http://blogs.4j.lane.edu/chinn/?p=6599
Hello Fabulous Staff,
Photo credit goes to Suzanna for the above picture of the Staff Appreciation chalk drawings and writings in front of the school from last week.
Twenty-one items of note for this week:
• 17/18 Classroom Moves – Besides the classroom moves shared in prior announcements (Natalie, Robin, Carla, Erin, Stephanie, and EEP), I’m making a few other classroom assignment changes for next year. One is that Carolyn and the ELD classroom (A202) will be moving into the BEST classroom (B202), since that room is empty during the school day, and moving into the ELD classroom will be our new facilitating teacher, Rhonda Lawson. Also moving is the Early Childhood Team (B102) who will be moving upstairs into the YMCA classroom (B201), who will combine with the BEST classroom (B202) for after school use. Lastly, since our LC and CLC level of student need is continuing increase, Katie is going to set up her own classroom across from the CLC in the Early Childhood Team’s classroom (B102). Staff moving already know about these changes, but I wanted everyone else to know the plan. See the linked 2017-2018 School Map for a complete picture.
• PTO Meeting Tuesday – The May PTO meeting is this Tuesday at 6:00 in the community room if any staff are available to attend. This meeting will be an interesting one because 4J is likely going to adopt new rules for school fundraisers, which may significantly change our fundraisers next year. Andrea Bela from Financial Services will be at the meeting to share what is being proposed. Hope to see you there!
• Updated Artist in Residence Schedule – Teri Robertson, our artist in residence, will start this Monday and linked here is what I believe will be the final version of the artist schedule. Let me know if you see anything on here that needs changed. And a couple notes to teachers from the artist:
• K-2 classrooms: Each child should have a black crayon.
• All classrooms: Each student should have a variety of colored crayons
• All classrooms: She’ll want to use the document camera for demonstrations.• Tech Visit Wednesday – Nine staff members from Roseburg SD will be visiting Howard on Wednesday between 8:00-12:00. They’re wanting to see how classes integrate technology, run small group rotations without a lot of additional help (EAs, volunteers, etc), and also visit our preschool program.
Their curriculum director still hasn’t called or emailed me, so I don’t have a schedule as of writing this (i.e. what grades they want to see, for how long, tour in one group or small groups, etc.). Howard staff should plan to just do your usual thing. No need to put on a show. I’ll let folks know once I get more details from the Roseburg team.
• Student Care Team Referrals – The May Student Care Team meeting is in two weeks, which means referrals are due to me by Friday next week. Referrals can be for families seeking support for food assistance, incarcerated parents, counseling/mental health needs, parenting resources, transportation assistance, clothing needs, financial assistance, homelessness, impending homelessness, or most any other situation where a family is looking for help but does not know where to turn. Try to get a parent/guardian signature on the release form (editable PDF and non-editable PDF), but know that you can also refer “hypothetical” situations where you have concerns but cannot get a signed release.
• 2017 Parenting Now! Resources for Families – Linked here is the 2017 Resources for Families Poster (English and Spanish) from Parenting Now! This poster is a very comprehensive resource guide sorted by area of need (i.e. Counseling, Financial Assistance, Legal, Substance Abuse & Recovery, etc.) if you are ever helping families look for Lane County agencies and resources.
• PRIDE Assembly, Discipline, Friday – This Friday will be our PRIDE Award assembly for Discipline (“Working hard at everything!”). The K-2 assembly will be 12:30-12:55 and the 3-5 assembly will be 1:05-1:30. See the linked assembly map and directions for details and be sure to get your awards to me before the assembly.
• PRIDE Integrity Bands – Speaking of PRIDE Awards, for the 3/4/5 Integrity Award winners who didn’t get a band last time, our replacement bands have arrived, so stop by my office to pick-up their white integrity bands.
• 3/4/5 BEST Strings Assembly Friday @8:45 – Also remember that the Strings Assembly is also this Friday at 8:45 in the gym. The assembly will be for grades 3/4/5 and for classrooms not already on field trips or with other conflicts. See the linked assembly map and directions.
• May 26 Howard PD Day – The last Howard PD Day of the year is in two weeks on Friday, May 26th. I’ll send out the agenda later this week, but a majority of the meeting will be dedicated to a training on the new math curriculum, LearnZillion, by Maddy Ahearn. I’ll also provide some time for licensed staff to complete the End-of-Cycle Goals Reflection form in TalentEd and for classified staff to complete the Classified Employee Self-Assessment assessment form (PDF or DOC).
• ALICE Lockdown Drill Debrief – This will be a business item on the agenda for our PD Day, but if you have thoughts you’d like to share regarding our Lockdown: Barricade and Lockdown: Evacuate Drills, whether it’s questions, concerns, or suggestions that are individual, for the entire building, or for the entire district that you’d like me to pass along, please let me know.
• Grade Level Meeting Wednesday at 1:30 –
Anyone want to volunteer their room for this meeting?We’ll be meeting in Agnela’s Room (B204). A repeat from last week, I’ve repurposing the monthly Grade Level Meeting to discuss consumable orders for English Language Arts for next school year. Wednesday at 1:30 teachers will need to order materials for Being a Writer and Journeys (math materials are already being ordered) for next school year. Linked here is the Teacher Handout on Ordering Consumables that we’ll go over more at the meeting.• Class Lists Parent Notification – I’m thinking we should wait until fall to notify families about classroom placements. Since we’re such a large school now and since we typically have around 40-something students move away each summer, I think we should not send out postcards announcing class placement in the spring as we have in prior years. Posting class lists like we did this year will be the plan for next year unless I hear otherwise from folks who think I should reconsider.
