September 21, 2015

By Allan  

Every-Star

 

Hello Roadrunner Staff,

I hope you all enjoyed International Talk Like a Pirate Day this past Saturday.

Seventeen items of note this week:

• Oct. 2nd PD Day, ALICE Training – Since we’re not doing writing benchmark scoring at our Oct. 2nd PD Day, that opens things up, so for that day I’ve scheduled an ALICE training for all staff, both classified and licensed. This is the active shooter training, which all middle and high schools have done and that all elementary schools are now being required to do. ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate. Attached is a memo sent to elementary principals and describes what the three-hour training will look like. The first hour of the day will be for Howard business and the remaining three hours will be the ALICE training. Let me know if you have any questions.

• State In-Service Day – Friday, October 9th is State In-Service Day. This is a regular work day for classified staff (minus BEST EAs and crossing guard time), but it is a “non-contract day” for licensed staff. That means teachers do not need to report to work this day and may elect to attend various trainings around the state. Classified staff should check in with their cooperating teachers regarding this day so you can have a plan how you can be helpful this day. And on a related note, if you ever have questions about work days, check the Employee Work Year Calendars on the 4J website.

• PRIDE & Cookie Dough Sale Kick-Off Assembly – This Wednesday, September 23rd from 8:55-9:25 will be the PRIDE kick-off the assembly and the cookie dough sale kick-off. Lori will call classes down to the gym starting at 8:50. See the attached assembly map for details. For the PRIDE portion of the assembly, grade levels will represent letters (5th=P, 4th=R, 3rd=I, 2nd=D, 1st=E, kinder=TBD). Look for an email from Rae with more information. And don’t forget about the CFK Class Meeting lesson on assembly behavior you can use with students before our first assembly.

• New Building Updates – Attached are the minutes from the last Owner/Architect/General Contractor (OAC) Meeting and below are a few items of note:

• Move-In Date & Some Details – If you didn’t catch it in the Staff Meeting Minutes email, our move-in date into the new building is now officially going to be over the summer and not spring break. This means licensed staff will get two days of extended contract for packing and two days of extended contract for unpacking. Though packing and unpacking is surely a year-long process, this amount of days is what has been agreed upon between the district and EEA for when entire schools move between buildings. This is the same as what was done for Family School and Charlemagne teachers this past summer and for other previous school moves into new buildings. These days will be flexible and can be used anytime. I haven’t gotten a clear answer yet whether teachers will need to fill out an extended contract form of if it will be automatically added to your paychecks. I’ll keep people posted on that. I also found out that the school year end and start dates will stay the same, though at the end of this year we will have a hard date that everyone will need to be out of the building so Todd Construction can begin demolition. Lastly, I haven’t gotten an answer on wether staff can move items into the new building themselves after the new building is finished, but so far no one has said “no.”

• New Playground Equipment – I shared this last year, but for new staff or if teachers want to show this to new students, here are a couple inks to what our new playground equipment will look like, which I think looks pretty good. The new trend in playground equipment has moved away from raised structures, like what we have and what’s at Holt and Chavez, but we’ll have two different structures for kids to climb, balance and slide on; one for the older kids and one for the younger kids. Follow the links above if you’d like to check them out. The playground is also set to have two sets of swings, a stand alone slide besides the ones on the structures, two different seating areas for kids to hang out (one by the hardplay area and one by the younger students play area) and a covered half-court basketball area.

• Potential New Housing – I went to the River Road Community Organization Pancake Feed last weekend and chatted with John Belcher, the current RRCO Co-Chair, who said that the empty lot next to Dairy Mart on River Road is likely going to be purchased by the City of Eugene for low-income housing. This isn’t something that’ll impact our enrollment this year, but it’ll certainly help us with staffing and enrollment in the future (and also filling our new building).

• Full-time Spring Student Teachers from Oregon International Internship Program – Oregon International Internship Program (OIIP), part of the UO Center for Applied Second Language Studies, is interested in placing international student teachers from their program at Howard. OIIP connects future teachers from China and Taiwan with local K-12 schools. Interns work for 32 hours each week (full-time), beginning in February through the end of the academic year. These student-interns can provide classroom management support, provide individual instruction to students who need it, or lead group activities. Toward the end of the year, they can lead cultural or language clubs after school as an engaging activity for students who need care after school hours. OIIP can also work with teachers to provide PDUs for those may need them. If any of you are interested in having an extra hand in your classroom second semester, see the attached flyer and contact Mandy Gettler at the UO by phone at (541) 346-1773 or by email at mandyl@uoregon.edu.

