January 3, 2022

By Allan  

 

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Hope you all were able to relax during your break and maybe even forgot what day of the week it was at some point.

Sixteen items of note for this week:

• Jan. 3 Professional Development  – We’ll meet in the cafeteria for the Jan. 3 PD. 7:30-8:00 is an optional social time and the meeting will start at 8:00. I’ll have some continental breakfast type of food and drink. I’ll resend the agenda I shared right before the break. SSD, ELD, and staff on the ELA adoption team will leave the meeting early for a different meeting 9:30-12:30.

• Friday PD/PLC Time – This Friday’s PD will focus on the 4J ACT strand Achieve Equitable Outcomes, with a particular focus on Anti-Racism & Anti-Bias. Watch for a separate email with details on this Friday’s activity.

• School Choice Info – School Choice season has begun and school choice tours will again be over Zoom. I’ll hold virtual school presentations and tours on Jan. 11th (12:30PM), Jan. 20th (6:00PM), and Jan. 25th (12:30PM). Holt is closed to most students (we’re allowed to take about 10 kinders), so these tours serve more to retain neighborhood families who are considering trying to lottery into other schools. I’ll reach out to PAHS this week to see if a parent rep would be willing to share about the parent group and about Holt from a parent perspective. If there are any staff who are interested/will to join me in the presentations, I’d love to have more voices than just myself. You could share as little or as much as you’d like. Staff merely being present during these Zooms also helps families feel like we’re a family and a team and makes it more welcoming. Below is an article I’ll put in the next Quick News.

School Choice for the 2022-23 School Year

Spread the word to all of your friends that HOLT ROCKS! With Holt’s focus on the whole child we are an excellent school and a positive choice in your child’s education. With School Choice coming soon, please invite friends and acquaintances to visit Holt (virtually) and seriously consider joining the Holt family.

We’re holding virtual school presentations and tours on Jan. 11th (12:30PM), Jan. 20th (6:00PM), and Jan. 25th (12:30PM)

Please watch the 4J website at www.4j.lane.edu> Parents > School Choice for information on upcoming visitation opportunities and the upcoming lottery applications timeline.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/95863212123?pwd=QTQxbFlmaU8wSlJaM3hKZGZmN3ZaQT09

Meeting ID: 958 6321 2123
Passcode: 908361

• Artist in Residence Update – Lane Arts go back to me over the break about our artist preferences. None of our top picks were available winter term (Jan, Feb, Mar), but our #1 pick, the fiddle artist, is available right after winter break. However, we need to find a dedicated space for him to see classes, such as the library or somewhere else. Space is pretty tight and I’m stumped on finding a spot outside of the library, so I’ve added this to Monday’s meeting as a business item. Please let me know if any of you have ideas on how we might make this work or if you think we should look for a different artist.

• COVID Protocol Updates – Five updates:

• REPEAT: Outdoor Mask Requirement (Students) – Downtown announced that starting January 4th students will no longer need to wear masks outdoors. Make sure students take their masks to recess so they can put them back on when they re-enter the building. Remind students to keep track of their masks at recess by:

• Mask lanyard,
• Pocket
• Slid below their chin
• Wrapped around their arm

• Outdoor Mask Requirement (Staff) – Downtown clarified that staff outside can only take their masks off if they can maintain 6-feet distance from students. With kids running up to adults at recess and arrival/dismissal on a pretty regular basis, I’d suggest staff use a mask lanyard so you can quickly mask up when you are closer than 6-feet with students.

• Masks at Recess Line-Up – At the end of each recess when kids line up, we will have students mask-up so they are ready to go when they re-enter the building. This will avert traffic jams at the doors going back in from recess.

• Masks at Arrival Line-Up – For morning arrival, staff should tell students to mask up a minute before the bell rings. Staff supervising entrances should get some extra masks to pass out as needed.

• CDC Quarantine Changes – You may have read in the news the CDC has revised their 10-day quarantine guideline to a 5-day quarantine. I emailed the 4J COVID person and they said this won’t change anything for us until the new guidelines are first filtered through the state, then the county, and then 4J, so we are status quo on 10-day quarantines and test-to-stay for unvaccinated students.

• 2.5-hour EA Vacancy – Our runner-up candidate for this position accepted another job with more hours, so I reposed the position. It closes on Sunday, Jan 2nd. HR will give me the candidate list sometime this week, so I’ve tentatively scheduled interviews for Wednesday, Jan. 12th, 2:40-4:30. Let me know if any of your are interested/willing to volunteer your time to help with interviews.

• Social Emotional Teaching Reminders – Two SEL reminders:

• Second Step Pacing Guide – I’ve shared this before, but linked here and also on the Holt Google Team Drive is the Second Step Year-Long Pacing Guide.

