November 16, 2020

By Allan  

 

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