Pendleton School District Superintendent Announces Resignation
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.
Welcome to PSD – Makenzie McLeod
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.
2023-24 State Assessment Results
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
Immunization Clinic and Well Child Visits
The Student Based Health Clinic is holding well child visits and immunization clinics at the Pendleton Early Learning Center. This is available to all PSD students with no cost to families.
October 14, 2024
November 18, 2024
December 9, 2024
January 27, 2025
Services offered :
Well Child Exams
Vision Screening
Immunizations
Referrals as needed
Please call ahead to make an appointment at 541-966-3857 or 541-966-3432
District Seeking Applicants for Vacant School Board Position
District Seeking Applicants for Vacant School Board Position
Due to a recent vacancy, the Pendleton School District is seeking applicants for Position 6 on the Pendleton School Board; 3 years remain on this term. Applicants must be legally registered voters who currently reside and will have resided within the district boundaries for one year immediately before the appointment.
Please submit applications no later than July 15, 2024, to the Pendleton School District Office at 107 NW 10th Street, or they may be emailed to Ronda Thornburg – Board Secretary
Application letters should include:
- Full Name
- Physical Residence Address
- Phone Number
- Email address, and…
Address the following:
- Why you would like to serve on the School Board?
- A list of prior involvement in district activities.
- A description of your understanding of the role of an effective board member.
Should you have any questions, you may contact the board chair, Beth Harrison.
PSD Art Show Recap
Hundreds of Pendleton School District students took field trips to the annual District Art Show on April 9 and 10 to see their own artwork and that of fellow students in the district. The event at the Pendleton Convention Center was also attended by hundreds of district parents, families, and community members.
A wide variety of artwork was on display at the event, from textiles, wooden collages, and painted masks to bird sculptures and paintings.
The show kicked off on Monday, April 8, with an Opening Night celebration that included free books and cookies handed out by Altrusa International of Pendleton.
Abbey Prevot, Art Teacher at Pendleton High School, and John Bradt, Art Teacher at Sunridge Middle School, organized this year’s show. “It’s very exciting to have the show up, and for me, it’s completely new. It’s great to see all K-12 art together. It’s helped our programs make connections with the elementary schools and be able to collaborate on this huge project,” Prevot said.
Bradt said since this is the first year he and Prevot have organized the event, it was a little stressful, but the show turned out great. His favorite part is the variety of the art, even within each classroom where they are doing the same project, but all the pieces look different.
The district thanks the Education Foundation of Pendleton for funding this year’s art show.
3rd-Grade Class Named Oregon Reading Champions at McKay Elementary
McKay Creek Elementary is proud to announce that Teacher Noele Mead’s 3rd-grade class has been crowned Oregon State Reading Champions for READBowl 2024.
READBowl is a free global reading competition where Pre-K through 8th-grade teams around the world compete to read for the most minutes over four weeks. This year’s seventh annual competition was held from January 8 (the day of the American College Football National Championship Game) through Super Bowl Sunday in February. The program is organized by Read with Malcolm, the youth literacy initiative of NFL Super Bowl Champion and children’s book author Malcolm Mitchell.
In a press release from READBowl, Mitchell said, “Winning a state championship is always prestigious. However, this year is especially notable, as there were more than 280,000 students from all 50 states and 14 countries on the reading field for the big game this year. I am so proud of every student who competed and congratulate our state and national champions.”
Overall, students from across the globe read for more than 180 million minutes during READBowl 2024.
Mead’s class read a total of 102,788 minutes to become the Oregon champions!
“We were completely shocked!” Mead said. “There was an uproar of WOO-HOO’s when I read the email out loud. As a teacher, it is such an honor to have my students recognized for their hard work and dedication to reading. Not everyone enjoys reading and for every student to be excited to participate was a highlight.”
Each day, students counted the reading they did while at school – reading instruction, reading silently, group reading, and anything they read during the day. They also kept track of the minutes they read at home. Mead said she saw an increase in her students completed weekly reading logs, which made her book-loving heart happy. Her students were the most excited when she told them the class was getting a box of books. One student stated that they were excited to have a prize they could keep forever.
McKay Teacher Shelby Cook’s 2nd-grade class also participated in READBowl 2024.
District Selects New McKay Creek Elementary School Principal
The Pendleton School District School Board has selected Mrs. Anne Sokoloski as the new Principal at McKay Creek Elementary School.
Sokoloski is currently the Dean of Students at Loma Vista Elementary School in the Hermiston School District. Prior to that, she was a Counselor at Desert View Elementary in Hermiston and a Child Development Specialist at the Pendleton Early Learning Center in Pendleton.
“I am thrilled to return to Pendleton to serve as principal of McKay Creek Elementary,” Sokoloski said. “The past two years as Dean of Students at Loma Vista in Hermiston have been invaluable in helping me grow as a leader. The Hermiston School District, colleagues, students, and families have played a pivotal role in my career, and I appreciate their support and collaboration.”
Sokoloski earned a bachelor of science in Speech Communication from Oregon State University and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Eastern Oregon University. She received her Professional Administrator Licensure from Lewis and Clark College in 2019.
According to Superintendent Kevin Headings, “Mrs. Sokoloski possesses the qualities we are looking for in our next McKay Elementary principal. She’s a skilled leader, student-centered and a strong communicator. Finding someone with knowledge and understanding of our region and who is familiar with Pendleton is an added bonus.”
Sokoloski will replace the outgoing principal, Sherri Kilgore. Sokoloski’s contract begins on July 1, 2024.
