Allan's Announcements

By Allan 　https://blogs.4j.lane.edu/chinn/?p=7166

Greetings Howard Roadrunners,

I’m looking forward to our Halloween Staff Photo after school on Tuesday!

Sixteen items of note for this week:

• Dismissal Pick-Up line Moving – In an effort to keep the pause parking line moving better, we’re moving Mr. Matt’s student pick-up line closer to the bus loop, so please remind students of this new location.

• 4J Science Resources – Don’t forget about the many, many resources on the 4J Science Blog that’s managed by Howard’s own Allison Kreider. Just click the links along the right for grade level specific resources for each kit, including printable learning targets (single sheet or poster size), vocabulary cards, word wall cards, and more!

And are you having trouble figuring out where to fit in science lessons? The Title 1 Progress Monitoring days are an excellent day for science. Also, if you’re having trouble finding time to get to all of the lessons in your kit, know that it’s better to focus on teaching the high priority lessons and getting to the end of the kit than it is to teach lessons in order and not finish. No student is ever told they’re bad at science (there’s no tests, there’s no pull-out groups, etc.), so science is a great time to integrate multiple subject areas and make all kids feel successful!

• LearnZillion Tips – Principals had a mini-training at our last elementary principals meeting and were told what were the top “Power Moves” for successfully teaching the new math curriculum. They were:

• Learning Targets – How do teachers communicate criteria for success?
• Manipulatives/Visuals – How do teachers help make student thinking visible?
• Anchor Charts – How do teachers help make academic language accessible?

• Nov. 8 Number Talks Change for LEL & Math Info – I’ve had to reschedule Part 3 of the 4-Part Number Talks trainings. Originally we were doing part three at the Teacher Team Time Meeting on Wednesday, November 8th, but instead I’ll be presenting information downtown wants principals to share regarding the LEL (Learning About Learning) visit we’ll have the following week (November 15th). There is also an extended Math Teacher Leader update that downtown asked to be shared, which we’ll also do at this meeting.

• November PBIS Focus: Appreciations – The November PBIS monthly focus is Appreciations. The PBIS team created a PBIS/CSC Cheat Sheet that matches our monthly PBIS themes with corresponding Caring School Community class meeting lessons, which is a nice way to tie the two activities together.

• Supporting Undocumented Students – Principals were asked to share the linked FAQ for Staff – Supporting Undocumented Students. The most important point is 4J is committed to a safe, inclusive, and supportive school environment for all students, regardless of their national origin, immigration or documentation status, which in practice means we do not collect or share any information regarding immigration status. All schools held a training with staff on this topic last year, but please let me know if you have any questions.

• Student Care Team Resources – Below are a few community resources that were unused at last Wednesday’s Student Care Team that you can feel free to share with families should the need come up. Also, all of these along with others, can all be found on the Howard Google Drive in the Student Care Team folder.

• Dusk to Dawn Program – Families and adults in need of overnight shelter can access the Dusk to Dawn Programs administered by St. Vincent de Paul; families with children under 18 at First Place Family Center, 1995 Amazon Pkwy and adults at the Eugene Service Station, 456 Hwy 99N.

• Oregon Family Support Network, Lane County – OFSN Lane County partners with families of children who experience behavioral, emotional or mental health challenges to help them succeed at home, school and in life. They work with parents, foster parents, grandparents and others, offering Parents Night Out (or respite care), System Navigation and Peer Support, Family Fun Activities, Support Groups, Wraparound Family Partners, Resource, Referral and IEP Support, Collaborative Parenting Series, Mental Health First Aid Training (Adult and Youth), and more.

• Central Housing List – Lane County’s Coordinated Entry program is one central list that homeless families can get onto that will place them on the wait list for all of the community agencies that provide housing assistance (i.e. Catholic Community Services, St. Vincent De Paul, Shelter Care, Looking Glass, etc.).

• Oregon Telephone Assistance Program (OTAP) – Free phones are offered through the Public Utility Commission to qualifying low income individuals. People can apply by email, phone, or print out application from on the OTAP website.

