Kickoff 2025

🗓  When: August 25, 2025, Doors open 8:15 am, program begins 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

📍  Where: Elsinore Theater | 170 High St NE, Salem OR 97301

Parking/Shuttle: 

Shuttle service is available from the Marion Center to the Elsinore Theater and is available to any staff members. Please sign up here if you would like a space on the shuttle. Space is limited, please reserve your space as soon as possible. 

Shuttle Information:
Meeting point: Marion Center, front entrance. Jeff will be parked and waiting in front of the Marion Center by the main entrance.

Meeting Time: The shuttle will leave at 8:20 AM

Drop Off: Jeff will drop all riders at the entrance of the Elsinore Theatre

Return to Marion Center: Jeff will pick up shuttle riders at the entrance to the Elsinore following the program and return to the Marion Center. Please allow time for Jeff to exit the theater and drive to pick you up. 

Downtown street parking is now paid via parking meters. Read more about parking rates, payment methods, and more here. 

Free parking is available at the following locations. View these on a map 

Chemeketa Parkade
300 Commercial Street NE,
Salem, OR 97301

Liberty Square Parkade
365 Ferry Street SE
Salem, OR 97303

Marion Parkade
538 Marion Street NE
Salem, OR 97303

🥐  Breakfast pastries & beverages will be provided at the Elsinore Theater 

🎉  What: A start-of-the-year celebration for all WESD staff!

💌  Feedback: Is there something you would love to see at this year's or at a future kickoff event? If so, please email the kickoff Planning Team kickoff@wesd.org.

✅  Agenda: 

Elsinore Theater 

• Welcome Message from WESD Board Members
• Crystal Apple Awards 
• Superintendent Message
• Wrap Up
• Group dismissed, proceed to Marion Center at 2611 Pringle Rd SE, Salem OR 97302 for lunch, benefits fair, and treats!

Marion Center 

• 12:00 - 2:00
  • Lunch Served (Marion/Willamette)
• 12:00- 2:30 

  • Vendor Fair (Polk/Yamhill)

  • Photos (Breezeway)

  • Building Bridges of Belonging (Admin Parking Lot)

  • Chair Massages (Oregon)

  • T-shirt/Calendar (PLC Parking Lot)

  • Music (Admin lot)

  • Duck Race (Admin lot)

  • Scavenger hunt 

  • Dessert (Cafe)

  • Therapy Dogs (Outside PLC)

• 12:30 - 1:00
  • OEBB Presentation (Casalegno)
• 1:00 - 1:30
  • MODA Presentation (Casalegno)
• 1:30 - 2:00
  • Kaiser Presentation (Casalegno)
• 2:00- 2:30 

  • American Fidelity Presentation (Casalegno)

✅ New Staff
New staff may not need to go through open enrollment - please verify with Ellen Lowe, Leaves & Benefits HR Specialist.

✅ Current Staff - Mandatory Open Enrollment 2025-2026
You MUST log on to OEBB and enroll this year.  If you don’t enroll, your insurance coverage will end on September 30, 2025.

✅ Insurance Plan Changes 2025-2026
All 2024-2025 medical, dental and vision plans will still be available.

✅  Staff

• Log on to MyOEBB at https://myoebb.org/
• If you forgot your username or password? Click “Forgot Password.” MyOEBB will then send you your username & a temporary password
  • Note: when you log into OEBB you must answer the Double Charge & Medicare questions. 
• OEBB can be reached at 1-888-469-6322 or oebb.benefits@odhsoha.oregon.gov
• All insurance selections for the 2025-2026 benefit plan year will take effect on October 1, 2025
• All Classified employees will receive a $10,000 life insurance policy from the classified union. It will automatically be added to everyone’s account for open enrollment.
• All Admin/Non-Represented employees will receive a $50,000 life insurance. It will automatically be added to everyone’s account for open enrollment
• Log into MyOEBB to enroll for your insurance selections, the due date is Sunday, September 7, 2025 to enroll in your benefits.
• Enrollment will be locked by 12:00 am, to calculate availability of insurance pool funds, 12:00 am is a firm deadline, and you will not have access to make changes after that point.
• Available pool monies will be announced via email by the Licensed and Classified Unions on Friday, September 12, 2025. 
• If you would like to make changes to your plan selection as a result of the distribution of insurance pool funds, email Ellen Lowe before 12:00 pm, September 15, 2025. The only plan changes allowed are dropping to a less expensive plan.

✅ Life Insurance
If you are a Classified or Admin/Non-Rep employee please make sure you have designated a beneficiary or beneficiaries, licensed staff if you have selected optional life insurance, please make sure you have designated a beneficiary or beneficiaries

Staff will receive an email with a link to the trainings or can access them by clicking below. Please use staff email as username. 

Access SafeSchools

As we have learned in the past few years, things happen, things change and we have to be ready to pivot at a moment's notice! In an effort to provide everyone with the most accurate, correct, and timely information, we have transitioned from a paper packet, to this digital landing page for our Kickoff information. 

To ensure all staff know about the Kickoff event, we've ramped up the number of ways we communicate about the event, including but not limited to the following: 

• Postcards
• Agency Website Homepage Calendar
• Marion Center Reader Boards
• Door Posters
• Staff Email Blast
• Text Messages
• and Automated Phone Calls

If you have any suggestions about additional or different ways for the Kickoff team to communicate with staff in the future, feel free to drop a note to kickoff@wesd.org. 

To improve communication for all WESD Staff members, the Technology Department in partnership with the Communication Department is happy to introduce ParentSquare!

This notification platform will help keep you informed about any important and/or immediate events happening around the agency. 

ParentSquare is used by many of our partner school districts to keep families informed, and provide more messaging options compared to previous platforms. This platform will replace SchoolMessenger, a notification platform we've used in the past, primarily for weather and closure events. 

Signing up and ensuring you have your preferred contact information will help keep you informed of important events and closures at the Willamette Education Service District. 

Soon you will receive an email from ParentSquare, asking you to activate your account. This message is not spam 😆 You can click on the link to activate your account or download ParentSquare from your cell phone's app store and log in using your work email. 

Additionally, if you'd like to signup today, you can visit the ParentSquare website and login using the "Sign in with Google" button. 

Did you know you can change your mailing address, review payroll statements, and enroll in WESD emergency alerts all from the EAC? We encourage you to log in to confirm that we have the correct information on file for you. 

To log in to the Employee Access Center (EAC), visit the HR Staff Resources section of the website 

The EAC should open directly, but if it doesn’t then login with your WESD email address and password