Allan's Announcements

 

Hi Everyone,

It’s time for the circus to open!

Twenty-eight items of note (sorry) for this week:

• Behavior EA (Abby Parks) – Already announces at our staff meeting last week, but please welcome our new Building Behavior Support Assistant (BBSA, i.e. Behavior EA), Abby Parks. Abby was at Holt all last year in a long term SPED EA sub. Abby is also continuing as our second as one of our two school crossing guards. Our second Behavior EA Job Posting is up now and closes Wednesday if you know of anyone good who you think should apply. We already have 11 applicants, so that’s a good sign!

 

• Classroom Help Sign-Up – If any staff are available to help your colleagues get their classroom ready, please add your name to the Class Set-Up Help Spreadsheet and check in with the folks need ing help on Tuesday.

 

• Tuesday Staff Meeting Cancelled – We don’t have any pressing topics, so Tuesday’s “If Needed” Staff Meeting is cancelled.

 

• SIGN UP – Kinder Transition Day 2023 – See Lesli’s Email for details, but if you haven’t already, be sure to sign-up on the Kinder Transition Day 2023-34 Spreadsheet for a block of time on each of the tabs.

 

• Wednesday PD: Curriculum Night Planning – Wednesday at 1:30 in the library we’ll meet to decide on the format for our Curriculum Night / Back-to-School Night. Last year was a mix of some classes doing formal presentations to families and other grade levels did a more casual open house.

 

• PBIS Playground Rules Round-Up – The Playground Rules Round-Up will be Monday, Sept. 11 at 8:15 for 1st and 2nd grade and Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 1:45 for 3rd, 4th, & 5th Grade. See the station assignment and maps for where classes start and the rotation order. Let me know if you have any questions.

MONDAY, Sept. 11 @8:15
5-Minute Rotations (4 min. talk, 1 min. transition)
Classes start at:

1. Structures (Gori)
2. Swings & General rules (Willow)
3. Hard Play, Boundaries (Zluticky)
4. Four Square, Kickball, Wallball, Gaga Ball (Bemiller, Rahborn)
5. Equipment, Lining Up, Restrooms (Gulleckson, Norton)

TUESDAY, Sept. 12 @1:45
5-Minute Rotations (4 min. talk, 1 min. transition)
Classes start at:

1. Structures (Ball, Harshbarger)
2. Swings & General rules (Talley, Longoria)
3. Hard Play, Boundaries (Benavides, Cobb)
4. Four Square, Kickball, Wallball, Gaga Ball (Reich, Heinrich)
5. Equipment, Lining Up, Restrooms (Parks, Ayres)

Reviewing the stations are #1 Vicki, #2 Ben, #3 Allan, #4 Felica, and #5 Annie, though other available staff can come out to help review the Playground & Recess Supervisors Guidelines.

 

• PBIS Common Area Rules Review – Teachers should find time this week or next to review the PBIS Common Area Rules Review Slideshow with your class to go over Arrival/Dismissal, Restroom, Cafeteria, and Hallway. There’s also a classroom slide if you want to use it.

 

• Rainy/Smokey Arrival Plan – Classified Staff on Friday reviewed and revised our Rainy (also smokey) Arrival Plan, which is:

KG & 1st in Cafeteria
2nd & 3rd in the Gym
4th graders Library
5th under covered play area (or Library if smokey)

 

• Dismissal Job Assignments Map – A reminder to everyone, classroom teachers walk non-bus riders outside to your grade level’s designated pick-up spot (see same as above Arrival & Dismissal Map). For bus riders, at least one staff member from each wing should walk them down the hallway, through the cafeteria, and out to the buses. If buses are late, students are to wait under the covered play area. Alex, Ashley, and Robbie will help supervise as well.

• easyCBM Assessment Window Sept. 11 – Oct. 6 – Downtown shared the testing window for fall easyCBM benchmarking, which is 4 weeks in the fall, and will be Monday, Sept. 11 through Friday, Oct. 6. Testing windows for winter and spring benchmarking will be 3-week windows (1/3 – 1/24 and 5/13 – 6/3). Watch for testing details from Debbi and Jenny.

 

• EdTech TOSA Available 9/6 – Kellyclare Gardner is visiting schools the next few weeks and will be at Holt on Wednesday, Sept. 6 from 8:00-11:30 to help folks that need assistance with Edtech (Clever, Seesaw, Lalilo, Smartboard, Teacher doc cams, Printing QR Codes, Printing student passwords and more) She is developing a sign up sheet for folks, but drop ins are welcome. Her plan is to set up shop in the staff rooms and she is available to come back if needed.

 

• Preliminary Leadership Plan – Linked here is the preliminary Holt Leadership Plan I submitted to JCAC (Joint Contract Administration Committee). Once we hear back from downtown, we’ll make a final decision on the allocations for the jobs we submitted.

Assembly & Enrichment Activities Coordinator, $2,000.00
Attendance/Family Outreach, $1,500.00
Building Scheduling Coordinator, $1,000.00
Communications Coordinator, $2,000.00
Equity & Inclusion Collaborators (6 reps), $9,000.00
Equity & Inclusion Facilitator (2 reps), $6,000.00
Evening Family Event Coordination (2 reps), $2,000.00
Girls on the Run Coordinator? (2 reps), $3,000.00
Grade Level Team Leaders (6 reps), $6,000.00
Literacy Leader, $1,000.00
Non-Monthly School-Wide Assemblies, $1,000.00
Parent Group Liaison, $1,000.00
PBIS & SEL Collaborator, $500.00
Specialist Team Leaders (2 reps), $2,000.00
Student Council/Leadership Collaborator, $500.00
Student Council/Leadership Coordinator, $1,500.00
Sunshine (Staff Wellness) Collaborator, $500.00
Sunshine (Staff Wellness) Coordinator, $1,000.00
TAG Coordinator, $1,500.00

 

• Master Schedule Updates – Two items regarding the 23-24 Master Schedule.

• Library Schedule – Grade level teams can add teacher names to library schedule. Some teacher names were already added close to what was earlier on the schedule, but teams can swap names around as you want. Each class will have a weekly 30-minute library lesson and a weekly 15-minute checkout. For the checkout time, teachers only send students who returned their books and can checkout a new book. For Wednesday checkout times, Title EAs will escort students to the library.

• PE/Music Schedule Corrected – The PE/Music/Library Specialist tab is now correct.

