https://blogs.4j.lane.edu/chinn/?p=12606
Hello Holt Staff,
This week is Classified Appreciation Week! From Kitchen staff, to Title, SPED, Kinder, and Behavior EAs, to custodial, to Family Resource Coordinator, to office staff, to health room support staff, our school absolutely could not run without you! A week of appreciation is really not enough, but our school would not be same without you.
Twenty-one items of note for this week:
• Staffing Information & Survey – Four items related to next year’s staffing:
• NEW 23-24 Staffing Scenario Survey: DUE MONDAY @3:30 – Please weigh in on the linked 23-24 Staffing Scenario Survey. Based on results from the prior survey, Plan B was eliminated, so we are down to Plans A and C. Results of that survey can be found on Friday’s Staff Meeting Slideshow, but a majority of staff (75%) voted in support of Plan A over the other plans. Results of the new survey will be shared at Tuesday’s Staff Meeting, so the deadline to weigh in is Monday at 3:30.
• 23-24 Staffing Timeline Update – I shared at the Friday PD downtown is changing some due dates on the staffing timeline, but Instruction Dept. admin emailed principals late Friday the following:
Staffing Due Dates: Given that we are all waiting for additional allocations of staffing, the staffing deadlines have been updated. Notice of displaced staff and staffing plan submission is now Monday, March 20 at 10:00 am. The elementary principal calendar has been updated with these dates.
• 23-24 Staffing Allocation Updates – ELD staffing will remain the same for next school year. Also, the linked HR Email details the reasons for the change of staffing timeline, because the school board first needs to approve the use of these grant funds for SSC, ESC, Library, Family Resource Coordinator, and SIA EA time. The next board meeting is March 15th, so we should know our allocations soon after that. I’m thinking allocation may get posted on the School Board Agenda ahead of the meeting, but it might also just have general info.
• 23-24 Title & Sped EA Staffing Updates – Iris is leaving Holt at the end of the school year to enroll in grad school, which means as long as we do not take cuts to the above staffing awaiting board approval, I think that should offset the increased costs for EA time and allow us to not displace or reduce anyone below their current time blocks.
Regarding SPED EA staffing, we started this year at 35.5 SPED EA hours and over the course of the year added a 6.5-hour position and also a 4-hour position, which means our 35-hour allocation for next year represents an 11-hour cut. There has been a lot of pushback district-wide from EEA, OSEA, and building admins over how SSD handled classified allocations. I’ve also submitted our appeals packet to reinstate all of our lost hours and am already building the case that we need more hours for next year (our exiting SPED 5th graders were not a high-needs group, but word on the street is our incoming kinders next year are a very high needs group).
• REPEAT: Classified Appreciation Week, March 6-10 – Holt Classified Staff ROCK! Come by the Staff Room this Monday anytime after 10:30 for a delicious Potato Bar in your honor! Also, watch from some extra treats in your mailbox this week from me. Licensed staff, be sure to add your name to the Potato Bar Sign-Up if you haven’t already.
• REPEAT: Ems Reading Program Kick-Off Assembly, FRIDAY – The kickoff assembly with the Eugene Emeralds for their Home Run Reading Challenge is this Friday, 8:10-8:40. Classes should arrive by 8:05. 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. I heard from another principal the Ems are doing something new at the assembly instead of “Casey at the Bat” and the kids were pretty entertained.
• REPEAT: Friday PD: OSAS Training, FRIDAY – This Friday is a “Building Based” Friday and we will use it 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.
• REPEAT: Holt Friday at 4:00, @Sunriver Brewing Company! – Come blow off some steam at our March Friday at 4:00 at Sunriver Brewing Company! See you there!
• Fire Drill, 3/15 @8:05 – Not htis week, but Wednesday next week at 8:05 will be our March Fire Drill. Linked here are the Building Evacuation Map and the Fire Drill Lines Map. If we are rained out, we’ll try again next Friday.
• Team Meetings, 3/15 – 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.
• Spirit Day – Sheldon Pride Day, 3/14 – Tuesday, March 14th is Sheldon Pride Pay, Encourage your students to show their pride for our region high school by wearing green or Sheldon HS gear!
• Holt Night Out Fundraiser – Killer Burger, 3/16 – Thursday, March 16th is a Holt Night Out Fundraiser at Killer Burger at Oakway Center! Remind your students to just mention Holt when ordering and Killer Burger will donate a percentage of their family’s purchase to Holt! Take out and dine in only.
• Staff Workload Relief Day, 3/17 – There’s no school on Friday, March 17th for a Staff Workload Relief Day. Licensed staff are allowed to work from home this day as long as you are availalbe to team members and have notified me.
