4J Parent News

Information for Eugene School District 4J parents and guardians

• ACE Award Champions: Meet Faten, Sheldon classified employee and ACE Awards champion

• School News: Students having a field day, picking up caps and gowns–and readying to relax

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

Dear 4J families,

School’s officially out, and our entire 4J staff and I wish you a fun, safe and energizing summer. This school year has been long yet productive, and everyone can now enjoy some well-deserved time to relax, reorient and explore everything the Northwest has to offer.

As I close out my first year as your superintendent, I wanted to thank you for your ongoing support of our district – as well as the support you continue to provide students at home. It’s immensely rewarding for us to reflect on how our students have matured as individuals.

It is also rewarding to see how the district has matured as well. The school board and I started this school year identifying our three biggest priorities: providing timely communications and meaningful engagement; focusing on equitable access and advancement for all students with an amplified focus on the needs and desires of our traditionally underserved student groups and ensuring student and staff safety and well-being. Although important work remains, I can say with confidence that progress has been made.

We continue to galvanize and expand support systems for students and families. We also are listening and communicating in new ways through tools like Let’s Talk and ThoughtExchange. These communication tools have helped us hear your invaluable feedback as we navigated through some of this year’s most high-profile issues including curriculum questions, the needs of our elementary schools, the new secondary schedules, changes to the academic calendar and the existing North Eugene High School building.

Much work went into adopting a new high school schedule this year. Changes in the schedule were driven by the need to ensure all students in grades 9–12 have equal opportunity to benefit from academic support and electives, as well as to maximize their time with peers. I continue to be impressed with the work our regional equity managers and affinity group coordinators are doing to help students who share a common ethnicity find their voice and help our schools become a place where everyone feels a sense of belonging. Our Prevention Services team deserves recognition for all of their work as well. Over the course of the year those folks have organized a series of seminars to partner with parents on important issues related to youth mental health and suicide prevention. We look forward to further partnerships like these as we prepare for the coming academic year, the planning for which has been underway for months.

What may not be as evident to the greater community is the work we have undertaken to streamline district infrastructure so as to focus more resources in direct support to our schools. The reorganization of elements of the district office will prioritize more adult supervision at our schools so our educators and students can focus on teaching and learning. Given its size and complexity, our district can be difficult to navigate for many who have questions. I look forward to sharing more information in the coming weeks and months as well as continuing to meet with friends and families of the district who have ideas on how we can better deliver on our promise to members of this community.

Looking ahead, 4J will start the new school year on a high note with the opening of a new North Eugene High School building; the first new high school built in the Eugene-Springfield area in more than 50 years! We will also be launching a developmental kindergarten program, introducing the community to the Center for Applied Learning and Community Engagement, engaging students and families about ways to enhance the middle school experience, nurturing literacy in our youngest readers through the district’s newly adopted reading curriculum, and so much more. Over the summer and into the coming year, we will strengthen our focus on helping students not only grow and learn but develop their passions that will guide them toward happiness and independence in adulthood.

Until then, take this opportunity to have fun, share quality family time, take advantage of summer learning opportunities, and enjoy our season in the sun.

Dr. Andy Dey

Superintendent

Eugene School District 4J

They learned, grew, worked hard and now they've graduated! Congratulations to the 1,206 graduates of the Class of 2023 who received their diplomas during six graduation ceremonies over the last week.

Summer break is here, but our district remains hard at work, providing continuing education, enrichment, and healthy meals during the off months for students. Click on the links for more details.

Summer School

4J is providing several summer learning programs for selected students at all grade levels.

Free Meals

4J will provide free breakfast and lunch, Monday–Friday, for all youth 18 years old and younger from July 10–Aug 18 at four locations. Free summer meals also are available at numerous community sites hosted by FOOD for Lane County.

School Office & Health Center Schedules

High school offices remain open through the summer but operate on reduced hours. Elementary school offices, middle school offices, and school-based health centers are closed for most of the summer.

