NCSD News

Whether it’s in elementary, middle, or high school, every NCSD staff member is dedicated to making sure all students feel a sense of belonging in every classroom. In many schools, teachers take time during their daily schedules to allow students to share their thoughts—which are less about reading, writing, and math…and more about how to lift each other’s spirits while being a good person. Take a look at how daily “class meetings” have transformed the dynamics of one Oregon Trail Elementary classroom.

There’s quite a buzz happening each week in our Sabin-Schellenberg’s Cosmetology program, and it’s not just the electric clippers snipping the final touches on a perfect haircut. That’s because several days throughout the school year are Client Days, when NCSD community members make appointments with Cosmetology students for salon services ranging from haircuts to highlights and perms to pedicures. Settle in to see how students handle all the hands-on happenings.

Each day, Happy Valley Elementary students Miles and Blake like to play with their friends at recess. But earlier this year, the two brothers made hundreds of new, older friends playing "Cupid" for the City of Happy Valley. The boys spent an afternoon paying surprise visits to seniors at several local care facilities, delivering more than 700 “Care Cards,” handmade by students at their school, Scouters Mountain, and Mt. Scott elementary schools. Don’t miss this heartwarming story full of charmful chats and a few cheerful tears showing you’re never too old to feel loved.

It had all the dribbling, shooting, and cheering of a rival high school basketball game, but a recent afternoon contest between Milwaukie and Putnam high schools had fans excitedly rooting for both teams. By bringing student athletes together with and without intellectual disabilities, Unified Basketball proves it’s less about points on the scoreboard…and much more about encouragement, opportunity, and most of all…inclusion. Grab a courtside seat for all the high energy and high fives that come from attending this NCSD heartwarming hoops program.

When an elementary school’s Leadership Team needed help counting coins from a recent fundraiser, it only made "cents" to call older role models from right up the street! That’s why Rex Putnam Leadership students gladly accepted the special invitation from Riverside to help with the Tigers’ coin counting, which turned into an unforgettable field trip teaching students of all ages about leadership, collaboration, and inspiring others.

This past fall marked the third time in the past four years that an NCSD teacher was named the Oregon Regional Teacher of the Year. What is it about Robert Parker’s hands-on teaching style that makes him so revered among students from all NCSD high schools? Hear directly from his students in class, as the architecture teacher reflects upon life experiences that led him to Sabin-Schellenberg, and why he believes NCSD’s commitment to Career Technical Education is paving the way for student success.

There’s never a shortage of excitement happening in first grade across our district. Yet perhaps the most exciting aspect for many students’ second year of elementary school is when reading skills really start to click for six and seven-year-olds, thanks to the tireless work put in by NCSD first grade teachers and their colleagues. With a booked-up calendar for Dr. James this week, Associate Director of Early Learning Jen Burkhart visits with Oak Grove Elementary first grade teachers Amy Clinton and Ilena Albarron about the amazing accomplishments happening across NCSD when it comes to first grade literacy!

In NCSD, we know that strong literacy skills allow students to confidently seek out information, explore self-interests, and gain a deeper understanding of the world around them. That’s why we continue to place a strong emphasis on teaching reading fundamentals as early as age 3! Yes, you read that right…did you know that students receive individualized literacy instruction even in NCSD’s preschool program at Oak Grove Elementary? This week, Dr. James visits this amazing classroom and learns how our youngest students are learning literacy more than one letter at a time.

As students get closer and closer to kindergarten age, a good start can make all the difference. At NCSD’s Wichita Center for Family and Community, parents/caregivers learn side-by-side with their 3- and 4-year-olds as part of the Ready Set Go! preschool program, an NCSD partnership with Metropolitan Family Services. This week, Dr. James visits with three of this program’s leaders, whose wonderful work brings smiles to families and helps kids gain confidence before enrolling in NCSD schools.

As part of our Social Emotional Learning curriculum in elementary, middle, and high school, all NCSD staff members are dedicated to making sure all students feel safe, welcome, and celebrated as members of a learning community where everybody belongs. This week, we visit Verne Duncan Elementary for a heartwarming look at how teacher Brian Pfaff fosters that deep sense of belonging with each of his 25+ fifth graders…by letting them brightly shine in his classroom’s weekly Student Spotlight.