https://blogs.4j.lane.edu/chinn/?p=12590
Hello Bolts,
Twenty-three items of note for this week:
• UO Baseball Team Visit Monday @Lunch – The UO Baseball Team asked if they could send some players out to school this Monday from 10:30-12:30 and I figured “Why not?” I’ll have them visit with kids at lunchtime in the cafeteria and maybe go outside to play with kids as well.
• REPEAT: Optional Meeting w/UO Interior Architecture Student, MONDAY – A UO Interior Architecture student contacted me, wishing to speak with and/or tour the school to better understand different types of students and faculty needs. They’re hoping to talk with teachers and educational assistants to understand unique opportunities that may benefit a variety of user groups. If you’re interested in helping this UO student, I’ll be meeting with them Monday at 2:45 in the library.
• REPEAT: Holt Night Out – Pegasus Pizza, TUESDAY – This TUESDAY is a Holt Night Out Fundraiser at Pegasus Pizza at Oakway Center! Just mention Holt when ordering and Pegasus will donate a percentage of your purchase to Holt. Take out and dine in only.
• REPEAT: 22/23 Staffing Survey, DUE TUESDAY – If you haven’t already, please complete the linked 2023-2024 Staffing Survey by Tuesday. I’d like to know staff members’ individual plans and preferences for the future as well as your thoughts on next year’s staffing plan, master schedule, or other thoughts.
• 4J Board Member Visit, TUESDAY – 4J Board member Michelle Hsu went to the wrong school last week, so she is instead visiting the Holt Library with Geoff’s class this Tuesday at 10:45.
• Team Meetings, WEDNESDAY – The first two Wednesdays of the month on non-Staff Meeting weeks are dedicated Team Meeting times. Teams should:
• Meet in their wing so specialists can connect if needed
• Take care of any needed team business
• Complete the Team Meeting Minutes Form (make a copy) and email it to holt_staf@4j.lane.eduThe Team Meeting Minutes Form can also be found on the Holt Staff Dashboard.
• Fluoride Varnish & Sealant Clinic (Round 2), WED & THURS – Our fabulous School Nurse Eden emailed teachers last week we are holding round two of our annual Fluoride Varnish & Sealant Clinic this Wednesday and Thursday from 9:00-12:00. The Lane County Dental Prevention Team will come to classrooms to pick up individual students.
• Women’s History Month – March is Women’s History Month. Here’s a WeAreTeachers Article with actives and ideas to celebrate this month. If you know of other good resources, let me know and I can share them in future announcements.
• REPEAT: Read Across America, THURSDAY – NEA’s Read Across America is next week on Thursday, March 2nd. This is an annual reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading. For some ideas and resources, check out NEA (National Education Association) or Reading Rockets, or Discovery Education. Or just read aloud high-quality books, invite guest speakers, read with buddies, or any other fun celebration of reading and literacy!
And if you missed it in Amy Page’s latest Library Connection, there’s a Reading is For Everyone Calendar for this week and also Reading is For Everyone Choice Board.
• Staffing Plan Survey: DUE THURSDAY – Shared last Friday is the linked 2023-2024 Staffing Scenario Survey. For staff not in attendance at Friday’s meeting, there did not seem to be much support for Plan B. The discussion focused mainly on Plans A and C, and what SPED support might look like if 1st grade had only three sections. Deadline to provide input is Thursday at 3:30. Survey results will be shared at Friday’s Meeting.
• REPEAT: Kona Ice Fundraiser, FRIDAY @12:30 – Kona Ice is coming to Holt for during Read Across America week. Teachers should sent bus riders who brought money to hard play at 12:30, so they have time to buy and eat their shave ice before having to get onto the bus. 4th and 5th grade will still be on the playground at this time, but I will be out there to crown control. And remember, all staff get a free shave ice as well! Just show your badge!
Also, I forgot to say last week that the Kona Ice people gave me a few tokens for a free shave ice to pass out to students, so let me know if you have a deserving student who might otherwise not be able to affort a shave ice and I’ll get you a token.
• Friday PD: Staffing Discussion #2 – The 4J PD Calendar lists “Building Based” as the topic for this Friday’s PD and we will used this time to go over Staffing Survey Results, discuss the scenarios being considered, possibly eliminate some, and weigh pros and cons of plans.
• Classified Appreciation Week, March 6-10 – What would we do without our amazing Classified Team? We’d fall into complete chaos is what would happen! The Sunshine Committee is cooking up some plans for this week, so stay tuned!
• Ems Reading Program Kick-Off Assembly, March 10th – The kickoff assembly with the Eugene Emeralds for their Home Run Reading Challenge is next week on Friday, March 10th, 8:10-8:40. Classes should arrive by 8:05. If you’re not familiar with the program, kids track a reading goal set by the teacher on an Ems Bookmark and if they meet their goal, they earn two free tickets to a Eugene Emeralds baseball game. This assembly is optional if teachers would prefer to share about the reading program yourselves or skip it altogether, but it’s usually a pretty entertaining assembly.
• Friday PD: OSAS Training, March 10 – This Friday is another “’Building Based” Friday, so we will use this for our annual Oregon Statewide Assessment System (OSAS) training. We’ll meet in the library at 1:30. All staff, both licensed and classified, who will be part of testing are required to attend. If this is beyond any classified folks regular work hours, check in with me and we can work something out.
• Holt Friday at 4:00, @Sunriver Brewing Company! – Mark your calendars! Our next Friday at 4:00 will be Friday, March 10th at Sunriver Brewing Company! See you there!
