https://blogs.4j.lane.edu/chinn/?p=13083
Greetings Holt Bolts,
It was great seeing licensed staff last Friday and I’m looking forward to seeing the whole team back together again later this week!
Sixteen items of note for this week:
• Behavior EAs TBA – We have two strong candidates we’re waiting on HR to make a job offer. Hopefully our new folks can start soon!
• ALL Licensed Staff to Conscious Discipline PD – Downtown asked principals to clarify that all licensed staff (counselors, PE, Music, SPED, Title, SSC, Library, Coaches, etc) and not just classroom teachers are supposed to attend.
• Snacks to Expect at Meetings – Monday we will have snackey types of food and coffee. Thursday we’ll have breakfast burritos, coffee, and my usual assortment of breakfast snacks. Friday is a shorter meeting will be leftover snacks.
• Master Schedule Notes – Two items on the 23-24 Master Schedule.
• EA Schedules – The 2023-2024 Master Schedule now includes the EA Schedule, though if folks spot anything that looks off, we can adjust.
• Specialist Schedule Corrections – We noticed the PE/Music/Library Specialist tab on the 23-24 Master Schedule is off for a few grades, so we’ll be working this week to make sure the specialist tab matches the times on the main tab.
• ParentSquare Info – If you were taken aback and surprised by the 4J Email and 4J Staff Update that went out to staff and families saying “All district and school, grade level and classroom information” will now come via ParentSquare, principals and Elementary Directors were also taking by surprise. We haven’t heard a training timeline or rollout plan yet, but it is live now if staff want to try it out. The Tech Department linked to resources below, but it’s pretty intuitive and user friendly, so I was able to figure it out without reading any directions and will use it from now on for parent and family communications. It really is a pretty slick app and gives you all sorts of information views, languages selected, types of devices, and other stats. Teachers don’t have to use it yet until we get rollout information, but you can feel free to try it if you’d like.
ParentSquare Training Videos
ParentSquare Training Materials
ParentSquare Teacher Guide
• Classroom Newsletters to Allan – I’d like to have copies of classroom newsletters when teachers send them out to families. I’m not positive you can CC on ParentSquare, but you can in Synergy. This helps me keep up to date on what’s happening or going to happen in classes when families ask and it also lets me know details of any class activities that I might be able to get local media to come out and cover. I love promoting our school! Let me know if anyone tries ParentSquare. I may be able to see posts as the building admin on the app.
• Principal Visits to Classrooms – As teachers start planning, I’d like to do my annual visit every classroom sometime during the first few weeks of school to greet students and introduce myself. I’ll read a favorite story to your class and chat with the kids a bit. Teachers, please let me know a 10 minutes block of time I can come and visit sometime this month. Thank you!
• easyCBM Assessment Windows – The current easyCBM windows have been 6 weeks at each benchmark assessment. There has been some discussion on a district team that this is too wide of a window and measurable growth happens in that 6 week window, so downtown is shortening that window to 3 weeks and will bring us a draft schedule soon. Stay tuned for more info.
• TalentEd Self-Assessment & Goals – All staff, both classified and licensed staff, need to complete the Self-Assessment/reflection in TalentEd by Sept. 30. Licensed Staff need to complete the Goals Development Form by Oct. 30. Once school gets started I’ll plan to again put a team together to create some optional building goals licensed staff can use if they would like.
• Self-Evaluation and Goals Guidance – For the self-evaluation, when you score yourself between Ineffective, Area for Growth, Effective, or Exemplary, most people will be in the Area for Growth or Effective range. If you score yourself Exemplary, that’s an area you should be teaching others across the district. It’s also totally fine to mark ineffective if that’s where you think you are.
For goals, I would say don’t make extra work for yourself and pick a goal you’re actually planning to work on. Licensed staff need to come up with a measurable SMART Goal, but for classified staff pick something like committing to trying Conscious Discipline practices or working on learning more kids names or working to keep your small group materials better organized. Essentially, make it a practical goal.
• BIPOC Mental Health Support – If you know of any BIPOC students in needs of counseling or mental health support, Looking Glass is now offering free services to families. I’ll put this in the Quick News, but keep this in the back of your mind for students who might benefit. See Megan, Kim, or Allan to make a referral or use the CARE Team Request Form.
• Ed Tech Update Highlights – I wanted to highlight an EdSurge Article in the latest 4J Ed Tech Update about using ChatGPT. Make a free account with your 4J or personal email and try it out! Use it to answer a tricky parent email (“Write an email reply saying why elementary kids should not wear Crocs to PE.” or “Write a lesson plan for a hands on activity teaching double digit subtraction.” or “Write an elementary parent newsletter article telling them only heathy snacks are allowed.” I started trying it last spring and it was a great timesaver. I always had to edit what it somewhat, but AI did most of the heavy lifting. Also noteworthy in the update, the Back to School Resources from ShakeUpLearning looked worth checking out.
