Site Council Purpose

KUA families are invited to attend Site Council meetings, held monthly at 5 p.m. on Zoom (except in December). Each time they attend a meeting, families fulfill one volunteer hour of their required KUA hours for the year.

A school can only call itself successful when leaders, families and stakeholders all sit at the same table. At KUA Site Council, parents can share their concerns, listen to what is happening behind the scenes and, with everyone’s input, help us all keep on the same page. Meetings do not address budgetary decisions. Rather, we build bridges of understanding and trust so when challenges arise, our students know we all worked together to come up with solutions. KUA was built on this trust between our community, our donors, our staff and our families.

At our Site Council meetings, we show respect, but we also aren’t afraid to show our hearts. Together we make great things happen!

Monthly Zoom Meetings

All meetings are at 5 p.m.

Sept. 11, 2025

Oct. 9, 2025

Nov. 13, 2025 (canceled)

Jan. 15, 2026

Feb. 12, 2026

March 19, 2026 (canceled)

April 9, 2026

May 14, 2026

June 4, 2026 – in person

Zoom meeting link

https://kuacademy.zoom.us/j/85777275622

Recent Meeting Notes

Site Council members attending:

TEACHERS/STAFF: Jadyn Bass-Gouge, Julie Brunson, Lishia Daniels, Monique Kruse, Sarah Lemon, Amma Mirasol, Tyrone McDonald, Mariah O’Connor, David Thygeson, Krystal Van Dyke, Lupita Vargas

PARENTS: Jonah Baker, Mayra Duran, Reyna Leon Oregon, Ashley Padilla, Lizette Perez, Martha Regalado

PRINCIPAL: Lindsay Ochs

Date: April 9, 2026

Time: 5-5:30 p.m.

Parents attending Kids Unlimited Academy’s Site Council heard tips for student success during spring’s state testing.

KUA on April 6 began two months of administering Oregon’s Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium exams. SBAC tests, taken during students’ special morning blocks, continue in April and May for KUA grades 3-5 according to the following schedule:

Math computer-adaptive tests – April 14-17;
Math performance task assessments – April 20-23;
English computer-adaptive tests – May 5-7;
English writing tests – May 11-15.

“This is the standardized test that Oregon requires all public schools to take part in,” said KUA Assistant Principal David Thygeson, adding that all Oregon students in grades 3-5 must take it unless they opt out.

Thygeson shared the following strategies that can help students prepare at school — and at home — for SBAC testing:

Arriving at school on time for testing reduces anxiety.
Eat regular meals on testing days and the night before.
Sucking on peppermint candies during testing has been shown to reduce anxiety.
Practice math facts at home because calculators are not available for all test questions.

Thygeson stressed the importance of kids getting to school on time. Students who are late are not allowed to test. Taking advantage of KUA’s free, wholesome breakfast is another reason to arrive at school early on test days.

“Your brain uses a lot of energy,” said Thygeson.

Teachers have been preparing students by using embedded strategies within the classroom so problems look familiar during testing, said Thygeson. Students also have had practice with the testing technology so they can type in answers correctly during short practice tests online, he said.

SBAC tests are aligned to state standards, said Thygeson, adding that they also are “adaptive,” meaning the computer detects if the student is struggling or acing the material, and the computer program adjusts questions accordingly. Scoring a 1 or 2 indicates a student is not meeting grade level standards; scores of 3 or 4 indicate students are meeting standards. A score of 5 applies to students who are “way above grade level,” according to KUA’s instructional coach Cheryl Graham.

KUA receives an SBAC school “report card,” published publicly, that compares students’ performance on state assessments with other local schools that have similar demographics. KUA uses the data to track students’ progress, looking for correlations between iReady success and SBAC that help administration determine areas of weakness and then address those in different grade level cohorts, said Thygeson.

SBAC results help the Oregon Department of Education and state legislature make decisions about resource allocation, Thygeson said. Oregon students in grades 3 through 9 and grade 11 are required by state and federal law to take online assessment tests in English language arts and math. Students in grades 5, 8 and 11 take additional tests in science, he said.

Principal Lindsay Ochs apologized that the meeting wasn’t titled Site Council/PTO, but the session does host KUA’s Parent-Teacher Organization. PTO president Mayra Duran said she wanted to put out a call for parent volunteers at Field Day, May 28-29. She asked for a list of all the Field Day stations that teachers were staffing so she could find a parent to operate it for the day. Duran said parents also had some ideas for stations. Staff assistant Monique Kruse said there was a list from previous years she would share, and parents could pick what they liked.

Duran also asked administrators about the schedule for KU summer camp. Lupita Vargas, director of educational services, replied that she was waiting to hear about KUA’s State Summer Learning Grant before she could communicate all the details of summer programming. The start date, however, has been set for June 22, she said.

Ochs previewed the next KUA school year, starting Aug. 17, 2026. Kindergarten starts a week later. Fall break is Sept. 28 through Oct. 2. Winter break is Dec. 21 through Jan. 4, 2027. Spring break is March 22-26, 2027. KUA’s last day of school is June 11, 2027. The 2026-27 calendar went live April 10 on the KUA website. There will be three cohorts per grade next year.

The principal urged everyone to fill out KUA’s intent to re-enroll form online. KUA’s official online enrollment through the Medford school district will be communicated by KUA office staff with a code for the charter school. Vargas reiterated openings available in most grades; if anyone knows families who would be a good fit for KUA, please encourage them to apply. Reyna Leon Oregon asked if enrollment could take place without an in-person interview, explaining that she knew a family who couldn’t do it in person, and that was a barrier. She asked if there was a deadline. Ochs replied there is no deadline, and staff are doing interviews year-round for new students.

Duran shared that the PTO put on February’s KUA Literacy Night, and they considered it pretty successful. She said she received positive feedback from kids and parents who were excited about the event. Ochs said she heard good things, too. Literacy night interest, she said, kind of “ebbs and flows” depending on the popularity of KUA’s Math Night. Kruse said she noted more families at Literacy Night than there were last year. Ochs estimated 250 people.

Upcoming events:

April 16 – Incoming Kinder Zoom

April 23 – Kinder Launch open house

April 24 – PD day, no school

May 1-2 – “Willy Wonka Jr.” spring musical

May 4 – No MSD bus

May 4-8 – Staff appreciation week

May 8 – PD day, no school

May 14 – Site Council/PTO on Zoom

May 19-20 – Royal assemblies

May 22 – PD day, no school

May 25 – Memorial Day, no school