KUA News
June 2026 Newsletter
Empowerment Through Opportunity
Our mission: to break down barriers for students by providing more instructional time, enriching programs and a high-expectations, no-excuses environment to ensure high school graduation, college success and career readiness are reasonable goals for all students regardless of race, language, ethnicity, gender, economic status or zip code.
Administrators’ message
Learning, growing and belonging at Kids Unlimited Academy are summertime traditions.
KUA’s 2026 Summer Camp will welcome students attending KU Afterschool at Medford elementary schools — plus some new friends — for STEM activities, creative projects, hands-on learning, field trips and more. Each week brings a different fun-filled theme, including games and teamwork, animal explorations, crafts and culinary creations, science and engineering and old-fashioned summer fun!
Camp starts June 15 and runs through Aug. 7. The daily schedule, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., includes breakfast, lunch and a snack. The cost is $250 per week with a four-week minimum. To register, download, complete and submit the registration packet (English and Spanish). Or sign up in the KUA front office.
Summer camp scholarships are available with awards based on family size and income — just submit your most recent tax return to apply. KU also accepts Employment Related Day Care benefits. Payment is due each week before camp begins. A $10 per week deposit is required at registration and goes toward your total balance.
Before KUA takes a break from its regular school schedule, please mark your calendars for our fun and memorable end-of-the-year events. Enjoy a Popsicle with the Principal during our last Site Council of the school year, Thursday, June 4, from 5 to 5:45 p.m.
Students’ artistic and onstage talents will be celebrated Friday, June 5, at KUA’s Visual & Performing Arts Show. The art walk starts at 11:05 a.m., followed with the ribbon ceremony at 12:40 p.m. The talent show begins at 1 p.m.
Fifth graders’ promotion to middle school ceremony is planned for 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 10. The last day of school, Thursday, June 11, honors our youngest students with kindergarten graduation at 8:30 a.m. Look for invitations sent home with graduating students.
Don’t forget to complete your online registration for 2026-27 in ParentVue (which is not the same as ParentSquare). This process is required by the Medford school district, utilizing a code provided for KUA. Families should have received an email and ParentSquare message with instructions and a link.
If you did not receive a registration code or communication about this requirement for the coming school year, please contact the KUA front office. Our front office staff can also guide families through the online registration process.
Congratulations and thank you for another school year of learning, growing and belonging to our KUA community!
Lupita Vargas – KU Director of Educational Services, lvargas@kuaoregon.org
Lindsay Ochs – KUA Principal, lindsay.ochs@kuaoregon.org
David Thygeson – KUA Assistant Principal, david.thygeson@kuaoregon.org
Lindsay Ochs
Principal
From the Principal’s desk
Academic growth is just one measure of a successful school year. Students’ developmental, emotional and social growth at Kids Unlimited Academy was a focus for 2025-26 that will continue next year at our public charter school.
The next phase of KUA’s social-emotional learning curriculum, Ripple Effects, will include a Strengths Screener at the beginning of the 2026-27 school year. This tool measures students’ perceptions of their ability to cope with challenges and to succeed socially and academically at school. Collected again at the end of next school year, the data will help KUA administrators measure the overall impact of Ripple Effects and guide student support.
KUA students in grades 2-5 engaged with Ripple Effects’ interactive, self-directed computer modules for more than 100,000 total minutes during the 2025-26 school year. First grade teachers incorporated the curriculum into whole-class instruction. The impact has been overwhelmingly positive as KUA students applied the program’s vocabulary, strategies and lessons in meaningful ways.
“Looking ahead, our goal is to continue increasing student engagement with the program while streamlining implementation across grade levels,” said KUA Assistant Principal David Thygeson.
Many KUA students have shared that Ripple Effects helps them to better understand challenges in their lives and to meet those challenges with healthier, more productive responses. Ripple Effects offers dozens of topics, from frustration and embarrassment to empathy and listening, from self-talk and impulse control to exercise and healthy eating habits.
KUA’s commitment to students’ physical activity, wholesome meals and other aspects of personal and schoolwide wellness is detailed in our updated wellness policy. Find the policy and our charter school’s triennial report online. Parent, student or staff feedback can be shared with Mr. Thygeson, david.thygeson@kuaoregon.org.
Encourage your student’s continued development during summer break with activities that promote togetherness while making literacy, mathematics and learning fun!
Start a summer reading challenge — create a daily family reading time; read books aloud together; visit a local library each week; listen to audiobooks during car rides; build or decorate a cozy reading fort or nook; retell stories through artworks or a puppet-show performance.
Use math in small, everyday ways — practice counting during grocery shopping; cook together and measure ingredients; practice money skills while shopping; play board games with dice and counting; create scavenger hunts with math clues; count birds, rocks or flowers on walks; measure items around the house; sort and graph household objects.
