Allan's Announcements

By Allan 　https://blogs.4j.lane.edu/chinn/?p=6000

Hi All,

How is it already December?

Sixteen items of note for this week:

• Albertsons Holiday Meals – The Santa Clara Albertsons is going to sponsor up to 75 Howard families this year with free holiday meal food boxes (turkey, stuffing, vegetables, drinks, dessert, etc.). My plan is send home the linked Holiday Food Box Flyer in Friday Folders this week (Bianca will have a translation before then) and to sign up families for food boxes on a first come, first serve basis. However, if any staff would like to make contact with any families before then to ensure they get onto the list before it fills up, feel free to do so and then give me their name after you confirm they are interested. The deadline for families to get onto the list is Friday, Dec. 16th. Families who get onto the list just need to give their name at the Alberstons front desk after Dec. 21st and they’ll receive their food box.

On a side note, Howard got chosen for this because the manager at Albertsons used to be a Howard parent and his oldest daughter used to be in my class my first year as a classroom teacher. She’s now 27-years old. I feel old…

• Kitchen Staff Update – Diane Stewart has been hired as the 5-hour Food Service Assistant in our kitchen that’s previously had subs filling in. Nutrition Services will next be posting for a 2-hour position to fill, but please congratulate Diane on her new position!

• Class Schedules to Lori – Teachers, if you haven’t already, please email your class schedule to Lori by Tuesday. We have the master schedule, but that doesn’t alway say when classes do Buddies, Library or other times they may be out of their classroom when the office is trying to track people down. I’ll start bugging folks on Wednesday who haven’t emailed their schedules by then.

• Mandatory Bus Safety Training Info Due to Lori – One other reminder, if you haven’t done so already, is that OAR 581-53-002 requires all students receive instruction on bus safety before winter break. The easiest method to meet the training requirement is to show the video The Safest Way Out. Then as soon as possible, let Lori know the date of your bus training so we can send Transportation they required compliance documentation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xPFw8PyaAo

• Studying Skillful Teaching PD Opportunity – 4J is continuing it’s work with Research for Better Teaching on Studying Skillful Teaching. If any teachers are interested, Howard has been allocated nine sub days to send folks to any of the four modules (Module 1: The Knowledge Base of Teaching, Module 2: Essential Elements of Unit/Lesson Design, Module 3: Making Student Thinking Visible, Module 4: High Expectations Teaching). This year all new teachers to the district have attended Module 1. If you have not previously attended an RBT training, you have to start with Module 1, but after than can attend any of Modules 2-4. See the LaneESD Studying Skillful Teaching webpage for training dates and module descriptions. Don’t sign up for any modules without letting me know first, so we don’t go over our allocated sub days. Most modules are either 1, 2 or 3 days, which means we can potentially send 3-5 interested teachers. Let me know if you’re interested or have any questions. You can also check in with Allison, Erin, Lupe, or Mellissa who have all previously attended RBT trainings as well.

• Annual Safety Inspection – I’m currently emailing back and forth with the district safety specialist to confirm a date sometime this week for Howard’s annual safety inspection. Please check your areas for the most common safety violations:

• Unlabeled spray bottles.
• 3 foot pathway to your exit doors.
• Cord covers for all power cords in walk ways.
• Power strips plugged into another power strip.
• Use of extension cords (long power strips are okay, just not extension cords)
• Items hanging from lights or the ceiling.

UPDATE – Inspection date moved to Tuesday, January 10th at 9:00.

If we have time, Crystal and I will do a pre-inspection walkthrough. Also, we’re really not supposed to have anything on our doors either, but as long as the fire marshal isn’t part of the inspection we’ll be fine there, so don’t bother taking down any door decorations at this time. Let me know if you have any questions on any of this.

• Fire Drill, Wednesday, Dec. 14th at 8:20 – Following our unexpected fire drill last week, I’ve scheduled our December Fire Drill for Wednesday, December 14th at 8:20. If only our unexpected drill had just been one day later, we could have called that our December drill, darn it!

• Child Abuse/Neglect Hotline Number Change – DHS has a new hotline number for reporting child abuse or neglect in Lane County which went live on Nov. 18th. The new number is (541) 349-4444. The fax number for child abuse/neglect remains (541) 485-8566. All mandatory reporters of child abuse/neglect and the general public should use the new phone number immediately. Hotline hours are: Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm except for state holidays. Reports outside of these hours should be directed to local law enforcement. The published number (the old number) for reporting child abuse/neglect will still connect callers to the new number.

On a related note, when you do make a report be sure to notify me and to also complete an Abuse Reporting Form (Word or PDF) so I can track dates, concerns, and how many calls we’ve made for individual students. Forms are also available in the office. 

• New Building Updates – Here are the items of note regarding our new building:

• Need Chairs? Let Crystal Know – We do have some extra stools and student chairs, so if you or your commons area space needs additional chairs, just let Crystal or me know.

• Want Your High Windows Covered? Let Crystal Know – She won’t be able to get to this until winter break, but if teachers are tired of sunlight blasting across your board and making anything you project unreadable, let Crystal know and she will cover the high window near the front of your classroom (like what Angela did in her classroom). The long-term plan for the natural light issues is to tint the windows, but Facilities and the architects want to first test different levels of tint (since they can go from barely tinted to completely black).

• Projector Help Sign-Up – Misty has made it around to most everyone, but if for some reason she hasn’t gotten to you yet, let me know and I’ll make sure she get’s your laptop, projector, and interactivity up and running. If you’re continuing to have problems that Misty is not still working on, let me know so I can track those issues and make sure they’re resolved. I’m tracking ongoing projector issues for Justine, Lupe, and Suzy, but those are the only ones I am currently aware of.

