November 18, 2019

By Allan  

 

Hello My Friends!

Be sure to fill out the Howard Shirt Staff Order Form by Friday! The PTO was able to secure donations from Moir Construction (Howard parent), Evergreen Roofing, and Deborah Coelho Gordon, Realtor (Howard grandparent) to fund staff and student shirts.

Eighteen items of note for this week:

• Fire Drill, Friday @8:50 – The November Fire Drill will be this Friday at 8:50. Hopefully the weather cooperates, but this is one of our few windows of opportunity where we can do the drill and not step on any Music, PE, or recess times.

• CLC EA Interviews Thursday – Katie, Rebecca, and I will be conducting interviews for our new CLC EA position this Thursday at 2:45 if any other staff are interested in joining. Just let me know and I’ll print you an interview packet.

• Help With Hoods – It’s a school rule that hoods are not to be worn indoors, so if you spot students with their hoods up or even halfway up, remind them of the rule and have them put their hood down. It’s important that everyone is consistent on this rule.

• UPDATE: Erin’s Law & Second Step Child Safety Unit – I mentioned in last week’s announcements that to meet the Erin’s Law state requirements, teachers must cover Lessons 1-4 of the Second Step Child Protection Unit this fall. A few teachers asked Matt to teach the lessons, as some school counselors did last year, but the expectation this year is that classroom teachers provide the instruction.

• Use Instaprint for Journeys Printing – If grade levels are doing any ELA related printing from Journeys, please try to place your orders though Instaprint. There is a district account that can pay for these orders, which will help us offset increased paper costs we’re facing this year. Just note “Journeys” on your InstaPrint order forms. Let me know if you have any questions on this.

• Thanksgiving Classroom Reminder – As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, I wanted to send out my annual reminder regarding how Thanksgiving is taught in classrooms. Keep in mind that student perceptions of Native Americans often come from classroom activities around the “FirstmThanksgiving.” The 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 avoid stereotypes (ie. NO warbonnets). It’s 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. Some resources on what to avoid and what to teach can be found at Teaching Tolerance and Education World. 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.

• PTO Meeting Updates – Linked here is the November PTO Meeting Slide Show and below are a few highlights:

• Family Night: Fun with Science – The evening of January 10th will be a PTO Family Night that will include stations with science themed activities for families to work on together.

• Tech Trot Update – We earned $5688.41 and the winner of the Superhero Party is… Ms. Silver’s class!

• Fundraising Opportunities – Several upcoming opportunities to remember and promote with students and families:

• Valley River Center School Cents – Help Howard earn up to $2,000 by shopping, dining or watching a movie at Valley River Center October 1 – March 31 with the VRC School Cents Program. Save your receipts and drop them off in the receipt collection box in the office.

• Bottle Drop – Collect cans and bottle in Howard Elementary PTO Bottle Drop Bags. There is one in the Staff Room and another for families.

• Duer’s ATA – Bring $49.00 for 1-month of unlimitied lessons at Duer’s ATA and 100% of the proceeds goes to the Howard PTO.

• Christmas Tree Fundraiser – Buy your Christmas tree at Spring Creek Holly Farm on McKenzie Highway and 50% of the proceeds will be donated to Howard.

• Holiday Bazaar – Saturday, Dec. 7th, 9:00-2:00 will be the annual Howard Holiday Bazaar, which this year is being run by Ashley Pond instead of being run by the PTO run.

• Hot Mama’s Wings Fundraiser 12/17 – Eat at at Hot Mama’s Wings on Thursday, Dec. 17th and earn money for Howard!

• Beep Beeps Drawing Change – Teachers, please put your Beep, Beep winner into my mailbox by Wednesday morning for the Beep, Beep Drawing. This will save time carting the jars back and forth and can also give teachers some control over winners (not that the drawing is rigged, right?).

• Student Success Act (SSA) Community Forums, Phase 2 – I attended last week’s SSA Staff Input Forum at North HS (not so well attended) and this week downtown is starting the Community SSA Forums which staff may attend as well. If you’d like your say in how this money is or is not spent, you get to spend green dots in support of the top items to surface from the first round of forums, survey, and focus groups (I spent my dots mostly on reducing class size) and red dots for proposals you do not support (I spent some of these too), you can attend one of the four meetings starting this week:

• November 19 (T), 5:30–6:30 p.m., Churchill High School (English)
• November 19 (T), 7–8 p.m., Churchill High School (Spanish)
• November 21 (H), 7–8 p.m., North Eugene High School
• November 25 (M), 5:30–6:30 p.m., South Eugene High School

• REPEAT: 2019-2020 Mandatory Elementary School Bus Safety Training – Gold start to Callihan, Chunn, Cortez, Corliss, Niccum, and Rock for already completing this! As required by OAR 581-53-002, all students must receive instructions on bus safety before the end of December 2019. Linked here i an updated Bus Training Info Sheet (English and Spanish) which can be used to help with bus safety instruction, but all classroom teachers need to do is show one of two 12-minute bus safety videos (the Newer Bus Evacuation Training Video or the quaint 1990s classic The Safest Way Out) and then tell Lori the date you showed it.

