https://blogs.4j.lane.edu/chinn/?p=3288
Hello Howard Roadrunners,
Last week was a busy one but was filled with a lot of fun; 4th grade performing “There’s a Rumpus in the Jungle” for students and families, several field trips, the kindergarten graduation (which was probably more for parents, but still fun), the tug-of-war and and, of course, soaking our students with water balloons. These are the kinds of school activities that make lasting memories for kids that they will remember for years to come.
Eleven items of note this week:
• “Grab & Go” Sack Lunch Schedule – A repeat from last week, but for lunch on Tuesday, students will enter the cafeteria through the doors closest to the office. They will put together their own sack lunch, assembly line style. As students pass through the line, they should form a new line at the doors exiting to the breezeway. Once all the students have gotten their lunches, the class can leave the cafeteria. This process should take 5-8 minutes. If staff not supervising students are available to help during this time, that would be terrific!
10:00 1st grade
10:15 2nd grade
10:30 3rd grade
10:45 4th grade• Staff End-of-Year Ice Cream Celebration – Tuesday @11:30 – It’s been on the calendar, but I wanted to make sure everyone knows our end-of-year celebration will be this Tuesday at 11:30 in the cafeteria. I’ll have ice cream, sundae toppings and root beer float fixings for a delicious way to close out the year. See you all there!
• Clap Out Map and Directions – I emailed details on Friday, but attached is a map of where classes will line-up along the walls of the east wing at 1:50 on Monday to “clap out” the 5th graders when they exit Howard one last time before becoming middle schoolers.
• Year End Checklist & Boxes for Tech – Regarding boxes for storing various classroom technology, those boxes appear to have disappeared from Room 12 the past couple weeks, so I bought some new boxes that are stacked in the back of Room 12 by the sink for classroom teachers to use.
Be sure to sign up for a checkout time (sheet located in the mailroom) and complete the Year End Checklist that was put in staff mailboxes a few weeks ago. And as soon as staff have completed their checkout with me, you are free to start your summer! Let me know if you have any questions on any of the end of year tasks.
• Technology Checkout – If you are taking home any of your technology (laptop, iPad, etc.) over the summer, be sure to fill out and turn in a copy to the office of the 4J Technology Equipment Checkout Contract before your checkout time.
• Building Design Update – The Design Team had our final meeting before the project goes out to bid. We’ll still continue to meet next year to discuss the project, but the major pieces are done. We covered a lot of topics as the meeting and here are the highlights:
• Parking Entry– One topic was the parking entry location in relation to the big tree. After hearing from a traffic engineer, it became very clear that there were legitimate safety concerns (particularly involving the crosswalk and cars getting backed-up in the street and parking lot) if we placed the entry in the center of the parking lot in order to preserve the tree. I think we’ll want to do something to commemorate the tree, possibly preserving a section of the tree. 104 new trees are planned to be added to the site.
• School Garden – Allison came to the meeting to help with decisions around the school garden, which is shaping up nicely. Since the gardens will be in a secluded area behind the school, the district will be installing video cameras to hopefully deter vandalism. There will also be enough concrete seating in this area to easily hold two classes.
• Courtyards – The courtyards have had some updates and additional details added. We will have the dry creek beds, which have been in and out of various plans, in both courtyards, where rainwater runoff will collect. There will be seating for students to use the area as an outdoor learning space. Both courtyards will have gates to secure the area during non-school hours.
• Playground – The playground is beginning to be looked at more. One addition will be some two tiered seating for a class to meet or for students to hang out at on recess. Overall, it’s a smaller playground that we have now, but with the turf field right next to the playground and also a separate grass field, I think kids will still be able to spread out fairly well. I’d still prefer it was bigger though.
• Front Entry – The entry way to the building is also getting some more details added, such as a embedded boulders throughout the sidewalk area for kids to sit on or climb on and also some more formal of seating around planter beds. There will be a covered bike area near the gym and one uncovered area by the front entrance.