 

• HANDBOOK HIGHLIGHT: Scents/Cleaners/Air Fresheners – An important reminder from the Holt Staff Handbook, is on Scents/Cleaners/Air Fresheners:

Scents/cleaners/air fresheners: Perfumes, highly scented deodorants, air freshening spray, and plug-ins altogether must be removed from classrooms and commons spaces due to staff and students sensitivity

 

• PE/SEL Booster Resources – Here are the PE/SEL Booster Resources Doc mentioned at last Friday’s PD. Save yourself a ton of time by using these for Morning Meeting ideas on greetings, for sharing, group activities, and end-of-day closing activities. This doc also has ready-to-use Morning Meeting slideshows for the first four weeks of school. This link is also on the Holt Staff Dashboard

 

• Dead 4J Links – With the district website upgrade, if you had any links you’d bookmarked or shared on a blog, website, Seesaw, or other doc or app linking to the 4J website, they are now most likely dead and have been assigned a new numerical URL.

 

• Enrollment Info – Holt is now very close to our projection of 464 students with 459 students currently enrolled. If you’re interested, here’s the district Enrollment as of 09/01/23, which for us is minus the 10 kids who enrolled on Friday.

 

• Additional Licensed and Classified BEST Hours – If you’re interested in additional hours, see Levi’s Email about adding BEST EA hours, anywhere from 1-hour to 4-hours, or a licensed Academic Coordinator position.

 

• HR Updates – Two HR items were shared with principals:

• TalentEd “Roll Over” Delay – The roll over from 22-23 and 23-24 has had issues, so not all staff have access just yet or may be attached to the wrong school. HR hopes to have these fixed in the next couple weeks.

• Paid Leave Oregon Information – Paid Leave Oregon (PLO) is a new program that allows employees in Oregon to take paid time off for some of life’s most important moments that impact our families, health, and safety. Some life qualifying events that keep you from working may be covered under Paid Leave Oregon if they fall into one of three different types of leaves: Family Leave, Medical Leave, and Safe Leave. If eligible, you can take paid leave to:

(a) care for yourself or members of your family during the birth of a child, or to bond with a child after birth, adoption, or placement of a child in your home through foster care,
(b) care for yourself during a serious health condition,
(c) care for a family member when they have a serious health condition, and
(d) if you or your child experience sexual assault, domestic violence, harassment, or stalking.

See the linked PLO Information for additional information.

 

• SafeSchool / Vector Training Delay – These were supposed to be available on 8/21, but that did not happen. We don’t have a timeline for when they will be sent available, but principals were told to give staff 1-hour in September and 1-hour in October to complete the online training before the Nov. 1 deadline. OSHA has added new required trainings, so the new trainings total more than 2 hours, so I’ll plan to give folks a third hour of time to complete the modules before the deadline. Here are the mandatory trainings for all staff (there are additional required modules for school psychologists, counselors, social workers, and principals):

• AED (17 mins)
• Child Abuse (31 mins)
• Boundaries (39 mins)
• Blood-borne (22 mins)
• Unconscious Bias (36 mins)
• Ladders (19 mins)

 

• Curriculum Getting Started Planning and Resource Guides – Content Specialists compiled key information to help teachers plan for the new school year with the Getting Started Planning and Resource Guides for Science, Health, PE, Math, ELA, and Social Studies, including resources, scope and sequences, available materials and curriculum. This is also linked on the Holt Staff Dashboard.

 

• 4J Learning Hub – The 4J Learning Hub isn’t yet linked on the new 4J website yet, but it’s worth bookmarking if you haven’t already. You do need to log onto your 4J Google account to access the site. The link is also on the Holt Staff Dashboard and also on my blog.

 

• Library Lowdown: Free Staff Library Cards! – I mentioned this last week, but the latest Library Lowdown had info on how school staff, even if you live outside the city limits, can get a FREE library card, which it totally worth it just for the Free Streaming Services. My other favorite freebie is a free online subscription to Consumer Reports. Just bring your school photo ID and your current Oregon driver license/ID to one of the branches to sign up.

 

• Bystander Intervention for Educators – WREN is offering another Zoom PD October 12th from 4:30-6:00pm on Bystander Intervention for Educators, in which you will be paid a $75 stipend for attending. I’ve signed up! See the latest WREN Newsletter to sign-up today.

 

• Staff Walk-Up Song QUIZ! – How well do you know your colleagues musical tastes? Whoever gets the most correct on the Holt Staff Walk-Up Song Quiz wins a prize!

 

• Building Strong Foundations With Classroom Routines – Sure I share this every year, but it’s a good one. Investing time early in the year to establish procedures and expectations lets teachers and students enjoy a classroom that runs more smoothly (almost!) every day. See the Edutopia Video below for some good tips and reminders. The other oldie but goodie from Edutopia is an article on how Relationship Matter More Than Rules and how community building in the classroom starts on day one. See this Edutopia Article for strategies to begin forging strong relationships.

 

• Repeats & Reminders – See prior announcements for details:

• Welcome Back Assembly Friday @1:30 – See the Assembly Map and Directions for details on our Welcome Back Assembly. If the AQI and weather is good, we’ll be outside in the same U-shaped formation facing the same direction we would be in the gym.

• Classroom Newsletters to Allan – Please CC or forward copies of classroom newsletters to Allan.

• Principal Visits to Classrooms – Let me know a 10 minutes block of time I can come and visit sometime this month to introduce myself and read a story to your class.

• SELCO’s Educator Grants, Due 9/30 – SELCO’s SPARK! Creative Learning Grant Program offers grants up to $1,000, which are due Sept. 30th.

• Holt Spirit Gear Sale Deadline, Sept. 20 – See Ashely’s Email for details, but the limited edition Holt Spirit Gear Sale ends September 20th.

• Team Sign-Ups – Feel free to add you name to the Team Sign-Ups Spreadsheet.

• Insurance Open Enrollment Deadline, Sept. 15 – Choose your insurance plan by September 15th or else you will lose your health insurance benefits for this year. See the 4J Open Enrollment 2022-23 Website for details.

 

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

September 4 (M)
Labor Day – No School

September 5 (T)
2:00-3:00, Meet Your Teacher (Classrooms)
2:30-3:30, Kona Ice Fundraiser (Playground)
3:00, Allan to 504 Meeting (Calming Room)
4:30, Allan to MAPS Meeting (RMS)

September 6 (W)
Kinder Starts
Grades 1-5 Structured Collaboration & Support of Kinder Smart Start

September 7 (H)
All Grade Levels Start

September 8 (F)
1:30-2:00, Welcome Back Assembly (Hard Play)

September 11 (M)
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) Starts
8:00, Morning Announcements Begin (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
8:15-8:45, PBIS Rules Round-Up, 1st & 2nd (Playground)
3:30, Allan to Elem Principals’ Meeting (Ed Center)

September 12 (T)
1:45-2:15, PBIS Rules Round-Up, 3rd, 4th, 5th (Playground)

September 13 (W)
1:30-2:30, Wednesday PD – SafeSchools/Vector Modules

September 14 (H)
9:00, Safety Committee Meeting (Office)
2:45-3:30, Staff Meeting (Library)
6:00-7:00, Holt PTO Meeting (Library & Zoom)

September 15 (F)
Regular Day

 

Let’s make this a good first week of school!

