Arts

April 22, 2024

By Allan  |  2024/04/20 21:37 Posted in Announcements, Arts, Grants, P.D., Video  |  Comments (0)

 

Hey, Totally Rad Bolts,

Was last week a doozy or what? Drug busts, intense DHS involvement, EPD SWAT Team, 4J Safety Team visits, and the annual School Carnival. Not that it’s a competition but this week HAS to be more mellow. Though Holt has a pretty incredible team for navigating all these wild times. You all are the best and glad to be handling these crazy times with you all!

And speaking of the best, it’s Administrative Professionals’ Day this Wednesday, so a HUGE shoutout to Sharon and Keri for navigating and managing the craziness that passes through the hold office on a daily (okay, hourly) basis, and making it look effortless. I have no idea how our school would run without you!

Twenty-four items of note for this week:

• Book Fair & Library Lessons – There will be no checkout this week, but Robbie will come around to classrooms for Library Lessons. BOGO Book Fair will be open to students and families before school and after school this week, Monday through Thursday. Friday will be the Book Fair pack-up day.

 

• Earth Day – Holt Clean Up Day! MONDAY – Monday is Earth Day and the Student Council invites classes to help clean up the school to celebrate. See Ashley’s Email for details, but sign your class up on the linked Earth Day Clean-Up Google Sheet.

 

• Book Nook TUESDAY This Week & May 2 Cancelled – Some of the Book Nook Volunteers are on field trips on April 25th and the May 2nd, so they are moving this week’s Book Nook to Tuesday and canceling Book Nook for May 2nd.

 

• Preventative Building Inspection, TUESDAY – Risk Management is coming out to Holt Tuesday, 9:00-9:45 for a preventive building inspection. The three main areas to check for are:

• Twinkle Lights – Unless they are special models that meet fire code, they are not allowed.
• 3-D paper Decorations – Fold-out snowflakes or paper lanterns and such, which is a new rule to me, are no longer allowed. In the past, it was only if these were hanging from the ceiling or lights they would cite us, but the new rule is all combustibles (i.e. paper, cloth, etc.) need to be flush with the wall.
• 3-Feet Egress – Make sure there is no furniture blocking doors. You should have a clear path where you can easily walk while holding a yardstick.

 

• Administrative Professionals’ Day, WEDNESDAY – Formerly known as Secretaries’ Day, this Wednesday is Administrative Professionals’ Day, so get ready to celebrate Sharon and Keri!

 

• Classified Staff Meeting WEDNESDAY @1:30 – Since there is not a licensed staff Wednesday PD this week, we will hold a Classified Staff Meeting to discuss Self Managers and the 4J Behavior Matrix. I’ve also added master schedule feedback to the agenda. Let me know if you have any additional agenda items.

 

• Wednesday PD: Team Collaboration – We haven’t had a Wednesday without a meeting for some time, so let’s set this time aside for teams to connect and collaborate and/or take care of whatever teachers need to get done.

 

• Self-Manager Applications DUE FRIDAY – Round #1 of the Self-Manager Application Forms are due to me this Friday. Forms should be returned to my mailbox or desk. 

 

• Holt Spirit Day – 80’s Day, FRIDAY – Friday, April 26 is the monthly Holt Spirit Day and this time it’s 80s Day Day! Just wear neon, bright colors, 80’s style clothes, or wear school colors or gear!

Related, I’m thinking we need to play 80s TV and movie classics all week long in the Staff Room, starting off with Mork & Mindy on Monday. Sure it started in the 70s, but whatever. 

 

• Spirit Assembly FRIDAY@8:20 – The April School Spirit Assembly is on Friday, April 25th in the gym. The assembly will start at 8:20, but all classes should be in the gym by 8:15. Stay tuned for details!

 

• BMX Anti-Bullying Assembly FRIDAY @9:00-9:40 – Friday, April 25th at 9:00 (yes, following the Spirit Assembly) will be the BMX Anti-Bullying Assembly on hard play. I haven’t heard from the assembly folks what their setup will be, but I imagine we’ll be circled around their performance, so stay tuned for details.

 

• Fiddle Artist in Residence Schedule – Linked here is the Fiddle Artist in Residence Schedule, which will run for three weeks, April 29 – May 17. The location will be one week in the Music Room, one week in the Gym, and one week int the Calming Room. Ashley, Alex, and Kim are working on which week will be in each location and we’ll have that info in time for next week.

 

• Student Support Team (SST) Meeting 4/30 – The May SST meeting will be on Tuesday, April 30 (yes, weird), where the team will screen potential referrals for SPED evaluations and for SST members to do a monthly check-in on students currently in the evaluation process. Use the Request for Student / Classroom Support Form to make a referral to the team. An agenda will be emailed to teachers needing to attend the meeting.

 

• Wednesday PD: SAEBRS Spring Testing 5/1 – The spring SAEBRS testing window is May 1-31, so we will meet at 1:30 in the library to use the May 1 Wed. PD time for a quick review of the SAEBRS protocols and winter data, and then time for K-5 teachers to input individual student assessments as we did for the winter benchmark window.

 

• 24-25 Master Schedule Survey, Due FRIDAY – As we get ready to work on next year’s master schedule, take a moment to complete the 2024-2025 Master Schedule Survey if you’d like to weigh on some ideas being considered.

 

• Master Schedule Timeline – We reviewed the process for creating the master schedule at the last Staff Meeting and I’ve not attached dates to that process, which I ran by Leadership last week. Below and on the Staff Zimbra Calendar are the dates and timeline.

Friday, April 26 – Survey Due
Monday, May 6 – Skeleton Schedule Shared
Thursday, May 9 – Feedback on Skeleton Schedule
May 9 – 14 – Teams Fill in Schedule
Wednesday, May 15 – Reps Meet to Discuss Schedule
Wednesday, May 22 – Meet if needed
Thursday, May 23 – Staff Meeting to Discuss Schedule
*3 weeks buffer after that week

 

• Class List Process – I’ll run this by folks at the next Staff Meeting, but ran it by Leadership and think we’ll stick with last year’s process for making class lists. Below is the timeline I’ll propose and linked here is the Class List Google Sheet format we’ve used for the past two years.

May 8 (W) – Pre-List Team Meetings (Team Meetings in Library)
– Sending & Receiving Grade levels meet to share thoughts, ideas, and preferences before draft class lists are made (i.e. siblings/families preferences, etc.)
– Teams begin creating class lists on Class List Google Sheet

May 23 (T) – Deadline to complete Class Lists Google Sheet

May 23 – June 4 –  Specialists, Classified Staff, and prior grade levels review class lists
– Spreadsheet available for staff
– Classified and licensed review lists
– Share feedback with sending & Receiving Teams

June 5 (W) – Sending & receiving teams do a final review of lists at Wednesday PD

 

• Elementary School Calendar 2024-25 & 2025-26 – The board approved the Elementary School Calendars for the next two years and I think I’m mostly happy with them. PD/Prep Days are after winter and spring break, conferences are only two days with Wednesday as part of the Thanksgiving Holiday, and second semester grading day is now a week before the last day of school.

 

• Over the Edge Event – Former Holt teacher Jacque Barton emailed me to see if any staff were interested in putting together a team for CASA of Lane County’s Over the Edge Fundraising Event coming up on June 15. Folks could challenge another school to raise money to send their principal or another staff member(s) to rappel down the Hyatt at Oakway. Here is a promo video.

 

• 4J Process and Procedure for Assisting Students with Toileting – Principals were asked to share with staff the 4J Approved Process and Procedure for Assisting Students with Toileting. They want to make sure staff are aware of this language.

 

• Summer STEM Training for Elementary Teachers – The Lane STEM Team would like to announce a great summer opportunity for K5 teachers in our county: a 4-day paid workshop on ELA-Science integration. Dara Brennan, TOSA from Springfield is leading this workshop based on her successful experience in her district, and bringing it to the rest of Lane County.

When: July 15 to July 18
Where: Lane ESD
Stipend: $1200

Check out the PD Flyer and Register HERE. This application closes on May 1.

 

•Repeats & Reminders – See prior announcements for details:

• EEF Grants Due May 3 – EEF Grants are opening now and are due May 3. EEF prioritizes grants that focus on Enrichment (ex. STEM, arts, experimental learning), Ready to Learn (ex. literacy, SEL, accessibility solutions), and Pathways (ex. CTE, SPED, TAG). The application link is not live yet, but linked here is a PDF I made of the form from earlier this year.

• PTO Childcare EA Help May & June – Are any EAs interested in helping with childcare at the May 2 and/or June 6 PTO meetings, 5:30-7:30? The PTO will pay extended contract or I can offer trade time if you’d rather bank some hours for a future non-student day. Let me know if you are interested.

 

• District Admin Updates – The annual admin shuffle has being. Principals were emailed that the Kennedy MS principal, Laura Clark, is leaving at the end of the year for a job at Cottage Grove Middle School.

 

•Schedule of Upcoming Events – See the Holt Staff Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the next two weeks:

April 22 (M)
Title Staff Room Duty
Scholastic Book Fair Open Before & After School
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
8:30, Allan to Formal Observation
9:00-10;30, Allan to 4J BAT Meeting (Zoom)
2:30-4:00, Girls on the Run
3:00-5:30, Allan to SCIP All Admin Meeting (Ed Center)

April 23 (T)
8:50-10:35, Book Nook (Cafeteria)
9:00-9:40, Preventative Safety Inspection
10:15, Student Council (Reich’s Room)
2:45-3:30, IPBS Meeting (Calming Room)

April 24 (W)
Administrative Professionals’ Day (formerly Secretaries’ Day)
8:30, Allan to Formal Observation
1:30, Classified Staff Meeting (Library)
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – Team Collaboration Time
1:30-3:00, Girls on the Run
3:00, Allan Picking Up Cereal Snacks

April 25 (H)
Scholastic Book Fair Last Day
9:05, Allan to Formal Observation
10:15-12:30, 5th Grade Hult Center Field Trip
2:45-3:30, Staff Meeting (Volunteer’s Room)

April 26 (F)
Self Managers Application Deadline
Holt Spirit Day – 80s Day!
8:20-8:40, School Spirit Assembly (Gym)
9:00-9:40, BMX Anti-Bullying Assembly (Hardplay)
10:00-10:30, Allan Meeting w/Colt Gill (Office)
2:45-3:30, Attendance Team Meeting (Office)
4:00-6:00, Allan to 4J Kidner Welcome Event (River Road)

April 29 (M)
Kindergarten Staff Room Duty
Artist in Residence Begins
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
2:30-4:00, Girls on the Run

April 30 (T)
2:45-3:30, SST Meeting (Calming Room)
2:45-3:30, Grade Level Team Meetings

May 1 (W)
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – SAEBRS Spring Testing (Library)
1:30-3:00, Girls on the Run
7:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

May 2 (H)
9:00, Safety Committee Meeting (Office)
10:45-12:45, 5th Grade Hult Center Field Trip
11:00-12:00, Allan to IDEA PD (Zoom)
2:45, Equity & Inclusion Meeting (Kelsey’s Room)
4:00-9:00, ACE Awards – Tentative (Ed Center)
6:00-7:00, PTO Meeting (Library)

May 3 (F)
Holt Kinder Transition Day
9:30-11:30, 5th Grade Monroe Visit
9:45-12:15, 1st Field Trips Magical Mooombah (The Shedd)

 

And now, enjoy some educational programming 1980s style from Mr. Wizard’s World below. :)

Allan

@sluggnetwork

Call a professional next time! #mrwizardsworld #80s #genx #80sflashback #lifelessons #learning #education #80skid #generations #science #donherbert #nickelodeon #legend #family #dad #father #familytimes #brother #building

♬ original sound – SluggNetwork

April 15, 2024

By Allan  |  2024/04/13 22:59 Posted in Announcements, Articles, Arts, Assessment, Grants, P.D., Video  |  Comments (0)

 

Hi Everyone,

A shoutout to Emily for organizing the Accessible Education Parent Group last Thursday! I think this is going to be a great support for families of students with IEPs and 504s and is a group that’s going to grow. Thank you, Emily!

Twenty-five items of note for this week:

• Self-Managers Rollout – Staff decided at last week’s Staff Meeting to bring back Self-Managers. The plan will be:

THIS WEEK:
• Teachers go over the Self-Manager Slideshow with kids

BETWEEN NOW & APRIL 26:
• Kids nominate themselves by filling out Self-Manager Application and get the required signatures (specialists, recess/lunch supervisors, attendance, principal, classroom teacher)
• Classroom teachers check the attributes on the form.
• Nomination forms will normally be due the first Friday of the month, but for this rollout will be due 4/26, 5/17, and 6/6
• Teachers can use the form as a teaching tool for students not qualifying for this round

I’ll leave a stack of copies of the Self-Manager Form by the mailboxes. Also, if you’re reading this on Sunday, the slideshow isn’t updated yet, but will be by Monday.

