Week of December 1
Calendar of Events for December
(No Site Council in December)
December 1 (M)
8:00-2:00, PD 5.5 hours with Rosa Molina (Library) 2 hours prep time.
10:30-11:00, Joel, Bryan,and Jennifer at IEP Meeting in Conference Room
3:45- 4:45, PLT Meeting- PLC Proposal and Debrief of Rosa Molina visit.
December 2 (T)
2:45-3:45, TLT Meeting (Conference Room)
December 3 (W)
2:45-3:45, PBIS Meeting (Piper’s Room)
4:00-5:00, North Eugene Principal Meeting at NEHS
December 4 (H)
1:00-2:00, Teatro Assembly -Pride Assembly Rescheduled for Thursday December 11.
3:00-5:00, Design Committee (Library)- Focus Groups attend.
5:30-6:00, 5th Grade Outdoor School Meeting
6:30-8:00, David Adee 4/5 Teatro Espectaculo in the Gym
December 5 (F)
5:30-6:00, 5th Grade Outdoor School Meeting
6:30-8:00, David Adee 4/5 Teatro Espectaculo in the Gym
December 8 (M)
10:00, Fire Drill and Lock Down Practice
2:00-5:00, Joel at Principal’s Meeting Parr Room- Ed Center
December 9 (T)
2:45-4:45, 2 Hour Staff Meeting with Edward Olivos and Audrey Lucero on Dual Language Instructional Delivery Practices
6:00-7:30, Parent Group Meeting- You are encouraged to attend! (Library)
December 10 (W)
7:30-9:30, Joel to Latino Breakfast at Ed Center (Parr Room)
9:30-11:00, Joel at Corridor for Skillful Teacher Co-observations. (Corridor)
2:45-3:45, PLT in the Conference Room
December 11 (H)
8:00-3:00, Being a Writer Meeting all day at the Ed Center (Joel and Jaime Jones attend)
Design Committee- Cancelled
6:30-7:30, River Road New Building Design Open House to Public in the Cafeteria
December 12 (F)
1:00-2:45, Joel at the Late Entry Policy Meeting at Corridor
December 15 (M)
8:00-3:00, Data Team Meeting
December 16 (T)
SST Meeting, 8:00-11:00
4:00-8:00, Joel to First Aid Training
December 17 (W)
2:45-3:45, IPBS Meeting
December 18 (H)
1:00-1:35, Pride Assembly Rescheduled from December 4
3:00-5:00, Design Committee Meeting
December 19 (F)
Last day of school before Winter Break!
A list of some items of note for the week:
Reading Assignment for December 9th– Please read Chapter 2 from Dual Language A-Z for the meeting with Edward Olivos and Audrey Lucero on December 9th. I also encourage you to skim Chapter 3 again since it is very closely related to our work with these consultants on that day.
December 1 PD Outline– Here is a rough schedule of our day together. (If there is a snow/weather day, this could be cancelled or delayed.)
Professional development and mapping will all occur in the library. Please bring all materials you need (Maravillas/HM) to the space in the morning including iPads and computers. The focus of this work is SLA and ELA curriculum mapping for vertical and horizontal articulation. The main outcome is to become more familiar with this process, align materials to the CCSS, to map curriculum for the last 3 months (possibly + future months), and to establish common objectives and themes for each grade level.
Coffee and snacks will be available.
We will begin promptly at 8:00. Please be on time.
8:00-8:30- Coffee and Introductions
8:30-9:00- Rosa and Kathy explain the use of the map.
9:00-10:15- Staff work on using materials to begin the process of looking back at previous months.
10:15-10:30- A break
10:30-12:00 More work on mapping
12:00-12:30- Lunch- (on your own)
12:30-2:00 – Work on mapping more.
2:00-4:00 PM Teacher protected planning time
4:00-5:00- PLT Meets to debrief the visit and discuss professional learning communities proposal. (compensated with CAP funds for extra duty beyond the work day.
Here are some helpful links for Monday. Also, see the email from Wednesday with the documents for curriculum mapping and depth of knowledge chart.
California Spanish Literacy CCSS Standards
•One iPad? No problem!- Here is a great way to use the iPad in the classroom for instruction that increases student collaboration in mathematics, or any subject.
•December Holidays – Here is a list of the major religious holidays of December 2014. If you are planning on describing or discussing winter holidays in your curriculum, please include a wide variety of cultures in your winter holidays unit.