Allan

 

 

Hi Everyone,

Here I am interrupting your summer again. If you’re just catching up now, be sure to read the Back-to-School Staff Announcements and the August 14 Announcements.

Twenty items of note for this week:

• Staffing Updates – Five staffing updates:

• School Nurse (Haley Ingalls, RN) – Haley Ingalls will be our new school nurse. I haven’t had a chance to meet her yet or know her background, but SSD was happy with her hire.

• 2-hour Night Custodian Returns – Robert Bolden, our 2-hour night custodian, is back from his leave. He’s primarily at Monroe, but when he’s finished over there he comes to Holt to help out for 2-hours.

• BEST Coordinator (Levi Thompson) – Our very own Behavior EA, Levi, has been hired as our new BEST Coordinator. SSD also added an hour of SPED EA time to his position, so part of his day will be assisting the SPED Team. This leaves us with two Behavior EA vacancies, but we should be able to hire out of the Behavior EA Pool job posting that closed last week. I know of at least two good candidates who have applied, so we should be in good hands.

• Kitchen Staff Updates – Kyrsten Potterf has moved to McCornack and Diana Lyons has moved to Buena Vista. Nutrition Services has added Cindy Leighton from Roosevelt to join Deb, Kathy, and Amber in the kitchen.

• BEST EA Job Postings – BEST EA Job Postings for this year will be posted soon if anyone is interested in additional hours.

Welcome these fine folks to Team Holt!

 

• Inservice Week Agendas – Attached to my email, on the Staff Google Drive, and linked here are the Staff Meeting agendas for the building time on Monday (Leadership Plan & Licensed Staff Nuts & Bolts), Thursday (All Staff – SCIP, Equity, Nuts & Bolts), and Friday (Licensed Staff BEPA 2.0, SEL/Morning Meeting Info, and Classified Staff Meeting). Let me know if you have any additional agenda items. At the meetings, feel free to bring a comfortable chair if you don’t want to sit on library stools (Monday & Friday) or a cafeteria bench (Thursday). Also feel free to bring your laptop if you want to reference some of the documents we’ll be referencing at meetings (Draft Leadership Plan, SCIP, 4J Racial Harassment Policy, etc.)

 

• Inservice Week “Structured Collaboration” – If you’re wondering about the “Structured Collaboration” time on Thursday of Inservice Week, the 4J Back to School Agendas and Links document now has a menu of activities teams and/or individuals can do, but basically it’s prep time.

 

• SPED EA Professional Development – All non-Life Skills SPED EAs will attend a PD session on Friday, September 1st from 12:30-2:30 via Zoom. You’ll be learning the foundations of UFLI, one of the new reading intervention curricula that was just purchased. As a reminder, SPED EAs do not attend the August 30 session with SPED teachers. Also, there is no extended contract available, so if this is outside of anyone’s normal work hours, please balance your hours over the course of this week so you can attend this training. I’m guessing the Zoom link will be posted on the 4J Back to School Agendas and Links doc, which can also be found on the Holt Staff Zimbra Calendar.

 

• Draft Leadership Plan Additional Ideas – Linked here is a Draft 23-24 Leadership Plan, which we need to submit a draft of to JCAC by Sept. 1. Take a look and let me know your ideas ahead of the 8/28 Staff Meeting. If you want to see some additional ideas, linked here is a Leadership Plan Brainstorming Sheet some elementary principals used to share their initial ideas.

 

• Welcome Back Assembly Friday, Sept. 8 @1:30 – Linked here is the Assembly Map and Directions for our Welcome Back Assembly on Friday, September 8th at 1:30. If the AQI is good, we might try doing the assembly outside this year to mix things up. I have this on the 8/28 meeting agenda for us to work out the details.

 

• Request for Student / Classroom Support – We combined what was Gloria and Darla’s request for assistance forms, so now complete the linked Request for Student / Classroom Support form to request a CARE TEAM staff member to connect with you about a student’s attendance, academics, behavior, classroom management, instructional support, mental health, counseling, basic needs, etc.

 

• Kindergarten Smart Start – The Kinder Team has already gotten this info, but you may have seen in the Quick News that downtown is changing Kinderzone, which is now called Kinder Smart Start. Linked here is the Kindergarten Smart Start Resources & Guidance, but as with Kinderzone, all staff will be expected to help with kinders on their first day, Wednesday, September 6th. More info will come on after the Kinder Team has attended the Smart Start PD inservice week.

 

• Nutrition Services Updates – Nutrition Services shared with principals a couple changes coming this year:

• Field Trip Sack Lunch Request Change – When classes need lunches for a field trip, instead of letting our kitchen staff know, we now need to email nutrition@4jlane.edu three weeks before the field trip, letting them know:

▪ # of students
▪ Type of meals
▪ Dietary restrictions
▪ Packaging requirements
▪ The Draft itinerary
▪ Point of Contact

The Field Trip Request Form has been updated to include this change. For details, see the linked Nutrition Services FAQ and the 4J Travel & Field Trips Webpage.

• Free & Reduced Meal Forms – 4J has to renew its Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) application, which allows Holt and a few other schools to offer free meals to students without parents being required to fill out any paperwork. However, in order to collect the required information for the application, we DO need to have families fill out the Free and Reduced Meal Forms this year. Downtown is working on a communication we will send out, but I’m thinking this is something we hand out to families throughout the year; during enrollment, at conferences, at Family Nights, Quick News, etc.

 

• Human Resources FAQ – HR sent principals an HR FAQ and I wanted to highlight three points:

• Unpaid Leave Days – Employees must request this time in advance from their supervisor (me). Supervisors will work with their Directors to gain approval. HR may contact Directors to discuss any potential hardship on the program, before final approval of the leave. To request unpaid leave, the employee should visit the HR Leaves of Absence webpage.

• Leave Request Required for 6 Days or More Absence – If an employee is going to be fully off work for more than 5 consecutive days, they are required to request a Leave of Absence through Human Resources, which includes being out sick more than 5 days, in which case you’d request a leave the 6th day you are out sick. Request forms can be found on the HR Leaves of Absence webpage.

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – All staff are eligible to use the EAP program. The District offers EAP benefits through Uprise Health. EAP is a free and confidential service to our employees and their dependents and provides a wide variety of benefits. To access services call 866-750-1327 or go online to uprisehealth.com and use the access code: OEBB.

