Equity

May 10, 2021

By Allan  |  2021/05/08 15:11 Posted in Announcements, Articles, Assessment, Equity, P.D.  |  Comments Off on May 10, 2021

 

Hi Everyone,

Only three more 5-day weeks this year!

Fifteen items of note for this week:

• Staffing Updates – No new candidates applied for our Music opening the second round of the Job Expo, so I’m waiting to hear from HR if we get someone from the first round or if we can post the position externally. I also found out on Friday that SSD is placing Melanie Pinto into Cole’s CLC position for next year. Melanie is currently a special education teacher at Coburg Charter and Twin Rivers Charter School. Before that she was a teacher at Chavez. Please welcome Melanie to Team Holt!

FYI – If you’re keeping track, we now we have not only an Ashley & Ashley, a Debbie & Deb, a Jackie & Jacque, a Jeff & Geoff, a Katie & Katie, a Katherine & Cathy, a Kelly & Kelly, a Lisa, Lisa & Lisa, a Liz & Elizabeth, and a Mandy & Mandy, but now we will have a Melanie & a Melanie to add to the list of same-name-staff-members!

• Yellow Day, Tuesday & Friday – Yellow Day is this Tuesday and Friday. Supplies are in the copy room. It’s an easy-to-do flower craft to post on your classrooms windows (facing out). Jacque has books for you too. Dress in yellow on Tuesday and Friday. See the earlier emails for details.

• Earthquake & Fire Drill 5/18 & 5/21 @12:15 – Not this week, but next week we will conduct our May Fire Drill and our one required Earthquake Drill for the year on Tuesday and Friday at 12:15 for each cohort. For the Earthquake Drill, teach students to “Drop, Cover, Hold” meaning drop to the ground (so you don’t fall over), cover yourself by going under a desk (to protect yourself from falling objects), and hold onto the desk legs (so you stay under cover and don’t get bounced out). There are many resource on The Great Oregon Shake Out website, for you to teach students about Drop, Cover, Hold and earthquake preparedness. My plan will be to get on the intercom and make a short announcement about the earthquake drill and will shortly after announce “EARTHQUAKE! EARTHQUAKE! EARTHQUAKE!” at which point students will Drop, Cover, Hold. We will pull the fire alarm to signal when the Earthquake Drill is over, at which point classes should evacuate the building (in a real earthquake, you’d evacuate when the quake stops). See the linked Evacuation Lines Map for where classes should line up for the Fire Drill following the Earthquake Drill, which will run the same as last month. Don’t forget your Emergency Binder!

• Wednesday PD/PLC Time – Downtown asked principals to hold this Wednesday’s PD/PLC time for a potential meeting and/or training. I’ll email staff if we do have something, so continue to hold this time free, but if you do not see an email from me, consider the meeting cancelled. I’d instead suggest staff use this time to complete any outstanding TalentEd tasks (CLASSIFIED: 4J Classified Staff Self-Reflection Form, LICENSED: End-of-Cycle Goals Reflection)

The only other district mandated Wednesday PD dates are 5/25 for part two of the Anti-Racist PD and 6/9 for a “Learning for All” PD (see my announcements a few weeks ago for info on that). I’ll plan to leave other Wednesdays for planning and prep unless something comes up that can’t wait for a Staff Meeting.

• Café Yumm Fundraiser Wednesday – Remind students there’s a Holt Night Out Fundraiser Wednesday at the new 5th Street Market Alley Café Yumm location, 4:00-8:00. 20% of all sale will go to Holt!

 

 

• Last Week of School Semi-Update – The Elementary Operations Committee is reconvening on May 14th to discuss and make a recommendation for the last week of school. Elementary principals suggested Monday Cohort A, Tuesday Cohort B, Wednesday a longer online day with both Cohorts (like a MTHF during CDL), and Thursday is a short online day like Wednesdays are now. Stay tuned for a final decision.

• iPad Collection Semi-Update – No official decision has been made on this, but right now downtown is thinking they WILL NOT collect iPads and students will keep them over the summer, which principals were told is what many other 1:1 school districts are doing. Elementary principals had concerns about this, so we’re meeting with the Director of Technology soon. Stay tuned on this one as well.

• 2021-2022 School Supplies Update – Schools next year will not do supply fees or supply lists. Instead, downtown is developing a comprehensive list of school supplies, which the Financial Service Department will work with school secretaries on ordering. If there are specific things schools need that aren’t on this list, that will need to be figured out at the building level (i.e. we pay for it or ask families for a “donation” but not say it’s for school supplies or say it’s a “supply fee”).

• Staff Room Duty Reminder – I’ve added Staff Room Duty to the Staff Zimbra Calendar. Teams should take care of daily cleaning, wiping crumbs off surfaces so the custodial staff can sanitize, wrap up/clean up/throw away food, wipe microwave, and load/start/unload dishwasher as needed.

5/10 – ELD/Speech/Title/Counselor
5/17 – 4/5
5/24 – K/1
5/31 – 2/3
6/7 – SPED/Office/Library
6/14 – ELD/Speech/Title/Counselor

• Holt Staff Dashboard Reminder – Don’t forget about the Holt Staff Dashboard, which we hope has all the varios links staff need. And let me or Kim know if there’s another link you think we s hold add. The dashboard is also permanently linked along the left column of my blog.

• OSAS Opt-In/Out Counts – If you’re interested, linked here is the Number of Students Participating in the 2020-21 State Assessment. Holt is right about in the middle when it comes to the number of families requesting tested, but ‘m still kind of surprised how many wanted testing.

• District Admin Updates – Dr. José Salgado from Mississippi will replace Charis McGaughy as the new Assistant Superintendent for Instruction. The new temporary Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services will be Brooke Wagner. That position is temporary because this was Cydney’s position and her superintendent position is interim, so she had rights back to her old job, which was left vacant this school year. See the linked email for full details.

• “1000 Hopes” Activity – An optional activity for classes, the 1000 Hopes Art Installation is outside at the downtown Eugene Public Library all May and students are invited to express (on a bookmark sized piece of paper) a hope, dream, prayer, write a loved one’s name, or unburden a sorrow or worry. If teachers would like to do this, let me know and I will have the organizers deliver the papers to school. The papers will be picked up from the school on May 21st, and will be added to the installation. See this email for full details.

• Teaching Elementary Students About the Concept of Injustice – Students gain a rich understanding of civil rights when they build from their ideas of fairness to the larger issue of justice. See this Edutopia Article for age-appropriate ways to teach the concept of injustice.

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

May 10 (M)
ELD/Speech/Title/Counselor – Staff Room Duty
10:00-12:00, Darla to Counselors’ Meeting (Zoom)
1:30-3:30, Allan to Elem. Principals’ Meeting (Zoom)

May 11 (T)
Wear Yellow for Yellow Day!

May 12 (W)
8:38, Allan Reading to Class (Zoom)
9:00-9:45, Virtual Coffee w/the Principal (Zoom)
9:30-10:00, 3rd Grade Data Team (Tier 3)
10:30-11:00, 4th Grade Data Team (Tier 3)
12:00-12:30, 5th Grade Data Team (Tier 3)
12:30, Lunch Bunch w/Ms. Darla (Library)
1:40-2:40, Leadership Team Meeting (Library & Zoom)
2:40-4:00, PD/PLC Time – Held for Potential District PD
4:00-8:00, Cafe Yumm – Holt Night Out Fundraiser

May 13 (H)
4:00-5:30, Understanding Your PERS Benefits Presentation (Zoom)
5:00-6:00, Site Council Meeting (Zoom)
6:00-7:00, PAHS (Parents at Holt School) Meeting (Zoom)

May 14 (F)
Wear Yellow for Yellow Day!
9:00-10:00, Allan to Physical Distancing Monthly Meeting (Zoom)
11:00-3:00, Allan Testifying for DHS Court Case (Zoom)

May 17 (M)
4/5 – Staff Room Duty
1:30-3:30, Allan to Elem. Principals’ Meeting (Zoom)
4:00-5:00, Allan to All Admin Meeting (Zoom)

May 18 (T)
8:10-11:45, School Pictures – Cohort A (Gym)
12:15, Earthquake & Fire Drill, Cohort A

May 19 (W)
8:00-1:00, School Pictures – SSO Student Drop-In (Gym)
8:30-9:00, Student Council (Zoom)
9:00-9:45, Virtual Coffee w/the Principal (Zoom)
9:30-10:00, KG Data Team – Tier 3
10:40-11:10, 1st Grade Data Team – Tier 3
12:00-12:30, 2nd Grade Data Team – Tier 3
12:30, Lunch Bunch w/Ms. Darla (Zoom)
1:00-4:00, State Testing Day – Cohort A (Locations TBD)
1:40-2:40, Staff Meeting (Library & Zoom)
2:40-4:00, PD/PLC Time – Building PD if Needed (Library & Zoom)

May 20 (H)
8:10-11:45, School Pictures – Cohort B (Gym)

May 21 (F)
Online Scholastic Book Fair Begins
12:15, Earthquake & Fire Drill, Cohort B

UNPOPULAR OPINION: Insomnia Cookies are better than Crumbl.

I learned about this one late, but Insomnia Cookies on campus is honoring all school staff through Monday at 3:00 pm with free cookies! Just bring your school ID and get one free cookie OR buy one of anything and get 6 FREE COOKIES! There’s your reward for reading my announcements early in the week. Tell your educator friends!

Allan

 

May 3, 2021

By Allan  |  2021/04/30 21:17 Posted in Announcements, Articles, Equity  |  Comments Off on May 3, 2021

 

Howdy Friends,

It is Teacher Appreciation Week this week, but I’d like to give a shout out to ALL staff for your hard work and dedication during this awful school year. As strange as it has been to work in schools this year, Holt really does have a pretty great team who’ve made this year go just about as smooth as you could expect during a global pandemic. Go, BOLTS!

PAHS is planning to do some appreciations for staff this week, though their original plan got upended on Friday because of some new Financial Services oversight (since PAHS funds are run through the school, there are limits on buying food for staff), but I do expect there will be some goodies for folks in the Staff Room each day this week.

Twelve items of note for this week:

• Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week! – A note from PAHS…

This week is teacher appreciation week and boy do we truly appreciate you all!

Throughout the week you will receive sweet surprises from PAHS, but we wanted to give students a chance to share their love and appreciation too. Next week at your discretion you can complete this activity on paper or digitally.

In your Mailbox you will find a copy of a “Thank You for being such a great teacher page.” You can choose to make copies for your students and use it as “homework,” a classroom morning activity or make it digital on seesaw and use it as an optional asynchronous activity to be worked on at home.

A touch of time at the copy machine is hopefully worth the messages and heart felt thank you notes that you will receive through this activity.

Looking forward to spoiling you all soon!

