Equity

April 1, 2024

By Allan | 2024/03/30 14:43 Posted in Announcements, Equity, Grants, P.D. | Comments Off

Howdy Everyone,

Hope you have a good spring break. I mostly stayed around town, but did go to the coast for a few days and found a novelization of Shafts Big Score and Zardoz at a funky Lincoln City used bookstore, so that was $3 well spent. Also picked up the out-of-print autobiographies of Mary Pickford and Ingrid Bergman and a first edition of Myrna Loy’s autobiography. And if you don’t recognize those names, do I have some movie recommendations for you!

Twenty-one items of note for this week:

• Library Restored to Full-Time – The school board is requiring district admin to reinstate the 3 full-time librarians at the pilot schools, which means Robbie will be full-time again next school year instead of being part-time at Holt and part-time at Chinese Immersion.

• April 1 PD Info – Here’s all the info for the Monday, April 1 PD:

Classified Staff:
BBSAs – Join SSCs from 8:30-1:00 at Holt Library
Kinder & Gen Ed EAs – Gen Ed EAs are invited to join SPED EAs at a screening of “The R Word” a Churchill HS, 8:30-10:00, but can also assist with prep work on the sign-up sheet linked HERE.
SPED EAs – Attend either the Mental Health and Learning Strategies (registration is closed, so only if you already registered) or attend a screening of “The R Word” at Churchill HS, 8:30-10:00.
Title EAs – Join Title Coordinators from 8:30-1:00 at Chavez.

EAs can also use some of this time to complete Vector trainings and/or the Self-Assessments in TalentEd if you haven’t already.

Licensed Staff:
Classroom & Instructional Coaches – Howard, starting at 8:30 (Info Here)

Schedule for April 1 for Classroom Teachers & Coaches:
8:00 – Meet at your building and get into carpool groups.
8:20 – Arrive at Howard Elementary
8:30 – 9:50 – Session #1
9:50-10:05 – Break/Transition
10:05-11:25 – Session #2
11:25-11:40- Break/Transition
11:40-1:00 – Session #3
1:00-2:00 – Travel back to your building and lunch on your own
2:00-4:00 – Planning Time

Elementary Licensed Specialists – Various locations, starting at 8:30 (Info Here)

• EA Assistance April 1 Sign-Up – If teachers could use any help with prep or other tasks, add your name and the task to the EA Assistance Spreadsheet. EAs should also add your name to the tasks you’d be willing to take on.

• Title 1 EA Interviews, 4/1 @1:30 – Jackie, Jenny, Lisa and I are holding interviews on Monday at 1:30 if anyone is interested in volunteering their time to help. Let me know if you are interested and I will email the interview materials.

• Grade Level Team Meetings, TUESDAY – The first two Tuesdays of the month on non-Staff Meeting weeks are dedicated Grade Level Team Meeting times. Teams should:

• Meet in their wing so specialists can connect if needed
• Take care of any needed team business
• Complete the Team Meeting Minutes Form (make a copy) and email it to holt_staf@4j.lane.edu

The Team Meeting Minutes Form can also be found on the Holt Staff Dashboard.

• Student Support Team (SST) Meeting 4/1 – The April SST meeting will be on Tuesday, April 2nd, where the team will screen potential referrals for SPED evaluations and for SST members to do a monthly check-in on students currently in the evaluation process. Use the Request for Student / Classroom Support Form to make a referral to the team. An agenda will be emailed to teachers needing to attend the meeting.

• Wednesday PD: Equity & Inclusion – Wednesday at 1:30 in the library will be the Equity & Inclusion Team’s follow-up to last month’s PD.

• Spirit Assembly 4/5 @8:20 – The April School Spirit Assembly is on Friday, April 5th in the gym. The assembly will start at 8:20, but all classes should be in the gym by 8:15. Stay tuned for details!

• Electronics Recycling Competition Drop-Off Week – Remind students and get them pumped for the annual BRING Recycling Electronics Recycling Competition. They can drop off old electronics (Anything with a plug or that takes batteries. Cell phones, monitors, computers, phones, cables, etc. They’ll take it all!) at NextStep (245 Jackson St. now until April 30 (making sure they tell them it’s for Holt) or drop them off at the collection site in front of the office the week of April 8 – 12. The school with the most “e-waste” collected wins a $500 gift certificate and a Next Step Robot made by a local artist.

• Solar Eclipse April 8th at 10:30 – We get a rare opportunity to observe a solar eclipse (it’s actually a partial eclipse) during school hours on Monday, April 8, starting at 10:30, peaking at 11:20 or 11:30, and ending at 12:15. Linked here are Directions for Making a Solar Eclipse Viewer and some notes about Eye Safety During an Eclipse.

• Data Team Meeting K-5, 4/9 – We’ll hold grade-level Data Team Meetings this day with roving subs. Watch for details coming soon from Carla.

• Wednesday PD: Science OSAS & Accommodations – Wednesday at 1:30 in the library we’ll review the Science standards and assessment, as well as go over how to input student accommodations into TIDE.

• Holt Night Out, Bangers & Brews, 4/10 – Wednesday, April 10th is a Holt Night Out at Bangers & Brews! Remind kids to stop by Bangers & Brews at 2506 Willakenzie Road, across from Sheldon High School, between 3:00-8:00 pm, and just mention Holt when ordering for our school to get a percentage of all sales.

• Accessible Education Parent Group, 4/11 @5:30 – Emily and Carla have started up an Accessible Education Parent Group to give families of students with IEPs voice and support, which will meet for the first time on April 11 at 5:30 in the library.

• Midterm Grading Day, 4/12 – This is a non-student day and the expectation from downtown is staff are to report to the building and be available to colleagues on this day. For classroom teachers, 3.75 hours is dedicated to ELA planning and 3.75 hours is for “Strategic Family Outreach.” Downtown hasn’t given guidance on what this outreach is supposed to be, but I’d suggest using this time to call, email, or text families you need to connect with for various reasons; improvements, progress, and/or struggles with attendance, academics, behavior, relationships, etc.

• EEF Grants Open 4/8 – EEF Grants are opening soon. They have not announced a deadline for applications, but usually, it’s about a month-long window. EEF prioritizes grants that focus on Enrichment (ex. STEM, arts, experimental learning), Ready to Learn (ex. literacy, SEL, accessibility solutions), and Pathways (ex. CTE, SPED, TAG). The application link is not live yet, but linked here is a PDF I made of the form from earlier this year.

Schools can submit as many grants as they want, so feel free to start writing! I saved a PDF version of Last Year’s EEF Grant Application if you want to start now. And remember that AI (MagicSchool.AI and ChatGPT) can save time doing a lot of the writing for you!

• Penny War Results – This was announced over the PA, but here are the final results of the Penny War:

• Vanilla Crunchies in Workrooms – I signed Holt up for the free cereal program offered by Food for Lane County, where schools can get free cereal snack packages of Vanilla Crunches to give students. There are two boxes in each of the workrooms, so feel free to grab what you want for your classrooms (specialists too). I remembered the boxes being larger, so I only ordered four, but for our April order, I’ll order a lot more.

• 6th Place on Walker Tracker Challenge – Did you see Holt got 6th place on the Walker Tracker Challenge out of 60 teams? We’re moving up the ranks! Download the app and start tracking your daily steps to help the Holt team with the next challenge!

• HANDBOOK HIGHLIGHT: Cafeteria Expectations – This week’s highlight from the Holt Staff Handbook, is on Cafeteria Expectations:

Cafeteria Expectations:
Staff members will supervise students while entering the cafeteria, walking them along the stage or the window side. Do not release students at the doors. Grade levels sharing lunch periods may employ other structures to help the flow (example: 2 classes use the stage side & 2 other classes use the window side). Staff is expected to supervise for 5 minutes following the official start of the lunch period, or until their students are settled.

I would add, now that we are having students enter Lunch PINs, for teachers to help students enter their numbers until they have it down.

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

April 1 (M)
April Fool’s Day!
No School – Professional Development/Planning Day
8:00 – 1:00, PD Sessions (Various Locations)
1:30, Title 1 EA Interviews
2:00-4:00 – Planning Time

April 2 (T)
Classes Resume
3rd Grade Staff Room Duty
K-3 Clay Artist in Residence Continues
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
10:15, Student Council (Reich’s Room)
2:45-3:30, Grade Level Team Meetings
2:45-3:30, SST Meeting (Calming Room)

April 3 (W)
Monthly Walk+Roll to School Day
10:40, 4th Grade Storyteller
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – Equity & Inclusion Team (Library)
1:30-3:00, Girls on the Run
7:00-9:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

April 4 (H)
8:50-10:35, Book Nook (Cafeteria)
9:00, Safety Committee Meeting (Office)
2:45, Equity & Inclusion Team Meeting, Rob Hess attending (Kelsey’s Room)
5:00-6:00, Site Council (Library) 6:00-7:00, PTO Meeting (Library & Zoom)

April 5 (F)
Holt Spirit Day – Sports Day
8:20-8:40, School Spirit Assembly (Gym)
9:30-1:30, 3rd Grade Eugene Science Center Field Trip

April 8 (M)
SPED/Inst. Coach Staff Room Duty
Electronics Recycling Competition Drop-Off Week
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
7:30, Allan Monthly Meeting w/Jeff Johnson (Office)
9:00-10;30, Allan to 4J BAT Meeting (Zoom)
2:30-4:00, Girls on the Run
3:30-5:30, Allan to Elem. Principals’ Meeting (Ed Center)

April 9 (T)
Talent Show Application Due
Birthday Drinks & Goodies in Staff Room
Data Team Meeting K-5
10:15, Student Council (Reich’s Room)
2:45-3:30, PBIS/SEL Meeting (Calming Room)
6:30-7:30, 3rd Grade Cultural Heritage Night (Gym & Cafeteria)

April 10 (W)
Holt Night Out – Bangers & Brews
7:30, Allan to 4J MAPS Meeting (Zoom)
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – OSAS Science & Accommodations PD (Library)
1:30-3:00, Girls on the Run

April 11 (H)
8:50-10:35, Book Nook (Cafeteria)
2:45-3:30, Staff Meeting (Volunteer’s Room)
5:30-6:30, Accessible Education Parent Group (Library)

April 12 (F)
No School – Mid-Term Grading Day
8:30-11:30, EA Pathways PD
4;30-6:30, Allan to 4J BIPOC Staff Affinity Meeting

Aren’t we lucky this year that April Fool’s Day doesn’t fall on a school day?

Allan

March 4, 2024

By Allan | 2024/03/03 00:16 Posted in Announcements, Arts, Assessment, Equity, P.D., Video | Comments Off

Hello Holt Bolts,

It’s Classified Appreciation Week and I want to give a TREMENDOUS shoutout to Holt’s truly amazing classified staff. Our school would not function without you and I cannot imagine coming to school without the talented and fun team of classified folks we’re lucky enough to have here at Holt! You all are the best!

Eighteen items of note for this week:

• Classified Appreciation Week MONDAY Goodies – Holt Classified Staff are ROCK STARS! Licensed staff, remember to bring your goodies for the Baked Potato Bar on Monday! Also, watch for some extra treats in your mailbox this week from me.

• K-3 Artist in Residence Begins MONDAY – The K-3 Clay Artist in Residence begins this week with Lily Hamilton teaching 5 Clay Friends. Linked here is the Artist Schedule that was shared earlier and is also on the Staff Zimbra Calendar.

• Grade Level Team Meetings, TUESDAY – The first two Tuesdays of the month on non-Staff Meeting weeks are dedicated Grade Level Team Meeting times. Teams should:

• Meet in their wing so specialists can connect if needed
• Take care of any needed team business
• Complete the Team Meeting Minutes Form (make a copy) and email it to holt_staf@4j.lane.edu

The Team Meeting Minutes Form can also be found on the Holt Staff Dashboard.

• Student Support Team (SST) Meeting TUESDAY – The March SST meeting will be this Tuesday, where the team will screen potential referrals for SPED evaluations and for SST members to do a monthly check-in on students currently in the evaluation process. Use the Request for Student / Classroom Support Form to make a referral to the team. An agenda will be emailed to teachers needing to attend the meeting.

• Wednesday PD: OSAS Annual Training – Wednesday at 1:30 in the library will be the 3/4/5 OSAS Training and also a K/1/2 ELA CAT Practice Test.

• Sheldon Region Noche de Familia, 3/12 @5:30 – Tuesday, March 12th from 5:30-7:00, Holt will hold a Sheldon Region Noche de Familia. We are targeting Latino families, though all families are invited. I’ll be running the following article in the next two weeks in the quick news and will also ask other Sheldon Region elementary schools to do the same.

Región deSheldon, Noche de Familia
March 12th 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm

Región de Sheldon, Noche de Familia is open to all K-5 families within the Sheldon region. This event is completely free! It’s a perfect opportunity to connect with other families in the community. We would be delighted to have you join us for this special evening of celebration and togetherness. Questions? Email ball_k@4j.lane.edu

• Free burritos to the first 100 people
• Food trucks to purchase additional items
• Free fruit and pan dulce
• Kids’ crafts and activities
• Raffle and photo booth
• Information booths (Spanish and English)
• Performance by Ballet Folklórico Colibrí

• Wednesday PD, 3/13: 24-25 Staffing – Staffing will be shared with principals on March 8. I’ll email staff the allocations and potential staffing scenarios that same day, as well as a survey to share their thoughts on the scenarios. Wednesday, March 13 at 1:30 in the library will be our first discussion as a group regarding 24-25 staffing. Any remaining time this day will be dedicated time for Vector Training.

