https://blogs.4j.lane.edu/chinn/?p=3177
Hi Everyone,
For those of you who know my sister, Lisa had her baby Friday evening. Sadie was born 7.64 pounds and 20.5 inches long. Both mom and baby are doing well (and mom is still planning to run Field Day on June 13th).
Eleven items of note this week:
• Building Design Updates – Some potentially sad news about our giant tree out front. Whether the tree stays or goes depends upon a few factors, but a big one depends upon what type of asphalt is used in the new the parking lot. If it is a porous asphalt, which rainwater can seep through, then the tree can stay. If it is traditional asphalt, then additional room will be needed for storm water treatment between the parking lot and the street. The concern with porous asphalt is that it tends to erode the dirt and gravel underneath the asphalt which quickly results in cracking and potholes. It is the county who is requiring a porous asphalt, but the 4J facilities staff are concerned about the lifespan of such a material and are asking the county to show them a parking lot with this material that’s 8-10 years old. My preference would be to keep the tree if at all possible, but if functionality needs to win out, I can live with it (though downtown realizes they’ll need to communicate this change with the community since the tree has been preserved in all the plans presented at previous public sessions). Let me know if you have any thoughts on this, and I’ll communicate it to Facilities staff and the architects.
• Classified Bumping Update – No classified staff from Howard are being bumped this year! HR completed classified bumping last Friday and have notified staff who would be impacted. Howard made out well and did not have ANY classified staff bumped out of the building, which is great news!
• Being a Writer Teacher Training Sign-Up – Teachers may now sign-up for the Being a Writer Trainings on the 4J Workshop webpage. Trainings are K/1/2 or 3/4/5 and are being held on June 23rd, 24th and 25th. There will also be trainings offered in August, tentatively scheduled for August 21st, 22nd and 23rd. Trainings are first-come-first-serve, so sign-up now for a date if there is one that fits your schedule better.
• Anticipated School Start Date – Semi related to the above item, HR has presented to the Board a proposed instructional calendar for 2014-15 with these key dates:
• Tuesday, August 26 — Teacher report date
• Wednesday, September 3 — Classes begin for students
• December 22-Jan 2 — Winter break
• March 23-27 — Spring break
• June 11 — possible last day for studentsThese dates are not yet official, but I think they will be made official in a couple weeks. The Board will take action on the proposed calendars on Wednesday, June 4th. HR is currently working on employee calendars for all employee groups, and anticipate being able to send out information about all employee report dates, as well as a Board-approved instructional calendar for 2014-15, on June 5th.
• Friday, May 30th PD/Planning Day – This Friday from 8:30-12:30 in the library will be our final Howard PD Meeting of the year. Attached is the meeting agenda, but the main topics will be a morning meeting activity (let me know if you have a good one to share), some business items, writing work sample scoring and then a WordPress refresher. Be sure to bring your laptop (charged) for the WordPress portion of the day. Classified staff are welcome to attend the meeting, but are not required to attend. I’ll provide some my usual breakfast snacks, drinks and coffee.
• Spring Writing Work Samples – Related to the above item, remember that work samples are due to me by Thursday, May 29th. Attached are the K-2 and 3-5 writing prompts and be sure to carefully read the teacher script and directions before administering the assessment. Let me know if you have any questions.
• TSS Staffing Updates – Sam’s last day subbing as the Howard/Kelly TSS was this past week. Ryan Ferguson and Peggy Young, the TSSs currently assisting with the bond measure Crossroads project, will be taking over for the last few weeks of school. They will be responding to all tickets submitted to 4jdesktop@4j.lane.edu, but may not have regular hours in the building. Interviews were recently held for our TSS III position, but no one has been hired yet.
• PTO Updates – The PTO Board shared at last week’s meeting that over $1,100 was brought in by the Penny War and that the Tech Trot brought in $3,600, with more still being turned in. They also shared that the Vice President, Secretary and Volunteer Coordinator positions on the PTO board are open, that the last day for popcorn will be Wednesday, May 28th and that the School Carnival will be June 5th.
• 2014-2015 Class Lists – A few grade levels have already completed these, but attached is the class placement form for next year (PDF and MS Word) to create your class lists for the next grade level. Lists will be due to the office by Grading Day on Friday, June 6th.
• More District Admin Updates – Our super boundary neighbors, River Road El Camino del Rio, now has a new principal, Joel Lavin. Joel has served the past two years as principal at Awbrey Park Elementary. Prior to that assignment, Joel served as the Assistant Principal at Roosevelt Middle School. Joel holds a MED, a BA (Spanish), and a BS (General Science) from the University of Oregon. Churchill High School also now has a principal, BJ Blake. BJ has been the principal at Spencer Butte Middle School, Meadowlark/Buena Vista, Bohemia Elementary in South Lane and the assistant principal in CHS.
• Schedule of Events for the Week – See the Google Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for this week:
May 26 (M)
Memorial Day – No SchoolMay 27 (T)
EasyCBM Spring Benchmark Testing Continues
Last Week For Library Check Out
8:15, LCC Dental Clinic
2:30-3:40, IPBS Meeting (Room 4)May 28 (W)
Last Popcorn Day of the Year
2:30-3:30, Allan to IEP MeetingMay 29 (H)
10:45-2:00, 5th Grade to Track Meet (Sheldon)
11:00-12:30, May Birthday Lunches with the Principal (Room 2)
2:30-4:30, Howard Design Team Meeting (Library)
4:00-6:00, Allan to Job Expo – Round 2 (Ed Center)
5:00-6:00, Title 1 Family Engineering Night (Cafeteria & Gym)
May 30 (F)
Howard PD/Planning Day – No Students
8:30-12:30, Staff Meeting/PD (Library)May 31 (S)
9:00-1:00, Garden Work Party (come help move the raised beds with a group of UO frat boys!)
14 days until summer!
Allan
Best illusions of the year
Here’s something fun to blow your kids’ minds. It’s the top 3 videos from the 2014 Best Illusion of the Year Contest! Below is the 3rd place winner.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-7fimW5rmU&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]