• Removing Cloth and Fabric Items from Classrooms – Downtown on Friday sent the following to principals on Friday and asked us to share with staff:
Removing Cloth and Fabric Items from Classrooms – Clothes, furniture, stuffed animals, pillows, and other items that do not lend themselves to easy cleaning should be removed from the school. These items can become the source of indoor air quality issues, infection transmission, lice transmission, and harborage for pests. If you are using the plush feeling buddies in your school, there should be a cycle for cleaning these items. Thank you for sharing this update with your building staff.
I don’t think this would apply to decorations students don’t touch and sounds like you can keep items if you are able to clean them periodically. Let me know if you have any questions on this new policy and I will check with district admin.
• REPEAT: Input on 4J Budget Priorities – Think more funding should go towards reducing class size than other district positions? Then be sure to fill out the surveys below, where you share your thoughts on the strategies for each of the three areas, and then rate the thoughts other people shared. FYI, class size is on the third survey, but I’d encourage folks to complete all three surveys to have your say. Downtown has been responsive to survey feedback, so it’s important staff weigh in.
• REPEAT: Revised 23-24 School Calendar Input – Downtown made big changes in their proposed 23-24 School Calendar based on survey feedback. Share your thoughts on the Revised 23-24 School Calendar Survey. One nice idea I heard from someone news to add a mid-winter break, taking the week off the week of President’s Day in February, like they do in Seattle Public Schools.
• Humane Education Presentations by Eugene Animal Services – The Animal Welfare Unit is part of the Eugene Police Department emailed principals they are offering free 45-minute classroom presentations geared towards 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classes. See the email for details, but let me know if you are interested by the end of the week and I’ll coordinate dates and times with interested folks.
• Summer School Job Opportunities – It’s not official, but Holt is most likley going to host the SEAL Summer School program again this year and I agreed to be principal again at summer school. I did get confirmation Edison is off limits for this year, which is why we’re likely a host school. If you’re interested in working summer school or KITS, check out the job postings on the 4J website. There are classified and licensed postings up. They’re listed under KITS and SEAL. ESY hasn’t opened their postings other than lead teacher. Summer school will run from June 29-August 15.
• Getting Consistent with Consequences – Few topics cause as much angst in schools as consequences for problematic behavior. Colleagues can view the same challenging behavior and have wildly different ideas about an appropriate consequence. Educators can struggle with the proper use and role of consequences in schools even more than with academic issues. Why is getting consequences right so hard? This ASCD Article lists as common stumbling blocks:
1. “Consequences” Means Different Things to Different People
2. We Try to Get Consistent with Consequences Before We’re Consistent in Beliefs
3. We Want Consequences to “Work,” but Haven’t Defined What That Means
4. We Miss the Middle Ground
5. We Act with Emotion, Not Reason
6. We Misunderstand Consequences’ Role in the Big Picture
• 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 27 (M)
Artist in Residence ContinuesLibrary Week #1 Classes
ELD/Speech/Counselor/Library Staff Room Duty
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom)
12:00-1:00, OBOB Tournament Practice (Library)
2:45, Optional Meeting w/UO Interior Architecture Student (Library)
4:00-5:30, Allan to All Admin Meeting (Zoom)February 28 (T)
Holt Night Out – Pegasus Pizza8:15-9:15, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Heinrich)
9:20-10:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Ayres)
10:45, 4J Board Member Visit – Michelle Hsu
2:45-3:45, PBIS/SEL/Equity Meeting (Kelsey’s Room)
5:45-7:15, Conscious Discipline Parent Night (Library)March 1 (W)
Women’s History Month
8:15-9:15, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Parks)
8:50-10:45, Book Nook, During AM Recesses (Cafeteria)
9:00-12:00, Fluoride and Sealant Clinic
9:20-10:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Lovato)
12:00-1:00, OBOB Tournament Practice (Library)
2;45, Grade Level Team Meetings
2:40-3:30, Data Team – 3rd Grade
7:00-9:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)March 2 (H)
Read Across America Day
8:15-9:15, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Heinrich)
9:00, Safety Committee Meeting (Office)
9:00-12:00, Fluoride and Sealant Clinic
9:20-10:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Ayres)
2:00, Allan to 4JMAPS Meeting w/Sup (Ed Center)
2:45-3:30, Data Team – 4th GradeMarch 3 (F)
8:15-9:15, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Parks)
8:30-9:00, Allan to Title 1 Budget Meeting (Ed Center)
9:20-10:20, 5th Philosophy with Paul Bodin (Lovato)
12:30-2:00, Kona Ice, Shave Ice Fundraiser (Hard Play)
1:30-2:30, Friday PD, Staffing Discussion #2 (Library)
2:30-3:20, Data Team – 5th GradeMarch 6 (M)
Artist in Residence ContiinuesLibrary Week #2 Classes
SPED Staff Room Duty
Classified Appreciation Week
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom)
12:00-1:00, OBOB Tournament Practice (Library)
3:45-5:15, Allan to Elem Principals Meeting (Ed Center)March 7 (T)
Birthday Drinks & Goodies in Staff Room
9:00-12:00, 4th Grade Water Treatment Plant Field Trip
2:45-3:45, Staff Meeting (Library)March 8 (W)
8:50-10:45, Book Nook, During AM Recesses (Cafeteria)
12:00-1:00, OBOB Tournament Practice (Library)March 9 (H)
10:00-1:30, 4th Grade School Garden Project (Garden)
5:00-6:00, Site Council Meeting (Cafeteria)
6:00-7:00, PAHS Meeting (Cafeteria)March 10 (F)
8:05-8:40, Eugene Emeralds Reading Program Kick-Off Assembly (Gym)
12:00-1:00, OBOB Tournament Practice (Library)
1:30-2:30, Friday PD, OSAS Training (Library)
4:00, Holt Friday at 4:00 (Sunriver Brewing Company)March 1 (SA)
TIME TBA, Elementary OBOB Regionals (South Eugene HS)
Have a good week, everyone!
Allan