• Bike Repair Day at Holt, 3/13 – Safe Routes to School is putting on a Bike Repair Day event at Holt on Tuesday, March 13 after school 1:15-3:45, by the bike racks. Let kids know they’ll be there to provide free basic bike repairs including Flat Tires, Brakes, Shifting, Bike Fitting, and Safety Checks.

• Chipotle (at Gateway) Holt Night Out, 3/13 – Let your kids know the next Holt Night Out is Tuesday, March 13th, from 4:00-8:00 at the Gateway Chipotle location (not the Coburg Road location). Just show the flyer or use the promo code N69HTLD if ordering online. Click HERE for additional details.

• Don’t Prop Exterior Doors – A reminder, for safety reasons, do not prop exterior doors unless you are standing right next to the door and for a very short duration of time.

• Discipline Matrix Input – I shared the 4J Discipline Matrix in prior announcements, but haven’t gone over it at a meeting yet. That may be good because some principals have raised concerns in the areas of:

1) Major technology violations
2) Racial Harassment
3) Skipping & tardies (engagement)

District admin are seeking input from building Equity & Inclusion Teams, which Holt’s team will look at this Thursday. Let me or any of the Equity & Inclusion Team reps know if you have any thoughts on this topic.

• Summer School SEAL Info – If you’re interested, linked here is a SEAL Overview Slideshow as well as the SEAL Referral Process.

• Apply Now for 4J Summer Jobs – Current classified and licensed employees can apply for 4J Summer Jobs (see link for complete list) by using this Application Form. The application deadline is Saturday, March 9. Applications will receive an email response regarding their status by Friday, March 15. Email seal@4j.lane.edu if you have any questions.

• Elementary Curriculum Updates – If you’re interested, linked here are the latest Elementary Curriculum Updates that were shared with principals, which has info on TAG, Math, and 4/5 Wit & Wisdom. The part probably most interesting to staff is about Dreambox usage, which states

Dreambox data is helping students close the gap in their math learning! Our data is showing that students who are completing 2-4 lessons per week have made a half year’s growth in their math knowledge. Even better, students who are playing 5 or more lessons per week since September have made, on average, a full year’s growth. We have several schools who are using this program and seeing results. Way to go, Awbrey Park, EOA, WIllagillespie, Spring Creek and River Road/El Camino. Keep up the good work! Have all of your students taken the placement test in Dreambox? Let me know how I can support your staff and students. Jamie Tait, Elem Math Specialist

Dreambox may not be as gamified as Prodigy and other math apps, but it’s pretty darn effective if you have your students do it for a little bit each day.

• 4J Grow Your Own Program, Professional Development Application – Principals were asked to share the following:

Our 4J Grow Your Own Program – Application is NOW OPEN!

The application window is from March 1, 2024 – April 5, 2024. To learn more about the Grow Your Own Program and 4J’s commitment to providing pathways to licensure please visit the Grow Your Own webpage by clicking HERE. To apply for the Grow Your Own program click HERE.

If you have any questions you can reach out to:

Chemika Bolden
HR Administrator, Grow Your Own Program
bolden_c@4j.lane.edu

• Golden Apple Award Nominations Open, March 1–31 – Make Holt look good and nominate a Holt staff member or volunteer for the new 4J Golden Apple Award (taking the place of the ACE Awards). Nominate someone now through Sunday, March 31, by completing and submitting this Nomination Form.

•Repeats & Reminders – See prior announcements for details:

• 24/25 Staffing Survey – Please complete the linked 2024-2025 Staffing Survey to help me prep for next year’s staffing plan. I’d like to hear from both classified and licensed staff. I’d like to know staff members’ plans and preferences for the future as well as your thoughts on next year’s staffing plan, master schedule, or any other thoughts or feedback.

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

March 4 (M)
Classified Appreciation Week
K-3 Clay Artist in Residence Begins
3rd Grade Staff Room Duty
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
9:00-1:30, OSEA Membership Drive (Staff Room)
10:30-1:00, Potato Bar Classified Appreciation Lunch (Staff Room)
2:30-3:00, Allan Meeting w/SSD & Elem Directors (Ed Center)
3:30-5:30, Allan to Elem. Principals’ Meeting (Ed Center)

March 5 (T)
10:15, Student Council (Reich’s Room)
2:45-3:30, Grade Level Team Meetings
2:45-3:30, SST Meetings (Calming Room)
5:00, PERS OPSRP (Tier 3) Info Session
6:00-7:30, Conscious Discipline Parent Course (Library & Cafeteria)

March 6 (W)
Monthly Walk+Roll to School Day
9:00-11:00, Allan to Learning Walk (Gilham)
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – 3/4/5 OSAS Training, K/1/2 ELA CAT Practice Test (Library)
7:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

March 7 (H)
8:50-10:35, Book Nook (Cafeteria)
9:00, Safety Committee Meeting (Office)
2:45-3:30, Equity & Inclusion Meeting (Kelsey’s Room)
3:30, Allan to TAG Meeting (Zoom)
5:00-6:00, 24-25 Kinder Orientation (Library & Zoom)
6:00-7:00, PTO Meeting (Library & Zoom)

March 8 (F)
Staffing Allocations Given to Principals
2:45, Allan to IEP Meeting (Zoom)

March 11 (M)
4th Grade Staff Room Duty
K-3 Clay Artist in Residence Continues
7:30, Allan Meeting w/Jeff Johnson (Office)
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up

March 12 (T)
Birthday Drinks & Goodies in Staff Room
2:45-3:30, PBIS/SEL Meeting (Calming Room)
9:30-12:10, 4th Grade Hult Center Field Trip
5:30-7:00, Noche de Familia (Gym & Cafeteria)

March 13 (W)
7:30-9:00, Allan to MAPS Meeting
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – Staffing Discussion #1 and Vector Time (Library)
1:15-3:45, Bike Repair Day at Holt (Bike Racks)
4:00-8:00, Holt Night Out – Chipotle

March 14 (H)
Pi Day
8:50-10:35, Book Nook (Cafeteria)
8:45-9:30, 5th Portable Planetarium, Parks (Gym)
10:45-11:30, 5th Portable Planetarium, Henrich (Gym)
1:15-2:00, 5th Portable Planetarium, Ayres (Gym)
2:45, Staff Meeting (Volunteer’s Classroom)
3:30, Allan to TAG Meeting (Zoom)
6:00-7:00, PTO Meeting (Library & Zoom)

March 15 (F)
8:45-9:30, 5th Portable Planetarium, Parks (Gym)
9:00-10:00, Allan to 4J SAT Team Meeting (Zoom)
10:45-11:30, 5th Portable Planetarium, Henrich (Gym)
1:15-2:00, 5th Portable Planetarium, Ayres (Gym)
4:30, Allan to 4J BIPOC Staff Affinity Meeting
5:00-8:00, 4 Strength in Neurodivergence Festival (Sheldon)

And if you missed it, here’s our Reading Buddy Event on KEZI and also on the 4J Facebook (Video and Photos) and Instagram (Video and Photos)

Allan

February 26, 2024

By Allan | 2024/02/24 22:31 Posted in Announcements, Arts, Equity, P.D., Video | Comments Off

Howdy All,

Nineteen items of note for this week:

• Holt Night Out – McMenamins on 19th, TUESDAY – This Tuesday is the February Holt Night Out Fundraiser, which is at McMenamins on E. 19th. The PTO is getting a really good percentage on this one, with 50% of purchases, so pump this one up! Dine-in or pick-up. Just mention the fundraiser. Plus, it’s conveniently located across the street from Prince Pucklers for after-dinner ice cream!

• Wed PD: Student Climate & Culture Survey, DUE WEDNESDAY– The K-2 Climate Survey and 3-5 Climate Surveys are due this Wednesday, when we will have our next Equity & Inclusion PD. We will look at the data to help guide our next steps. When completed, feel free to put them in Carla’s mailbox for safekeeping or keep them yourself and bring them to the Wednesday PD.

• Dental Clinics THURSDAY and FRIDAY – Nurse Hanna Emailed staff we will hold our fluoride and sealant clinics this Thursday and Friday. They will start around 9:00 and end around 1:30. If a student is receiving fluoride, it should take around a minute, and if they are receiving sealants, it should take around 15 minutes. A staff member will come to each class to pull students who have signed permission slips.

• SAEBRS 2-5 Self-Eval Due THURSDAY – 2nd through 5th grades students should complete the SAEBRS self-evaluation by this Thursday. Don’t sweat it if you miss the deadline, but try your best to have students complete the assessment by this date. See the SAEBRS Slideshow for details.

• Read Across America – Buddy Reading Event, FRIDAY, 8:15-8:35 – A bit last minute, but Leadership planned a fun short activity this Friday to Celebrate Read Across America. Here’s the plan:

WHEN: Friday, 8:15-8:35 (buddies will read for 15 min.)
WHERE: K/3 in D wing, 1/2 in A wing, 2/4 in library office hall

We’re hoping we can get some news media to come out and originally planned for kids without publicity permission to go into the Calming Room, but I pulled the list and there are only 3 students without permission. Not here, but the publicity permission list is attached to my announcements email and the 3 NO students are at the top.

• Classified Appreciation Week, March 4-8 – Holt Classified Staff are AMAZING! Monday next week at lunchtime will be a delicious Potato Bar in your honor! Also, watch for some extra treats in your mailbox this week from me. Licensed staff, be sure to add your name to the Potato Bar Sign-Up if you haven’t already.

• Grade Level Team Meetings, 3/5 – The first two Tuesdays of the month on non-Staff Meeting weeks are dedicated Grade Level Team Meeting times. Teams should:

• Meet in their wing so specialists can connect if needed
• Take care of any needed team business
• Complete the Team Meeting Minutes Form (make a copy) and email it to holt_staf@4j.lane.edu

The Team Meeting Minutes Form can also be found on the Holt Staff Dashboard.

• Student Support Team (SST) Meeting 3/5 – The March SST meeting will be on Tuesday, March. 5, where the team will screen potential referrals for SPED evaluations and for SST members to do a monthly check-in on students currently in the evaluation process. Use the Request for Student / Classroom Support Form to make a referral to the team. An agenda will be emailed to teachers needing to attend the meeting.

• Revised K-3 Clay Artist Schedule – This artist requested her final session happen two days after the first 3 sessions, so we had to adjust the K-3 Clay Artist in Residence Schedule. Let me or Lesli know if you see any issues.

• 24-24 Staffing Timeline Revision – Leadership made a few changes to the Staffing Timeline. When I email the initial allocations I’ll now include a survey of potential scenarios that I will share the results of on 3/13. Also, following our second staff discussion, I’ll send a second survey, in case anyone changes their mind from the first survey, and at the 3/20 Wed. PD I’ll announce the staffing plan I’m submitting to HR and the rest of that PD time will be staff collaboration time.

Feb. 29 – Staff Meeting: Staffing Priorities & Grade Level Needs
Mar. 8 – HR gives principals 24-25 allocations
Mar. 8 – Allan emails allocations & draft scenarios w/survey
Mar. 13 – Wed. PD: Staffing Discussion #1
Mar. 14 – Staff Meeting: Staffing Discussion #2 w/early release for the second survey
Mar. 20 – Wed. PD: Announce Final Discussion & Collaboration Time
Mar. 20 – Staffing Plans Due to HR

• Perfect and Near-Perfect Attendance Awards – If any teachers would like me to recognize your students with perfect attendance for the first semester (no tardies or absences) or near-perfect attendance, let me know and I can give a 30-second award presentation to perfect attendees in your classroom. Just give me a date and time to come in and I can make a big deal about regular attendance. Attached in my email is a list of all the students with perfect attendance first semester. Also, if you know of any kids with “near perfect” attendance who you’d like to recognize, let me know and I can award them as well. I’ll plan to do the same at the end of the school year for perfect second-semester attendance and students with perfect attendance all year. I’ll also plan to give a shoutout at Monday Morning Announcements.

• Bells Off by Over 1 Minute – I put in a Tech Ticket almost a month ago, but our bells have drifted almost 2-minutes away from Cupertino time, so we should be flexible in the mornings for those students running to the doors when the bell rings until downtown gets the bells fixed.

• Book Nook Reminder – Remember the Book Nook Coupons are the only currency students should use for Book Nook.

• Lunch Codes Coming – Deb has been holding off Nutrition Services for us, but 4J is transitioning back to students having to use Lunch Codes. Later this year 4th and 5th grade will start using their 6-digit PIN, which is also their 6-digit password. The timeline is to test it out later this year with older kids and then start in the fall K-5. The reason for this is to be a precaution for students with food allergies because after students type their PIN (or scan a card, which is also an option) health alerts will pop up on the screen to alert staff, which I can understand schools need to do for liability reasons.

• Future PD and BEPA/SEL Survey – Erin Gaston Emailed staff a PD Input Survey (for all licensed staff) and a PE Minutes Survey (for classroom teachers). Friday, March 1 is the deadline. For the BEPA and Morning Meeting survey, if the results are that people are not doing them, I’m guessing there is going to be additional PD and master schedules more micromanaged.

• Teaching Children to Save Lessons with Banner Bank – The Eugene Downtown Banner Bank emailed me offering a free 30-minute lesson for elementary students on the importance of self saving and having safe savings spaces. They are available anytime after March 5th, so if you are interested, let me know or email Daniella Zapien Flores <Daniella.ZapienFlores@bannerbank.com> directly.

•Repeats & Reminders – See prior announcements for details:

• 24/25 Staffing Survey – Please complete the linked 2024-2025 Staffing Survey to help me prep for next year’s staffing plan. I’d like to hear from both classified and licensed staff. I’d like to know staff members’ plans and preferences for the future as well as your thoughts on next year’s staffing plan, master schedule, or any other thoughts or feedback.

