https://blogs.4j.lane.edu/chinn/?p=13241
Hello Bolts,
Twenty-five items of note for this week:
• Staffing Updates – Two staffing updates:
• 4-hour Title EA Interviews – We’ll hold interviews for our 4-hour Title 1 EA this Friday after school. Let me know if you are interested and I’ll send you the interview materials. We had 18 applicants, which is pretty darn good for a 4-hour position.
• 6.5-hour Title EA (Stephanie Chan) – I’m pleased to announce we’ve hired Stephanie Chan as our newest Title 1 EA, taking Lisa Phillips’ position, which Adrian Monty has been filling the past few weeks. Stephanie was previously a Life Skills EA as Gilham, but took time off to raise her kids, who are Holt kiddos in 3rd and 5th grade. Please welcome Stephanie to the Holt Team!
• Scholastic Book Fair THIS WEEK – Starting Monday, the book sale will be open from 7:30 to 7:50 in the morning and after school from 2:30 – 3:30. During the day, students can come down during recess or anytime there is free time during class. Robbie will continue to teach Library Lessons this week in classrooms.
• Wednesday PD, 10/25: SafeSchools/Vector Modules & Elementary Inclusive Beliefs Survey – I owe staff one more Wednesday to complete your SafeSchools/Vector Modules, which are due next week on Nov. 1. Principals were also tasked with giving staff time to complete a 10-minute Elementary Inclusive Beliefs Survey.
The Inclusive Beliefes Survey is a joint 4J and EEA survey intended to gather baseline data on current staff beliefs surrounding inclusive education in our district. In order to better develop guidance and training around what inclusion should look like in 4J, district and union leadership have agreed that it is necessary to have a current and comprehensive picture of the current state of inclusion in the district. In my opinion, I love the collaborative relationship between general education and special education staff here at Holt, which is not something you see in all buildings.
• Holt PTO Costume Bingo & Trunk-or-Treat, THURSDAY – The Holt PTO’s Trunk-or-Treat Event (5:30-6:15 on the blacktop) and Costume Bingo Night (6:15-7:30 in the Cafeteria) is this Thursday, so get kids pumped and feel free to join yourselves!
• Spirit Assembly FRIDAY @8:20 & Thriller Flash Mob Sign-Up – Our monthly School Spirit Assembly is this Friday in the gym. The assembly will start at 8:20, but all classes should be in the gym by 8:15. See the Assembly Map and Directions for details, but get your kids excited for prizes, games, and fun! And don’t forget to add your name to the Thriller Flash Mob Sign-Up if you’d like to join in a little extra fun.
• Holt Spirit Day, FRIDAY, Wacky Hat Day! – This Friday is a Holt Spirit Day and this time it’s Wacky Hat Day! Dig out your favorite or wildest hat or headwear this day to show your school spirit!
• Safety Week Info, Oct. 30 – Nov. 3 – Next week we’ll hold our Safety Week, which is a good way to bring awareness to staff, students, and families about the various school safety procedures.
• Monday: Evacuation (fire) Drill
• Tuesday: Room Clear & Hold
• Wednesday: Secure Drill & Playground Emergency Whistle
• Thursday: Lockdown
• Friday: Shelter (earthquake) & Fire DrillTeachers should pre-teach the drills to students ahead of time and can either use the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) Poster, which should be posted in every classroom (let me know if you don’t have one and I’ll get you one) or you could use the linked Safety Week Slide Show, which I plagiarized from another school. For your own edification, here is a link to the Complete SRP Guide and the SRP Folder on the Staff Google Drive. With the exception of Monday’s Fire Drill, I will plan to get on the intercom to give a brief overview of each drill.
