Week of February 15
Hi Shining Stars,
I hope you all had a relaxing and refreshing three-day weekend and that you all were able to stay healthy, avoiding the many illnesses that seem to be sweeping schools the past couple weeks.
Here are some major items of note for the week:
• 2016-2017 Staffing Survey – Please complete the staffing survey, either on Survey Monkey or on a Word file. I’d like to hear from both classified and licensed staff to know folks’ individual plans and preferences for the future as well as your thoughts on next year’s building-wide staffing plan and master schedule. Please complete by next Monday, February 22nd so I can gather input before I draw up potential staffing scenarios. I will share some potential scenarios at our Site Council meeting the next week. All are welcome to attend. All answers will be kept confidential and please let me know if you have any questions.
• Student Care Team Referrals – The Student Care Team will be next week, which means referrals to the team are due this Friday. Let me know if you have any situations you’d like to refer to the team, either as a hypothetical or a full referral with a signed 4J Release Form (PDF or DOC). Let me know if you would like to talk about any potential referrals.
• District Admin Updates – Cal Young principal Kim Watry has accepted a middle school principal position in Colorado back at her previous school district. And in the elementary ranks, Camus Ridge principal Tom Maloney announced earlier this year that he is retiring at the end of the year.
▪ IEP Meeting Compensation – I shared this earlier in the year, but with many annual IEP meetings coming up, I wanted to remind non-ESS licensed staff that the EEA contract allows for licensed staff to be compensated for up to four hours of additional pay. Track your IEP meeting times on the Non-ESS Licensed IEP Time Log, which will be accepted later this year between April 25 and June 10th. The attachment can also be found on the HR Forms section of the 4J website.
• Free 4 Week Soccer Clinic – If you want to share this with any interested kids, a new local non-profit soccer club for 5-19 year old children is offering a free 4 week session this month (they are asking for a $5 donation though). The sign-up is at Kelly Middle School this Wednesday and Thursday from 4:00-5:30. See the linked flyer and letter for details.
• Eugene Concert Choir Outreach Program – The Eugene Concert Choir Outreach program is in it’s eighth year and is again offering free classrooms presentations Feb 12 – April 22 to introduce basic musical concepts and choral singing to elementary students, K-5. This year they are offering up to three 30 minute classrooms sessions if any teachers or grade levels are interested. After kids learn the song, they’re invited to perform with the Eugene Concert Choir on stage in their spring kids’ concert at the Hult Center. See the linked letter and application (PDF and DOC) for more details. If you have any questions, email Choir@eugeneconcertchoir.org or call the Eugene Concert Choir office at (541) 687-6865.
• TED Talks: How to make stress your friend – Stress. It makes your heart pound, your breathing quicken and your forehead sweat. But while stress has been made into a public health enemy, new research suggests that stress may only be bad for you if you believe that to be the case. Psychologist Kelly McGonigal urges us to see stress as a positive, and introduces us to an unsung mechanism for stress reduction: reaching out to others.
How to make stress your friend?
Schedule of Events for the Week
February 15 (M)
Presidents’ Day – No School
February 16 (T)
IIPM Data Day
8:45-9:30 ,Pre colombian Assembly with Samuel Becerra
8:15-2:40
Agenda:
- High Need Students-EasyCBM Graphs
- DRA/EDL level if applicable
- Title and Teacher Input
- Next steps
3:00-4:45, Staff Meeting (Library) with Susan Penrod on Foundational Skills
“These foundational skills are not an end in and of themselves; rather, they are necessary and important components of an effective, comprehensive reading program designed to develop proficient readers with the capacity to comprehend texts across a range of types and disciplines.“- CCSS ELA
February 17 (W)
Vaccination Exclusion Day
First day of artist in residence sessions.
4:00-6:00, Digital Learning Day (Ed Center)
February 18 (H)
Several Staff Attending Carrying it Forward (formerly Taking it Up)
Gig Nelson as administrator in building.
3:45-5:15, KG Teachers to Monthly Kindergarten Teacher Meeting (Adams)
4:00-5:00, Joel, Karen, Marcy, Alexis to Furniture Meeting (Library)
February 19 (F)
Several Staff Attending Carrying it Forward (formerly Taking it Up)
Gig Nelson as administrator in building.
February 22 (M)
School Choice Visitation Week
9:30-10:00, Joel does school tour.
10:00-2:00, Joel doing walk through observations.
2:30-5:00, Joel to Elementary Principals’ Meeting (Ed Center)
February 23 (T)
8:45-9:45, Cafecito with parents on School Transitions -pre-k-k, 5th-6th, (FRC)
10:00-2:00, Joel doing walk through observations.
3:00-5:00, PLT Meeting (Extended Contract to discuss staffing scenarios)
February 24 (W)
10:00-11:30, Joel to Staffing Allocation Meeting (Ed Center)
2:30-3:30, Joel and Jennifer to Student Care Team Meeting (Staff Room at Howard)
February 25 (H)
Regular Day
February 26 (F)
Last Day for In-district School Choice Requests
Have an excellent week, everyone!
Joel