• Library/Media Center – The library is also continuing to be refined and some fun design elements have been added. One is to add some columnar basalt-like designs (like the rocks at Skinner’s Butte) as an entry to a reading area. Another proposed by the architects was to have a large whiteboard or chalkboard by the amphitheater seating on the south side of the library, which looks out onto the school garden. Architects coined this space the “Story Cove” but Jenny had a much cooler idea everyone jumped on, which was to instead have some fun seating, like those we saw at Trillium Elementary School’s library, where kids can crawl into reading nooks (though still easily observable). We also talked about how this could potentially connect to the second story walkway above the library. Another element of the library that was talked about was to somehow salvage part of the old building’s timber and install it somewhere in the new building as an interactive art piece. We liked the idea salvaging part of the old building to honor it’s history, but weren’t so sure about the interactive design presented by the architects. We’ll be talking more about that one.
• Counter Space – Lastly, design reps brought up a concern about the limited counter space in classrooms compared to what we have now. It was made clear to architects and facilities staff that teachers will need adequate counter space for science, art and other prep heavy classroom activities, so the current plan is to provide counter space with class furniture, such as bookshelves, which should give teachers around 20 feet of counter space in addition the fixed counter space. This should give teachers give teachers enough counter space, but would also allow teacher flexibility in how they want to set up their classroom.
Attached are the drawings shared the meeting. This was the last meeting of the school year for the design team, but feel free to join the Pinterest page and share any cool ideas you find regarding outdoor spaces, technology, furniture or other design elements you think should be considered. Just follow all the boards and I can give you access to pin away!
• Potential Science Opportunity from Kim Finch – It’s quick notice on this, but here is a quality sounding STEM opportunity for teachers next year from the same people who led eMAST, which was an excellent project if there are any Howard teachers who participated in that. This PD series is focused around:
● Project Based Learning (PBL) Curriculum Design
● Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), Scientific and Engineering Practices
● NGSS, Grade Level Content Specific Standards
● NGSS + Math CCSS Connections
● NGSS + ELA CCSS Connections
● Graduate Level Credit available through WOUAttached is a letter Kim forwarded to me about the project and below is her email as well. I know this is a terrible time of the year to ask for people to volunteer for such things, but this looks really good.
As a school that is continuing to have a STEM focus, this opportunity has come up for PD for teacher teams from Eugene 4J elementary schools. It is very short notice, but you may have folks who has “wished” for something like this. I am attaching the letter that the Springfield principals received. If you have teacher teams that might be interested, we can get more information to them. I am new to this grant (which I have inherited from Chris Castillero), but I am working with the lead from Springfield, who has many, many answers. If you have a team, I would need names from you prior to the end of the year. Let me know if you need more support.
Kim Finch
Eugene 4J STEM Administrator
Eugene School District 4J
(541) 790-7568• Teacher Classroom Funds Change – Next year, I need to find some savings in the Howard school budget to cover some other costs and right now my plan is to eliminate the “Allan Funds” ($250) for classrooms and instead set aside a chunk of money for print orders (which is what most teachers spend these funds on), along with continuing the classroom funds from the PTO (which was $400 this year and may increase next year). Please let me know if this creates a problem for anyone or if you have other ideas where we can save money, but unless I hear from a number of folks, I believe this will be the plan for next year.
• More District Admin Updates – Kim Ketterer will be serving as the interim Director of Technology Services. As I’m sure you all know, Kim has been the Instructional Technology Administrator for a number of years and will fill this position until a permanent Director of Technology is hired. Also, Chris Castillero, Associate Director of Curriculum and Professional Development Mathematics, announced last week that he is leaving 4J for a job in Wisconsin. This adds another vacancy to the list of open 4J admin positions, which are for Awbrey Park, Spencer Butte, South Eugene, Technology Director, Teacher Quality Administrator and the Federal Programs (Title 1) Coordinator.
• Learning Palace Coupon – It’s shameless marketing by Learning Palace, but I was sent a 15% off your entire purchase coupon to share with staff, which I thought I’d pass along in case any of you are planning on making an IKEA/Learning Palace trip this summer.
