In this Issue

A note from the Superintendent
Upcoming School, Community Events
KFCS Headlines
KUHS Alumni
Phone App Download for District Website
Join Our Team
KFCS Board of Education

A note from the Superintendent

As we begin 2025, we take this opportunity to honor and express our gratitude to the dedicated individuals who serve on the Klamath Falls City School Board of Education. January is School Board Appreciation Month, and it is the perfect time to acknowledge the vital role our board members play in shaping the future of education in our community.

Our school board members work tirelessly to ensure our schools remain places of excellence, opportunity, and inclusion. They volunteer countless hours to make informed decisions, address challenges, and champion the success of every student in our district. Their commitment and leadership create a foundation where students can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

We are privileged to have a group of dedicated board members who embody our mission of empowering every student to succeed. It is my honor to recognize the following individuals for their service and leadership:

Andrew Biggs
Vanessa Bennett
Patrick Fenner
Kathy Hewitt
Andrea Jensen
Trina Perez
Ashley Wendt

Each of these individuals brings unique perspectives, experiences, and strengths to the board, enriching our district’s work. Their collaboration and unwavering focus on student achievement guide our schools toward greater success.

On behalf of our district staff, students, families, and the entire Klamath Falls community, thank you for your commitment to education and for making a positive difference in the lives of so many. Your leadership and service are deeply appreciated, and we celebrate you this month and every month.

Regards,

Keith A. Brown

KU boys basketball opens conference play with 54-51 win versus Henley

Grafton Watah jumps high for a dunk in the early moments of the second quarter during a matchup against Henley Thursday, Jan. 09 at Klamath Union High School's Pel Court.

By Joaquin Aguilar-Flores, KFCS

Klamath Union boys basketball opened Skyline Conference play with a 54-51 victory against rival Henley Thursday night at Pel Court. KU girls basketball fell to Henley, 74-36.

Look through photo galleries from both games on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/Klamath.Falls.City.Schools

The victory was something of extra worth for Klamath Union athletics as it was the first time since the 2020-2021 season the Pelicans have beaten the Hornets in boys varsity basketball. That victory came in a summer game, June 17, 2021, part of culminating events not sponsored by OSAA due to Covid-19.

KU basketball, in general, has found success against Henley as of late as its girls basketball team defeated Henley during the final conference game last year when former player Dianara Pena made a game-winning 3-pointer to help the Pelicans beat the Hornets for the first since a June 3, 2021 matchup.

Until Thursday night, Henley had won six consecutive boys basketball games against Klamath Union through the last three seasons.

The Pelicans were more than hungry for a Hornet victory, and showed it in the early moments of the matchup. Senior Grafton Watah opened the second quarter with an exclamation point as he stole the ball and quickly ran to the hoop for an emphatic dunk to help the Pelicans lead, 15-8. Klamath Union led by as many as 10 points in the first half and took a 28-18 lead into halftime.

Klamath Union's largest lead of the game was 12 points as Henley awoke in the third quarter, coming up with an 11-2 run to inch closer.

Henley's Nolan Mick tied the game, 34-34, with 2:54 to play in the third quarter before it was teammate Finn Charlton who gave Henley its first lead with his basket in the third quarter.

Henley finally found its groove and led by as many as four points with 6:08 left in the fourth quarter. It became KU's turn to take control and led, 45-44, with 5:05 remaining.

A jumper just short of the free-throw line from Watah gave KU a lead of 51-46 with two minutes left.

On the ensuing Pelican possession, senior Malcolm Lassett-Hankins attempted a 3-pointer, which was tipped around by teammate Ryan Glidden before Lassett-Hankins quickly came up with the ball and a layup as he jumped over Henley's Micah Ibarra, who found himself flat on the floor. Lassett-Hankins' basket helped KU's lead grow to 53-48 with 1:00 showing on the clock.

Henley did not go away easily as Ibarra then connected on a 3-pointer with 38.3 left on the clock as the Hornets trailed, 53-51.

Watah was fouled with 33.9 on the clock but missed two free throws after he had made all five of his free throw attempts prior.

Henley's Carson Siems was left all alone on the arc but missed a crucial 3-pointer. Watah was fouled again with 17.7 left and missed another free throw but made his second attempt to have KU lead, 54-51.

With all the pressure on Henley, Ibarra created space with a step back but missed a 3-pointer as Charlton tipped an offensive rebound to Ries Schmerbach, who was all alone on the corner of the arc but hit iron as time expired.

Watah led all scorers with 25 points. Lassett-Hankins and Landon Bogatay each added eight points for KU and Glidden had six points.

KUHS Key Club Puts Together 5th Annual Operation Santa

This holiday season has been busy for KUHS Key Club helping our community and our students.

2nd Annual Themed Basket Drive

Key Club hosted a 2nd annual themed basket drive for the Assistance League of Klamath Basin Operation School Bell program, bringing in 23 amazing baskets that all sold from $35 to $100 at Findable’s Used Furniture Store on November 23. All proceeds went toward the Operation School Bell program to clothe students at Klamath Falls City Schools and Klamath County School District.

5th Annual Operation Santa

*Key Club’s 5th Annual Operation Santa was able to find “Santa’s” to buy gifts for 33 students that might not have had a Christmas this year.

*Key Club elves put together a holiday note with a candy cane to deliver to everyone at Klamath Union to spread a little holiday cheer, which added up to over 700 candy canes.