Employee Assistance Program Services include the following:

Counseling Services – 1 to 6 Visits per incident (ends 09/30/2023)
Counseling Services as of 10/01/2023 – 1 to 8 Visits per incident

• Face-to-face counseling
Counseling by phone
• No copays
• 24-hour crisis assistance

Work-Life Balance Resources

• Legal & Mediation
• Childcare, Adult & Eldercare Services
• Online Will Preparation
• Mediation Services
• Identity Theft
• Financial
• Home Ownership Program
• College Planning Program
• Free Resilience Webinars

 

• 4J Discipline Matrix – The 4J Discipline Matrix is finally finished and ready to be shared. I’ll plan on this being a topic for a future Wednesday PD, but thought I’d share it now for anyone who wanted a sneak peek. Besides the matrix, it includes links to resources for prevention and intervention, response protocols, safety and wellness resources, and board policy. If you want to do an even deeper dive, here’s the 50-page of Discipline Matrix Supporting Document (the matrix links to various sections of this doc), which includes guiding principles, a description of the matrix, guides to classroom climate (prevention), and intervention practices, responses to minor/major referrals, and administrator tools for decision-making and planning around both ISS & OSS.

 

• Menchie’s Bookmarks – In the Work Room on Monday will be Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt “Sweet Reading Rewards” bookmarks you can give your class if you want. Kids read 10 books, the teacher signs it, and the kid gets a free frozen yogurt!

 

• Lift Furniture, Don’t Drag It – When rearranging or setting up your spaces, if you don’t want your floor scraped and scuffed, remember to lift furniture instead of dragging or pushing it across the floor.

 

• ELA & Math Materials Coming – Wit & Wisdom Student Books have been delivered and will be brought to each grade level’s wing this week. Coming later this week will be the updated Wit & Wisdom teacher guides (you can keep your old ones if you choose), along with complete sets of curriculum materials for grade levels where we’ve added a section. Math workbooks from Central Print are also coming this week, which we’ll deliver to wings, but it’s not everything for the entire year. There will be three more deliveries arriving over the next several months – October 12th, December 4th, and January 23rd.

 

• No Holt Water Bottles this Year – We used ESSR funds to buy these the last three years, but we do not have ESSR funds this year and did not purchase them for students.

 

• Technology Support – You are still able to request technology support by sending an email to 4jdesktop@4j.lane.edu, but be aware this will be changing. The preferred approach is to login to the Freshservice Portal to create the request tech support, so you might want to bookmark this webpage. It’s also linked on the Holt Staff Dashboard.

 

• Insurance Open Enrollment Deadline, Sept. 15 – A reminder that you need to choose your insurance plan by September 15th, or else you will lose your health insurance benefits for this year. See the 4J Open Enrollment 2022-23 Website for details.

 

• WREN Newsletter & PD Opportunities – Linked here is the August Western Regional Educator Network (WREN) Newsletter, which includes online PD opportunities regarding Addressing Microaggressions, Bias and Triggers, Equity Foundations, and others. Sessions are open to all staff!. Note that participants do get a stipend for attending trainings, which range from $100 for a 2-hour virtual PD to $800 for multi-session PDs. Pretty sure I’ll sign up for some of these since I can do them after school from home!

 

• Repeats & Reminders – See prior announcements for details, but take note of:

• Inservice Week Schedule – Linked here is the Elementary Inservice Week Schedule. It’s also on the Holt Staff Dashboard. 

• Optional New Staff Member Orientation and Q&A, 9/1 @10:00 – I’ll be available Friday, Sept. 1 at 10:00 in the library to share some Holt nuts & bolts logistics, answer questions, and provide any assistance for new folks.

• Who is A/B and C/D on the Schedule? – Grade-level teams should let me know which classes will follow the A, B, C, or D schedules on the 23-24 Master Schedule for Library, PE, and Music.

• Team Sign-Ups – Feel free to add you name to the Team Sign-Ups Spreadsheet.

• Artist in Residence Survey – Pick the top five artists for the Artist in Residence Survey.

• Staff Walk-Up Songs – Add your “Walk-Up Song” to the Staff Walk-Up Song Survey.

• Holt Staff Fun Facts – Add or update your info to the Holt Staff Fun Facts Spreadsheet.

• Breakfast Burrito Orders Due 8/28 – Fill out the linked Breakfast Burrito Google Form by 12:00am, Monday, August 28th to get one at the 8/31 Staff Meeting.

• Make Sure Your Voicemail is Set Up – All teachers should ensure your 4J voicemail is set up and working. See the linked Quick Start Voice Mail User Guide for how to set it up.

• Welcome Back Burritos, Coffee, & Supplies! Friday, 8/25 @9:00! – Burritos, coffee, school supplies, and socializing Friday, August 25th at 9:00 in the School Garden!

• Class List Email Friday Afternoon, Sept. 1 after 3:00 – Teachers should plan on emailing through Synergy a welcome letter to families of all students in your class on Friday, September 1st after 3:00.

• Elementary Testing Coordinator – Anyone interested in taking over as the testing coordinator (easyCBM & OSAS) for a 2% salary stipend? Let me know if you are interested or have any questions. I’ve done testing coordination before and can help whoever takes on this duty.

 

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

August 25 (F)
Licensed Staff Report Back
Teacher Planning Day
9:00, Welcome Back Burritos, Coffee, & Supplies! (School Garden)

August 28 (M)
8:00-11:00 – Building PD – Leadership Plan, Licensed Staff Nuts & Bolts
12:00, Breakfast Burrito Orders Due
12:30-4:00 – Conscious Discipline PD (Holt Gym/Cafeteria)

August 29 (T)
8:00-12:00 – Teacher Prep
12:30-4:00 – Conscious Discipline PD (Holt Gym/Cafeteria)
6:00-7:00 – Holt PTO Board Meeting (Library)

August 30 (W)
Classified Staff Report Back
8:00-11:00 – 4J Welcome Back Event (Sheldon HS Track)
11:00-12:00, Lunch and Transition Time
12:00-4:00 – Grade Level & Specialist PD (See LINK for locations)

August 31 (H)
7:30-11:15 – Building PD – SCIP, Equity, Nuts & Bolts (All Staff, Cafeteria)
11:45-3:30 – Building PD – Structured Collaboration

September 1 (F)
8:00-10:00 – Building PD – BEPA, SEL (Licensed Staff, Library)
10:00-11:00, Classified Staff Meeting (Library)
11:00-12:00, Optional New Staff Orientation and Q&A (Library)
12:30-2:30, SPED EA Training (Zoom)
12:30-3:30 – Teacher Prep

September 4 (M)
Labor Day – No School

September 5 (T)
7:30-9:00 – Staff Meeting, If Needed (Library)
2:00-3:00, Meet Your Teacher (Classrooms)
2:30-3:30, Kona Ice Fundraiser (Playground)

September 6 (W)
Kinder Starts
Grades 1-5 Structured Collaboration & Support of Kinder Smart Start

September 7 (H)
All Grade Levels Start

September 8 (F)
1:30-2:00, Welcome Back Assembly (Gym or Outside)

 

Relish your last days of summer, folks!

