https://blogs.4j.lane.edu/chinn/?p=8791
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Hello Roadrunners,
Wow! Great turnout for Literacy Night and great job, everyone, pulling off our rescheduled event without a hitch. Nice work, Team Howard!
Fifteen items of note for this week:
• Friday Early Release PD Updates – I emailed teachers last week the general Early Release PD plan for the next three weeks, but teachers should watch for a separate email with more details for the next two Fridays Reading Progress Monitoring sessions.
• Wacky Wednesday – Rainbow Day – This Wednesday is a Howard Wacky Wednesday and this time it’s Rainbow Day! Get kids excited to wear their most colorful rainbow themed clothing to show off their school spirit this day!
• Library News – Two items of note from Julie:
• Book Fair – Our book fair was a big success. Lots of new books for the teachers and our library. If you have not received your books please stop by the library. With the rounding up feature I was able to purchase almost $80.00 in student requested books for the library. With the new terminals it was an option they added. Most people were happy to donate and even added to it. Using the teacher wish baskets made it easy for parents to purchase books for teachers. More details on the book fair next week! I will be packing up Monday morning, with the help of Brande and a few students.
• Library News – Library classes will resume Tuesday. :) Library carts maybe brought in Monday afternoon :). With our extra snow week off it may take a while for our kids to locate and their books. I would like to offer an incentive for classrooms who have return all their library books. Maybe a short video in the library? Other ideas?
Have a great week! Spring Break is almost here! -Julie
• PTO Meeting Tuesday, March 19 – Not this week, but next week is the March PTO Meeting. Please save the date if you are able to come to the meeting Wednesday next week at 6:00 in the cafeteria.
• Document Room Clears on Level IIIs – I believe I’ve said this before, but if there is EVER a room clear as a result of student behavior, alway check the Room Clear checkbox under the consequences section on Level III referral forms. Downtown is wanting to track this data across the district. Older forms did not have this checkbox, so if you happen to have an older form, just write in Room Clear.
• Child Protection Unit (CPU) Update and Posters – More information should be coming, but as a heads-up to teachers, principals were told that Child Protection Unit teaching materials and posters are being shipped out to schools which I’m assuming are going to be expected to be taught sometime this year. There is one book per grade level per school. The books have an online access code on the first page, which can be shared between teachers. Posters will be provided for each classroom. That’s all I know at this point, so stay tuned for more details.
• Answers Classroom Phones – Teachers, please be sure to answer your classroom phone when the office calls. There’s been quite a few instances lately where calls are not being picked up. On a related note, if you’re out of your classroom at an unscheduled time, please let the office know. Also, it is okay to make this a class job for a responsible student.
• 2019 ACE Awards – Nominate Today! – It’s ACE Awards season! Howard has exceptional staff and volunteers who make a difference for students every day and are worthy of recognition. Now is the time to recognize them! Nominations can be made in five categories: teachers and licensed specialists, administrators and supervisors, classified staff, volunteers, and a special lifetime achievement award. Nominations are due by March 31st. Going by past experience, winners are usually selected when a staff gets together to nominate an individual, so let me know if staff want to coordinate anything.
• ESSA Updates – ESSA Reps met last week with Debbi Renard from ODE and Jeff Johnson from 4J to review the results of our self evaluation using the ORIS Tool to see which areas surfaced and will be the focus of our school improvement plan. The team focused on areas that were within our control and ignored areas that scored low that are out of our control (i.e. district required curriculums, mandated data team formats, etc.). The three areas we chose to focus our plan around were Indicator 4.2 Materials & Practices to Inform Instruction, Indicator 4.3 Cultivate Academic Success, and Indicator 4.5 Provide Multi-Tiered System of Support. These are all pretty broad, so our next steps are for the team are to create a more narrow action plan, which will be closer to the old School Improvement Plan format than the Continuous Achievement Plan we had to do last time. I’ll plan to share more updates at a future staff meeting, but linked here are the ESSA Meeting Handouts, which include our self evaluation, a sample school improvement plan, and other documents related to the process, and linked here is 4Js Instructional Framework, which we’re planning use to guide some of our planning.
• REPEAT: Classified Self Evaluations DUE FRIDAY– The linked Classified Self Evaluation From is due to me by this Friday. Hardcopies were put in everyone’s mailboxes a couple weeks ago and extra hardcopies are under staff mailboxes. Emailing me an electronic copy is preferred, but hardcopies work too.
