June 2025 Education Update

Oregon Achieves... Together!

A Message from Oregon Department of Education Director Dr. Charlene Williams

Dear Education Community,

As we close the chapter on another school year, I invite you to take a moment to watch my video message honoring the multitalented and dedicated team of educators and staff across Oregon who have tirelessly taught and supported our scholars throughout the 2024–25 academic year.

All over our state, students are taking their last walk as high school students across a stage to accept their diplomas in front of family and friends. These moments are the culmination of years of hard work, perseverance, and the unwavering support of families, communities, educators and staff who have guided them every step of the way. This year, I’m especially proud of some students in Grants Pass. In 2023, 14 sophomores participated in the Black Youth Leadership Summit (pictured below). Their journey is a testament to the power of community, mentorship, and the belief that every student can achieve greatness.

To all the educators, administrators, and staff who have made this possible—thank you. Your dedication shapes the future, one student at a time. Let's continue to inspire and uplift our scholars as they embark on the next chapter of their lives.

Black Youth Leadership Summit, 2025 left to right: Travis Self, Nakai Scurry, Miles Hendrix, Kingston Connely, Kaden Dedmon, Nathan Hendrix, Zanai Vainuku Johnson, Mikah Herod, Taleia Goldman, Alex Bracamonte, Joey Torres, Jadyn Self Guttierrez, Natalie Bailey, Laura Santana, Felicity Farley. Boys standing in back: Charleston, Branson, Deshon, James.

Other June Celebrations

June is a time to celebrate more than just graduates. It’s Pride Month (read more about that below) and, of course, we honor all of the dads out there on Father’s Day. After that is Juneteenth, a time to commemorate the date in 1865 when Union troops reached Galveston Bay, Texas, to inform the enslaved African-Americans there that they, along with the more than 250,000 other enslaved black people in the state, were freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. Even though the holiday occurs when most schools are on summer break, the events and symbolism of the holiday are important aspects of our nation's history and civic knowledge that students can explore throughout the year when learning about civil rights, democracy and U.S. History.

Here are some Juneteenth resources:

Thank you for all you do for Oregon’s scholars. I know you will be thinking and planning for fall, reflecting on the past year, and many of you will continue your work with students throughout the summer, but I hope you also take the necessary time this summer for more than a little relaxation and rejuvenation that will allow you to start the next school year strong and well-rested.

June Is Pride Month

Pride Month is a powerful opportunity to learn about important LGBTQ2SIA+ people in history, read literature that includes LGBTQ2SIA+ authors and characters, and discover a more complete history of the United States. As with other similarly themed months, it is important not to isolate the exploration of members of the LGBTQ2SIA+ community and their culture into just one month during the year. These resources can be integrated year-round!

Elevating Education-System Employee Wellness: Filling up Your Cup

Welcome back to the Employee Wellness monthly edition, brought to you by the ODE Health in Education Unit. This month we will share wellness news from across the state, including highlights from High Desert and Malheur ESDs.

Employee Wellness Spotlight: High Desert ESD

Thanks to Dr. Amy Yillik, CARE Coach and Consultant at Culture of Care in Central Oregon (High Desert ESD), for composing the information below for us to share. Be sure to check out the link she provides for the virtual wellness coaching sessions - these are open to all, and they will certainly fill your cup!

Contrary to the outside world’s perspective, being an educator is stressful! The pace and intensity of our jobs seems to grow exponentially every year, never mind navigating the past 10 years of political and societal divisions! Knowing that toxic stress impacts our professional quality of life and our health, Culture of Care is passionate in helping educators and our systems move from just surviving the current climate to thriving in our work by implementing Wellness Cultures.

Culture of Care utilizes both a top-down and bottom-up approach to address the overwhelm in our profession by emphasizing trauma-responsive, restorative and equity-centered practices within a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS). Much of our bottom-up offerings include professional development, such as our week long Summer Institute and year-long Wellness Coaching. Wellness Coaching is a 9-session virtual series from September to May, where participants learn about toxic stress and wellness strategies, set goals, and monitor progress while building connections with others. While Culture of Care is focused on addressing the needed changes in education to eliminate systemic overwhelm, we also acknowledge that now more than ever educators need to learn how to buffer and overcome burnout if we are to continue this noble and essential work.”

If you would like, you can opt-in on monthly wellness emails from Culture of Care for quick and easy strategies &/or resources for staff & students alike.

Employee Wellness Spotlight: Malheur ESD

Thanks to Superintendent Mark Redmond and Human Resources Manager Kristia Simmons from Malheur ESD for sharing the information below on how they used an Oregon Well-Being Trust’s Capacity Building Grant to elevate education-system employee wellness.