Allan

 

Greetings, Holt Bolts!

Hope you all are still enjoying your summer. For folks wanting the scoop on fall info, below is my super long back-to-school staff newsletter. If you’re not interested just yet, feel free to file this away to read at a later time.

My summer has been a mix of good and bad. To start with the bad, a good friend of mine since middle school unexpectedly died last month (though I hung out with him two weeks before he passed when my family was vacationing in Santa Cruz) and my 98-year-old dad just last week entered into hospice. It’s been a long time coming for my dad, who’s been dealing with dementia for a while, but my mom will now get some support with a hospice nurse coming in every day, so that’s welcome. For the good, my family and I had a fun two-week trip down to San Francisco and Santa Cruz, which was our first big trip post-COVID. Besides that trip, I also took a good amount of time to turn my brain off with movies (Martin Scorsese’s After Hours was the best movie, and Freebie and the Bean was a close second, though Oppenheimer was fantastic and I’m watching the Barbie movie with my kids this weekend, but my favorite movie viewing experience of the summer was making my kids watch 1979’s The Warriors, which they did end up enjoying), TV shows (the final season of Barry was my favorite), books (Cinema Speculation was my favorite book and I’m almost finished with Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties), and video games (mainly playing Fallout 76, which most gamers hate). So although my summer was a mixed bag, it was overall still a good one with plenty of family, friends, and relaxation.

But back to business, for folks new to Holt, I usually send my announcements once a week on Sunday mornings. They can get long at times, but I prefer to over-communicate rather than under-communicate. Not all of the info applies to all staff members, so read the bold headings and decide for yourself if that’s something you need to know about or not.

Enjoy the rest of your summer, everyone, and feel free to call, text, email, or stop by school if there’s anything I can do for you.

See you soon!

Allan

 

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• Welcome 23-24 New Staff – Most of these were announced earlier, but please welcome the following fabulous new (and some returning) staff members to TEAM HOLT!

• 1st Grade (Leah Willow) – Leah was an ELA TOSA for the past three years, but before that taught 1st grade here at Holt with Heidi and Lisa. 

• 2nd Grade Teachers (Jenny Bemiller and Megan Gullekson) – Jenny comes to us from Chavez where she taught 2nd grade and before that taught 1st grade in Bethel. Megan was our temp 1st-grade teacher last year, so we’re very glad to have her back this year in a non-temp position joining 2nd grade. 

• BEST Coordinator (TBA) – Coming Soon!

• Counselor (Megan Travis) – Megan comes to us from Spring Creek where she’s taught kindergarten and 5th grade. Before working in 4J, she worked with neuro-diverse students ages 2-18 at the Sheldon Community Center for 20 years with our very own Kim McManus. 

• Instructional Coach (Carla Zimmerman) – Carla comes to us from Howard where she was their Instructional Coach. Before that, she was the ESC and taught 1st, 3rd, and 4th grade at different times. Also, I worked with Carla for the eight years I was principal over there. 

• Nurse (TBA) – Coming Soon!

• Office Assistant (Keri Schneider) – Keri joined Holt last year as a Title 1 EA and is re-joining us this fall as our new Office Assistant, taking Sharon’s spot as Sharon moves into the head secretary position. 

• PE Teacher, 0.2 (Jenifer Pleus) – Jenifer is a retired 4J PE teacher who’s taught for over 40 years, primarily at elementary, but also at middle and high school. I also worked with her for a time at the old Howard building. This year she’ll be part-time at both Holt and Gilham. 

• Secretary (Sharon Alberts) – Sharon is moving from her office assistant position here at Holt into the head secretary role. 

• SPED Teacher, 0.5 (Sheryl Carroll) – Sheryl comes to us from Edison where she was their full-time SPED teacher. She’ll be split between Holt and YG, working here in the mornings and at YG in the afternoons. 

 

• SSD EA Staffing Updates – Darrin Heffington, who was on leave last year and covered by Abby Parks all year long, resigned from his position over the summer. SSD is not filling his position, but they did add back Julie McWhorter’s 1:1 SPED EA position (now 6 hours instead of 5.5) and Laura  Peterman’s 4-hour SPED EA position. This still puts us 5 hours less than we had last year for SPED EA staffing, so we will continue to advocate for more SPED support given the level of student need.

 

• 7-Hour EA Vacancy – In response to the change in state law around abbreviated (i.e. shortened) student days (parents can now refuse shortened school days for their child and insist on full days), downtown is giving all schools an additional 7-hour EA. It’s not a SPED EA position, but this person will primarily support students receiving special education services, most likely in the primary grades. I submitted a requisition to HR last week and expect it should get posted this week. 

 

• 1-Hour Crossing Guard Vacancy – Are any classified staff interested in adding 1 hour to take over Darrin/Abby’s crossing guard position? Let me know if you are. If we don’t have any takers, I’ll post for the position. 

 

• Report Back Dates – Linked here are the 4J Employee Work Year Calendars, but here are the report back dates:

• Elementary Secretaries – Monday, August 14
• Licensed Staff – Friday, August 25
• Classified Staff – Wednesday, August 30

 

• Inservice Week Schedule & 4J PD Calendar – Linked here is the Elementary Inservice Week Schedule. Links and resources for district PD will be added soon. Related, linked here is the 4J PD Calendar for the year, though I’ve noticed some inconsistencies, so it may not be super accurate. Dates/Times are also on the Staff Zimbra Calendar, but here’s the plan for the first two weeks back:

August 25 (F)
Licensed Staff Report Back
Teacher Planning Day
9:00 – Welcome Back Burritos, Coffee, & Supplies! (School Garden)

August 28 (M)
8:00-11:00 – Building PD – Leadership Plan, Licensed Staff Nuts & Bolts (Library)
12:00, Breakfast Burrito Orders Due
12:30-4:00 – Conscious Discipline PD (Holt Gym/Cafeteria)

August 29 (T)
8:00-12:00 – Teacher Prep
12:30-4:00 – Conscious Discipline PD (Holt Gym/Cafeteria)
6:00-7:00 – Holt PTO Board Meeting (Library)

August 30 (W)
Classified Staff Report Back
8:00-11:00 – 4J Welcome Back Event (Sheldon HS Stadium)
11:00-12:00, Lunch and Transition Time
12:00-4:00 – Grade Level & Specialist PD (See LINK for locations)

August 31 (H)
7:30-11:15 – Building PD – SCIP, Equity, Nuts & Bolts (All Staff, Cafeteria)
11:45-3:30 – Building PD – Structured Collaboration

September 1 (F)
8:00-10:00 – Building PD – BEPA (Licensed Staff, Library)
10:00-1100, Classified Staff Meeting (Library)
11:00-12:00, Optional New Staff Orientation and Q&A (Library)
12:30-3:30 – Teacher Prep

September 4 (M)
Labor Day – No School

September 4 (T)
7:30-9:00 – Staff Meeting, If Needed (Library)
2:00-3:00, Meet Your Teacher (Classrooms)
2:30-3:30, Kona Ice Fundraiser (Playground)

September 5 (W)
Kinder Starts
Grades 1-5 Structured Collaboration & Support of Kinder Start

September 6 (H)
All Grade Levels Start

September 7 (F)
1:30-2:00, Welcome Back Assembly (Gym or maybe Outside)

 

• Optional New Staff Member Orientation and Q&A, 9/1 @10:00 – I’ll be available Friday, Sept. 1 at 10:00 in the library to share some Holt nuts & bolts logistics, answer questions, and provide any assistance for new folks. I can get busy during the inservice week, so I like to set aside a time when I’ll be available for new staff. You can also always text, call, or email.

