https://blogs.4j.lane.edu/chinn/?p=12324
Greetings Holt Bolts,
That long weekend really hit the spot.
Fourteen items of note for this week:
• Staffing Updates – Two staffing updates:
• 1st Grade Updates – Jacque shared earlier that she has resigned her position to take a break from teaching, which leaves us with a 1st grade vacancy. Chastity, who is already covering for Jacque through the end of December, is interested in finishing out the year. I’ve submitted a requisition to HR, so hopefully it will go up soon.
For notifying families, I checked in with Jacque, and I’ll email parents Monday when I send out the Quick News, which I don’t think will be too much of a shift for them since Chastity will continue as their teacher and may very well become the permanent hire.
• PE/Music Additional Staffing – Now that we’re adding a 1st grade classroom, downtown is posting for additional PE and Music staffing to take over two of Alex and Ashley’s classes. The district guideline is try to keep PE & Muic to 8 or fewer sessions per day, but no more than 9. Adding a new 1st grade classroom will push it to 10 classes per day for Alex and Ashley, which is why we’re getting the additional staffing.
• Artist in Residence Beings MONDAY (pencils & scissors need) – Our artist in residence, Tom Miller, starts this Monday. Linked here is the Artist in Residence Schedule. The artist asked for teachers to make sure every students has their own set of scissors and a pencil, so let me know if you are in need of either of these.
• REPEAT: Holt Night Out – Bangers & Brews, TUESDAY – This Tuesday is a Holt Night Out at Bangers & Brews, just across from Sheldon High School. Reminder your kids to drop by between 5:00-8:00pm and just mention Holt when ordering.
• REPEAT: Holt Spirit Day – Crazy Hair & Socks Day, FRIDAY – Get kids pumped! The November Holt Spirit Day is Friday and this time it’s Crazy Hair and Sock Day!
• School Spirit Assembly, FRIDAY @8:15 – We’ll have our monthly School Spirit Assembly on Friday in the gym. The assembly will start at 8:15 and all classes should be seated at that time. We’re planning on doing the Holt Bolt jog-a-thon prize of taping me to a wall at the assembly, along with some other fun games while the taping is happening. Stay turned for details!
• REPEAT: Med Administration Training, FRIDAY @1:25 – For our Building Based Friday PD Day, each grade level should send one rep for a med training being put on by our fabulous school nurse, Eden. Anyone interested may attend, but med training is required for any field trip when there is a student who takes daily meds (usually around lunchtime), so that’s why each grade level needs at least one rep to attend this Friday at 1:25 in the library.
• Rescheduling Missed Conferences – We’ll treat no-shows for conferences the same as we treat missed IEP meetings, which is make at least two documented attempts to reschedule, either by phone or email, though doing one of each is best.
• No Fresh Fruis & Vegetable Program (FFVP) on Short Weeks – Nutrition Services emailed me they are not offering the FFVP on short weeks (i.e. any week that’s not a 5-day week). I checked with the other FFVP schools and they were told the same thing. It’s not in the email, but I suspect this is a supply chain issue. On a related note, Nutrition Services shared that one of the items for next week will be a Cucamelon, which is a Mexican miniature watermelon.
• 4J Communications Audit – Want to let district admin know how they are doing on communication? Communications sent and email saying they would be conducting a communications audit and sending a link soon. I just noticed a Communications Audit Link on the 4J webpage if you want to weigh in with your thoughts on how things are going.
• CORRECTION: DHS Call Pro-Tip to Skip the Line (1 + 6) – I just learned this from Darla, but if you ever need to make a child abuse/neglect report, when you call and once you start hearing the recording, if you press 1 and 6, that will skip you ahead in line to a screener.
And as a reminder, we are now using 4J DataPort to document all DHS reports. For the new reporting system:
1. Go to 4J DataPort
2. The first time you log on, click RESET PASSWORD, and follow the direction to set up your account.
3. Click DHS DOCUMENTATION
4. Click CREATE NEW DHS REPORT
5. Select your school and type in the student name.
6. Student info will auto populate and all you need to enter is:
• Description of the Event
• Perpetrator Information
• Other Information (if relevant)A link to this reporting form can be found on the Holt Staff Dashboard.
• SSD Newsletter – I haven’t seen one of in a while but if you’re interested, linked here is a SSD Newsletter. The topic this month is “Who can be the Parent at Special Education meetings?” There are also some FAQs on IEP census, Recovery Services, Manifest Determinations.
• Thanksgiving Lessons Reminder – Here’s my annual reminder about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Staff should 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 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 the National Museum of the American Indian, Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance), and Education World. This Google Doc links to a ton of read aloud stories, primary sources, site, and other information about Native and Indigenous People. 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.
• Lessons on Probability via Powerball Example – The odds of winning the multi-state Powerball lottery are nearly impossible, and this Big Think article breaks down the actual probability, providing information that educators could use with students. For example, the 1-in-292 million odds of a person winning the most recent Powerball contest, the mathematical definition of “expectation value”, and the chances of winning the smaller prizes.
• 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 14 (M)
Library Week #1 Classes
3rd Grade Staff Room Duty
Artist in Residence Begins
Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day
4:00-5:30, Allan to Equity PD (Ed Center)November 15 (T)
2:45-3:30, Staff Meeting (Library)
5:00-8:00, Holt Night Out – Bangers & Brews (across from Sheldon HS)November 16 (W)
7:00-9:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)November 17 (H)
2:45-3:30, Leadership Team Meeting (Library)
10:00-1:30, 4th Grade in the Garden
5:00-6:00, Site Council Meeting (Cafeteria)
6:00-7:00, PAHS (Parents at Holt School) Meeting (Cafeteria)November 18 (F)
Holt Spirit Day – Crazy Hair and Socks Day
8:15-8:45, School Spirit Assembly
1:25-2:25, Medication Administration Training (Library)November 21 (M)
Library Week #2 Classes
4th Grade Staff Room Duty
Artist in Residence Continues
4:00-5:30, Allan to All admin Meeting (Ed Center)November 22 (T)
Regular DayNovember 23 (W)
Regular DayNovember 24 (H)
No School – Thanksgiving BreakNovember 25 (F)
No School – Thanksgiving Break
Have a good week, everyone!
Allan