December 1 is World AIDS Day, which was created to commemorate those who have died of AIDS, and to acknowledge the need for a continued commitment to all those affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
December 8 is Bodhi Day, a holiday observed by Buddhists to commemorate Gautama’s enlightenment under the Bodhi tree at Bodhgaya, India.
December 10 is International Human Rights Day, established by the United Nations in 1948 to commemorate the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
December 12 is Feast Day at Our Lady of Guadalupe. This day commemorates the appearance of the Virgin Mary near Mexico City in 1531.
December 16-24 is Las Posadas, a nine-day celebration in Mexico commemorating the trials Mary and Joseph endured during their journey to Bethlehem.
December 16 (sunset) – December 24 (sunset) is Hanukkah (Chanukah). Also known as the Festival of Lights, it is an eight-day Jewish holiday recognizing the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. It is observed by lighting candles on a Menorah—one for each day of the festival.
December 25 is Christmas, the day that Christians associate with Jesus’ birth.
December 26 – January 1 is Kwanzaa, an African-American holiday started by Maulana Karenga in 1966 to celebrate universal African-American heritage. It is observed by lighting candles to represent each of the holiday’s seven principles, libations, feasting, and gift giving.
• Furlough Days? – The School Board has not made a decision about the two furlough days, but the word on the street is that downtown expects there two be hazardous weather days between now and Spring Break. Those snow days will become the furlough days, but if we don’t have any hazardous weather days this year, one of the furlough dates is likely going to be the March 13th PD/Planning Day. Who knows, as of writing this, there’s a chance of snow and ice being predicted for Sunday night and Monday morning.
• Teatro Espectáculo Assembly this Thursday, Dec. 4 – This Thursday is the Music Assembly by David Adee. The students are extremely excited to share their musical talents with the whole school. Please review assembly expectations with your students.
• Design Focus Groups Meeting this Thursday, Dec. 4 – We will have enlarged plans for each area. An architect will be assigned to help facilitate the individual session. Staff members who have expertise and interest in a particular area will provide input. The following are the Focus Group Areas and a schedule for Thursday, December 4th. Many of you signed up already but some have not. We have plenty of representation in Pr-k and general classroom. If you cannot come to this meeting but have an area to look at, please send me an email with the ideal time for you. I might be able to arrange a “go to” online meeting with the architects at that time.
- General Classroom 3-3:45pm
- Pre K Classroom 3-3:45pm
- Admin Area 3-4pm
- Gym/Music 3-3:45pm
- Library/Media 3:45-4:30pm
- Cafeteria 3:45-4:30pm
- Community Room/Family Resource Room 3:45-4:30pm
• Preparing for Full Day Kindergarten in 15-16 – It was exciting to hear from the superintendent that we will be able to move forward on a full day kindergarten next year and that the board is gong to fund it. I asked HR to begin working hard on Spanish language elementary pool openings and they have created that now! In the next week, I will post a requisition for Dual Language Elementary Teacher. Please let me know if you have interest in remaining a kinder teacher or becoming the 3rd (maybe even 4th) kinder teacher.
• Rethinking Schools Articles on White Teachers in Spanish and English-
Dear White Teachers…. by Chrysanthius Lathan
Have a great school week! I believe in you and the kids do too.
Saludos cordiales,
Joel
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Week of November 24
Si un niño no puede aprender de la manera que enseñamos, quizá debemos enseñarles de la manera que ellos aprenden.
—Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Estrada
Weekly Calendar of Events
November 24 (M)
Fluoride Rinse Day
8:00-9:30, Joel at Charlemagne to work on Late Entry Policy
11:30-12:00, Joel in design phone call.
2:00, Joel phone appointment.
2:45-3:45, Site Council Meeting- Main topic: Late Entry Policy and it’s effects on our school and the region.
4:00-5:00, Early Learning Meeting in Family Resource Center
5:00-7:00, Joel at Lane ESD to present on working to increase equity and inclusion in schools.
7:00-9:00, Joel at the Common Core Standards Spanish Language Meeting in Ed Center.
November 25 (T)
Staff Meeting- PD with Reid Sheppard and Maddy Ahearn- Please come on time! Our guests Maddy and Reid will begin the meeting promptly at 2:45. 2:45-4:45
1. 8 Mathematical Practices Professional Development (Continued) 2:45-3:45
2. Leadership Plan Explanation and Possible Vote, 3:45-4:15
3. New Building Design Update for Teachers and Time for Input, 4:15-4:45.
November 26 (W)
No meetings.
