Site Council Purpose

KUA families are invited to attend Site Council meetings, held monthly in person or on Zoom (except in December). Dinner is provided at in-person meetings in the Kimmel Family Resource Center by our Food Program, and 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!

Upcoming Meetings

May 8 – 5 p.m. – in person

June 5 – 5 p.m. – on Zoom

Recent Meeting Notes

Site Council members attending:

TEACHERS/STAFF: Julie Brunson, Abbey Busick, Sarah Flora, Emma Goularte, Monique Kruse, Tyrone McDonald, Jacob Rooks, Richelle Souza, David Thygeson, Lupita Vargas, Dallon Williams

PARENTS: Mayra Duran, Allison Merrell, Jessica Powell, Minerva Reyes

PRINCIPAL: Lindsay Ochs

Date: April 10, 2025

Time: 5-5:45 p.m.

Location: Zoom

Students residing within the Medford School District will receive priority enrollment at Kids Unlimited Academy for the 2025-26 academic year.

Changes to the school day schedule and staffing for the upcoming year also were announced to KUA parents attending the April 10 Site Council meeting on Zoom. Parents were urged to complete the pre-enrollment process as soon as possible, prior to the May 7 closing date.

“It was really a decision based on what families expressed worked best for the majority,” said KUA Principal Lindsay Ochs. “A lot of the feedback we received … not many people liked that 4 o’clock end.”

With the official school start time set for 8 a.m., KUA’s academic day will conclude at 3 p.m. in 2025-26. This schedule permits the reinstatement of afterschool enrichment, which most families prefer to a morning enrichment program, promoting activities that are “more productive” in the late afternoon, said Lupita Varagas, KU director of educational services.

“We are looking for people interested in engaging kids in learning a new skill,” she said of afterschool enrichment opportunities.

Vargas emphasized that families can still drop students off at 7:30 a.m. for breakfast, including on Wednesdays, when the school start time is 9 a.m., in keeping with the district-wide late start on Wednesdays. The 90 minutes before classes start each Wednesday will be used for math and reading games, mindfulness and other classroom preparedness techniques.

“A half an hour goes real fast in the morning — real fast,” said Principal Ochs, urging families to arrive at school early.

Afterschool enrichment runs for 90 minutes at the end of each school day, with pickup between 4:30 and 5 p.m. Students enrolled in enrichment do not have to stay the entire time, Principal Ochs said. But students who are not enrolled must be picked up by 3:30 p.m. each day.

Transportation will not be available between Medford and White City in 2025-26. White City families must provide their own transportation to and from Medford if they wish to enroll in KUA. Medford school district transportation will continue, but only on days when the district is in session.

The main factors behind transportation changes are the cessation of programming in KU’s White City building, as well as KU lacking a bus compliant with Oregon Department of Education regulations, said Vargas. The earlier school start time for next year didn’t allow enough time in the morning to operate transportation between White City and Medford, she said. The change, however, will make for easier morning transitions for students living in White City, she added.

“I do really appreciate the families who are willing to literally go the extra mile,” said Principal Ochs.

While KUA continues to accept students from other districts, the charter school must prioritize students living in the Medford school district if enrollment exceeds the numbers planned for each KUA classroom, said Principal Ochs. A full school would be 468 in 2025-26. Parents were asked to enroll as soon as possible using the link sent through ParentSquare.

Staffing for next year reflects KUA’s return to three cohorts per grade and a “middle school model” for fifth grade.

David Thygeson joins the administrative staff as the new assistant principal in 2025-26, and Amanda Miller will take on the role of coordinator for Multi Tiered Systems of Support. Kindergarten teachers in 2025-26 are Sherry Rose, Sabrina Gonzalez and Krystal VanDyke. First grade teachers are Richelle Souza, Abbey Busick and Emma Goularte. Second grade teachers are Kelcey Lance, Jadyn Bass-Gouge and Dallon Williams.

Third grade teachers in 2025-26 are Murri Smith, Ricardo Rangel-Botello and Briana Murcia. Fourth grade teachers are Sarah Flora and Lishia Daniels. Fifth grade teachers are Julie Brunson (English language arts/social studies) and Megan Foster (science). KUA is hiring for an open position in each of fourth and fifth grades. The open position in fifth grade is for mathematics, Principal Ochs said.

Fifth grade in 2025-26 will assign teachers to particular disciplines so students get used to seeing different teachers for different subjects, said Principal Ochs. ELA and social studies will be combined, and students will have a home room. “All kids see all teachers,” said Principal Ochs.

All KUA students are supported in the way they need to be supported under MTSS, said current coordinator David Thygeson. About 80% of students are supported by tier 1, which aligns with the schoolwide standard, said Thygeson. About 15% of KUA students need tier-2 interventions, an example of which are small reading groups, he said. About 5% of KUA students need tier 3, which constitutes more one-on-one assistance, he added.

Parents saw multiple graphs and charts showing data and KUA students’ progress in reading since the beginning of the school year. In every grade, the numbers of kids at risk in reading dropped, said Thygeson. Kids became much more accurate readers throughout the school year. He showed data specific to KUA’s first grade in which an “intensive” group, on average, is passing — impressive, given the number of students initially at risk.

“Students are finding more and more instruction at their level and finding success,” said Thygeson.

He lauded KUA first-grade teachers for how well kids are doing at the “on level” group, according to their weekly assessments. “Really proud of that first grade team,” said Thygeson.

Thygeson shared the story of a KUA third-grade student who he worried would need a special education referral, even after six months. Under MTSS, she went from being two grades behind to less than a year behind.

“She wants to read in class now; she wants to read out loud,” said Thygeson, explaining that the student multiplied by five times the number of words per minute that she can decode.

He contrasted that story with the data of a student who was ultimately identified for a special education referral. “We’ve brought a much stronger data-focused approach to all of this.” Next year, administrators will be much more focused on social-emotional learning for MTSS and collecting data about behavior, he said.

Principal Ochs shared a story about a student whose reading level at the start of the school year was 41 words per minute — concerning to everyone — but who now reads 133 words per minute. “He just blew us all away today.”

Staff previously thought the student was headed for a special ed referral. “There are no words for how amazing it is,” said Principal Ochs, explaining that he’s gone from a kindergarten level to a fifth grade level in a little over a year. “I feel good sending him to middle school; I feel like he’s ready.”

Principal Ochs announced that Mayra Duran is the new parent-teacher organization president. She and instructional coach Cheryl Graham are working on getting it started.

Minerva Reyes asked when parents would be notified if their children have a spot for the coming school year. Principal Ochs said within a week of enrollment closing, likely by May 14.

Upcoming events

April 17 – Incoming kinder Zoom, 5:15 p.m.

April 21- 23 – Spring pictures

April 24 – Incoming kinder launch, 5:30 p.m.

April 25 – No Medford School District bus

May 5 – No Medford School District bus

May 8 – Site Council (last one) Lithia building, 5 p.m.

May 9 – NO SCHOOL for professional development

May 16 – Spring musical

May 20 – Auditions for Talent Show

May 23 – NO SCHOOL for professional development

May 26 – NO SCHOOL in observance of Memorial Day