• Equity and Inclusion Student Team – More names have been added, so last call to add names of students who would like to participate in the Student Equity & Inclusion Team.

• Women’s History Month – March is Women’s History Month. Here’s a WeAreTeachers Article I shared last week and here is the latest 4J Library Connection which has a section on Women’s History Month resources.

• Free Class Snacks! – Send your kids to the office in the morning for a grab-and-go breakfast (who didn’t get a breakfast earlier that morning), which is a great way to build up your supply of snacks for kids.

• HANDBOOK HIGHLIGHT: Confidentiality – This week’s highlight from the Holt Staff Handbook, is on Confidentiality. With so many staff members who are also parents, it’s important to be aware before and after school when there are little ears about:

Confidentiality

Building Spaces:

When having conversations (i.e. emails, etc.) please be aware of your surroundings and choice of words at school, at home, and in public. Staff personnel/personal issues and individual student issues are always considered confidential.

At school, the confidential conversation should take place behind closed doors and not in any communal place like the staff room, library, office, etc.

Contact teams in another setting if you have a concern or question.

Cum folders:
Staff may look in a child’s CUM folder, though it MUST stay in the office. Parents requesting to view their child’s cumulative file should make this request through the school office. The office will then arrange an appointment with the parent, and the principal, to go over the file. This affords the teacher and the office time to go through the file to make sure appropriate information is contained therein. Cums MUST REMAIN IN THE OFFICE AREA AT ALL TIMES.

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

February 26 (M)
2nd Grade Staff Room Duty
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
12:25-12:45, OBOB Battles (Library)
12:50-1:15, OBOB Battles (Library)
3:30-5:30, Allan to Elem Principals’ Meeting (Ed Center)

February 27 (T)
Holt Night Out – McMenamins on 19th
2:45-3:30, IPBS Meeting (Kelsey’s Room)
6:00-7:30, Conscious Discipline Parent Course (Library & Cafeteria)

February 28 (W)
8:30-9:10, Allan to SEAL Meeting (Zoom)
9:00-10:30, Allan to 4J BAT Team Meeting (Zoom)
12:25-12:45, OBOB Battles (Library)
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – Equity & Inclusion Team (Library)

February 29 (H)
SAEBRS Grade 2-5 Due
8:50-10:35, Book Nook (Cafeteria)
9:00-1:30, Dental Clinics (Lost & Found Area)
2:45, Staff Meeting (Volunteer’s Classroom)

March 1 (F)
Women’s History Month
Read Across America – Buddy Reading Event
8:15-8:35, Read Across America – Buddy Reading Event
9:00-1:30, Dental Clinics (Lost & Found Area)

March 4 (M)
Classified Appreciation Week
4th Grade Staff Room Duty
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
2:45, Allan Meeting w/SSD Admin (Office)

March 5 (T)
10:15, Student Council (Reich’s Room)
2:45-3:30, Grade Level Team Meetings
2:45-3:30, SST Meetings (Calming Room)
6:00-7:30, Conscious Discipline Parent Course (Library & Cafeteria)

March 6 (W)
Monthly Walk+Roll to School Day
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – 3/4/5 OSAS Training, K/1/2 ELA CAT Practice Test (Library)
7:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

March 7 (H)
8:50-10:35, Book Nook (Cafeteria)
9:00, Safety Committee Meeting (Office)
2:45-3:30, Equity & Inclusion Meeting (Kelsey’s Room)
3:30, Allan to TAG Meeting (Zoom)
5:00-6:00, 24-25 Kinder Orientation (Library & Zoom)
6:00-7:00, PTO Meeting (Library & Zoom)

March 8 (F)
Staffing Allocations Given to Principals

Four weeks until spring break!

Allan

@schooledbyarturo

#teachersoftiktok #teachertok #teacherlife #teachersbelike #teacherproblems #teacher

♬ Vogue (Edit) – Madonna

February 19, 2024

By Allan | 2024/02/17 21:55 Posted in Announcements, Equity, P.D., Technology | Comments Off

Hi Everyone,

I attended an excellent professional development this weekend. I originally only went because there was extended contract offered and I figured I could use the time to work on this week’s staff announcements (which I also did), but it was a really energizing and engaging experience. The keynote speaker, Jimmy Casas, was a bit of a motivational speaker, but I really liked how he talked about school culture, which I think Holt is doing pretty darn well on. Not to get too mushy, but I’m super glad to be working with you all here.

Twenty-two items of note for this week:

• Grade Level Team Meetings, 2/20 – The first two Tuesdays of the month on non-Staff Meeting weeks are dedicated Grade Level Team Meeting times. Teams should:

• Meet in their wing so specialists can connect if needed
• Take care of any needed team business
• Complete the Team Meeting Minutes Form (make a copy) and email it to holt_staf@4j.lane.edu

The Team Meeting Minutes Form can also be found on the Holt Staff Dashboard.

• Wednesday PD: SAEBRS SEL Student Screener – I reshuffled Wednesday PD topics and this Wednesday at 1:30 in the library will be on the new SEL student screener all schools are now starting. I will give staff an overview of how it works (the short version is K-5 teachers complete a short checklist on each of your students and grades 2-5 have students complete an online survey form), but most of the PD time will be for teachers to complete the teacher-student screener. See my Feb. 5 Announcements for additional information on SAEBRS.

• Fire Drill, THURSDAY @1:15 – We’ll reschedule our missed fire drill this Thursday at 1:15. Linked here is a copy of the Building Evacuation Map and the Fire Drill Line-Up Map. I’m also considering if there are a TON of kids gone on Monday, I might do a surprise drill that day.

• Holt Spirit Day – Animal Day, FRIDAY– Friday, Feb. 23 is a Holt Spirit Day and this time it’s Animal Day! Tell your kids to dress up as an animal, wear some animal print, a shirt with animals on it, make some ears, or just wear some spirit gear!

• Spirit Assembly FRIDAY @8:20 – The February School Spirit Assembly is this Friday in the gym. The assembly will start at 8:20, but all classes should be in the gym by 8:15. Stay tuned for details!

• Holt Night Out – McMenamins on 19th, 2/27 – Tuesday, Feb 27th is the February Holt Night Out Fundraiser, which is at McMenamins on 19th. The PTO is getting a good percentage on this one, with 50% of purchases, but pump this one up. Dine-in or pick-up. Just mention the fundraiser!

• Student Climate & Culture Survey, DUE 2/28 – Our Equity Team leaders emailed teachers the linked K-2 Climate Survey and 3-5 Climate Survey. The target completion date is Wednesday, February. 28, when we will have our next Equity & Inclusion PD. We will look at the data to help guide our next steps. When completed, feel free to put them in Carla’s mailbox for safekeeping or keep them yourself and bring them on the 28th.

• Wednesday PD: Equity & Inclusion Team, 2/28 – Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 1:30 in the library will be an Equity &. Inclusion Team meeting to review the above survey data and plan next steps.

• Dental Clinics 2/28 and 2/29 – These clinics were set up by our prior school nurse, but I just noticed this on the calendar and haven’t checked in with our school new school nurse, Hannah Green, to make sure this is still happening. The original plan was for these to be on Feb. 28 and 29, starting at 9:00 and running through the end of the day in the Lost & Found Area. Stay tuned for more info.

• Read Across America – Buddy Reading Event, 3/1 – I’ll put this on this Thursday’s Leadership Team Agenda to solidify a plan for this year, but this is on the calendar not this week but next week, so stay tuned.

• Women’s History Month – March is Women’s History Month. Here’s a WeAreTeachers Article with activities and ideas to celebrate this month. If you know of other good resources, let me know and I can share them in future announcements.

• PTO Meeting Updates– I forgot to include this last week, but linked here is the February PTO Meeting Slideshow if you’d like to know what the PTO is up to; updates on budget, non-profit status, future Holt Night Outs, spring carnival (April 19), and Holt Bolt (May 17).

• Reteach with STOP, WALK, TALK – A reminder to folks when you are processing and reteaching with students to coach them to use Stop, Walk, Talk.

Student reports a problem:
“Did you ask them to stop?”
Yes. “Did you try walking away?”
No. “You need to first tell them to STOP so they know you don’t like what they are doing.”

Student reports saying STOP did not stop the problem:
“Did you try walking away?
Yes. “Good job telling them to STOP and trying to WALK AWAY. Let’s go take care of ___________.”
No. “Remember that walking away also usually fixes the problem.”

It’s also important to remind students when not to use STOP, WALK, TALK if an incident involves safety issues, physical aggression, or discriminatory remarks (i.e. racist, sexist, etc.) and instead IMMEDIATELY tell an adult.

• MFA with Google Authenticator – To head off more hacking, the 4J Tech Department is upgrading email security with Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). Principals all now have to use it and it will be rolled out to all staff in the coming weeks. You’ll log in just as you do now with your username and password, but will then also have to enter a one-time 6-digit code from a Google Authenticator App you’ll need to download to your phone or tablet. Linked here is an MFA with Google Authenticator Quick Sheet, which I also put on the Staff Google Drive in the Tech folder.

• Free Class Snacks! – Several classes already do this, but send your kids to the office in the morning for a grab-and-go breakfast (who didn’t get breakfast earlier that morning), which is a great way to build up your supply of snacks for kids. Keep them from getting hangry!

• First Aid/CPR Training – Downtown is scheduling First Aid/CPR training for staff who are required to be trained (which is 5th grade teachers for Outdoor School) and are asking if there are additional staff who’d like to be trained. Let me know by Wednesday if you’d like to be trained and I’ll add you to the list.

• Free Bike Locks, Helmets, & Replacement Bikes – 4J Safe Routes to School received a grant for bike locks, helmets, and replacements for bikes stolen from school for students. Any staff member can fill out the Lock, Helmet & Replacement Bike Request Form to request on behalf of students you work with.

• Teaching Children to Save Lessons with Banner Bank – The Eugene Downtown Banner Bank emailed me offering a free 30-minute lesson for elementary students on the importance of saving and having safe savings spaces. They are available anytime after March 5th, so if you are interested, let me know or email Daniella Zapien Flores <Daniella.ZapienFlores@bannerbank.com> directly.

•Repeats & Reminders – See prior announcements for details:

• 24/25 Staffing Survey – Please complete the linked 2024-2025 Staffing Survey to help me prep for next year’s staffing plan. I’d like to hear from both classified and licensed staff. I’d like to know staff members’ plans and preferences for the future as well as your thoughts on next year’s staffing plan, master schedule, or any other thoughts or feedback.

• 24-25 School Supply Suggestions – Downtown is planning to provide school supplies again. This is their Elementary School Supply List. Let me know by the end of the week if there are any other items you think should be on this list. Headphones are one I’m adding. If there are items we want that don’t make the list we are allowed to ask families to provide them.

• Equity and Inclusion Student Team – There are a few names already added, but if you have students who would like to participate in the Student Equity & Inclusion Team, please add their names to the Student Equity & Inclusion Team Spreadsheet.

• HANDBOOK HIGHLIGHT: Translating – This week’s highlight from the Holt Staff Handbook is on Translating. Most school-wide communication falls on me, but for those occasions, when anyone needs to translate something, DeepL is a more accurate translation service than Google Translate.

Translating:
We will translate school-wide correspondence into Spanish, if possible

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

February 19 (M)
1st Grade Staff Room Duty
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
2:45, Allan Meeting w/SSD Admin (Office)

February 20 (T)
8:45-9:20, Conscious Discipline Guest Speaker (Parks) 9:20-10:00, Conscious Discipline Guest Speaker (Ayres) 10:15-10:45, Student Council (Reich’s Room)
10:40-11:10, Conscious Discipline Guest Speaker (Henrich)
1:40, 3rd Grade Delgani Strings Assembly (Cafeteria)
10:15, Student Council (Reich’s Room)
2:45-3:30, Grade Level Team Meetings
6:00-7:30, Conscious Discipline Parent Course (Library & Cafeteria)

February 21 (W)
Girls on the Run Registration Opens
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – SAEBRS Screener (Library)
7:00, School Executive or Regular Board Meeting (Zoom)

February 22 (H)
8:50-10:35, Book Nook (Cafeteria)
12:25-12:45, OBOB Battles (Library)
12:50-1:15, OBOB Battles (Library)
1:15, Fire Drill
2:45-3:30, Leadership Meeting (Volunteer’s Classroom)

February 23 (F)
Holt Spirit Day – Animal Day!
8:20-8:40, School Spirit Assembly (Gym)
12:25-12:45, OBOB Battles (Library)
12:50-1:15, OBOB Battles (Library)

February 24 (SA)
10:00-1:00, Eugene Youth Math Festival (Mac Court @UO)

February 26 (M)
2nd Grade Staff Room Duty
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
12:25-12:45, OBOB Battles (Library)
12:50-1:15, OBOB Battles (Library)
3:30-5:30, Allan to Elem Prinicpals’ Meeting (Ed Center)

February 27 (T)
Holt Night Out – McMenamins on 19th
2:45-3:30, IPBS Meeting (Kelsey’s Room)
6:00-7:30, Conscious Discipline Parent Course (Library & Cafeteria)

February 28 (W)
12:25-12:45, OBOB Battles (Library)
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – Equity & Inclusion Team (Library)

February 29 (H)
8:50-10:35, Book Nook (Cafeteria)
9:00-2:25, Dental Clinics (Lost & Found Area)
2:45, Staff Meeting (Volunteer’s Classroom)

February 30 (F)
Women’s History Month
Read Across America – Buddy Reading Event
9:00-2:25, Dental Clinics (Lost & Found Area)

We may have lost our 3-day weekend, but we can make it the next five weeks until spring break, right?

