KUA News

November 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

Routines for regular school attendance and on-time arrival should be well established at this point in our academic year. If your family is experiencing barriers to either of these expectations, please contact the Kids Unlimited Academy front office.

Parents of students who are chronically late or absent will be asked to meet with KUA administrative staff during conferences, scheduled for Nov. 24-25. KUA leadership cannot stress enough the importance of regular school attendance, required by Oregon law.

The state mandates that students miss no more than 15 school days each academic year. And families may forfeit their spot at KUA if students are absent for 10 or more consecutive days. See the Attendance Matters! section of this newsletter for more information about reporting excused absences.

Illness is cause for keeping students out of school. As cold and flu season progresses, please model and practice good hand-washing and hygiene. Review the KUA Student-Parent Handbook (English and Spanish) for guidance on when kids should stay home.

Getting plenty of rest and healthy food are other key strategies for preventing illness. Make sure your student starts each day with a wholesome breakfast. Arriving at school no later than 7:45 a.m. each morning ensures they have enough time to eat KUA’s freshly prepared breakfast and get to class by 8 a.m.

KUA’s secondary drop-off location is on Edwards Street, 7:50-8 a.m., which helps alleviate heavy morning traffic around the parking lot. Vehicles may not arrive on Edwards Street any earlier than 7:50 a.m. when buses have finished their drop-off. Students may not arrive at the Edwards entrance after 8 a.m., as no staff are available to let them in.

For KUA students arriving after 8 a.m., please come to the front office or use the alleyway, both of which are open for drop-off until 8:05 a.m. Wednesday drop-off runs from 7:30 to 9:05 a.m. to accommodate KUA’s late start. Drop-off at 7:15 a.m. in the alleyway has been discontinued because not enough vehicles arrive at that time.

Please note a change to the academic calendar: There will be no school Friday, Dec. 5, while staff set up KUA’s annual dinner theater production. Purchase your tickets to “Spaghetti Western or … Mission Im-pasta-ble” at kuaoregon.org/tickets. The show starts at 6:30 p.m., and admission costs $20.

This event is one of several holiday season celebrations at KUA. As we prepare for the excitement of Thanksgiving, Christmas and other occasions, take a moment to reflect on how gratitude is expressed in your family. Discuss with students what it means to be thankful and how this value elevates our sense of happiness and contentment.

Thank YOU for being part of our KUA family!

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

Parent involvement at Kids Unlimited Academy enhances feelings of pride, excitement and celebration in our public charter school.

Some families’ feelings, however, may shift this month toward uncertainty, nervousness or frustration around parent-teacher conferences. Yet these scheduled meetings between KUA teachers and families are perhaps the most important way to stay connected and focused on student success.

KUA will hold its first conferences of this academic year Nov. 24-25. Both are no-school days that immediately precede Thanksgiving break Nov. 26-28..

Soothe any feelings of stress before a parent-teacher conference by taking time to prepare and to revisit KUA’s parent-student-school agreements. Whether you expect a positive report from your student’s teacher or student challenges to navigate, please come to your conference on time, ready to listen and open to collaboration with school staff. Together, we can improve student outcomes and everyone’s educational experience.

KUA teachers guide the conference format, but parents can help to frame the discussion by brainstorming questions in advance — ask the most important ones first! Please plan to arrive five minutes before your scheduled conference slot, so you don’t miss any allotted time.

Here are a few more tips from childmind.org and understood.org that make for productive parent-teacher conferences:

1. About a week before the conference, familiarize yourself with your student’s homework to verify it’s getting done and they understand the assignments. Also review any prior communication from your child’s teacher, behavior reports and the school handbook.

2. Several days before the conference, talk with your child about why it takes place and, generally, what is likely to be discussed. Reassure your student that everyone is scheduled for conferences. Explore your child’s feelings about school, including time outside the classroom, and ask if he or she has any questions or concerns (either about schoolwork or classmates).

3. The day before the conference, have a list of questions ready. These could include: Is my student meeting expectations for learning and behavior? How does my student’s grade-level skills compare with others in the class? What else can be done at home or at school?

4. During the conference, listen carefully, stay calm and be ready to collaborate. Taking notes can help you remember details to share with your student’s other parent or help you ask questions later. If the teacher uses unfamiliar terms, ask for explanations.

5. Offer perspective in a respectful way. Hearing bad news, we often feel defensive, protective or frustrated. Take a few deep breaths and remember the teacher is working in the best interests of your child.

6. Turn a negative tone in a positive direction. Ask the teacher, “What does my child do well?” Share something your child enjoys about school. Keep in mind that teachers often hear only negative comments, too. If the conference doesn’t result in a solution or strategy, ask to schedule a follow-up meeting.

7. After the conference, talk to your student about what took place. Share uplifting comments, discuss teachers’ suggestions and ask for the student’s help tackling problems and challenges. If the conference concluded with a strategy for improving the student’s performance and progress, explain what needs to be done and why.

8. A few days after the conference, follow up with the teacher via email or ParentSquare to ensure you understand any strategy or plan that resulted from the meeting and that your child has been referred for any appropriate resources or school services. If all your concerns weren’t addressed during the conference, request another meeting. Share what you’ve been doing at home to assist your child’s learning!

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.

KU’s Food Program has been serving lots of freshly made pasta, including recipes that increase kids’ veggie consumption by blending them into the sauce. Cooked carrots or winter squash enhance the nutritional value of any jarred sauce. Popular and delicious fall squash varieties include butternut, acorn, delicata, even spaghetti squash. Firm tofu adds heart-healthy protein that’s easy on the grocery budget. The texture mimics meat without the fat!

Use any whole-grain pasta for this dish, or pick up a bag of KU’s Pastabilities Unlimited noodles at the Thursday farmers market in Medford’s Hawthorn Park.

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

Hearty Vegetable Pasta

Ingredients:

1 (16-ounce) package whole grain penne pasta
1 medium onion
1/2 pound carrots, or a combination of carrots and winter squash
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 (26-ounce) jar marinara sauce
1 (10-ounce) package firm tofu
1/3 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash of ground nutmeg

Instructions:

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Prepare sauce while pasta cooks.
Peel and rinse the onion, dice into 1/4-inch pieces.
Rinse, peel and grate the carrots. (If using winter squash, adults should rinse and peel before passing off to children to grate.)
In a large skillet over medium-low heat, heat the oil. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add the grated carrots and cook for 5 minutes more.
Add marinara sauce to vegetables. Drain the tofu. Crumble into sauce. Mix well.
Raise heat to medium. Cook until sauce begins to simmer, for about 7 minutes.
Pour in the milk. Stir to combine.
Pour sauce over cooked, drained pasta. Just before serving, add the salt and nutmeg. Stir.

Makes 16 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 does gratitude mean to you?”

“Which things and people are you most thankful for?”

“Which pie do you prefer: apple or pumpkin?”