November 26, 2018

By Allan  

 

Hi Everyone,

Hope you all had a relaxing and rejuvenating extended weekend and are ready for our next four weeks leading up to winter break!

Twelve items of note for this week:

• Picture Retakes Wednesday – This Wednesday, Lifetouch will start photographing students who need retakes at 8:30 in the library. Lori will call students down by grade.

• Don’t Take Key Workroom Supplies – Staplers, staple pullers, tape dispensers, and other workroom essentials have regularly been disappearing from the workroom. Please do not borrow these items as it makes it difficult for staff trying to prep in the workroom. If you are missing these items in your classroom, let me know and we’ll make sure you get them.

• Hour of Code Next Week! – Let me know if any of you are doing something cool for the Hour of Code coming up next week. I’d love to see if we can get some media coverage for some of our activities during Computer Science Education Week. See the above links for some fun and easy online actives for all grade levels. Khan Academy also has quite a few quality activities.

• 8 Easy & Fun Coding Projects from BrainPOP – BrainPOP has teamed up with Scratch and Vidcode, and now offers a Creative Coding curriculum to encourage students and teachers to use coding as a way to show what they know? It’s chock-full of engaging projects that make it easy to integrate coding into your curriculum, including reading, math, social studies, science, music, and art. The best part? Even if you’ve never taught or tried coding before, you’ll be able to incorporate it into your lessons. See this We Are Teachers article for a sneak peek at some of their favorites.

• PTO Meeting Updates – The November PTO Meeting minutes and slide show can be found on the Howard website PTO Webpage, and there’s also a live steam video of the entire meeting posted on the PTO Facebook Page. Topics of note included:

• Duer’s ATA Martial Arts Fundraiser – Flyers will go home this week in Friday Folders letting families know that for $49, if they register for a month of classes at Duer’s ATA, the entire $49 registration goes straight to the PTO (and they get a free uniform). Skills taught at Duer’s ATA build children’s confidence, help them to do better in school, and helps children respect themselves and others. Could be a great holiday gift!

• Bottle Drop Fundraiser – The PTO is trying the BottleDrop Give Program. A Signup Genius will be sent out for people to request bags to collect recyclable cans. Extra bags will also be available at school if more are needed. Now through December 9th bottle drop donations are being matched from 10% to 40%. Additionally, families will be able to bring cans and bottle to the Holiday Bazaar/Vendor Fair on December 1st.

• Holiday Bazaar/Vendor Fair 12/1– The event will be Saturday, December 1st in the gym and cafeteria from 9:00-3:00. The PTO still needs volunteers for concessions and for set up & break down. There are a few tables left for vendors, but it’s now almost at capacity. Please come by to help support this event if you’re able!

• EXPLODING PUMPKIN VIDEO! – Maybe I’m more excited about this since I was there, but the PTO shared a video at the meeting of the pumpkin Allison and I exploded by wrapping 396 rubber bands around it.

• Artist in Residence Schedule – Linked here is the a Draft Schedule for the First Artist in Residence (ceramics) starting right after winter break and linked here is a Draft Schedule for the Second Artiest in Residence (puppetry) starting in early May. The only things I held sacred on the schedule were recesses, lunches, and specialists times, but let me know if you have suggestions how to make the schedules work better or if you noticed any mistakes. The only constraints are the artists need at least 15 minutes between sessions and are limited to no more than five classes per day, but I think the schedules worked out fairly well in that every class is four days in a row and none of them are broken up over a weekends.

• Library Happenings! (from Julie) – I’m back! Please bring your class to library this week, I have missed you all so much!

• REPEAT: ESC Job Posting – Our 0.6 FTE Title 1/ESC job posting closes on Tuesday, so if you know any candidates, please encourage them to apply.

