Week of January 23
Hello Shining Stars,
It is actually a pleasure to see the last of the snow finally disappear. I also noticed that the days are getting a little longer though it is still pretty dark getting to work. It will get better. February is around the corner.
Also of note, I really appreciated the support from Jennifer this weekend at the showcase. She took over for me when I had many family responsibilities. We had many prospective parents sign up for tours and she did a great job explaining to them the structure of our dual language program. Thanks Jennifer.
Here is a list of the news items for the week:
Fire Drill Redo – The last fire drill was too noisy. We need to work on quiet lines and waiting patiently for an all clear signal. It was rainy and there were rainbows in the sky but it was also difficult to give a clear direction to students. Also, some staff that were subs were not well prepared for the drill. Please make sure that all subs know what to do. In addition, if you have a volunteer, they should be with the staff by the wall ball court. It makes it easier to count all that need to be accounted for in one spot. We will redo the drill in the last week of January. I will run the drill on the 31st in the morning around 10:30.
Moving and Packing for the New Building-Last week I met with facilities to discuss packing and moving in to the new building. I will be having facilities come to share with you some instructions about packing and I will also be putting some instructions in your box. The most important thing you can do now is to begin to get rid of things. THIN OUT THE AMOUNT OF STUFF IN YOUR ROOMS. THERE IS LESS ROOM IN THE NEW BUILDING FOR MATERIALS. I will be ordering several recycling bins this week to help you get rid of paper. They will pick these up often. We will also order a dumpster in February for non recyclable items. We will be making aware the recycling organizations of Eugene about our school.
Boxes will also be ordered this week. There are some instructions I will share with you on packing once we begin that process. When you finish a unit or project, consider packing it up or putting it away in a box this year. That way, you can box it up as you go.
In addition, there will be a salvage day once staff have left the building before demolition begins. Working on getting rid of things now is VERY IMPORTANT. After a certain date in late June, no one will be allowed to be in the building due to abatement and demolition.
New Building Update- The building is coming a long well. Many have asked how the weather has effected the construction timeline. Chambers is doing a great job keeping up with the overall schedule. The roof system is being put in place and the metal framing of classrooms is more than 1/2 complete. Very soon, the building will start to get covered with exterior materials. Many of the trades are already on site doing plumbing, and other trades. Last week I shared a video of a drone flight through the building. Expect another one of those in early February. I am speaking with Pivot Architecture about lessons that the architects can do with a class or two. email me if you have interest in having a class with an architect. I will include you in the planning of the lesson. It may include PR and news crews involvement as well.
Technology PD- Next week Misty will be back to work on with you for more technology learning customized to your needs. Let Erin Skoubo know if there are areas of growth you want to work on. There will be a primary session on Tuesday morning and a Wednesday PLC time session for intermediate. In addition, I have asked Misty to explain a little about the new building technology.
Friday PD Focus with Audrey Lucero and Edward Olivos- This upcoming Friday is a no student day. We will be covering Chapters 5,6, and 7. Please skim your biliteracy text to prepare for a conversation on this topic.
All EA’s are invited to join us for the teaching for biliteracy session. EA’s, if you want to make other arrangements on this day, contact me in the office for permission to use compensation time. Come see me if you have questions.
The schedule will go as follows:
8:00-10:00 Morning session breakfast and coffee provided.
10:00-10:15 Break
10:00-12:30 2nd session
12:30-1:30 Lunch and farewell to Myka. (Lunch will be provided, please bring a beverage) Gluten free items will be available. If you have other restrictions, please let me know. We will attempt to accommodate your dietary restrictions.
1:30-4:00 Prep time for staff.
Viaje Musical: February 2nd 6:00pm- It’s happening! Viaje Musical is a musical extravaganza involving ALL 4th and 5th graders. Students will sing, dance and play music from Mexico, Cuba, Peru, Chile, Spain and New York!Thursday, February 2nd at 6:00pm (in the Camino gym). One night only! The evening performance is an important part of Camino students’ education. Please make every effort to attend. Parents are also invited to an assembly version of Viaje Musical on Wednesday, February 1st at 12:40. ¡Viva la música!
Focus of the January 31 Reading/Literacy Inclusion Conversation in PLT- We are working on the idea of how to deliver literacy in our building. We are considering options to reduce the amount of pull out time in the school. Pull out from classrooms can be very damaging to a child’s self esteem. It is also very challenging to schedule and makes specials and other programs more difficult to deliver. Take a look at this presentation on student focused coaching. We want to explore separated interventions versus classroom support. Another consideration we will discuss is the walk to read model for core instruction. Finally, we will also evaluate how the language of instruction for ELA /SLA is going. Currently, we have a simultaneous literacy model of instruction, meaning we teach Spanish and English literacy to students at the same time. We want to look at our results in kinder and 1st grade especially to determine how those levels are fairing in this model.
PE Breakdown day this Friday- I asked Rachel Farkas to break down the PE materials on January 27 for her move out day. This will mean no lapse in service for teachers on Friday, February 2. Thank you Rachel! The PE/ Music Schedule is still being revised. I will get it to staff this week.
