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;

Dear Klamath Falls School District Staff, Students, and Community,

As we approach the holiday season and the close of another year, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude and appreciation for all of you our dedicated staff, our hardworking students, and the supportive members of our community. This time of year, provides a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments we’ve achieved together and the progress we continue to make as a school district.

The holiday season is a time for rest, rejuvenation, and connection with loved ones. I encourage everyone to take full advantage of this special time to relax, recharge, and enjoy the company of family and friends. For those of you who may be traveling, please stay safe on the roads and take extra care to keep yourselves and others safe during this busy time of year.

Whether you’re spending the holidays with family, friends, or taking time for yourself, I hope this season brings you joy, peace, and renewal. As we look ahead to 2025, let’s carry with us the spirit of kindness, resilience, and dedication that makes our community so strong.

On behalf of Klamath Falls City Schools, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year! May the year ahead be filled with hope, health, and many more opportunities to grow and learn together.

Regards;

Keith A. Brown

Register Now For Winter Sports at KU

Winter sports is underway! Make sure you have completed your online registration and physical examination in order to participate!

Here's the registration link: https://students.arbitersports.com/.../ku-athletics-2024...

GO PELS!!

Roosevelt, Conger Holiday Music Concerts

You can find information and photos from the Conger and Roosevelt Winter Music Concerts from this past Monday and Tuesday, as well as full galleries on our district Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/Klamath.Falls.City.Schools

A job well done to music instructor Gretchen Harwood as well as fellow music instructors at KFCS, Allen Haugh, Drew Langley and Alexis Candy for teaching our fifth graders in band and orchestra at our elementary schools.

Music Program

Orchestra performance

Band performance

3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade Winter Music Program for Conger and Roosevelt students

4th grade - A Merry Minuet by Dan Theiman

3rd grade and 5th grade - Whacky March from the Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky/arr. Paul Jennings

3rd grade - Here We Go A-Shoveling adapted/arr. Teresa Jennings & Paul Jennings

5th grade - Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (official Trap Remix) - Trap Music Now

4th grade - Hot Chocolate! by Andy Beck & Brian Fisher

All - I love the Lights by Teresa Jennings

Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade Winter Music Program

All - Snowman Choir by David & Anne Ellsworth

1st grade and 2nd grade - Wintertime by David Ellsworth and Anne Ellsworth

1st grade - Snow Is Falling Today by Anne Ellsworth and David Ellsworth

Kindergarten - Snowmen Can't March by Teresa Jennings

Kindergarten - A Hat For My Snowman by Teresa Jennings and Paul Jennings

2nd grade - Dancing Snow Dog by Tom Crowell and Lynn Crowell

All - Winter Is Here by Mike Wilson

"A very special thank you to our principals for their amazing support. As well as to the custodians for their help with setting up and tearing down for the rehearsals and program. Thank you to the families who were able to be here for this special performance, and to the children, for their focus and hard work ... to Mills Elementary School for the use of the auditorium, and to all the teachers, staff and administration who helped to make this event possible,"

Gretchen Harwood

Elementary Music Teacher

Conger/Roosevelt

Conger Concert

Roosevelt Concert

Klamath Union National Honors Society

KU National Honor Society students were excellent volunteers at the Friends of the Children annual Ugly Sweater Run this past Saturday, Dec. 7.

This past Tuesday during a NHS meeting, both NHS and Klamath Union Key Club students made holiday cards to be delivered to residents at Marquis Plum Ridge Post Acute Rehab.

Way to go to our NHS and Key Club students!

Eagle Ridge New Tech Students Serve at Senior Center

Members at the Klamath Basin Senior Citizens' Center were grateful to find local high school students assist them during a recent Thanksgiving feed.

Eagle Ridge New Tech instructor Jackie Lancaster and her students were invited to the Klamath Basin Senior Citizens' Center and were of great assistance as they handed a plate of food to the crowded room.

Staff and leadership at the Klamath Basin Senior Citizens' Center were pleased and invited Eagle Ridge New Tech students to return and serve for its Christmas dinner. Eagle Ridge New Tech students will return for the event Friday, Dec. 20.

Klamath Learning Center

Part of their Klamath Works weekly sessions with Sean Winters, Project Manager at Klamath Works, Klamath Learning Center students get to hear countless of presentations from possible places of employment in Klamath Falls, as well as organizations in the community to help raise awareness of the dangers of addictions such as vaping.

KLC students participated in presentations with staff from Oregon Department of Forestry, learning what it takes to earn a job there.

Students were also brought a presentation from Klamath County Public Health Program Coordinator, Miranda Hill, who presented facts about drug use.

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.