For folks not at the staff meeting, primary grades will have Junior Self-Managers, with fewer special privileges, and older grades will have regular self-managers with more special privileges, which may include:

• Purple self-manager badge and a lanyard (older grades)
• Name on announcements
• Group picture each month
• Pre-printed Postcard Home
• Walk to lunch or specials ahead of class
• Use a bathroom or drink at any time
• Library reading time
• Self-Manager Table at lunch
• Other jobs/tasks
• Possible: Inside classroom recess
• Possible: Help in Buddy Classroom
• Special Self-Manager Recess
• Self-manager salute in Assembly and/or sel-manager section

I’ll schedule a time to go over this with EAs at a later date.

Students can lose their Self-Manager status. Any major or minor referral results first in a warning. A second referral would mean losing Self-Manager privileges for a week. A third referral would mean losing their badge altogether and they would need to reapply.

 

• Orange Ticket Buddy Recess Reward – Kids met their Orange Ticket goal and we will reward them with an extra Buddy Recess. Calming Room staff and I will cover the 30-minute recess, but it would be great if teachers could help out in 15-minute shifts. The schedule will be:

Monday, 1:40-2:10 – 1st & 5th
Tuesday, 1:40-2:10 – 2nd & 4th
Thursday, 1:40 -2:10 – KG & 3rd

 

• Volunteer Appreciation Week Sign-Up – This is Volunteer Appreciation Week. Make sure you’ve brought in your treat listed on the Volunteer Treat Sign-Up Google Sheet.

 

• Fire Drill, TUESDAY@9:25 – I’m taking advantage of a couple classes being gone on a field trip to have our fire drill at a different time. The April Fire Dill is on TUESDAY at 9:25. 1st grade will be lined up outside already at the end of their recess and by the time the drill is over, 2nd and 3rd graders can just go straight to their 9:30 recess. Linked here is a copy of the Building Evacuation Map and the Fire Drill Line-Up Map. We’ll reschedule if we get rained out, but right now the forecast looks good.

 

• Fire Drill Reminder, Close Doors – Several classroom doors were left open during the last fire drill, so remember to close them this time around. Keeping the doors closed helps prevent a fire from spreading.

 

• Wednesday PD: 4J Behavior Matrix – We will see this Wednesday to go over the 4J Behavior Matrix. If you’d like a preview, linked here is the Holt Discipline Flowchart for Teachers, which is actually a generic district template except for slide #3 where I added some Holt specific information, the 4J Minors/Major Behavior Definitions for Staff, and for minor incidents there is the Revisiting/Strengthening Classroom Climate & Practices and Implementing Classroom-level Interventions documents. Here’s a link to the 2023-2024 Behavior Matrix (longer version) that was shared with principals and if you’re interested, here’s the Admin Behavior Matrix Slideshow that was presented to building admins. 

 

• Scholastic Book Fair Opens, FRIDAY– Watch for details from the PTO and Robbie about hours and preview scheduling, but the Book Fair will open on Friday, April 19th and will also be open during the School Carnival. The Book Fair will run through Thursday, April 25th.

 

• Sheldon Mamma Mia Performance, Friday @1:15- The Sheldon High School Drama Department will perform an abbreviated version of their current musical, Mamma Mia, on Friday at 1:15. They will perform in the cafeteria and linked here is an Assembly Map with younger grades in the front and older grades in the back.

 

• Holt PTO School Carnival, FRIDAY, 5:30-7:30 – The Holt PTO has been hard at work on this year’s annual School Carnival. It will be Friday, April 19th from 5:30-7:30 in the cafeteria, gym, and playground. They’ll have games, food carts, the car bash, and this year are adding a silent auction. Remind your class and get them pumped to attend!

 

• Earth Day – Holt Clean Up Day! 4/22 – Monday, April 22nd is Earth Day and the Student Council invites classes to help clean up the school to celebrate. See Ashley’s Email for details, but sign your class up on the linked Earth Day Clean-Up Google Sheet.

 

• Administrative Professionals’ Day, 4/24 – Formerly known as Secretaries’ Day, Wednesday, April 24th is Administrative Professionals’ Day, so get ready to celebrate Sharon and Keri!

 

• Wednesday PD: Team Collaboration – We haven’t had a Wednesday without a meeting for some time, so let’s set this time aside for teams to connect and collaborate and/or take care of whatever you need to get done.

 

• Holt Spirit Day – 80’s Day, 4/25 – Friday, April 26 is the monthly Holt Spirit Day and this time it’s 80s Day Day! Just wear neon, bright colors, 80’s style clothes, or wear school colors or gear!

 

• Spirit Assembly 4/25 @8:20 – The April School Spirit Assembly is on Friday, April 25th in the gym. The assembly will start at 8:20, but all classes should be in the gym by 8:15. Stay tuned for details!

 

• BMX Anti-Bullying Assembly 4/25 @9:00-9:40 – Friday, April 25th at 9:00 (yes, following the Spirit Assembly) will be the BMX Anti-Bullying Assembly on hard play. I haven’t heard from the assembly folks what their setup will be, but I imagine we’ll be circled around their performance, so stay tuned for details.

 

• 24-25 Master Schedule Survey, Due 4/26 – As we get ready to work on next year’s master schedule, take a moment to complete the 2024-2025 Master Schedule Survey if you’d like to weigh on some ideas being considered.

 

• Master Schedule Guidance – Related to the above item, downtown provided updated Instructional Minutes Master Schedule Guidance for different subject areas. As with last year, there are not enough minutes in the day to meet the suggested minutes, which are also missing a time for Tier 3 math and the PE BEPA time, so again, this is merely a suggestion for grade levels to follow. I’ll put this on a future Staff Meeting agenda to review a couple of pieces on here that teams may want to consider.

 

• Fiddle Artist in Residence Schedule – Linked here is the Fiddle Artist in Residence Schedule, which will run from April 29 – May 17. Let me or Lesli know if you spot any conflicts.

 

• SAEBRS Spring Testing Window, May 1-31 – A reminder that we have the SAEBRS spring testing window coming up May 1 – 31, so I will schedule a future Wednesday PD to give teachers time to complete the teacher portion of the assessment. See the previously shared SAEBRS Slideshow if you want a refresher ahead of time.

 

• PTO Childcare EA Help May & June – Are any EAs interested in helping with childcare at the May 2 and/or June 6 PTO meetings, 5:30-7:30? The PTO will pay extended contract or I can offer trade time if you’d rather bank some hours for a future non-student day. Let me know if you are interested.

 

• Volunteers for District-Wide Kindergarten Event 4/26 – Principals were asked to forward an email to classified staff to recruit volunteers to assist with this second annual district-wide Kindergarten event on April 26th.

 

• SSD April Newsletter – If you’re interested here is the April SSD Newsletter. Topics include ESY, manifestation determinations, and timelines. The SSD Newsletter Archives has all prior newsletters.

 

•Repeats & Reminders – See prior announcements for details:

• EEF Grants Due May 3 – EEF Grants are opening now and are due May 3. EEF prioritizes grants that focus on Enrichment (ex. STEM, arts, experimental learning), Ready to Learn (ex. literacy, SEL, accessibility solutions), and Pathways (ex. CTE, SPED, TAG). The application link is not live yet, but linked here is a PDF I made of the form from earlier this year.

 

• Meeting Students’ Needs for Emotional Support – A new survey finds that a large percentage of students don’t feel that they have an adult to turn to at school when they’re troubled. See this Edutopia Article for details, but try to be that person kids feel comfortable going to. They suggest seeing if your students are ready and willing to talk by asking these questions:

“Have you talked to anyone about what’s bothering you?”
“Do you want to talk to somebody about this?”
“Whom can you talk to about this?”
“When do you plan to talk to them about this?”

Asking these questions helps ensure that an action plan can be put in place.

 

•Schedule of Upcoming Events – See the Holt Staff Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the next two weeks:

April 15 (M)
Office/PE/Music Staff Room Duty
Volunteer Appreciation Week
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
2:30-4:00, Girls on the Run
2:40, Talent Show Auditions (Reich’s Room)
3:30-5:00, Allan to All Admin Meeting (Ed Center)

April 16 (T)
9:00-1:00, 4th UO Museum of Natural & Cultural History, Reich & Longoria
9:25, Fire Drill
10:15, Student Council (Reich’s Room)
2:40, Talent Show Auditions (Reich’s Room)
2:45-3:30, Grade Level Team Meetings

April 17 (W)
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – 4J Behavior Matrix (Library)
1:30-3:00, Girls on the Run
7:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

April 18 (H)
8:50-10:35, Book Nook (Cafeteria)
9:00-1:00, 4th UO Museum of Natural & Cultural History, Benavides & Cobb
2:45, Leadership Meeting (Kelsey’s Room)
5:30-6:45, Kinder Reading Night (Classes & Cafeteria)

April 19 (F)
Scholastic Book Fair Opens
1:15 (tentative), Sheldon Mamma Mia Assembly/Performance (Cafetorium)
5:30-7:30, School Carnival (Gym, Cafeteria, Playground)

April 22 (M)
Title Staff Room Duty
Scholastic Book Fair Continues
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
8:30, Allan to Formal Observation
9:00-10;30, Allan to 4J BAT Meeting (Zoom)
2:30-4:00, Girls on the Run
3:00-5:00, Allan to SCIP All Admin Meeting (Ed Center)

April 23 (T)
10:15, Student Council (Reich’s Room)
2:45-3:30, IPBS Meeting (Calming Room)

April 24 (W)
Administrative Professionals’ Day (formerly Secretaries’ Day)
8:30, Allan to Formal Observation
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – Team Collaboration Time
1:30-3:00, Girls on the Run
7:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

April 25 (H)
Scholastic Book Fair Ends
9:05, Allan to Formal Observation
8:50-10:35, Book Nook (Cafeteria)
10:15-12:30, 5th Grade Hult Center Field Trip
2:45-3:30, Staff Meeting (Volunteer’s Room)

April 26 (F)
Self-Managers Application Deadline
Holt Spirit Day – 80s Day!
8:20-8:40, School Spirit Assembly (Gym)
9:00-9:40, BMX Anti-Bullying Assembly (Hardplay)

 

And if you didn’t catch it already, check out this year’s hype video for state testing! Thank you to everyone who participated in the video and thank you to Ashley for putting it together!

Allan

 

March 18, 2024

By Allan  |  2024/03/16 21:32 Posted in Announcements, Arts, P.D., Technology  |  Comments Off on March 18, 2024

Hello Everyone,

Just 5 days until Spring Break!

Sixteen items of note for this week:

• Erin’s Law & Second Step Child Safety Unit, Lesson #5 – All classroom teachers should use the Second Step Child Protection Unit to meet the state Erin’s Law requirements. For each grade level, there are six lessons, which are to be covered at three points in the school year, with Lessons 1-4 in the fall, lesson 5 right before spring break, and lesson 6 right before summer break. 4J purchased only one kit per grade level, but linked here are Child Protection Unit Scans of the teacher guides if that makes things easier.

 

• PTO Penny War Begins, MONDAY – The PTO is trying a penny war fundraiser. Grades will compete against each other and the winning grade will receive a popcorn party!

Rules:
1. All grades will have a separate jar and placed in the hallway by the front office.
2. There will be a Rainbow tracker with Leprechauns racing to the pot of gold in the hallway to let grades know where they stand after each count.
3. Money will be counted daily and points updated.
4. All money must be placed in the designated jars by 8am on Friday, March 22 to allow for a final count and announcement of winner. Popcorn party will be awarded to the winning grade that afternoon, prior to the end of school day.

Earn (+) points: Place pennies and dollar bills in your grade’s jar to earn points for your grade:

Penny = +1
$1 bill = +100
$5 bill = +500
$10 bill = +1000
$20 bill = +2000

Lose (-) points: Place silver coins (nickel, dimes, quarters, half dollars, and silver dollars) in other grades’ jars to make them lose points:

Nickel = -5
Dime = -10
Quarter = -25
Half Dollar = -50
Silver Dollar = -100

 

• Girls on the Run Begins, MONDAY – Girls on the Run begins this week, and will be on Mondays (2:30-4:00) and Wednesdays (1:30-3:00), ending May 27th. See the linked Holt Girls on the Run Info for details.