MONDAY @1:15 – Evacuation Drill (fire drill): We’ve already done one Fire Drill this year and I will simply pull the alarm to start the drill. Linked here is the Building Evacuation Map and the Fire Drill Line Map. Teachers should explain that an Evacuation Drill can be more than a fire drill and that there are times we might need to evacuate to a specific locations, such as an announcement saying, “Evacuate! To the church across the street.” or to another location or part of the building. Staff should remember to lock and close doors behind you.
TUESDAY (or any day this week teachers choose) – Room Clear (for a danger in the classroom) & Hold (for when students need to stay in classroom for minor issue outside): These drill will be pracitced and reviewed with students anytime this week, but there are no other drill scheduled for Tuesday. Room Clear Drills will happen at a time determined by classroom teachers. Students should know where to go in the event of a situation requiring a room clear, either another classroom, the commons areas, the library, or other nearby space, preferably supervised, since in most cases the teacher would need to remain in the classroom while the rest of the students move out of the room.
A Hold is used when there is a situation in the hallway, such as a medical emergency or an escalated student, and we want students to remain in their classroom continuing business as usual.
WEDNESDAY @10:00 – Secure Drill (for a danger outside the building) and Emergency Playground Whistle: For the Secure Drill (formerly knows as a “lockout”), I will announce “Secure! Get Inside, Lock outside doors.” All exterior doors are to be locked. No one will be let in or out of building. It will be business as usual inside the building until the all-clear signal is given, which I will do 5 minutes into the drill. This drill is done if there was something unsafe in the neighborhood.
For the Emergency Playground Whistle, cafeteria supervisors at lunchtime will remind students if they hear one long continuous whistle at recess, they need to FREEZE and then LOOK AT AN ADULT for directions. This will be practiced at lunch recess.
THURSDAY @1:15 – Lockdown Drill (for a danger inside the building): I will announce, “Lockdown! Locks, Lights, Out of Sight.” Classroom doors are to be locked, curtains closed, lights turned out, and students moved out of sight. Classrooms should appear unoccupied and remain locked until a first responders unlock doors. For the drill, myself or staff will unlock classroom doors to announce all clear. In a real emergency situation where there is an immediate threat, staff and students would in almost all situation want to self-evacuate.
FRIDAY – Shelter (earthquake) & Fire Drill @8:20: For the Shelter/Earthquake Drill, teach students to “Drop, Cover, Hold,” meaning drop to the ground (so you don’t fall over), cover yourself by going under a desk (to protect yourself from falling objects), and hold onto the desk legs (so you stay under cover and don’t get bounced out). There are many resource on The Great Oregon Shake Out website for you to teach students about Drop, Cover, Hold and earthquake preparedness. See the above linked Evacuation Map & Lines for where classes should line up for the Fire Drill following the Earthquake Drill when you hear the fire alarm go off.
Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.
• Wednesday PD, 11/1: Stop, Walk, Talk Rollout – Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 1:30 in the library go over Stop, Walk, Talk and how we will roll this out to students. Last year staff decided last spring to teach Stop, Walk, Talk for common language for kids to solve minor (non-physical) problems on their own, but if people want to teach this to student earlier, we we agreed to use lessons 1 and 2 of the Stop, Walk, Talk Bully Prevention Lessons. Lesson 1 takes about 50 minutes and lesson 2 takes about 30 minutes. Lessons 3, 4, and 5 offer additional practice for specific situations (Gossip, Inappropriate Remarks, and Cyberbullying) if teachers would like to cover these as well.
I’m also a fan of this short Stop, Walk, Talk YouTube Video done in the style of a silent film to teach kids how to use it.
• Title 1 Math Groups Being 11/2 – Title 1 Math Groups will begin Thursday, Nov. 2.
• Formal Observations – I’m going to start making the rounds for Formal Observations, so if you are probationary or are a contract teacher on an observation year, watch for an email later this week to set up a time to observe a Wit & Wisdom lesson.