• Beginning of the School Year: Safety/Injury Prevention Message – Risk Management asked principals to remind staff to stay safe while setting up your classroom; using safety ladders instead of chairs, using carts or hand trucks to move heavy items, consider stretching first, and using the “Green Zone” versus yellow or red zones for lifing heavy items. See the Risk Management Email for details.
• On the Road w/Steve Hartman: Kindness 101 – Here’s a cool news story about a 5th grade teacher who for 15 years has tried to promote kindness by showing a different On the Road with Steve Hartman segment each day (a revival of the old old Charles Kuralt segment us old timers might remember). This prompted CBS to create a Kindness 101 Facebook Group for Teachers. If you want to check out some of the segments or possibly show them to your students, here’s a CBS Evening News YouTube Playlist, which has over 500 segments, and a CBS Sunday Morning YouTube Playlist, with nearly 300 more. Segments are only 2-3 minutes and could be an easy way to show kids stories of kids and adults working to make the world a better place.
• Repeats & Reminders – See prior announcements for details, but take note of:
• Holt Spirit Gear Sale Deadline, Sept. 20 – See Ashely’s Email for details, but the limited edition Holt Spirit Gear Sale ends September 20th.
• Inservice Week Schedule – Linked here is the 4J Elementary Inservice Week Schedule.
• Team Sign-Ups – Feel free to add you name to the Team Sign-Ups Spreadsheet.
• Staff Walk-Up Songs – Add your “Walk-Up Song” to the Staff Walk-Up Song Survey.
• Holt Staff Fun Facts – Add or update your info to the Holt Staff Fun Facts Spreadsheet.
• Breakfast Burrito Orders Due MONDAY – Fill out the Breakfast Burrito Google Form by 12:00am, Monday, August 28th to get one at the 8/31 Staff Meeting.
• Make Sure Your Voicemail is Set Up – All teachers should ensure your 4J voicemail is set up and working. See the Quick Start Voice Mail User Guide for how to set it up.
• Class List Email Friday Afternoon, Sept. 1 after 3:00 – Teachers should plan on message families through Synergy or ParentSquare a welcome letter to families of all students in your class on Friday, September 1st after 3:00.
• Elementary Testing Coordinator – Anyone interested in taking over as the testing coordinator (easyCBM & OSAS) for a 2% salary stipend? Let me know if you are interested or have any questions. I’ve done testing coordination before and can help whoever takes on this duty.
• SPED EA Professional Development – SPED EAs will attend a Zoom PD session this Friday from 12:30-2:30 to learn about a new intervention curriculum, UFLI Foundations. If this is outside of anyone’s normal work hours, balance your hours over the course of this week. The Zoom link will likely come in an email and/or will be posted on the Inservice Week Schedule.
• Insurance Open Enrollment Deadline, Sept. 15 – Choose your insurance plan by September 15th or else you will lose your health insurance benefits for this year. See the 4J Open Enrollment 2022-23 Website 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:
August 28 (M)
8:00-11:00 – Building PD – Leadership Plan, Licensed Staff Nuts & Bolts
12:00, Breakfast Burrito Orders Due
12:30-4:00 – Conscious Discipline PD (Holt Gym/Cafeteria)August 29 (T)
8:00-11:30 – Teacher Prep
12:30-4:00 – Conscious Discipline PD (Holt Gym/Cafeteria)
6:00-7:00 – Holt PTO Board Meeting (Library)August 30 (W)
Classified Staff Report Back
9:00-11:00 – 4J Welcome Back Event (Sheldon HS Track)
11:00-12:00, Lunch and Transition Time
12:00-4:00 – Grade Level & Specialist PD (See LINK for locations)August 31 (H)
7:30-11:15 – Building PD – SCIP, Equity, Nuts & Bolts (All Staff, Cafeteria)
7:30-8:00, Snacks and Socializing
8:00-11:15, Meeting Time
11:45-3:30 – Building PD – Structured CollaborationSeptember 1 (F)
8:00-10:00 – Building PD – BEPA, SEL (Licensed Staff, Library)
10:00-11:00, Classified Staff Meeting (Library)
11:00-12:00, Optional New Staff Orientation and Q&A (Library)
12:30-2:30, SPED EA Training (Zoom)
12:30-3:30 – Teacher PrepSeptember 4 (M)
Labor Day – No SchoolSeptember 5 (T)
7:30-9:00 – Staff Meeting, If Needed (Library)
2:00-3:00, Meet Your Teacher (Classrooms)
2:30-3:30, Kona Ice Fundraiser (Playground)September 6 (W)
Kinder Starts
Grades 1-5 Structured Collaboration & Support of Kinder Smart StartSeptember 7 (H)
All Grade Levels StartSeptember 8 (F)
1:30-2:00, Welcome Back Assembly (Gym or Outside)
See you, all, soon!
Allan