 

• Music Dress Rehearsal, MONDAY & TUESDAY – Monday and Tuesday from 1:00-1:45 will be the music performance rehearsal. Monday is for 1st, 2nd, and 4th grade and Tuesday is for KG, 3rd, and 5th grade (5th will be at recess until 12:05). This falls right in the middle of kinder and 1st grade music times, so teachers missing your regular music can take your kids out to the playground for a 30-minute recess during your regular music time instead. See Ashley’s Email for details.

 

• Grade Level Team Meetings, TUESDAY – The first two Tuesdays of the month on non-Staff Meeting weeks are dedicated Grade Level Team Meeting times. Teams should:

• Meet in their wing so specialists can connect if needed
• Take care of any needed team business
• Complete the Team Meeting Minutes Form (make a copy) and email it to holt_staf@4j.lane.edu

The Team Meeting Minutes Form can also be found on the Holt Staff Dashboard.

 

• Wed. PD: – 24-25 Staffing Plan Announcement & Team Collaboration Time – Wednesday at 1:30 in the library I will announce the 24-25 Staffing Plan I’ve submitted to HR. Following the announcement will be grade-level collaboration time.

 

• CORRECTION: Holt Spirit Day – Sports Day, FRIDAY – This Friday is a Holt Spirit Day and this time it’s Sports Day! Wear your favorite team gear, sports gear, or simply wear your Holt spirit gear. Movie nerd point to anyone who knows the movie reference to what I’ll be wearing below:

• April 1 PD for SPED EAs – SSD has scheduled PD for SPED EAs at Churchill High School Auditorium, 8:30-10:00, showing the film “R Word.” The “R-Word” unravels the history and lasting effect of this word, ultimately making the case for why the conversation surrounding people with intellectual and developmental disabilities needs to change. When not in the “R Word” showing, please finish your vector trainings.

 

• Links for April 1 PD Day – Please review the session offerings here and sign up for your top 3 choices here. All other licensed staff: Please review your PD plan for April 1st here.

Classroom EAs will not have PD this day, but Title EAs, SPED EAs, and BBSAs will have a job-alike meeting.

 

• EA Assistance April 1 Sign-Up – If teachers could use any help with prep or other tasks, add your name and the task to the EA Assistance Spreadsheet. EAs should also add your name to the tasks you’d be willing to take on.

 

• Title 1 EA Interviews, 4/1 @1:30 – Jenny and I are holding interviews on Monday, April 1st at 1:30 if anyone is interested in volunteering their time to help with interviews. Let me know if you are interested and I will email the interview materials.

 

• Spirit Assembly 4/5 @8:20 – The April School Spirit Assembly is on Friday, April 5th in the gym. The assembly will start at 8:20, but all classes should be in the gym by 8:15. Stay tuned for details!

 

• 4J Grow Your Own Program – Application is NOW OPEN!  The application window is from March 1, 2024 – April 5, 2024. To learn more about the Grow Your Own Program and 4J’s commitment to providing pathways to licensure please visit the Grow Your Own webpage by clicking HERE. To apply for the Grow Your Own program click HERE. If you have any questions you can reach out to: Chemika S. Bolden

 

• Lightspeed Flexmike Mute Button Damage – The Tech Department is seeing a spike in tickets about damaged Lightspeed Flexmike mute buttons, so they asked principals to forward the linked Email and Microphone Quick Start Guide. The short version is on the top of the Flexmike there is a small white button that is technically labeled as a Power button but in reality, the Flexmike doesn’t need to be powered on and off. This button should be thought of and used as the Mute/Unmute button.

 

• New Walker Tracker Challenge – “Put Some Spring Into Your Steps” challenge in the Walker Tracker app for a chance for our team to walk away with $300 or, for the four highest stepping individuals, an annual Oregon State Parks pass. The goal is for each individual on a team is to reach 49,000 steps (or 7,000 each day). Three teams also can win a $300 prize by accumulating:

1. Most steps through walking or physical activities.
2. Highest average steps through walking or physical activities.
3. Most picture points through uploading photos into the app that capture the spirit of spring. Teams receive one point for each photo that includes at least one team member, and three points for each photo with three or more team members.

 

•Schedule of Upcoming Events – See the Holt Staff Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the next two weeks:

March 17 (M)
St Patrick’s Day

March 18 (M)
K-3 Clay Artist in Residence Continues
5th Grade Staff Room Duty
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
1:00-1:45, Music Dress Rehearsal – 1st, 2nd, 4th (Cafeteria)
2:30-4:00, Girls on the Run
3:30-5:30, Allan to Elem. Principals’ Meeting (Ed Center)

March 19 (T)
10:15, Student Council (Reich’s Room)
11:00-12:00, 4th School Garden Lesson
1:00-1:45, Music Dress Rehearsal – KG, 3rd, 5th (Cafeteria)
2:45-3:30, Grade Level Team Meetings
5:00, PERS OPSRP (Tier 3) Info Session
5:30, Feed Hope Food Box Prep (Gym)
6:00, 5th Grade Outdoor School Parent Night (Library)

March 20 (W)
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – 24-25 Staffing Plan Decision & Team Collaboration Time (Library)
1:30-3:00, Girls on the Run
1:40, Allan & SPED Team Meeting w/Seth & Jeff
3:30, Allan to Admin Mentor Meeting
6:00, 1/2/4 Music Performance (Cafeteria)
7:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

March 21 (H)
Building Staffing Plans DUE
8:50-10:35, Book Nook (Cafeteria)
2:45-3:30, Leadership Meeting (Kelsey’s Room)
6:00, K/3/5 Music Performance (Cafeteria)

March 22 (F)
Regular Day

March 25-29
Spring Break

April 1 (M)
April Fool’s Day!
No School – Professional Development/Planning Day

8:00 – Meet at your building and get into carpool groups.
8:20 – Arrive at Howard Elementary
8:30 – 9:50 – Session #1
9:50-10:05 – Break/Transition
10:05-11:25 – Session #2
11:25-11:40- Break/Transition
11:40-1:00 – Session #3
1:00-2:00 – Travel back to your building and lunch on your own
1:30, Title 1 EA Interviews
2:00-4:00 – Planning Time

April 2 (T)
Classes Resume
3rd Grade Staff Room Duty
K-3 Clay Artist in Residence Continues
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
10:15, Student Council (Reich’s Room)
2:45-3:30, Grade Level Team Meetings
2:45-3:30, SST Meeting (Calming Room)

April 3 (W)
Monthly Walk+Roll to School Day
10:40, 4th Grade Storyteller
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – Equity & Inclusion Team (Library)
1:30-3:00, Girls on the Run
7:00-9:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

April 4 (H)
8:50-10:35, Book Nook (Cafeteria)
9:00, Safety Committee Meeting (Office)
2:45, Equity & Inclusion Team Meeting, Rob Hess attending (Kelsey’s Room)
5:00-6:00, Site Council (Library)
6:00-7:00, PTO Meeting (Library & Zoom)

April 5 (F)
Holt Spirit Day – Sports Day
8:20-8:40, School Spirit Assembly (Gym)
9:30-1:30, 3rd Grade Eugene Science Center Field Trip

 

It’s practically just two months until summer!

Allan

 

March 4, 2024

By Allan  |  2024/03/03 00:16 Posted in Announcements, Arts, Assessment, Equity, P.D., Video  |  Comments Off on March 4, 2024

 

Hello Holt Bolts,

It’s Classified Appreciation Week and I want to give a TREMENDOUS shoutout to Holt’s truly amazing classified staff. Our school would not function without you and I cannot imagine coming to school without the talented and fun team of classified folks we’re lucky enough to have here at Holt! You all are the best!

Eighteen items of note for this week:

• Classified Appreciation Week MONDAY Goodies  – Holt Classified Staff are ROCK STARS! Licensed staff, remember to bring your goodies for the Baked Potato Bar on Monday! Also, watch for some extra treats in your mailbox this week from me.

 

• K-3 Artist in Residence Begins MONDAY – The K-3 Clay Artist in Residence begins this week with Lily Hamilton teaching 5 Clay Friends. Linked here is the Artist Schedule that was shared earlier and is also on the Staff Zimbra Calendar.

 

• Grade Level Team Meetings, TUESDAY – The first two Tuesdays of the month on non-Staff Meeting weeks are dedicated Grade Level Team Meeting times. Teams should:

• Meet in their wing so specialists can connect if needed
• Take care of any needed team business
• Complete the Team Meeting Minutes Form (make a copy) and email it to holt_staf@4j.lane.edu

The Team Meeting Minutes Form can also be found on the Holt Staff Dashboard.

 

• Student Support Team (SST) Meeting TUESDAY – The March SST meeting will be this Tuesday, where the team will screen potential referrals for SPED evaluations and for SST members to do a monthly check-in on students currently in the evaluation process. Use the Request for Student / Classroom Support Form to make a referral to the team. An agenda will be emailed to teachers needing to attend the meeting.

 

• Wednesday PD: OSAS Annual Training – Wednesday at 1:30 in the library will be the 3/4/5 OSAS Training and also a K/1/2 ELA CAT Practice Test.

 

• Sheldon Region Noche de Familia, 3/12 @5:30 – Tuesday, March 12th from 5:30-7:00, Holt will hold a Sheldon Region Noche de Familia. We are targeting Latino families, though all families are invited. I’ll be running the following article in the next two weeks in the quick news and will also ask other Sheldon Region elementary schools to do the same.

Región deSheldon, Noche de Familia
March 12th 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm

Región de Sheldon, Noche de Familia is open to all K-5 families within the Sheldon region. This event is completely free! It’s a perfect opportunity to connect with other families in the community. We would be delighted to have you join us for this special evening of celebration and togetherness. Questions? Email ball_k@4j.lane.edu

• Free burritos to the first 100 people
• Food trucks to purchase additional items
• Free fruit and pan dulce
• Kids’ crafts and activities
• Raffle and photo booth
• Information booths (Spanish and English)
• Performance by Ballet Folklórico Colibrí

 

 

 

• Wednesday PD, 3/13: 24-25 Staffing – Staffing will be shared with principals on March 8. I’ll email staff the allocations and potential staffing scenarios that same day, as well as a survey to share their thoughts on the scenarios. Wednesday, March 13 at 1:30 in the library will be our first discussion as a group regarding 24-25 staffing. Any remaining time this day will be dedicated time for Vector Training.

 

• Bike Repair Day at Holt, 3/13 – Safe Routes to School is putting on a Bike Repair Day event at Holt on Tuesday, March 13 after school 1:15-3:45, by the bike racks. Let kids know they’ll be there to provide free basic bike repairs including Flat Tires, Brakes, Shifting, Bike Fitting, and Safety Checks.

 

• Chipotle (at Gateway) Holt Night Out, 3/13 – Let your kids know the next Holt Night Out is Tuesday, March 13th, from 4:00-8:00 at the Gateway Chipotle location (not the Coburg Road location). Just show the flyer or use the promo code N69HTLD if ordering online. Click HERE for additional details.

 

• Don’t Prop Exterior Doors – A reminder, for safety reasons, do not prop exterior doors unless you are standing right next to the door and for a very short duration of time.

 

• Discipline Matrix Input – I shared the 4J Discipline Matrix in prior announcements, but haven’t gone over it at a meeting yet. That may be good because some principals have raised concerns in the areas of:

1) Major technology violations
2) Racial Harassment
3) Skipping & tardies (engagement)

District admin are seeking input from building Equity & Inclusion Teams, which Holt’s team will look at this Thursday. Let me or any of the Equity & Inclusion Team reps know if you have any thoughts on this topic.

 

• Summer School SEAL Info – If you’re interested, linked here is a SEAL Overview Slideshow as well as the SEAL Referral Process.

 

• Apply Now for 4J Summer Jobs – Current classified and licensed employees can apply for 4J Summer Jobs (see link for complete list) by using this Application Form. The application deadline is Saturday, March 9. Applications will receive an email response regarding their status by Friday, March 15. Email seal@4j.lane.edu if you have any questions.

 

• Elementary Curriculum Updates – If you’re interested, linked here are the latest Elementary Curriculum Updates that were shared with principals, which has info on TAG, Math, and 4/5 Wit & Wisdom. The part probably most interesting to staff is about Dreambox usage, which states

Dreambox data is helping students close the gap in their math learning! Our data is showing that students who are completing 2-4 lessons per week have made a half year’s growth in their math knowledge. Even better, students who are playing 5 or more lessons per week since September have made, on average, a full year’s growth. We have several schools who are using this program and seeing results. Way to go, Awbrey Park, EOA, WIllagillespie, Spring Creek and River Road/El Camino. Keep up the good work! Have all of your students taken the placement test in Dreambox? Let me know how I can support your staff and students. Jamie Tait, Elem Math Specialist

Dreambox may not be as gamified as Prodigy and other math apps, but it’s pretty darn effective if you have your students do it for a little bit each day.