Learn from nature and being outdoors — plant a garden or flowers; observe insects and nature outdoors; visit parks and discuss plants and animals; create paper airplanes and test distances; explore local hiking trails; practice map-reading skills; track weather each day; build forts or obstacle courses.
Tell stories about yourself, family and friends — keep a summer journal; create a daily gratitude list; write postcards or letters to family and friends; create comic books; make a family recipe book; interview grandparents or neighbors and write about them; make vacation scrapbooks with photos, illustrations and captions; draw or paint favorite summer memories.
Wishing you a safe and memorable summer full of fun and relaxation. See you next school year!
Attendance matters!
Regular school attendance promotes school success and is required by Oregon Law, which mandates that students miss no more than 15 school days each academic year. Any student absent for 10 or more consecutive days will be dropped from KUA enrollment. Your child may lose his/her spot at KUA.
The loss of learning that takes place when your child is absent cannot be replaced. Chronic absenteeism in kindergarten can predict lower test scores, poor attendance and retention in later grades. If you need help getting your child to school on time, please reach out to us!
Always notify the school, by calling the office at 541-774-3900 between 7:30 a.m. and 9 a.m., when your child is absent or going to be absent for any reason. Please provide the student’s full name, grade and reason for absence. A doctor’s note is required for absences of longer than 3 days.
Attendance matters!
Regular school attendance promotes school success and is required by Oregon Law, which mandates that students miss no more than 15 school days each academic year. Any student absent for 10 or more consecutive days will be dropped from KUA enrollment. Your child may lose his/her spot at KUA.
The loss of learning that takes place when your child is absent cannot be replaced. Chronic absenteeism in kindergarten can predict lower test scores, poor attendance and retention in later grades. If you need help getting your child to school on time, please reach out to us!
Always notify the school, by calling the office at 541-774-3900 between 7:30 a.m. and 9 a.m., when your child is absent or going to be absent for any reason. Please provide the student’s full name, grade and reason for absence. A doctor’s note is required for absences of longer than 3 days.
Why year-round school?
We can’t speak highly enough of our year-round academic calendar, which is overwhelmingly supported by our families. Below are a few key reasons why we decided in 2021 to become Oregon’s first year-round public school.
- Students retain what they learn all year, rather than experience summer learning loss.
- Additional time for authentic hands-on learning opportunities, excursions and field trips.
- Additional school days help to close the achievement gap.
- Increased opportunities for extra help and tutoring.
- Consistent routines lead to better-adjusted students — and teachers
- Easier access for vacations during the school year.
- Decreased teacher and student absences.
What’s cooking?
Our Food Program fills up students with wholesome meals.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner menus incorporate locally produced ingredients, including seasonally fresh fruits and vegetables. Lasagna, roast turkey and beef stir-fry are new recipes to complement favorites like carne asada tacos and green pozole. Check out the menu at kuaoregon.org/menu
All Kids Unlimited Academy students are eligible for free breakfast, lunch and dinner — cooked from scratch using fresh ingredients in our on-site kitchen. We are an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Our nationally recognized, award-winning food program is unique in the Medford school district, and we take pride in providing students’ daily nutrition. Build your kids’ healthy habits at home with whole foods instead of processed ones.
Summer is the season for outdoor cooking! Make your family’s cookout a lower-fat, heart-healthy event with these chicken burgers. Chopped bell peppers and onions infuse the patties with a wholesome serving of veggies and extra flavor.
Find more family-friendly recipes at cookingmatters.org
Chicken Burgers
Ingredients:
- 1/4 small bell pepper
- 1/4 small red onion
- 1 pound lean ground chicken or turkey (may substitute beef)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- Whole-wheat buns, for serving
- Fresh sliced lettuce, tomato and onion, for serving
Instructions:
- Rinse and finely chop the bell pepper; peel and chop the onion.
- In a medium bowl, combine chopped bell pepper and onion with the ground meat, spices and salt.
- Divide mixture into 4 equal portions. Form portions into patties about 4 inches across.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add burger patties and cook until browned on both sides, for about 5 minutes per side. Add a couple of tablespoons of water to pan. Cover and cook until burgers reach an internal temperature of 165 F on an instant-read thermometer, for about 5-10 minutes more.
- Serve burgers on the buns with the lettuce, tomato and onion and condiments of your choice. Delicious with sweet potato fries or a tossed green salad!
Makes 4 servings.
Table Talk
Family conversations during meals or before bedtime are a great way to reconnect, help younger kids to develop language skills and help parents to stay informed about happenings at school.
If kids are reluctant to talk about events of the day out loud, encourage them to explore their feelings by drawing or — for older kids — writing some thoughts on paper. Use the Table Talk flyer sent home with students as a guide and return it to the front office for credit toward fulfilling monthly volunteer hours.
“What is your favorite thing about summer break?”
“Do you prefer spending time in the sunshine or time in the water?”
“What do you love most about your father, stepfather, grandfather or the person who cares for you?”
The Month Ahead