• REPEAT: PLC Meetings This Week – Monday and Tuesday are Grade Level PLC Meetings with roving subs. Dates and times are the same as last month, which are:

Monday, Nov. 26
1st – 8:30-9:30
2nd – 10:00-11:00
5th – 11:15-12:15

Tuesday, Nov. 27
KG – 11:10-12:10
3rd – 12:15-1:15
4th – 1:25-2:25

• CenturyLink Grant – CenturyLink is awarding grants of up to $5,000 for teachers to spend on technology. They’re taking applications until January 12 and awards will be made after April 1. Grants are available to full-time teachers. Applicants must provide a summary of the project, a budget, and a detail on the impact you think this project/purchase will have in the classroom. To apply, follow this link to the CenturyLink Teachers and Technology Grant. Any questions, please email jane.nishita@centurylink.com.

• Indigenous Writers: A Children’s Reading List – Former Howard teacher Jill Torres shared a timely article with me which notes that only 1% of the children’s books published in the U.S. in 2016 featured Indigenous characters, and even fewer (1/4 of the 1% = 8 books total) were written by Indigenous authors. However, see this List of 14 Recommended Children’s Books by Indigenous Writers and Illustrators for some great looking titles, which was curated by The Conscious Kid Library and American Indians in Children’s Literature, in partnership with Brooklyn Children’s Museum.

• Schedule of Upcoming Events – See the Google Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the rest of the year:

November 26 (M)
Lori Out
7:30, Allan to IEP Meeting (Conference Room)
8:30-12:15, Howard PLC – Half-Day (5/2/1)
1st – 8:30-9:30
 2nd – 10:00-11:00
 5th – 11:15-12:15
2:45-3:30, Site Council (Conference Room)

November 27 (T)
Erin Subbing for Allan
8:15-12:00, Allan to Principals’ Meeting (Ed Center)
11:10-2:25, Howard PLC – Half-Day (K/3/4)
KG – 11:10-12:10 3rd – 12:15-1:15 4th – 1:25-2:25
1:30, Allan Testifyign at DHS Hearing (Lane Co. Courthouse)
2:45-3:30, Staff Meeting (Erin’s Room, RM22)
4:00-7:00, Allan to 4J Assessment Adoption Workgroup (Ed Center)

November 28 (W)
School Picture Retakes
11:15-12:40, OBOB Lunches (Community Room)
2:45-3:30, Student Care Team CANCELLED
3:45-5:15, Allan to Elem Grade Book Sub Committee (Ed Center)
4:30-5:30, Allan to TalentEd Rubric Committee (Ed Center)

November 29 (H)
Regular Day

November 30 (F)
Title 1 Progress Monitoring Day – No Groups
7:30-9:00, Allan to 4JMAPS Meeting
10:30-12:40, November Birthday Lunches With the Principal (Community Room)
2:30-3:30, Early Release PD – Data Team Meeting (Library)

December 1 (SA)
9:00-3:00, PTO Holiday Bazaar (Gym & Cafeteria)

December 3 (M)
Computer Science Education Week / Hour of Code

December 4 (T)
8:00-12:00, KG Hearing Screening (STEAM Room)
2:45-3:30, IPBS Meeting (Erin’s Room, RM22)
4:00-7:00, 4J Assessment Adoption Workgroup (Ed Center)

December 5 (W)
Monthly Walk & Roll to School Day
11:15-12:40, OBOB Lunches (Community Room)
2:30-5:00, Allan to Pay Grade Evaluation Committee (Ed Center)
4:00-5:00, Allan to North Region Principals’ Meeting (NEHS)

December 6 (H)
8:30-10:00, Allan to ESSA Meeting (Ed Center)
10:00-11:30, Allan to El Camino Meeting (Ed Center)
4:00-7:00, 4J Assessment Adoption Workgroup (Ed Center)

December 7 (F)
1:25, EA Supervisors Meeting (Title 1 Room, RM26)
2:30-3:30, Early Release PD – Behavior Framework (Library)

Four weeks until winter break. You’ve got this!

Allan