 

• Updated School Map – Linked here is an Updated 23-24 Holt School Map of where folks are working this year. Let me know if you spot anything that looks wrong. The map can also be found on the Staff Google Drive under MISC > Maps.

 

• Building Access & Sign-In – SEAL finishes Tuesday, August 15th and KITS finishes Friday, August 18th. If your class was not being used for SEAL or KITS, you’re welcome to come in anytime. If you do come in early and outside of regular work hours, be sure to remember to sign in on the sign-in/sign-out sheet, which will ensure the building is armed if you’re the last one out.

 

• New Leadership Plan Format – Linked here are documents regarding the 23-24 Leadership Plan Redesign. This is a pilot between EEA and 4J for one year and what happens the following year is to be determined. Elementary schools are getting significantly more than in the past. Holt previously received 22 sub days for 7 staff members, which cost downtown around $7,000, but this year Holt is getting $43,000 that we can divide in $500 increments between however many staff members we decide. If you follow the above link, you can see what types of duties can be compensated, but I think most of our 22-23 Leadership Plan positions fall into one of the allowable categories:

1.  Safety and Well-being for all students and staff
2.  Meaningful Community Engagement
3.  Equitable Outcomes

Linked here is a Draft Leadership Plan to get the conversation started for our Aug. 28 Staff Meeting. Let me know now if there are other duties you think we should consider compensating and which of the allowable categories they fall under. Draft plans are due Sept. 1, though it’s a very basic Google Form and I think JCAC just needs to see if our proposed leadership positions are allowable. After getting feedback from JCAC, we will have until Oct. 15 to submit our final plan. 

 

• 23-24 Master Schedule – Linked here is the 2023-2024 Master Schedule which is also on the Holt Staff Dashboard. The non-SPED EA schedule is still being worked on but should be finished by inservice week. I’ll work on making it look pretty with colors and such soon. And as a reminder, there are no Title 1 groups on the early release days, which is now Wednesdays. 

 

• Who is A/B and C/D on the Schedule? – Grade-level teams should let me know which classes will follow the A, B, C, or D schedules and I’ll add names to the Master Schedule and the Library/PE/Music Schedule tab.

 

• Monthly Meeting Schedule – Linked here is the Elementary Monthly Meeting Schedule downtown wants schools to follow. I’ve added a proposed meeting schedule for the year, which generally has:

Early Release PD: Wednesdays, 1:30-2:30
Equity & Inclusion: 1st Thursday of each month, 2:24-3:30
Grade Level Team Meetings: 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th Tuesdays w/Data Team on 6-week rotation, 2:45-3:30
IPBS: 4th Monday of each month, 2:45-3:30
Leadership: 3rd Thursday of each month, 2:45-3:30
PBIS & SEL: 3rd Tuesday each month, 2:45-3:30
Staff Meetings: 2nd & 4th Thursdays each month, 2:45-3:30

I’ll have this on the back-to-school Staff Meeting agenda for final staff approval. 

 

• Team Sign-Ups – If you’d like to sign-up to be a member of one of our building teams, please add your name to the Team Sign-Up Sheet (2023-2024). Leadership Team (monthly), PBIS Team (monthly), IPBS/SEL Team (twice a month), and I added an Equity Team Meeting (monthly). Teams can be big or small, and we can make adjustments after we finalize our Leadership Plan, so don’t be bashful about adding your name.

 

• 2023-2024 Class Lists – Here’s the link to the 23-24 Class Lists that were created last spring, which are also in Synergy, but the spreadsheet does have additional student info. As usual, there will be new move-ins and move-outs, so some adjustments will likely need to be made. 

 

• PBIS Rules Round-Up Schedule – Same as last year, here are the details for the PBIS Rules Round-Up. Linked below is a map of the stations. Classes will rotate stations in the order listed below. Teachers should plan to come out early so we can start and end on time:

Wednesday, Sept. 6 @8:15
5-Minute Rotations (4 min. talk, 1 min. transition)
Classes start at:

1. Structures (Gori)
2. Swings & General rules (Willow)
3. Hard Play, Boundaries  (Zluticky)
4. Four Square, Kickball, Wallball, Gaga Ball  (Bemiller, Rahborn)
5. Equipment, Lining Up, Restrooms (Gulleckson, Norton)

Thursday, Sept. 7 @8:15
5-Minute Rotations (4 min. talk, 1 min. transition)
Classes start at:

1. Structures (Ball, Harshbarger)
2. Swings & General rules (Talley, Longoria)
3. Hard Play, Boundaries  (Benavides, Cobb)
4. Four Square, Kickball, Wallball, Gaga Ball (Reich, Heinrich)
5. Equipment, Lining Up, Restrooms (Parks, Ayres)

We will assign EAs to round-up stations at our Classified Staff Meeting on Friday, September 1st. Linked here are the Playground & Recess Supervisor Guidelines.

Let me know if there’s anything that looks wrong or if you think we should change anything. 

 

• Holt Staff Fun Facts – I’ve updated the Holt Staff Fun Facts Spreadsheet if new staff members can add your info or if other staff want to update your info, such as what you want kids to call you (“Mr. Chinn”), your favorite coffee drink (almond milk hot chocolate extra hot), or your hobbies (Filmgoer, Video Games, Books, Comics, Bigfoot Enthusiast).

 

• Staff Walk-Up Songs – Baseball players have walk-up songs. School staff should have their own theme music too! What would your walk-up song be? Fill out this Staff Walk-Up Song Survey to build our Back-toSchool Staff Meeting music playlist and also to see if you can guess your colleagues’ self-selected theme song. Need some inspiration…  here are the MLB Player Songs they chose and here’s another walk-up song list.

 

• ArtSpark Artist in Residence Survey – Holt gets two Artist Residencies funded by ArtSpark. I want to get your preferences early, so we can lock in an artist and date before the good ones are taken. Please fill out the linked Artist in Residence Survey to help start the conversation when we make a decision at one of our inservice week meetings. Here’s a link to the 23-24 Artists in Residence available, which has some fun new offerings, such as Larry Meyers doing paper mache masks.