November 27 (H)
Thanksgiving Holiday- No School
November 28 (F)
No School
December 1 (M)
8:00-2:00, PD 5.5 hours with Rosa Molina (Library) 2 hours prep time.
3:45- 4:45, PLT Meeting- Rescheduled.
December 2 (T)
2:45-3:45, TLT Meeting (Conference Room)
December 3 (W)
2:45-3:45, PBIS Meeting (Piper’s Room)
December 4 (H)
1:00-2:00, Teatro Assembly -Pride Assembly Rescheduled for Thursday December 11.
3:00-5:00, Design Committee (Library)
6:30-8:00, David Adee 4/5 Teatro Espectaculo in the Gym
December 5 (F)
6:30-8:00, David Adee 4/5 Teatro Espectaculo in the Gym
December 8 (M)
2:00-5:00, Joel at Principal’s Meeting Parr Room- Ed Center
December 9 (T)
2:45-4:45, 2 Hour Staff Meeting with Edward Olivos and Audrey Lucero on Dual Language Instructional Delivery Practices
December 10 (W)
7:30-9:30, Joel to Latino Breakfast at Ed Center
2:45-3:45, PLT in the Conference Room
December 11 (H)
8:00-3:00, Being a Writer Meeting all day at the Ed Center (We still need a rep for this!)
1:00-1:35, Pride Assembly
Design Committee- Cancelled
6:30-7:30, River Road Open House to Public in the Cafeteria
December 12 (F)
1:00-2:45, Joel at the Late Entry Policy Meeting at Corridor
Here are some of the main items of the week:
• We STILL need a Being a Writer Rep. : Could someone please step up to be a rep for this. I have tried three weeks in a row and no one has volunteered. If you do not have any extra responsibilities in the building please consider adding this. We really need someone there to help us learn about this new curriculum.
• December 1 PD- Two Way Immersion Literacy Curriculum Mapping with Rosa Molina
You may recall that on December 1st Rosa Molina is returning to work with our staff. The main outcome of this visit is to spend time mapping our literacy units completed this fall and to do some planning ahead. The last 8 weeks or so, you have spent time getting familiar with your new Maravillas Materials and have tried to implement some of the concepts that both Audrey Lucero and Edward Olivos taught us in August. The December 1st PD session will give you time to organize these units and align to the CCSS. Kathy Larson, Karen Ramirez and Rosa Molina have contributed to a new curriculum mapping tool that you and your grade level team will use on December 1. Ultimately, we hope you will be able to map what you completed and consider what you might have been able to accomplish for the year had these materials not been brand new. The ideas is that you will have a road map for next year that will make your planning more efficient for next school year and that this will help us solidify our program further. In addition, if you and your team are efficient, you may have some opportunities to plan ahead for January, February, and beyond.
Please bring all literacy materials to the work session that you use. Spanish AND English. Also bring your laptop or iPad to access online Maravillas materials.
Our December 1 Schedule:
Coffee and fruit and donuts provided. Something gluten free too but I am not sure what yet.
We begin PROMPTLY @ 8:00-12:00 will be the main mapping session.
There will be time for lunch on December 1 at 12:00.You are on your own.
It will run from 12:00-12:30. 12:30-2:00 you will continue to work with your team.
After 2:00 PM, you will have time to plan independently or in teams.
The end of the work day is 4:00 PM on December 1.
• Smarter Balanced Sample Tests & Accommodations – Kerri Sage said she’d send these, but I haven’t seen the email yet, so here is a link to the 4J Curriculum website, which contains the CCSS and assessment information she shared (install VPN on your laptop if you’re accessing this website from home or outside the 4J network). Also, here is a link to the Smarter Balanced website if you’d like take your students though the practice tests or look at it yourself. A number of folks also asked about testing accommodations. I’m sure 4J will put their own spin on these in terms of what is acceptable, but here is a link to the ODE webpage regarding the statewide assessment accessibility supports (formerly the Accommodations Tables).
• District PBIS Newsletter – 4J Behavior Consultants, have started putting out a newsletter that was shared with ESS licensed staff and principals. The November Newsletter is attached, and it has some good information that that I thought staff might be interested in reading as well. There are some excellent behavior ideas, especially for those difficult to support kiddos.
