Hi everyone,
Last week was a very enjoyable week for me in classrooms and across the school. I hope you also enjoyed getting back into the classrooms with your students. Their smiles and happiness really rubs off on me. In addition, it seems like the new lunch routines are helping to increase supervision ratios and student calmness. Yes, there are still a few bugs to work out but it feels smoother and much less crowded on the playground. BTW, supervisors, we have two new radios which can be used at recess. Each supervisor should have a radio now. Please use them at every duty.
Here are some major items of the week:
• New school facility user experience surveys– With the passage of the facilities bond, 4J is preparing to build three new schools and wants input from staff who’ve worked in 4Js newest schools. Follow this link to the 4J Facility User Satisfaction Surveyand follow this link to the School Technology Survey. Our new building certainly had and still has a lot of issues that sometimes bug me , but I do always remind myself that our new building is definitely is a big improvement over the old one. Help out your fellow 4J colleagues by sharing your thoughts about what works and could be improved.
• Site Council and Parent Group Meeting TUESDAY – This Tuesday at 6:00 in the library is the January Parent Group meeting, so if you’re able to volunteer your time to come, I know parents appreciating seeing staff attend. Hope to see you there! We will be making posters for the MLK march and reviewing the State Report Card.
• Friday Early Release PD– Teachers, this Friday was to be the annual OAKS Test Security Training. We have cancelled this meeting due to the amount of staff absent on Friday. Please use your time to plan as a grade level if your team is in town. SBAC training will happen at a later date planned by Jaime Jones. We will set the date after grading day but before SBAC testing time.
• Student Care Team Referrals – The Student Care Team will meet in two weeks, which means referrals to the team are due this Friday. Try to get a signature on the 4J Release Form (English or Spanish). Linked here is a Student Care Team Flyer you can share with families to explain the team. You can also refer “hypothetical” student or family situations if you can’t get a signature. Common referrals, though not limited to, are:
• Death of a parent
• Incarcerated parent - recent incarceration or pending release
• Homeless or impending homelessness
• Unknown status of child welfare call that was made
• Domestic Violence
• Extreme behavior issues – supports needed at home
• Specific resource needed but unknown where to refer
• Medical concerns about the child or other family
Let me know if you have any questions or any potential referrals for the team.
• DHS 211 Resource Sheet 2019– Linked here is the DHS District 5 211 Resource Sheet for 2019 in Englishand Spanish, which contains a succinct list of community resources.
• Centralized Child Abuse Hotline– Oregon is centralizing its Child Abuse Reporting System. Currently there are regional hotlines that are being phased out over the next 5 months to a central Oregon Child Abuse Hotline. The Hotline will serve as the central reporting system for all Oregonians 24/7. Lane County is scheduled to transition to the centralized hotline on January 28th, so after that date all calls to DHS will be routed to a centralized call center. The phone number will stay the same for now, but will change later this year.
• Report Card Updates and Feb. 8th send home date– An Elementary Report Card Resources emailwent out before winter break, which included a link to the 4J Elementary Report Card website(which I actually made, posting the committee’s work), but I wanted teachers to note that the date for report cards to go home is a district-wide date that is one week earlier than Howard has typically done in the past. We’ve usually waited two weeks after grading day to send report cards home, but it’s one week after grading day this year, so report cards will go home Friday, February 8th.
• Teaching the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.– This week, schools across the country will celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The resources in this edition of Teaching Tolerance’s The Moment will help you teach beyond the simplified story and help your students learn about this civil rights leader’s life and legacy. Additionally, here are some resources from Scholastic and NEA. If you have your RACISM FREE ZONE lessons from last year, I highly encourage that you get them out and teach them during this week or next. Also, I will be marching in the NAACP March from Autzen to the Shedd. You are always welcome to walk with me on Monday morning from 9:00-11:00. Parent Group will be there with the banner of our school. Stand and walk with them with Pride.
Join Neighbors and Friends for this Annual March in affirmation to the life work of Dr.Martin Luther King! Free Parking at the Serbu Center. Free Bus Tickets for LTD riders as well!
9-9:30 am- Gather in Front of PK Park
9:30-10 am- Kickoff Rally! Hosted by the UO office of Equity and Inclusion
10-11 am- March to the Shedd Institute
11-12 pm – Community MLK program with Special Guests including representatives of Our Children’s Trust and Eugene Symphony Director Franseco Lecce Chong!
I hope you find passion and inspiration for your students this week. I get inspiration from them and you!
Thanks and have a great week.
Saludos cordiales,
Joel
Uncategorized | Comment (0)