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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 23, 2023)
Spilyay Tymoo August 23 Page 5 Schools: reviewing the numbers (from page 1) The regular attender rate— meaning fewer than 12 absences during the year—in the 509-J dis- trict for k-2 students of Native American race-ethnicity last school year was at 44 percent, an improve- ment of 13 percent from the pre- vious year; yet still below the pre- covid average, and also below the overall student average. An important goal of the tribes, in working with the district, is to reach a student attendance rate at least at, or above the pre-covid number, and even with or above the overall average, said Tribal Councilman Jay Suppah. Councilman Jim Manion asked whether the district has data as to why there exists the difference among the race-ethnicities regard- ing regular attendance: This infor- mation would better help the tribes in working on the issue, Council- man Manion said. Tribal Councilman Wilson Wewa mentioned that some parents may use ‘tribal culture’ as a reason for student absences, when this is actually in some cases not accept- able. “And we do need a clear pic- ture as to why our students are missing school,” he said. The question is being looked at with help from the important posi- tion of the school district tribal li- aison, for instance, superintendent Mathison said. “We have a crisis,” Councilman Wewa said, “because we have a need for people in the workforce.” Some years ago, he said, “Edu- cation was the top priority. We had to be in school. Law enforcement was a part of that. It was mandated, and I believe this should happen today.” Continuing with the 509-J Per- formance Indicators Dashboard data: The overall regular attender rate for sixth-grade students in the district last school year was at 66 percent, following the two post- covid in-class school year averages in the low 50-percent range. By the race-ethnicity break- Notes... An Overdose Rescue Course is offered every Wednesday Morning from 9 until 10:30 a.m. at the Warm Springs Prevention training room in the old elementary school. The course is an op- portunity to learn how to rec- ognize and respond to an opioid overdose. You get step-by-step in- struction on how to use the Narcan nasal spray when a person experiences an over- dose. You also will learn about resources and treatment for opioid addiction in Warm Springs. If you are interested, contact Jacylene Brisbois: jaycelene.frank@wstribes.org Back to Boards classes for expecting and recently de- livered mothers are offered in Warm Springs.Please sign up for the class by calling Sheryl Lopez at 541-553-2352. down, the American Indian regu- lar attender rate last year for sixth- graders was 61 percent, steadily improving since the no-data year of 2019-20. The sixth-grade His- panic-Latino attendance rate last year rate at 65, and the White rate at 72 percent. According to the latest numbers, the four-year graduation rate for the American Indian students in the 509-J district was at 78 percent, six points higher than the statewide average. The overall Madras High School graduation rate last year was 95 percent; while Bridges was at 76 percent. An important category in deter- mining how a high school student is doing in terms of likelihood of graduating is the ‘ninth grade on track rate,’ meaning how the stu- dent is doing at that point in terms of credits so far during high school. The rate for the district students overall for the last two school years has been at 82 percent, about even with the statewide average. Looked at by the race-ethnicity standard, the Native American on-track rate last school year was 73 percent, continuing the positive trend from the two previous years. The His- panic-Latino rate last year was 85 percent; and the White rate was 88 percent. There are about 2,800 students attending schools in the 509-J dis- trict. As viewed by the race-ethnicity standard, the Native American stu- dents are at 39 percent of the to- tal; the White students make up 33 percent, and the Hispanic-Latino students, 29 percent. The Performance Indicators data also looks at the certified staff- teaching faculty by race-ethnicity. The Native American number is at 6.9 percent, an improvement from 2021-22 of 3.8 percent, an- other positive sign, superintendent Mathison said. However, clearly, there is great room for growth in the number of Native certified staff and teachers. Having more teachers from the lo- cal community, teaching at the Warm Springs Academy for in- stance, “makes a real difference,” Mr. Mathison said. The Confederated Tribes and the school district at the present do not have a memorandum of under- standing regarding the approach to k-12 education. And this may not be necessary, as the parties continue to work in partnership toward the same goals, said Tribal Councilman Raymond ‘Captain’ Moody. Concluding school notes Over 100 students just com- pleted the summer school session at the Warm Springs Academy, as classes finished up last week. And as during the regular school year, Mr. Mathison said, the district partnered with Culture and Heritage for the three-week Academy sum- mer school. Elsewhere: Student practice for fall sports started earlier this month. The fall sports are football, cross country, volleyball, and boys and girls’ soccer. The first Madras High School White Buffalos football game, a home non-league contest against Sweet Home—is coming up on Thursday evening, August 31. Earlier that day will be the Warm Springs Back to School Barbecue at the Academy. The 2022-23 Madras High School End of the School Year Powwow was a great event for the district, Mr. Mathison said, and the plan is to continue this new and wel- come tradition.
