https://blogs.4j.lane.edu/chinn/?p=12384
Hi Everyone,
We’ve almost made it! Just 5 days until winter break!
Eighteen items of note for this week:
• Staffing Updates – Three staffing Updates:
• Temp Part-Time Music Teacher, Tracy Zehner – Please welcome Tracy Zehner as our new temporary part-time music teacher. Tracy is an experience music teacher (and also a Holt parent of a 1st and 3rd grader) who’s taught since 2008 in Illinois, Connecticut, and most recently in Indiana since 2014. Tracy will take over 3rd grade classes starting after winter break, but she will start working this Wednesday prepping and planning, so please take time to welcome Tracy to Team Holt!
• Temp PE 0.2 Job Reposted – We have reposted our 0.2 FTE Temp PE Position and have paired it with Howard’s 0.2 position in hopes that a combined 0.4 FTE position will entice more candidates. The posting closes on Tuesday if you know anyone good who might be interested.
• BEST Update & BEST EA Openings (2-hr & 3.5-hr) – Downtown is deciding whether Holt or WillaG will re-open their BEST Program first this year. WillaG has a BEST Coordinator and an Academic Coordinator, which Holt does not, but Holt has more building EAs hired to work at our program. If any EAs want additional hours (either 2-hours or 3.5-hours), please visit the BEST EA Job Posting to apply. The job posting closes Tuesday. And if their are any teacher interested in being the Academic Coordinator (1-2 hours extended contract daily to review math intervention data and coach BEST staff on small group math instruction), let me know ASAP.
• REPEAT: Cozy Blanket Contest Entries, DUE MONDAY – In place of the annual Winter Coat Drive, we’re trying a Cozy Blanket Drive. See Ashely’s Email, Staff Flyer, and Entry Form for details.
• Holt Night Out Fundraiser – MOD Pizza, WEDNESDAY – This Wednesday is a Holt Night Out Fundraiser at MOD Pizza on Coburg Road! Remind your students to just bring the MOD Pizza Fundraiser Flyer when they order. To place an online order, use the coupon code MODF16980.
• REPEAT: Elf Jr. Performance, THURSDAY, 9:00-10:00 – Thursday from 9:00-10:00 is the Upstart Crow for our performance of the Elf Jr. Musical. Upstart Crow will begin setting up at 7:00, which will conflict with 3rd and 4th grade Music times. The 9-10 assembly time will also conflict with Kinder, 1st, 2nd, and 4th grade recesses. Those teachers can take their prep during the assembly and other staff will cover your class. Linked here is an Assembly Map & Directions. If Holt has used a different sating format for performances in the cafeteria, let me know and I can adjust.
• Holiday Shopping, THURSDAY – Those volunteering to help with the annual Holiday Shopping Program are already in the know, but for anyone new to Holt who this may be new, see the above linked overview. Thank you to everyone who was able to help with this!
• Holt Spirit Day, Cozy Sweats & Sweater Weather Day, FRIDAY – This Friday is the monthly Holt Spirit Day and this time it’s Cozy Sweats & Sweater Weather Day. Get kids excited me to school in some cozy sweats or a warm winter sweater or just wear your Holt spirit gear!
• REPEAT: School Spirit Assembly, FRIDAY – 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. Winners from the Cozy Blanket Contest will be announced at the assembly. Stay tuned for details!
• REPEAT: Friday PD: Staff Choice – Principals haven’t gotten any details for Friday’s “Staff Choice” PD time this Friday, but I’m guessing plan on doing whatever it is you signed up for on the Elementary Staff Choice PD Sign-up Form last time. I’ll let you know if anything changes.
• Jan. 3 PD/Planning Day – Shared earlier, the Wit & Wisdom PD originally planned this day has been cancelled, along with previously planned EA trainings, so this is now a building directed day. See my separate email for the meeting agenda, but we’ll plan to meet in the Cafeteria this day with the following schedule:
8:00-8:30, Breakfast Stacks & Socializing (Cafeteria)
8:30-11:00, Holt Back to School Meeting (Cafeteria)
11:00-1:30, Team Collaboration & Vector Training• January Friday PD Days – Downtown let principals know that all district led Friday PD for the rest of the semester is now Building Based. I’ll add this to this Thursday’s Leadership Team agenda how we’d like to use these days.
• REMINDER: Kids in Hall Need a Pass – If you spot stray children walking in the hall, make sure they have a hall pass. If they do not have a pass, send them back to class and escort them if possible. And DO NOT believe students when they say, “But my teacher told me… [INSERT EXCUSE HERE].”
• Holt Bolt & Holtober Fest 23-24 – PAHS has officially decided, and I agree is a good idea, to go back to the Holt Bolt in the spring, when there’s no fires and AQI issues, and the school carnival in the fall (i.e. Holtober Fest). The plan for this year is to still do the spring carnival, but make the change for next school year.
• IEP Meeting Days Info – Principals were asked to share the following info:
As many of you know, one of the items bargained for to be included in our CBA was in regards to implementing a pilot this year where buildings worked to establish IEP/504 days where staff could be included in IEP’s or 504’s that didn’t impact their time before school, after school or during planning. A workgroup was developed at the end of last year and at the beginning of this year to discuss possibilities, and although there is still work to be done, here are some ideas about how we will be moving forward.