• Foundations In Math – Summer 2017 – The Foundations in Mathematics course is again being offered this summer and still has a few open spots. See the above linked flyer for details about the course and how to sign up. A couple of notes:
• It will be a 3-day course held from August 1-3.
• Teachers will be paid extended contract for 2 of the 3 days.
• Teachers can receive one U of O credit at a reduced rate.• 2017-2018 School Leadership Positions – We still have some open positions for next year’s building leadership positions. Feel free to sign-up and we’ll make these official at the May 26th PD Day. If you would like to sign up for a leadership or rep position, follow this link to the 2017-2018 Leadership/Building Rep. Positions Google Sheet.
• Fresh Fruit & Veggie Program – Nutrition Services is watching the funding very closely with the Fresh Fruit and Veggie Program and it may be that they need to end this program on May 31st. The state is unsure of the amount of funding to complete this school year, as well as what next year will look like. Nutrition Services will let us know more information when they receive details from ODE.
• NEHS Senior Stroll – Clair Wiles from NEHS let me know that on Thursday, June 8th, North is having a goodbye assembly for seniors in full regalia. Following the assembly they are hoping to to load their graduates up on buses and bring them down to the feeder schools for a “senior stroll” through the halls of their old schools (or new halls for our school). They thought it would be cool for teachers to see the final product of your hard work and for our students to see the big kids off. Their assembly will end at 10:50, so we would likely be here around 11:15 or so. I did warn them that this is during lunch recesses, but that I thought this was a great idea for their students and ours and that they were welcome to come walk the hallways of Howard one more time this day.
• Free, Optional iPad Basics Workshop – In response to interest expressed by classified staff, Instructional Technology is offering four sessions of iPad Basics. The North Region session is being hosted here at Howard in two weeks on Wednesday, May 24th from 2:00-3:00 in the STEM Room. Follow this link to the 4J Workshops Website for further information and online registration. Any 4J employee, classified or licensed, is welcome to attend.
• Study: STEM stereotypes affect students early – Students as young as age 6 have gender-based stereotypes about computer programming and robotics abilities, according to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. Young girls internalize stereotypes that boys are better-suited to study coding, researcher Allison Master said in this EdWeek article.
• Why it’s important to recognize unconscious bias – While it may be difficult to admit, “unconscious bias is a real phenomenon in all schools,” asserts former educator and principal Kate Gerson in this article. Gerson, who now works with nonprofit UnboundEd, challenges educators to engage in the uncomfortable work of evaluating unconscious bias.
• Schedule of Events for the Week – See the Google Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the next two weeks:
May 15 (M)
Artist in Residence Begins
2:30, Allan to IEP Meeting (Conference Room)May 16 (T)
8:15-11:15, Allan to Elementary Principals’ Meeting (Ed Center)
3:00-5:30, District Elementary Librarian Meeting (Library)
6:00, PTO Meeting (Community Room)May 17 (W)
8:00-12:00, Winchester Elementary Tech, Small Group, & Preschool Visit
1:30-2:30, Grade Level Meeting Time – Repurposed for ELA Consumables meeting (Angela’s Room, B204)May 18 (H)
Bianca Out
9:00-11:00, Allan to ILT Meeting (Ed Center)
2:30-3:30, TLT Meeting (Angela’s Room)
7:00, BEST Strings Academy Concert (Kelly MS)May 19 (F)
Bianca Out
7:30-9:00, Allan to 4JMAPS Meeting
8:30-1:45, Zimmerman and Kreider/Shadwick to McGowan Creek
8:45-9:15, 3/4/5 BEST Strings Assembly (Gym)
12:30-12:25, K-2 Pride Assembly – Discipline (Gym)
1:05-1:30, 3-5 Pride Assembly – Discipline (Gym)
6:00-8:00, PTO Family Craft Night – Crafts, Coneys, & STEM (Gym/Cafeteria)May 22 (M)
Last Week for Library Checkout
9:30-10:30, Allan to Tech Alignment Meeting (Kelly MS)
2:30-3:30, Site Council Meeting (Conference Room)
4:00-5:30, Allan to All Administrator Meeting (Ed Center)May 23 (T)
Bianca Out
10:30, 5th Grade Class Photo (Old Howard Sign)
12:30-1:00, Allan to Truancy Hearing (Office)
2:30-3:30, IPBS Meeting (Mellissa/Sarah’s Room, B203)May 24 (W)
Title 1 Progress Monitoring Day – No Groups
2:00-3:00, District EA iPad Basics Workshop (STEM Room, A101)
2:30-3:30, Student Care Team Meeting (Conference Room)May 25 (H)
7:30-5:00, 2nd Grade Zoo Field Trip
10:30-12:30, May Birthday Lunches With the Principal (Community Room)
1:45, Allan to Truancy Hearing (Office)May 26 (F)
No Students, Howard PD Day
8:00-12:00, Staff Meeting (Volunteer’s Classroom)May 29 (M)
No School – Memorial Day
Have a good week, everyone! And did you realize this is the one of only three 5-day weeks left this school year?
Allan
