Dr. Heather Cordie, Superintendent

January 20, 2017

Sherwood School District 88J 23295 SW Main St. Sherwood, OR 97140 503.825.5000 Fax 503.825.5001 www.sherwood.k12.or.us

Dear Sherwood staff, families, and community members: Last Friday, January 13, I sent a letter (linked here) sharing with you the challenges and potential options that the District has been considering to make up instructional hours as a result of the eight days of emergency closure and one two-hour late start we experienced over the past weeks - with none of the scenarios providing a perfect solution. Fortunately, the adopted Sherwood School District Calendar for 2016-17 already offered approximately four days (24 instructional hours) more than the State requires at grades 10-11, and we were beyond the extra 24 hours at grades K-9. Our ultimate task was to add back roughly 24 hours (four days) of instructional time. Among the possibilities we have considered: Changing Presidents’ Day, 2/20, currently a non-contract day, to a regular school day; adding minutes to the remaining school days; adding days to the end of the school year in June; and evaluating use of Early Release Days scheduled this year. After looking carefully at adding minutes to the school day, we determined this option presents a number of significant challenges. Adding minutes requires negotiating collective bargaining agreements with staff, coordinating with schools to make schedule changes at all three levels, making adjustments to transportation services, and can result in interruption to athletic practices, after-school events, student commitments, etc. With all of that in mind, we set out to find the best solution that would meet the needs of students while considering staff and community concerns. We presented our recommendation to the Board of Directors at the regular Board meeting on Wednesday, January 18, and received their approval to proceed with the below proposal. Effectively immediately, the following changes will be made to the 2016-17 District Calendar (attached): •

•

Presidents’ Day becomes a full instructional day (gaining back one day). o The decision to utilize Presidents’ Day for instruction was fairly easy. February 20, Presidents’ Day, is a non-contract day that has been set aside for the purpose of making up inclement weather days. Replace the nine remaining CLTs with full instructional days (gaining back three more days). o The remaining nine Early Release Days will be designated Emergency Closure Recovery Days, which will allow us to add enough of the additionally needed instructional hours to keep June 16 the last day for students and June 19 the last work day for teachers. It also allows families and staff to keep

Letter from Superintendent Cordie January 20, 2017 Page 2 of 2

•

their summer plans, and it would replace instructional time earlier in the year when it most benefits students versus placing the instructional time at the end of the year. o Many of our high school students have high stakes exams such as AP tests which help students earn college credits in high school, and the ACT which impacts college admissions. These test dates are fixed and the alternative, solely adding time in June, would not help students prepare for these exams. Move the last day of Trimester 2 to March 23 with the Teacher Work Day on March 24. o Moving the end of the trimester is necessary in order to balance the trimesters and to create time for teachers to complete Trimester 2 curriculum. This results in no school for students on March 24.

As many of you know, our District has gone to great lengths in the past couple of years to structure additional, dedicated Collaborative Learning Time (CLT) for our staff - that is, the time used on Early Release Days that teachers and other staff collaborate to improve instructional practices, focus instruction on the needs of individual students based on analysis of assessment data, complete professional development, and other tasks not possible on a regular school day. This time has a direct, positive impact on the quality of instruction in the classroom and the achievement of our students. Considering removal of our remaining Early Release Days this year - even though only temporary - is a painful decision for District leaders, staff, and the Board of Directors because the value of that work is felt in the classroom. That being said, Early Release Days will continue to be included in our District’s future school calendars as it allows our teachers to improve their craft and best support and educate our students. As we are still in the middle of an unpredictable winter season, we have to remain prepared that additional inclement weather days could still occur. Even with these modifications to the calendar, we caution that should our District experience any additional emergency closures this school year, those days may be made up the week of June 19-23. I share with you the frustration that the loss of school days has created for us all, and am thankful for the support, patience and understanding that has been extended when we have to make the hard decisions in response to weather in order to ensure all those who serve in and are served by Sherwood Schools remain safe. Let us hope that spring arrives soon! All the best,

Dr. Heather Cordie Superintendent

Sherwood School District 88J 2016-17 ACADEMIC CALENDAR (Revised for Emergency Closure Days)

JULY S

M

T

W

T

F 1

3

H

5

6

7

8

S 2 9

S 1 8

M

T

H

3 PD

9

2hr late-start

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

15

H

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

22

23

24

25

26

New Teacher Academy

August 23-26

S

PD/Workday

August 29-Sept 2

7

Labor Day

September 5

JANUARY

27

28

29

30

29

30

W

T

4 11

10

5 12

F 6 13

14

Emerg Closure

Emerg Closure

Emerg Closure

18

19

20

21

24 25 ECRD

26

27

28

17 Emerg Closure

31

S

M 1

T

W

T

F

S

2

3

4

5

6

S

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

5

15

16

17

18

19

20

12

28

22 Ë PD PDW

PDW

Ë

Ë PD

Ë PD

work day

27

PDW

6

4

M H

11

12

18

19 HS BTSN

25

26

T 6 Tri 1

13 20 27

W

F

S

FEBRUARY

September 22

T

Statewide Inservice/Professional Development

October 14

Conference Days, Grades 6-12

October 20 (4:30-8); October 21 (8-12)

