Herbicide Notice

PSD Facilities anticipate putting down an herbicide treatment across the district grounds the week of March 24-28, 2025, weather dependent.

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District Recommends New Sunridge Middle School Principal

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The Pendleton School District School Board will be asked at their next board meeting to approve the recommendation to hire Angie Horton to be the new principal of Sunridge Middle School, effective July 1st, 2025.

Horton is currently a principal in the Warrenton Hammond School District.  Horton has held Principal, Vice Principal, Behavior Support Classroom Teacher, and a 3rd Grade teacher positions in her district.  Before her time in Warrenton, she was a Child Treatment Specialist at the Grande Ronde Child Care Centre in La Grande.

Mrs. Horton attended Wallowa High School, earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and business administration in 2001 from Eastern Oregon University, a master’s degree in Special Education in 2019 from Western Governor’s University, and a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Western Governor’s University in 2022.

Mrs. Horton will officially take over as principal on July 1st.  She is replacing Principal, Piper Kelm, who is retiring effective June 30th.

Angie Horton

McKay Basket Weaving 2025

Basket Weaving in 3rd Grade at McKay Elementary School

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There is a sign hanging in Noele Mead’s third grade class that says, “Perseverance is pushing yourself to work through challenges and obstacles.” Students have been practicing this concept while working on a basket weaving project for several weeks.

Mead wanted to start the basket project in November during Native American Heritage Month, but it didn’t work out. Gayla Blankenship, Indian Education Coordinator from CTUIR (Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation), works with students at McKay Creek Elementary and is teaching the basket weaving. Blankenship said baskets like these are traditional root-gathering bags, and the hands-on learning the students are doing relates to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) curriculum.

Abigail, a third-grade student, said she found the weaving to be fairly easy and she likes that she will have a basket at the end to give to her dad. She is using colors of blue, white, and hot pink.

Another student in the class, Bryar, said, “I like how the basket grows up as you weave and it gets harder and harder; your fingers start hurting so it makes it feel like you’re working super hard.” Bryar chose pastel colors like Easter because he doesn’t like darker colors and will use the basket for huckleberry picking.

Third grader Benson said weaving the basket has been challenging and tricky, but fun to do. He said he will use his blue and green-colored basket, reminiscent of the ocean, to carry eggs from his family’s chickens at home.

Their teacher, Mead, said the students have really made progress working on their baskets, with some even taking them out to recess to work on them. The class will end the project soon, so some students will need to finish them at home.

Mead said she hopes the class project will demonstrate to her students that not everything is easy and that perseverance really matters. “Many students thought this would be easy to do, but it’s not, and it’s important just knowing that they can do hard things.”

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2024 Pendleton School District Graduation Rates

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PSD has much to celebrate in recently released graduation rates.

On Thursday, January 30, 2025, the Oregon Department of Education released the graduation cohort and dropout data for all public school districts in Oregon. The Pendleton School District results are very strong, with a couple of very specific areas needing improvement.

The four-year cohort graduation rates are calculated by following students from the fall of their first year in high school to the end of their fourth year. This tells us the percentage of those students who graduated within four years. The Pendleton School District graduation rates represent a combination of all students who attended Pendleton High School, Hawthorne High School, and Nixyaawii Community School.

This year’s four-year cohort is made up of the students who first entered high school in the fall of 2020. This is important to note since these students started high school 100% online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There has been much to overcome for these students and many challenges our staff have faced head-on to ensure these students graduate. We celebrate the successes of these students and staff and thank them for their efforts.

The Pendleton School District’s four-year cohort rate is 83.2%. This is a 6.5% increase from the year before and almost 2% higher than the state average.

We have listed areas to celebrate success and a few areas of improvement. Areas of success:

  • 5% increase in general graduation rate
  • 2% increase in Hispanic student graduation rate
  • 2% increase in students w/disabilities graduation rate
  • 7% increase in 4-year completion rate
  • No “gap” between general population and Native American students or between white students and Native American students
  • Student dropout rate lowered by 1% to 3.8% as compared to previous year
  • Exceeded state average in every area except dropout rate and 5-year completion rate

Areas of improvement:

  • A graduation rate of 83.2%, although an increase from the previous year, is still much lower than our goal to help all students
  • Our 5 year completion rate is 3% lower than state average (83.7%). This is much lower than the goal of helping all students receive a diploma, certificate or

We also look at specific school rates as we celebrate successes and try to replicate them in all schools. The Pendleton High School rates increased in nearly every area and exceeds the state average in every area. PHS’s outstanding graduation rates are a great tribute to the many hours of hard work our staff and community invest in our students.

The Pendleton High School four-year cohort rate is 88.8%. This is a 4.9% increase from the year before and 7% higher than the state average.

Areas of success:

  • Dropout rate lowered from 3.16% to 9%
  • Virtually no gap between Native American students and the general student population (1.3% difference)
  • Graduation rate for students with disabilities increased by 2.3% to 2%
  • Exceeds state average in all areas

Areas of improvement:

  • Graduation “gaps” still exist between some student groups and the general student graduation rate
  • 5-year completion rate, although higher than state average, is still an area to improve upon to ensure the success of all students

The Hawthorne High School four-year cohort rate is 55%. This is a 10.3% increase from the year before and almost 27% higher than five years ago.