PAHS

Monday: Muffins, bagels and cream cheese, and whole fruit
Tuesday: Table snacks
Wednesday: Candy/Treat Day
Thursday: Coffee and Donut Day
Friday: Potluck Day!

 

• Staffing Updates – We had a Music and Kindergarten opening at the Job Expo two weeks ago and filled one of the two openings. For Music, we didn’t hire anyone from the first round, so that opening will go the round two. At kindergarten, we hired Robin Vaughan, a longtime kinder teacher at Howard (also a former Holt parent who lives in the neighborhood). She has also taught 3rd grade and worked as a Title 1 Coordinator, so please welcome Robin to Team Holt!

• Leadership Discussion Pause – If you’re wondering why Leadership Planning for next year was not on this week’s Staff Meeting agenda, it’s because HR sent principals an email last week that we are supposed to press pause on any leadership discussions for next year. This is due to the fact the HR and EEA are negotiating revision to Leadership Plans and have not yet come to an agreement. See the above linked email for details.

• Picture Day(s) Sign-Up – Picture Day for Cohort A is May 18th and is May 20th for Cohort B. In-Person Hybrid teachers should sign up for a time on the Picture Day Sign-Up Sheet. There is a separate tab for each cohort. Same School Online students may come anytime between 8:10-12:45 on May 19th. We’re planning to have LifeTouch set up in the gym. UDPATE: Forgot we had a Scheduling Leadership Job Duty. Lindsey will take care of scheduling hybrid classrooms. 

 

• New Pathway Change Policy – If you missed it in the latest 4J Parent Newsletter, it included a pathway policy change that families can switch from Hybrid to SSO if it is related to health concerns, which can simply be they are concerned about rising COVID numbers. If families do change, they are not allowed to switch back later. Hopefully at this point in the year we wont’ have too many families switching.

• REMINDER: Employee Reimbursements – The 4J Employee Reimbursement Policy requires that expenditures are to be pre-approved by the building principal, meaning check with me first to make sure what you’re planning to buy is reimbursable by district funds. Also, reimbursements are limited to $250 per reimbursement per month. See the above linked policy for complete details.

• National Board Certification Information Meeting – In partnership with OEA, Rebecca Boyd, is holding a 1-hour information session on how to become National Board certified. Sessions are on May 12th & 17th at 4:00 and May 20th at 4:30. If you are interested please reach out to Rebecca at boyd_r@4j.lane.edu and she will send you the link. See the NBCT Flyer for further details and links to register.

 

 

• Title 1 Summer School – Jenny will share additional details at Tuesday’s Staff Meeting, but downtown is ready with forms, invitation letters, and seats for schools once they get guidance from the state on summer program capacities. It will be at River Road Elementary, July 26-August 20, 9AM-12PM, with breakfast at 8:40, Lunch at 12PM, and transportation will be included.

• Walk + Roll Seesaw Lesson – There is a month long Walk+Roll Spring Challenge this May. If teachers would like to promote this event, linked here is a Seesaw Lesson teachers can use.

• Schools in Extreme Risk Counties Will Stay Open – A number of folks have asked how Lane County moving into the Extreme Risk category will affect schools. The short answer is it won’t change anything. This is because school districts in Oregon follow separate guidelines compared to counties. ODE doesn’t require schools to shut down when counties see an increase in cases. However, high school sports will see a change in the limit to spectators and players on the field or courts. See this KEZI Article for additional details.

• The Burden of Being ‘On Point’ – Too often, traumatized Black boys’ behavior is pathologized. It’s actually rational. See this Atlantic Article, which seemed timely, given 4J’s renewed focus on antiracism. It is short and packed with implications for practice.

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

May 3 (M)
Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week
1:30-3:30, Allan to Elem. Principals’ Meeting (Zoom)

May 4 (T)
12:45, Kona Ice – Holt Shave Ice Fundraiser! (Hard Play)

May 5 (W)
8:30-9:00, Student Council (Zoom)
8:30-11:30, Allan to Elem Pool Interviews (Zoom)
9:00-9:45, Virtual Coffee w/the Principal (Zoom)
9:30-10:00, KG Data Team – Tier 3
10:40-11:10, 1st Grade Data Team – Tier 3
12:00-12:30, 2nd Grade Data Team – Tier 3
12:30, Lunch Bunch w/Ms. Darla (Zoom)
1:40-2:40, Staff Meeting (Library & Zoom)

May 6 (H)
School Nurse Appreciation Day
12:45, Kona Ice – Holt Shave Ice Fundraiser! (Hard Play)
3:00-7:00, Allan to Job Expo (Zoom)

May 7 (F)
School Lunch Worker Appreciation Day

May 9 (SU)
Mother’s Day

May 10 (M)
10:00-12:00, Darla to Counselors’ Meeting (Zoom)
1:30-3:30, Allan to Elem. Principals’ Meeting (Zoom)

May 11 (T)
Regular Day

May 12 (W)
8:38, Allan Reading to Class (Zoom)
9:00-9:45, Virtual Coffee w/the Principal (Zoom)
9:30-10:00, 3rd Grade Data Team (Tier 3)
10:30-11:00, 4th Grade Data Team (Tier 3)
12:00-12:30, 5th Grade Data Team (Tier 3)
12:30, Lunch Bunch w/Ms. Darla (Library)
1:40-2:40, Leadership Team Meeting (Library & Zoom)
2:40-4:00, PD/PLC Time – Topic is TBA
4:00-8:00, Cafe Yumm – Holt Night Out Fundraiser

May 13 (H)
4:00-5:30, Understanding Your PERS Benefits Presentation (Zoom)
5:00-6:00, Site Council Meeting (Zoom)
6:00-7:00, PAHS (Parents at Holt School) Meeting (Zoom)

April 14 (F)
9:00-10:00, Allan to Physical Distancing Monthly Meeting (Zoom)
11:00-3:00, Allan Testifying for DHS Court Case (Zoom)

We made it to May and there are only four 5-day weeks left. After that it’s short weeks for the rest of the year.

And don’t forget to pick up your FREE shave ice this week after school on Tuesday or Thursday!

Allan

 

 

April 19, 2021

By Allan  |  2021/04/17 09:20 Posted in Announcements, Articles, Equity, P.D., Science  |  Comments Off on April 19, 2021

 

Greetings Holt Bolts,

This Wednesday is Administrative Professionals’ Day where we recognize the dedicated work of office staff, and Holt is incredibly lucky to have the AMAZING Katie and Melanie on the front lines for our school. From blood, barf, tears, anger, and occasional life coaching, on top of all the typical office duties you’d expect in an office environment, we have a pair of rock stars in the Holt office looking out and taking care of us each an every day. Thank you, Melanie and Katie!

And don’t forget to give your co-workers some SHOUT OUTS! Spread some good vibes so we can recognize some folks at Wednesday’s Staff Meeting!

Thirteen items of note for this week:

• Staffing Updates – Two updates. For next year, Ashley Wolf will teach 2nd grade and Candace will move up to 5th grade. And for this year, we conducted interviews for our new CLC EA and I’ve submitted a candidate to HR for them to make a job offer, but I think we’re getting a good one.

• Fire Drill Tuesday & Friday @9:45 – April Fire Drills will be this week on Tuesday at 9:45 for Cohort A and on Friday at 9:45 for Cohort B. Please review fire drill procedures with your class ahead of time. It is okay to tell your class about the drill ahead of time for this first drill, but not for future drills. Also note the were classes will line up on Evacuation Lines Map that was shared earlier. Lastly, bring your updated Emergency Binder with you when we do the drills.

• Update Sub Binders by End of Month – Note that the Sub Binder and the Emergency Binder are two different things. I think some people were using these interchangeably during our fire drill planning. The Sub Binder is a purple three ring binder with some of the same information, but is something teachers should make sure is up to date. We do not have a Wednesday PD on 4/28, so that may be a good time for teachers to update binders. Please have these updated by the end of the month.

• Hybrid-SSO Handbook Updates – Three hybrid updates and updates made to the Holt Hybrid-SSO Handbook:

• Recess Restroom Access – 2/3 and 4/5 students on soft play may use the crosswalk to access restrooms, which minimized contact with students on hard play. K/1 should still walk around using the sidewalk unless supervised in the crosswalk by an adult.

• No Singing in Class – A brief choral response in instruction is permitted, but whole-class singing must take place outdoors.

• Students in Quarantine Must Not Go To Class – Last week 4J had the first students in quarantine show up at school. Lane County Public Health will NEVER allow a student to end quarantine early. No doctor’s note may shorten quarantine. if a student comes to school during quarantine they are to immediately be moved to the Isolation Room and we will immediately arrange to have them sent home.

• Single Desk Updates – There are two sample desks in the main entrance next to the office. There is a a third style desk, pictured below, that is an option. However, we’ve gotten new information from downtown that all purchase made this year need to have the items received by June 30th, which means we’ll need to place our desk order by the end of this week. And another however, Katie and Melanie were told at a Finance Meeting that downtown is going to purchase desks for schools next year, which I’m reaching out to my directors to confirm, because if that’s the case, I’d rather not spend building money.

I’ll add this to the Staff Meeting Agenda to decide on a style if we do end up ordering them this week. Personally, I lean towards the more traditional desk style with a wire book box (they also have clear plastic slider book boxes, like on the samples, and traditional metal book boxes).

 

 

• SSO Supply Distribution 4/28 – Wednesday next week on 4/28 is the April Supply Distribution for SSO classrooms, from 8:00-3:00. If you are available to help, please add your name to the Supply Distribution Sign-Up Sheet.

• REPEAT: Announcements Wednesday – Since having kids do announcements is a bit of a challenge this year, I’ll start recording weekly announcements for teachers to share on Wednesdays. The announcements will also include Zapp winners, so I’ll upload the video to Google instead of YouTube to keep student names private. I’ll email a link to the video no later than Tuesday.

• REPEAT: Wednesday PD/PLC Time – Shared earlier, there will be an anti-racism PD (2:40-4:00) immediately following Wednesday’s Staff Meeting (1:40-2:40), which is required for licensed staff and is optional, though encouraged, for classified staff. For any part-time staff wanting to attend, I’m open to trade-time or other arrangements if you connect with me ahead of time.

• 4J “Learning for All” SIA Plan – This has been in the works for a while, but starting next fall, all kindergarten students with an IEP will attend their neighborhood school, with the exception of students in Life Skills. This will be the same for any mid-year move-ins at other grade levels. Since Holt currently has a healthy CLC and LC, I’m thinking we may see fewer students in our CLC program over time, with students no longer being transferred to us from other buildings. This will be a big shift for schools without a CLC, but for schools like Holt, I think this will be a good thing.

• District Admin Updates – Larry Williams, current principal at ATA, is moving to the Ed Center for a district role supporting educational equity and inclusion. AJ Hruby, current assistant principal at ATA, will move into the principal role at ATA next year. See the linked Email for full details.