• Assisting Escalated Students (ask if they need assistance first) – Walking down that hall and spotting a staff member working with an escalated student is not uncommon, and while we appreciate folks willingness to help, we ask folks to first check with the staff member working with the escalated student if they need help before intervening. Giving the staff member a silent thumbs-up to ask if they need help is a good unobtrusive way check if they need help or not.
• Grab-and-Go Breakfasts Available – If students did not get breakfast in the cafeteria in the morning, they are welcome to walk to the office between 7:55-8:00 to get a Grab-and-Go Breakfast. Even if the kids who grab one of these don’t eat them, it can be a nice way to build up a classroom stash of extra snacks.
• Leadership Team Minutes – Linked here are last week’s Leadership Team Meeting Minutes. Several items will be brought to this week’s Staff Meeting to be decided on, including Gingerbread Houses Holiday Party, Student Technology Agreements, Conference Logistics, and Hallways & Pod Expectations.
• Monday Morning Announcement Recordings – Leadership discussed whether we wanted to continue doing Monday Morning Announcements on Zoom or switch to pre-recorded announcements or switch back to using the PA system. It’s nice to see all the classes, so for now we’ll continue Zoom, though I’ll also drop a recording of the Zoom into the Staff Google Drive in a folder labeled Monday Morning Announcements (if I remember to hit record).
• HEPA Filters Off at Night – I recently learned that the HEPA Filters are not meant to be turned off at the end of the day, so staff who have one of these in your room should turn them off before you leave each day.
• Student Tech Contract (K-2 and 3-5) – If you haven’t already gone over these with students, linked here and on the Holt Staff Dashboard are the K-2 Holt Student Technology Contract and the 3-5 Holt Student Technology Contract. Teachers should review this document with students, using it as a teaching tool, and then have students and parents/guardians sign the agreement (conferences are a good time for that).
• Staff Photos – Anyone hate their school picture on the Holt Staff Webpage? If you do, I have access to digital versions of this year’s schools photo if you’d like me to update your picture or if you want to first take a peek at this this year’s photo.
• Grant Approval Form Update (only for $5,000+ grants again) – Downtown thankfully saw reason, and we are going back to only using the Grant Approval Form for larger grants, which according to the 4J Grants Webpage is for grants $5,000 or more.
• 4J SEL Resources – Three resources that have been shared before, but I wanted to re-highlight are the Second Step Pacing Guide (don’t fee bad if you’re behind, but it is a good way to make sure you’re hitting each topic area), Morning Meeting, Engagement Strategies, and Closing Activities on the 4J Learning Hub, and also the 4J SEL PE Booster Plan & Resources 2023-2024, which has a bunch of links on Morning Meetings, Closing Meetings, and other class SEL resources.
• Elementary Curriculum Updates – The Elementary Curriculum Update sent to principals didn’t have anything too critical, but if you are interested it has info about 504 Meetings and Conferences, the Elementary Teacher VOICE Survey on the math adoption, Math Workbook print orders, Eugene Science Center opportunites for 3rd and 5th grade, Library Resources, and MANDT trianing opportunities.
• Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) PD Opportunity – See the ASIST Outreach Letter if there are any licensed or classified staff are interested in attending this 2-day training Nov. 2 and 3. Registration is first come, first serve and space is limited.
• WREN Newsletter & Paid PD Equity Zooms – The latest WREN Newsletter has a Zoom PD titled “Bystander Intervention for Educator” in December. I attended two Zoom PDs this month and it was kind of like listening to a good podcast, except you got paid $60 at the end! See the above linked newsletter for how to sign up!
• Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day Resources – It’s not until Nov. 14, but the Day of Dialogue Teachers’ Project Guide to Supporting Changemakers has lessons teachers can use to coincide with Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day.
• JUST FOR FUN: New Words – The online Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary regularly adds new words based on usage and 690 words were recently added. Here is just a sample list of them, including new slang and words made popular by online culture, like edgelord noun, slang : someone who makes wildly dark and exaggerated statements (as on an internet forum) with the intent of shocking others. Also the word “hallucination” has an new definition meaning “a plausible but false or misleading response generated by an artificial intelligence algorithm.” Worth checking out to stay in the know, especially if you’re an aging uncool Gen-Xer like me.
