Week of December 5
Every star may be a sun to someone.
-Carl Sagan
Hi everyone,
Can you believe it is already December? That flew by.
Reminders and Announcements:
• Mandatory Bus Safety Training Info Due to Myka – One other reminder, if you haven’t done so already, is that OAR 581-53-002 requires all students receive instruction on bus safety before winter break. The easiest method to meet the training requirement is to show the video The Safest Way Out. Then as soon as possible, let Myka know the date of your bus training so we can send Transportation they required compliance documentation. I know of one teacher who has completed this state requirement this year.
• Studying Skillful Teaching PD Opportunity – 4J is continuing it’s work with Research for Better Teaching on Studying Skillful Teaching. If any teachers are interested, Howard has been allocated nine sub days to send folks to any of the four modules (Module 1: The Knowledge Base of Teaching, Module 2: Essential Elements of Unit/Lesson Design, Module 3: Making Student Thinking Visible, Module 4: High Expectations Teaching). This year all new teachers to the district have attended Module 1. If you have not previously attended an RBT training, you have to start with Module 1, but after than can attend any of Modules 2-4. See the LaneESD Studying Skillful Teaching webpage for training dates and module descriptions. Don’t sign up for any modules without letting me know first, so we don’t go over our allocated sub days. Most modules are either 1, 2 or 3 days, which means we can potentially send 3-5 interested teachers. Let me know if you’re interested or have any questions. You can also check in with Allison, Erin, Lupe, or Mellissa who have all previously attended RBT trainings as well.
• Fire Drill, Friday, Dec. 9 @ 9 AM – I’ve scheduled our December Fire Drill for Friday Morning, December 9.
• Buddy Bench Assembly is now Wednesday, December 7- Buddy Bench Assembly is rescheduled for 9:00 AM on Wednesday. Mr. Adee will run the show. There will be a video, a few songs, and some skits run by the students leadership council.
• Child Abuse/Neglect Hotline Number Change – DHS has a new hotline number for reporting child abuse or neglect in Lane County which went live on Nov. 18th. The new number is (541) 349-4444. The fax number for child abuse/neglect remains (541) 485-8566. All mandatory reporters of child abuse/neglect and the general public should use the new phone number immediately. Hotline hours are: Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm except for state holidays. Reports outside of these hours should be directed to local law enforcement. The published number (the old number) for reporting child abuse/neglect will still connect callers to the new number.
On a related note, when you do make a report be sure to notify me and to also complete an Abuse Reporting Form (Word or PDF) so I can track dates, concerns, and how many calls we’ve made for individual students. Forms are also available in the office.
• Balancing the Holidays in Your Classroom – In this Teaching Tolerance article, the author writes that each year at this time, teachers are faced with a dilemma: How to balance the holidays to create the most inclusive environment? As Hanukkah and Christmas approaches, many teachers will decorate with candy canes and construction-papered dreidels. But there are more holidays being celebrated this month. Muharram begins this month, the liturgical new year of the Islamic calendar. Meanwhile, Buddhists celebrate Bodhi Day this month. December also marks Kwanzaa, the Hindu family holiday Pancha Ganapati, and Yule for pagans. Many secular people either have winter solstice parties or observe no holidays at all. “By opening our hearts and minds to all religious traditions, we are serving the greater good and our connections with others grow deeper,” Cullen writes. See the above link for more related articles and resources.
• School Speciality Sale –If staff want to make purchases on their own, School Specialty has a 10% off promo code available right now. They have everything under the sun for schools so you might want to check it out if you need something.
Dates to Remember:
December 5- AIM4S3 visit, Lisa Myer at school 7 AM- 4:30 PM for consulting and observations.
December 6- AIM4S3 visit, Joel at Principals meeting, 8-11, 2 hour PD staff meeting on math practices,3-5
December 7- Assembly at 9:00 for Buddy bench, Joel at North Region Admin Meeting, 4-5
December 8- Mod Squad 3-4
December 9-Fire Drill at 9 AM, Family Movie Night 6-8, Last make up day for student tiles with Larry.
December 10-Las Posadas at Camino del Río, Centro Latino Americano sponsored event with Marimba del Río playing.
December 12- 4/5 Peer observation 8-12, Joel at Immersion task force, 3-4
December 13-
Optional Behavior Staff Meeting for all staff 3-4
Teacher Tile Making Party with Larry 4-5
Site Council 5-6
Parent Group 6-7
December 14- Joel at construction meeting,9-11
December 15- 3:00 PM, Equity Meeting, Cafecito with parents at 8:30
December 16- Regular Day
December 19-January 2 No School Winter Break
January 3- Professional Development (Science Adoption PD All Day) Unsure of site?
January 4- School Resumes
And if you’re a snow watcher like me, here are some handy links for you
NOAA
AccuWeather
KEZI Weather
KVAL Weather
Register Guard Weather
Weather Underground
Have a good one, everybody!
Joel
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