http://blogs.4j.lane.edu/chinn/?p=9329
Howdy Y’all,
Thirteen items of note for this week:
• Staffing Updates – I’m pleased to announce our new Upstairs Evening Custodian is Kimberly Holliday, who will start this Monday. Kimberly has been the Evening Custodian at Adams and ATA the past two years and before that was part of the 4J HVAC crew and before that was a cook for Nutrition Services. Please welcome Kimberly to the Howard Team!
Our Kindergarten Classroom vacancy closes this Sunday, so if I get candidate names in time, our plan is to conduct interviews this Thursday after school if any staff would like to volunteer their time to help choose our fourth kindergarten teacher. Let me know if you’d like to join the interview committee.
• UPDATE: 2019-2020 Master Schedule – With adding the 4/5 and kindergarten classroom, there have been some changes to the 2019-2020 Master Schedule, which will start this week. See the above linked file on the Howard Staff Shared Google Drive for the most current version of the schedule. Anyone affected by changes already knows.
• Friday Early Release PD – This Friday’s Early Release PD is designated as a Behavior Framework training. Downtown hasn’t given principals details on this yet, but I’m guessing we’ll get them at Tuesday’s Elementary Principals’ Meeting.
• Costume Parade Update – There was support for this year’s Halloween Costume Parade to be in the afternoon instead of first thing in the morning and for it to also be on the track, so linked here is the updated 2019 Costume Parade Directions & Map, which also includes an indoor rainy day parade route.
The Halloween Parade will start at 1:40 PM on October 31st. Classroom parties may run prior to or after the parade at the teacher discretion. At 1:40, upstairs classrooms will begin a single file line down their stairs and will pick up their downstairs buddy classrooms who will follow behind out to the field where we will parade around the track and cross the field at the 50 yard line. Here is the approximate schedule:
1:40 – Upstairs classrooms walk single file downstairs
1:45 – Downstairs buddy classrooms follow upstairs buddy classrooms
1:50 – Classes walk single file onto the track area following the map
2:10-2:20 – Classes return back to their rooms.• InstaPrint Orders Cheaper Than Copier – Due to the increased cost of paper, it is now cheaper to place print orders though InstraPrint, which will be paid for out building funds and NOT classroom funds. Staff are encouraged to use InstaPrint for print orders, but be sure to give Lori your print order so she can add the appropriate account numbers.
• PTO Noodles and Co. Fundraiser Thursday – Be sure to remind students this week there is a PTO Fundraiser this Thursday at Noodles and Co. where a portion of all sales will go to support Howard. I’ll definitely be going because I am OBSESSED with their Zoodles!
• Putting in Tickets for Technology Help – As a reminder to staff, if you ever need assistance with anything technology related, you should send an email to4jdesktop@4j.lane.edu or call x7777, but do not email Jyllian directly or simply grab her in the hallway. The reasons staff staff are asked to put in tickets are numerous, including but are not limited to:
• To get an accurate accounting of the workload for your schools
• To obtain statistics on the overall workload for all TSS
• To justify the existence of site-based TSS
• To get statistics on the type of requests coming in, so they can target training and other resources.
• To see historical data for devices and problems
• Because TSS assignments can change at any time
• To better allocate TSS staffing.This is important because a low number of tickets could indicate that a school doesn’t need as much tech support time as it is currently getting. In looking at current data, they believe this is because the staff at some schools may be emailing or talking directly to the TSS instead of putting in a ticket.
• IEP Meetings & NeedToMeet Request – Teachers, please make you reply promptly to the NeetToMeet emails from Nancy Miranda, who is the SSD CMA who schedules IEP meeting. These meeting are often time sensitive, so it is important teachers respond promptly so the meetings can get scheduled.
• Non-SSD Licensed IEP/504 Time Log (2019-2020) – Related to the above, there are no limits on how many IEPs meetings teachers may be required to addend within a week, but as compensation, the contract does allow for non-SSD bargaining unit members to receive up to a total of six hours of additional compensation based on their per diem rate for participating in IEP or 504 meetings during scheduled planning days, scheduled preparation time, or outside the member’s workday. Meeting time will be accumulated in 15-minute increments and recorded on the linked IEP/504 Log Form, which is now a Google Form you can update throughout the year as you attend meetings. See the above link for details.