• Ways to Support Howard – This is going out to families in the November newsletter but to highlight it for staff as well, here are a few easy ways you, your friends, and relatives can help support Howard!

• eScrip: eScrip works with merchant partners to contribute to groups like ours each time you shop with your registered debit or credit cards – at no cost to you!

1. Go to http://www.escrip.com Enter the School or Group I.D. #500046355
2. Register your debit and/or credit cards.
3. Shop at eScrip merchants, including Safeway, Market of Choice and Amazon!
4. Use your eScrip registered cards for all your purchases.
5. A percentage of purchases will be automatically contributed by the merchant.

• Fred Meyer Rewards: You are now able to link your Fred Meyer Rewards Card to your favorite nonprofit by following the link below. Whenever you use your Rewards Card when shopping at Freddy’s, you will be helping Howard earn a donation from Fred Meyer. If you do not have a Rewards Card, you can sign up for one at the Customer Service Desk of any Fred Meyer store.

1. Sign up for the Community Rewards program by linking your Fred Meyer Rewards Card to Howard Elementary School at http://www.fredmeyer.com/communityrewards. You can
search for us by our name or by our non-profit number # 88934
2. Then, every time you shop and use your Rewards Card, you are helping Howard earn a donation!
3. You still earn your Rewards Points, Fuel Points, and Rebates, just as you do today.
4. If you do not have a Rewards Card, they are available at the Customer Service desk of any Fred Meyer store.

• Target REDCard: If you have a Target REDCArd (credit or debit) Target will donate a percentage of all REDCard purchases made at Target and Target.com to Howard if you designate our school.

1. Go to http://www.target.com/tcoe
2. Log onto your REDCard account
3. Fill in the information under “Sign me up” to designate
Howard!

Howard also participates in the following programs. Click on each link to find out how you can help the school earn more money through each program. Many of the programs just require you to sign up and will donate through purchases you are already making. Some of the programs require you to clip a code or label of some sort; these can be sent to the school.

• Box Tops http://www.boxtops4education.com/
• Labels for Education http://www.labelsforeducation.com/
• Ticondaroga & Prang http://www.prangpower.com/
• Tyson http://projectaplus.tyson.com/
• Amazon Smile http://smile.amazon.com/ (Howard Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization)

• Allan Out Thursday – Following the ALICE Lockdown Evacuation Drill, I’ll be out of the building at an all-day ILT meeting, but retired 4J principal Stephanie Cannon will be in the building covering for me.

• REPEAT: Safety Week This Week – This week is our annual Safety Week. The schedule will be:

• Monday, Oct. 30 – Earthquake/Fire Drill, 1:30
• Tuesday, Oct. 31 – Room Clear, time decided by teachers
• Wednesday, Nov. 1 – Classroom lesson on ALICE. Place Holder date for weather
• Thursday, Nov. 2 – ALICE Lockdown Evacuation Drill, 9:00
• Friday, Nov. 3 – Fire Drill, 8:30

See last week’s staff announcements for details and resources on each drill. Let me know if you have any questions.

• REPEAT: Halloween Costume Parade, Tuesday at 8:10 – The annual Howard Costume Parade is Tuesday at 8:10. Linked here is the Costume Parade Route & Directions. Upstairs Buddy Classrooms will join their downstairs Buddy Classrooms at 8:05. At 8:10 Suzy’s class will lead the “Parade Train” from Blue-Wing to Green-Wing to Yellow-Wing. After classes complete their parade loop, they will re-enter their classroom or stand along the edges of the commons area to watch the parade. Families may watch from the courtyards or commons areas (or join the parade). Classroom parties may be held at the teacher’s discretion. Students who do not celebrate Halloween are invited to participate in a fun acting in the Learning Center. Bryan will also offer a fun alternate activity 1:30-2:00 in the afternoon for any classes holding class parties at the end of the day.