•Dual Language Program Bridges Home and School– This is an article about making literacy connections in the home in Racine, Wisconsin. In this school, the teachers have been doing some innovative work to help improve dual language literacy in their school. The parents are a part of the team.
•Derek Redmond: A relentless athlete to inspire us. Here is a video I saw last week at the Principal Network Meeting about perseverance and relentless effort. It is powerful and fitting. We will work together to help our students succeed. We will not do this alone.
Have a fabulous (though I’m sure a little wild) three-day week!
Joel
An activity from Alexis’ Class
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Week of November 17
Weekly Calendar of Events
November 17 (M) –
9:00-9:30, PSS Meeting to discuss progress in implementation of Green School curriculum.
9:30-1:00, Joel doing walk through observations through out the building.
(Focus: Objectives and Student Awareness of Objectives)
Fire Drill at 1:00- Pending Weather
1:45-5:00 Joel at Principal’s Meeting
November 18 (T)
More walk through observations through out the day.
2:45-4:45, Staff Meeting-
1. Anne doing general medical information awareness and nursing supports.
2. PBIS Climate Update- Cafeteria Plan
3. United Way Update
4. CAP Update for Staff
5. Dual Language A-Z Book Discussion- Please come prepared to discuss dual language a-z Chapter 1.
6:00-8:00, Parent Group Meeting
November 19 (W)
10:00-3:30, Joel at Principal Network Meeting ( Lane ESD)
2:45-3:45, IPBS Meeting (Recker’s Classroom)
November 20 (H)
8:30-11:30, OIEB Tour and Visit of our School- Tour of classrooms and conversations about our work.
3:00-5:00, Design Committee (Library)
4:30-6:30, Joel to Equity Committee (Ed Center)
November 21 (F)
Regular Day
November 24 (M)
Fluoride Rinse Day
2:45-3:45, Site Council Meeting
November 25 (T)
Staff Meeting- PD with Reid Sheppard and Maddy Ahearn
1. 8 Mathematical Practices Professional Development (Continued) 2:45-3:45
2. Parent Involvement and Early Learning Vision 3:45-4:05
3. New Building Design Update for Teachers and Time for Input, 4:05-4:45.
November 26 (W)
2:45-3:45, PLT Meeting- Shorter Meeting due to the holiday.
November 27 (H)
Thanksgiving Holiday- No School
November 28 (F)
No School
December 1 (M)
8:00-2:00, PD 5.5 hours with Rosa Molina (Library)
December 2 (T)
2:45-3:45, TLT Meeting (Conference Room)
December 3 (W)
2:45-3:45, PBIS Meeting (Piper’s Room)
December 4 (H)
1:00-1:35, PRIDE Assembly- (Gym)- Tentative
3:00-5:00, Design Committee (Library)
6:30-8:00, David Adee 4/5 Teatro Espectaculo
December 5 (F)
6:30-8:00, David Adee 4/5 Teatro Espectaculo
Hi staff,
Here are several items of note for the week. Please know that you are appreciated by so many young people. Perhaps this video from Kid President will remind you of the HUGE impact you have on on all of us. Thank you teachers and all of you for your amazing work!
• Action required of Teachers:
First assignment for Dual Language Instruction from A to Z, due November 18th.
Read Chapter 1, pages 1-42.
Do a review of the checklist in the last part of the chapter. Make your own self assessment of our program based on the checklist and be ready to converse with a partner about it.
Write a short reflection on “how we are doing” according to the standards laid out by Hamayan, Gennessee and Cloud. ( 1 page or 1/2 page) Be prepared to share it with a partner at the November 18th staff meeting.
• Action required of Teachers
Math Survey:
To guide our work with Reid Sheppard and Maddy Ahearn in math professional development this year Karen helped us by creating a survey. In SST, it was decided that this was a task that needs to be completed before we move into doing more in depth PD. Please complete the survey by our staff meeting on November 18th.
PLEASE COMPLETE BY TUESDAY!
• Fire Drill, Monday 17th at 1:00 – Weather dependent, we’ll plan to hold our November Fire Drill on Monday, November 17th at 1:00. If we’re rained out, we’ll try Tuesday morning at 9:10. It is our third try. I hope this time is a charm!
• PTO Meeting, Tuesday at 6:00 – The November PTO meeting will be this Tuesday, 6:00-7:00 PM in the library if any staff are able to attend. We had a big turnout at the last meeting, which was a great show of support for the PTO’s work. Hope to see you there!