• Classified Staff Meeting, 3/17 – I’m not sure of the time just yet, but I’d like to hold a Classified Staff Meeting this day. Principals have a PD this day, so I’m still working out a time for us to meet. I’ll get it on the calendar soon and definitely by next week’s announcements. I’d like to review some recess rules to make sure we’re all on the same page and also go over some individual student plans, like we did earlier in the year. Let me know if you have additional agenda items for our meeting.
• Erin’s Law & Second Step Child Safety Unit, Lesson #5 – All classroom teachers should use the Second Step Child Protection Unit for meeting the state Erin’s Law requirements. For each grade level, there are six lessons, which are to be covered at three points in the school year, with Lessons 1-4 in the fall, lesson 5 right before spring break, and lesson 6 right before summer break. 4J purchased only one kit per grade level, but linked here are Child Protection Unit Scans of the teacher guides if that makes things easier.
• ACE Award Nominations Open – It’s ACE Awards season! Holt has many exceptional staff worthy of recognition. Now is the time to recognize them! Nominations can be made in four categories: teachers and licensed specialists, administrators and supervisors, classified staff, and volunteers. Nominations are due by March 31st. Going by past experience, winners are usually selected when a staff or parents gets together to nominate an individual with a flood of nominations, so feel free to start a campaign. Linked here is the ACE Awards Webpage and the ACE Awards Nomination Form. There is no limit on the number of people you can nominate!
• Lost & Found Donated at Spring Break – Remind your class between now and spring break as you pass by the Lost & Found that we are donating anything left behind the last day before spring break. I’ll start running an article in the Quick News for the rest of the month.
• Student Directory Sample Page – Not on my blog, but attached to my email is a sample page from the Student Directory I’m putting together and will send off to Central Print to make copies for families. It’s nothing fancy, but let me know if you have any suggestions or feedback.
• Seesaw March Madness Tournament – In case you missed the monthly March Edtech Update that Justin sent out, there’s a Seesaw March Madness friendly competition between schools. In my opinion, I wouldn’t advise assigning a ton of work through Seesaw, but I do think Seesaw is a great app for kids to share work with their families.
• 4J Reading March Madness Challenge – If you’re interested, Amy Page emailed principals there’s an elementary 4J Reaching March Madness Challenge. The number of minutes ready by each school will be divided by the student enrollment. The goal is to get students reading for fun and to create a culture of reading. Beanstalk, which student log onto with Clever from the Beanstalk button under “Library and Information Resources,” is the tool being used to track reading. If you’d like help with Beanstalk, here’s a How-To Video or you can schedule a time to meet with district librarian Amy Page.
• March SSD Newsletter – If your’e interested, linked here is the March SSD Newsletter that was shared with SPED teachers and principals. This edition includes info about IEP meeting minutes, abbreviated school days, translation services, and behavior consultation.
• District Admin Updates – See this email sent to principals for full details, but Mike Ingman is returning to Sheldon High School as principal. Interim principal Kay Graham is retiring. Also, South Eugene High School principal Carey Killen is leaving at the end of the year and that position is currently posted. Not in this email, but I also hear the Human Resources Director position is posted.
• 30 Women’s History Month Activities for Students of All Ages – This WeAreTeachers Article lists a bunch of simple activities teachers could do to celebrate Women’s History Month.
• 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 6 (M)
Artist in Residence Continues
Library Week #2 Classes
SPED Staff Room Duty
Classified Appreciation Week8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom)
10:30-1:00, Classified Appreciation Baked Potato Bar (Staff Room)
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 11 (SA)
9:00-2:00, Elementary OBOB Regionals (South Eugene HS)March 13 (M)
Artist in Residence ContinuesLibrary Week #1 Classes
Office/PE/Music Staff Room Duty
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom)March 14 (T)
PI Day
Sheldon Pride Day
9:00-12:00, 4th Grade Symphony Field Trip (Holt Center)
10:15-11:45, Allan Covering Music Classes
2:45-3:45, PBIS/SEL/Equity Meeting (Kelsey’s Room)
5:30-7:00, K-2 Math Games Night (Classroom & Cafeteria)March 15 (W)
8:05, Fire Drill
8:50-10:45, Book Nook, During AM Recesses (Cafeteria)
2:45, Grade Level Team Meetings
7:00-9:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)March 16 (H)
Holt Night Out – Killer Burger
2:45-3:30, Leadership Team Meeting (Library)March 17 (F)
St Patrick’s Day
No School – Staff Workload Relief Day
8:00-11:30, Allan to Principal PD
Just three weeks until spring break!
Allan