• STEaM Eugene newsletter invitation – Sue Wilson already emailed staff about STEaM Eugene – a free community event celebrating Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics happening on Wednesday, March 20th from 4:30-8:00 pm at Churchill High School, but if you have awesome student work and/or an interactive activity you have created, they would love to showcase your work. Students can be present to share their work, but are not required. If you have questions, please contact Sue Wilson and if you have a project to showcase, respond to this short Google Form.
• District Admin Updates – First, Sheldon’s longtime principal, Bob Bolden, is moving next year to a role at the district office, supporting key districtwide efforts to improve graduation rates, including re-establishing credit recovery opportunities in high schools and increasing the number of historically underserved students participating in college-level and career technical education courses. Dr. Bob will also aid in supporting efforts to broaden workforce diversity, and contribute to equity and community partnership initiatives. Second, Susan Penrod, 4J’s curriculum administrator for humanities, pending approval by the Seaside school board later this month, will be the assistant superintendent next year, and will take over as superintendent when its current superintendent retires in 2020.
• 20 Morning Message Ideas to Get Your Day Started on the Right Foot – Posting a morning message is a perfect way to engage your students the minute they walk in the door. Here are some of WeAreTeachers favorite morning message ideas shared are using to connect with their students.
• Howard Staff Social: Weezer/Pixies Concert April 6th! – 90s Music Fans, ASSEMBLE! Weezer and The Pixies are playing the Mode Center in Portland Saturday, April 6th. If you think this sounds like an excellent way to spend a Saturday night with your co-workers and friends, meet up this Thursday after school in Matt’s office if you want to get tickets together. Rock on, Howard Staff!
• Schedule of Upcoming Events – See the Google Calendar for future events, but here are the events of note for the rest of the year:
March 11 (M)
PBIS Tail Feather Reward Spring Break Incentive Continues (Disco Party)
12:00-1:00, Allan to Title 1 Coordinators’ Meeting (Ed Center)March 12 (T)
8:30-12:00, Allan to All Admin & Elem Principals’ Meeting (Ed Center)
2:45-3:30, IPBS Meeting (Erin’s Room, RM22)
4:30-8:00, 4J First Aid Class (Library)March 13 (W)
Wacky Wednesday – Rainbow Day
8:15, Allan to Truancy Hearing (Office)
2:40, Allan to Outdoor School Meeting (Suzy’s Room, RM9)March 14 (H)
Staffing Plans Due to HR
9:00, Monthly Book Winners (Conference Room)
2:45, Staff Social Prep: Weezer/Pixies Ticket Purchase (Matt’s Office)March 15 (F)
Regular School Day – Snow Make-Up Day
Classified Self Evaluations Due
2:30-3:30, Early Release PD – Reading P.M. Part 1 (Library)March 18 (M)
PBIS Tail Feather Reward Spring Break Incentive Continues (Disco Party)
5th Grade Health – Human Growth & Development
1:30-2:00, 3rd Grade Water Safety Presentation (Story Cove)March 19 (T)
5th Grade Health – Human Growth & Development
8:15-12:00, Allan Elementary Principals’ Meeting (Ed Center)
8:30-11:45, Kreider to Museum of Natural History
2:45-3:30, Staff Meeting (Volunteer’s Classroom)
6:00-7:00, PTO Meeting (Cafeteria)March 20 (W)
5th Grade Health – Human Growth & Development
8:30-11:45, Lawson/Peterson to Museum of Natural HistoryMarch 21 (H)
8:10-8:40, 3rd Grade Delgani String Quartet Assembly (Gym)
8:30-11:45, Niccum to Museum of Natural History
2:40-3:30, Student Care Team Meeting (Conference Room)
4:30, Allan to Oregon Job Fair Planning Meeting (Ed Center)March 22 (F)
Title 1 Progress Monitoring Day – No Groups
PBIS Tail Feather Reward – Disco Party! – During Lunch Recesses
8:40, Fire Drill
9:00-9:30, 4/5 Music Performance (Gym)
10:30-12:40, March Birthday Lunches With the Principal (Community Room)
1:30-2:30, PBIS Meeting (Rae’s Room, RM1)
2:30-3:30, Early Release PD – Reading P.M. Part 2 (Library)March 23 – 31 (F)
Spring Break – No SchoolApril 1 (M)
Classes Resume
PBIS Kindness Challenge Kick-Off
PBIS Monthly Theme – EncouragementApril 6 (SA)
7:00, Weezer/Pixies Concert! (Moda Center)
And congratulations to The Spikes, our 5th grade team OBOB team who did a fine job representing Howard at the Lane County Regional competition, and a big thank you to Julie for encouraging reading by organizing this annual event for Howard kids!
Have a good week, everyone, and just 10 days until Spring Break!
Allan