• 3-5 Being A Writer Teacher Leader Rep – Last call for a 3-5 Being a Writer rep. The Developmental Studies Center staff will be here in December to meet with Being a Writer (BAW) Teacher Leaders by region. This is chance to see Being A Writer taught by a master teacher and ask all the questions you might have. The North Region meeting will be Thursday, December 11th, 8:00-3:00. See the attached document for details and let me know if anyone is willing to be the 3-5 BAW Teacher Rep.
• Rosa Molina returns on December 1 PD Day – Rosa will be back to help us with SLA/ELA curriculum mapping on December 1st. The schedule will include time to collect all your lesson plans and reading instruction materials in order to lay out what has been covered in your classroom thus far. She will work with us to help write out curriculum maps for each grade level for the last three months. She will also give us some ideas for how to forcast what remains in the year and how to capture those lessons. This will have a very strong bent towards aligning our SLA/ELA time to Common Core Standards. Rosa’s session will run from 8:00-12:00, Lunch, then 13:30-2:00. 2:00-4:00 will be teacher’s designated prep time.
• Request From Guest Teachers – HR meets once a month the the substitute teacher union, EAST, and EAST leadership asked HR to communicate the following to licensed staff regarding the best way to communicate sub plans to guest teachers:
Dear Building Administrators:
Every month I have the opportunity to meet with the leadership team from E.A.S.T., our licensed guest teacher union. At our recent meeting, they requested that we communicate with licensed staff about the best ways to electronically communicate lesson plans and sub notes so that our guest teachers are well prepared and most effective.
Could you please share with your staff that if they want to send plans electronically, the best way to do so would be to attach it to the absence request in AESOP? This will ensure that the teacher accepting the assignment has access to the plans. The other sure fire strategy would be to email them to someone in the school office, and share so that they can be printed and given to the Guest Teacher.
Some teachers are being very cleaver and emailing them to the Guest Teacher directly. Sometimes the timeline is so tight that the Guest Teacher doesn’t have the chance to check their district email and print the plans before arriving for the position.
I so appreciate any conversation or communication you can have about this request from E.A.S.T.
Let me know if you have any questions.
~ Karen Hardin
• Thanksgiving Classroom Reminder – Keep in mind that student conceptions of Native Americans often come from classroom activities around the First Thanksgiving. 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. Also, the 4J Natives Program is a resource that is available for classroom presentations and can offer an accurate picture of Native American culture.
Winter looks like it’s come early. Stay warm this week!
Joel
Announcements, Being a Writer, Evacuation Drills, Maravillas- McGraw Hill, Uncategorized | Comment (0)Week of November 10
Weekly Calendar of Events
November 10 (M) – Teacher Compensation Day- This is a regular work day for classified staff if you have not traded time during conferences.
November 11 (T) No School- National Holiday -Veteran’s Day
November 12 (W)
Classified PBIS Meeting- All classified attend including Craig!
3:00-4:00, PLT Meeting- Leadership Plan Initial Draft Presentation
November 13 (H)
1:00 PM, Rescheduled Fire Drill and Lock Down Drill
3:00-5:00, Design Committee (Library)
November 14 (F)
1:00-2:30, Immersion Elementary Principal Meeting on Late Entry Policy (Conference Room)
2:45-4:00, Kinder ELL Support Planning Meeting (Conference Room)
November 17 (M) –
8:30-11:30, Joel doing walk through observations through out the building.
(Focus: Objectives and Student Awareness of Objectives)
2:30-5:00 Joel at Principal’s Meeting
November 18 (T)
2:45-4:45,
Staff Meeting-
Anne doing general medical information awareness and nursing supports.
PBIS Climate Update
Dual Language A-Z Book Discussion
November 19 (W)
10:00-3:30, Joel at Skillful Teacher and Principal Network Meeting (Ed Center and Lane ESD)
November 20 (H)
8:30-11:30, OIEB Tour and Visit of our School
4:30-6:30, Joel to Equity Committee (Ed Center)
November 21 (F)
Regular Day
November 24 (M)
Fluoride Rinse Day
2:45-3:45, Site Council Meeting
November 25 (T)
Staff Meeting- PD with Reid Sheppard and Maddy
1. 8 Mathematical Practices Professional Development (Continued) 2:45-3:45
2. Parent Involvement and Early Learning Vision 3:45-4:05
3. New Building Design Update for Teachers and Time for Input, 4:05-4:45.
November 26 (W)
2:45-3:45, PLT Meeting- Shorter Meeting due to the holiday.
