November 12, 2018

By Allan 　

Howdy All,

Hope you all had a relaxing and refreshing Veterans Day weekend!

Sixteen items of note for this week:

• Friday Early Release PD – This Friday’s meeting is scheduled for Math PLC work. However, principals have not been given direction on what to present/discuss at this meeting. There’s an elementary principals’ meeting on Tuesday, so I may get direction then. I will plan to email teachers following that meeting regarding the status of Friday’s meeting.

• ESC Job Posting – I’m going to post for a 0.6 FTE Title 1/ESC position, which should show up on the 4J Jobs website soon, so if you know any fabulous potential candidate who’d be good for running Data Team Meetings, OAKS, benchmark testing, and teaching some Title groups (no reading endorsement required), please encourage them to apply. Our plan is for this person to start in December.

• MORE Artist in Residence Updates – The ceramics artist ended up not being available in November, but a different ceramics artist, Nicole Hummell, may be available in January (our 2nd choice for dates). For the puppet artist, Noah McLain in May, I’m still waiting for confirmation from Lane Arts.

• easyCBM Assessment Feedback– I’m part of a district assessment workgroup that’s meeting Tuesday to discuss what is and is not working with easyCBM. I have my opinions, but I’d also like to share other staff member opinion if you want to let me know before Tuesday afternoon.

• Hour of Code is Coming! – Dec. 3-7 – As a Technology Immersion School, coding activities are a great activity for students to do all year long, but particularly during the first week of December during Computer Science Education Week. The Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science during Computer Science Education Week, intended to demystify “code”, to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science. It has since become a worldwide effort to celebrate computer science. How do you participate in the Hour of Code? Start planning here by reviewing their how-to guide. Code.org has many great resources as well and if you’re in grades 3-5, the new iPads will run Apple’s completely self guided (and excellent) coding program, Swift Playground.

• Student Care Team Referrals – The Student Care Team will meet in two weeks, but we have two short weeks in a row, which means referrals to the team are due the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Referrals can include situations of homelessness, assistance with bills, incarcerated parents, counseling resources, medical needs, and many others. Try to get a signature on the 4J Release Form (English or Spanish). Linked here is a Student Care Team Flyer you can share with families you might refer (we’re working on a Spanish version). You can also refer “hypothetical” student or family situations if you can’t get a signature. Let me know if you have any questions about potential referrals.

• PTO Family Science Night Wednesday – The first PTO Family Night will be this Wednesday, and the PTO is promising an evening of fun and freaky Science Experiments.

• PTO Meeting Tuesday, Nov. 20 – Not this week, but next week on Tuesday, November 20th will be the November PTO meeting, so if you’re able to volunteer your time to come to the meeting, I know they appreciating having staff attend.

• Don’t Let in Kidsports! – You may think you’re being helpful, but DO NOT let in any Kidsports kids, parents, or coaches. They need to be let in by night custodial staff after they have made sure the rest of the building is secure (i.e. keeping people out of the Music Room, PE Office, Cafeteria, Front Office, Library, Classrooms, etc.).

• REPEAT: Wacky Wednesday: Sports Day! – This Wednesday is the November Wacky Wednesday and it is Sports Day! Get your students excited to wear their sports gear or favorite team gear. And if you were curious as to the answer to my movie nerd question last week, my fake sports team outfit will be the Baseball Furies from writer/director Walter Hill’s 1979 cult classic The Warriors (which all y’all should watch).

• REPEAT: 2018-2019 Mandatory Bus Safety Training – Thank you to teachers who have already done this, but remember that between now and winter break all classrooms must show one of two bus safety videos, a Newer Bus Safety Video or the quaint 1990s Bus Safety Video (both are about 12 minutes), and let Lori know that date you showed it.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xPFw8PyaAo

• REPEAT: United Way Campaign DUE FRIDAY – If you’d like to donate, United Way Campaign forms are due in my mailbox by this Friday.

• Teacher Appreciation with the Ducks – The UO is holding two teacher appreciation games on 12/15 (Vs. Boise State) and 2/10 (Vs. Stanford). Tickets are at a discounted rate starting at $11 a seat. To redeem your discount, click here and enter promo code “2019TEACH”. At these games they’ll also be offering an on-court photo post game to the first 50 education staff that sign up!

• Dos and Don’ts of Classroom Decorations – What you put on your classroom walls can affect your students’ ability to learn. Classroom walls should feel warm and lively but not overcrowded. This Edutopia article cites research suggesting teachers keep 20 to 50 percent of the wall space clear and fill the rest by:

• Displaying student work.
• Featuring inspiring role models.
• Avoiding clutter.
• Visual aids—like anchor charts, maps, and diagrams—are OK.
• Avoiding displays of student scores or grades.
• Leting in natural light.
• Balancing wall colors.

• Checking Yourself for Bias in the Classroom – To create equitable classrooms, educators must acknowledge their own biases and take steps to confront them. Unconscious bias can shape the responses of even the most well-intentioned educators. In this Teaching Tolerance article, one teacher shares how you can check yourself for bias in the classroom.

• Schedule of Upcoming Events – See the Google Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the rest of the year:

November 12 (M)
Veterans Day – No School

November 13 (T)
School Psychology Awareness Week
8:30-12:00, Allan to Principals’ Meeting (Ed Center)
2:45-3:30, IPBS Meeting (Erin’s Room, RM22)
4:00-7:00, Allan to 4J Assessment Adoption Workgroup (Ed Center)
4:30-8:00, 4J First Aid Class (Library)
4:30-6:00, 4J Science Teacher Leader Meeting (STEAM Room)

November 14 (W)
Wacky Wednesday – Sports Day
6:00-8:00, PTO Family Night (Cafeteria/Gym)

November 15 (H)
2:45-3:30, TLT Meeting (Angela’s Room, RM24)

November 16 (F)
Title 1 Progress Monitoring Day – No Groups
United Way Pledge Forms Due
Tech Trot PJ Day & FREE Popcorn Reward Day!
1:30-2:30, PBIS Meeting Meeting (Rae’s Room, RM1)
2:30-3:30, Early Release PD – Math PLC (Volunteer’s Classroom)
2:30-3:30, Licensed Interventionists (Title & SPED) PLC – Virtual Meeting

November 19 (M)
9:25, Natives Presentation – Stone/Cortez (STEAM Room)
10:55, Natives Presentation – Rock/Callihan (STEAM Room)

November 20 (T)
6:00-7:00, PTO Meeting (Cafeteria)

November 21 (W)
Regular Day

November 22 (H)
Thanksgiving Break – No School

November 23 (F)
Thanksgiving Break – No School

Have a good 4-day week, everyone!

Allan

This entry was written by Allan, posted on November 9, 2018 at 10:06 am, filed under Announcements, Articles, Arts, Assessment, Equity, P.D.. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. Both comments and trackbacks are currently closed.