• Misty in the Building Monday – On a related note, Misty will be working in the building on Monday, so if anyone’s projector and laptop set-up start to act up, let me know and I’ll send her your way.

• School Speciality Sale – Outside of our furniture wish list, if staff want to make purchases on their own, School Specialty has a 10% off promo code available right now. They’re the supplier 4J went through to purchase everything for us from chairs & desk to our plastic bins, so their catalog is pretty exhaustive if you’re looking for anything in particular.

• Oregon School Adopts Standing Desks to Improve Learning Spaces – According to this article, Oregon’s Beaver Acres Elementary School has adopted standing desks in an effort to improve student health and redirect student focus. Howard’s desks can actually be raised to standing height for most grades or pretty close to standing height if anyone wants to give this a try.

• PreK-3 Adventures of The Tartar Patrol Assembly, Jan. 13th – It’s quite a ways out, but the assembly I sent PreK-3 teachers about last week is now scheduled for Friday, January 13th, 9:05-9:35. I know this time steps on some recesses, but we’re working around the performers schedule at multiple schools. Linked here is an assembly map and directions, but I’ll plan to repost this once we’re closer to the assembly date. If you’d like to explore any of the performance’s themes beforehand, on the Tartar Patrol booking page, click on the “Recommended Websites” and “Recommended Reading” links to find a variety of creative activities that will allow students to apply the content of the The Adventures of the Tartar Patrol to their own lives. You’ll find reading lists, videos, activities, and many additional resources for your classroom.

• Chamber Music Amici Assembly, Jan. 20th – Another assembly that’s quite a ways out that Siera arranged for us is a performance by the Chamber Music Amici, who are a local classical chamber music ensemble with five Core Musicians. They are the first resident company of the Wildish Community Theater in Springfield, giving sold-out concerts since 2009. Their mission is to produce excellent, affordable chamber music concerts which appeal to all ages. For this assembly, they’ve asked to split it by Pre-K/K/1, 2/3, and 4/5. See the linked assembly map and directions for details. I’ll also send this info out again once we get closer to the event.

• 2015-16 Oregon Statewide Report Card Released – The 2015-16 Oregon Statewide Report Cards are now available on the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) website. This annual report provides a statewide look at Oregon’s kindergarten through grade 12 education system, including key data on students, teachers, and schools.

• ISTE Seeks Public Comment on First Draft of Refreshed Standards for Teachers – The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is seeking public comment on the first draft of its refreshed ISTE Standards for Teachers. More than 600 individuals from around the world have provided insight into the contents of this initial draft and, by the time the second draft is released in early 2017, ISTE anticipates that thousands more will have participated in the process. See this article for details. 

• Computer Science Education Week kicks off Monday – Schools will mark Computer Science Education Week Dec. 5 through Dec. 11. Sheena Vaidyanathan, a teacher and computer science integration specialist, shares in this eSchool News article several ways her school engages students with ten Hour of Code and computer science resources.

And here’s a fun introduction to the Star Wars: Building a Galaxy With Code activity for students.

• Balancing the Holidays in Your Classroom – In this Teaching Tolerance article, the author writes that each year at this time, teachers are faced with a dilemma: How to balance the holidays to create the most inclusive environment? As Hanukkah and Christmas approach, many teachers will decorate with candy canes and construction-papered dreidels. But there are more holidays being celebrated this month. Muharram begins this month, the liturgical new year of the Islamic calendar. Meanwhile, Buddhists celebrate Bodhi Day this month. December also marks Kwanzaa, the Hindu family holiday Pancha Ganapati, and Yule for pagans. Many secular people either have winter solstice parties or observe no holidays at all. “By opening our hearts and minds to all religious traditions, we are serving the greater good and our connections with others grow deeper,” Cullen writes. See the above link for more related articles and resources.

• 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:

December 5 (M)
Computer Science Education Week / Hour of Code
9:30, Allan Meeting With Preschool State Inspector (Office)
2:30-3:30, Allan to Eligibility Meeting (Conference Room)
2:15-5:00, Allan to Pay Grade Evaluation Meeting (Ed Center) SKIPPING

December 6 (T)
8:15-11:15, Allan to Elementary Principals’ Meeting (Ed Center)
2:30-3:30, IPBS Meeting (Mellissa’s Room, B203)

December 7 (W)
No Title 1 Wednesday
9:30-11:30, 3rd Grade Salmon Release Field Trip
4:00-5:00, Allan to North Region Principals’ Meeting (Howard Conference Room)

December 8 (H)
Bianca Out, 12/8, 12/9, 12/12
National Pretend to be a Time Traveller Day

December 9 (F)
Regular Day

December 10 (SA)
9:00-4:00, PTO LulaRoe Multi-Consultant Pop Up (Gym/Cafeteria)

December 12 (M)
Regular Day

December 13 (T)
2:30-3:30, Staff Meeting (Volunteer’s Room)

December 14 (W)
Wacky Wednesday – Tropical Vacation Day

December 15 (H)
Bus Safety Training Due to Lori
9:00-11:00, Allan to ILT Meeting (Ed Center)
2:30, Carrying it Forward/Taking It Up Meeting (Conference Room)

December 16 (F)
10:30-12:30, December Birthday Lunches with the Principal (Conference Room)

December 19 (M) – January 2 (M)
No School – Winter Break

January 3 (T)
No School — Professional Development/Planning Day (Science PD)
School Choice Opens

January 4 (W)
Classes Resume
No Wednesday Popcorn

And if you’re a snow watcher like me, here are some handy links for you :)

NOAA
AccuWeather
KEZI Weather
KVAL Weather
Register Guard Weather
Weather Underground

Have a good one, everybody!

Allan