Summer break is the busiest time of year for our facilities team and contractors to complete needed maintenance projects at schools and other district-owned buildings. They also will be focused on two major construction projects. Here's a brief rundown of some of this summer's notable construction and maintenance projects:

• Put finishing touches on and move into new North Eugene High School building
  
• Continue construction at the new Camas Ridge Elementary School building
  
• Security vestibules at Sheldon and South Eugene high schools
• Painting exterior at McCornack and Twin Oaks elementary schools
• Gym floors at Edgewood, Howard and Yugin Gakuen elementary schools; Kelly and Roosevelt middle schools; and Sheldon High School
• Boiler upgrade at Monroe Middle School

This week, Highlander students helped move some items from the old building into the new North Eugene High School building as our district prepares for its fall opening.

Students in music, physical education and theater classes carried and rolled over fitness balls, yoga mats, stage props, drums — and, yes, even a gong — from the old building. Students also got a few minutes to tour the building, and were thrilled what what they saw.

Thank you, students and staff, for all your hard work. We look forward to you putting all those items to good use in the brand-new school building starting in September.

Registration is now open for students in grades 9–12 to enroll in up to four summer high school intensive courses. More than 500 incoming students in grades 9–12 have already signed up for one of our free, innovative thought-provoking, skill-enhancing and fun summer short course, designed and taught by 4J teachers. Make sure to join in the fun and learning this summer!

Several 4J schools and departments will have new leadership in 2023–24.

Some administrators are moving to new positions in 4J, others are new to Team Eugene. Welcome to these education leaders!

Our district has adopted a health education curriculum for 4J middle and high school students for the coming school year.

The superintendent recently approved the selection of The Great Body Shop curriculum for middle school, and the Live Well curriculum for high school students. A team of 4J educators and other district employees recommended the two curricula after a thorough review using a district-created evaluation tool that incorporated information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Oregon Department of Education and other sources. The team consisted of almost all parents, many with children in grades 6–12. It included teachers, both first-year as well as those with decades of experience, as well as individuals who identified as LGBTQ+ and BIPOC.

The selected curricula align with Oregon education standards. The lessons and materials will be made available to parents prior to instruction and will not deviate from the standards. An instructional guide will be made available to teachers outlining approved lessons. Parents will be able to opt their student out of learning certain topics, including human sexuality.

The video below provides more information about the adoption of the curricula and next steps. We welcome your comments on our district's Let's Talk page.

2023 4J Classified ACE Awards Champion

Special Ed Educational Assistant, Sheldon High School

One of Faten's nominators for the award shared:

"Faten Abdelhamid's commitment to making sure high school special education students
know they are valued, can succeed, and can overcome obstacles is what makes her
an amazing educational assistant and person. Her passion and commitment to teaching math,
as well as her ability to balance a number of levels at once, make her truly unique."

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS YEAR'S CHAMPIONS • JOIN TEAM EUGENE!

• Having A Field Day: North Eugene High School ninth graders enjoy fun and games outside with students at local elementary schools
• Capping It Off: Seniors share their thoughts about graduating while picking up their caps and gowns — Churchill • North Eugene • Sheldon • South Eugene
  
• Relaxation, Recycled: Chinese Immersion fifth grader wins BRING's Student Product Design Challenge creating backyard sanctuary with salvaged materials
  

Bilingual First Grade Teacher • Bilingual Kindergarten Teacher • Bus Aide • Bus Drivers • Coaches • Custodial Maintenance Coordinator • Design Studio Language Arts Teacher • District Ombuds • English Language Learners Teacher • Equipment Operator • Food Service Assistants • Food Service Coordinators • Groundskeeper • Health Teachers • HVAC Refrigeration Technician • Maintenance Worker • Math Teachers • Medicaid Coordinator • Middle School Principal • Music Teacher • Occupational Therapist • Physics Teacher • Plumber Specialist • School Psychologist • Senior Groundskeepers • Special Ed Educational Assistant • Special Education Teacher • and more!

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