 

• 4J Grow Your Own Program, Professional Development Application – Principals were asked to share the following:

Our 4J Grow Your Own Program – Application is NOW OPEN!

The application window is from March 1, 2024 – April 5, 2024. To learn more about the Grow Your Own Program and 4J’s commitment to providing pathways to licensure please visit the Grow Your Own webpage by clicking HERE. To apply for the Grow Your Own program click HERE.

If you have any questions you can reach out to:

Chemika Bolden
HR Administrator, Grow Your Own Program
bolden_c@4j.lane.edu

 

• Golden Apple Award Nominations Open, March 1–31 – Make Holt look good and nominate a Holt staff member or volunteer for the new 4J Golden Apple Award (taking the place of the ACE Awards). Nominate someone now through Sunday, March 31, by completing and submitting this Nomination Form.

 

 

•Repeats & Reminders – See prior announcements for details:

• 24/25 Staffing Survey – Please complete the linked 2024-2025 Staffing Survey to help me prep for next year’s staffing plan. I’d like to hear from both classified and licensed staff. I’d like to know staff members’ plans and preferences for the future as well as your thoughts on next year’s staffing plan, master schedule, or any other thoughts or feedback. 

 

•Schedule of Upcoming Events – See the Holt Staff Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the next two weeks:

March 4 (M)
Classified Appreciation Week
K-3 Clay Artist in Residence Begins
3rd Grade Staff Room Duty
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
9:00-1:30, OSEA Membership Drive (Staff Room)
10:30-1:00, Potato Bar Classified Appreciation Lunch (Staff Room)
2:30-3:00, Allan Meeting w/SSD & Elem Directors (Ed Center)
3:30-5:30, Allan to Elem. Principals’ Meeting (Ed Center)

March 5 (T)
10:15, Student Council (Reich’s Room)
2:45-3:30, Grade Level Team Meetings
2:45-3:30, SST Meetings (Calming Room)
5:00, PERS OPSRP (Tier 3) Info Session
6:00-7:30, Conscious Discipline Parent Course (Library & Cafeteria)

March 6 (W)
Monthly Walk+Roll to School Day
9:00-11:00, Allan to Learning Walk (Gilham)
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – 3/4/5 OSAS Training, K/1/2 ELA CAT Practice Test (Library)
7:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

March 7 (H)
8:50-10:35, Book Nook (Cafeteria)
9:00, Safety Committee Meeting (Office)
2:45-3:30, Equity & Inclusion Meeting (Kelsey’s Room)
3:30, Allan to TAG Meeting (Zoom)
5:00-6:00, 24-25 Kinder Orientation (Library & Zoom)
6:00-7:00, PTO Meeting (Library & Zoom)

March 8 (F)
Staffing Allocations Given to Principals
2:45, Allan to IEP Meeting (Zoom)

March 11 (M)
4th Grade Staff Room Duty
K-3 Clay Artist in Residence Continues
7:30, Allan Meeting w/Jeff Johnson (Office)
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up

March 12 (T)
Birthday Drinks & Goodies in Staff Room
2:45-3:30, PBIS/SEL Meeting (Calming Room)
9:30-12:10, 4th Grade Hult Center Field Trip
5:30-7:00, Noche de Familia (Gym & Cafeteria)

March 13 (W)
7:30-9:00, Allan to MAPS Meeting
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – Staffing Discussion #1 and Vector Time (Library)
1:15-3:45, Bike Repair Day at Holt (Bike Racks)
4:00-8:00, Holt Night Out – Chipotle

March 14 (H)
Pi Day
8:50-10:35, Book Nook (Cafeteria)
8:45-9:30, 5th Portable Planetarium, Parks (Gym)
10:45-11:30, 5th Portable Planetarium, Henrich (Gym)
1:15-2:00, 5th Portable Planetarium, Ayres (Gym)
2:45, Staff Meeting (Volunteer’s Classroom)
3:30, Allan to TAG Meeting (Zoom)
6:00-7:00, PTO Meeting (Library & Zoom)

March 15 (F)
8:45-9:30, 5th Portable Planetarium, Parks (Gym)
9:00-10:00, Allan to 4J SAT Team Meeting (Zoom)
10:45-11:30, 5th Portable Planetarium, Henrich (Gym)
1:15-2:00, 5th Portable Planetarium, Ayres (Gym)
4:30, Allan to 4J BIPOC Staff Affinity Meeting
5:00-8:00, 4 Strength in Neurodivergence Festival (Sheldon)

 

And if you missed it, here’s our Reading Buddy Event on KEZI and also on the 4J Facebook (Video and Photos) and Instagram (Video and Photos)

Allan

 

 

February 26, 2024

By Allan  |  2024/02/24 22:31 Posted in Announcements, Arts, Equity, P.D., Video  |  Comments Off on February 26, 2024

 

Howdy All,

Nineteen items of note for this week:

• Holt Night Out – McMenamins on 19th, TUESDAY – This Tuesday is the February Holt Night Out Fundraiser, which is at McMenamins on E. 19th. The PTO is getting a really good percentage on this one, with 50% of purchases, so pump this one up! Dine-in or pick-up. Just mention the fundraiser. Plus, it’s conveniently located across the street from Prince Pucklers for after-dinner ice cream!

 

• Wed PD: Student Climate & Culture Survey, DUE WEDNESDAY– The K-2 Climate Survey and 3-5 Climate Surveys are due this Wednesday, when we will have our next Equity & Inclusion PD. We will look at the data to help guide our next steps. When completed, feel free to put them in Carla’s mailbox for safekeeping or keep them yourself and bring them to the Wednesday PD.

 

• Dental Clinics THURSDAY and FRIDAY – Nurse Hanna Emailed staff we will hold our fluoride and sealant clinics this Thursday and Friday. They will start around 9:00 and end around 1:30. If a student is receiving fluoride, it should take around a minute, and if they are receiving sealants, it should take around 15 minutes. A staff member will come to each class to pull students who have signed permission slips.

 

• SAEBRS 2-5 Self-Eval Due THURSDAY – 2nd through 5th grades students should complete the SAEBRS self-evaluation by this Thursday. Don’t sweat it if you miss the deadline, but try your best to have students complete the assessment by this date. See the SAEBRS Slideshow for details.

 

• Read Across America – Buddy Reading Event, FRIDAY, 8:15-8:35 – A bit last minute, but Leadership planned a fun short activity this Friday to Celebrate Read Across America. Here’s the plan:

WHEN: Friday, 8:15-8:35 (buddies will read for 15 min.)
WHERE: K/3 in D wing, 1/2 in A wing, 2/4 in library office hall

We’re hoping we can get some news media to come out and originally planned for kids without publicity permission to go into the Calming Room, but I pulled the list and there are only 3 students without permission. Not here, but the publicity permission list is attached to my announcements email and the 3 NO students are at the top.

 

• Classified Appreciation Week, March 4-8 – Holt Classified Staff are AMAZING! Monday next week at lunchtime will be a delicious Potato Bar in your honor! Also, watch for some extra treats in your mailbox this week from me. Licensed staff, be sure to add your name to the Potato Bar Sign-Up if you haven’t already.

 

• Grade Level Team Meetings, 3/5 – The first two Tuesdays of the month on non-Staff Meeting weeks are dedicated Grade Level Team Meeting times. Teams should:

• Meet in their wing so specialists can connect if needed
• Take care of any needed team business
• Complete the Team Meeting Minutes Form (make a copy) and email it to holt_staf@4j.lane.edu

The Team Meeting Minutes Form can also be found on the Holt Staff Dashboard.

 

• Student Support Team (SST) Meeting 3/5 – The March SST meeting will be on Tuesday, March. 5, where the team will screen potential referrals for SPED evaluations and for SST members to do a monthly check-in on students currently in the evaluation process. Use the Request for Student / Classroom Support Form to make a referral to the team. An agenda will be emailed to teachers needing to attend the meeting.

 

• Revised K-3 Clay Artist Schedule – This artist requested her final session happen two days after the first 3 sessions, so we had to adjust the K-3 Clay Artist in Residence Schedule. Let me or Lesli know if you see any issues.

 

• 24-24 Staffing Timeline Revision – Leadership made a few changes to the Staffing Timeline. When I email the initial allocations I’ll now include a survey of potential scenarios that I will share the results of on 3/13. Also, following our second staff discussion, I’ll send a second survey, in case anyone changes their mind from the first survey, and at the 3/20 Wed. PD I’ll announce the staffing plan I’m submitting to HR and the rest of that PD time will be staff collaboration time.

Feb. 29 – Staff Meeting: Staffing Priorities & Grade Level Needs
Mar. 8 – HR gives principals 24-25 allocations
Mar. 8 – Allan emails allocations & draft scenarios w/survey
Mar. 13 – Wed. PD: Staffing Discussion #1
Mar. 14 – Staff Meeting: Staffing Discussion #2 w/early release for the second survey
Mar. 20 – Wed. PD: Announce Final Discussion & Collaboration Time
Mar. 20 – Staffing Plans Due to HR

 

• Perfect and Near-Perfect Attendance Awards – If any teachers would like me to recognize your students with perfect attendance for the first semester (no tardies or absences) or near-perfect attendance, let me know and I can give a 30-second award presentation to perfect attendees in your classroom. Just give me a date and time to come in and I can make a big deal about regular attendance. Attached in my email is a list of all the students with perfect attendance first semester. Also, if you know of any kids with “near perfect” attendance who you’d like to recognize, let me know and I can award them as well. I’ll plan to do the same at the end of the school year for perfect second-semester attendance and students with perfect attendance all year. I’ll also plan to give a shoutout at Monday Morning Announcements.

 

• Bells Off by Over 1 Minute – I put in a Tech Ticket almost a month ago, but our bells have drifted almost 2-minutes away from Cupertino time, so we should be flexible in the mornings for those students running to the doors when the bell rings until downtown gets the bells fixed.

 

• Book Nook Reminder – Remember the Book Nook Coupons are the only currency students should use for Book Nook.

 

• Lunch Codes Coming – Deb has been holding off Nutrition Services for us, but 4J is transitioning back to students having to use Lunch Codes. Later this year 4th and 5th grade will start using their 6-digit PIN, which is also their 6-digit password. The timeline is to test it out later this year with older kids and then start in the fall K-5. The reason for this is to be a precaution for students with food allergies because after students type their PIN (or scan a card, which is also an option) health alerts will pop up on the screen to alert staff, which I can understand schools need to do for liability reasons.

 

• Future PD and BEPA/SEL Survey – Erin Gaston Emailed staff a PD Input Survey (for all licensed staff) and a PE Minutes Survey (for classroom teachers). Friday, March 1 is the deadline. For the BEPA and Morning Meeting survey, if the results are that people are not doing them, I’m guessing there is going to be additional PD and master schedules more micromanaged.

 

• Teaching Children to Save Lessons with Banner Bank – The Eugene Downtown Banner Bank emailed me offering a free 30-minute lesson for elementary students on the importance of self saving and having safe savings spaces. They are available anytime after March 5th, so if you are interested, let me know or email Daniella Zapien Flores <Daniella.ZapienFlores@bannerbank.com> directly.

 

•Repeats & Reminders – See prior announcements for details:

• 24/25 Staffing Survey – Please complete the linked 2024-2025 Staffing Survey to help me prep for next year’s staffing plan. I’d like to hear from both classified and licensed staff. I’d like to know staff members’ plans and preferences for the future as well as your thoughts on next year’s staffing plan, master schedule, or any other thoughts or feedback.

• Equity and Inclusion Student Team – More names have been added, so last call to add names of students who would like to participate in the Student Equity & Inclusion Team.

• Women’s History Month – March is Women’s History Month. Here’s a WeAreTeachers Article I shared last week and here is the latest 4J Library Connection which has a section on Women’s History Month resources.

• Free Class Snacks! – Send your kids to the office in the morning for a grab-and-go breakfast (who didn’t get a breakfast earlier that morning), which is a great way to build up your supply of snacks for kids.

 

• HANDBOOK HIGHLIGHT: Confidentiality – This week’s highlight from the Holt Staff Handbook, is on Confidentiality. With so many staff members who are also parents, it’s important to be aware before and after school when there are little ears about:

Confidentiality

Building Spaces:

When having conversations (i.e. emails, etc.) please be aware of your surroundings and choice of words at school, at home, and in public. Staff personnel/personal issues and individual student issues are always considered confidential.

At school, the confidential conversation should take place behind closed doors and not in any communal place like the staff room, library, office, etc.

Contact teams in another setting if you have a concern or question.