*KU students had a jolly ole time with Santa finding out if they were on the naughty or nice list as he paid a visit to take “Selfies with Santa” during lunchtime.

*KU Key Club signed Christmas cards, thanking all participating “Santa’s” as well as giving cards to all of the participants at the Warming Center, along with candy canes, fresh fruit and a variety of juices.

"We are off to a great New Year with so much more in the works," Key Club Advisor Lisa Danskin said.

Eagle Ridge New Tech Students Build Second Shed For Copperfield Fire Victims

Students at Eagle Ridge New Tech High School continue working hard helping the community.

Through the class of Eagle Ridge New Tech CTE, mathematics instructor, David Parker, students completed and helped deliver its second shed which will go toward fire victims through the Copperfield Fire in Chiloquin.

The shed was loaded up and delivered Wednesday, January 8.

Ponderosa Corner

Seventh grade Ponderosa Middle School students playing tug-of-war as they investigate balanced and unbalanced forces in Ms. Neuman's science classes.

Check out a few Ponderosa art students and their needle felting projects from Ms. Neuman's art classes as well.

KFCS Staff Highlight

KFCS High School Options Information

Community Awareness Information Concerning the Ponderosa Middle School Building

As we look towards the future of our community, I want to bring to your attention a critical need that we must address to ensure the success and readiness of our students: the replacement of Ponderosa Middle School.

Klamath Falls is on the cusp of growth, and we need to be prepared to meet the educational demands of our expanding population. Last year, during our community conversations, we received a clear message: our community wants our youth to be life and career-ready. Specifically, there is a strong desire for more hands-on, applied learning opportunities, such as Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs.

Effective career-ready programs must begin with robust middle school initiatives. During the Board’s visit to California last year, we saw firsthand the exceptional programs at Mad Tech Middle, which serve as an inspiring model for what we can achieve here. These programs are essential for setting our students on a successful path through high school and beyond.

Our district is diligently working to build these programs at the high school level and forge strong connections to postgraduate destinations like the Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT) and Klamath Community College (KCC). However, to truly accelerate our students along this track, we need a middle school that supports and enhances these efforts. Unfortunately, the current Ponderosa Middle School is outdated and does not meet the needs of our evolving educational goals.

The urgency of this need cannot be overstated. While the current middle school building is safe, our engineers have indicated that it could become unusable at any time because it is located on an active fault line. Our trusted advisors and the Long-Range Facilities Planning Committee have unanimously agreed that the time to act is now.

We estimate the budget for replacing Ponderosa Middle School to be around $120 million. This number may fluctuate slightly up or down as we consider incorporating other essential items, such as security upgrades and early learning facility support, into the overall bond. We may also determine that we can build at a lower cost depending on what year we decide to call a bond election to support the possible project in the future.

Replacing Ponderosa Middle School is not just about updating a building; it is about investing in the future of our community and ensuring that our youth have the tools and opportunities they need to succeed in life and their careers.

We appreciate your continued support and engagement as we take these crucial steps forward. Together, we can create an educational environment that prepares our students for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow.

Over the next year, we will engage more with our stakeholders about Ponderosa. We will also schedule tours of the building for the community to see the current facility.

We do want to be very clear that we have not set any date for a potential Bond election. We just want to make sure our community is aware that we are working on a solution to replace Ponderosa on a different site that does not have an active fault line on it.

For anyone who has any questions about his message please e-mail Keith A. Brown at brownk@kfalls.k12.or.us.

Early Literacy Literacy Success in Oregon

Stand Oregon is a non-profit in Oregon that supports improvements in early literacy for Oregon students. They were instrumental in getting the Early Literacy grant passed in the state of Oregon. KFCS is using that grant money to hire full-time instructional coaches at our elementary schools to help our teachers become stronger literacy teachers.

Stand Oregon has started the Oregon Demonstration Network, which is a small selection of promising elementary schools that are getting additional support from Stand Oregon with the intention of those schools becoming model schools for other schools in the state to visit and learn from. KFCS has two schools that are part of the Oregon Demonstration Network: Mills and Conger elementary schools.

Mills is highlighted in a promotional video Stand Oregon has produced. Click on the video below:

Cold And Flu season is here.. Please help us prevent the spread of viruses by doing these things at home, school, and work.

Steps you can take, individuals can:

Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw used tissues in the trash. If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow, not your hands.
Learn and use proper handwashing technique.
Teach children the correct way to wash their hands.
Clean frequently touched surfaces, such as countertops, handrails, and doorknobs regularly.

Information presented comes from the Center of Disease Control. Click this link for more information.

La temporada de gripe y resfriados ya está aquí. Ayúdenos a prevenir la propagación del virus haciendo estas cosas en casa, en la escuela y en el trabajo.

Las personas pueden:

Cubrirse la boca y la nariz con un pañuelo desechable al toser o estornudar; botar los pañuelos desechables usados a la basura; y si no tienen un pañuelo de este tipo, toser o estornudar cubriéndose con el ángulo interno del codo, no con las manos.
Aprender y usar la técnica correcta de lavado de manos.
Enseñarles a los niños la forma correcta de lavarse las manos.
Limpiar con regularidad las superficies que se tocan con frecuencia, como mesones, barandas y manijas de las puertas.

La información presentada proviene del Centro para el Control y Prevención de Enfermedades. Haga clic en este enlace para obtener más información.