Allan

February 12, 2024

By Allan | 2024/02/10 23:05 Posted in Announcements, Equity, SEL | Comments Off

Hi Everyone,

Man, I was really looking forward to that 3-day weekend.

Sixteen items of note for this week:

• Title EA Job Posting – Holt’s Title 1 EA Job Posting to find a replacement for Annie is now up. I’m asking HR to extend the closing date to be closer to when we get staffing allocations, so applicants would have a better idea about the stability of the position beyond this school year.

• Report Card Send-Home Day, MONDAY – Reports cards and inserts will go home in Monday Mailers this Monday.

• Friendship Day, WEDNESDAY – Teachers and teams should communicate to families your plan for Friendship Day. The staff agreement is to do Friendship Day as opposed to celebrating Valentine’s Day, though some grade levels did traditional card exchanges. February 14th should be referred to as “Friendship Day.” Grade levels need to have general agreement around what they will do, bring, create, etc. and arebe responsible for communicating expectations to families.

• All-School La Bomba Dance Party – WEDNESDAY @9:28 – Kids will receive a FREE pair of Bombas Socks on Wednesday to celebrate thanks to our friends at Hope Project and Bombas! Socks will be delivered to all classrooms this week. On Wednesday morning, you can hand out the socks. Kids can put them on right away or save them for later. At 9:28, I will announce it’s LaBOMBAS time, where can join in on an all-school dance party.If you need to swap out a size, text or call Ashley and will have students ready to deliver.

• Staff Pet Kahoot – To add onto the Friendship Day fun, Elizabeth made Holt Bolt’s Friends (Pet Kahoot!!) you can do with kids on Wednesday if you’d like. Let Elizabeth know if she missed anyone’s pet.

• Wednesday PD: Vector Training Time – This Wednesday will be one of two times for teachers to complete the second rounds of Vector trainings. If you’re wondering why there were new trainings, HR told principals the state and their insurance carrier mandated additional trainings this school year, which these cover.

• Fire Drill, THURSDAY @1:15 – We’ll reschedule our missed fire drill this Thursday at 1:15. Linked here is a copy of the Building Evacuation Map and the Fire Drill Line-Up Map. If we get rained out, I’ll reschedule for early next week.

• Grade Level Team Meetings, 2/20 – The first two Tuesdays of the month on non-Staff Meeting weeks are dedicated Grade Level Team Meeting times. Teams should:

• Meet in their wing so specialists can connect if needed
• Take care of any needed team business
• Complete the Team Meeting Minutes Form (make a copy) and email it to holt_staf@4j.lane.edu

The Team Meeting Minutes Form can also be found on the Holt Staff Dashboard.

• Wednesday PD: Equity & Inclusion Team, 2/21 – Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 1:30 in the library will be an Equity &. Inclusion Team focused meeting. Stay tuned for details and if you didn’t get a chance to read it before, check out Emily’s email on Encouraging High Standards.

• Holt Spirit Day – Animal Day, 2/23 – Friday, Feb. 23 is a Holt Spirit Day and this time it’s Animal Day! Tell your kids to dress up as an animal, wear some animal print, a shirt with animals on it, make some ears, or just wear some spirit gear! And if you want to be secretly funny, feel free to do a Where the Wild Things Are theme in your classroom this day. “Let the wild rumpus start!” 😉

• Spirit Assembly 2/23 @8:20 – The February School Spirit Assembly is on Friday, Feb. 23 in the gym. The assembly will start at 8:20, but all classes should be in the gym by 8:15. Stay tuned for details!

• 24-25 Staffing Timeline – Downtown is promising to give schools all of our allocations at once this year; licensed and classified, SSD, ELD, and SIA, but did not mention Title, which I’m following up on. They are only giving us 1 week and 3 days to process our staffing plan. Last year we had 4 weeks. This seems way too short and I also plan to follow up with district admin about this, either giving more time to process or at least giving us classroom FTE ahead of time. However, if these dates stand, below is the timeline I’ll follow for the staffing process. I’ll plan to run this past staff for approval, but feedback beforehand is welcome.

Feb. 29 – Staff Meeting: Staffing Priorities & Grade Level Needs
Mar. 8 – HR gives principals 24-25 allocations
Mar. 8 – Allan emails allocations & draft scenarios
Mar. 13 – Wed. PD: Staffing Discussion #1
Mar. 14 – Staff Meeting: Staffing Discussion #2
Mar. 14 – Mar. 19 – Anonymous Google Survey
Mar. 20 – Wed. PD: Final Discussion
Mar. 20 – Staffing Plans Due to HR

• 24-25 School Supply Suggestions – Downtown is planning to provide school supplies again. This is the district’s Elementary School Supply List. Let me know by the end of the week if there are any other items you think should be on this list. Headphones are one I’m adding. If there are item we want that don’t make the list we are allowed to ask families to provide them.

• SSD January Newsletter – If you’re interested here is the February SSD Newsletter. Topics include the Neurodiversity Town Hall, Job Expo, IEP Amendments, and more. The SSD Newsletter Archives has all prior newsletters.

•Repeats & Reminders – See prior announcements for details:

• 22/23 Staffing Survey – To help me with next year’s staffing plan, I’d like staff, both classified and licensed, to complete the linked 2024-2025 Staffing Survey. I’d like to know staff members’ individual plans and preferences for the future as well as your thoughts on next year’s staffing plan, master schedule, or other thoughts. All answers will be kept confidential and let me know if you have any questions.

• Random Act of Kindness Week – Celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Week February 11-17! If you’d like to do something with kids, HERE, HERE, and HERE are some activity ideas.

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

February 12 (M)
Kindergarten Staff Room Duty
Random Act of Kindness Week
Artist in Residence – Larry Meyers (4th & 5th Grade)
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
Report Cards Sent Home
7:30, Allan Monthly Meeting w/Jeff Johnson (Office)
12:25-12:45, OBOB Battles (Library)
12:50-1:15, OBOB Battles (Library)
3:30-5:30, Allan to SCIP Meeting (Ed Center)

February 13 (T)
Birthday Drinks & Goodies in Staff Room
8:45-9:20, Conscious Discipline Guest Speaker (Parks)
9:20-10:00, Conscious Discipline Guest Speaker (Ayres)
10:40-11:10, Conscious Discipline Guest Speaker (Henrich)
2:45-3:30, PBIS/SEL Team Meeting (Kelsey’s Room)
6:00-7:30, Conscious Discipline Parent Course (Library & Cafeteria)

February 14 (W)
Holt Friendship Day – Bomba Sock Day
9:28, All-School La Bomba Dance Party
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – Vector Training Time (Library)

February 15 (H)
8:50-10:35, Book Nook (Cafeteria)
9:00-11:40, 2nd Grade (Bemiller/Rabourn) Jordan Schnitzer Field Trip
12:25-12:45, OBOB Battles (Library)
12:50-1:15, OBOB Battles (Library)
1:15, Fire Drill
2:45, Staff Meeting (Volunteer’s Classroom)
6:30-7:30, 4th Grade Invention Project Night (Gym)

February 16 (F)
9:00-11:40, 2nd Grade (Norton/Gulleckson) Jordan Schnitzer Field Trip
12:25-12:45, OBOB Battles (Library)
12:50-1:15, OBOB Battles (Library)
4:30, Allan to 4J BIPoC Staff Affinity Meeting (Churchill)

February 19 (M)
1st Grade Staff Room Duty
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
10:15, Student Council (Reich’s Room)
12:25-12:45, OBOB Battles (Library)
12:50-1:15, OBOB Battles (Library)

February 20 (T)
10:15-10:45, Student Council (Reich’s Room)
1:40, 3rd Grade Delgani Strings Assembly (Cafeteria)
2:45-3:30, Grade Level Team Meetings
6:00-7:30, Conscious Discipline Parent Course (Library & Cafeteria)

February 21 (W)
Girls on the Run Registration Opens
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – Equity & Inclusion Team (Library)
7:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

February 22 (H)
8:50-10:35, Book Nook (Cafeteria)
12:25-12:45, OBOB Battles (Library)
12:50-1:15, OBOB Battles (Library)
2:45-3:30, Leadership Meeting (Volunteer’s Classroom)

February 23 (F)
Holt Spirit Day – Animal Day!
8:20-8:40, School Spirit Assembly (Gym)
12:25-12:45, OBOB Battles (Library)
12:50-1:15, OBOB Battles (Library)

February 24 (SA)
10:00-1:00, Eugene Youth Math Festival (Mac Court @UO)

30 school days until spring break! [grits teeth]

Allan

January 22, 2024

By Allan | 2024/01/20 15:24 Posted in Announcements, Equity, P.D. | Comments Off

Howdy Everyone,

Was it just me or was it really weird to start the weekend after working just one day in the building?

Anyhow, a few changes in meeting schedules are below (SST Tuesday instead of IPBS, pushed out the 100% Data Team Meeting Wednesday PD, rescheduled the Fire Drill, and rescheduled a School Choice Tour).

Twenty-one items of note for this week:

• Swings and School Garden Closed – Until Facilities staff trim the broken tree limbs on sofe play, the swings by the tree will be closed, as is the school garden for the same reason. Jeremy has already taped off the school garden area and will tape off the swings on Monday.

• New Winter Benchmark Deadline, 1/31 – Wednesday, Jan. 31 will be the new deadline to complete Winter easyCBM Benchmarking.

• Student Support Team (SST) Meeting TUESDAY – Rescheduling our missed SST meeting from last week, we will this Tuesday to screen potential referrals for SPED evaluations and for SST members to do a monthly check-ins on students currently in the evaluation process. Use the Request for Student / Classroom Support Form to make a referral to the team. An agenda was emailed to staff earlier regarding the students who will be discussed.

• Wednesday PD: Equity & Inclusion Team – The winter benchmark deadline has been moved to Jan 31 (see email for details if you’re interested), so we are rescheduling the 100% Data Team Meeting. Instead, this Wednesday at 1:30 in the library, will be our Equity & Inclusion Team PD that got iced out last week.

• School Choice Presentation THURSDAY @9:00 (Library & Zoom) – Downtown wants all elementary schools to reschedule any missed tours due to the ice storm, so I added one to this Friday right before the 1st and 2nd Grade Family Math Night.

Thurs, Jan. 25, 9:00-10:00 a.m. (Holt Library & Zoom)
Fri., Jan. 26, 4:00-5:00 p.m. (Holt Library & Zoom)

• Fire Drill, THURSDAY @1:15 – We’ll reschedule our missed fire drill for this Thursday at 1:15. Linked here is a copy of the Building Evacuation Map and the Fire Drill Line-Up Map. If we get rained out, I’ll reschedule for early next week.

• Holt Spirit Day – Wacky Hair Day, 1/26 – Friday, Jan. 26 is a Holt Spirit Day and this time it’s Wacky Hair Day! Tell your kids to create their wackiest and wildest hairdo or just wear their Holt spirit gear!

• Spirit Assembly FRIDAY@8:20 – The January School Spirit Assembly is this Friday in the gym. The assembly will start at 8:20, but all classes should be in the gym by 8:15. Stay tuned for details!

• SPED EA Interviews, FRIDAY @2:45 – Our 7-hour SPED EA job posting closed on Thursday, so Emily and I are planning to hold interviews this Friday at 2:45. Let me know if you would like to volunteer your time to help with interviews and I will send you the interview materials.

• 1st, and 2nd Grade Family Math Night, FRIDAY – Friday, January 26, 5:30-6:45pm is the 1st and 2nd Grade Family Math Game Night. 5:30-6:10 will be math games in classrooms and 6:15-6:45 will be pizza and a raffle in cafeteria.

• Holt Night Out @Panera, 1/30, 4:00-8:00 – The January Holt Night Out Fundraiser is at Panera Bread at Gateway on Tuesday, January 30th from 4:00 pm – 8:00 p.m. Dine-in, drive-thru, pick-up, or delivery. For online orders, use the promo code FUND4U. Remind students and get them pumped!

• Wednesday PD: Report Card Collaboration, 1/31 – In addition to the Report Card Grading Day, teachers can use this time to connect, collaborate, and prep for report cards.

• New Report Card, Grading Day, and Transition Day Info – See Erin Gaston’s Report Card Email for info on the new mid-year grade scores, using a score of “1”, and generic vs. individual comments. Key resournce in the email are:

Report Card One Pager(scoring rubric and tips for best practices)

Report Card Guidance Sheets for K-5 (ELA & Report Card alignment)

Elementary Report Card Checklist (How to use Synergy. Links will be updated)

• Feb. 1 EA Pathways PD – The EA Pathways PD Email appears to be optional, since it says, “If you… would like to register.” The Conscious Discipline PD is probably a good one if you haven’t had it already, though the others look more Life Skills-focused. See LINK for more info.

• Classified Staff Meeting 2/1 @12:30 – I don’t currently have any agenda items for this meeting, so for now it will be a check-in meeting, but do let me know if there are any agenda items you’d like discussed.

• Feb. 2 Transition Day – See last week’s announcemnts for the long verison, but the short version is this day is for ELA prep.

• 24-25 Staffing Timeline (no official info yet) – Several folks have asked, but principals have not been given a timeline for 24-25 Staffing. However, staffing plans are typically due the week before spring break and buildings are given 3 weeks to process staffing scenarios, which means we’ll likely get our staffing allocations the last week of February.