Cum folders:
Staff may look in a child’s CUM folder, though it MUST stay in the office. Parents requesting to view their child’s cumulative file should make this request through the school office. The office will then arrange an appointment with the parent, and the principal, to go over the file. This affords the teacher and the office time to go through the file to make sure appropriate information is contained therein. Cums MUST REMAIN IN THE OFFICE AREA AT ALL TIMES.

 

•Schedule of Upcoming Events – See the Holt Staff Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the next two weeks:

February 26 (M)
2nd Grade Staff Room Duty
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
12:25-12:45, OBOB Battles (Library)
12:50-1:15, OBOB Battles (Library)
3:30-5:30, Allan to Elem Principals’ Meeting (Ed Center)

February 27 (T)
Holt Night Out – McMenamins on 19th
2:45-3:30, IPBS Meeting (Kelsey’s Room)
6:00-7:30, Conscious Discipline Parent Course (Library & Cafeteria)

February 28 (W)
8:30-9:10, Allan to SEAL Meeting (Zoom)
9:00-10:30, Allan to 4J BAT Team Meeting (Zoom)
12:25-12:45, OBOB Battles (Library)
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – Equity & Inclusion Team (Library)

February 29 (H)
SAEBRS Grade 2-5 Due
8:50-10:35, Book Nook (Cafeteria)
9:00-1:30, Dental Clinics (Lost & Found Area)
2:45, Staff Meeting (Volunteer’s Classroom)

March 1 (F)
Women’s History Month
Read Across America – Buddy Reading Event
8:15-8:35, Read Across America – Buddy Reading Event
9:00-1:30, Dental Clinics (Lost & Found Area)

March 4 (M)
Classified Appreciation Week
4th Grade Staff Room Duty
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
2:45, Allan Meeting w/SSD Admin (Office)

March 5 (T)
10:15, Student Council (Reich’s Room)
2:45-3:30, Grade Level Team Meetings
2:45-3:30, SST Meetings (Calming Room)
6:00-7:30, Conscious Discipline Parent Course (Library & Cafeteria)

March 6 (W)
Monthly Walk+Roll to School Day
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – 3/4/5 OSAS Training, K/1/2 ELA CAT Practice Test (Library)
7:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

March 7 (H)
8:50-10:35, Book Nook (Cafeteria)
9:00, Safety Committee Meeting (Office)
2:45-3:30, Equity & Inclusion Meeting (Kelsey’s Room)
3:30, Allan to TAG Meeting (Zoom)
5:00-6:00, 24-25 Kinder Orientation (Library & Zoom)
6:00-7:00, PTO Meeting (Library & Zoom)

March 8 (F)
Staffing Allocations Given to Principals

 

Four weeks until spring break!

Allan

@schooledbyarturo

#teachersoftiktok #teachertok #teacherlife #teachersbelike #teacherproblems #teacher

♬ Vogue (Edit) – Madonna

February 21, 2022

By Allan  |  2023/02/18 15:59 Posted in Announcements, Articles, Arts, P.D., Technology, Video  |  Comments Off on February 21, 2022

 

Hello Holt Staff,

Hope you’re all having a restful three-day weekend!

Twenty-two items of note for this week:

• REPEAT: Artist in Residence Starts TUESDAY – OUR Artist in Residence, Larry Meyers, starts on Tuesday. Linked here is the Schedule.

• 4J Board Member Visit, TUESDAY – Geoff is on a district committee looking at elementary libraries and 4J Board member Michelle Hsu was interested in visiting one of the schools piloting licensed librarians. She’ll be visiting Holt this Tuesday at 10:45.

• REPEAT: Holt Spirit Day – Wacky Dress-Up Day, FRIDAY  – Not this week but next week is a Holt Spirit Day and it’s Wacky Dress-Up Day! Start planning your outfit now and let your kids know how they can participate, wearing mismatched closthes, bright color, crazy outfits, crazy attire, or simply wearing their Holt gear or Holt school colors!

• REPEAT: School Spirit Assembly, FRIDAY @8:05 – Note that we are starting earlier for our monthly School Spirit Assembly this Friday in the gym. The assembly will start at 8:10, but all classes should be in the gym seated by 8:05.

 

• Holt Friday at 4:00, @Beer Garden! – Get ready for some bangers and brews at The Beer Garden this Friday for the February Holt Staff Friday at 4:00! See you there!

• Informal Observations this Week – I’ve said this before, but for probationary folks, I’m going to try to get around to do informal observations this week, so don’t be surprised if I pop in for 10-15 minutes at some point for a short observation.

• Optional Meeting w/UO Interior Architecture Student, Feb. 27 – A UO Interior Architecture student contacted me, wishing to speak with and/or a tour the school to better understand different types of students and faculty needs. They’re hoping to talk with teachers and educational assistants to understand unique opportunities that may benefit a variety of user groups. If you’re interested in helping this UO student, I’ll be meeting with them Monday, February 27th at 2:45 in the library.

• Holt Night Out – Pegasus Pizza, Feb. 28th – Not this week, but next week on Tuesday, February 28th is a Holt Night Out Fundraiser at Pegasus Pizza at Oakway Center! Just mention Holt when ordering and Pegasus will donate a percentage of your purchase to Holt. Take out and dine in only.

 

• REPEAT: 22/23 Staffing Survey – To help me with next year’s staffing plan, I’d like staff to complete the linked 2023-2024 Staffing Survey. I’d like to know staff members’ individual plans and preferences for the future as well as your thoughts on next year’s staffing plan, master schedule, or other thoughts. All answers will be kept confidential and let me know if you have any questions.

• Read Across America, March 2nd – NEA’s Read Across America is next week on Thursday, March 2nd. This is an annual reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading. For some ideas and resources, check out NEA (National Education Association) or Reading Rockets, or Discovery Education. Or just read aloud high-quality books, invite guest speakers, read with buddies, or any other fun celebration of reading and literacy!

• Kona Ice Fundraiser, Friday, March 3rd @12:30 – Kona Ice is coming to Holt for during Read Across America week. Teachers should sent bus riders who brought money to hard play at 12:30, so they have time to buy and eat their shave ice before having to get onto the bus. 4th and 5th grade will still be on the playground at this time, but I will be out there to crown control. And remember, all staff get a free shave ice as well! Just show your badge!

• Voice Amplification Systems – Tech folks emailed that all classrooms have now received new LightSpeed voice amplification systems. Most teachers already use the voice amplification systems, but if you don’t, I’d strongly encourage you to give it a try. Linked here is a short video and also training materials. Linked here are additional LightSpeed Training & Troubleshooting Videos. If you have any trouble with your system, submit a help ticket at 4jdesktop@4j.lane.edu

 

• April 3rd District ELA PD Survey – The 4J ELA team emailed principals to ask teachers for input on the April 3rd ELA PD Day. Please complete the linked 5 minutes ELA PD Survey, which is grade-level specific. SPED, Title, and any licensed staff who support literacy are also welcome to fill it out.

• Staff Shout Outs! – We’ll share Staff Shout Outs at the start of Tuesday’s Staff Meeting. The link can always be found on my blog and also on the Holt Staff Dashboard.

• Summer School Dates, June 29 – August 15 – No word yet on summer program locations, but I did get an email that the dates for summer school will be June 29 – August 15. I am pitching for Holt to be given a pass on housing a program, though I don’t think we’ll get our way this year. Edison is the only new building with AC, but it’ll most likely be closed for the summer so the contractor can fix punch list items that would’ve been too disruptive to fix during the school year.

• UPDATE: 4J Grown Your Own Teaching/Counseling Program – HR sent an Email Update  to principals about the 4J Grown Your Own Program that there is additional financial assistance through the Lane ESD for classified staff wanting to get their teaching or counseling degree. I’ve already heard from a few classified staff who are interested but let me know if you are interested and I will get you additional info. The deadline to apply is Feb. 28th.

• 4J Weather Alert Text Set-Up – Every staff member is should be set up in school messenger to receive text alerts if there’s ever a delay or school closure due to weather conditions. If you did not receive a text last week for our 2-hour delay, you should go to https://go.schoolmessenger.com to register for an account. Use your 4J email address and pick a new password. Once in, you can add/delete phone numbers for text messages and limit what notifications go to email or to your phone. And as of Saturday, there’s another chance of snow this Wednesday!

• Input on 4J Budget Priorities – Think more funding should go towards reducing class size than other district positions? The last 4J Educator Newsletter has a section called Integrated Guidance where all staff can give input on where you think district funds should be spent. Downtown identified three areas to focus on and have three different surveys. It’s a rather strange survey format, where you share your thoughts on the strategies for each of the three areas and then you rate the thoughts other staff shared. And FYI, class size is on the third survey, but I’d encourage folks to complete all three surveys to have your say. I do think downtown is genuinely paying attention to survey results, as seen by their revising next year’s proposed school calendar based on feedback.

Engaged Community
Equity Advanced
Well-Rounded Education

• New School Calendar: Classes Begin After Labor Day – Mentioned above, downtown listened to feedback and significantly changed their proposed 23-24 School Calendar. They changed most of my issues with the original draft, with school starting before Labor Day, all the non-school days in September, and also moved the spring break PD day to the Monday following the break instead of the Friday before. Parent teacher conferences are now Nov. 20, 21, and 22, right before Thanksgiving Break, which is more days than in the past, so I’m not sure how this will work, but it’s fine by me (long days 11/20 & 11/21 and a comp day 11/22?). Share your thoughts on the Revised 23-24 School Calendar Survey.

• ​​Abbreviated Day (SB 819) – Not sure if this is on folks radar, but you may have heard some rumor or speculation coming from the state that there will no longer be an option for an Abbreviated Day for students. This comes from Senate Bill 819, but the truth is there are a lot of unknowns. It is highly unlikely the bill would preclude students with IEPs and behavior plans to not have the ability to have an abbreviated day. Downtown is waiting on additional information from the state, but I’ll share more information as soon as we get it.

• Small Shifts to Limit ‘Teacher Talk’ and Increase Engagement – Guiding students to regularly direct their own discussions brings academic rewards as they gain confidence working independently on challenging tasks. This Edutopia Article reminds us to:

• Teach what good discussions look like
• Let students come up with ideas first
• Focus on all students getting to participate
• Don’t rush to clarify the hard parts
• Use video (of yourself teaching) to ensure your strategy is working

• Schedule of Upcoming Events – See the Holt Staff Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the next two weeks:

February 20 (M)
No School – President’s Day

February 21 (T)
Artist in Residence – Ceramic Tiles w/Larry Meyers Begins
Library Week #2 Classes
5th Grade Room Duty
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom)
8:15-9:15, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Heinrich)
9:20-10:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Ayres)
10:45, 4J Board Member Visit – Michelle Hsu
2:45-3:45, Staff Meeting (Library)

February 22 (W)
Bus Appreciation (4th)
Staffing Allocations Distributed to Principals
8:15-9:15, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Parks)
8:50-10:45, Book Nook, During AM Recesses (Cafeteria)
9:20-10:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Lovato)
12:00, Student Council Meeting (Reich’s Room)
12:00-1:00, OBOB Tournament Practice (Library)
2:00, Allan to 4JMAPS Meeting w/Sup (Ed Center)
2:40-3:30, Data Team – Kindergarten
3:30-5:30, District MTSS Team Using Library

February 23 (H)
8:15-9:15, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Heinrich)
9:20-10:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Ayres)
10:00-1:30, 4th Grade School Gardening (Garden)
10:30, Allan to HR Staffing Meeting (Zoom)
2:45-3:30, Data Team – 1st Grade
6:30-7:30, 3rd Grade Cultural Heritage Night (Gym/Cafeteria)
6:30-7:15, 4th Grade Expert Project Night (Classrooms)

February 24 (F)
Holt Spirit Day – Wacky Dress-Up Day!
8:05-8:40, School Spirit Assembly (Gym)
8:15-9:15, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Parks)
9:20-10:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Lovato)
12:00-1:00, OBOB Tournament Practice (Library)
1:30-2:30, Friday PD, Staffing Discussion #1 (Library)
2:30-3:20, Data Team – 2nd Grade
4:00, Holt Friday at 4:00 (Beer Garden)

February 27 (M)
Artist in Residence Continues
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom)
Library Week #1 Classes
ELD/Speech/Counselor/Library Staff Room Duty
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom)
12:00-1:00, OBOB Tournament Practice (Library)
2:45, Optional Meeting w/UO Interior Architecture Student (Library)
4:00-5:30, Allan to All Admin Meeting (Zoom)

February 28 (T)
Holt Night Out – Pegasus Pizza
8:15-9:15, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Heinrich)
9:20-10:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Ayres)
2:45-3:45, PBIS/SEL/Equity Meeting (Kelsey’s Room)
5:45-7:15, Conscious Discipline Parent Night (Library)

March 1 (W)
Women’s History Month
Fluoride and Sealant Clinic
8:15-9:15, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Parks)
8:50-10:45, Book Nook, During AM Recesses (Cafeteria)
9:20-10:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Lovato)
12:00-1:00, OBOB Tournament Practice (Library)
2;45, Grade Level Team Meetings
2:40-3:30, Data Team – 3rd Grade
7:00-9:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

March 2 (H)
Read Across America Day
8:15-9:15, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Heinrich)
9:00, Safety Committee Meeting (Office)
9:20-10:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Ayres)
2:45-3:30, Data Team – 4th Grade

March 3 (F)
8:15-9:15, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Parks)
9:20-10:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Lovato)
1:30-2:30, Friday PD, Staffing Discussion #2 (Library)
2:30-3:20, Data Team – 5th Grade

 

Keep watching for those snowflakes in the forecast!