7 14

26

28

PDW

PDW

3

7

8

9

10

14

15 M BTSN

21

22 E BTSN

ER

29

16 23

17 24

30

S 5 12 19 26

M 6 13 20 NC

M

T

W

T

W

8 ECRD

15 21 22 ECRD

T

F

2

3

4

9

10

11

16

17

18

Conference Days, Grades K-5

November 9-10 (8-8, 8-12)

25

Veterans Day

November 11

Non-Contract Days

November 21-23

Thanksgiving Day

November 24

Non-Contract Day

November 25

23

24

W

T

F

S

Teacher Work Day

December 5

2

3

4

Winter Break

Dec. 19 - Jan. 2

7

1 8

9

10

11

Professional Development

January 3

18

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

January 16

25

Presidents' Day (Emergency Closure Recovery Day)

February 20

Teacher Work Day

March 24

Spring Break

March 27-31

Conference Day, Grades 6-8 Only

April 6 (4:30-8); April 7 (8-12)

ECRD

14

15 16 23 Δ 21 22 (57 days) ECRD NC

NC

NC

17 24 W

NC

APRIL F

S

S

M

T

W

T

F

1

Kindergarten Roundup

April 19 (tentative)

6

7 MC

8

Conference Days, Grades K-5 Only

May 4-5 (8-8, 8-12)

13

14

15

Memorial Day

May 29

22

Graduation

June 9

29

8th Grade Promotion

June 16

Last Day for Students, 1/2 day

June 16

Teacher Work Day

June 19

1 3

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

2

Tri 3

9

10

11

ER

13

14

15

9

10

20

21

16 23 30

17 24

18 25

19 ER

27

PD HC/MC

28

22 29

31

16 23

17 24

4

M

5

11 12 ECRD 18

19 25 26 ECRD

W

T

F

S

1

2 9

3 10

4

5

EC

EC

H

12

S

M

T

W

1

2

3

7

8

9

10

16

7

8

13

14

15

ER

17

18

19

14

15

20

NC

NC

NC

H

NC

26

21

22

17 23 24 ECRD

27

28

29

30

28

H

30

DECEMBER

4 11 18

M 5 W

12 NC

27

21 28

MAY

T

6

S

20

S

30 NOVEMBER

S

S

T

OCTOBER S

T 6 Tri 2

13 NC

W

7 ER

NC

F

S

1 8

2Δ

3

(57 days)

9

Emerg Closure

Emerg Closure

15

16

Emerg Closure

Emerg Closure

NC

ECRD

Trimesters - Total Instructional & Conference Days

T

F

S

1st Trimester ends Dec 2

57

6

2nd Trimester ends March 23

57

4

5

EC

EC

11

12

13

18

19

20

25

26

27

31

NC

S

10

4

17 24

M

T

W

3rd Trimester ends June 16

54

27 Uninterrupted Weeks including conference weeks

168

Symbol key:

JUNE

T

September 8

September 19

MARCH

T

September 7

Grade K(C)

Back to School Night Grades K-5

SEPTEMBER S

Grades K(B), 7, 8, 10-12

September 15

13 19 20 ECRD 27

September 6

Back to School Night Grades 9-12

1

14 21

M

Grades K(A)-6 and 9

Back to School Night Grades 6-8

31 AUGUST

First Day for Students

Ë

New Teacher Academy

Δ

End of Trimester

T

F

S

EC

Elementary Conference Day, No School Grades K-5 Only

1

2

3

MC

Middle School Conference Day, No School Grades 6-8 Only

5

6

7

8

9

10

HC

High School Conference Day, No School Grades 9-12 Only

11

12

13

14

15

16 Δ (54 days)

17

NC

Non Contract Days

18

19 W

20

21

22

23

24

H ECRD

Revised calendar approved by Sherwood School Board at the January 18, 2017 Board Meeting.

ER

Holidays Emergency Closure Recovery Day Early Release Day Secondary Start Time: 8:00 AM

Release time for the last day of school:

Elementary Early Release Time: 12:15 PM

Elementary Release Time : 11:15 AM

Secondary Start Time: 8:00 AM

Secondary Release Time:

Secondary Early Release Time: 12:50 PM

11:50 AM