• Black History Month Resources – February is Black History Month, so I wanted to pass along this list as a starting point for resources.

Info on BHM origins:
• Awesome Video: How Black History Went From a Week to a Month 
• Article: Black History Themes
• Article: The Man Behind Black History Month

On Teaching:
• How to Be an Anti-Racist White Educator
• What Anti-Racist Teachers Do Differently

Black Youth Leaders and Activists:
• Past: Youth in the Civil Rights Movement
• Present: Young Black Activists, Young Black Leaders and Creators Making History Today, Amanda Gorman

From 4J District Librarian, Amy Page:
• Libray Connection 2023
• Sora Black History Month Collection
• Black History Month eBooks

From WeAre Teachers:
• Bulletin Boards
• Posters
• Activities
• Books

Keep in mind that black history and teaching the story of historically of marginalized groups should be a year round-activity and not just a sidebar or novelty to the American history typically taught in U.S. schools. It should be viewed as a central part of the American story.

• WREN Newsletter and PDs – The latest Western Regional Educator Network (WREN) Newsletter lists some new new Zoom PD opportunities that staff are compensated for attending and are pretty nice to do from your home. They also list several other opportunities including affinity spaces and teacher pathways for classified staff of color.

•Repeats & Reminders – See prior announcements for details:

• Draft Two-Year Calendar Feedback (2024–25/2025–26) – I’d encourage everyone to do the 24/25 and 25/26 Draft School Calendar Feedback Survey. See my prior announcements for the feedback I submitted.

• New WalkerTracker Challenge – There’s a new WalkerTracker Team Challenge January 21-27 if you want to join the Holt Team. I have a fun time comparing how many steps I get compared to others on the team. Download the app (iOS or Android) or go to the 4J WalkerTracker Website to sign up.

• Grading Day Expectations – HR allows teachers to work from home if you notify your administrator in advance, but plan ahead if you need to collaborate with any colleagues. Be sure to use this time for grading and not use it to run errands around town. Teachers are highly visible members of the community, so keep in mind public perception.

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

January 22 (M)
SPED/Inst. Coach, Staff Room Duty
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
12:25-12:45, OBOB Battles (5th Classrooms)
12:50-1:15, OBOB Battles (Library)

January 23 (T)
8:45-9:20, Conscious Discipline Guest Speaker (Parks)
9:20-10:00, Conscious Discipline Guest Speaker (Ayres)
10:15-10:45, Student Council (Reich’s Room)
10:40-11:10, Conscious Discipline Guest Speaker (Heinrich)
2:45-3:30, SST Meeting (Kelsey’s Room)
4:00-5:30, Allan to All Admin Meeting (Zoom)
6:00-7:30, Conscious Discipline Parent Course (Library & Cafeteria)

January 24 (W)
12:25-12:45, OBOB Battles (5th Classrooms)
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – Wednesday PD – Equity & Inclusion Team

January 25 (H)
8:50-10:35, Book Nook (Cafeteria)
9:00-10:00, School Choice Presentation (Library & Zoom)
1:15, Fire Drill
2:45-3:30, Staff Meeting (Volunteer’s Room)

January 26 (F)
Holt Spirit Day – Wacky Hair Day
8:20, School Spirit Assembly (Gym)
12:25-12:45, OBOB Battles (5th Classrooms)
12:50-1:15, OBOB Battles (Library)
2:30-4:00, SPED EA Interviews (Emily’s Room)
4:00-5:00, Rescheduled School Choice Tour (Library & Zoom)
5:30-7:00, 1st and 2nd Family Math Night (Classrooms & Cafeteria)
-5:30-6:10 Math games in classrooms
-6:15-6:45 Dinner & raffle in cafeteria

January 29 (M)
Office/PE/Music Staff Room Duty
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
12:25-12:45, OBOB Battles (5th Classrooms)
12:50-1:15, OBOB Battles (Library)
3:30-5:30, Allan to Elem Principals’ Meeting (Ed Center)

January 30 (T)
4:00-8:00, Panera Bread – Holt Night Out
6:00-7:30, Conscious Discipline Parent Course (Library & Cafeteria)

January 31 (W)
easyCBM Winter Benchmark CLOSES
12:50-1:15, OBOB Battles (Library)
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – Report Card Coordination Time

February 1 (H)
Black History Month
No School – Semester Grading Day
8:00-11:30, EA Pathways PD (Churchill HS)
9:00, Safety Committee Meeting (Office)
12:30, Classified Staff Meeting (Library)

February 2 (F)
No School – Transition Day
9:30-4:40, Allan to HR Training (Ed Center)

Hopefully, things are back to normal this week for folks. Last week was a rough one!

Allan

January 8, 2024

By Allan | 2024/01/06 22:37 Posted in Announcements, Assessment, Equity, Grants, P.D., Video | Comments (2)

Greetings Bolts,

Have you been watching the weather forecast? Snow Friday? See if we get a 4-day weekend!

Twenty-four items of note for this week:

• Staffing Updates – Two staffing updates:

• New School Nurse: Hannah Green – Please welcome Hannah Green as our new School Nurse. She is an experienced school nurse and actually started with us Tuesday last week, so please welcome Hannah to Team Holt!

• SPED EA Job Posting – HR still hasn’t posted our SPED EA job posting, but I’m hopeful it’ll go up this week. We’re waiting on the Finance Dept. to approve the job posting last I checked.

• PBIS Playground Rules Round-Up, Rescheduled MONDAY – The Playground Rules Round-Up got rained out last week for K/1 and 2/3 and is rescheduled for Monday if the weather cooperates. We’ll do Tuesday if we’re rained out again.

K/1 MONDAY @ 8:15-8:45
5-Minute Rotations (4 min. talk, 1 min. transition)
Classes start at:
1. Rough Play/Horseplay and Chase Games (Vaughan & Harmon)
2. Playground Balls (Gulewich)
3. Stop Walk Talk (Gori)
4. Rules for the Field (Willow)
5. Swings/Slides (Zluticky)
6. Structures (Seno)

2/3 MONDAY @ 1:40-2:10
5-Minute Rotations (4 min. talk, 1 min. transition)
Classes start at:
1. Rough Play/Horseplay and Chase Games (Rabourn & Gulekson)
2. Playground Balls (Norton)
3. Stop Walk Talk (Bemiller)
4. Rules for the Field (Harshbarger)
5. Swings/Slides (Talley)
6. Structures (Ball)

• FFVP Resumes TUESDAY – A reminder that the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program resumes this Tuesday.

• Wednesday PD: Upbeat Survey – Wednesday at 1:30 in the library we’ll review the results from the fall Upbeat Survey, which this time around we can compare to last year’s survey results.

• School Choice Presentation WEDNESDAY @6:00 (Zoom) – Downtown is having all elementary schools give school choice presentations, one on Zoom, one in person during school, and one in person in the evening. Our first one, on Zoom, will be in two weeks on Wednesday, January 10th, from 6:00-7:00.

Wed., Jan. 10, 6:00-7:00 p.m. (Zoom)
Wed., Jan. 17, 6:00-7:00 p.m. (Holt Library & Zoom)
Thurs, Jan. 25, 9:00-10:00 a.m. (Holt Library & Zoom)

If you’d like to check out the updated 2024 School Choice Slideshow, our About Holt / School Choice webpage, or our Enroll / Register webpage, feedback to make them better is welcome.

• Grade Level Team Meetings, 1/16 – The first two Tuesdays of the month on non-Staff Meeting weeks are dedicated Grade Level Team Meeting times. Teams should:

• Meet in their wing so specialists can connect if needed
• Take care of any needed team business
• Complete the Team Meeting Minutes Form (make a copy) and email it to holt_staf@4j.lane.edu

The Team Meeting Minutes Form can also be found on the Holt Staff Dashboard.

• Student Support Team (SST) Meeting 1/16 CORRECTION – I emailed the wrong SST Meeting date. SST is the same week as Grade Level Team meetings, so it will be on Tuesday, January 16th. The purpose of this team is to screen potential referrals for SPED evaluations and for SST members to do monthly check-ins on students currently in the evaluation process. Use the Request for Student / Classroom Support Form and check the new checkbox I’ve added called “Academics – Student Support Team – SPED Referral” to make a referral to the team.

• Wednesday PD: Equity & Inclusion Team 1/17 – Wednesday, Jan. 17 at 1:30 in the library our Equity & Inclusion team is preparing a discussion and training for staff.

• OSHA Inspection Info – I’ve put this on the Staff Meeting Agenda for Thursday, but I’m including it here so all staff have the information. If we were to get a surprise OSHA inspection, all staff need to be able to answer the following questions if an OSHA inspector quizzed you, which they do randomly of all staff:

What are SDS Sheets? An SDS Sheet (Safety Data Sheet) has information about the properties of chemical products in use at our school, including the product’s composition, potential hazards, safe use, and emergency procedures. The SDS sheets are also on a Facilities SDS Information Website (you need to be on the 4J Network to view the site).

Where are the SDS Sheets located? For Holt, our notebooks with the SDS sheets are located in the custodial office. We are planning to get additional copies to keep in the front office.

Where are the Safety Committee Minutes located? Both the Holt and district Safety Committee Minutes are posted in the Staff Room. Additionally, building minutes are on the Staff Google Drive and the district minutes are online at the district website.

Where is the Worker’s Comp Claims Log located? The last 5 years are posted in the Staff Room (they’re really not, but they will be once I get copies from Risk Management).

Where are the Injury & Incident reports located? These are kept in a binder in the office.

• Jan. 2 PD Feedback – If you haven’t already, fill out the Jan. 2 Feedback form to weigh in if you like having a choice of sessions, the shorter session length, your thoughts on the quality of each of the sessions, and any future PD topics you’d like to see. Linked here are the Classified PD Feedback and Licensed PD Feedback.

• PTO Meeting Highlights – Linked here is the PTO Meeting Slideshow, but a few highlights include that the Holt Bolt will be Friday, May 17th (the date suggested by Leadership), budget updates, soliciting volunteers for various events (OBOB, Carnival, Book Fair, etc.), and the PTO is now their own 501(c)(3), which means they don’t have to follow onerous district Finance rules (can buy food, do reimbursements, and they don’t have to worry about downtown losing checks, which they’ve done).

• Sluggo’s Home Run Reading Challenge – The Ems left bookmarks for teachers to pass out to students to track the reading goal you’ve given them for Sluggo’s Home Run Reading Challenge. Teachers may set any goal you feel is appropriate. The program officially ends at the end of the month, but teachers can extend that the reading goal beyond that if you’d like and I’ll go ahead and tell the Ems all students met their goal so we have enough tickets to go around.

• Draft Two-Year Calendar Feedback (2024–25/2025–26) – The latest 4J Educator Newsletter is asking for 24-25 and 25-26 Draft Calendar Feedback. I’d encourage everyone to share your thoughts. Downtown did listen to input last year on the draft calendars and did make changes, so share your thoughts. Below is the input I shared, though I’m sure my extended school year idea probably isn’t universally loved and I doubt will ever happen:

June Grading Day (Elementary) – 4J tried putting the elementary grading day after school gets out one-year pre-COVID and it was a disaster. Elementary needs the grading day the Friday before the last week of school. I’d suggest moving the No School Day before Memorial Day weekend, which seems unnecessary, to be an Elementary Grading Day the Friday before the last week of school.

Mid-Term Grading Days – These days are unnecessary for elementary. In November, elementary already miss three days for parent/teacher conferences, so having a 3-day-week right before is a huge break in instruction. I understand wanting to align calendars between elementary and secondary, but make this a PD day or move it to the Friday before winter and spring break (there are tons of absences these days at elementary anyhow), or move them to the last two days of school, so the last student days are not on a Monday and Tuesday.

Transition Days – Move the Transition Days to the Monday after winter break and spring break. Since this is being treated as a prep day, elementary teachers don’t need an additional prep day for the start of a new semester following a grading day, but they could absolutely use a prep day following winter and spring break.

Last Student Days – The last two days of school on Monday and Tuesday will be a waste of time and there will likely be a high student (and staff) absence rate. School should end at the end of the week. Move two of the Transition Days or Mid-Term Grading Days to the end of the calendar so we can end on a Friday.

Early Report Back Date – Be sure to notify EEA in time if teachers are going to have an earlier report back date than what’s currently on these calendars.

Professional Development Days – I’m good with fewer district-led PD days, which is how 4J used to operate, but we should also then reduce the number of instructional staff (licensed and admin) at the district level as well.

Extended School Year – If the intention with this calendar is to extend the school year, I’d suggest going all in! Put in a significant number of non-school days throughout the year so students attend school through the end of June. Look at the old extended-year calendar that ATA used to follow when Jeff Johnson was principal there.

• EEF Grants Awarded – Holt was awarded EEF Grants for four different grants; Fill the Book Machine (Potter), Drumming with a Purpose (Zehner), Can You Hear Us Now? (Reich), Alternative Recess & Social Skills Development (McManus).

• SPLASH! Mini-Grants for Classrooms – If you missed it in the last Eco Experience Science Newsletter, The City of Eugene is now accepting SPLASH! Grant Applications. I’ve added this to the Business Items at Thursday’s Staff Meeting.

• OSAS Testing Window & Preliminary Info – Debbi, our STC (Site Testing Coordinator), will have more info to share after the STC training, but this STC & Principal Email has the testing windows for this year, also below, as well as some other OSAS info if you want a preview before our annual OSAS training.