• Earth Day is April 22nd – Earth Day is annually observed around the world on April 22nd. If you’d like ideas for this day, linked here are Edutopia Resources, Education World, the EPA Website, and Tana’s Earth Day Email, and 4J’s Earth Action Week website.

• Anti-Racism for Second Step – Second Step regularly updates their resources and have added an Anti-Racism and Anti-Bias Resources page . This page has materials ranging from lessons to book recommendations with discussion guides to PD. There’s a lot there and that can be overwhelming, so my recommendation is to look through the Resources for Educators for your own learning and Resources for Working with Students for lessons, discussions, and actions with students.

• 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 19 (M)
National Volunteer Appreciation Week
8:00, Allan to Observation Pre-Conference
10:25, Allan to Formal Observation
2:30-3:30, Allan to Elem. Principals’ Meeting (Zoom)
4:00-5:00, Allan to All Admin Meeting (Zoom)

April 20 (T)
9:45, Fire Drill – Cohort A

April 21 (W)
Administrative Professionals’ Day
8:30-9:00, Student Council (Zoom)
9:00-9:45, Virtual Coffee w/the Principal (Zoom)
9:00-11:00, Allan to Elem Pool Interviews (Zoom)
9:30-10:00, KG Data Team – Tier 3
10:40-11:10, 1st Grade Data Team – Tier 3
12:00-12:30, 2nd Grade Data Team – Tier 3
12:30, Lunch Bunch w/Ms. Darla (Zoom)
1:00-1:30, Yummy Cookie, Yucky Cookie Assembly Prep (Zoom)
1:40-2:40, Staff Meeting (Library & Zoom)
2:40-4:00, PD/PLC Time – SEL – Anti-Racism Training

April 22 (H)
Earth Day
Take Our Daughters & Sons to Work Day
3:00-7:00, Allan to Job Expo (Zoom)

April 23 (F)
7:30-8:30, Allan to 4JMAPS Board Meeting (Zoom)
9:00, Allan to Observation Pre-Conference
9:45, Fire Drill – Cohort B
10:25, Allan to Formal Observation

April 26 (M)
1:30-3:30, Allan to Elem. Principals’ Meeting (Zoom)

April 27 (T)
Crumbl Cookie – Holt Night Out Fundraiser
2:30-3:15, Allan to Referral Review Meeting

April 28 (W)
8:00-3:00, Supply Distribution – SSO (Front of School)
9:00-9:45, Virtual Coffee w/the Principal (Zoom)
9:00-11:00, Allan to Elem Pool Interviews (Zoom)
9:30-10:00, 3rd Grade Data Team (Tier 3)
10:30-11:00, 4th Grade Data Team (Tier 3)
12:00-12:30, 5th Grade Data Team (Tier 3)
12:30, Lunch Bunch w/Ms. Darla (Zoom)
1:40-2:40, Leadership Meeting (Library & Zoom)
1:40-2:40, PBIS/IPBS Meeting (Zoom)
2:40-4:00, PD/PLC Time – Sub Folder Prep

April 29 (H)
Regular Day

April 30 (F)
Superhero Day – SPIRIT DAY
2:45-3:45, Allan to 504 Eligibility Meeting (Zoom)

Just 8 weeks to go! Make them count!

Allan

 

March 1, 2021

By Allan  |  2021/02/27 22:04 Posted in Announcements, Articles, Equity, Literacy, Science  |  Comments Off on March 1, 2021

 

Hello Team Bolts,

This week is Classified Employee Appreciation Week, where we honor our hard work and efforts by our fabulous classified staff. Without you all, our school could not function and you will be even more important very soon once students return. Thank you, all, for your dedication and tireless work here at Holt!

In honor of your hard work, classified staff should look for some surprises in your honor this week. One you can mark on your calendar is to swing by The Human Bean across from Costco on Tuesday for a free drink of your choice, courtesy of PAHS. Just mention you are a Holt staff member. PAHS is also extending this offer to all staff, both licensed and classified.

Thank you, Holt Classified Staff! You rock!

Seventeen items of note for this week:

• Hybrid Return Updates – Linked here is the Superintendent Email, Brooke’s Follow-Up Email, and the 4J Parent Communication about all the hybrid updates. Here’s my CliffsNotes version:

March 15-19: K/1 CDL stops and this week is an on-site kinder orientation for small groups of students scheduled over the course of the week.
March 15-19: Grades 2-5 will shift into hybrid classes, but will continue following the current CDL schedule.

March 22-26: SPRING BREAK

March 29-April 2: K/1 begins full hybrid schedule with in-person students.
March 29-April 2: Grades 2nd-5th continue with hybrid classes and continue following the CDL schedule.

April 5: All grades in full hybrid schedule with in-person students.

PE/Music and interventionists (Title, SPED, ELD) will follow the CDL schedule through April 2nd and will start the hybrid schedule April 5th.

SSD knows this may cause an interruption to services the weeks of March 15 and 29 for some students, but said we do not need to adjust IEPs or write any PWNs.

 

 

• Which Staff Report for On Site Work? – Everyone, minus SSO teachers, will need to work in the building starting Monday, March 29th. We very likely will need to call in other individuals to assist getting the school ready before then, so I wanted give people that heads up now.

If for some reason you are not comfortable or able to work in the building in-person, contact me IMMEDIATELY. We will need to contact HR and begin either an ADA or leave process.

• Hybrid Instructional Options – At Friday’s Optional Hybrid Model Discussion, I believe there were two good takeaways to share with everyone:

• Instructional Models – There was no support for “Same Page for All” for a variety of reasons, but there was a good discussion on the differences between “In Person Focus” and “Teacher and Practice.” Although the wording is a big clunky, we interpreted them as:

In Person Focus: Teacher makes two sets of lessons for the on-site students and the off-site students do work that is not necessarily connected to the on-site work, such as choice boards, Dreambox, Lalilo, independent reading, etc.

Teach and Practice: Teacher makes two sets of lessons for the on-site students and when that cohort goes off-site the next two days, they will have assignments that provide additional practice for what they learned on-site. Where we got hung up was the last sentence of this description “The work students do pfff-site is important and should be completed to be ready for their in-person time.” We decided this did not mean there was new material being covered off-site days or that kids would be behind if they did not complete all of off-site assignments, but that the work they did these days was additional practice to help get them closer to mastery, which is what the group on Friday preferred.

We’ll discuss more at Tuesday’s Staff Meeting, but it’ll be important to have a shared understanding before we make a decision which model we want to follow.

• Intervention Models – I’d previously mentioned my preference for interventionists to remain online to provide students consistency four days a week and for scheduling purposes. However, there were some legitimate concerns about students trying to Zoom from the classroom, so Jenny hatched a plan where we think we could space students out in the library (1st choice) or the gym (2nd choice) and Zoom to their groups from there, which allows both the on-site and off-site students to meet four days a week and to cover more material, while not disrupting the gen ed classroom when they need talk and participate.

For your reference, linked here is my Wednesday Hybrid Presentation and below are links to the primary source documents I pulled all that information from.

Instructional Options
SAMPLE DISTRICT Hybrid (In-person only) Schedule
Holt DRAFT Hybrid Schedule (largely plagiarized it from Howard)
Elementary Hybrid Planning/Prep
Preparing Your Space for In-Person Learning
4J Return to In-Person Protocols Voice Over Presentation
4J Return to In-Person Protocols source presentation with live links

• Schedule & Instructional Model Survey – Linked here is a Schedule & Instructional Model Survey to do a barometer test of what people are thinking when it comes to the Draft Master Schedule and the Instructional Model Options for classrooms and interventionists.

• Hybrid/SSO/COVID Updates – Several hybrid/SSO/COVID items of note and follow-up to questions from meetings last week:

• Science Kits – Let me know by Friday if you’d like your science kit delivered to your classroom. Any kits left after Friday will be shipped back to the warehouse.

• Talking at Lunch – I’d gotten some bad information on this. Students ARE allowed to talk while eating breakfast & lunch. Now we don’t need to break kids spirit like they’re in a Pink Floyd Music Video.

• Tech Wipes – Brian is getting Tech Wipes for each classroom, the front office, and extras to have on hand.

• List of Teacher Responsibilities – I’m working on a Quick Sheet of all the teacher responsibilities in terms of cleaning, contract tracing, student screening, etc. I’ll have it by next week.

• Loose Paper Towels – Ryan has about 12 packs of loose paper towels and is ordering more. If you’d like some for your classroom, send Ryan an email.

• Alternate Locations – If your room becomes unavailable because a student is exhibiting COVID symptoms or you need to room clear for any other reason, classes will need to relocate for about 30 minutes while your classroom is cleaned. Each wing will need a designated “Alternate Location” for their class to go to. My thinking is there is one SSO classroom in each wing (and use Gloria & Kim’s room in the 5th grade wing), which we can set up desks and chairs if a classroom ever needs a relocate temporarily.

• Badge Access – I’ve emailed Facilities to reactivate badges a few days before hybrid starts. I’m assuming this will happen, but I haven’t heard an official answer back yet.

• Seesaw-Clever Cohort Sync – Justin Huntley Emailed me back on this question. The short answer is, yes, Seesaw and Clever will will sync and classroom teachers will have two new classes in both Seesaw and Clever for each cohort. See the above linked email for details. One unknown he mentioned is they are not sure what a midyear change like this will do to student progress in every app (especially if they are not district purchased and supported.)

• Electrostatic Spray Schedule – I checked with the Custodial Service Supervisor and classrooms will be sprayed down nightly, so it’s important that anything you consider valuable is safely stored or covered. Linked here is his email with more detail on the cleaning plans.

• Class Lists Parent Notification, Friday – The latest 4J Parent Communication says that elementary families will be notified of classroom and cohort assignment this Friday. Stay tuned for details on how and what time on Friday we will send this email. Downtown is also providing an optional email template (in English and Spanish) teachers can use if they would like.

• Staffing Updates – Three staffing updates:

• Hybrid Utility Support EA Posting – Elementary schools are getting a temporary 5.5-hour classified “Hybrid Utility Support EA” to help wherever we need. My initial thought is this person will be helping with a lot of supervision and then helping in the younger grades during non-supervisory times, as well as helping with any sick students or other out of the ordinary hybrid situations, such as supervising Title 1 students while they’re online spread out in the library. This is a temporary position through the end of the year, but please tell any excellent people the posting closes this Tuesday.

• YMCA After School Openings – If there are any EAs wanting more hours, YMCA is hiring for after school child care. The posting is linked here as AFTER SCHOOL TEACHER – Youth Development. The program will run here at Holt until 6:00 and Holt’s very own Ben Duncan is the new YMCA Site Director for our after school program.

