Site Council Purpose
KUA families are invited to attend Site Council meetings, held monthly excepting December. Dinner is provided by our Food Program, and each time they attend a meeting, families fulfill one volunteer hour of their required six 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
KUA Medford:
May 9, 2024, 5:45 p.m.
June 13, 2024, 5 p.m.
KUA White City:
May 20, 2024, 7:45 a.m.
June 3, 2024, 5:30 p.m.
Recent Meeting Notes
Site Council members attending:
TEACHERS/STAFF: Emmanuel Balan, Monique Kruse, Sarah Lemon, Tyrone McDonald, Erin Monteith, David Thygeson, Lupita Vargas
PARENTS: Jasmine Garvey, Carl Nelson, Martha Regaldo
PRINCIPAL: Lindsay Ochs
April 11, 2024
Time: 5-5:45 p.m.
Location: Medford PreK building
Kids Unlimited Academy’s Walk to Read is showing impressive outcomes among students whose reading levels warrant this “repair model.”
David Thygeson, coordinator for KUA’s Multi-Tiered Systems of Support presented results from a two-month intervention among second graders reading at the kindergarten level. At the end of two months, students’ growth was more than the typical grade-level growth in an entire year.
“We have really strong data,” said Thygeson.
MTSS is a holistic system that merges computer diagnostic tools and staff observation to quickly identify and assist students who are struggling academically. MTSS meets students at their specific skill levels, regardless of grade cohort. Some interventions take place with an instructor in group settings; some are individual.
Beyond intervention and prevention, MTSS promotes inclusion and equity among students, normalizing those with individualized education plans. MTSS also assists students who already have a lot of skills but previously were overlooked for key intervention because, overall, they were performing above average.
During winter trimester, KUA’s second grade Walk to Read group posted an 80% success rate on computerized tests compared with 20% during fall trimester, said Thygeson. Among the 16 lowest-level readers, only one made no progress, which may indicate the need for a special ed referral.
Because MTSS diagnostics indicate students are making progress at their skill levels, unnecessary referrals for special education are avoided. Schools across Oregon historically have referred too many students who fall behind academically for special education.
There are a number of KUA students who have Individual Education Plans, and administrators are not sure why, said Thygeson. But the result of unnecessary IEPs is students losing classroom time in their core subjects, and they’re stuck with it for the foreseeable future, he said.
Coinciding with academic progress, these students’ behaviors have dramatically improved. Thygeson reported that students have not received a single negative behavior referral since starting MTSS because they’re no longer frustrated by instruction that surpasses their skill levels.
“We have had zero behavior referrals during reading when students are being taught at their skill level with kids at their pace,” said Thygeson. “They’re no longer saying: ‘I can’t read.’”
Walk to Read is just the start of MTSS possibilities. The intervention could include social-emotional groups, and once students progressed there, they could go to a math group, said Thygeson, adding that his group loved to exchange compliments at the end of their lessons.
A parent asked if there has been a move away from phonics. Thygeson and Principal Lindsay Ochs explained that schools have switched back to phonics, with schools in some states mandated to teach “the science of reading.”
For its diagnostics, KUA is moving to Dibels, which is one-on-one with teachers, not just computer-aided testing. The current diagnostic, iReady, doesn’t have interaction with students; it’s just clicking through screens. With Dibels, the teachers hear whether students can read or not. And they can give parents specific directions.
Parent Martha Regaldo asked if other grades would receive MTSS interventions. Thygeson said lots of grade cohorts and staff members are involved. Director of Education Lupita Vargas said so far nine students — kindergarten through middle school — have passed the state’s English Language Proficiency Assessment, for which scores are slowly coming in. Those students now can be incorporated into general education. Seeing so many younger kids passing shows the science of reading and MTSS is working, she said.
Vargas discussed Summer Camp and Summer School, a new opportunity this June and July provided by the state’s Summer Learning Grant. Usually, summer academic assistance is accessible only to KUA’s migrant ed students, she said. Parents have asked for swimming lessons, and KU is exploring partnerships for offering that.
A partnership with Children’s Advocacy Center brought a program to KUA for child abuse awareness month. CAC Prevention Coordinator Lacey Elliott briefly discussed the program planned for April 16 and encouraged parents to attend.
“Protect Our Children,” is a statewide program aimed at child sex abuse prevention. The training focuses on cyber bullying, inappropriate content, online predators, sexting and safe and unsafe online habits and activities. The Homeland Security Agent presenting the training also planned to give a list of free resources for parents.
“Don’t be scared; I think some of these topics can feel a bit scary,” said Elliott, acknowledging that, just like in the physical world, parents should be aware of where kids are going online and with whom they are interacting. Parents present at Site Council said they thought the topic was “very important.”
CAC’s Medford location is a regional center that supports non-offending parents and children who experience abuse, as well as children who witness violent crimes. It also offers mandatory reporter training. Elliott encouraged people to report suspected child abuse, even if they are not mandated by law, like educators are.
Ochs recognized Ms. Kelcey Lance, who was presented with a local radio station’s Kool Teacher of the Week award. The group joked about kids not knowing what radio is and the differences in media over the past few decades.
Next school year’s meet-and-greet is planned for Aug. 6. Next year, spring break will be one week, but school ends earlier. This is to increase school days to 185. That change aligns spring break with schools in the rest of the state. This year’s field day is going to be less focused on bounce houses and more on playing games the kids learned in PE classes.
Upcoming dates:
April 25 — Kindergarten Launch, 5:30-7 p.m.
May 3 — K-5 Dance
May 6-10 — All-Staff Appreciation Week
May 9 — Site Council, 5:45 p.m.
May 10 — NO SCHOOL
May 17-18 — Spring Musical
May 24 — NO SCHOOL
May 27 — NO SCHOOL
May 30-31 — Field Day
June 4-5 — Royals Assembly