• Leadership Plan Not Approved – JCAC did not approve our leadership plan and I’ll meet with HR this Wednesday for guidance as to why and what needs to change for our plan. I’ll let licensed staff know more once I have more info.

• Hour of Code 2019 is Coming! – The Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed 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, starting with 1-hour coding activities but expanding to all sorts of community efforts. Check out the tutorials and activities at Hour of Code, Computer Science Education Week, Khan Academy, and these Edutopia Articles. If you have any favorite coding links you’d like me to add to the “Links for Learners” on the Howard website, just let me know.

• Friday Early Release PD – This Friday’s Early Release PD is designated as building goals. A request out of Data Team was to provide a Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Training for 1st and 2nd grade teachers (others are invited to attend as well). Howard’s Staff Development Specialist, Rebecca Boyd, will lead the training in the library starting at 2:30. Grades 3-5 and any KG teachers who have already attended the training can use this time for any unfinished PLC work.

• Playground Sketches – I’m sharing this is partly for fun, but I can also see it being useful for a number of purposes, but Jeff made a hand drawn sketch of our playground (Black & White and Colored Playground Zones), which could be used by staff however you see fit (PBIS, investigating incidents, reviewing other logistics, etc.).

• 2019 Winter Holiday Resource – Linked here, and also on the front page of the Howard website, in English and Spanish, is a document listing Winter Holiday Resources. This contains information regarding holiday food boxes, meal sites, and gift programs. We’ll share this in the December school newsletter and on social media, but staff can feel free to pass this along to individual families as well.

• UPDATE: Artist in Residence Video Info & Schedule – Our artist, Rachell Jarvis, has asked teachers to have this Linked Video ready to show during your first session. Also, linked here is an Updated Artist in Residence Schedule, which effected folks already are aware.

• Responding Calmly to Upset Parents – When an angry email shows up in the inbox, it can be tempting to respond in kind. See this Edutopia Article for five tips from a middle school principal lead to better responses. #4 is my favorite bit of advice, which is “Pick up the phone instead of sending an email.” but the others are good as well, which include Sleep on it, Take a walk, Phone a friend before you hit send, and Let it go.

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

November 18 (M)
Roadrunner Tail Feather Challenge Continues
Artist in Residence – Glass-Fusing Fun! w/Rachell Jarvis Continues
8:45-2:00, 3rd Grade Salmon Trip (Lawson/Peterson & Niccum)
3:45-5:15, Allan to Elementary Principal Meeting (Ed Center)

November 19 (T)
8:10, Allan to Formal Observation
8:45-2:00, 3rd Grade Salmon Trip (Kreider & Charpie)
2:45-3:30, Staff Meeting (Natalie’s Room, RM18)

November 20 (W)
Newsletter Articles Due
8:10-8:40, 3rd Grade Classical Spark Assembly (Gym)
11:10-2:25, PLC Meetings (KG, 3rd, 5th)

KG, 11:10-12:10
3rd Grade, 12:20-1:20
5th Grade, 1:30-2:25

November 21 (H)
8:10-11:55, PLC Meetings (2nd, 1st, 4th)

2nd 8:10-9:10
1st 9:30-10:30
4th 10:55-11:55

2:45-3:30, TLT Meeting/PD (Angela’s Room, RM24)
2:45-4:00, CLC EA Interviews (Conference Room)

November 22 (F)
7:30-9:00, Allan to 4JMAPS Meeting
8:50, Fire Drill
10:30-12:40, November Birthday Lunches With the Principal (Community Room)
2:30-3:30, Early Release PD – Heggerty (1/2), PLC (KG/2/3/4/5)

November 25 (M)
Artist in Residence – Glass-Fusing Fun! w/Rachell Jarvis Continues
8:10, Allan to Formal Observation
10:30, Junior Achievement Presentation (Kreider)
2:30-3:30, Allan to IEP Meeting (Conference Room)

November 26 (T)
8:15-11:30, Allan to Elementary Principal Meeting – Gaston Covering (Ed Center)
8:10, Native Presentation (Native Food) – Cortez & Carpenter (STEAM Room)
9:25, Native Presentation (Native Food) – Rock & Callihan (STEAM Room)
2:45-3:30, IPBS Meeting (Matt’s Room, RM21)

November 27 (W)
United Way Pledge Forms Due
8:10-8:35, K-5 Roadrunner Assembly & Tail Feather Reward (Gym)
1:15-2:00, Tailfeather Incentive Movie Day Reward (Classrooms)

November 28 (H)
No School — Thanksgiving Break

November 29 (F)
No School — Thanksgiving Break

Get ready for our one 5-day week of the month!

Allan