Allan

 

February 13, 2023

By Allan  |  2023/02/11 19:16 Posted in Announcements, Articles, Arts, Equity  |  Comments Off on February 13, 2023

 

Hi Everyone,

Eighteen items of note for this week:

• New Staff Start this Week! – We hired these folks earlier, but our new part-time PE teacher, Rachel Farkas will start this week, teaching PE classes on Tuesday, and our new SPED EA Laura Peterman will start this Wednesday. Please give these folks a “howdy” when you see them this week!

• Monday Morning Announcements on Zoom – A quick reminder that Monday Morning announcements are now going to be on Zoom, so log in at 7:55 and announcements will start at 8:00. Zoom links are on the Staff Zimbra Calendar.

• REPEAT: Report Cards Sent Home, MONDAY – A reminder that report cards are to be send home with Monday Mailers next week on Monday, February 13th.

• Team Meetings, WEDNESDAY – The first two Wednesdays of the month on non-Staff Meeting weeks are dedicated Team Meeting times. Teams should:

• Meet in their wing so specialists can connect if needed
• Take care of any needed team business
• Complete the Team Meeting Minutes Form (make a copy) and email it to holt_staf@4j.lane.edu

The Team Meeting Minutes Form can also be found on the Holt Staff Dashboard.

• Fire Drill, FRIDAY @8:15 – This Friday at 8:15 will be our January Fire Drill. Linked here are the Building Evacuation Map and the Fire Drill Lines Map. If we are rained out, we’ll try again next Friday.

• Holt Spirit Day – Wacky Dress-Up Day, Feb. 24 – Not this week but next week is a Holt Spirit Day and it’s Wacky Dress-Up Day! Start planning your outfit now and let your kids know how they can participate, wearing mismatched closthes, bright color, crazy outfits, crazy attire, or simply wearing their Holt gear or Holt school colors!

• School Spirit Assembly, Feb. 24 @8:10 – We’ll have our monthly School Spirit Assembly on Friday, February 24th in the gym. The assembly will start at 8:15, but all classes should be in the gym by 8:10. Stay tuned for details!

• Artist in Residence Schedule Finalized – The Artist in Residence Schedule is now final for when Larry Meyers comes to Holt next week after President’s Day, February 21 – March 16, for his ceramic tiles residency.

• Upbeat Survey Results, Classified Results – I shared the Upbeat Survey Results in last week’s announcements, but forgot to mention that these results were for licensed staff. Linked here are the Upbeat Survey Results for Classified Staff, which are actually pretty similar to the licensed staff results.

• 22/23 Staffing Survey – To help me with next year’s staffing plan, I’d like staff, both classified and licensed, to complete the linked 2023-2024 Staffing Survey. I’d like to know staff members’ individual plans and preferences for the future as well as your thoughts on next year’s staffing plan, master schedule, or other thoughts. All answers will be kept confidential and let me know if you have any questions.

• 23-24 Enrollment Projections – Linked here are the 23-24 Elementary Enrollment Projections (projections are on the last page). If you see anything that you feel is a glaring error or omission, let me know, but these numbers seem reflective of our Current Actual Numbers. It looks like downtown actually padded our numbers at most grade levels and projected us above the actual number at all grade levels except 1st grade, which projected flat growth from this year’s kinder numbers.

• Staffing Timeline – Linked here is the 23-24 HR Staffing Timeline. Principals will get allocations Feb. 22. Staffing plans are due to HR by noon on March 15. The timeline for us to process our staffing plan will be:

Feb. 21 – Staff Meeting: Staffing Priorities & Grade Level Needs
Feb. 22 – HR gives principals 23-24 allocations
Feb. 22 – Allan emails allocations & draft scenarios
Feb. 24 – Friday PD: Staffing Discussion #1
Feb. 24 – Mar. 2 – Anonymous Google Survey
March 3 – Friday PD: Staffing Discussion #2
March 7 – Staff Meeting: Final Discussion
March 14 – If needed, Stand-Up Staff Meeting
March 15 – Plans Due to HR
*Allan available to meet with teams or individuals at any point.

Friday, February 24th is scheduled to be “Staff Choice” but due to the tight timeline, I’m changing this to a time to meet to discuss staffing scenarios. I will plan to do a payback day the next Building Based Friday, which is April 7th, since most staff are using the Staff Choice days for additional prep. We’ll also need to shift some of our Data Team Meeting dates/times on 2/24 and 3/4. Teams who were originally meeting from 1:30-2:25 (1st and 4th grade) will meet after school on Thursday. Teams meeting 2:30-2:30 on 2/24 and 3/4 during their protected planning time (2nd and 5th grade) will receive extended contract. Let me and Gloria know if this does not work for any teams and we can adjust.

• Staff Shout Outs – Discussed on Friday, we talked about reminding folks about the Staff Shout Outs Link, where you can share a shout-out to any staff member who has gone above and beyond, did something of note, or who you just appreciate! We’ll share these at the start of Staff Meetings. The link can always be found on my blog and also on the Holt Staff Dashboard.

• W2 Statement Email (not a scam) – I’m not sure if this email (and a second email sent later in the week) went to everyone or just select folks who had an error on their W-2, but I did want staff to know it is a legitimate email and not a scam. If you did get this email go to Employee Wage Statements Online Website and the click BusinessPlus Employee Online > Menu > Payroll Information > W-2 under the Tax Forms heading to get your corrected W-2 Statement.

• 4J Grown Your Own Teaching/Counseling Program – HR sent a reminder email to principals about their Grown Your Own Program for any current 4J classified staff interested in getting their teaching or counseling degree. Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree, be recommended by their building principal, and have 2 years experience working in schools. If this is something you’d be interested in, let me know and I can get you additional information.

Also, if their are classified staff interested in career advancement who do not meet the qualifications to apply to the Teacher or Counselor Pathway (example: do not have a bachelor’s degree), but wish to begin their pathway to further their career, they can also apply. This could include people that want to be teachers, but could also be people that want to move into a position like electrician, HVAC technician, or mechanic. If this is of interest to you, let me know and I can share additional info as well.

• February SSD Newsletter – Linked here is the February SSD Newsletter, which includes information about Behavior Support Plans, ABA therapy in schools, Google Read&Write (which is a great tool if you’re not familiar with it), and other topics. Previous issues can be found in the SSD Newsletter Archive.

• Why Black Boys’ Sneakers Should Matter to Educators – From the ASCD Blog, Phelton Cortez Moss, American University’s senior professorial lecturer on education policy and leadership, imagines the potential outcomes for Black boys if educators built stronger relationships with them that show they matter in schools. He recommends starting by viewing sneakers — and similar expressions of selfhood — as an asset to learning.

• Schedule of Upcoming Events – See the Holt Staff Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the next two weeks:

February 13 (M)
Report Cards Sent Home
Winter Benchmarking Continues
Library Week #1 Classes
4th Grade Staff Room Duty
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom)
12:00-1:00, OBOB Tournament Practice (Library)
4:00-5:30, Allan to Elem Principals Meeting (Zoom)

February 14 (T)
Holt Friendship Day
8:15-9:15, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Heinrich)
9:20-10:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Ayres)
2:45-3:45, PBIS/SEL/Equity Meeting (Library)

February 15 (W)
8:15-9:15, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Parks)
8:50-10:45, Book Nook, During AM Recesses (Cafeteria)
9:20-10:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Lovato)
12:00-1:00, OBOB Tournament Practice (Library)
2;45, Grade Level Team Meetings
7:00-9:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

February 16 (H)
Winter Benchmarking Window Closes
8:15-9:15, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Heinrich)
9:20-10:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Ayres)
2:45-3:45, Leadership Team Meeting (Library)

February 17 (F)
8:15, Fire Drill
8:15-9:15, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Parks)
9:20-10:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Lovato)
1:30-2:30, Friday PD, Building Based – Equity (Library)

February 20 (M)
No School – President’s Day

February 21 (T)
Artist in Residence – Ceramic Tiles w/Larry Meyers Begins
Library Week #2 Classes
5th Grade Room Duty
Artist in Residence – Larry Meyers Begins
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom)
8:15-9:15, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Heinrich)
9:20-10:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Ayres)
2:45-3:45, Staff Meeting (Library)

February 22 (W)
8:15-9:15, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Parks)
8:50-10:45, Book Nook, During AM Recesses (Cafeteria)
9:20-10:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Lovato)
12:00, Student Council Meeting (Reich’s Room)
12:00-1:00, OBOB Tournament Practice (Library)
2:40-3:30, Data Team, Kindergarten
3:30-5:30, District MTSS Team Using Library

February 23 (H)
8:15-9:15, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Heinrich)
9:20-10:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Ayres)
10:30, Allan to HR Staffing Meeting (Zoom)
2:45-3:45, IPBS Meeting (Kelsey’s Room)
6:30-7:30, 3rd Grade Cultural Heritage Night (Gym/Cafeteria)
6:30-7:15, 4th Grade Expert Project Night (Classrooms)

February 24 (F)
Holt Spirit Day – Wacky Dress-Up Day!
8:10-8:40, School Spirit Assembly (Gym)
8:15-9:15, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Parks)
9:20-10:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Lovato)
12:00-1:00, OBOB Tournament Practice (Library)
1:30-2:30, Friday PD, Staffing Discussion #1 (Library)
1:30-2:25, Data Team – 1st Grade
2:30-3:25, Data Team – 2nd Grade
4:00, Holt Friday at 4:00 (Beer Garden)

 

Keep watching that snowflake on your weather apps fo this Tuesday!

Allan

February 6, 2023

By Allan  |  2023/02/04 22:34 Posted in Announcements, Articles, Arts, Caring for Kids, Equity  |  Comments Off on February 6, 2023

 

Hi Everyone,

This week is National School Counselor Week, so I wanted to take a moment to recognize our school counselors Darla (who’s still unofficially helping out) and Eli (who’s officially here for the rest of the year). You fill an important role here at Holt and we would not be able to function as a school without you. Be sure to give Eli and Darla a thank you sometime this week!

Seventeen items of note for this week:

• SPED EA Hire, Laura Peterman – Please welcome Laura Peterman as our newest 4-hour SPED EA! This is a new position that was added to support students in the primary grades. Laura comes to us from the Salt Lake City area, where she was a SPED EA at the elementary level since 2015. Before that she was the Entertainment Production Coordinator at the MGM Grand, so I can’t wait to hear some of her stories from there! Please welcome Laura to the Holt Team!

• REPEAT: Bertha Holt Birthday Celebration, February Plans – Last year students earned $1 that grade levels pooled for a donation through Holt International, but this year we will focus on acts of kindness and service. Here’s the plan:

• Teachers will read the Bertha Holt picture book or show a video about our school’s namesake (let me know if you need a copy)
• Second graders get a book to take home
• Students will record acts of kindness and service on cut-out hearts (or something TBD)
• Act will be posted on a hallway display and grow over the course of the month

I’ll run an article in Monday’s Quick News about this and we’ll also make an announcement about it Monday morning.

• Monday Morning Announcements Plan – I’ll test the intercom first thing Monday to see if it’s working, but if it’s not I’ll make a video of the morning announcements and will email staff an unlisted YouTube link you can show your class.

• Literacy Coach at Holt M/W/F – Leah Willow is once again available to help staff with whatever you need related to ELA. She’ll be in the building this week Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. She’s planning to check in with teams and teachers to fine tune next steps and create a schedule for this coaching cycle, but feel free to reach out to Leah before then.