• Recess Supervision EA Interviews , 3/10 @2:00– I now have the applications for our Recess Supervisor EA Position. I’ll plan to hold interviews on Wednesday, March 10th from 2:00-3;30. Interviews will be over Zoom. Let me know if any of you are interested in volunteering your time to help with interviews.

• Supply Distribution Thursday – This Thursday is the March Supply Distribution from 8:00-3:00. If you are available to help, please add your name to the Supply Distribution Sign-Up Sheet. This will be our final school wide distribution and starting April 1, we’ll just do SSO Supply Distributions.

Pleas remind you class we’ll be passing out Jumpathon T-Shirts and Holt Bolt Jump Ropes and don’t forget to stop outside between 11:00-1:00 for a FREE Kona Ice Shave Ice! Just show your school ID and it’s on the house!

 

 

• School Supplies for Hybrid – For on-site students, we have a set of school supplied provided by downtown that we held back from handing out to students earlier in the year. Katie and Melanie will start counting out the following supplies for classes:

• Rulers
• Pencil Boxes
• Pencil Pouches
• Primary Composition Notebooks (K-1), 2 per child
• Wide Rules Composition Notebooks (2-5), 2 per child
• Manual 2 Hole Sharpener
• Sheet Protectors, 3 per child
• Book Bins
• Colored Pencils
• Washable Markers
• Ticonderoga Sharpened Pencils
• Glue Sticks
• Scissors
• Dry Erase Marker
• Pink Pearl Eraser
• White Glue
• Crayons

Schools are not to ask for supply fees or give parents supply lists, so let me know if there are essential supplies you need for the remainder of the year.

• Student Health Alerts – Now that students will be returning in person closer to spring break, Nurse Cathy will email any relevant student health alerts that teaches and staff need to be aware of. Most teachers already know if they have a student with needs because she’s already talked with you, but she’ll make sure you get any information you need to know, so watch for that email.

• Childcare Resource List – Buried in Cydney’s hybrid update email, was the linked Childcare Resource List, as well as a link to Employment-Related Day Care program (ERDC), which helps eligible staff pay for childcare while they are working. Downtown is also working on a program to provide partial subsidies for childcare costs for 4J staff using federal funds, and will share more information if this becomes available to help staff with school-age children.  

• February Student Services Newsletter – If you’re interested, linked here is the February SSD Newsletter that was sent to SPED Teachers and principals.

• REPEAT: Read Across America – This week is Read Across America. This year’s theme is “Create and celebrate a nation of diverse readers.” See the above linked NEA Website for loads of resources for this annual event. Don’t forget about Jacque’s Virtual Reading Corner (here’s a link to an editable version)

• It’s Time to Talk About Dr. Seuss – In this article from Teaching for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance), author Gabriel Smith discusses a study done 2 years ago that analyzed Dr Seuss’s writing from an anti-racist lens. The findings highlighted a number of concerns in Dr Seuss’s work, especially in how people of color are depicted. The author does not suggest abandoning Seuss’s work entirely, although there have been serious calls in the last few years to pull Seuss back from the relative idol status he currently holds in education. The author instead recommends we closely analyze the materials we provide students to determine if a) it should be presented at all given the students’ age and b) if it is presented, what kind of critical conversation students should engage in around the text.

• Anti-Racism Over “Tradition” – Alternatives to Dr. Seuss and Racism – This article from Kaitlin Kamalei Brandon at Colorful Pages elevates anti-racist texts that fill the same needs people have when they turn to Dr Seuss books – namely rhyming patterns, ease of reading, and illustrations. Included are texts like Ada Twist, Scientist and No Kimchi for Me along with many more suggestions.

• White House: Testing to go forward this year – I shared earlier that ODE applied for a waiver for federally required state testing, but the Biden administration said last week that states must administer federally required standardized tests this year, but schools won’t be held accountable for the results — and states could give shorter, remote, or delayed versions of the exams. See this ChalkBeat Article for details and stay tuned for what Oregon decides testing will look like this year.

• 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 1 (M)
Classified Appreciation Week
8:00-9:30, Allan to Hybrid Walkthrough w/Joyce & Dawn Strong
12:30-1:00, SSO Team Meeting (Zoom)
1:30-3:30, Allan to Elem Principals’ Meeting (Zoom)

March 2 (T)
Read Across America
Human Bean Classified Staff Appreciations (Free drink for ALL staff!)
8:00, Allan Meeting w/Facilities RE: Evacuation Plan
12:30-1:00, Interventionist Team Meeting (Zoom)
1:00, PBIS Video Creation for Hybrid
3:00-4:00, Staff Meeting (Zoom)

March 3 (W)
Elementary Transitional Prep Day
8:30-9:00, Student Council (Zoom)
9:00-9:45, Virtual Coffee w/the Principal (Zoom)
1:00-2:00, Classified Recess Protocols Meeting (Zoom)
4:30, Poetry Club w/Ms. Katharine (Zoom)

March 4 (H)
8:00-3:00, School Supply Distribution (Front of School)
11:00-1:00, Kona Ice Fundraiser (Front of School)

March 5 (F)
Elementary Transitional Prep Day (Async Only)
12:00-1:15, Lunch Bunch – KG 12:00, 3/4 12:20, 1/2 12:40, 5th 1:00 (Zoom)

March 9 (M)
1:30-3:30, Allan to Elem Principals’ Meeting (Zoom)
5:30, This Week in Sports w/Mr. Cole (Zoom)

March 10 (T)
12:30-1:30, Allan to Attendance Meeting (Zoom)
2:00-3:00, Leadership Team Meeting (Zoom)

March 11 (W)
Elementary Transitional Prep Day
9:00-9:45, Virtual Coffee w/the Principal (Zoom)
1:00, Holt Jumpathon! (Zoom)
2:00-3:30, EA Interviews (Zoom
4:30, Poetry Club w/Ms. Katharine (Zoom)

March 12 (H)
11:00-10:00, Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream – Holt Night Out Fundraiser
2:30-3:30, IPBS CDL Meeting (Zoom)
5:00-6:00, Site Council (Zoom)
6:00-7:00, PAHS (Parents at Holt School) Meeting (Zoom)

March 13 (F)
Elementary Transitional Prep Day (Async Only)
9:00-10:00, Allan to Physical Distancing Monthly Meeting (Zoom)
12:00-1:15, Lunch Bunch – KG 12:00, 3/4 12:20, 1/2 12:40, 5th 1:00 (Zoom)

Two more Mondays until spring break after this week!

Allan

February 15, 2021

By Allan  |  2021/02/13 23:04 Posted in Announcements, Articles, Equity, Grants, SEL, Technology  |  Comments Off on February 15, 2021

 

Howdy Bolts,

Five weeks until spring break. Let the countdown begin!

Nine items of note for this week (though one if really long):

• Staffing Updates – We held interviews for our two EA postings last week and have hired Connie Gilhuber for the 5.25-hour KG EA positions and Ben Duncan for the 4-our Title 1 EA position. Connie has been subbing at Holt a fair amount this year and is a former Holt EA. Ben is a current Holt EA, but is now moving into position with more hours and more instructionally focused, so we I’ve submitted a posting to hire for his 3-hour Recess Supervisor position. We’re glad to have both of you as part of Team Holt!

We have three Holt Bolts retiring at the end of the year, our librarian Theresa Garnsey, secretary Katie Mackey, and music teacher Tim Walter. All three are finishing out the the school year, but please congratulate Theresa, Katie, and Tim as they set out on their retirement adventures. Also, staff should start beating the bushes to recruit for an excellent new librarian, secretary, and music teacher! Tell your educator buddies they want to come to Holt!

• Hybrid/SSO/COVID Updates – Eleven hybrid/SSO/COVID items of note:

• Updated Hybrid/SSO Slide Show – Linked here is an Updated Hybrid/SSO Slide Show I’ll share with families in the Monday Quick News. I updated last week’s Quick News on the website to this version, but on Monday I’ll delete the slide about the changing pathways since the deadline will have passed.

• Arrival/Dismissal Planning Committee, Feb. 23 @2:00 – Not this week, but Tuesday next week on February 23rd at 2:00 I’d like to meet with anyone interested in drafting an arrival/dismissal plan for when students return. We’ll need to discuss which entrances and and exits we want to use, where we want students to link up, and how we will supervise and move cohort groups to and from various locations (buses, car pick-up, crosswalk, etc.). Let me know if you’d like to join and also let me know of other issues this group might want to discuss and plan for.

• PE & Music Online – PE and Music will be online during hybrid. Downtown is still working out schedule details (times, days of the week, teaching which cohorts, etc.). It’s sounding like PE and Music will see students on their off-site days, but that’s not officially decided yet.

• Building Space Updates – 4J is having all schools clear out gyms for after school childcare. I’m checking with YMCA to see if they might be able to provide additional child care before school and/or during the day for students on their off-site days.

• Nutrition Services Updates – Once hybrid is in full swing, walk-up meal distribution will end. All students will get additional food to take home for their off-site days. More details are coming.

• Daily Visual Screening – Once students return, teachers will use the linked Visual Screener & Questions with students daily. This is already being used at secondary for LIPI. Classroom teachers will first do a Visual Screening for symptoms (see below) and if symptoms are observed will ask the two follow-up questions. You can ask more questions, but these two are required.

Visual Screening (observation only):
Unusual color
Unusual behavior (behavior change, lethargy, unusual fatigue)
New or significant coughing
Respiratory symptoms not typical for student (noisy breathing, voice changes, nasal dripping)
Shortness of breath
Chills (shivering, teeth, goosebumps)
Appearing ill (sweating, sunken eyes)
Vomiting

Screening Questions:
1.) Are you feeling OK today?
2.) Have you felt anything that’s different for you in the last few days?

• iPad Carts Coming to Classrooms – Brian is wiring old computer carts with chargers for each classroom. Teachers should start thinking about where you want your cart. It will need to be near an outlet and can be either inside your classroom or outside in the commons area. Each cart will have one spare iPad as a back-up if a student’s iPad fails.

• Holt Testing Center Ending – Once hybrid starts, Holt will no longer be the Sheldon Region testing site and school psychs will resume testing students are their regular schools.

• COVID Protocol HR Updates – Principals peppered HR with a number of procedural questions regarding COVID protocols. Karen Hardin Emailed principals a number of follow-ups. Here are three of the most interesting:

• Students Arriving Early – Transportation will work hard to schedule buses to not arrive early. Early parent drop off will happen and schools will need to plan some supervision for those that arrive early (perhaps 10-15 minutes before the doors open). At Friday’s walk through at Howard, this topic was discussed. Facilities is working to determine an appropriate method to mark 6 foot distances outside the entrances to communicate to parents/students how to wait for doors to open.

• Face Shields – These were sent to all schools to have on hand should an employee request one. These may not be worn in place of a mask, but are to be worn in addition to a mask.