• Starting Each Class With a Warm Welcome – I see most teacher starting class each day with a morning meeting, which is great. This Edutopia Article and video below reinforces the importance of morning meetings as not just a good welcoming activity but also a proactive classroom management strategy. It builds community in the classroom, establishes a sense of shared values, and makes everyone feel included. These were made for the fall, so they reference the start of the year, but their lessons apply all year.

• 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.

• Walk+Roll to School Day, WEDNESDAY– Remind kiddos this Wednesday is the monthly Walk+Roll to School Day, where we encourage students to walk, bike, carpool, or ride the bus to school. The goal is to reduce traffic and pollution around our school and to promote physical activity for our students. This happens the first Wednesday of each month.

• District Admin Update – Jose Salgado, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, has resigned from his position with 4J. Downtown has yet to decide on the future of this position (though I have my theories).

• District McKinney-Vento Student Data – Linked here is the most recent district-wide McKinney-Vento Student Report. These totals represent students for the entire school year, not necessarily who’s in buildings now. Holt server the fourth highest number of homeless students and families than any other elementary school in 4J. Not on my blog, but attached to the email is of which of our students qualify for McKinney-Vento.

• EEA Seminar Brochure – Linked here is the EEA 2022 Professional Development Seminar Series, which is filled with useful PD opportunities for EEA members, as well as an option to earn collect credits that can bump you up a column on the pay scale.

• Hazardous Weather Information for 4J Staff – With all the now we had over the break, as a reminder, linked here is the Hazardous Weather Information for 4J Staff district webpage, which has everything you need to know what to do when winter weather comes. Setting up the Text Message Alerts for whether closures and delays can be especially helpful.

• HANDBOOK HIGHLIGHT: Accidents – Staff & Students – This week’s highlight from the Holt Staff Handbook, is on accidents involving staff and/or students:

Accident:
Staff:
Any staff member involved in a workplace injury needs to inform the administrator and fill out an injury form immediately. If a form is not completed, personal loss may not be covered by workman’s compensation insurance. If you find it necessary to see a physician due to a work injury, please get information from office staff. The designated district facility is indicated on the form. Forms can be found on the 4J website.

Student:
In the case of minor accident or illness, send the student to the office with a Health Pass, or call the office to inform them that the student is coming to the office. Don’t hesitate to send another student as an escort if you feel the need. In the event of an injury, be sure to fill out an accident report. If the student is vomiting or feels they are going to, please send them with a trash can.

If a student is seriously injured then must be accompanied by a staff member. Please press the emergency wall button nearest the location of the injury and request assistance. If you are unable to leave the student having a health emergency to call the office, send a student to the office with a red card.

• JUST FOR FUN: The Far Side Returns! – Were you also a child of the ’80s or ’90s? If so were you also obsessed with The Far Side? Then you may be interested to know that after 25 years of silence Gary Larson occasionally posts new stuff on his Far Side Website.

 

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

January 3 (M)
No School — Professional Development/Planning Day
SPED/PE Staff Room Duty
7:30-8:00, Optional Visiting and Social Time (Cafeteria)
8:00-1:00, Staff Meeting/PD (Cafeteria)
1:50, Allan Meeting w/Angela Crum (Office)

January 4 (T)
Winter Benchmark Testing Opens
2:45-3:25, Allan to IEP Meeting (Zoom)

January 5 (W)
Monthly Walk+Roll to School Day
9:00-10:00, Allan to Elem Principals’ Meeting (Zoom)
5:00-7:30, 4J/EEA Negotiation Session (Zoom)

January 6 (H)
Regular Day

January 7 (F)
1:30-2:25, Friday PD/PLC – Equity

January 10 (M)
Office/Library/Music Staff Room Duty
Winter Benchmark Testing Continues
2:30-3:30, Allan to Care Team Meeting (Zoom)
4:00-5:00, Allan to All Admin Meeting (Zoom)

January 11 (T)
12:30-1:30, School Choice Presentation & Tour (Zoom)
2:45-3:25, PBIS Meeting (Library)

January 12 (W)
9:00-11:00, Allan to Elem Principals’ Meeting (Zoom)
2:40-4:30, 2.5 Title EA Interviews (Library)
7:00-10:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

January 13 (H)
5:00-6:00, Site Council Meeting (Zoom)
5:00-7:30, 4J/EEA Negotiation Session (Zoom)
6:00-7:00, PAHS (Parents at Holt School) Meeting (Zoom)

January 14 (F)
1:30-2:25, Friday PD/PLC – SEL

January 17 (M)
No School — Martin Luther King Jr. Day

See you all soon!

Allan