KUA News

May 2025 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

Big things happen when we each contribute to the Kids Unlimited Academy mission.

KUA’s leadership, staff and students are so appreciative of families’ time and energy so far this school year to pitch in and make a difference. Your family can make the most significant impact of the year by volunteering at this month’s Southern Oregon Open. KU’s annual fundraising basketball tournament is an “all-hands-on-deck” event!

Families who sign up to lend a hand at the S.O. Open for four or more hours May 10-11 will fulfill their required parent engagement hours for the entire 2024-25 school year! Volunteers are needed at multiple locations in Medford to help with scorekeeping, game book, concessions and door/entry support.

Here are some of the key volunteer responsibilities:

Admissions Gate – Greet spectators, collect entrance fees, apply wristbands and ensure everyone entering is wearing one. This role may also involve helping with concessions.
Concessions – Assist as a cashier; some locations may require serving hot and cold food while others are just snacks and bottled drinks. At some locations, the gate and concessions are a combined responsibility.
Clock/Scorekeeper – Tracks points and fouls using the clock and scorebook. Basketball experience is helpful, but KU staff will train anyone who’s willing to learn.

In its 17th year, the S.O. Open is KU’s signature fundraising event, bringing 200 youth basketball teams from California, Washington, Nevada and around Oregon. Together with their families, these players and coaches represent more than 10,000 visitors staying, eating and recreating in our region.

Let’s work together to make this year’s S.O. Open the best KU fundraiser yet!

Lupita Vargas — KU Director of Educational Services, lvargas@kuaoregon.org

Lindsay Ochs — KUA Principal, lindsay.ochs@kuaoregon.org

Lindsay Ochs

Principal

From the Principal’s desk

Students are making strides — some of them huge — under Kids Unlimited Academy’s Multi-Tiered Systems of Support.

This holistic system that merges computer diagnostic tools and staff observation hasn’t just strengthened students’ academic performance. Behaviors have dramatically improved among students who were struggling in reading and mathematics prior to MTSS intervention.

The approach promotes inclusion and equity among students. It normalizes individualized education plans and prevents unnecessary referrals to special education. All KUA students under MTSS are supported in the specific way they each need to be supported.

The success of MTSS over nearly two years at KUA has inspired administrators to apply a social-emotional learning focus to MTSS in 2025-26 and use it to collect data about student behavior. We expect big returns on this effort.

I’ve had the pleasure — along with MTSS coordinator David Thygeson — of sharing some of the greatest MTSS impacts at recent KUA Site Council and School Board meetings. I’ve told our parents and leadership that this system is the most powerful tool to date preventing certain students from being lost in the system.

One KUA student, assisted by MTSS, gained more than four years of reading progress in a little over a year and a half. Entering fourth grade at a kindergarten reading level (41 words per minute), he is now a fifth grader reading on grade level (133 words per minute)! He enthusiastically participates in class, displays no more behavior issues and feels successful. Previously a student who jumped around to different schools, he is secure in his place at KUA and empowered to enter middle school, where I know he will have the confidence to tackle hard things.

This student’s MTSS success is just one of many at KUA. In every grade, the number of students at risk in reading has dropped, according to data that Mr. Thygeson has collected, analyzed and discussed with our staff and school community. KUA students at all grade levels have become much more accurate readers. And their testing success rates collectively have leaped from 20% in some cohorts to more than 80% in a single trimester.

MTSS interventions range from instructional extensions or reviews to small groups and one-on-one tutoring. About 80% of students receive the least intensive intervention, aligning with schoolwide standards. Put another way, MTSS refocuses the educational lens on students’ skills rather than on their academic deficits.

And KUA teachers, of course, have been key players in this process. Each class’s MTSS data confirm the great work our teachers do every day at KUA!

Support this work at home by encouraging your student to read to you and share what they’ve learned. Celebrate their accomplishments and watch their confidence grow!

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!

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 new Food Program puts more variety on students’ plates.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner menus incorporate more locally produced ingredients, including seasonally fresh fruits and vegetables. Beef and veggie Stroganoff and chicken, sausage and veggie jambalaya are new recipes to complement favorites like carnitas tacos and green pozole. Check out the menu at kuaoregon.org/menu

All KUA 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.

Strawberries are coming on strong, just in time to bring more color, flavor and nutrition to morning meals. As KUA continues state testing this month, the importance of students starting their day with a wholesome meal can’t be overstated.

Fresh fruit lightly sprinkled with this cocoa-sugar mixture is a vitamin C-rich alternative to artificially flavored syrups. If strawberries are not in season, top with any seasonal fresh fruit. Or use thawed frozen or canned fruit. Be sure to drain before using.

Find more family-friendly, quick-fix, wholesome recipes at cookingmatters.org

Chocolate Strawberry French Toast

Ingredients:

8 medium strawberries
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Nonstick cooking spray, as needed
4 slices whole-wheat bread

Instructions:

Rinse the strawberries. Cut off leafy tops. Slice ⅛ inch thick.
In a small bowl, whisk the cocoa powder and sugar together with a fork. Set aside.
In a second small bowl, beat the egg with a fork until well blended.
Add the milk and cinnamon to beaten egg. Beat about 1 minute more.
Coat a medium skillet with some nonstick cooking spray. Heat over medium heat.
Dip 1 piece of bread in egg mixture. Flip to coat both sides. Remove from egg mixture, shaking off any excess egg coating. Place quickly in hot skillet. Cook until golden brown, for about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan.
Repeat steps 5 and 6 until each piece of bread has been cooked.
Top each piece of bread with 3 tablespoons sliced strawberries. Dust generously with cocoa mixture.

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 subject in school and why?”

“If your pet could talk to you, what would it say?”

“Which do you prefer: red enchiladas or green? Describe the difference in their flavors.”