• Friday PD: Upbeat Survey Results – The Friday PD on February 10th was originally a Building Based PD day, but district admin ar having principals review with staff the survey results from the Upbeat Survey staff filled out a few weeks ago. I met with an Upbeat Coach last Tuesday who shared with me the Upbeat Survey Results. Looking at the results, there are some that are more district controlled, but there are other areas that are within our control and should take a look at. My plan for the meeting will be:

1. Open the Meeting – Share the purpose of the meeting and survey
2. Describe the Data – Make factual statements about the data.
3. Make Interpretations – Share opinions and interpretations in response to data.
4. Identify Possible Solutions – Brainstorm possible next steps to improve results.
5. Develop an Action Plan – Select solutions and devise an action plan.
6. Close the Meeting – Summarize commitments and timeline.

The areas most in need of improvement were Professional Development, Work/Life Balance, and Compensation & Career Path. We exert some control in these areas we may want to discuss, but of areas more within our control, the standout areas we may want to discuss are Diversity and Cultural Competence.

I do have an online tool from Upbeat that allows me to drill down a bit more into the data, so let me know ahead of time if there is anything, in particular, you’d like me to have ready to share at the meeting.

• Report Cards Sent Home, Monday, Feb. 13th – A reminder that report cards are to be sent home with Monday Mailers next week on Monday, February 13th. On a related funny note, and probably don’t actually use this, you may have read in the news how studnets are using AI to write essays for them, but for teachers someone built an AI Report Card Comment Generator!

 

• Team Meetings Feb. 15 – The first two Wednesdays of the month on non-Staff Meeting weeks are dedicated Team Meeting times. Teams should:

– Meet in their wing so specialists can connect if needed
– Take care of any needed team business
– Complete the Team Meeting Minutes Form (make a copy) and email it to holt_staf@4j.lane.edu

The Team Meeting Minutes Form can also be found on the Holt Staff Dashboard.

• Artist in Residence Schedule: Feedback Due Wednesday – Lesli emailed a Draft Artist in Residence Schedule for when Larry Meyers comes to Holt February 21 – March 16 for his Ceramic Tiles residency. Let Lesli know if you see anything that needs to be changed. After Wednesday we will consider the schedule finalize and will share it with Larry.

• BEST Update (not this year) – I shared earlier that downtown was deciding whether to start BEST at Holt or Willagilespie, but a decision was made not to open either program this year. This email says the plan is to try to open both programs next fall.

• Eugene Emeralds Reading Challenge Kick-Off Assembly, March 10th – This is quite a ways out, but I scheduled a kickoff assembly with the Eugene Emeralds for their Home Run Reading Challenge for Friday, March 10th, 8:10-8:40. If you’re not familiar with the program, kids track a reading goal set by the teacher on an Ems Bookmark and if they meet their goal earn two free tickets to a Eugene Emeralds baseball game. This assembly is optional if teachers would prefer to share about the reading program yourselves or skip it altogether, but it’s usually a pretty entertaining assembly.

• Guest Teacher Tickets – Want to help your subs have a better day? Guest Teacher Tickets are given by guest teachers to students for doing a great job. If a student receives a ticket, they should take it to the office for a Book Vending Machine Gold Coin! Students should go straight to the good vending machine to redeem their prizes. Tickets should be in your Sub Folder, but let Kim know if you need more tickets.

On a related note, there’s a pretty one-shot good lesson in the Caring School Community class lessons on preparing your class for a substitute.

• Guidance for SpEd Referral Packets – Principals received an SSD Email that reviewed the SPED Referral process. I may take time in the future to review this at a Staff Meeting, Friday PD, or Building Based PD Day, but linked here are the latest versions of the Referral Packet Coversheet and the 4J SpEd Referral Packet 2022-23.

• CAUTION: Icy Curbs – I hope we’re past the below-freezing temperatures, but it was suggested at our last Safety Committee Meeting I remind folks that the curbs around the building can be VERY slick on icy mornings since they are not textured surfaces.

• UO International Student Free Presentations – The UO ICSP (International Cultural Service Program) is offering in-person and virtual cultural presentations to schools. See the linked UO ICSP Brochure and UO ICSP Website for student profiles, presentation topics, and how to request a presentation.

• REPEAT: Feedback on 2023–24 Proposed Calendar – Downtown is seeking feedback on a proposed 2023–24 Calendar. The biggest changes are the school year starts a week earlier, Thanksgiving Break is now 3 days, and Conferences are the Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving Break (schools would still decide their conference schedule), and added non-contract days in September. Click the Feedback Survey Link to share your thoughts. My own thoughts are that the early start will work fine for high SES schools, but low SES and high mobility schools are going see a lot of kids enrolling after the school year has started, missing out on the vital start of the year community building and school routines. I’m also not a fan of all the non-school days in September. This month is when school routines are established and having only one week that’s a full 5-day week seems like bad planning. I’d rather see short weeks in May, or if these dates are for the start of the year PD, move them to October instead. I’d encourage staff to weigh in on the proposed calendar before it becomes official.

• Connecting Black History to Joy – Black History Month isn’t only about pain—it can be a full-fledged celebration of accomplishments that have shaped America. See this Edutopia Article for details, but one of their suggestions is that every educator and every student should be able to do the following:

• Name five Black history figures unrelated to the Civil Rights Movement
• Name at least one Black community tradition
• Name at least one Black historical music pioneer or genre
• Name one pop culture trend from the Black community that has gone mainstream (e.g., high-fiving)
• Name at least one Black millionaire

• Schedule of Upcoming Events – See the Holt Staff Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the next two weeks:

February 6 (M)
Winter Benchmarking Continues
National School Counselor Week
Library Week #2 Classes
3rd Grade Room Duty
12:00-1:00, OBOB Tournament Practice (Library)
2:45, New Student Planning Meeting (Michael’s Room)
3:45-5:15, Allan to Elem Principals’ Meeting (Ed Center)

February 7 (T)
Birthday Drinks & Goodies in Staff Room
International Clash Day 20238:15-9:15, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Heinrich)
9:20-10:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Ayres)
2:45-3:45, Staff Meeting (Library)

February 8 (W)
8:15-9:15, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Parks)
8:50-10:45, Book Nook, During AM Recesses (Cafeteria)
9:20-10:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Lovato)
12:00-1:00, OBOB Tournament Practice (Library)

February 9 (H)
8:15-9:15, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Heinrich)
9:20-10:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Ayres)
5:00-6:00, Site Council Meeting (Library)
6:00-7:00, PAHS Meeting (Library)

February 10 (F)
8:15-9:15, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Parks)
9:20-10:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Lovato)
12:00-1:00, OBOB Tournament Practice (Library)
1:30-2:30, Friday PD, Upbeat Survey Results (Library)

February 13 (M)
Winter Benchmarking Continues
Report Cards Sent Home
Library Week #1 Classes
4th Grade Staff Room Duty
12:00-1:00, OBOB Tournament Practice (Library)
4:00-5:30, Allan to Elem Principals Meeting (Zoom)

February 14 (T)
Holt Friendship Day
8:15-9:15, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Heinrich)
9:20-10:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Ayres)
2:45-3:45, PBIS/SEL/Equity Meeting (Library)

February 15 (W)
8:15-9:15, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Parks)
8:50-10:45, Book Nook, During AM Recesses (Cafeteria)
9:20-10:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Lovato)
12:00-1:00, OBOB Tournament Practice (Library)
2;45, Grade Level Team Meetings
7:00-9:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

February 16 (H)
Winter Benchmarking Closes
Holt Night Out Fundraiser – Handel’s Ice Cream (tentative)
8:15-9:15, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Heinrich)
9:20-10:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Ayres)
2:45-3:45, Leadership Team Meeting (Library)

February 17 (F)
8:15, Fire Drill
8:15-9:15, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Parks)
9:20-10:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Lovato)
1:30-2:30, Friday PD, Building Based – Equity Survey Results (Library)

 

We’re now officially halfway through the school year!

Allan

 

 

November 14, 2022

By Allan  |  2022/11/11 10:59 Posted in Announcements, Articles, Arts, Equity, Math, P.D.  |  Comments Off on November 14, 2022

 

Greetings Holt Bolts,

That long weekend really hit the spot.

Fourteen items of note for this week:

• Staffing Updates – Two staffing updates:

• 1st Grade Updates – Jacque shared earlier that she has resigned her position to take a break from teaching, which leaves us with a 1st grade vacancy. Chastity, who is already covering for Jacque through the end of December, is interested in finishing out the year. I’ve submitted a requisition to HR, so hopefully it will go up soon.

For notifying families, I checked in with Jacque, and I’ll email parents Monday when I send out the Quick News, which I don’t think will be too much of a shift for them since Chastity will continue as their teacher and may very well become the permanent hire.

• PE/Music Additional Staffing – Now that we’re adding a 1st grade classroom, downtown is posting for additional PE and Music staffing to take over two of Alex and Ashley’s classes. The district guideline is try to keep PE & Muic to 8 or fewer sessions per day, but no more than 9. Adding a new 1st grade classroom will push it to 10 classes per day for Alex and Ashley, which is why we’re getting the additional staffing.

• Artist in Residence Beings MONDAY (pencils & scissors need) – Our artist in residence, Tom Miller, starts this Monday. Linked here is the Artist in Residence Schedule. The artist asked for teachers to make sure every students has their own set of scissors and a pencil, so let me know if you are in need of either of these.

• REPEAT: Holt Night Out – Bangers & Brews, TUESDAY – This Tuesday is a Holt Night Out at Bangers & Brews, just across from Sheldon High School. Reminder your kids to drop by between 5:00-8:00pm and just mention Holt when ordering.

• REPEAT: Holt Spirit Day – Crazy Hair & Socks Day, FRIDAY – Get kids pumped! The November Holt Spirit Day is Friday and this time it’s Crazy Hair and Sock Day!

• School Spirit Assembly, FRIDAY @8:15 – We’ll have our monthly School Spirit Assembly on Friday in the gym. The assembly will start at 8:15 and all classes should be seated at that time. We’re planning on doing the Holt Bolt jog-a-thon prize of taping me to a wall at the assembly, along with some other fun games while the taping is happening. Stay turned for details!

• REPEAT: Med Administration Training, FRIDAY @1:25 – For our Building Based Friday PD Day, each grade level should send one rep for a med training being put on by our fabulous school nurse, Eden. Anyone interested may attend, but med training is required for any field trip when there is a student who takes daily meds (usually around lunchtime), so that’s why each grade level needs at least one rep to attend this Friday at 1:25 in the library.

• Rescheduling Missed Conferences – We’ll treat no-shows for conferences the same as we treat missed IEP meetings, which is make at least two documented attempts to reschedule, either by phone or email, though doing one of each is best.

• No Fresh Fruis & Vegetable Program (FFVP) on Short Weeks – Nutrition Services emailed me they are not offering the FFVP on short weeks (i.e. any week that’s not a 5-day week). I checked with the other FFVP schools and they were told the same thing. It’s not in the email, but I suspect this is a supply chain issue. On a related note, Nutrition Services shared that one of the items for next week will be a Cucamelon, which is a Mexican miniature watermelon.

• 4J Communications Audit – Want to let district admin know how they are doing on communication? Communications sent and email saying they would be conducting a communications audit and sending a link soon. I just noticed a Communications Audit Link on the 4J webpage if you want to weigh in with your thoughts on how things are going.

• CORRECTION: DHS Call Pro-Tip to Skip the Line (1 + 6) – I just learned this from Darla, but if you ever need to make a child abuse/neglect report, when you call and once you start hearing the recording, if you press 1 and 6, that will skip you ahead in line to a screener.

And as a reminder, we are now using 4J DataPort to document all DHS reports. For the new reporting system:

1. Go to 4J DataPort
2. The first time you log on, click RESET PASSWORD, and follow the direction to set up your account.
3. Click DHS DOCUMENTATION
4. Click CREATE NEW DHS REPORT
5. Select your school and type in the student name.
6. Student info will auto populate and all you need to enter is:
• Description of the Event
• Perpetrator Information
• Other Information (if relevant)

A link to this reporting form can be found on the Holt Staff Dashboard.

• SSD Newsletter – I haven’t seen one of in a while but if you’re interested, linked here is a SSD Newsletter. The topic this month is “Who can be the Parent at Special Education meetings?” There are also some FAQs on IEP census, Recovery Services, Manifest Determinations.

• Thanksgiving Lessons Reminder  – Here’s my annual reminder about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Staff should keep in mind that student conceptions of Native Americans often come from classroom activities around the First Thanksgiving. These conception of Native Americans gained from such early exposure is often both inaccurate and potentially damaging. When planning activities, be aware that what most of us learned in school about the “Pilgrims” and “Squanto” and the “First Thanksgiving” is a mixture of both history and myth. Thanksgiving activities should avoid reinforcing historical myths and should also avoid stereotypes (ie. NO warbonnets!) It’s often best to shift the focus away from the “First Thanksgiving” and instead focus on items children can be thankful for in their own lives and on their families’ celebrations of Thanksgiving at home. Some resources on what to avoid and what to teach can be found at the National Museum of the American Indian, Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance), and Education World. This Google Doc links to a ton of read aloud stories, primary sources, site, and other information about Native and Indigenous People. Here is a good article with a Native American Perspective on Thanksgiving as well as one on The True Story of the First Thanksgiving. Also, the 4J Natives Program is available for classroom presentations year-round and can offer an accurate picture of Native American culture.