 

• Holt Staff Dashboard – I’ve updated the Holt Staff Dashboard for this school year, but also left prior year dashboards on separate tabs. For new folks, this is your one-stop-shop for the many links that get shared out by the district (Absence Management, Curriculum Links, District Phone Lists, etc.) and at the building level (Master Schedule, Class Lists, DHS Online Reporting Forms, etc.). Let me know if there’s any info you think we should add, change, or delete.

 

• Curriculum Resources – I wanted to highlight that the Holt Staff Dashboard Curriculum Resources column includes links to Online Second Step Materials (codes for your grade level are in front of your teacher guide, but let me know if you can’t find them),  the Second Step Pacing Guide, 4J Science & Math Resources, the 4J K-5 Health Webpage, 4J Science Resources, 4J’s LearnZillion Portal, and the Elementary Learning Hub, which links to grade level specific resources for SEL, Social Studies, Science, Health, and other curricular areas and 4J programs. 

 

• 2023 Wit & Wisdom Teacher Editions Coming Soon – Downtown is sending out the latest 2023 teacher editions of Wit & Wisdom to all classroom teachers. See this email for details, but teachers can either keep or recycle their old ones. 

 

• COVID Protocols Gone – I shared this last spring, but this year there is no notification requirement for staff who test positive for COVID. From now on, as with all illnesses, staff who feel ill should stay home until fever-free for 24 hours (100.4 or greater) without medication. See this email for details.

I’m still trying to get clarification on visitor & volunteer policies, particularly the pre-COVID practice of parents walking kids to their classes in the morning. A group of us are wanting the policy to be that any visitor must sign in at the office and have a background check on file, which keeps safety and security practices consistent, but rumor has it some schools already started allowing that again. 

 

• New Staff Email, Calendar, Google Access? – I think I’ve given all our new folks access to the Staff Zimbra Calendar, and the Staff Google Drive, and added folks to Staff Email Lists. Let me know if I’ve missed one of these for any of you or if there are other things, such as access to digital curriculum materials you need help accessing.

 

• Parent Handbook – Linked here is the Holt Family Handbook that Site Council worked on last year. It’s all current practices, so there shouldn’t be any surprises in there, but there is one section we’ll want to discuss as a staff regarding footwear rules (banning or strongly discouraging flip-flops). 

 

• Welcome Back Burritos, Coffee, & Supplies! Friday, 8/25 @9:00! – Join us for breakfast burritos, coffee, school supplies, and socializing with work friends! Brought to Holt Staff by the amazing group at The Hope Project on Friday, August 25th at 9:00 in the School Garden! 

 

• Breakfast Burrito Orders Due 8/28 – Since classified folks aren’t here on the 25th, let’s do breakfast burritos one more time for the first day we’re all back together! If you’d like a breakfast burrito at our Back-to-School Staff Meeting on 8/31, just fill out the linked Breakfast Burrito Google Form by 12:00am, Monday, August 28th (student teachers included). You’ll need to log onto your 4J Google Account to complete the form. Let me know if you have any trouble and I can input your order for you.

 

• Back to School Family Newsletter – Linked here is the  Holt Family Welcome Back Quick News (which is long and not very quick). I’ll send it to families on August 14th. I’ll wait to post it on the Holt Website until then, but let me know if you spot anything that looks incorrect or if there’s any info I’m forgetting to include. 

 

• Staff Handbook and Holt Nuts & Bolts Info – Much of this information is covered in the Holt Staff Handbook, but below are a number of nuts & bolts times I wanted to remind staff about:

• Morning Arrival Plan – The morning arrival plan is the same as last year, which, depending upon the bus arrival times once we get them, will be:

7:25, buses arrive and students are supervised in the cafeteria.
7:35, students are released to line up at the same grade level entrances (map)
7:35-7:50, students arriving later who want breakfast can go to the cafeteria until 7:50.
7:50, first bell rings, and students go to class.
7:55, tardy bell rings, and all doors close.

I’ll review this plan with supervisors at the Classified Staff Meeting on Friday, Sept, 1st for input and any tweaks we might want to make. Here’s my initial plan for where supervisors will be stationed:

Cafeteria (Alex, Ashley C., Levi, Jackie, Wendy, Lisa G. after buses)
A Wing Doors – 5th Grade (Carol & Vicki)
B Wing Side Doors – 3rd & 4th Grade (Annie & Kelly)
C Wing Doors by Gym – 2nd Grade (Julie, Lisa P., Marilyn)
D Wing Doors – KG & 1st Grade (Amber & Cheryl)
Crossing Guards (Ben & ______)
Buses (Lisa G. & Molly)

• CORRECTION: Smokey or Rainy Day Arrival Plan – If get a downpour (kids can be tough if it’s light rain) or if the Air Quality Index (AQI) is over 200 150 according to Airnow.gov PurpleAir, we will use the same rainy day plan as last year. This would also apply to days with poor air quality, with the exception of moving the 5th graders outside into the gym:

Cafeteria – (Levi, Jackie, Ashley C., Lisa G. after buses)
3rd 4th, 5th Grade – Gym (Annie, Carol, Kelly, Vicki)
2nd Grade – Library (Julie, Lisa P., Marilyn)
• Enter through 2nd-grade door and walks to the library
• Robbie in Library, Lisa P. at door, Marilyn at K-2 intersection
KG & 1st Grade – Cafeteria (Cheryl & Wendy)
*Outside – Kim, Allan, and Megan directing traffic flow

AT 7:50 BELL,  use radios to coordinate student release to avoid traffic jams.

• 2nd graders in Library released first
• 3rd, 4th, & 5th release from Gym next
• KG & 1st release from Cafeteria last

• End of Day Supervision – Same as last year, but for new staff and a reminder to Holt veterans, classroom teachers walk non-bus riders outside to your grade level’s designated pick-up spot (see same as above Arrival & Dismissal Map). For bus riders, at least one staff member from each wing should walk them down the hallway, through the cafeteria, and out to the buses. If buses are late, students are to wait under the covered play area.

• Student Tech Contract (K-2 and 3-5) – Linked here and on the Holt Staff Dashboard are the K-2 Holt Student Technology Contract and the 3-5 Holt Student Technology Contract. Teachers should review this document with students, using it as a teaching tool, and then have students and parents/guardians (later possibly at conferences) sign the agreement.

• Synergy for Parent Communication – To keep communication systems consistent for families, staff agreed last year that we will all use Synergy for all parent communication, as opposed to some classes using Seesaw, ClassDojo, Zimbra, or another tool. Teachers may still use Seesaw, ClassDojo, and other apps, but should use Synergy for newsletters and communications with families.