This year, we put a special focus on caring for the people who make our work possible........you! From start to finish, our wellness efforts were all about connection, appreciation, and creating moments to recharge and feel valued.

We hosted three Wellness Days - one each in Ontario, Vale, and Baker City - to make sure everyone had the chance to join in. These special days included two different yoga sessions, a healthy lunch, and a free drink from a favorite local coffee shop. Every participant went home with a yoga mat and blanket! Just a small thank you for showing up for yourselves and each other.

All year long, we introduced monthly physical and mental wellness challenges through our staff newsletters. These fun and inspiring challenges encouraged healthy habits and friendly competition! Winners were awarded with prizes like gift cards, Pura diffusers, high-quality water bottles, health accessories, and Malheur ESD merchandise. It was a great way to stay connected and motivated throughout the year!

For Staff Appreciation Days, we wanted to bring a smile (and a little comfort). Every employee received a pair of Bombas socks with the note: “You knock our socks off!”, plus a little extra foot care to support the people who are always on the move.

To help everyone feel connected and show off some team pride, we were able to provide each staff member the chance to choose a piece of Malheur ESD swag—a sweatshirt, shirt, or polo—to wear and enjoy throughout the year!

After spring break, we welcomed staff back by delivering healthy snacks and drinks to six locations—just another way to say “we’re glad you’re here” as we moved into the final stretch of the school year.

And to close it all out, we brought in Da Bus, a local coffee bus, to the last day of inservice, treating everyone to a drink of their choice as a fun and energizing sendoff.

All of these moments were created with one goal in mind: to let you know how much we appreciate you and to support your physical and emotional well-being. We’re proud of the work you do—and even more proud to support the people who do it!!

Kudos to both of these ESDs for these incredible offerings!

How are you Elevating Education-System Employee Wellness?

We’d love to continue to hear from you to acknowledge the creative ways school districts, ESDs and communities are elevating employee wellness in their districts. If you are interested in being featured in future communications, please reach out to Bhagavati Mullock at ode.healthyschools@ode.oregon.gov.

And a final reminder, if you’re planning to come to COSA Seaside this year, please consider attending the pre-conference session entitled Oregon Education Workforce Wellness Initiative: A Collaboration Between ODE, TSPC, and EAC. This interactive, experiential session will explore ways to tend to wellness at the personal/individual, interpersonal collective and structural systems levels. Registration for COSA Seaside is open.

See You in August!

As usual, there will be no July edition of Education Update, but we’ll be back in August for the start of the 2025-26 school year. Enjoy your summer!

ODE In the News

KATU’s AM Northwest showed how ODE’s Farm to School grants are helping the Latino Network connect children with nature and their community.
Salem Reporter looked at how Early Literacy Success Grant funds are helping dozens of non-profits start young learners off right.
The Statesman Journal covered Gov. Kotek’s visit with high school students in Team Oregon Build, a construction program in schools all over the state, funded in part by ODE grants.

Student Spotlight

The Nugget Newspaper in Sisters followed a high school chemistry class that launched experiments they devised into the stratosphere on weather balloons.
The Lincoln Chronicle went to sea with some Waldport students getting first-hand experience collecting data on humpback whales.
Central Oregon Daily talked with Ridgeview High School seniors who researched accidents at an intersection near their school and then advocated for the city to put up a light.

Congratualtions to the 2025 ESP of the Year!

Congratulations to John McIntyre, Lead Custodian at Sacramento Elementary School in the Parkrose School District, who is Oregon’s 2025 Education Support Professional of the Year! Last month, Oregon Department of Education (ODE) Director Dr. Charlene Williams joined Oregon Lottery leaders, Parkrose School District Superintendent Michael Lopes Serrao and Sacramento Elementary School Principal Sarah Lamb Christensen in honoring Mr. McIntyre, aka “Mr. Mac.”

Check out these photographs of the event!

Thanks to ODE’s partnership with the Oregon Lottery, John received an award of $5,000 and a commemorative plaque. A matching plaque and banner were awarded to Sacramento Elementary School to mark Mr. Mac’s achievements and his impact in the Parkrose community.

More information about the program is available on the Education Support Professional website, and the nomination period will open soon for the 2026 award, so be sure to nominate the life-changing ESPs in your school!

What They Say About Mr. Mac

“Mr. McIntyre’s inspiring devotion to caring for both the students and the school help make Sacramento Elementary a warm, welcoming and joyful place for students to learn and grow,” said Dr. Williams. “He is multi-talented, relentlessly devoted to making a difference, and I’m honored to help recognize his daily heroics.”

"Mr. Mac goes above and beyond his job as custodian at Sacramento Elementary School, keeping the building beautiful and safe," Governor Tina Kotek said. "The stories I've heard of Mr. Mac's joy and compassion are uplifting. He is a community-builder, caring for the shy and rambunctious students alike, making everyone feel like they belong. It is workers like Mr. Mac who make school a place where students thrive."