• Learning About Learning Network Teacher Rep – For several years, 4J has had Learning About Learning (LEL) Networks , first with only principals and later adding a teacher rep from each school. The 4J LEL is now adding a second teacher rep from each building (Allison is our current rep), so read on if you’d like to learn more.

The purpose of a Learning About Learning Network is to orient members to the Instructional Rounds process and to begin the process of building teams of leaders who are able to learn from one another around the craft of leading instruction. The goal of instructional rounds isn’t to provide feedback to the teachers being observed, but rather the primary purpose is for observing classrooms to compare LEL members’ own instructional practices with those of the teachers they observe. The chief benefit of this approach resides in the discussion that takes place among LEL members at the end of the observations as well as in subsequent self-reflection. This short post from Edutopia has a nice overview of what the process looks like and attached are the dates and times of the the LEL meetings. Feel free to ask Allison or myself if you have any questions. An analogy I like to use for the LELs is that they remind me of exercising; I kind of dread doing it each time, but I always feel like it was time well spent afterwards. Let me know if any of your are interested.

• PTO Updates – We had the largest parent turnout I’ve ever seen at a Howard PTO meeting last week and we also had great turnout of staff (thank you to all of you who came!). Two items of note from the PTO:

• PTO Teacher Funds – This past Friday the PTO cut us a check for Teacher Funds. I’ll figure out this week how much we’ll be able to provide for classrooms, using a per pupil allocation, and will let folks know the amounts next week.

• Highlight Teacher Fund Use in Class Newsletters – Related to the previous item, something that would help with fundraising is if classroom teachers can mention in class newsletters how you are using the PTO provided funds. This gives families a concrete example of what fundraising provides for their children. Feel free to also let me know and we might be able to highlight it in the school newsletter.

• Want More TSS Time? Email 4Jdesktop – I shared this with some staff last week, but I thought I should share it with everyone. In talking with James Grubic, the best way he can make the case to the Technology Department Directors for more TSS time at Howard is if we have a high volume of tickets being sent to 4jdesktop@4j.lane.edu, which is the data he needs to back up our request for more TSS time. So in place of emailing Peggy directly, always put in a ticket to 4jdesktop. And if you’re talking directly with Peggy while she’s in the building, be sure either you or her put in a ticket for that tech request.

• Safety Week, Sept. 29 – Oct. 2 – No this week but next week is Safety Week, where we will practice all of the most common safety drills. The schedule for Safety Week will be:

• Monday, Sept. 28- Fire Drill, 1:30
• Tuesday, Sept. 29- Room Clear, time decided by teachers
• Wednesday, Sept 30 – Lock Down (Code Blue and Code Red), 9:00
• Thursday, Oct. 1- Earthquake/Fire Drill, 8:15

All of these drills are listed in the “Emergency Procedures Manual” which is the rainbow tabbed spiral notebook that should be hanging in every classroom. For the Lock Down drill, please review the Code Blue and Code Red procedures. These have Howard specific steps that are more detailed than the more general of ones in the Emergency Procedures Manual. Let me know if you have any questions.

• Health Center Fliers – If you ever have families in need of basic health care, feel free to share this flyer with details on the health center operation for this year (this will also be going out in the next school newsletter). They offer a Nurse Practitioner who can see students without a medical home, no insurance, or even those with high deductibles. Lane County Mental Health Therapists also see clients in this friendly and accessible environment. The Nurse Practitioner is at North on Tuesdays and Fridays and is comfortable diagnosing and treating ADHD. Mondays and Thursdays she is at Churchill.

• NAACP Back to School Celebration – On Saturday, October 3rd at the Downtown LCC location from 10:00-1:00, the Eugene/Springfield NAACP would like to welcome parents and students to participate in this year’s Youth Council, Act-So and Back to School Tutoring (BTS) program in partnership with Lane Community College. They invite families to come learn more about these great opportunities and the many available resources at their kickoff celebration. Free lunch will be served at noon.