Areas of success:

  • 4-year completion rate of 72.5%, highest ever achieved for Hawthorne
  • 5-year completion rate at 69.1%, highest ever achieved for Hawthorne Areas of improvement:
  • Dropout rate very high at 8%

The Nixyaawii Community School four-year cohort rate is 87%. This is a 14.3% increase from the year before and 6% higher than the state average.

Areas of success:

  • Dropout rate lowered by 1.57% to 1%
  • 2% increase in 4-year completion rate
  • Native American student graduation rate is 87%, 17% higher than state average for Native American students Areas of improvement:
  • Dropout rate at 5.1% is higher than desired and above the state average of 3%
  • 5-year completion rate is 75.8%, well below the state average of 7%
Thank You School Board Jan 2025

School Board Recognition Month – January 2025

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January 2025 is School Board Appreciation Month.  Thank you for your hard work and continued service to the Pendleton School District.

Thank You School Board Jan 2025

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Online Survey to Provide Input

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If you were unable to attend the open forum (January 13, 2025, at 7:00 pm in the PHS Auditorium) with the consultants from McPherson & Jacobson, L.L.C., Executive Recruitment, and Development, who were selected to assist the Pendleton School District in the important task of selecting superintendent candidates for the board to interview, you may provide input using the online survey link provided.

The five-question survey, available in English and Spanish, will be open for participation from Monday, January 13, through Monday, January 20, 2025.

https://survey.k12insight.com/r/Pendleton2025

Kevin Headings

Pendleton School District Superintendent Announces Resignation

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Pendleton School District Superintendent Kevin Headings announced he will not look to extend his contract past the 24-25 school year and will resign effective June 30, 2025. Headings was hired as Superintendent of Pendleton School District in April of 2022. He signed a three-year contract through June 2025.

Headings said upon being hired, he was thrilled with this new chapter in his life and excited about the opportunity to lead Pendleton School District as superintendent. Headings said he’s pleased with what’s been accomplished during his time as superintendent and positive with the direction the school district is headed.

However, while Headings said he was excited with the new opportunity and the progress of the district overall, he realized over time that his heart is still in working as a building principal. “I’m pleased with our work around improving instruction and making our buildings safe for our students and staff and I’m confident with the direction the district is headed. I look forward to finishing out the year strong.” Headings said, “But I’ve realized, over the past year and a half or so, that my heart just isn’t in it. I kept thinking it would change, but it really hasn’t.  I’ve been a principal in several different districts and superintendent in two. Working as a building principal with daily interactions with teachers, staff, students and parents is truly where my heart and passion are,” Headings said.

Headings said he is grateful for his time in Pendleton and for the opportunity the Pendleton School District afforded me. He has enjoyed getting to know the people of Pendleton, working with the various staff in the district, and working with the school board, he said.

Makenzie McLeod

Welcome to PSD – Makenzie McLeod

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Makenzie McLeod
1st Grade Teacher
McKay Creek Elementary School

Born and raised in Pendleton, Makenzie left Pendleton only for college. She graduated from Pendleton High School in 2019.

She attended Eastern Washington University and earned a degree in Elementary Education with an endorsement in literacy.

About working in the Pendleton School District, Makenzie said, “I have an amazing team and look forward to working with and learning from them this year! And in the same district that I attended — what a great opportunity.”

In her spare time, she enjoys reading, spending time with family and friends, and walking her dog, Finley.

Makenzie McLeod

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2023-24 State Assessment Results

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The Pendleton School District has received the 2023-2024 state assessment results from the Oregon Department of Education.  The Statewide Assessment System (SBAC) includes summative assessments administered annually, as required by the State and Federal Departments of Education.  These assessments are given to students in grades 3 – 8 and 11 in the areas of math, language arts and science.

Scores improved from the previous year in 9 of the 17 areas tested, specifically in the following grades and subjects: grade 3 math, grade 3 language arts, grade 4 math, grade 4 language arts, grade 7 math, grade 8 language arts, grade 11 science, grade 11 math and grade 11 language arts.

The highest gains are in grade 11 language arts with a 19.9% increase in the number of students meeting the achievement standards, grade 8 language arts with an 11.6% increase and grade 7 math with an 11.8% increase.

The areas where test results dropped by 5% or more were grade 5 science, grade 5 math, grade 5 language arts, and grade 6 math.

PSD administrators, teachers and staff continually work toward academic improvement and success for all students in all areas.  The district will dive deeper into the test results in the coming weeks to identify specific areas which may need a more focused effort.

“Although we’d like to see improvement and growth in all areas, we are encouraged by these preliminary results.  These improvements in nine areas, some very significant, validates all the hard work our staff do each day to educate every student, every day.” -Kevin Headings, Superintendent

“We appreciate the support from families and students who participate in these assessments.  The results of these assessments provide feedback to our teachers and administrators to help identify where our greatest needs are.” – Matt Yoshioka, Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

Detailed state, district and school results may be found at: https://www.oregon.gov/ode/educator-resources/assessment/Pages/Assessment-Group-Reports.aspx

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Pendleton School District
107 NW 10th Street, Pendleton, OR 97801
Phone:  541.276.6711  Fax:  541.278.3208

The Pendleton School District assures that no person shall on the grounds of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability or income as provided by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and related authorities, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any Pendleton School District sponsored program or activity.

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