“Oregon Lottery is proud to support this award, as it spotlights an individual working tirelessly to make our educational community stronger,” said Oregon Lottery Director Mike Wells. “Mr. McIntyre’s hard work, positivity, and kind nature exemplify why he is deserving of this honor.”

“John is an incredible role model for our students. He's kind, he cares for everyone, and he takes incredible pride in his work. He brings a warmth to Sacramento that is felt by everyone,” said Superintendent Lopes Serrao. “He's a meaningful contributor to the inclusive and supportive culture at Sacramento Elementary. It's an honor to work with him and watch him do incredible work for the Sacramento community.”

“When I think about someone who takes pride in what they do and who truly loves the community he works alongside, I think of John. He creates beautiful spaces for students to learn, he empowers kids to be leaders in the community through service, and he shows true care for each and every student and staff member in our building,” said Principal Lamb Christensen. “There is no one more deserving of this award than our beloved Mr. Mac!”

“John McIntyre is the heart of Sacramento Elementary. Beyond keeping the school clean and safe, he goes out of his way every day to connect with students and staff, creating meaningful relationships that truly uplift the entire school community,” said Robyn Stolin, Supervisor of Maintenance for Parkrose School District. “His dedication and extra-mile attitude make an extraordinary difference. It is my privilege to work with him, and we’re so proud to see him recognized with this honor.”

Oregon DMV Knowledge Test Available Online

Summer break is a great time for students preparing to get their driver instruction permit to take their Oregon DMV knowledge test online. Students are encouraged to save a trip to the DMV by taking the knowledge test online from the comfort of their home. The test is available in eight languages.

To help share this information, DMV created a bilingual toolkit for schools with content you can copy and paste into your regular communication channels. It includes articles for parent newsletters, student newspapers and weekly announcements.

Parents, view this helpful guide:

How To Take the Test

Students need a laptop or a computer with a webcam, keyboard, mouse and reliable internet.
Students under 18 will need someone 21 or older to supervise them taking the test.
After students pass the test online, they will need to visit a DMV office with their identity documents and pass a vision screening. They can schedule an appointment or visit any DMV office without an appointment. We recommend customers check the status of their DMV office before visiting.
Students under 18 will need to apply for a permit and hold it for at least six months.
Students 18 and older can apply for a permit, too, or schedule a drive test.

DMV Online and Self-Service Options

Choosing the knowledge test online option can significantly reduce time spent at a DMV office.

Oregon DMV’s statewide field offices are experiencing record-high volumes of traffic as a result of the May 7 federal REAL ID enforcement date. There will be long wait times due to limited staffing. If you need to visit an office, we encourage you to arrive early and be prepared to wait. For other services, check if your transaction can be done online at DMV2U.

Diploma Requirement Waivers Available

We are pleased to announce that the Request for Waiver of Oregon's Newest Diploma Requirements (2026-27) form is now available. The form can be found on ODE’s Newest Diploma Requirements webpage.

Beginning with the class of 2027, the Oregon diploma and Modified diploma requirements will include a 0.5 credit in Personal Financial Education and a 0.5 credit in Higher Education and Career Path Skills, as part of the total credit requirements. On or after January 1, 2027, districts and public charter schools must ensure that students who will be awarded high school diplomas are able to satisfy these credit requirements.

Requirements

Districts or public charter schools may apply for a one-year waiver of the new diploma requirements due to a lack of educators qualified to provide the courses. Approved waivers apply to all students who will be awarded an Oregon diploma or Modified diploma on or after January 1, 2027, and before January 1, 2028. Please note that the waiver application is not for individual students, but rather the entire graduating class of students.

How to Apply

To apply for a waiver, districts or public charter schools must provide the following information in the Request for Waiver of Oregon's Newest Diploma Requirements (2026-27) form:

The reason for seeking a waiver;
The subject(s) for which the waiver is sought;
The projected dates for implementation of required courses; and
Assurance of local school board approval of the application and the date of such approval.

Waiver Approval

Waivers may be approved at ODE’s discretion. OAR 581-021-0003 outlines that the only allowable reason to request a waiver is due to lack of adequate staffing. Denied waivers may be appealed to the State Board of Education.

Waivers must be submitted to ODE no later than July 1, 2026. ODE will review waiver applications in the order they are received. Districts will receive a response from ODE no later than July 17, 2026. No waivers shall be granted for students graduating on or after January 1, 2028.

Contact Us

Please contact ODE’s Oregon Graduation Requirements team with any questions at ODE.StateGraduationRequirements@ode.oregon.gov.