KUA News

September 2024 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

We’re in a class of our own at Kids Unlimited Academy.

As other schools locally are just reconvening, KUA has almost a full month back in the classroom! September also takes KUA students outside the classroom for some engaging events that bring our entire school together.

KUA’s first Family Night of the year is at 6 p.m. Sept. 17. Mark your calendars for our free movie night, planned and hosted by KUA’s fifth grade cohort. In a new initiative this year, KUA grade levels will take turns planning and putting on these monthly events.

Last month officially kicked off the Jog-a-Thon pledge drive. This signature KUA fundraiser is a fun, healthy activity that builds teamwork and school spirit. Help your class reach its pledge goal of $1,000 — that’s $22,000 for the entire school. And then let’s all lace up our shoes and get running Sept. 27 at the Hedrick Middle School track.

Jog-a-Thon concludes KUA’s first spirit week of the school year. Parents are welcome to celebrate with us at the KUA Spirit Assembly Sept. 26. Stay tuned for each day’s theme and suggestions for colorful and creative attire.

Free dress days are permitted for each grade during school pictures Sept. 10-12. Check the KUA school year events calendar for your student’s assigned day. There is no school Sept. 13 for staff professional development.

Monday, Sept. 30, is the start of KUA’s weeklong fall break. School resumes Oct. 4.

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

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

Emmanuel Balan — KUA Director of School Culture, emmanuel.balan@kuaoregon.org

Mimi Davis — KUA Assistant Principal, mimi.davis@kuaoregon.org

Mendy Hellmann — KU Director of Early Learning, mendy.hellmann@kuaoregon.org

Lindsay Ochs

Principal

From the Principal’s desk

Congratulations, Kids Unlimited Academy students, parents and staff, on completing our first month of school together!

Getting used to new routines, schedules, environments and interactions is perhaps the biggest challenge of our first few weeks on KUA’s year-round academic calendar. The length of our realigned school day is a significant adjustment, especially for KUA’s younger students.

Easing these transitions and preparing kids for success at school starts with solid habits at home. Last month’s newsletter advised families to establish regular bedtimes and routines that promote a restful night’s sleep. Turn off electronic devices at least an hour before bed. This is a good time to read together as a family.

While monitoring kids’ screen time, please be aware not only of quantity but quality. Numerous learning apps and instructional videos can contribute to kids’ educational experiences and understanding of the world. Many video games and YouTube channels, however, contain underlying — or explicitly stated — messages that conflict with KUA’s values, mission and work to empower our students.

Consider whether the media present in your household aligns with your family’s values and the KUA values of respect, honesty, integrity and proper language outlined in our handbook (English and Spanish). KUA’s behavior system focuses on expectations for students to be respectful, responsible and safe. Parents who model these at home reinforce KUA’s approach to positive discipline during the school day.

Additionally, parent monitoring of their children’s social media use is an important element of KUA’s parent-student-school agreements for the purpose of students’ safety. If you haven’t already returned your signed copy of these agreements to the front office, please read them with your child and sign them together.

Just as personal electronic devices should stay at home, please leave behind all toys for the school day. Toys not only distract from the learning environment but can be lost or damaged at school.

Setting the stage for quality learning begins at home. Thank you for investing time and effort in your student’s success!

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.

Fall brings a bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables with their vitamins, minerals and fiber. Experiment with combinations that your family enjoys, using this recipe from Cooking Matters as a guide. Spinach could be substituted for field greens, pears for apples, carrots for beets and celery for fennel. A simple dressing enhances this salad’s crunch. For more protein, add leftover cooked meat or beans.

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

Fall Vegetable Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup barley, whole-grain couscous or quinoa
1 medium fennel bulb
1 bunch hearty greens, such as kale, chard or collards
1 small beet, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 medium firm apple, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup nuts, such as pecans, walnuts or almonds
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
Juice of 1 medium lemon
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup canola or olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions:

Cook the grain according to package directions. Transfer to a large bowl and allow to cool while you prepare salad.
Rinse fennel, greens, beet and apple. Trim away any long stalks and fronds from the fennel. Quarter fennel bulb, cut out core and thinly slice remaining bulb. Remove stems from the greens, stack leaves, roll into a thick log and thinly slice.
In a small skillet over medium-low heat, toast the nuts for 3 to 5 minutes until fragrant. Allow to cool.
In a small bowl, combine the garlic, lemon juice, vinegar and mustard. Whisking mixture continuously, slowly drizzle in the oil. Season with the salt and pepper.
When grains are cool, add fennel, greens, diced beet and apple to bowl, drizzle with dressing, toss to combine and sprinkle with toasted nuts.

Makes 6 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.

Unsure how to open a conversation? Keep it simple: “Tell me about your day.”

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 flyer sent home with students as a guide and return it to the front office for credit toward fulfilling monthly volunteer hours.

“What made you feel good/happy/proud today?”

“What made you feel sad/frustrated/challenged today?”

“Which things help these feelings get better?”