• 2nd Dose on Fridays – This one isn’t in the above email, but HR has arranged for all of the second dose clinics to happen on Fridays so that if staff do have an adverse reaction the vaccine they will have the weekend to recover.

• Safety Drills During Hybrid – Three items here:

• Drill Resume During Hybrid – Principals learned that once students return, within 10 days we will have to resume required safety drills (monthly fire drills, one earthquake and one lockdown/lockout drill before the end of the year). We also have to do the drills for each cohort group, meaning we’ll do two fire drills a month. If you’re interested, linked here is the Oregon Fire Marshal Guidance for Safety Drills as well as Kari Skinner’s Email to principals.

• Post New Evacuation Poster – Downtown gave schools evacuation maps to post in every classroom and offices, which should be posted near doorways. I’ll put these in staff mailboxes this week

• Safety Drill Instruction – Most schools are not in compliance with this, but Oregon State Law requires that we provide 30 minutes of instruction per month on fire safety. This will need to start once students return. Linked here is the State Fire Marshal’s Website, which provides age appropriate activities for teachers to use, though I’m thinking it may be easiest to find a different video each month and have a short discussion before and after.

• Have a Hybrid Instructional Question? – Elementary principals were given a Google Form link for us to submit questions to the Operations Committee regarding hybrid and SSO instruction, so if you think of something you’d like asked, let me know and I’ll submit it to the group.

 

 

• Wednesday PD/PLC Time – Principals got some clarity on Friday about Wednesday PD/PLC topics. This week is an Anti-Racist PD Slide Show presentation. The presentation was created by Misael Flores Gutierrez the 4J Equity, Instruction & Partnerships Administrator. He is also planning to offer an optional PD exclusively for the staff of color this same day. It will be an affinity space where staff of color can engage in conversations from a non-dominant standpoint. Staff of color may choose to attend this optional PD instead of attending the building-led PD.Next week will be Hybrid PD focused on a lot of nuts-and-bolts hybrid protocols (more procedural and less instructional), which was originally planned for this Wednesday. See you on Zoom at 2:40!

• Jump-a-thon, March 10th – At last week’s PAHS meeting some details were worked out for this year’s Jump-a-thon. The event will be March 10th at 1:00, about when the first Wednesday bonus PE/Music class starts. If teachers have office hours during this time, you can cancel them this day. Staff and students will wear their Holt shirts that we’ll give out at the March 4th Supply Distribution, along with their jump ropes. The plan will be for 15 minutes of jumping and 10 minutes of awards/live drawings. There will be a pre-made Seesaw lesson for classroom teachers to push out on Friday, March 5th to promote the event and also for students to make a submission, which is where winners will be drawn from. Stay tuned for more details as we get closers.

• Lottery Update & Kinder Orientation/Registration – The school choice lottery for next year is being done mid-February (a little later than normal) and downtown is wanting schools to hold Kindergarten Orientation Zoom events during the first three weeks of March. More information is coming regarding how registration will work, so stay tuned.

• Video Adapters for New Laptops – A number of teachers got new laptops this fall, but we’ve realized not every teacher got a new adapter to go with it. Since we’re inching closer to in person teaching again, please check to make sure you have the adapter you need for your classroom AV set-up.

• REPEAT: 2021-2022 Staff Survey, Due MONDAY – To help prep for 2021-2022 Staffing, please complete the linked 2021-2022 Staffing Survey by this Monday.

• DonorsChoose Matching for SEL Projects – ODE Announced that DonorsChoose is currently matching donations towards new social and emotional learning projects. You can visit the DonorsChoose Help Center for instructions on how to take advantage of this valuable offer for your students. Submit your project by March 5th, 2021

• A Simple Way to Self-Monitor for Bias – Teachers concerned that they might be showing bias against students in marginalized groups can use a short checklist for self-assessment. Those five areas are Discipline, Calling on raised hands, Cold calling, “This kid is in the wrong class,” and Good Times. See this Edutopia Article for further explanation.

• 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 14 (SU)
*DANCE BATTLE* Virtual Assembly Videos Due

February 15 (M)
Regular School Day – Presidents Day
2:00-3:30, Allan to Elem Principals’ Meeting (Zoom)
4:00-5:00, Allan to All Admin Meeting (Zoom)
5:30, This Week in Sports w/Mr. Cole (Zoom)

February 16 (T)
3:00-4:00, Staff Meeting (Zoom)

February 17 (W)
8:30-9:00, Student Council (Zoom)
8:40, Allan Reading to Class (Zoom)
9:00-9:45, Virtual Coffee w/the Principal (Zoom)
9:30-10:00, KG Data Team – Tier 3
10:40-11:10, 1st Grade Data Team – Tier 3
12:00-12:30, 2nd Grade Data Team – Tier 3
2:40-4:00, PD/PLC Time – District Anti Racist PD (Zoom)
4:30, Poetry Club w/Ms. Katharine (Zoom)
6:30, Cheer with the Ducks – Holt Virtual Event! (Zoom)

February 18 (H)
11:00-10:00, Bo & Vine – Holt Night Out Fundraiser
2:00-3:00, IPBS CDL Meeting (Zoom)

February 19 (F)
12:00-1:15, Lunch Bunch – KG 12:00, 3/4 12:20, 1/2 12:40, 5th 1:00 (Zoom)

February 22 (M)
11:30, Allan to CICO Planning Meeting (Zoom)
1:30-3:30, Allan to Elem Principals’ Meeting (Zoom)
5:30, This Week in Sports w/Mr. Cole (Zoom)

February 23 (T)
No Dynamos Groups – Title Staff at SIPPS Training
12:30-1:30, Allan to Attendance Meeting (Zoom)
2:00-3:00, OPTIONAL Arrival/Dismissal Planning Meeting (Zoom)
3:00-4:00, PBIS Meeting (Zoom)
6:30, “Pictionary With the Ducks!” – UO Athlete/Holt Virtual Event (Zoom)

February 24 (W)
9:00-9:45, Virtual Coffee w/the Principal (Zoom)
9:30-10:00, 3rd Grade Data Team – Tier 3
10:40-11:10, 4th Grade Data Team – Tier 3
12:00-12:30, 5th Grade Data Team – Tier 3
2:40-4:00, PD/PLC Time – District Hybrid Information (Zoom )

February 25 (H)
PAHS Holt Staff Appreciation Day at The Human Bean
2:00-3:00, IPBS CDL Meeting (Zoom)

February 26 (F)
Fancy Day – SPIRIT DAY!
7:30-8:30, Allan to 4JMAPS Meeting (Zoom)
9:00-10:00, Allan to Physical Distancing Monthly Meeting (Zoom)
12:00-1:15, Lunch Bunch – KG 12:00, 3/4 12:20, 1/2 12:40, 5th 1:00 (Zoom)

If you’re reading this on Sunday, Dance Battle videos are due today! Here’s my ridiculous dance, which I posted onto TikTok to the shock and horror of my own children. I believe the word “cringy” was used to describe my dancing.

Allan

 

February 8, 2021

By Allan  |  2021/02/06 21:54 Posted in Announcements, Articles, Equity, P.D., Video  |  Comments Off on February 8, 2021

 

Hi Everyone,

Don’t forget about the Holt Staff Shout Out Form to recognize fellow Bolts who are doing something awesome or that you appreciate. We’ll share any shout out at next week’s Staff Meeting.

Eleven items of note for this week:

• EA Interviews Wednesday @12:30 – We already have Kindergarten and Title 1 reps lined up, but I like to make a practice of opening up interview committees to ANY staff members who would like to join. We are hiring for a 4-hour Title 1 EA and a 5.25-hour KG/Title 1 EA. Interviews will be this Wednesday 12:30-2:45 and we are interviewing five candidates. Just let me know if you’d like to be part of the team.

• Hybrid/SSO Updates – Three items of note:

• New Hybrid/SSO Info – Late Friday, principals were given a slide show to share with families regarding hybrid and same school online, which included some new concrete decisions by the district. Some were shared at last week’s school board meeting and others were new.

• 5-Hour Day – Hours for early start schools, such as Holt, will be 7:55-12:55 for hybrid. SSO students will also have 5-hour days, though that time may not all be live.

• 4-Day Week – When hybrid starts, the live 5-hour day will be MTHF and Wednesdays will stay the same as they are now with students online only with a shorter Zoom.

• Lunch/Recess 60-minutes – There will be one 30-minute recess and one 30-minute lunch each day. For recess, students will stay in their cohort group. For breakfast & lunch, students will eat in their classroom with the teacher.

• Others – These have been around before, but desks will be 6-feet apart, students and staff must wear masks at all times, there will be plenty of scheduled time for hand washing/sanitizing, restrooms cleaned regularly, and for off-weeks daily synchronous time will be much shorter than it is now. Linked here is a slide show I’ll share in Monday’s Quick News, as well as this video, where I narrate the slides.

• Hybrid Safety Protocols – There’s a lot downtown needs to decide about hybrid and SSO instructional models, but in terms of safety protocols, those plans have largely been in place since August. There will be a more formal of presentations on this in the coming weeks, but if you want a preview, see the district 4J COVID-19 Communicable Disease Management Plan and Operational Blueprint. These protocols have been made in response to ODE’s Ready Schools, Safe Learners.

• Wednesday PD/PLC Time 2/17 – We haven’t had a Wednesday PD/PLC times since 4J made these principal discretion, but downtown is tentatively planning to have principals share hybrid information on Wednesday, February 17th. This is on the Staff Calendar, but be sure not to schedule anything that will conflict with this meeting.

 

 
• COVID Protocol Reminders & Info – Three items of note:

• Leaving Work for Vaccinations – HR emailed a clarification to principals that it is okay for staff to not have to use leave time (i.e. sick leave) for a local COVID vaccinations appointment, but you do need to take a leave if it’s somewhere outside of the Eugene/Springfield areas (i.e. Grants Pass or Philomath).

• COVID Suggestion Box – The latest version of Ready Schools, Safe Learners requires schools to have a process that allows for named and anonymous sharing of concerns that can be reviewed on a regular basis by the designated RSSL building point-person (me), so I’ve created a COVID Suggestion Box Google Form that is permanently linked along the side of my blog under Holt Links. I’ll plan to check submissions each Monday.

• Sign-In Means No COVID Symptoms for Self or Close Contacts – When you sign-in at school, you are attesting that you are not currently experiencing any of the known primary COVID-19 symptoms AND you have not been in close contact with, or do not live with anyone who is displaying known COVID-19 symptoms. These may get updated to include secondary symptoms, but the current symptom list 4J is using is:

• Persistent cough
• Fever greater than 100.3 degrees
• Chills
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• News loss of sense of taste or smell
• Diarrhea or vomiting

 

Gold star to anyone who can name this movie that accurately predicted our no-touch future!