November 27 (H)
Thanksgiving Holiday- No School
November 28 (F)
No School
Here are several items of note for the week:
• Action required of Teachers:
First assignment for Dual Language Instruction from A to Z, due November 18th.
Read Chapter 1, pages 1-42.
Do a review of the checklist in the last part of the chapter. Make your own self assessment of our program based on the checklist and be ready to converse with a partner about it.
Write a short reflection on “how we are doing” according to the standards laid out by Hamayan, Gennessee and Cloud. ( 1 page or 1/2 page) Be prepared to share it with a partner at the November 18th staff meeting.
• Action required of Teachers
Math Survey:
To guide our work with Reid Sheppard and Maddy Ahearn in math professional development this year Karen helped us by creating a survey. In SST, it was decided that this was a task that needs to be completed before we move into doing more in depth PD. Please complete the survey by our staff meeting on November 18th.
• Oregon Association for Bilingual Education Summer Conference
Dates: June 12-13, 2015
Location: North Clackamas School District, Milwaukie, Oregon
http://www.oabe.org/conference/info.html
• Being A Writer Teacher Leader Reps – The Developmental Studies Center Reps will be here in December to meet with Being a Writer (BAW) Teacher Leaders (a K-2 rep and a 3-5 rep) and principals, meeting by region, in December. The North Region meeting will be Thursday, December 11th, 8:00-3:00. Please see the attached document for details, but let me know by the end of the week if you are interested/ willing to be a K-2 or 3-5 BAW Teacher Leader.
• TAG Testing and Teacher Referrals – The school district has officially decided to no longer conduct 2nd grade blanket TAG testing. This means that all TAG referrals will now come from either parents, teacher or the student (or Smarter Balanced if they score at the 95%), so be sure to let me know if you have any students who you think should be tested for TAG.
• “Dream: An American Story”
A Powerful New Film on Immigration Justice, Dreamers and the Dream Act
Today! Followed by a Discussion with Internationally Award Winning Director
Aldo Bello and Immigration Justice Scholars, Dreamers and the Latina and Latino
Community Members. Premieres Tuesday, November 11 at 4 PM at the Knight Library Browsing Room, University of Oregon
For More Information Contact Professor Daniel Miller at drmiller@uoregon.edu
• 2 Science Leaders Needed for Camino del Rio:
Week of November 3
Daily events for the Week of November 3
Jennifer and Karen out all week at CFEE. Click on the link if you want to know more about this equity training.
November 3 (M)
1:30-2:30, Aline and Joel to Title 1 Coordinator and Principal’s Meeting (Ed Center)
2:30-5:00, Joel to Elementary Principal’s Meeting (Ed Center)
November 4 (T)
8:00-12:00, Picture Retakes (Library)
November 5 (W)
8:00-3:00, Joel to Buena Vista for the Learning about Learning Network Observations
November 6 (H)
First day for students to sit in classes in the cafeteria to earn green slip points.
Fire Drill at 1:00 PM 
Pending the weather. Lock Down upon return to class from Drill.
4:00-8:00, Conferences begin at 4:00 (Gym)(Joel available for presence at conferences.)
6:00 PM, Joel at Outdoor School Meeting with Parents.
November 7 (F)
(Joel available for presence at conferences.)- Send me your times you need me via email.
8:00 AM -8:00 PM, Conferences All Day
November 10 (M) – Teacher Compensation Day- This is a regular work day for classified staff. Classified Staff, if you want to use comp time on this day, please bring me your compensation hours form for approval of time off this week.
November 11 (T) No School- National Holiday -Veteran’s Day
November 12 (W)
3:00-4:00, PLT Meeting- Leadership Plan Initial Draft Presentation
November 13 (H)
3:00-5:00, Design Committee (Library)
November 14 (F)
2:45-4:00, Kinder ELL Support Planning Meeting
Conference Details
Dinner at Conferences and other details- Erin Skoubo’s newsworthy performance earned us a free dinner from catering for her fabulous film editing techniques on the iPad! Keith Feidler came by to tell her the good news last week. We will have a choice of three soups and salad on Thursday at 5 in the staff lounge. There are several options with staff dietary restrictions in mind.
Also, Drea and Maja are helping us get snacks throughout the day on Friday. The parent group will be organizing this activity. Gracias Grupo de Padres!