Still, Seesaw is great for having kids record themselves reading or taking a picture of their work and posting it for their parents to see, which is a pretty easy way for teachers to involve (and to ingratiate yourselves with) parents. Linked here are a number of 4J Seesaw Resources.

• 4J Tech Subscriptions – Linked here are the current 4J Technology Subscriptions. Sadly there is no BrainPOP or Mystery Science, but there were enough teachers who said they were using Mystery Science, so we did purchase a site license for that. I believe I’ve made sure all current and new teachers are connected to our account, but let me know if I left anyone off. 

• Work Hours, 7:30-3:30 – For full-time staff, regular work hours are 7:30-3:30, with students entering the building at the 7:50 morning bell. 

• School Hours, 7:55-2:25 – Same hours as last year, 7:55-2:25, except for the early release day moving from Friday to Wednesday, 7:55-1:10. 

• Morning Announcements, Sept. 11 @8:00 – I’ll start doing morning announcements Monday, September 11th at 8:00. I’ll do them at this time each Monday until we have our student news crew in place. I’ll do a few short announcements and end with the Pledge of Allegiance.

• Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) – Nutrition Services said the FFVP program will start Monday, September 11th. I’ll share logistics for delivery and serving expectations once we get closer, but thought you’d want to let families know to bring snacks that first week of school. 

• Cafeteria Food Composting Video & Lesson for Students – To teach students how composting works in the cafeteria, see the linked district Love Food Not Waste for Schools Google Folder, which has many resources, but the main one of interest is the 4J Cafeteria Waste Stations Slide Show, which is probably the best way to review the program with kids.

• Tech Support Requests – Staff can submit tech support requests to our TSS (Technology Support Specialist), Rob Geerling, by emailing 4jdesktop@4j.lane.edu, or the 4J Freshservice Website for technology help requests. 

• Make Sure Your Voicemail is Set Up – All teachers should ensure your 4J voicemail is set up and working. See the linked 4J Phone Voicemail Manual or this Quick Start Voice Mail User Guide for how to set it up, as well as for info on phone functions. If you have questions, please contact our TSS, Rob, at 4jdesktop@4j.lane.edu. And if you are moving classrooms, do not move your phone to your new room. Phones are connected to a particular port, so moving them would cause you issues.

• No Reimbursements– A reminder that 4J no longer allows staff reimbursements. See the prior announcement for details, but let Sharon know if you need to order anything. 

• Prep Time for EAs – A reminder for teachers that the Classified Staff OSEA collective bargaining agreement obligates EAs assigned instructional responsibilities prep time and for building admins to notify teachers of the District’s expectation that EAs who provide instructional support be provided the opportunity to discuss scheduling prep-time. See the linked email for details.

• Entered ALL Absences into Absence Management (even if you don’t need a sub) – All staff, even custodial and kitchen staff now, should use Absence Management (formerly AESOP) to enter all absences, including when you don’t need a sub or even if it’s just for an hour. If you cannot enter an absence by 6:00am for a sub, call, text, or email Allan and/or Sharon so we can get it entered.

Kids in Hall Need a Pass – If you need to send a student somewhere in the building, make sure you give them a hall pass. If you spot stray children walking in the hall, make sure they have a pass. If they do not, send them back to class and escort them if possible. And DO NOT believe students when they say, “But my teacher told me [INSERT EXCUSE HERE].”

• No Pizza Parties (but…) – This rule isn’t new, but Nutrition Services is cracking down on Pizza Parties and other class parties involving food, which are not allowed at school because they compete with the school meal program. However, teachers are allowed to do a pizza party if they purchase pizza through the school kitchen or if it happens after a grade level’s regular lunchtime. Check-in with me or Deb if you’re planning a food-related party to make sure it’s within guidelines.

• Field Trip Info – See the linked 4J Field Trip Approval Process if you or your grade level are planning a field trip. You’ll need to submit a Field Trip Request Google Form to HR 30 days before a trip. Linked here is a PDF of the Google Form if you want to see all of the info you need to collect before submitting a request. It’s fairly extensive, such as needing to include your volunteers, but HR said you can add that later closer to the field trip date. Also, due to the continuing bus driver shortage, all bus field trips need to fall between 9:00 – 1:45, so drivers can return in time for their regular bus routes (see email for details). These links can also be found on the Holt Staff Dashboard and on the left column of my blog under District & State Links.

• Sub Plans and Notebooks – Make sure your Sub Plan Notebook (different from the Emergency Binder) is up to date. Notebooks should include the following:

• Class list
• Student Health Information
• Behavior Support Plans
• IEP and 504 Plan Accommodations
• Emergency generic sub plans with your schedule

There should be a notebook for this in every classroom, but if yours is missing, see Sharon, Keri, or Allan.

• High Holy Days – Schools should avoid scheduling major events, tests, or assessments of any kind during major religious holidays. I’ve added these dates to the staff calendar, but see the 4J Religious Holidays & Accommodations website for full details.

• Wear Your Holt Shirt WEDNESDAYS! – Wednesdays are our regular day each week to show school spirit, so remember to wear a Holt shirt, gear, or purple & green this day each week. Go, Bolts!

 

• Mid-Term Grading Days – I asked what’s the expectation for these days, It’s still kind of vague and I’m sure we’ll get more details once we get closer to these dates, but at this point was told it will be:

November 9 – 3.75 hours of ELA Planning, 3.75 hours of Assessment and Conference Planning

April 12 – 3.75 hours of ELA Planning, 3.75 hours of Strategic Family Outreach

 

• Conferences – Nov. 20, 21, 22 – Conferences are to be 16 hours of Parent Conferences and 8 hours of “Parent/Staff Outreach.” We’ll get more details on the outreach portion, but I’ll propose to staff we work 12 hours days (8:00 am to 8:00 pm) Monday and Tuesday and make the Wednesday before Thanksgiving a comp day, which we will decide at an in-service week Staff Meeting. 

 

• District Admin Updates – The new Student Services Department (SSD) Director is Seth Pfaefflin, who was previously the South & Churchill Region SSD Admin. Former SSD Director, Kat Lange, is the new Executive Director of  Youth & Family Support, a new position, who oversees both SSD and other departments and programs. Taking Seth’s place is Della Thomas, who was previously the District 504 Coordinator. The new Kennedy Middle School Principal is Laura Clark, who was an assistant principal at Churchill HS. See this email and this email for details and see the District Reorganization Charts for how downtown is organized this year. 

 

• SELCO’s Educator Grants, Due 9/30 – Super easy grant for free stuff! SELCO’s SPARK! Creative Learning Grant Program will accept applications starting August 15th for projects up to $1,000 that inspire curiosity, make learning accessible, and spark something new. Applications are due September 30th. Visit the above link for details and to apply.