https://blogs.4j.lane.edu/chinn/?p=7906
Hello Roadrunners,
Thank you, everyone, for doing your best to manage students with our massive all-school photo last week. Next year I think we’ll try a different spot. The courtyard was too tight of a space for all 528 students and 93 staff member. Maybe next year we will try the front of the school and take the picture from the roof. Picture coming soon (once it’s been reviewed for any stray middle fingers).
Twelve items of note for this week:
• Staffing Updates – HR has completed the classified bumping process and none of our classified folks were bumped, so with the exception of the two SSD displacements shared earlier, Team Howard will remain intact.
• Wildlife Safari Assembly, Wednesday, May 30 – Not this week, but next week on Wednesday, May 30th in the gym is an assembly put on by Wildlife Safari. Kindergarten and 1st grade pooled their PTO field trip/enrichment money and thought they’d invite other grade levels to attend if you’d like to come. The 3-5 assembly is 8:45-9:45 and K-2 assembly is 10:00-11:00. The program is “To Eat or to Be Eaten,” asking, did you know some animals are vegetarians? What’s the difference between a food chain and a food web? Carnivores, omnivores, herbivores, decomposers, plants, and scavengers – can one live without the other? Examine how we are all linked in the delicate circle of life. See the linked Assembly Map & Directions for details.
• Care Team Referrals Due Friday – The May Student Care Team is next week (the final meeting of the school year), so any new referrals are due to me this Friday. Linked here is the 4J Release Form to get signed, but you can also refer “hypothetical” student or family situations. Let me know if you have any questions.
• Subs and Absence Planning – Last Friday we had five unfilled sub job, three of which were classrooms, but the amazing Howard team stepped up and got everything covered. That being said, 4J has been running short subs a number of different days this month and it will likely continue through end the of the year, so if you have any known dates you are going to be absent, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE prearrange a sub ahead of time and/or enter your absence as soon as possible so it will more likely get filled.
• REPEAT: PTO Book Money – Classroom teachers, don’t forget about your PTO McTeacher $75 is donating for teachers to purchase books for your classroom libraries. And remember, the deadline for Lori to create POs or do credit card purchases is May 24th and all reimbursements are due by June 15.
• Artist in STEAM Room 5/28 – 6/13 – Please note that STEAM Room will be unavailable between May 28th and June 13th for the 3/4/5 Artist in Residence, Merideth Ferrell, set up her space for silk painting.
• REPEAT: Pride Awards: Excellence, Wednesday – This Wednesday at lunchtime in the cafeteria will be our PRIDE Awards for Excellence. If you haven’t done so already, pick 2-3 students who have demonstrated Excellence and get them to me by Tuesday. Also remember to send home the PRIDE Award Invitations to parents before the event.
• REPEAT: Fire Drill, Thursday at 1:35 – Thursday is the May fire drill. We’ll making it easy on ourselves and holding the drill while two grade levels are on a field trips, so it will be Thursday, May 24th at 1:35.
• FREE NCAA Track and Field Championships – The University of Oregon and partners are providing K-8 students FREE access to Olympic Day at the NCAA Track and Field Championships on June 10th. Youth will hear inspirational stories from Olympians that emphasize achieving your goals, the importance of education, and empowering yourself through hard work. Each youth can bring one chaperone and will enjoy the Championship Meet at the NCAA’s. Feel free to share the linked Flyer in English and Spanish.
• With Student Trauma, It’s OK to Set Boundaries – Student trauma impacts teachers, too. Taking care of yourself isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. In working with students who are in pain, educators may experience emotional, physical, and relational symptoms, with many affected teachers emphasizing a kind of depression rooted in a reduced sense of personal accomplishment (i.e. you may feel like no matter what you do, you’re not doing enough for your students). See this Edutopia article for suggestions on how to reduce professional isolation, pursue opportunities for PD, and develop realistic expectations and set boundaries.
• Report: Teachers spend own money on supplies – No, this is not a headline from The Onion and is certainly not news to people who work at Howard, but I thought folks might enjoy reading this article. Ninety-four percent of teachers in the US spend their own money on classroom supplies, according to a survey by the National Center for Education Statistics. On average, teachers spend about $479 annually, with teachers in higher-poverty schools spending the most, which I thought was especially interesting.
• Schedule of Upcoming Events – See the Google Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the next two weeks:
May 21 (M)
Library – Book Return Week
10:00-11:00, UO SPICE Visit to Jill & Lupe
10:25, Allan Covering Classroom
3:30, 5th Grade Teachers Meet w/Kelly for MS TransitionsMay 22 (T)
8:15-11:15, Allan to Elem. Principals’ Meeting (Ed Center)
9:15-9:45, Kelly Students Visit Howard 5th graders (Cafeteria)
2:30-3:30, IPBS Meeting (Mellissa/Mariah’s Room, RM23)
5:00-7:00, BEST/YMCA Family Pizza & Movie Night (Cafeteria)May 23 (W)
Title 1 Progress Monitoring Day – No Groups
9:15-10:15, Howard Students Visit Kelly (KMS)
11:00-12:45, PRIDE Awards at Lunch (Excellence)
5:30-7:00, 4J ACE (A Champion in Education) Awards Celebration (Churchill HS)May 24 (H)
June Newsletter Article Due
8:00-5:00, 5th Grade OMSI Field Trip
8:00-5:00, 2nd Grade Zoo Field Trip
8:30-3:30, Allan to Report Card Revision Team Meeting (Ed Center)
1:35, Fire DrillMay 25 (F)
Howard PD Day, No School
BOGO Book Fair Set-Up
Linda Kirk’s Classroom Giveaway Ends (Staff Room)
Towel Day
8:00-12:00, Staff Meeting/PD (Cafeteria)May 28 (M)
Memorial Day, No SchoolMay 29 (T)
3/4/5 Artist in Residence Begins – Merideth Ferrell, Silk Painting (STEAM Room)
BOGO (Buy One, Get One Free) Student Preview
10:30-1:00, KG Field Trip to LCC
2:30-3:30, Site Council (Conference Room)May 30 (W)
8:15-9:15, 3-5 Wildlife Safari Assembly (Gym)
10:00-11:00, K-2 Wildlife Safari Assembly (Gym)
2:30-3:30, Student Care Team (Conference Room)
4:00-5:30, Allan to Report Card Revision Team Meeting (Ed Center)May 31 (H)
9:00-10:30, Allan to Dyslexia Webinar (Office)
11:00-12:45, May Birthday Lunches with the Principal (Community Room)
12:00-3:30, Allan to ILT (Ed Center)June 1 (F)
9:00-1:00, 4th Grade Field Trip to UO
8:00-4:00, Allan to LEL (Chavez)
10:15, KG Ocean Art Open House (Sugar)
4:00, Howard Staff Social (Angela’s House)
Have a great week, everyone!
Allan