No-School Days Make Up: Stand By- Cydney Vandercar shared that Eugene School District 4J already has had an unprecedented number of no-school days due to an unusual amount of severe winter weather—6 full days plus one 2-hour delay so far—and winter is not over yet. We do expect to restore at least 3 school days in June. However, the district is looking at possible alternatives for recovering lost instruction time. All options for meeting state instructional time requirements will be considered in collaboration with the employee associations, including possibilities such as adjusting daily schedules or making up school days before the end of the year. When these decisions are made and an adjusted calendar is approved by the school board, you will be notified and the plan will be widely communicated to parents and the public.
Skillful Teacher Rescheduled-The new date is Monday, January 23 from 8:30-3:30 at Lane ESD. Please re-register for the event on the Lane ESD website. http://www.lesd.k12.or.us/workshops/index.html
United Way Campaign-You should have received your pledge sheet in your school mailboxes this week. The campaign runs through Friday, February 3rd. Completed pledge sheets should be sent to Lupe Mercado/Ed Center. Lupe will collect, and then get them to Eric. Our new 4J Schools United Way Representative, MacCionnaith, is happy to answer any questions or find somebody to come to your building to speak to your staff about United Way. For more information on how United Way of Lane County is assisting in Eugene, please visit United Way website here.
Upcoming Events and Dates for All 4J Elementary Teachers
- 01/24/17, Kindergarten Task Force Meeting, 3:30-5:00, Auditorium
- 02/03/17, Science kits due back/EA Extravaganza at Ed Center for EA’s-EA’s plan to be there.
- 02/28/17, Kindergarten Task Force Meeting, 3:30-5:00, Auditorium
- 04/03/17, 5 hours of science PD for all elementary teachers, 2 hrs uninterrupted planning
- 04/11/17, Kindergarten Task Force Meeting, 3:30-5:00, Auditorium
- 05/05/17: PD/Planning Day – Up to 7.5 hours of PD (flexible).5 hours of math curriculum training for all elementary teachers
- 05/11/17, Kindergarten Task Force Meeting, 3:30-5:00, Auditorium
Teaching and Learning for Emerging Bilinguals
Check out this great video on Math Discourse and Using Sentence Frames to Help Understanding
Questions to Consider when watching this video:
- Why are sentence frames an effective strategy for English Language Learners?
- How do sentence frames empower students?
- How can you adapt these sentence frames for use in your own classroom?
Calendar of Events for the Week and Beyond:
January 23 (M)
10:00-11:00, School Choice Tours
1:00, Joel in Formal Observation
3:00, Joel and teacher in post conference.
3:30, Allan Chinn and Joel meet to discuss moving buildings and transitions (Ed Center)
4:00-5:30, Joel in All Admin Meeting (Ed Center)
January 24 (Tu)
8:00-11:00, Primary Grades Technology PD
3:00-4:00, PLT Meeting- Focus HASD Prep and Planning ahead for 2017-2018 new building.
6:00-7:00,Kelly Middle School Dual Language Transition Meeting (El Camino del Rio Library)-4th/5th and 5th grade teachers please invite and remind your families about this event.
January 25 (W)
1:45-2:45, PLC Time-Please meet and work with your team. Be on time.
2:00-4:30-Intermediate Grades Technology PD in Erin Recker’s Classroom (Extended Contracts included)
2:00-3:00, Joel in BEST Check In
6:00-7:00, Engineering Night
January 26 (Th)
Joel in observations throughout the day.
January 27 (F)
Academy Day-No School
Audrey Lucero and Edward Olives on Biliteracy, 8:00-1:30 PM, Coffee, breakfast and snacks provided.
11:30-12:15, Farewell Lunch for Myka Bitterman in the Staff Lounge
2:00-3:00, School Choice Dual Language Information Presentation
1:30-4:00 Prep Time-You are encouraged to use some of the time to get rid of unused materials. Recycling bins will be on site for paper removal.
January 30 (M)
Regular day
January 31 (Tu)
8:00-12:00, Joel at ElementaryPrincipal’s Meeting
2:45-4:45, PLT Literacy Focus Meeting- 2 hours
7:00-8:00, School Choice Informational Meeting
February 1 (W)
1:45-2:45, PLC Time, Please arrive on time to meet with your team. Focus: Report Cards
4:00-5:00, Joel to North Region Principal’s Meeting
February 2 (Th)
6:00-7:00, Viaje Musicale (Gym)
February 3 (F)
No School- Semester Grading Day
8:00-3:30, EA Extravaganza –All EA’s are expected to attend.
February 6 (M)
Second semester begins
February 7 (Tu)
3:00-4:00, Staff Meeting- Kim Reinhardt behavioral PD focus.
5:00-6:00, Site Council Meeting
6:00-7:00, Parent Group Meeting cancelled in previous week.
February 8 (W)
1:45-2:45, PLC Time, Please meet to create math formative assessments for 2nd semester.
2:45-3:45, Protected planning time
February 9 (Th)
2:45-3:45, Mod Squad
3:45-4:45, PLT Meeting
February 10 (F)
OALA Conference begins.- Joel out of the building in the PM.
That is all for the week.
Best,
Joel
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