 

• iPad Reset Instead of Return – If a student iPad is not working, have them reset the iPad before suggesting they return it. Most issues can be resolved this way. The linked How to Reset an iPad Quick Sheet (English and Spanish) provides directions how to do this and guidance on setting up the iPad after it has been reset.

• Report Cards Closed Tuesday – Report card will be emailed to families Monday, so Melanie is going to close report cards in Synergy Tuesday morning.

• 2021-22: Draft Staffing Timeline – HR shared with principals a draft staffing timeline:

February 23: Staffing allocations shared with principals
March 18: Staffing plans due by 11:59 PM
By March 19: Principals must provide a verbal notification to any staff who were displaced in the staffing plan submitted to HR
April 13 & 27: Job Expo for Secondary level administrators
April 15 & 29: Job Expo for Elementary level administrators

• Desks and Dolphins – Our desk-making neighbor is continuing to take requests for student desks and delivered three more last week. On another note, this gentleman is also involved with a Florida nonprofit, the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, who have been studying a population of wild dolphins for 50 years and asked me to help him spread the word about this organization, so check out the above link if you or your class are interested in this topic.

• REPEAT: PAHS Holt Staff Appreciation Day, THURSDAY – On Thursday, courtesy of PAHS, Holt staff are invited to go to the Coburg Road Human Bean (across form Costco) to order your favorite beverage. Just mention you’re a Holt staff member to receive one free drink!

• REPEAT: 2021-2022 Staff Survey, Due Feb. 15 – To help prep for 2021-2022 Staffing, please complete the linked 2021-2022 Staffing Survey by next Monday, Feb. 15th.

• Black History Month Resources – February is Black History Month, so I wanted to pass along this list as a starting point for resources. There are, of course, many other resources available; Rethinking Schools, the Zinn Education Project, and Facing History and Ourselves to name a few.

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

Black History Month 2021
For 2021, the BHM theme is The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity. There’s obviously such a wealth of resources to work with here, but these are a few books related to this theme:
• Read-aloud: Me and Mama
• Sony Animation: Hair Love
• Read-aloud (there are a bunch of other great ones on this YouTube channel): We March

Lesson plans, etc.:
• Virtual History Journeys
• PBS Learning Resources

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.

• 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 8 (M)
Report Cards Emailed to Families
No ELD Groups
11:30, Allan to Parent Meeting (Zoom)
1:30-4:00, Allan to Elem Principals’ Meeting (Zoom)
5:30, This Week in Sports w/Mr. Cole (Zoom)

February 9 (T)
12:30-1:30, Allan to Attendance Meeting (Zoom)
2:00-3:00, Leadership Team Meeting (Zoom)
6:30, Yoga Night for Kids (Zoom)

February 10 (W)
8:30-9:00, Allan Meeting with 4/5 Team (Zoom)
9:00-9:45, Virtual Coffee w/the Principal (Zoom)
9:40, Allan Reading to Class (Zoom)
9:30-10:00, 3rd Grade Data Team – Tier 3
10:40-11:10, 4th Grade Data Team – Tier 3
12:00-12:30, 5th Grade Data Team – Tier 3
12:30-2:45, EA Interviews (Zoom)
6:00, Family Engineering Night – Straw Rockets! (Zoom)

February 11 (H)
PAHS Holt Staff Appreciation Day at The Human Bean
2:30-3:30, IPBS Monthly CDL Meeting (Zoom)
5:00-6:00, Site Council Meeting (Zoom)
6:00-7:00, PAHS Meeting (Zoom)

February 12 (F)
Friendship Day
9:00-10:00, Allan to Physical Distancing Monthly Meeting (Zoom)
12:00-1:15, Lunch Bunch – KG 12:00, 3/4 12:20, 1/2 12:40, 5th 1:00 (Zoom)

February 14 (SU)
*DANCE BATTLE* Virtual Assembly Videos Due

February 15 (M)
Regular School Day – Presidents Day
4:00-5:00, Allan to All Admin Meeting (Zoom)
5:30, This Week in Sports w/Mr. Cole (Zoom)

February 16 (T)
3:00-4:00, Staff Meeting (Zoom)

February 17 (W)
8:30-9:00, Student Council (Zoom)
8:40, Allan Reading to Class (Zoom)
9:00-9:45, Virtual Coffee w/the Principal (Zoom)
9:30-10:00, KG Data Team – Tier 3
10:40-11:10, 1st Grade Data Team – Tier 3
12:00-12:30, 2nd Grade Data Team – Tier 3
2:40-4:00, PD/PLC Time – District Hybrid Info (Zoom)
4:30, Poetry Club w/Ms. Katharine (Zoom)
6:30, Cheer with the Ducks – Holt Virtual Event! (Zoom)

February 18 (H)
11:00-10:00, Bo & Vine – Holt Night Out Fundraiser

February 19 (F)
12:00-1:15, Lunch Bunch – KG 12:00, 3/4 12:20, 1/2 12:40, 5th 1:00 (Zoom)

Dance Battle videos are due this coming Sunday!

Allan

December 7, 2020

By Allan  |  2020/12/05 21:22 Posted in Announcements, Articles, Equity, Literacy, Math, P.D., Video  |  Comments Off on December 7, 2020

 

Hi All,

Twelve items of note for this week:

• Social Emotional Learning Items – Three SEL related items of note:

• Erin’s Law & Second Step Child Protection Unit – Even though we are in CDL, the state still requires we cover the child safety lessons required by Erin’s Law. 4J uses the Second Step Child Protection Unit. For each grade level, there are six lessons, which are to be covered at three points in the school year. The recommendation is to teach lessons 1-4 in the fall, lesson 5 right before spring break, and lesson 6 right before summer break.

I’m not sure if each teacher has a copy of your grade level’s Child Protection Unit and since CDL makes sharing more difficult, let me know if any grade levels would like me to scan your Child Protection Unit and put a PDF version the Staff Google Drive.

I’m including the linked article in Monday’s Quick News and it’s recommended teachers follow-up with the linked Family Message (English and Spanish).

• Second Step CDL Scope & Sequence – Related to the above, this was shared way back at the start of the year, so it may have gotten lost in the avalanche of emails in the fall, but linked here is the recommended Second Step CDL Scope & Sequence. This is not an expectation, but is simply a recommendation. Linked here are Second Step COVID-19 Resources.

• Social Emotional Learning Remote Learning – As a follow-up to the Morning Meeting sharing at last week’s Staff Meeting, Fulton County Schools has a bunch of canned SEL lessons, most of which involve watching a video and then responding, so they work well for both synchronous and asynchronous. They have quite a few other CDL resources worth checking out.

• Wednesday PD/PLC Time, 2:40-4:00 – Shared earlier, schools now are in charge of their Wednesday PD/PLC times and have to report our topics to downtown. I reached out to some downtown folks for a Nearpod and Lalilo refresher, but got NOs or no response, but Jacque has stepped up and will lead a Nearpod refresher this Wednesday at 2:40. See the Zimbra Staff Calendar for the Zoom link.

• Supply Distribution Updates – We’re learning what works for distribution as we go, so next round we’ll add a few new measures:

• Uniform Bags – With many items being added from from specialists, last minute flyers, and other sources, sturdy bags that are easy to open and close work best, so we’ll purchase some sort of Large Slider Ziplock Bags for everyone to use next round.

• Labels on Bags – A lot of teachers are already doing this, but if you’re not, office staff will print labels with student names for bags next round, which also makes it easier when adding items later for individual students.

• Knock & Drops for Non-Pick Ups – For students who do not get their supplies, some staff have done “Knock & Drops,” which are allowed, but if you do, let office staff know so we can track who has and has not picked up supplies.

• Hot Mama’s Wings Fundraiser 12/15 – Mark your calendar’s for Tuesday, December 15th, this month’s Holt Night Out Fundraiser at Hot Mama’s Wings. I highly recommend the Beer-Battered Pickle Basket!

 

• Human Resources Items – Three HR related items of note:

• Leadership Plan Approved – JCAC met last week and approved Holt’s 2020-2021 Leadership Plan.

• CDL Resident Sub Update – HR has changed building resident subs to “regional” resident subs, so we will sadly not have an extra body to help with small groups or covering for absent teachers on short notice.

• Willing to have a sub shadow you for two days? – Related to the above, HR is still looking for willing teachers to be shadowed by a sub for a couple of days so they can see first hand what they will be asked to do when subbing during CDL. Leslie had a sub shadow her for a couple days, so she can tell you how that went, but let me know if any of you are will do help the district train up more subs for CDL.

• Seesaw Math Lesson Feedback – Downtown is considering creating optional ELA Seesaw lessons as they have done for Math, but before the do that, they want to know what teachers think of the math lessons. Are you using them? Are they helpful? What would improve them? Fill out this linked anonymous Math Lesson Feedback Survey by Friday. I’ll share the results with Eric Anderson.

• Hour of Code 2020 This Week! – This week is Computer Science Education Week which includes The Hour of Code. Let me know if any of you are doing something cool for the Hour of Code during CDL. I’d love to see if we can get some media coverage for some of our activities during Computer Science Education Week. See the above links for some fun and easy online actives for all grade levels.Khan Academy also has quite a few quality activities and Edutopia has quite a few links as well.

• Safe Routes to School & UO OHeroes Read-Aloud Videos – Linked here is a Google Folder of UO Athletes Reading Books about biking, which comes to us from the Safe Routes to School Program. TIP: some of the athletes are more fluent and engaging readers than others. Check out Tillie the Terrible Swede, Duck on a Bike, and Born to Ride, along with the rest. And keep in mind copyright laws and do not make any of the videos publicly available on YouTube or other sites on the open web.

• 2020–21 Hazardous Weather Information – Staff were emailed the 2020–21 Hazardous Weather Memo, but principals were asked to review it with staff. The short version is:

• For a snow day during CDL or Hybrid, classes will be taught remotely, but on-site services such as food services, may be cancelled.
• A decision to close would be announced by 6:15AM
• Staff should prepare to telework if inclement weather is in the forecast and buildings are closed.

 

• School Choice Updates – School Choice timelines this year will stay the same as in the past, but deadlines may be extended for this year. Official dates and info will go up on the district website soon. The Elementary School Showcase is cancelled for this year, but schools will conduct “Virtual Tours” for families at some point in January. More info should be coming on this.

• “Can I Have a Hug?” Tools for Teaching Consent to Elementary Students – Opportunities abound to teach young children the language to say “yes” or “no” as they learn how to respect personal space. See this ASCD Express Article for tips on how.

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

December 7 (M)
Computer Science Education Week / Hour of Code.
1:30, Allan to Data Team Training (Zoom)
6:00-6:30, How to Draw Baby Yoda with Ms. Kim (Zoom)

December 8 (T)
National Pretend to Be a Time Traveller Day
12:30-1:30, Allan to Attendance Meeting (Zoom)
2:00-3:00, Leadership Meeting (Zoom)
5:00-6:00, Share a Joke for the Next Virtual Assembly!