Free and Reduced Lunch Meals Forms during Conferences- Please do not forget to pick up extra nutrition forms for families who may qualify for free and reduced lunch. You are encouraged to share these with parents as an option but not to ask specifically about their financial situation. This is a delicate balance but please respect the family’s confidentiality. Consider offering it to each and every family as a way to support the school. Our December 1 FR Lunch Count defines the 2015-2016 school year financial supports so new forms make a difference in the next three weeks.
Classified Compensation Opportunities -With Karen and Jennifer out next week, we need extra people to help with childcare. If you are a classified employee and you would like to work extra hours to support families with children on those days, this is a good opportunity to work a little longer so you can take Monday the 10th off. Let me know if that is of interest to you.
Teaching Channel is Awesome!
I just love the Teaching Channel Resources! If you have not spent time watching and learning at this site, I highly recommend it. There are some creative lessons on math, ELA, kindergarten, and more. This video is especially helpful in my mind because of the way it demonstrates collaboration. Please take a good look at the way these two master teachers work together. Click on the image below to see the video. I could not embed the video for some reason on this one.
• Design Committee Update: This last week, the architects shared some designs that took into two changes. The first change is to demolish the gym in order to find more space on the site for design. When this happens in the hypothetical, the district says that they can accommodate us with a gym in between so there is not a lapse in service. We would either have a temporary gym type structure, or we would build the building section where the new gym needs to go first. This opens up many more possibilities for placement of administration and a more pleasant layout of the media center. We also got a look at the look of the roof line and saw a few perspectives. Most of the design team liked a more modest roof line that looks like a smaller school and fits in with the neighborhood.
The second big change was the look of the siting and driveway scheme. The team pulled away from using the back property as a driveway for buses. Now, all motor traffic will be connected via the front of the school and will be further east near where the current building is. There will be a separate bus turnaround and a separate parking area. The parking area will double in size over the current capacity we now have.
There will be another meeting on November 13th. The focus of that meeting will be increasing access for pedestrian and bicycle traffic to the site. We will also look at more details in the administration and media center areas.
• Most meetings cancelled this week.– Because it is conference week, we will need to pay special attention to pacing ourselves. The long days are hard on us. I cancelled most of our meetings this week and moved the PBIS meeting into the last week of October. Take time to prepare for your conferences and get well organized. It will pay off when you need to sit down with your parents and exchange valuable information with them.
• Kangaroo Math Competition – The math department of the University of Oregon is hosting an international math competition for elementary and middle school students. It will be at 5:00PM on March 19th on the UO campus. The registration deadline is December 15. See the flyer for details. This competition takes place in many different countries. And all participants receive t-shirts, gifts, etc. Feel free to pass this information along to any kids who might be interested.
• Silverware vs Plastic Sporks–And the Winner Is? – Children have a challenging time using the current disposable plastic sporks. The reusable plastic spoons and forks used in some of the schools get often times thrown away, since they get confused with disposable plastic flatware. Plastic is not environmentally friendly and breaks easier, thus adding to replacement costs and more plastic waste landfills. 4J Nutrition Services has been sourcing good quality, cost effective stainless steel flatware (forks and spoons), which is going to replace their plastic counterparts school-by-school over the course of the 2014-15 school year. If you’re interested, here is a link to the October Nutrition Services Newsletter which has this and other food service related news.
• “Forgiveness, the Triumph of the Human Spirit”, a lecture by Auschwitz survivor Eva Kor – PeaceJam Northwest and the Division of Student Life at the University of Oregon, is hosting Eva Kor for a lecture where she will discuss her journey from Auschwitz and Joseph Mengle to forgiveness on November 8th at 6:30 at Columbia Hall. See the flyer and website for details. My old friends Linda Smart and José DaSilva have organized this event through Peace Jam.
• Free Half-Hour Massage – I got an email last week from a local Massage Therapist working for Dr. Jerry Evan. They are looking to expand their reach in the community want to recognize that education can be both rewarding and challenging, especially on the body, so they are offering staff a free Chiropractic Consultation with Dr. Evan’s, as well as a Free Half Hour Massage with one of their massage therapists. I’m sure they’re hoping to generate some more business for themselves out of this, but I thought since there’s a free massage involved, staff might be interested. If you are interested, there is a sign-up sheet in the office which I will fax back to them at the end of the week and they will contact you to set up an appointment.
Have a good week everyone!
Joel