• Schedule of Events for the Week – See the Google Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for this week:
June 16 (M)
Last Day for Kindergarten and 5th Grade
8:20, Allan Reading to Class
1:00-2:00, 5th Grade Graduation (Gym)
2:00-2:05, Clap Out (East Wing Hallway)June 17 (T)
Last Day for 1st – 4th Students
“Grab & Go” Sack Lunch (see times below)
11:05, Dismissal (cue Alice Cooper)
11:30-12:00, Staff End-of-Year Ice Cream Celebration (Cafeteria)
12:00-4:00, Staff Checkouts with Allan“GRAB & GO” SACK LUNCH SCHEDULE
10:00 1st grade
10:15 2nd grade
10:30 3rd grade
10:45 4th gradeIf staff not supervising students are available to help during this time, that would be terrific ☺.
June 18 (W)
Last Day for Staff (Classified and Licensed)
7:30-4:00, Staff Checkouts with AllanJune 19 (H)
Budget Reduction/Unpaid Furlough DayJune 23 (M)
Being a Writer Training SessionJune 24 (T)
Being a Writer Training SessionJune 25 (W)
Being a Writer Training SessionAugust 20 (W) TENTATIVE
Being a Writer Training Session
1 1/2 days to go!
Allan
Staff Summer Book Picks!
Cheri
The Pilot’s Wife by Anita Shreve
Erin
The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child by Donalyn Miller
Jenny
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Julie
Iris Johansen books: Hunting Eve, Taking Eve, Silencing Eve and Close Your Eyes
Catherine Coulter books: Bomb Shell and Power Play
The Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth
And of course the OBOB, BCCCA and ORCA books
Linda
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
Lupe
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
The Boy on the Wooden Box: How the Impossible Became Possible…on Schindler’s List, A Memoir by Leon Leyson
The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child by Francisco Jiménez
Leaders of Their Own Learning: Transforming Schools Through Student-Engaged Assessment by Ron Berger
Mindset by Carol Dweck
Rene
Across the Nightingale Floor (Tales of the Otori, Book 1) by Lian Hearn
Mellissa
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Robin
Transforming the Difficult Child by Howard Glasser
The Explosive Child by Ross W. Greene PhD
Suzy
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
This is a must read for introverts (like myself) and extroverts alike…especially for anyone who is a parent, a teacher or administrator. You will never look at your students and children (and maybe even yourself) the same way again! Susan Cain also has an entertaining TED talk on this subject that will give you a bit of an idea what this book is about.
The Boy on the Wooden Box: How the Impossible Became Possible…on Schindler’s List, A Memoir by Leon Leyson
The title says it all…
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo.
A non-fiction book, that reads like it’s a novel (and at times you’ll wish it was a novel). Heartbreaking, and yet uplifting all at the same time.
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed.
A story about a woman who is trying to pull her broken life (of her own doing) back together.
The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe.
Don’t let the title scare you away. This book is not only a touching story about the relationship between a son and mother (who is going through cancer treatment), but is also about the love of family and books. You will learn that Will’s mother, Mary Anne, not only instilled in her family the love of books, but also sharing books you love creates a powerful bond.
Shelly W.
The Dive From Clausen’s Pier by Ann Packer
Allan
Armada by Ernest Cline
I read Cline’s first book, Ready Player One, last year and it has to be one of my all-time favorite pulp novels, so I have to read his second book, which comes out later this summer. The story of this book and his first one are pretty derivative, but the 80s pop culture referenced throughout Ready Player One made it an awfully fun read.
Brainquake by Samuel Fuller
Samuel Fuller was a filmmaker from old Hollywood, who was able to make extremely subversive films by doing them in low-budget genre B-pictures, so the studio left him alone. Fuller also wrote a few pulp novels which have been long out of print and Hard Case Crime has release one of his unpublished books, which I’m quite excited to read.
A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book One by George R.R. Martin
Was on my list last summer, but didn’t read it and I need to read the books before I watch the TV series.
The Twelve (Book Two of The Passage Trilogy) by Justin Cronin
Justin Cronin is an award winning author of sensitive character dramas, but his daughter told him he should write a book that’s “interesting” so he wrote this post apocalyptic vampire trilogy. I read the first book and am ready for the second. This was on my list last summer too.
Geek Dad: Awesomely Geeky Projects and Activities for Dads and Kids to Share by Ken Denmead
Written by a MAKER dad, this has all sorts of cool project I want to do with my kids this summer. The first one I want to do will involve a Flip camera, kite string and helium balloons.