December 9 (W)
8:30-9:00, Student Council (Zoom)
9:00-9:45, Allan to Virtual Coffee with the Principal (Zoom)
10:00-11:00, Allan Meeting w/Charis McGaughy (Zoom)
2:40-4:00, PD/PLC Time – Topic is TBD (Zoom)

December 10 (H)
10:00, Facilities Dept. Site Security Visit
1:00-2:00, Allan to Video Security Training (Sheldon HS)
2:30-3:30, IPBS Meeting (Zoom)
5:00-5:30, Learn More Magic w/Mr. Chinn (Zoom)
6:00, PAHS Meeting (Zoom)

December 11 (F)
9:00-10:00, Allan to Physical Distancing Monthly Meeting (Zoom)

December 13 (SU)
National Cocoa Day!

December 14 (M)
Erin’s Law Fall Instruction Week
International Monkey Day
1:30-3:30, Allan to Elementary Principals’ Meeting (Zoom)
4:00-5:00, Allan to All Admin Meeting (Zoom)
5:00-5:30, Allan to 4JMAPS Meeting (Zoom)
6:00-6:30, Learn to Draw an Arctic Fox with Ms. Kim (Zoom)

December 15 (T)
12:30-1:30, Allan to Attendance Meeting (Zoom)
11:30-8:00, Holt Night Out Fundraiser – Hot Mama’s Wings
3:00-4:00, Staff Meeting (Zoom)

December 16 (W)
9:00-9:45, Allan to Virtual Coffee with the Principal (Zoom)
2:40-4:00, PD/PLC Time – TBA (Zoom)

December 17 (H)
1:30-2:30, Allan to IEP Meeting (Zoom)
7:00, Holt Holiday Gift Exchange Party (Zoom)

December 18 (F)
7:30-9:00, Allan to 4JMAPS Meeting (Zoom)

Dec. 21 – Jan. 1 (SU)
No School – Winter Break

January 2 (SA)
National Science Fiction Day

January 4 (M)
No School – PD/Planning day
Classes Resume

January 5 (T)
Classes Resume
3:00-4:00, Staff Meeting (Zoom)

10 school days until winter break!

Allan

 

 

FYI – Pretty happy about my Spotify Wrapped top song of the year. Go, Yacht Rock!

 

November 30, 2020

By Allan  |  2020/11/28 17:04 Posted in Announcements, Articles, Equity, Math, P.D.  |  Comments Off on November 30, 2020

 

Howdy Bolts,

Hope you all were able to take it easy over the four-day weekend.

Eight items of note for this week:

• PAHS Coffee or Hawaiian Lunch, TUESDAY! – As an appreciation for staff, PAHS has arranged for the Everyday Kine Grindz from Hawaii Coffee & Food Cart to come to Holt on Tuesday from 11:30-1:00ish, where staff will be treated to a free coffee or $5 off any lunch plate courtesy of PAHS. See the above link for their menu, but there will be a chicken, pork, and veggie options with rice and choice of Mac Salad or Asian Slaw.

• Staff Collaboration Log Option – I shared this at the last Staff Meeting, but I’d forgotten to put it on this week’s Staff Meeting Agenda for a decision if we want to stick with the Current SPED/504 Collaboration Log or if we want to switch to the Revised SPED 504 Collaboration Log. Please look at the two logs before the meeting so we can focus on discussion & decision instead of explaining them again. Let me know if you have questions about the two logs.

• Pie in the Face Videos! – Come on, join the fun! Make a video of yourself getting hit in the face with a pie for the next Virtual Assembly! You know, for the kids! They love this stuff. See Ashley’s Email for details, but compared to brick-and-mortar staff-pie-in-the-face volunteering, you can do this at home so you can shower and change right afterwards. Send you videos to Ashley by Thursday!

• Wednesday PD/PLC Time, 2:40-4:00 – Principals have again not been given details on this Wednesday’s PD/PLC time other than the title, Elementary Report Card. Linked here is the 4J Draft PD Calendar for Wednesdays, but stay tuned for details.

• Follow-Up to Last Wednesday’s PD/PLC Time – Hopefully teachers have all had a chance to view the Routines for Increasing Access to Rigorous Math slide show. Note that teachers were asked to plan with your grade level teams to try to incorporate one of these routines into your lessons in the next few weeks. The PD Calendar looks pretty tentative after this week, but last week’s PD may be revisited on a future Wednesday.

• REPEAT: Supply Distribution Sign-Up for Thursday – Thursday’s supply distribution is 8:00-3:00. Please add your name to the Supply Distribution Sign-Up Sheet if you’re able to help. Staff can utilize trade time if you work beyond your normal hours this day.

• No, Elementary Students Are Not Too Young to Talk About Race – Research shows that children can critically engage in conversations with thoughtful reflection, ideas, and questions. See this ASCD Article for their advice. On a related note, here’s another ASCD article on How to Talk “Taboo” Topics with Young Students.

• 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 30 (M)
Scholastic Online Book Fair Continues, 11/23-12/6
1:30-3:30, Allan to Elementary Principals’ Meeting (Zoom)

December 1 (T)
8:30-9:30, Allan to Attendance Meeting (Zoom)
3:00-4:00, Staff Meeting (Zoom)

December 2 (W)
Allan Teleworking
9:00-9:45, Allan to Virtual Coffee with the Principal (Zoom)
2:40-4:00, PD/PLC Time – Elem Report Card (Zoom)
6:30, Dance Party with Sluggo, Hosted by Mrs. Benavides (Zoom)

December 3 (H)
8:00-3:00, School Supply Distribution (Main Entrance)

December 4 (F)
Regular Day

December 6 (SU)
Last Day Scholastic Online Book Fair

December 7 (M)
1:30, Allan to Data Team Training (Zoom)
6:00-6:30, How to Draw Baby Yoda with Ms. Kim (Zoom)

December 8 (T)
National Pretend to Be a Time Traveller Day
8:30-9:30, Allan to Attendance Meeting (Zoom)
2:00-3:00, Leadership Meeting (Zoom)

December 9 (W)
8:30-8:00, Student Council (Zoom)
9:00-9:45, Allan to Virtual Coffee with the Principal (Zoom)
2:40-4:00, PD/PLC Time – Topic is TBD (Zoom)

December 10 (H)
5:00, Learn More Magic w/Mr. Chinn (Zoom)
6:00, PAHS Meeting (Zoom)

December 11 (F)
Regular Day

December 13 (SU)
National Cocoa Day!

Three weeks until winter break!

Allan

 

November 16, 2020

By Allan  |  2020/11/14 21:56 Posted in Announcements, Articles, Equity, Grants, Technology, Video  |  Comments Off on November 16, 2020

 

Hello Holt Bolts,

Ten items of note for this week:

• License Staff 1:1 CDL Feedback – Principals have been asked to do 1:1 interviews with representative licensed staff to get feedback regarding district implementation of comprehensive distance learning. Let me know if any of you are interested/willing to have a short chat to provide feedback.

And for both classified and licensed staff, if you haven’t already, be sure to complete the Staff Comprehensive Distance Learning (CDL) Check-in and Feedback Survey and if you’re a 4J parent, the 4J Distance Learning Feedback (Parent Survey).

• COVID Protocols Update – Physical Distancing Site Coordinators (that’s me for Holt) had a meeting on Friday and there are some big changes as a result of new state guidance that will be shared by downtown with all staff later this week, but to give you a preview, here’s the Site Coordinator Meeting Doc that was shared with principals last Friday and here are the high points:

• Regardless of Distance, Wear Masks if Sharing a Space (Inside & Outside) – If you are in your classroom or office alone, that is the only time you can take off your mask. If you are sharing an indoor space with another person, even if it’s just two people sitting at opposite ends of a classroom, gym, or library, they must wear masks at all times. Even walking through the parking lot, staff now need to wear masks. 

• Allowable Face Coverings – Face coverings with valves and “gaiter” type face coverings are not permitted. Clear face shields with hooded enclosures are an acceptable alternative to regular face coverings under limited circumstances where and when appropriate (see above link for exceptions). “Face covering” should be a cloth, polypropylene, paper, or other face covering that covers the nose and the mouth and that rests snugly above the nose, below the mouth, and on the sides of the face.

• Returned Items 72-Hour Quarantine – Any item that is returned to school (technology, library books, etc.) now have to be quarantined for 72-hours.

• Staff Meals & Breaks – Since staff must remove their face coverings for eating and drinking, so staff must eat snacks and meals independently, and not in staff rooms or other shared spaces where others are present. Downtown did say, if you eat lunch outside 10-feet apart, that is allowable.

• Transportation (Home Visits, etc.) – For home visits or drop & gos, when multiple staff ride in a vehicle for work-related purposes, regardless of the travel distance or duration, all people inside the vehicle must wear a mask or face covering. This requirement does not apply when all people in the vehicle are members of the same household.

• Exposure Definition – An exposure is now defined as an individual who has close contact (less than 6 feet) with a person who has COVID-19 for more than 15 cumulative minutes in a 24-hour period starting from 2 days before the onset of illness.

• December 3rd Supply Pick-Up – Our next supply pick-up is in three weeks on Thursday, December 3rd. Grade levels and teams should let me know by the end of next week if you have items you’d like families to pick-up.

 

 
• Zoom Authentication – The Tech Department let me know the Zoom authentication issue has been fixed, so teachers should re-enable this function to prevent Zoom Bombers.

• Thanksgiving Lessons Reminder  – This is an annual reminder I do each year about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday where I remind staff to keep in mind that student conceptions of Native Americans often come from classroom activities around the First Thanksgiving. These conception of Native Americans gained from such early exposure is often both inaccurate and potentially damaging. When planning activities, be aware that what most of us learned in school about the “Pilgrims” and “Squanto” and the “First Thanksgiving” is a mixture of both history and myth. Thanksgiving activities should avoid reinforcing historical myths and should also avoid stereotypes (ie. NO warbonnets!) It’s often best to shift the focus away from reenacting the “First Thanksgiving” and instead focus on items children can be thankful for in their own lives and on their families’ celebrations of Thanksgiving at home. Some resources on what to avoid and what to teach can be found at Teaching Tolerance and Education World. Here is a good article with a Native American Perspective on Thanksgiving as well as one on The True Story of the First Thanksgiving. Also, the 4J Natives Program is available for classroom presentations year-round and can offer an accurate picture of Native American culture. See the next items for more details on that.

• 4J NATIVES Program Learning Hub – The 4J NATIVES Program Learning Hub is now up and contains all the recorded presentations, all power point loom presentations, power points, stories, books and resource supports, the 4J land acknowledgment, all the SB13 curriculum segregated by grade (4th, 8th and 10th), the ODE supports for Distance Learning/Teaching and all the curriculum of the 9 federally recognized tribes of Oregon (except Burns Paiute which has not yet provided). A general site for Oregon Indians is included, but they are still collecting items to put in that tab. They also have a tab for media and music, but are working on compiling things to put in those tabs.