3rd-5th Grade ELA/Math: April 2 – June 14
5th Grade Science: March 5 – June 14
3rd – 5th Grade SEED Survey (must be offered): March 5 – June 14
K-5 English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA): January 9 – April 12

• Cafeteria Waste Station Review – Tana Shepard wanted to share the linked Cafeteria Waste Station Teaching Resources to reteach your students on the cafeteria waste stations. For additional questions, please reach out directly to Tana.

• SSD January Newsletter – If you’re interested here is the January SSD Newsletter. Topics include requirements for Prior Written Notices, move-in students, Core Boards, and more. The SSD Newsletter Archives has all prior newsletters.

• Lane Regional Teacher Pathways – Lane ESD – Application is Open – Lane Regional Teacher Pathways is a scholarship program for folks interested in pursuing or advancing their career in education. This scholarship centers on ethnically, racially and/or linguistically diverse educators in Lane County. The Pathways program provides scholarships ranging from $2,500-$15,000 to work toward earning an educational license as a teacher, counselor, English Language Development Specialist, Special Education teacher and/or Speech Language pathologist. Click here for more information.

• MLK Jr. Day Resources – If you missed it in the latest 4J Library Connection, there is an excellent resource filled Let’s Learn About Martin Luther King Jr. Slide.

• Free Holt International Calendars – Holt International dropped off a bunch of 2024 Calendars I put in the workroom if anyone would like one.

•Repeats & Reminders – See prior announcements for details:

• School Board Appreciation Poster, MONDAY Deadline to Sign – Please sign the School Board Appreciation Poster in the Staff Room by Monday if you haven’t already.

• PBIS Rules Refresher Slideshow – Teachers should find time to review the PBIS Common Area Rules Review Slideshow (Winter 2024) with your class if you haven’t already. Related, there are also quite a few really good student-made videos by past Holt students on many playground and recess game rules on the Holt Portaportal.

• HANDBOOK HIGHLIGHT: Room Clears – This week’s highlight from the Holt Staff Handbook, is on Room Clears. Please note that if you ever do a Room Clear, document it with a major referral if it’s not for a medical or non-behavior-related situation.

Room Clears
Procedure: Direct response – push the button on the wall, state your name, and classroom number, stay with the student in the classroom until relief comes, and send the rest of the class to their partner classroom.

When and why?
-When a significant disruption or safety threat occurs
Where to go/partner classroom
-Partner classroom in the same wing as your classroom
-Library
-Extra recess outside (with adult only)

Documentation: If a room clear occurs, the use of a “major” is used to document the incident

-Room clear partner classrooms should be established and revisited each year
-Your partner classroom should be a nearby room
-If you are a specialist or Sped, it is most helpful to coordinate with another teacher who has similar groupings or needs
-When you room clear, the teacher stays, and the students go.
-Also teach your students that if your partner classroom isn’t available (due to field trip, or out of the room) go to another closest room. If a class shows up, take them in!
-The office will need confirmation at some point that you have completed this practice. This should be done during Safety Week

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

January 8 (M)
5th Grade, Staff Room Duty
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
8:15-8:45, K/1 Rules Round-Up (Playground)
1:40-2:10, 2/3 Rules Round-Up (Playground)
3:30-5:30, Allan to All Admin’ Meeting (Ed Center)

January 9 (T)
Birthday Drinks & Goodies in Staff Room
FFVP (Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program) Resumes
8:45-9:20, Conscious Discipline Guest Speaker (Parks)
9:20-10:00, Conscious Discipline Guest Speaker (Ayres)
10:15-10:45, Student Council (Reich’s Room)
10:40-11:10, Conscious Discipline Guest Speaker (Henrich)
2:45-3:30, PBIS/SEL Team Meeting (Calming Room)
6:00-7:30, Conscious Discipline Parent Course (Library & Cafeteria)

January 10 (W)
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – Upbeat Survey Results
6:00-7:00, School Choice Presentation (Zoom)
7:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

January 11 (H)
7:30-9:00, Allan to MAPS Meeting
8:50-10:35, Book Nook (Cafeteria)
2:45-3:30, Staff Meeting (Kendallyn’s Room)

January 12 (F)
11:45, OBOB Practice (Library)
1:15, OBOB Practice (Library)
4:30, Allan to 4J BIPOC Staff Affinity Group

January 15 (M)
No School – Martin Luther King Jr. Day

January 16 (T)
ELD/Speech/Counselor/Library Staff Room Duty
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
8:45-9:20, Conscious Discipline Guest Speaker (Parks)
9:20-10:00, Conscious Discipline Guest Speaker (Ayres)
10:40-11:10, Conscious Discipline Guest Speaker (Henrich)
12:15-12:45, Student Council (Reich’s Room)
2:45-3:30, Grade Level Team Meetings
2:45-3:30, SST Meeting (Kelsey’s Room)
6:00-7:30, Conscious Discipline Parent Course (Library & Cafeteria)

January 17 (W)
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – Equity & Inclusion Team
6:00-7:00, School Choice Presentation (Library & Zoom)
7:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

January 18 (H)
8:50-10:35, Book Nook (Cafeteria)
2:45-3:30, Leadership Meeting (Kelsey’s Room)

January 19 (F)
11:45, OBOB Practice (Library)
1:15, OBOB Practice (Library)

If you need something heartwarming, Kim made a super nice thank-you video for Garden Way Church for supporting the Holt Holiday Shopping Program.

Allan

November 6, 2023

By Allan | 2023/11/04 20:33 Posted in Announcements, Articles, Equity, P.D., Video | Comments (1)

Hi Everyone,

We survived Halloween and are now being rewarded with a nice short week.

Twenty-one items of note for this week:

• Staffing Updates – Two staffing updates:

• New Title 1 EA (Timmy Beick) – Timmy Beick has been hired as our new 4-hour Title 1 EA, filling Carol’s position, which he’s been subbing in for the past couple weeks. And if you didn’t know, Timmy is the son of SPED EA Molly Beick and also plays volleyball with our Family Resource Coordinator, Felicia, so we are keeping it in the family. Please welcome Timmy to the team!

• SPED EA Job Posting – I’ve modified our 7-hour SPED EA job posting to 6.5 hours and have shifted 30-minutes of that vacancy to Denice, who expressed interest in moving to 7-hours instead of 6.5 hours. I’ve asked HR to simply modify the job posting, but they may require us to post all over again, which will stretch the hiring process out longer, but Tiffany is planning to continue to subbing in this vacancy and is also planning to apply once it goes up.

• Stop, Walk, Talk Lesson 1 & 2 This Week – Teachers this week should teach Lessons #1 and #2 of the Stop Walk Talk Bully Prevention Lessons. The subsequent lessons are optional. The first lesson is on how to use Stop, Walk, Talk (you can skip the candle portion of the lesson) and the second lesson is on how to respond when someone tells YOU to stop. I forgot to share a Lesson 1 & 2 Slideshow shared last year, which anyone can feel free to use. Linked here is the Stop Walk Talk Resource Folder that’s on the Staff Google Drive, which has the poster I’ll get up around the school and other items.

• TAG Testing TUESDAY – Caitlin will notify teachers if you have any students who will be tested, but district TAG testers will be here Tuesday to conduct testing. I’m still working on a space for testing, but it may end up being in my office.

• Wednesday PD: 11/8 Staff Meeting – Wednesday at 1:30 will be a Staff Meeting instead of PE since we had to shift the November Leadership Meeting around due to all the non-school days. Let me know if you have any agenda items.

• Mid-Term Grading Day, THURSDAY – Downtown shared with principals that for Nov. 9, staff are expected to report to the building and be available to colleagues, with 3.75 hours of ELA Planning and 3.75 hours of Assessment and Conference Planning On a related note, their plan for the April 12 Mid Term Grading Day is for 3.75 hours of ELA Planning and 3.75 hours of Strategic Family Outreach.

• Nov. 9 Assistance Requests (EAs, Add Your Names) – If staff are needing assistance from EAs with anything on the Mid-Term Grading Day, add those tasks to the Nov. 9 EA Assistance Form. Last time around, most all EAs ended up being required to attend PD, but this time downtown is not pulling as many staff.

• Classified Staff Meeting, THURSDAY @9:00 – I’ll hold a Classified Staff Meeting at 9:00 to review Stop, Walk, Talk, do a supervision checking (make sure we are aligned on rules), and any other topics the group would like to discuss. Let me know if you have any agenda items. I know there is a district PD during this same time, but I’ve heard most EAs are not signing up for it since many EAs have already gone though Conscious Discipline and the others are Life Skills focused, but let me know if you are attending because I will reschedule the meeting to a later time if a number of staff are attending.

• Grade Level Team Meetings, Nov. 14 – The first two Tuesdays of the month on non-Staff Meeting weeks are dedicated Grade Level Team Meeting times. Teams should:

• Meet in their wing so specialists can connect if needed
• Take care of any needed team business
• Complete the Team Meeting Minutes Form (make a copy) and email it to holt_staf@4j.lane.edu

The Team Meeting Minutes Form can also be found on the Holt Staff Dashboard.

• Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day, Nov. 14 – Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day is Tuesday, Nov. 14, so please encourage your kiddo to walk, roll, or carpool this day. Share earlier are some resources including the Day of Dialogue Teachers’ Project Guide to Supporting Changemakers.

• Holt Night Out – Panda Express @VRC, Nov. 16 – Thursday, Nov. 16 is a Holt Night Out Fundraiser at Panda Express at Valley River Center, so be sure to talk it up to your students. Bring the Panda Express Event Flyer (English or Spanish), paper or smartphone, when you order or use the fundraiser code “363024” if ordering online. The PTO also wants folks to save their receipts and submit them at shopandlog.com/VRC or turn them in at the office for the PTO School Cents Fundraiser (English or Spanish).

• Holt Spirit Day, Nov. 17, Backwards Day! – Friday, Nov. 17 is a Holt Spirit Day and this time it’s Backwards Day! Get kids excited to wear everything backwards; backwards shirts, pants, hats, backpacks, etc. or kids can simply wear their Holt spirit gear (maybe backwards).

• Magic & Balloon Sculpting Assembly, Nov. 17 – The November monthly School Spirit Assembly is a combo assembly with a fun Magic & Balloon Sculpting Assembly on Friday, Nov. 17. The K-2 assembly is 8:05-8:55 and the grade 3-5 assembly is 9:05-9:55.

• Elementary Admin Curriculum Updates – The linked 4J Elementary Admin Curriculum Updates aren’t required reading for staff, but if you’re interested, there’s info on upcoming LETRS Trainings (now including a Nov. 9 PD date), a SWIS CICO (Check In Check Out) Zoom Training, and K-5 Health PD offerings on Jan. 2.

• Behavioral Support Shared Drive – The District Behavior Team compiled an impressive Behavior Support Folder of Resources for buildings to assess and support behavioral and SEL needs. They only gave principals access, but I downloaded a copy of it that I put in the PBIS folder on the Staff Google Drive for anyone interested.

• ODE 2022-23 School Profile Reports – If you’re interested, ODE At-A-Glance School and District Profiles are available on the 4J website, which include data on school enrollment, class size, student and teacher demographics, teacher retention, assessment info, and other details from the 2022–23 school year, but due to a technical issue, the staff data in the reports are not accurate. Corrected reports will be published when they become available.

• Mandatory Bus Training (tell Allan when completed) – I was thinking downtown forgot about this again, but the Transportation Dept. Emailed principals about the required annual bus safety training, which is to be given to all students, even non-bus riders by the end of December. In the past teachers were asked to show a video, but this year teachers are being asked to review the following two handouts:

• Riding the School Bus Safely
• Emergency Exits Handout

If teachers choose, they may also show students the videos on the 4J Transportation Website. Sadly, this no longer includes the quaint 90s bus safety relic, The Safest Way Out. Let me know the date you reviewed the handouts, so I can add it to the completion form I need to submit to downtown.

• Remind Families to Sign Up for Conferences – This week, teachers should send a whole class reminder to families about signing up for conferences. I will have a reminder in the Quick News as well.

Next week, teachers should follow up with individual outreach to families, preferably a text or phone call, but email works as well. And if you’re like me and do not like to share your personal cell number for texting, Google Voice is a good option, which allows you to kill off your Google Voice number at any point and then get a fresh one. Google Voice is unfortunately turned off as a feature for 4J, so you have to use a personal Google account. There are other apps you can also use for anonymous texting, such as TextNow, that do the same thing, but I prefer Google Voice since you can easily do it on your laptop.

• October SSD Newsletter – If you’re interested, here is the November SSD Newsletter, which has info about ELD teachers in IEP meetings, when to consider reevaluation, where BSPs “live,” and how DHS caseworkers participate in special education meetings/processes. See the Newsletter Archive for past newsletters.

• American Indian Heritage Month – Last Wednesday was the first day of American Indian Heritage Month. The latest Library Lowdown has some good resources, including a curated list of titles available in Sora and a collection of resources in Destiny Discover. The Eugene Public Library has a great list of books too. Other resources are:

Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian
Native Knowledge 360° Project

Article by Author Dr. Katrina M. Phillips about why we celebrate Native American Heritage Month

Wilderness Ridge Bookmarks from the work of author Art Colson. His books can be found in Sora too!

•Repeats & Reminders – See prior announcements for details:

• Fall Conferences Reminders – Several conference-related reminder:

• Conference Schedules to Office – Give office staff a list of your conference dates and times. Parents often forget their times and call the office. Teachers should export their times in Calendly by logging onto their account, clicking SCHEDULED EVENTS, and then clicking EXPORT to get an XLS file you can email the office.