• Repeats & Reminders – See prior announcements for details:
• Licensed Optional SMART Goals, Due Nov. 3 – Here are Optional Licensed SMART Goals teachers can cut-and-paste into TalentEd if you would like.
• Sunshine Committee Dues – See Elizabeth’s Email for details. Full-Time Licensed Staff: $30.00 and Classified Staff: $20.00. There’s a money envelope in Elizabeth’s mailbox or you can Venmo @elizabethcobb1
• Sunshine Requests – Please take a second to fill out the Sunshine Requests Form if you have drink/snack requests for the staff room!
• HANDBOOK HIGHLIGHT: Physically Moving/Restraining Students – This week’s highlight from the Holt Staff Handbook, is on Physically Moving/Restraining Students. Restraint should be a last resort required to keep students and adults safe. It should only be done by MANDT Trained staff, but untrained staff are allowed to restrain a student in cases of an immediate threat (i.e. about to run in front of a car):
Physically removing/restraining:
• Physically removing/moving/restraining a student is never allowed unless there is an imminent threat to a person. Should be a trained staff member except in extreme situations. If you need assistance with a student call the office using the intercom on the wall or phoneHow to get help (immediate):
• If available, use a radio to request help. If not, use the intercom button, or use the phone and dial 6100. If a staff another member is nearby, you may also request them to get help for students behaviors
• Schedule of Upcoming Events – See the Holt Staff Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the next two weeks:
October 23 (M)
SPED/Inst. Coach Staff Room Duty Staff Room Duty
Scholastic Book Fair Begins
8:00, Morning Announcements Begin (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
1:00-2:00, Allan to Synergy Training (Zoom)
2:45, Allan to Parent Meeting
3:30-5:30, Allan to Elem Principals’ Meeting (Ed Center)October 24 (T)
9:15-1:00, KG Pumpkin Patch Field Trip
11:00-12:00, 4th Grade Garden
1:00-2:00, 4th Grade GardenOctober 25 (W)
7:30-8:30, Allan to MAPS Meeting
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – SafeSchools & Elem Inclusive Beliefs Survey
4:30-6:30, SPED Parent Info Session (Ed Center)October 26 (H)
8:50-10:35, Book Nook (Cafeteria)
2:45-3:30, Staff Meeting (Volunteer’s Classroom)
5:30-6:15, PTO Trunk or Treat (Blacktop)
6:15-7:30, PTO Costume Bingo (Cafeteria)October 26 (F)
8:00-11:00, OSEA Membership Drive (Staff Room)
8:20, School Spirit Assembly (Gym)October 30 (M)
Office/PE/Music Staff Room Duty
Safety Week Begins
8:00, Morning Announcements (Zoom) Pledge Sign-Up
1:15, Fire DrillOctober 31 (T)
This is Halloween!!!
Room Clear and Hold Drill @Teacher Choice
Kindergarten Hearing Screening
11:00-12:00, 4th Grade Garden
1:00-2:00, 4th Grade Garden
2:45-3:30, Grade Level Team MeetingsNovember 1 (W)
Ewok Appreciation Day
10:00, Secure Drill
1:30-2:30, Wed. PD – Stop, Walk, Talk Rollout (Library)
7:00, School Board Meeting (Zoom)November 2 (H)
Title 1 Math Groups Begin
8:50-10:35, Book Nook (Cafeteria)
9:00, Safety Committee Meeting
1:15, Lockdown Drill
2:45-3:30, Equity & Inclusion Team Meeting (Library)
6:00-7:00, Holt PTO Meeting (Library)November 3 (F)
8:20, Earthquake & Fire Drill
Just one more 5-day week after this week and then we get a nice 3-day week to look forward to!
Allan
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