• Voluntary Elementary EA Workshops – 4J added quarterly training opportunities in addition to the EA Extravaganzas. The quarterly trainings will be a 1-1/2 hours, on early release days. They will offer the same training on three different days to accommodate the various early release times/days in buildings across the district. Over the course of the year there will be four different trainings offered, two on behavior and two on math. These are voluntary trainings. If they go beyond an EA’s regular workday, you can check with me about using trade time. The first training topic will be focused on behavior during supervision and presented by 4J Behavior Consultants: Systematic Supervision: Creating a Safe and Positive Playground and other Common Areas. In this workshop, participants will learn to:

• Develop playground scanning methods that incorporate movement and proximity strategies
• Establish and maintain positive environments and relationships with students
• Focus on positive appropriate behaviors and Respond to problem behavior/take action

The schedule for quarterly trainings will be:

November 3, Auditorium 1:30-3:00 Behavior 1 (Supervision Focus)
November 8, Auditorium 2:00-3:30 Behavior 1 (Supervision Focus)
December 6, Tower room 1:30-3:00 Number Sense 1
December 8 Auditorium 1:30-3:00 Number Sense 1
January 10, Auditorium 2:00-3:30 Number Sense 1
February 7, Auditorium 1:30-3:00 Behavior 2
February 9 Auditorium 1:30-3:00 Behavior 2
March 7, Auditorium 2:00-3:30 Behavior 2
April 11, Tower room 1:30-3:00 Number Sense 2
April 13, Auditorium 1:30-3:00 Number Sense 2
May 9, Auditorium 2:00-3:30 Number Sense 2

Hold the date! – Elementary EA Extravaganza, February 2nd. Contact Marlee Litten if you have any questions x7586.

• Día de Muertos Celebration, Nov. 1 & 2 – The JSMA honors this annual celebration of life and death that takes place in Mexico, parts of Central and South America, and Latino communities in the United States. Altars with offerings, and traditional art, music, dance, food, flowers, and poetry remember and welcome souls journeying to the world of the living for a brief visit.

• 3 ways to boost brain function – It is possible to boost brain function and capacity in students, asserts Eric Jensen, a brain-based teaching and learning expert and former teacher. In this EdSurge Commentary, he shares three ways to kick-start this process to better serve students living in poverty.

• 10 ways to get your mojo back – October is an especially hard month for teachers, says Mike Anderson, author of “The Well-Balanced Teacher” in this ASCD article. “There’s so much positive energy at the beginning of the year … [but] after five or six weeks, reality starts to crash in.” Around this time, “student challenges might present themselves more prominently and the curriculum can start to feel overwhelming.” When the “October blues” bear down, what can you do to keep your momentum going? Turn to the CCSSO 2017 State and National Teachers of the Year for advice.

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

October 30 (M)
Safety Week
1:30, Earthquake/Fire Drill
2:15, 4th Grade Job-Share Interviews (Conference Room)

October 31 (T)
Safety Week: Room Clear Drills
8:10, Halloween Costume Parade
2:15, Staff Costume Photo! (Story Cove)

November 1 (W)
Safety Week: ALICE Drill Student Lesson
PBIS Monthly Theme – Appreciations
Title 1 Progress Monitoring Day – No Groups
Ewok Appreciation Day
2:30-5:00, Allan to Pay Grade Evaluation Meeting (Facilities)
4:00-5:00, Allan to North Region Principals’ Meeting (NEHS)

November 2 (H)
9:00-9:15, ALICE Evacuation Drill
9:15-4:00, Allan to ILT Meeting (Stephanie Cannon subbing)

November 3 (F)
8:30, Fire Drill

November 5 (SU)
Daylight Savings Time – Fall Back

November 6 (M)
Regular Day

November 7 (T)
8:15-11:15, Allan to Elementary Principals’ Meeting (Ed Center)
2:30-3:30 IPBS Meeting (Mellissa’s Room, Room 23)

November 8 (W)
Wacky Wednesday-Favorite Sports Day
2:30-3:30, Teacher Team Time Meeting (Ashley’s Room, Room 25)

November 9 (H)
2:30-3:30, TLT Meeting (Angela’s Room, Room 24)

November 10 (F)
Veterans Day – No School

Have a terrific week, everyone, and look forward to a 4-day week next week!

Allan