• Items to Review at Conferences – Teachers should review the Title 1 Compact, the Annual Permissions Form, the Student Tech Contract (K-2 and 3-5) if you haven’t already, and if you would like, you can also use the Synergy Family Report, which has attendance, benchmark, and OSAS info. NEW INFO: I’ll have copies of the compact, permission form, and Synergy report in teacher’s mailboxes before the Nov. 15 Wed. PD Conference Prep time. I won’t print the Tech Contract since I don’t know who’s done it and who has not, but teachers should print it or I can print it if you let me know you need it.

• Language Link Phone Translations – See the 4J Language Link Interpreting Service webpage for step-by-step directions on how to do translations for in-person meetings, phone meetings, or Zoom meetings. The “cost center number” for Holt is 270.

• EA Assistance During Conferences Sign-Up – If teachers could use any help with prep or other tasks, add your name and the task to the EA Assistance Spreadsheet. EAs should also add your name to the tasks you’d be willing to take on

• Staff Not in Conferences – Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are regular work days for all staff who are not part of conferences and should work their regular hours at school. However, if you pre-arrange trade time with me to not work Wednesday, email me your plan ahead of time. HR Emailed principals they are also making a one-time exception to allow personal days on Wednesday for classified staff.

• Allan Available to Attend Conferences – Teachers can let me know if you have any tricky conferences you’d like me to attend. Send me a date & time (and a Zoom link if it’s on Zoom) and I’ll be there!

• Resources for Families – Should any families request assistance with food, clothing, housing/rental assistance, hygiene products, SNAP (food stamps) Benefits, Insurance, counseling, and such, please have them fill out the linked Helping Hand Online Form or contact Holt Family Resource Coordinator, Felicia LaCuesta, at lacuesta_f@4j.lane.edu or call her at (541)790-6174.

• Scientist Guest Speaker, Nov. 17 – I have one taker so far, but let me know if anyone is interested in having a scientist guest speaker. A friend from high school, Luke Wackler, is in town Nov. 17 offered to speak to any class that’s interested. He’s worked on NASA satellites, Mars rover analysis, GPS satellites, communication satellites, and electronics systems.

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

November 6 (M)
Title Staff Room Duty
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up

November 7 (T)
11:00-12:00, 4th Grade Garden
1:00-2:00, 4th Grade Garden
2:45-3:30, PBIS/SEL Meeting

November 8 (W)
TAG Testing Day
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – Staff Meeting (Library)

November 9 (H)
Exploding Whale Anniversary (KATU News & 10 min. of raw meaty footage)
No School – Mid-Term Grading Day
8:30-11:30, EA Pathways PD
9:00-10:00, Classified Staff Meeting (Library)

November 10 (F)
No School – Veterans Day (Observed)

November 13 (M)
Kinder Staff Room Duty
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
9:00-2:00, 4th Fish Creek Field Trip (Benavides & Cobb)
3:30-5:30, Allan to Elem Principals’ Meeting (Ed Center)

November 14 (T)
Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day
November Birthday Drinks & Goodies in Staff Room
9:00-2:00, 4th Fish Creek Field Trip (Longoria & Reich)
9:30-12:10, 3rd Grade Music Field Trip
11:00-12:00, 4th Grade Garden
1:00-2:00, 4th Grade Garden
2:45-3:30, Grade Level Team Meetings

November 15 (W)
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – Conferences Prep
7:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

November 16 (H)
Holt Night Out – Panda Express @VRC
Picture Retakes (Library)
8:50-10:35, Book Nook (Cafeteria)
2:45-3:30, Leadership Team Meeting (Volunteer’s Classroom)

November 17 (F)
Holt Spirit Day – Backward Day
8:05-8:55, K/1/2 Balloon & Spirit Assembly (Gym)
9:05-9:55, 3/4/5 Balloon & Spirit Assembly (Gym)
4:30, Allan to 4J BIPoC Staff Affinity Meeting (Roosevelt)

Start planning your 3-day weekend!

Allan

October 9, 2023

By Allan | 2023/10/07 19:11 Posted in Announcements, Equity, Grants, P.D. | Comments Off

Hello Holt Bolts,

Twenty items of note for this week:

• Staffing Updates – Three staffing updates:

• Small SPED FTE Increase – Sheryl was previously 0.5 FTE at Holt and 0.25 FTE at EOA, but part of her EOA time is being shifted to Holt, so she is now 0.65 at holt and only 0.10 at EOA

• Carol Leaving Us – Carol let me know last week she is resigning from her Title EA position, so I have submitted to HR to post for her vacancy, which I think should go up this week. Carol’s last day will be this Friday, so be sure to wish her well!

• Title EA Interviews, MONDAY – Jenny, Lisa G., and I are interviewing three candidates (we had 30 applicants!) this Monday after school for Lisa P.’s replacement. Let me know if any of you are interested in joining us and I will email you the interview materials.

• Wednesday PD: 100% Data Team Meeting – Wednesday at 1:30 in the library, we will participate in our first 100% Benchmark Data Review Meeting. The primary purpose will be to engage with your grade level team to assess how likely it is your core instructional materials (Heggerty, Fundations, and Wit & Wisdom) will meet your students’ needs and then make a plan together about where to focus your time and energy. Next you’ll get a chance to look at your classroom and student data to determine which students are likely to succeed with just core instruction and who may need more time and targeted support to be successful. The goal is to then connect you with the resources and support you need to best meet the needs of your group of students.

• Friday PD Day Schedule – On the Staff Zimbra Calendar and linked here is the October 13 PD Schedule, with times and locations. For specialists, refer to the emails from your presenter.

• UPDATED (Title EA PD Info): Oct. 13 Assistance Requests (EAs, Add Your Names) – If staff are needing assistance from EAs with anything on the Friday PD day, add those tasks to the Oct. 13th EA Assistance Form. Kinder and BBSAs, please add your name to the sheet where you can help and connect with the requesting staff member. Title and SPED EAs are scheduled to attend PD.

• 4J Professional Development Expectations – Downtown asked principals to share the following. Principals were also told we’re to help take attendance after all breaks and lunches during the Friday PD:

Professional Development is a major component of your continued growth as an educator. Professional Development is where you not only get the opportunity to continue your learning, but it is the beginning of shifting from learner to professional practice. Because of that, you will be expected to display professional behaviors during professional development training.

Professional behavior is also a component of your supervisor’s evaluation of your performance during the school year and therefore directly related to your advancement and continued employment in Eugene School District 4J.

Eugene School District 4J would like to introduce the following principles and expectations for professional behavior during all district and building-based professional development experiences:

1. Attendance and punctuality: arriving before the appointed time; registering your attendance; being prepared to engage as a working professional; providing your administrator prompt notification of tardiness or absences.

2. Respectful demeanor and interactions: demonstrating respect and deference to a speaker(s)/peers; conducting oneself in a manner consistent with the values and ethics of our district and the professional standards.

3. Professional language and communications: demonstrating professional oral and written (including electronic) communication skills; using discretion and appropriate professional language in addressing speaker/peers; “filtering” language to limit emotional reactivity/content; being very selective in communicating, during the training, with individuals outside of the regular training (emails).

4. Appropriate effort and initiative: collaborating with one’s peers to identify and complete training activities and expectations. Following through on appointed tasks and activities; showing a genuine interest, initiative, and engagement on the day’s topic(s) while demonstrating intellectual and professional curiosity and insightfulness.

5. Accountability and integrity: being accountable to the trainers and training participants; completing tasks and activities in a professional, high quality, and timely manner; maintaining professional integrity and honesty in all activities/interactions; accurately documenting training hours worked and tasks completed.

6. Emotional self-regulation: attending to one’s emotional reactivity and triggers; taking responsibility for one’s feelings/behavior and avoiding blame; managing the expression of raw emotions; being personally and professionally centered when engaging with the speaker(s) and other attendees; using appropriate professional language (spoken and written) to filter emotional content; demonstrating a willingness to resolve difficult conversations, relationships and modify one’s behavior accordingly.

7. Responsiveness to feedback: demonstrating non-defensive receptivity to feedback and suggestions; showing a willingness to be self-reflective and self-corrective.

This message makes me think I must have missed some fiery, emotionally charged PD sessions!

• BEST Begins, 10/16 – We’ve sent invites to families and will communicate out who is officially enrolled in BEST, but the start date is still Monday, Oct. 16th. We’re still looking for an Academic Coordinator, so let us know if anyone is interested in a little extra cash!

• Wednesday PD, 10/18: Upbeat Survey – We will not meet Wednesday, Oct. 18 and this time will instead be time for staff to complete the Upbeat Survey, which should be emailed out this week.

• Book Nook Starts 10/19 – The PTO is starting Book Nook Thursday, Oct. 19. Just like last year it’ll be during first recess in the cafeteria. For folks new to Holt, “Book Nook” is a book exchange run by our parent group. Kids can bring in a gently used book to trade for another. Kids can also bring in 25¢ to buy a book.

• Holt Night Out: MOD Pizza, 10/19 – Remind your kids that Thursday, Oct. 19 is a Holt Night Out at MOD Pizza on Coburg Road. They just need to bring the MOD Pizza Fundraiser Flyer when they order or for online orders use the coupon code MODGIVES25. 25% of purchases will go to Holt!

• Leadership Positions – Linked here is the Holt Leadership Plan I’ll submit to JCAC, which will include names of the folks assigned to each position. On the Leadership & Teams Sign-Up Sheet, we had a few positions with more than one name, so I will connect with those individuals this week before making a final decision. Positions so far are:

Equity & Inclusion Facilitator – Emily
Equity & Inclusion Facilitator – Carla
Equity & Inclusion Collaborator (Primary) – Lesli
Equity & Inclusion Collaborator (Intermediate) – Marissa
Equity & Inclusion Collaborator (SPED) – Kelsey
Equity & Inclusion Collaborator (Specialist) – Jenny
Equity & Inclusion Collaborator – Lisa Z.
Equity & Inclusion Collaborator – Kendallyn
Assembly & Enrichment Activities Coordinator – Ashley R.
Non-Monthly School Wide Assemblies – Ashley R.
Student Voice/Council/Leadership Coordinator – Ashley R.
Parent Group Liaison – Leslie
PBIS & SEL Collaborator (K-2) – TBA
PBIS & SEL Collaborator (3-5) – Geoff
Building Scheduling Facilitator – Lesli
Communications Coordinator – Debbi
Sunshine (Staff Wellness) Coordinator – Elizabeth
TAG Coordinator – Caitlin
Grade Level Team Leader KG – Lesli
Grade Level Team Leader 1st – Heidi
Grade Level Team Leader 2nd – TBA
Grade Level Team Leader 3rd – Kendallyn
Grade Level Team Leader 4th – Ashley R.
Grade Level Team Leader 5th – Liz
Specialist Team Leaders (SPED Rep & Other Licensed Specialists) – Kim
Specialist Team Leaders (SPED Rep & Other Licensed Specialists) – Kelsey
Literacy Leader – Leah
Sunshine (Staff Wellness) Collaborator – Robin S.
Student Voice/Council/Leadership Collaborator – TBA
Attendance/Family Outreach Coordinator – Kim
Girls on the Run Coordinator – TBA
Girls on the Run Coordinator – TBA
Girls on the Run Collaborator – Kim
Evening Family Event Coordination – Jenny
Evening Family Event Coordination – Kendallyn

• Student Affinity Groups – Please let me know if there are any staff interested in running a monthly BIPOC student affinity group. There is a $1,000 stipend for elementary schools, which can go to one person (classified or licensed) or can be split between two or more staff members. If I don’t hear from anyone by the end of the week, I’ll plan to reach out to the LaneESD for assistance starting a group.

• Send Home Fruit & Veggies DAILY – A reminder teachers are to send home the fruits and vegetables from FFVP home with students at the end of each day. Do not hold them over until the next day. If you have left overs, feel free to pass out extras as kids leave or just send the entire bag home with one lucky kiddo.

• Holt PTO Updates – The PTO met last week (here’s the agenda), approving funding three school-wide assemblies for later this year, sharing Budget updates, approving the PTO Bylaws, and sharing out committee reports. Their next big event will be Costume BINGO Night, which will also feature a Trunk or Treat. One reminder that came out of the meeting is if teachers have requests for funds to support enrichment activities, contact Lesli and she will connect with the PTO for approval.

• Employee Report: Aggressive Student Behavior – Principals were emailed the new Aggressive Student Behavior Form that is to be used to document threatening interactions and extreme behavior by a physically aggressive student. Related, if a staff member sustains injuries beyond basic first aid, an Incident Report needs to be completed as well. Both forms are on the HR Forms Webpage and the Holt Staff Dashboard. All completed forms should be submitted to me.

• Join the Superintendent’s New Advisory Committees – There is no shortage of opinions here at Holt and people willing to share them, so if you missed it in the latest 4J Educator News, downtown is looking for 4J staff to serve on advisory committees convened by the superintendent to hear from both classified and licensed staff. Apply Here!

• October Library Lowdown Choice Board – In case you missed it, the October Library Lowdown Choice Board has some good resources for Fire Safety Week, Bully Prevention Month, Halloween Activities, and more.

• October SSD Newsletter – If you’re interested, here is the October SSD Newsletter, which has mostly nuts-and-bolts SSD info, with Abbreviated School Day info being the main one of interest. See the Newsletter Archive for past newsletters.

• Repeats & Reminders – See prior announcements for details:

• EEF Grants Due FRIDAY – EEF Grant Applications are due Oct. 13 deadline. EEF prioritizes grants that focus on Enrichment (ex. STEM, arts, experimental learning), Ready to Learn (ex. literacy, SEL, accessibility solutions), and Pathways (ex. CTE, SPED, TAG).

• Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Oct. 9 – Monday, October 9 is Indigenous Peoples’ Day is Monday and many can be found at NEA, WeAreTeachers, The Smithsonian, Educators 4SC, and this 4J Doc.

• National Hispanic Heritage Month – It’s the last week of National Hispanic Heritage Month and a couple resources are Learning for Justice and also the 4J K-5 Social Studies Newsletter.

• Sunshine Committee Dues – See Elizabeth’s Email for details. Full-Time Licensed Staff: $30.00 and Classified Staff: $20.00. There’s a money envelope in Elizabeth’s mailbox or you can Venmo @elizabethcobb1

• Licensed Optional SMART Goals, Due Nov. 3 – Here are Optional Licensed SMART Goals teachers can cut-and-paste into TalentEd if you would like.

• Holt Resource Map (add your info) – Add your info to the Holt Staff Resource Map, which Downtown wants all school to complete, listing all licensed staffs’ degree, endorsements, certifications, areas of expertise, etc.

• HANDBOOK HIGHLIGHT: Communication – This week’s highlight from the Holt Staff Handbook, is on Communication:

Communication
Office Staff:
Notifying the office staff of changes in your schedule, field trips, guest speakers, any classroom activity that is “out of the ordinary”, etc. will allow the office to support your activities and better address questions that may arise.

All Staff:
Email is our primary mode of communication so checking your email “in box”, daily, is important. Our school website is another resource that not only includes information for the general public, but it contains links for both our learners and our staff.

Our website is http://holt.4j.lane.edu

Bertha Holt has a group agreement that if action is required by staff members and the notification is sent through email, staff should have 24 hours notice lead time on the action. Staff also recognizes that occasionally this will not be possible. The goal is to avoid same-day notification and action items

A leadership role has been designated to facilitate communication with all staff

Parents:
Please provide the office with a copy of all written and electronic communication (ie newsletters) sent home with your class (this does not include notes to individual parents). This will enable office staff to answer parent questions in an intelligent and informed manner. It is highly recommended that, prior to sending written communication home, a minimum of one other person proof the document. Any note that may cause controversy should be shared with the principal prior to distribution. Please keep parents informed frequently of what is happening at school and in your room. Each classroom teacher is responsible for providing regular updates to parents

Teachers should do their best to ensure each parent receives either a written note or a telephone call at least once during each report period.

FERPA – Under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), parents shall have access to their child’s educational records. FERPA regulations presume equal access for both parents, unless there is a court order or legal document to the contrary. If a non-custodial parent requests records or a conference, the principal or principal’s designee will inform the custodial parent that the school will grant the request unless the custodial parent produces the required document. If a non-custodial parent requests copies of report cards, newsletters, etc., teachers may request stamped, self-addressed envelopes from that parent. However, if parents have joint custody, the law states the school must provide copies to both parents.

Administration:
Weekly, the Parent Board, in conjunction with the Principal will generate a school newsletter (Quick News) that will be emailed to families on Mondays, in both English and Spanish. If teachers need hard copies for families without internet, the teachers alert the office.

Translating:
We will translate school-wide correspondence in Spanish, if possible.

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

October 9 (M)
Indigenous Peoples’ Day
5th Grade Staff Room Duty
8:00, Morning Announcements Begin (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
2:30-3:40, Title 1 EA Interviews (Library)
3:30-5:30, Allan to Elem Principals’ Meeting (Ed Center)

October 10 (T)
11:00-12:00, 4th Grade Garden
1:00-2:00, 4th Grade Garden

September 11 (W)
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – 100% Data Team Meeting (Library)
4:30-7:00, Allan to Bias & Triggers PD (Zoom)

October 12 (H)
2:45-3:30, Staff Meeting (Library)
4:30-6:00, Allan to Bystander Intervention PD (Zoom)

October 13 (F)
No School – PD Day
EEF Application Deadline
8:00-1:30, Licensed Staff PD
1:30-2:00, Travel Time
2:00-4:00, Planning Time
2:00-4:00, Allan to MAPS Meeting (Zoom)

October 14 (SA)
5k/Fun Run for 4J- EEF Event

October 16 (M)
ELD/Speech/Counselor/Library Staff Room Duty
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
3:30-5:00, Allan to All Admin Meeting (Ed Center)
2:25, BEST Program Begins (Cafeteria)

October 17 (T)
11:00-12:00, 4th Grade Garden
1:00-2:00, 4th Grade Garden
2:45-3:30, PBIS / SEL Meeting (Library)

October 18 (W)
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – Time for Upbeat Survey
7:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

October 19 (H)
Holt Night Out – MOD Pizza
8:50-10:35, Book Nook (Cafeteria)
2:45-3:30, Leadership Team Meeting (Library)

October 20 (F)
Regular Day

Enjoy your four-day week, now with a bonus early-release Wednesday!

Allan

Meme credit to Lisa G.

October 2, 2023

By Allan | 2023/09/30 21:47 Posted in Announcements, Articles, Equity, P.D. | Comments Off

Hi Everyone,

Twenty-one items of note for this week:

• Title EA Job Posting – Lisa Phillips, currently student teaching in Robin Seno’s classroom, is planning to sub after she gets her teaching license, so she has resigned her EA position, which means we’ve posted her position. If you know anyone good out there looking for a 6.5 hour Title EA job, the Title EA Job Posting closes this Wednesday.

• Back-Up TalentEd Info by Tuesday – Super late notice from downtown on this, but they are performing BusinessPlus updates starting Tuesday and will continue to Oct. 8. During this time, downtown is asking everyone to not upload any new information into their TalentEd accounts. They do not anticipate any information being lost during the updating process, but out of an abundance of caution, they recommend people save, print, and/or download any recent information already completed (e.g., Self-Assessment, Goals) in the event information becomes unretrievable. Because of this, the Self-Assessment deadline has been extended to Oct. 30 and the deadline for Goals to Nov. 3.

• Walk+Roll to School Day, WEDNESDAY – Remind your kiddos that Wednesday is Walk+Roll to School Day, where all students are encouraged to walk, bike, carpool or ride the bus to school.

• Wednesday PD: SafeSchools/Vector Modules – Wednesday’s PD will be time for staff to complete the SafeSchools/Vector Modules. Unless something super pressing comes up, I’ll plan to give staff one more Wednesday to complete the modules.

• Picture Day & Health Screening Schedule, THURSDAY – This Thursday is picture day for all grades and also health screening for kindergarten. See the linked Picture Day-Health Screening Schedule Lesli created for these two events.

• Spirit Assembly FRIDAY @8:20 – Our first monthly School Spirit Assembly is this Friday in the gym. The assembly will start at 8:20, but all classes should be in the gym by 8:15. See the Assembly Map and Directions for details, but get your kids excited for prizes, games, and fun!

• Kona Shave Ice, FRIDAY (@1:30 for bus riders) – Kona Ice is coming one last time and it’s short notice, but it’ll be this Friday and the same as in the past. They’ll be here after school, but bus riders can come out early at 1:30 if they have money. We have some free tokens if you have any kiddos you think will feel left out, so just let me know if you’d like one.

• Leadership & Team Sign-Ups, DUE FRIDAY – Now that staff approved our Leadership Plan and are awaiting for a stamp of approval from JCAC, licensed staff can add your name to the Leadership & Team Sign-Up Sheet (2023-2024), which I updated to add our new PBIS and Girls on the Run Collaborator positions. Deadline to add your name is this Friday. I will connect with folks early next week.

For Team Sign-Ups (scroll down lower), Site Council can still use 3 classified reps and 3 licensed reps. Site Council is separately compensated for licensed staff and classified staff can bank these meetings to trade time.

• Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Oct. 9 – Monday, October 9 is Indigenous Peoples’ Day, replacing Columbus Day in Oregon and most of the country. If you’re looking for resources, many can be found at NEA, WeAreTeachers, The Smithsonian, Educators 4SC, and this 4J Doc.

• Oct. 13 – Classified Staff Training – Title EAs and BBSAs will have training available this day. Additional details to follow. Other EAs will have time to complete building tasks (see next Item) as well as time to the Upbeat Survey (if it gets sent out), Vector Training, and the TalentEd Self-Reflections.

• Oct. 13 EA Assistance Requests – If staff could use help from EAs with anything on the Friday, Oct. 13th PD day, please add tasks to the Oct. 13th EA Assistance Form. I already added a task for one or two EAs to help box up 4th and 5th grade ELA materials that are swapping around.

• Book Nook Starts Oct. 19th and is now Thursdays – The PTO is worried with shorter recesses on Wednesday kids won’t have enough time to pick a book, so they are moving Book Nook to Thursdays. They are also changing the start date to Thursday, Oct. 19th.

• Halloween Costume Blurb – Here’s what I’ll plan to put in the Quick News mid-October. Let me know if you have any suggestions to make things more clear.

Halloween Dress-Up Rules

Tuesday, October 31st is Halloween and students are allowed to come to school dressed up, but the following costume dress code will be enforced:

• NO props
• NO masks (except with teacher permission in class)
• NO especially scary or gory costumes (i.e. no blood, wounds, etc.)
• NO inflatable costumes
• NO dressing as another race, ethnicity, or culture

Individual teachers will determine if parties will take place in their classrooms. A fun alternate activity will be provided for any students who do not celebrate this holiday.

• Phone Times (not clocks) for Specials & Recess – Mentioned at last week’s Staff Meeting, go by the time on your phones and not the building clocks for dropping off and picking up classes from recess and from specialists. Clocks are not consistent throughout the building and they also “drift” over the year, needing to be reset multiple times a year.

• Grant Approval Form – The new Director of Finance emailed that he is requiring ALL grants to get approval from the Finance Department and sumbit a Grant Approval Form. In the past it was only $5,000 grants or larger that required approval (which is what’s still on the 4J Grants Website). EEF grants are the only exception. I asked if this even included $250 mini grants and it does (a waste of time and resources IMO). Note that DonorsChoose are not considered a grant, so this form is not required there.

Staff now need to email the form to finance@eugene4j.freshservice.com at least 2 weeks prior to the grant application deadline for review & approval. This form is not on the 4J website, but I have added a link to the Holt Staff Dashboard.

• Great Body Shop Student Magazines – Downtown’s current student numbers may be different from the forecasting numbers from last Spring, so if you are short student magazines email Jocelyn Mendelssohn at mendelssohn_j@4j.lane.edu and provide how many you need.

• Don’t Slap Parking Signs – Another of our Pause Parking Signs has bit the dust thanks to boys needing to jump up and tap high things. Please remind students not to jump up to touch or slap the parking signs or door frames for that matter.

• National Hispanic Heritage Month – I shared earlier that Sept. 15-Oct. 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month, but a couple additional resources are Learning for Justice, a great landing page for teachers to learn more about celebrating the month, and also the 4J K-5 Social Studies Newsletter.

• October is Dyslexia Awareness Month – Downtown asked principals to share this flyer for opportunities to watch some great films about literacy and science of reading. Need inspiration around literacy instruction? You should definitely come see one or all of these films!

• Repeats & Reminders – See prior announcements for details:

• Sunshine Committee Dues – See Elizabeth’s email for details. Full-Time Licensed Staff: $30.00 and Classified Staff: $20.00. There’s a money envelope in Elizabeth’s mailbox or you can venmo @elizabethcobb1

• Math Adoption Survey – Have your say on this Math Adoption Survey emailed to teachers earlier.

• EEF Grants Due Oct. 13 – EEF Grant Applications are due Oct. 13 deadline. EEF prioritizes grants that focus on Enrichment (ex. STEM, arts, experimental learning), Ready to Learn (ex. literacy, SEL, accessibility solutions), and Pathways (ex. CTE, SPED, TAG).

• Holt Resource Map (add your info) – Add your info to the Holt Staff Resource Map, which Downtown wants all school to complete, listing all licensed staffs’ degree, endorsements, certifications, areas of expertise, etc.

• Principal Visits to Classrooms – Let me know a 5-10 minute block of time I can come visit sometime this month to introduce myself and read a story to your class.

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

October 2 (M)
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
2:45, Allan & SPED Team Meeting w/SSD Admin

October 3 (T)
8:15, Allan Meeting w/SMART
11:00-12:00, 4th Grade Garden
1:00-2:00, 4th Grade Garden
2:45-3:30, Grade Level Team Meeting

October 4 (W)
Monthly Walk+Roll to School Day
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – SafeSchools/Vector Modules
7:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)

October 5 (H)
Picture Day (Gym)
Health Screening (Gym)
9:00, Holt Safety Committee Meeting (Office)
5:00-6:00, Site Council Meeting (Library)
6:00-7:00, PTO Meeting (Library)

October 6 (F)
Fall Benchmarking Window Closes
8:15, School Spirit Assembly (Gym)

October 9 (M)
Indigenous Peoples’ Day
8:00, Morning Announcements Begin (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
3:30-5:30, Allan to Elem Principals’ Meeting (Ed Center)

October 10 (T)
11:00-12:00, 4th Grade Garden
1:00-2:00, 4th Grade Garden

October 11 (W)
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – 100% Data Team Meeting (Library)
4:30-7:00, Allan to Bias & Triggers PD (Zoom)

October 12 (H)
2:45-3:30, Staff Meeting (Library)
4:30-6:00, Allan to Bystander Intervention PD (Zoom)

October 13 (F)
No School – PD Day
8:00-1:30, Licensed Staff PD (Locations TBA)
1:30-2:00, Travel Time
2:00-4:00, Planning Time
2:00-4:00, Allan to MAPS Meeting (Zoom)

One more 5-day week until we get a nice 4-day week, which I’m calling a 3-day week since Wednesday is now the early release day.

Allan

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