• EEF Grants Coming in January – The second round of EEF Grannts will be reviewed in late January. If you have a proposal for an EEF grant, please complete the EEF Grant Application form. In January, Site Council will rank order the grants before I submit them to EEF. And an update on the first round of grants, I checked in with them last week and they are set to evaluate grants this week.

• Focusing on Feedback in Distance Learning – Particularly in this difficult year, providing clear feedback is key to helping elementary students achieve learning goals. See this Edutopia Article for what good feedback looks like, how to integrate feedback into the learning process, and leveraging feedback to make grades more meaningful.

• Local History – The Exploding Whale 50th Anniversary! – How did I miss this last week? To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Florence, Oregon dynamiting a beached whale, the owners of the original film footage had it expertly restored and scanned in glorious meaty wet 4K. Now you can discern individual falling chunks of blubber and everything! Feel free to delight and disgust your students with this memorable bit of local history. Additional dead whale footage can be found at the Oregon Historical Society. Enjoy!

• 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 16 (M)
1:30-3:30, Allan to Elementary Principals’ Meeting (Zoom)
4:00-5:00, Allan to All Admin Meeting (Zoom)

November 17 (T)
8:30-9:30, Allan to Attendance Meeting (Zoom)
3:00-4:00, Staff Meeting (Library & Zoom)
7:00, Trivia Night! “Name That Baby Bolt” – Holt Virtual Event! (Zoom)

November 18 (W)
8:30-8:00, Student Council (Zoom)
8:40, Allan Reading to Class (Zoom)
9:00-9:45, Allan to Virtual Coffee with the Principal (Zoom)
3:00, 4J Virtual Field Trip – Fir Butte Feathered Friends and More (Zoom)

November 19 (H)
8:30-4:30, Allan Threat Assessment Training (Zoom)
6:30, Creation Crew w/Ms. Jackie – Holt Virtual Event (Zoom)

November 20 (F)
7:30-9:00, Allan to 4JMAPS Meeting (Zoom)
7:30pm, Oregon Football with Mr. Cole (Zoom)

November 23 (M)
Scholastic Online Book Fair Begins, 11/23-12/6

November 24 (T)
8:30-9:30, Allan to Attendance Meeting (Zoom)
3:00-4:00, PBIS Meeting (Zoom)

November 25 (W)
8:30-8:00, Student Council (Zoom)
9:00-9:45, Allan to Virtual Coffee with the Principal (Zoom)
7:00, Animal BINGO Night! – Holt Virtual Event (Zoom)

November 26 (H)
No School — Thanksgiving Break

November 27 (F)
No School — Thanksgiving Break

Not that I’m counting, but just five more weeks until winter break!

Allan

 

October 12, 2020

By Allan  |  2020/10/10 15:21 Posted in Announcements, Articles, Equity, P.D., SEL, Video  |  Comments Off on October 12, 2020

 

Howdy Bolts,

We had a great turnout for the supply distribution and and the shave ice was a nice moral boost for everyone, kids, parents, and staff. We’ll have to do that again!

Fourteen items of note for this week:

• COVID Protocol Updates & Reminder – As there have been a few COVID cases in 4J schools, here are a few updates and reminders regarding Return to Work protocols.

• Home Visit Approval Required – Home visits are allowed, but require prior approval from downtown, so let me know if you need to visit a family and I will seek approval. At another school, there is one staff member now in quarantine after a 20-minute contact with a parent on a home visit.

• Deliveries to Families Not Allowed – Schools are no longer allowed to deliver supplies, devices, or food boxes to families. If this is a need, there is a ticket system for principals to request a delivery. Let me know if you have a need.

• Shared Equipment – One outbreak at an elementary school was the result of transmission by staff sharing equipment that had not been disinfected. Try not to share equipment, but when you do use shared equipment, like a copier or paper cutter or even a refrigerator, disinfect it after you’ve touched it.

• Face Coverings – Face coverings are worn over your mouth and nose, are required upon entry to school, when completing the sign in/out process, and when working and moving about in common areas. You are not required to wear a face covering when working privately in an office or classroom. However, when working with colleagues, a face covering must be worn if the 6’ physical distancing requirement cannot be met. If another employee asks you to wear a face covering while interacting at a distance greater than 6 feet apart, you are encouraged to follow their reasonable request. Employees may choose to wear a face covering at all times if they so desire. Face shields may be an additional (optional) barrier of protection but must be accompanied by a face covering. Linked here is additional information on face coverings.

• Sign-In Log – Please write your name legibly (I’m an offender on this one) and also be sure to use your legal name and not a nickname, so if downtown needs to contact trace, they know who contact.

• Notify Allan of COVID Symptoms or Exposure – If you are experiencing COVID-like symptoms, are being tested for COVID, or have potentially been exposed to someone who possibly has COVID, call, email or text me. What then happen is I’d ask the staff member to telework and would notify the appropriate district staff.

• Weekend Access – The building is open to staff on weekends, but you must continue to follow all the same protocols as you do during the work week (i.e. sign-in/out, face masks, no visitors, etc.).

• Family Technology Agreement & Expectations – Downtown has created a Family Technology Appropriate Use and Protection Letter that will be distributed to families soon, which now has three-strikes type of rule for lost or damaged devices. I’m waiting for the Spanish translation before sending it out. The letter includes points for teachers to take note of, such as expectations that students not record the teacher or others or take screenshots without permission.

• Classified Subs and AESOP – Absence Management has been updated so that when any classified staff member enters an absence, you will now have the option to specify if a sub is needed or not. If a sub is needed, you will be able to assign a sub or let the system find an “available” substitute. Clerical and EA subs must have received COVID-19 trainings before they are listed as “available” in Absence Management. Human Resources is asking everyone to really think if you need to call in a sub before you make the request. Is the work something that could be done by another person in the building? Is there anyone in the building doing non-urgent work who could fill in? If the work cannot be divided up, then a classified sub may be appropriate and in those situations, the Holt will pay for the cost of the sub. Linked here is the email sent to principals, but please let me know if you have any questions or if you have questions about whether a sub is needed or not.

• Crazy Hair Day, Oct 22nd! – Next week on Thursday, October 22nd is Crazy Hair Day. Mark your calendar, start planning your crazy hair, and get your kids pumped! These are the thinks that will keep kids coming back to virtual school. :)

 

 

• Journeys Links All Grades Updated – Linked here is an updated Journey Links for All Grades that Kellyclare Gardner sent me (a few links on the prior doc was not linking correctly). Feel free to click the individual links and copy the address from the URL bar to share with students on Clever or Seesaw. Kellyclare also reminded us to not post the entire page on any public sites or share directly with families since the content is copyrighted. This link will also be on the Elementary Learning Hub on the K-5 Technology Resource Page.

• Classified Staff Meeting, 10/22 – There was interest expressed at Site Council to hold a Classified Staff Meeting, so I have put one on the schedule for next week, Thursday, October 22nd at 1:00.

• UPDATE: Shared Building SMART Goals – In light of Rob Hess’ Email regarding the new ODE Guidelines for goals and evals, licensed staff can still use the linked Optional Shared Building SMART Goals and cut-and-paste those into TalentEd if you’d like, but it may be better to instead focus on 4J Sample SEL Goals as suggested by ODE and the district.

• REPEAT: Allan Reading to Classes – Something I like to do every year is introduce myself to students and read a book to each classroom at the start of the year. I’d like to continue to do this during CDL, so if classroom teachers can let me know a date and time I could read to your class online, that would be great!

• Free mini yoga classes for kids during virtual learning! – If you’re looking to mix up your movement breaks, a friend shred with me that the owner of a local yoga studio, Hardcore Yoga, made two yoga videos (one for elementary and one for middle/high) for kids during distance learning. The elementary one is 10 minutes minutes. It’s combination of mindfulness and movement. She said she’d do more if people like them. More free classes and resources can be found on their Instagram account.

• 4J Student Services Newsletter – If your’e interested, linked here is a copy of the latest 4J Student Services Newsletter that was sent to SSD staff and principals.

• Oct. 23rd Professional Development/Planning Day – Details are still coming for what this day will be. It may be district led Zooms or it may be me doing more “PowerPoint Karaoke” and presenting someone else’s slideshow. Stay tuned!

• Focusing on Student Well-Being in Challenging Times – Wellness strategies like positive self-talk and mindfulness practices can help students feel calmer and more in control in this difficult year. See this Edutopia Article for details on how to promote student well-being during a crisis by doing the following:

• Focus on connections
• Place students at the center of mindfulness and social and emotional learning
• Incorporate music and movement
• Breathe
• Introduce positive self-talk
• Encourage social engagement and activism

• FREE COOKIES! – Here’s your reward for making it to the bottom of my announcement. All October long at Insomnia Cookies on campus (632 E 13th Ave), all teachers & school-staff get 1 FREE 6-Pack with any in-store purchase when you show any proof of employment at an educational facility (school I.D., paystub, etc.) to their in-store staff. Offer valid in-store only. exp. 10/31!

• 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 12 (M)
Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Speech Small Groups Begin
Fall Benchmark Testing Window Opens
12:30-3:00, Title 1 EA Interviews (Library)
5:00, Gaming & Roblox Talk w/Mrs. Reich

October 13 (T)
3:00-3:15, Stand-Up Staff Meeting (Gym & Zoom)
3:00-4:00, Optional Leadership Plan Meeting (Gym & Zoom)

October 14 (W)
8:30-9:00, Student Council (Zoom)
3:30, Allan to SPED Evaluation Planning Meeting

October 15 (H)
Regular Day

October 16 (F)
Regular Day

October 19 (M)
1:30-4:00, Allan to Elementary Principals’ Meeting (Zoom)
4:00-5:00, Allan to All Admin Meeting (Zoom)

October 20 (T)
3:00-4:00, Staff Meeting (Gym & Zoom)
7:00, All About Pets Zoom! w/Ms. Kim McManus! (Zoom)

October 21 (W)
4:00-8:00, Holt Night Out Fundraiser – Chipotle Mexican Grill
6:30, Drawing w/Ms. Potter! (Zoom)

October 22 (H)
Crazy Hair Day!
1:00-1:30, Classified Staff Meeting (Gym & Zoom)

October 23 (F)
No School — Professional Development/Planning Day
7:30-8:00, Allan to 4JMAPS Board Meeting (Zoom)

And if you want to join in on this month’s virtual assembly video and watch me eat a gross salad selected by students during supply pick-up (spinach, hot sauce, Taki’s, Cheetos, pickles, Goldfish, etc., stop by the cafeteria on Tuesday at 8:30!

Allan