stop to them. Many other school districts around the country have received similar calls.

Dr. Dey, a former SEHS principal and educator who has two children currently enrolled at the school, reiterated that the seriousness of the crimes couldn’t be overstated, in terms of the loss of teaching and learning time, the fear and stress placed on students and staff, and the drain on district and community resources.

Thanking the community for their ongoing support and understanding, he noted the district will continue to provide resources to the high school as our district focuses on bringing the school year to a safe and productive conclusion.

In the event of an emergency, 4J administrators, educators 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 — that is followed by an instruction:

Hold: Students and educators are to remain in their classroom or area, 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 in 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 it’s 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.

Superintendent Andy Dey has announced a significant overhaul of 4J's district-level operations that reaffirms our commitment to 4J's simple but powerful mission: Put our students first.

The central office reorganization has three main components:

• Teachers on special assignment (TOSAs) will be shifting from itinerant staff to each working in an assigned school, helping reinstate support systems that boost students’ academic learning and reduce behavior that disrupts learning. The additional trained adult in schools will provide unique supports based on the needs of the building with the ongoing support of a network of their peers across the district.

• Student services administrators will be reassigned from the district office to working in school buildings, providing direct day-to-day on-site support that will help align our general education initiatives with our special education and other student service programs.

• The executive team at the district office will be streamlined so that it’s both simplified and more narrowly focused on the work that will positively impact our students and families.

We are in a very different place than we were three years ago. Student enrollment continues to decline and pandemic-related federal emergency aid is coming to an end, sapping our district of vital funding. At the same time, the daily needs in our schools continue to grow as students grapple with pandemic-related learning loss, behavioral challenges and unsettled home lives. Feedback from students, staff and families overwhelmingly identified a need to prioritize district resources closer to our students.

The district's reorganization, implemented over the summer in time for the start of the 2023–24 school year, is an important and significant step to put our students first.

Four new members will join the school board following the May 16 special election. Elected to four-year terms are: Tom Di Liberto, Position 1, Rick Hamilton, Position 4, Jenny Jonak, Position 5, and Morgan Munro, Position 7.

The four new board members will join incumbent board members Judy Newman, Laural O'Rourke and Maya Rabasa in July after taking their oaths of office. We extend our appreciation for the service of departing school board members Alicia Hays, Gordon Lafer, Keerti Hasija Kauffman and Michelle Hsu. The seven-member school board sets the policy and vision for our district and hires and oversees the work of the superintendent, who leads its day-to-day operations.

Generations of Highlanders filled the hallways of North Eugene High School on the evening of Thursday, May 11, during the building’s closure party that was rich with camaraderie, nostalgia and school spirit.

About 1,200 current students and employees, alumni and retired educators reminisced with colleagues and classmates, revisited their high school years in the pages of old yearbooks and newspapers, and scanned the faces in the class photos that line the school’s main hallways (see more event photos).

“This was beyond our expectations,” said Cheryl Wallace, a 1966 graduate and retired 4J educator who served on the event’s planning committee. “It reaffirms that there’s a lot of tradition and a lot of family here.”

We look forward to the Highlanders beginning a new chapter in their history when the new North Eugene High School building opens this fall. Thank you, bond voters!

Let’s continue the learning! 4J’s popular summer intensive program provides students entering grades 9–12 an opportunity to extend their learning into the summer months. Course offerings reflect the curiosities and passions of both students and teachers.

The course catalog will now is available and registration is open on 4J's website.

Join us in kicking off Pride Month at 4J's PRIDE FESTIVAL held at North Eugene High School.

The festival is on Friday, June 2, from 3–6 p.m. on the high school's football field. Enjoy some free and purchasable goodies, participate in activities hosted by 4J gay-straight alliances and affinity groups, receive LGBTQIA+ resources from community organizations, watch some amazing queer performances by students and community members, and so much more! The first 1000 students will receive a rainbow goodie bag with some fun rainbow swag.

The 850 Howard building, named for its street address, currently is home to two schools: Kelly Middle School and Yujin Gakuen Japanese Immersion Elementary School. YG moved into the building in the fall of 2020 when its building was removed to make room for the new North Eugene High School.

Our district has initiated a three-phase process to approve a plan so the two vibrant school programs can continue to thrive. Check out the new webpage with more information, including possible alternatives to the current layout and funding sources. We'll keep you updated on the progress of this important initiative.

• Why I Sign: Deaf and Hard of Hearing students share their love of signing in touching video

• Eagle Eye: North Eugene's Francesca Tomp repeats as girls' golf 5A individual state champion

• Rowin' Away With It: 4J student-athletes brought home plenty of shiny hardware during Northwest Regional Rowing Championships

• Back on Track: 4J middle school students had a great time competing in the first 4J middle school district championship track meet since COVID-19

2023 4J Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient

School Nurse

One of Robin's nominators for the award shared:

“Robin's 25 years of service to 4J's students and families deserves recognition.
Parents, children, and school staff value her quiet and thoughtful manner as she daily
makes decisions that help children and adolescents feel comfortable and safe at school.
Robin calmly and competently approaches difficult issues, and supports and empowers
her colleagues in honing their own decision-making skills in the school setting.”

SERVE YOUR COMMUNITY & LOCAL STUDENTS. JOIN TEAM EUGENE!

Athletic Trainer • Bus Aide • Bus Drivers • Computer Science Teacher • Counselors • CTE Health Sciences Teacher • Department Secretary • Elementary School Secretary • Finance Clerk • General Laborer • Health Teachers • HVAC Refrigeration Technician • Kindergarten Bilingual Teacher • Math Teacher • Music Teachers • Plumber Specialist • Registered Nurses • School Principals • School Psychologist • Science Teacher • Special Ed Educational Assistants • Special Education Teachers • Title IX Coordinator • Transportation Manager • and more

6/7 School Board Meeting

6/9 No School: Elementary Only (Grading Day)

6/9 High School Graduation: Eugene IHS
6/10 High School Graduation: North Eugene & Sheldon
6/12 High School Graduation: Churchill

6/13 High School Graduation: South Eugene

6/14 High School Graduation: ECCO

6/15 Last Day for Students

6/21 School Board Meeting

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