From the Superintendent

How make the most of your paycheck and spend wisely Did you hear about the electrician who got his first paycheck? He was shocked! All jokes aside, receiving your first paycheck is exciting. It feels good to be rewarded for hard work! The first payday can be a...

A training opportunity for teachers Sure, employment skills and work experiences are important. Resume building, job shadowing, knowing what to wear to an interview—it’s no surprise that transition teachers focus on these areas. But what topics do our students find...

Four Q&As to help transition students jumpstart the season Summer is finally here! The days are long, the skies are sunny, and transition programs are wrapping up the school year. Pack up the boots and parkas and break out the flipflops and tank tops, because...

On a typical day, Cooper Thompson’s shifts at work follow a predictable routine. It’s one of the things he likes about his job at Walmart, where he collects carts from the parking lot. Thompson, age 18, is also a student in the transition program in Redmond.  He knows...

Looking for a job?: Meet Michelle Furman, VR Employment Counselor Michelle Furman is new to the Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC) team in Central Oregon, but she’s had plenty of experience helping people with disabilities find jobs they enjoy. Before she began...

How to start learning the rules of the road Transition students set a lot of goals for themselves. They work on gaining job skills, figuring out public transportation, maybe even learning to cook! For many students, the list also includes passing the driver permit...

Isaac Shannon and the SRC Youth Council Isaac Shannon has been advocating for education almost as long as he has been a student. Growing up in San Diego, he learned to speak up about adjusting his IEP and participate in traditional classrooms. After moving to Bend...

Last month, 149 transition students across the state of Oregon came together virtually to learn what’s it like to work at a Panda Express restaurant. Through videos and online conferencing, they got a glimpse into a day in the life of a Panda Express employee. The...

Five reasons to tune in to our favorite annual conference.   Do you look forward to the Oregon Statewide Transition Conference as much as we do? Every spring, the OSTC brings together students, teachers, parents, caregivers, job coaches and other professionals...

Heart of Oregon's Americorps program may be right for you! Now that we’ve settled into the new year, many transition students are starting to think about what their next step might be. What happens after graduation? A new job or internship? College classes at COCC?...

An Interview with Nick Kaasa, Self-Advocacy Consultant Making decisions can be difficult. Whether the problem is large (should I buy a car?) or small (what should I cook for dinner?) working out the best choice can feel overwhelming. Sometimes there are too many...

5 resources for support in 2021 One thing we can all agree on is that 2020 was a tough year. Between virtual learning, social distancing, risks of getting sick, and losing job opportunities, many transition students and their families experienced setbacks and...

This holiday season, let’s be grateful for technology For most of us, this has been a year of challenges—and a year of finding silver linings, too. One challenge has been learning to communicate through screens instead of in-person. That process was often frustrating...