• Teacher of the Year Award – Our local VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) Post 293 is having difficulty getting teachers nominated for their teacher of the year award and reached out to Howard if we might want to nominate someone. I feel weird doing this myself, but if anyone else or a group of staff would like to make a nomination, just print the linked VFW Teacher of the Year Nomination Form. Fill out the top portion, and then write a 350 word or less letter of recommendation describing why you feel your teacher should be selected. Describe the teacher’s innovative teaching and resource development methods, as well as, their dedication to education. Other items you could mention would be how the teacher stimulates interest in American history, traditions, and civic responsibility. Then mail the completed form and the letter of recommendation to: VFW Post 293 1626 Willamette St. Eugene, OR 97401. The deadline for submitting a nomination is October 31st. Any mailed nominations must be postmarked by 10/31/19. Nominated teachers have the chance to win at each level of the competition. The first is at the post level, then district, then state and finally national. They can win money for themselves and the school and also have a chance to win a trip to Washington DC.
• How to Be an Antiracist Educator – Educators have an obligation to confront the harm of racism, says one social-emotional learning expert. She shares five steps educators can take to teach for an antiracist future in this ASCD Article.
1. Engage in Vigilant Self-Awareness
2. Acknowledge Racism and the Ideology of White Supremacy
3. Study and Teach Representative History
4. Talk About Race with Students
5. When You See Racism, Do Something
• Trauma-Informed Teaching Strategies – We’ve covered a lot of these in our various trainings, but it’s’ nice to see an ASCD Article also talk about how small changes in classroom interactions can make a big difference for traumatized students:
1. Expect Unexpected Responses
2. Employ Thoughtful Interactions
3. Be Specific About Relationship Building
4. Promote Predictability and Consistency
5. Teach Strategies to “Change the Channel”
6. Give Supportive Feedback to Reduce Negative Thinking
7. Create Islands of Competence
8. Limit Exclusionary Practices
9. Fostering a Feeling of Safety• Schedule of Upcoming Events – See the Google Calendar for future events, but here are the events for the next two weeks:
October 21 (M)
9:00-12:45, Larsen and Pond to Mt. Pisgah
8:30, Allan Meeting with Howard Neighbor (Office)October 22 (T)
8:15-11:15, Allan to Elementary Principal Meeting (Ed Center) – Gaston Covering
9:00-1:00, OSEA Visit to Howard (Staff Room)
2:45-3:30, Staff Meeting (Charissa’s Room, RM17)October 23 (W)
8:10-11:55, Data Team Meetings (Conference Room)5th 8:00-9:00
KG 9:10-10:10
3rd 10:25-11:252:40-3:30, Student Care Team (Conference Room)
4:00-6:00, Allan to Administrator of Color Monthly Meeting (Ed Center)
4:00-8:00, District First Aid Class (Library)
5:30-6:30, PERS Retirement Planning (EEA Offices)October 24 (H)
November Newsletter Article Deadline
8:10-11:25, Data Team Meetings (Conference Room)2nd 8:10-9:10
1st 9:30-10:30
4th 10:55-11:552:30, Kindergarten Interviews (Conference Room)
4:00-9:00, PTO Noodles and Co. Fundraiser
4:30-5:45, PERS Retirement Planning (Ed Center)October 25 (F)
7:30-9:00, Allan to 4JMAPS Meeting
9:00-12:00, Life Skills to Detering
10:30-12:30, October Birthday Lunches With the Principal (Community Room)
2:30, Early Release PD – Behavior Framework (Library)October 28 (M)
2:45-3:30, Site Council (Conference Room)October 29 (T)
8:10, Allan to Formal Observation
9:10, Allan to Formal Observation
2:45-3:30, IPBS Meeting (Matt’s Room, RM23)October 30 (W)
Title 1 Progress Monitoring Day – No Groups
2:45-3:30, PBIS Meeting (Ashleys Room, RM25)October 31 (H)
1:40-2:15ish, Halloween Costume Parade
2:40, Staff Halloween Photo!November 1 (F)
PBIS Monthly Theme – Appreciations
Popcorn Friday!
1:30, EA Supervisors’ Meeting (Title 1 Room, RM26)
2:30, Early Release PD – PLC (Library)November 3 (SU)
Daylight Saving Time Ends (Fall back one last time for Oregon)
Fun Fact! After next week, we don’t have two full weeks of school in a row until December.
Allan