• Lessons on Probability via Powerball Example – The odds of winning the multi-state Powerball lottery are nearly impossible, and this Big Think article breaks down the actual probability, providing information that educators could use with students. For example, the 1-in-292 million odds of a person winning the most recent Powerball contest, the mathematical definition of “expectation value”, and the chances of winning the smaller prizes.

• Schedule of Upcoming Events – See the Holt Staff Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the next two weeks:

November 14 (M)
Library Week #1 Classes
3rd Grade Staff Room Duty
Artist in Residence Begins
Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day
4:00-5:30, Allan to Equity PD (Ed Center)

November 15 (T)
2:45-3:30, Staff Meeting (Library)
5:00-8:00, Holt Night Out – Bangers & Brews (across from Sheldon HS)

November 16 (W)
7:00-9:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

November 17 (H)
2:45-3:30, Leadership Team Meeting (Library)
10:00-1:30, 4th Grade in the Garden
5:00-6:00, Site Council Meeting (Cafeteria)
6:00-7:00, PAHS (Parents at Holt School) Meeting (Cafeteria)

November 18 (F)
Holt Spirit Day – Crazy Hair and Socks Day
8:15-8:45, School Spirit Assembly
1:25-2:25, Medication Administration Training (Library)

November 21 (M)
Library Week #2 Classes
4th Grade Staff Room Duty
Artist in Residence Continues
4:00-5:30, Allan to All admin Meeting (Ed Center)

November 22 (T)
Regular Day

November 23 (W)
Regular Day

November 24 (H)
No School – Thanksgiving Break

November 25 (F)
No School – Thanksgiving Break

 

Have a good week, everyone!

Allan

 

November 7, 2022

By Allan  |  2022/11/05 21:01 Posted in Announcements, Articles, Arts, P.D., Technology  |  Comments Off on November 7, 2022

Hello Bolts,

Hope you enjoyed your extra hour of sleep and also enjoy your impending 4-day weekend. 

Fifteen items of note for this week:

• Staffing Updates – Two staffing updates:

• New SPED EA, Dencie Mellor – Denice has been hired as our new SPED EA, which is an added position to our current SPED Team. Denice is currently a SPED EA at Chavez and before that worked in Springfield as a SPED EA and also a Behavior EA. With EA positions extremely hard to fill right now, Chavez is holding onto Denice until they hire a replacement, so she will mostly likely start with us in about three weeks.

• New 1st Grade Teacher, Megan Gullekson – Megan was supposed to have started this past week, but her principal ended up holding her through the end of the week, so this Monday should be her first day at Holt. She’ll set up her classroom this week, attend conferences with her students and current teacher, and will start teaching next week on Monday, November 14th.

• “Intentional Focus” Details – Linked here is Andy and Sabrina’s Email (along with some additional emails sent to principals) about the district shift to have TOSAs and admins helping in buildings more and what that will look like between now and winter break. TOSAs are now either covering unfilled sub jobs or were deployed to one of four schools determined to be high needs (Chavez, Gilham, Spring Creek, and McCornack). They also said they are pausing district led Friday PD, though between now and winter break there was only one district led PD and the rest were either holidays, work load relief days, building based, or staff choice. They’re also sending district admins to help cover for principals so we can get to observations and other instructional duties currently taking a backseat to student behaviors, though we don’t know yet who or when that will happen.

• Fall Conferences Updates & Reminders – Eleven Conference related items:

• Family Reports – Gloria is going to run the Synergy Family Reports for teachers, containing individual student info on attendance, benchmark testing, and state testing info.

• Helper Tasks During Conferences Sign-Up – If teachers could use any help with prep or other tasks, add your name and the task to the Helper Tasks During Conferences Spreadsheet. EAs can also add your name to the tasks you’d be willing to take on

• Conference Schedules to Office – Please give office staff a list of your conference dates and times. Parents often forget their times and call the office. You can export your times in Calendly by logging onto your account, clicking SCHEDULED EVENTS, and then clicking EXPORT to get a file you can email the office.

• Conference Confirmation Form – Geoff shared this earlier, but linked here is a Conference Confirmation Form to remind families of their conference time.

• REPEAT: Title 1 Compacts & Conferences – Make sure you have the Title 1 Compacts (English and Spanish) to go with students and families.

• REPEAT: Student Tech Contract (K-2 and 3-5) – Linked here and on the Holt Staff Dashboard is the K-2 Holt Student Technology Contract and the 3-5 Holt Student Technology Contract for teachers to review with students and then have students and parent/guardians sign the agreement.

• REPEAT: Language Link Phone Translations – See the 4J Language Link Phone Interpreting Service webpage for step-by-step directions how to do translations for in-person meetings, phone meetings, or Zoom meetings. The “cost center number” for Holt is 270.

• REPEAT: Staff Not in Conferences – Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are regular work days for all staff who are not part of conferences and should work your regular hours at school. However, if you have pre-arranged trade time with me in order to not work any of these dates, email me your plan ahead of time.

• REPEAT: Allan Available to Attend Conferences – Teachers can let me know if you have any tricky conferences you’d like me to attend. Send me a date & time (and a Zoom link if it’s on Zoom) and I’ll be there!

• REPEAT: Resources for Families – Should any families request assistance with food, clothing, housing/rental assistance, hygine product, SNAP (food stamps) Benefits, Insurance, counseling, and such, please have them fill out the linked Helping Hand Online Form, the form below, or contact Holt Family Resource Coordinator, Felicia LaCuesta, at lacuesta_f@4j.lane.edu or call me (541)790-6174.

 

• Coffee Run TUESDAY! – The PBIS team is offering a Starbucks run Tuesday @ 3:00 – Here is the LINK. Order by Monday at 12:00. Pick up in the teacher’s lounge Tuesday @ 3:00. Venmo Darla  @Darla-Humbert or bring cash Tuesday morning. Don’t have the funds? No prob – we gotcha covered – so just order. Here’s the MENU. 

• Artist in Residence Beings, Nov. 14th – Not this week, but Monday next week our artist in residence begins; Alebrijes: Paper Sculptures inspired by the art of Oaxaca, Mexico w/Tom Miller. Linked here is the Artist in Residence Schedule.

• Holt Night Out – Bangers & Brews, Nov. 15th – Not this week but next week on Tuesday, November 15th is a Holt Night Out at Bangers & Brews, jsut across from Sheldon High School. Reminder your kids to drop by between 5:00-8:00pm and just mention Holt when ordering.

 

• Holt Spirit Day – Crazy Hair and Socks Day, Nov. 17th – Get kids pumped! The November Holt Spirit Day is a week from Friday and this time it’s Crazy Hair and Sock Day! Stay tuned for Spirit Assembly Details also happening this day.

• Med Administration Training, Friday, Nov. 18th – On our one Building Based Friday PD Day before winter break, each grade level team should send one rep to a med administration training being offered by our fabulous school nurse, Eden. Any staff interested may attend, but this is required for any field trip when there is a student who taks daily meds (usually around lunchtime). See the next items for additional details on working with the school nurse for field trips.

• Field Trip Update & Reminder – Two Field Trip Items:

• Field Trips & Missed Preps – HR is saying teachers do not get a make-up PE or Music classes due to field trips, so be aware of this when planning your trips.

• Notify Nurse Two Weeks in Advance – See Eden’s Email for details, but be sure to let our school nurse know of any upcoming field trips at least two weeks in advance. This is so you can coordinate plans to address allergies, epi-pens, seizure protocols, diabetes management, daily meds, etc.

• Classroom Blinds are to Kept Open – Classroom blinds need to be kept open during the school day. Door windows should also be uncovered. The exception to this is if there is a lockdown or lockdown drill.

• Holt Bolt Class Prizes – Winning classes have already been notified and are selecting their prizes, but below are the results for class prizes from Holt Bolt and who won a class prize of their choice. The winning classes in order were Rabourn, Harmon, Longoria, Lovato, Zluticky, Cobb, Parks, Reich based on these numbers. As of Wednesday, the final total is at the bottom is $21,000!

• Change to Unpaid Leave Process – HR Emailed principals that as a result of staffing shortages this year, when a principal signs their support a Leave Request for Unpaid Leave Form for a staff member (we don’t actually approve them, HR does), this year staff would need approval from HR and also Assistant Superintendent of Instruction, Brooke Wagner. This makes me suspect HR will be stingy about approving these, so be judicious about using your leaves.

• Tech Resources from Apple Learning Specialist – The Apple Specialist who was here last week wanted emailed some resources on Apple Classroom, a link to upcoming virtual support days in case you would like more help, and some other Apple resources.

Apple Classroom
Getting Started with Apple Classroom for Mac Teacher’s Guide – Safari weblink
https://www.apple.com/education/docs/getting-started-with-classroom-mac.pdf

Apple Classroom User Guide for Mac – Apple Support site (always up to date)
https://support.apple.com/guide/classroom/welcome/mac

Apple Classroom User Guide for iPad – Apple Support site (always up to date)
https://support.apple.com/guide/classroom/welcome/ipados

Getting Started with Apple Classroom – Safari weblink
https://www.apple.com/education/docs/getting-started-with-classroom.pdf

Shared Numbers Document for Eugene 4J SD
https://www.icloud.com/numbers/03a5mXt4QEr4VegDZ5Ed0woNQ#Eugene-Fall_2022_Coaching_Support
See the tabs for each day to find the Webex link. Times are flexible.
• Friday, November 4, 2022 – Virtual
• Friday, November 18, 2022 – Virtual
• Monday, November 28, 2022 – Virtual
• Friday, December 16, 2022 – Virtual

Apple Resources
Apple Education Community — NEW!!!
https://education.apple.com
The Apple Teacher Learning Center has evolved into the Apple Education Community which launched in late August 2022. This is a place to connect with other educators across the world, share lesson ideas and resources, and ask questions.

Apple Professional Learning Live
https://apple.co/apl
Explore helpful resources, practice new skills, and reflect on ways Apple technology can support great learning and teaching. Hosted by Apple Professional Learning Specialists, these free hands-on sessions are offered twice daily — Mondays and Thursdays — and run for approximately 60 minutes.

Apple Professional Learning 1:1 Virtual Coaching
Feel free to request a 1:1 coaching session to help with any questions you may have on using Mac or iPad professionally and instructionally.
https://apple.co/askapl

• 15 Inspiring and Informative Veterans Day Videos for Kids – This special day honors those who served in the Armed Forces, past and present. Commemorate the holiday with students by watching a few of these Veterans Day videos. See this WeAreTeachers Article for a collection of videos sorted by level.

• Schedule of Upcoming Events – See the Holt Staff Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the next two weeks:

November 7 (M)
Library Week #2 Classes
School Psychologist Week (PE/Music)
2nd Grade Staff Room Duty
2:45-3:30, Holiday Shopping Meeting (Library)
3:45-5:15, Allan to Elementary Principals’ Meeting (Ed Center)

November 8 (T)
3:30-7:30, Conferences
5:30-6:10, Staff Dinner

November 9 (W)
8:00-8:00, Conferences, No School
8:40-8:55, Allan to Conference
9:30, Allan Meeting w/New Elem Curriculum Admin (Office)
10:10-10:45, Allan to Conference
11:30-12:10, Staff Lunch
5:30-6:10, Staff Dinner

November 10 (H)
Teacher Comp Day, No School
Regular Work Day for Classified Staff

November 11 (F)
Veterans Day – No School

November 14 (M)
Library Week #1 Classes
3rd Grade Staff Room Duty
Artist in Residence Begins
Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day
4:00-5:30, Allan to Equity PD (Ed Center)

November 15 (T)
2:45-3:30, Staff Meeting (Library)
5:00-8:00, Holt Night Out – Bangers & Brews (across from Sheldon HS)

November 16 (W)
7:00-9:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

November 17 (H)
2:45-3:30, Leadership Team Meeting (Library)
10:00-1:30, 4th Grade in the Garden
5:00-6:00, Site Council Meeting (Cafeteria)
6:00-7:00, PAHS (Parents at Holt School) Meeting (Cafeteria)

November 18 (F)
Holt Spirit Day – Crazy Hair and Socks Day
8:15-8:45, School Spirit Assembly
1:25-2:25, Medication Administration Training (Library)

Good luck with conferences, everyone!

Allan