Elementary:
*All elementary schools that would like to participate in this pilot can identify IEP/504 days they would like to take and secure a sub for their classroom, as well as one floater to release general education teachers to attend the IEP/504 meetings.*If you are looking to schedule these days, please be prepared to plan in advance so subs can be secured well ahead of time and CMA’s have ample time to schedule these meetings on the same day (this is something the special education teacher will do, but you will want to be prepared to have a sub in your class for that time and you should also be given ample notice so you have time to prepare).
*What this means for the general education staff is that the teacher, if chosen to attend an IEP or 504 meetings sometime throughout the day, will have to prepare for a sub to run their class for that period of time. It may be one period or a few hours depending on how many IEP’s or 504’s you are asked to be a member of.
Secondary:
*We are in need of more workgroup meetings to find a solution to the multiple intricacies that a secondary schedule brings with it. We are in hopes of collecting some feedback from teachers and problem solving a bit more as a group in the spring. If you have any ideas of ways to best cover for teachers who may need to be out of their class for a period or 2 for meetings, please feel free to share with your administrator or reach out to the SSD administrator in your building to share.Next Steps:
*EEA and SSD are still working on a way to gather some data from teachers (gen ed and sped), parents, students, administrators and any other stakeholders so we know how the pilot is working.*It is a busy time for all of our schools. Our hope in looking at this pilot is to see if we can help alleviate some of the stress that staying late or coming in early for IEP/504 meetings can cause. This will not alleviate any responsibility to attend before or after school meetings, but the hope is to reduce the frequency.
Thank you for your shared commitment to supporting our students and families by being a part of the team.
Linked here is the email sent to principals, which also include the email sent to SSD licensed staff.
• Electrostatic Spray Update – There was concern expressed at a past Staff Meeting about nightly electrostatic spray ruining papers. I got an Email Answer this week that it does need to continue, but can be limited to top tier touch-points, such as doorknobs, sinks, fountains, and small group tables, but not student desks, counters, or walls. So as long as your small group tables are clear, student and teachers papers and work should be safe.
• Grant Items – Two grant related items:
• Three Rivers Casino Grants, Due Dec. 31 – The Three Rivers Foundation is currently accepting applications through December 31st. Grants do not have any minimum or maximums amounts. Here’s the link to Apply and the grant FAQ.
• Notify Finance Dept. of Large Grants – In talking Finance last week about a different matter, I learned they now want schools to notify them of any grants you are applying for in excess of $1,000. For grants $5,000 or more, there is a formal process for board approval, which is not new, but for grants between $1,000 and $5,000, just notify me of what you’re applying for or send a short email to grants@4j.lane.edu. You don’t have to send them you actual application, just a link to the grant and one sentence what you’re asking for. See the 4J Grants webpage for details.
Do note there is a difference between “grants” and “donations,” so anything you get from DonorsChoose does not apply to what’s described above.
• December’s SSD Newsletter – If you’re interested, linked here is the December SSD Newsletter. The topic of the month is student reduced-day schedules. There’s the usual FAQ and also a special spotlight on Speech Language Pathologists.
• Is growth mindset effective? – Studies show varied outcomes of introducing growth mindset for students. Some students benefit from growth mindset interventions, but the approach is less effective for high-achieving students, according to an analysis by researchers. The research does conclude it’s useful for low-income and low-achieving students, so for a Title 1 school like us, Growth Mindset is a good thing, but I found this an interesting read. See this Article from The Hechinger Report for details.
• 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 12 (M)
Library Week #1 Classes
SPED Staff Room Duty
10:45, Allan to Formal Observation
3:45-5:15, Allan to Elem Principals’ Meeting (Holt Library)
7:00-9:00, Allan to Conan the Barbarian (The Art House) Come Join!
December 13 (T)
National Cocoa Day
2:45-3:45, PBIS/SEL/Equity Meeting (Kelsey’s Room)
6:30, Feed Hope Food Box Prep (Cafeteria)December 14 (W)
Holt Night Out – MOD Pizza
8:50-10:45, Book Nook, During AM Recesses (Cafeteria)
1:45-2:10, 1st & 5th Orange Ticket Recess
7:00-9:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)December 15 (H)
9:00-10:00, Elf Jr. Performance (Cafetorium)
2:45-3:45, Leadership Meeting (Library)
4:00-8:30, Holiday Shopping EventDecember 16 (F)
Holt Spirit Day – Cozy Sweats & Sweater Weather Day
8:15-9:45, School Spirit Assembly (Gym)
1:25-2:25, Friday PD – Staff ChoiceDecember 17 – January 2
Winter Break – No SchoolJanuary 3 (T)
8:00-8:30, Breakfast Stacks & Socializing (Cafeteria) 8:30-11:00, Holt Back to School Meeting (Cafeteria)
11:00-1:30, Team Collaboration & Vector TrainingJanuary 4 (W)
Monthly Walk+Roll to School Day
Winter Benchmarking Window Opens
8:50-10:45, Book Nook, During AM Recesses (Cafeteria)January 5 (H)
9:00, Safety Committee Meeting (Office)January 6 (F)
1:25-2:25, Classified Staff Meeting (Library)
1:25-2:25, Friday PD – Building Based – Team Collaboration
Don’t forget to keep you fingers crossed for a surprise snow day! It could happen!
Allan