• Lane County Math Teachers Circle – September 29th – The Math Teachers Circles (MTC) is a PD model which is meant to be accessible, fun and engaging. Teachers do some math together – generally facilitated by higher ed – and then have some space to discuss problems of practice with each other. Statewide, the Oregon Council of Teachers of Mathematics (OCTM) is taking a lead role in MTC’s, supported by the Oregon Math Network. Locally, Regine (Lane ESD), Theresa Hilkey (Eugene-4J) and Diane Ray (Springfield) are taking a lead as part of their roles in OCTM. If you’re interested and would like more information, see their flyer. They’ll provide free food, a round of drinks, fun, fellowship, PDUs, and a chance to be a math learners for a change and connect with colleagues.

• Title 1 Newsletter – Here is the latest district level Title 1 Newsletter that went out to Title 1 Coordinators and principals. This month’s newsletter is mostly coordinator specific information and tasks, but there is an interesting note about the district’s new Family Resource Center, located around the corner from the Superintendent’s office, and will be providing a host of services–consultation, community service connections, classes for parents, regional parent involvement events, school consultation, etc.

• News from the Emerald Empire Reading Council – Here’s the September Newsletter from the Emerald Empire Reading Council. This month’s newsletter includes a number of workshops, programs, and literacy grants. If you’d like more information, visit their (1990s style) website.

• Snack & Learn “Dealing with Difficult People” Workshop 10/19 @4:00 – OSEA and 4J are inviting all staff to the first in a series of four snack and learns. The first of the series is a training presented by Brown and Brown Northwest, titled Dealing with Difficult People. The workshop will be at Churchill High School on Monday, October 19th from 4:00-5:00. The snacks and presentation are free to interested 4J staff.

• Great TED Talk – This video is a great reminder by Dr. Camara Phillis Jones on race, racism and how to become an active antiracist. Camara Phyllis Jones, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., is research director on social determinants of health and equity in the Division of Adult and Community Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP). If you are looking for something provocative and intellectual to watch (20 min), Allegories of Racism by Dr. CP Jones is a very cognitive and creative presentation.

 

• Schedule of Events for the Week – See the Google Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the next two weeks:

September 21 (M)
International Day of Peace
10:15, Allan Reading to Class
1:15, Allan Reading to Class

September 22 (T)
8:00-3:30, Data Team Meetings (Room 8)
2:30-3:30, IPBS Meeting (Room 1)
3:00-5:00, Allan to Second Semester PE Teacher Interviews (Ed Center)

September 23 (W)
First Day of Autumn (Autumnal Equinox)
Howard Logo Embroidery Orders Due to Jenny
8:55-9:25, PRIDE/PBIS Kick-Off & Cookie Dough Kick-Off Assembly (Gym)
2:30-3:30, Allan to North Region Elementary Principal Meeting

September 24 (H)
8:30, Allan Reading to Class
2:30-3:30, TLT Meeting (Room 6)

September 25 (F)
Book Fair Previews
10:40-12:30, August & September Birthday Lunches with the Principal (Library)

September 28 (M)
Safety Week Begins
Book Fair Begins
1;10, Fire Drill
2:30-5:00, Allan to Elementary Principals’ Meeting (Ed Center)

September 29 (T)
Room Clear Drills (done at time decided by teachers)
2:15-3:15, Allan to Evaluation/Planning Meeting
2:30-3:30, Student Care Team (Staff Room)
4:00-5:00, Allan to All Admin Meeting (Ed Center)

September 20 (W)
9:00-9:10, Lock Down Drill – Code Blue and Code Red
9:10-11:00, Allan to OAC Meeting (Construction Trailer)
10:40-11:10, 4/5 Strings Recruitment Assembly (Gym)
2:30-3:30, Site Council (Staff Room)

October 1 (H)
8;15, Earthquake/Fire Drill
8:30-11:00, Kindergarten Hearing Screening (Location TBA)
5:45-6:00, Curriculum Night Student Drop-Off
6:00-6:30, Curriculum Night Session 1
6:35-7:05, Curriculum Night Session 2

October 2 (F)
No Students – Howard PD
8:00-12:00, Howard PD (Library)

Enjoy your last five day week for a couple weeks!

Allan

 

Pirate