Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current, August 23, 2023, Page 5, Image 5

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    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.