https://blogs.4j.lane.edu/howardstaff/2023/12/10/december-11th-and-january-1st-2024/
BUILDING SPECIFIC INFORMATION
Teacher Professional Development Unit (PDU) Tracking – Teachers, the LINK TO THIS TRACKING PDU SHEETwill stay at the top of every bulletin from now on so you have ease of access to the tracking of PDU’s when it’s time to renew your teaching license. This is here to help you easily compile the hours you need to report when processing renewal.
LINK TO HOWARD SHARED GOOGLE DRIVE HERE – To streamline access of information. The link to our Howard shared Google drive will remain here as a static feature on the blog each week. In this drive is a folder titled, ‘Meetings/Teams,’ which houses all the important meeting agendas and notes from various teams past and present. This week’s meetings included the following below. Please go to their respective team folders within the ‘Meetings/Teams’ folder to review the notes. Thanks!
- Meetings this past week included:
- IPBIS (Tiers 2&3)
- Equity & Inclusion Leadership
- Attendance Leadership
Monday Morning Announcements for January 3rd, 2024
Monday Morning Announcements for December 11th
Family December Newsletter LINKED HERE
“Raising the BAR” in 2024! Reference to our School’s Continuous Improvement Plan (SCIP)
B – Behavior
A – Attendance
R – Reading
We can do it! Let’s raise it up!
NEW! Reminder of Professional Learning Opportunities for January 2nd
A super big thanks to everyone who signed up prior to winter break to attend professional development sessions on Tuesday, 1/2. Here are links to the session offerings and schedule information for both certified and classified.
LICENSED professional learning at GILHAM ELEMENTARY (LINK)
CLASSIFIED professional learning at HOLT ELEMENTARY (LINK)
Please remember, it is an expectation for all staff to attend district provide professional learning sessions. In the morning on 1/2, it is not an option to have extra time to prep in a classroom, or support a teacher with projects.
NEW! Grade level teams record Attendance Incentive information here!
We are going to be collectively working to improve student attendance moving forward, and linked below are materials from our most recent Wednesday professional learning session on how we can, and must do, just that.
GRADE LEVEL INCENTIVE DOCUMENTATION HERE – Grade level teams, document how you are incentivizing regularly attendance here. This can, and should be, linked to PBIS expectations. There is no professional learning session on Wednesday, 1/3. Please use that time to capture your plans in this document.
SLIDESHOW LINK HERE for reference, including a link to Oregon House Bill 4002 about improving student attendance.
The links to specific student attendance data can not be linked here as this is a public blog. If you need access again, please connect with Charlie.
REMINDER! URGENT! BUS SAFETY TRAINING 2023/24 – Must be completed before end of 12/15!
This is a reminder to complete the mandatory bus safety training before winter break.
As required by OAR 581-53-0210 (2) (b), all students in Eugene School District 4J are to receive instructions on bus safety during the first half of the 2023-2024 school year. The intent of the rule is to reach the occasional riders who find themselves on a bus because of a field trip, activity trip, etc. This is an ODE mandatory training that needs to be completed before the end of December 2023.
The instruction must cover the following procedures:
- Safe riding procedures
- Loading and unloading
- Crossing the road with bus safety lights
- Use of emergency exits
In order to accomplish the annual training, I have attached:
- Riding the School Bus Safely in English and Spanish (for student instruction)
- Emergency Exits Handout (for student instruction)
Teachers review the handout information with the students in class this next week, if you haven’t already; doing this will fulfill the instruction requirement. There are also two videos on the 4J Transportation Website titled “Bus Evacuation Training” and “ODE Riding the School Bus Video” that you may show in addition to the instruction from the handouts.
We are required to document that this training has been completed. Please fill out the Bus Safety Documentation sheet LINKED HERE before the end of the week. Again, this is REQUIRED. Thanks.
School Choice Information Sessions:
Between January 8th and 31st, all 4J schools will hold 2 in-person events and 1 virtual event (that is also recorded) for families and students to learn about our school. LINK HERE to read about the School Choice process. As for us:
Howard Elementary will host three events showcasing our amazing school on the following dates:
- Wednesday, January 10th from 6-7pm. Presentation in Library followed by a tour.
- Tuesday, January 16th from 6-7pm. Presentation via Zoom
- Wednesday, January 17th from 9-10am. Presentation in Cafeteria followed by a tour.
Leadership Plan Update and Equity & Inclusion Team District Zoom meeting on 1/23/2024
The leadership plan you submitted has officially been approved by JCAC and the stipends are being entered into the system. All questions about stipends, changes in the plan, trading dollars for days, etc. should all be directed from this point forward to HR@4j.lane.edu for resolution and support.
Please remember that the primary role of your Equity and Inclusion team is to monitor the implementation of your school’s SCIP, make adjustments as necessary, help organize/deliver/arrange the universal supports/systems in your school, resource map instructional/behavioral tiers at your school, and ensure that the culture of your school continually improves and supports Equity & Inclusion.
To support this work, our district will be hosting a virtual meeting on Tuesday, January 23rd from 4pm to 5pm. Please save this date on your calendars. An agenda and link to the meeting will be provided in early January. The people you have identified on your EI teams will receive an invitation to this meeting as well.
Academic Empowerment Advocates Program – CASA Opportunity for Foster Youth:
We have the opportunity to partner with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Lane County to have foster students attending our school meet with trained CASA advocates on a monthly bases beginning the week of January 8th. There is more INFO LINKED HERE. Chrissa Dockendorf from the program will be present at our certified professional learning session on Wednesday, 12/13, to provide a short presentation about the opportunity.
PTO Meetings:
This is a reminder that teachers and staff are welcome to attend the monthly PTO meetings. Participation strengthens and encourages the partnership between ourselves and our families. This is aligned to our Superintendent’s Big Rock of timely and meaningful communication. Please consider attending at least one meeting during the year and sharing about a little about the great learning taking place in our classrooms!
There are meetings Tuesday, 12/12, at 6:00pm in the library. The January meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, 1/9, at the same time also in the library. Thanks!
Kelly MS Student Helpers:
We have the opportunity to utilize the support of three Kelly MS students between 1:55-2:45 Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Teachers, if you are interested in having these students work on projects, work with students, or in other supportive capacities, please let me know so I can work with Kelly to effectively schedule them.
Native American Affinity Group beginning in January:
I’m excited to announce that we have the opportunity to offer a Native American affinity group for our Howard students beginning in January! PJ Martinez, the Project Coordinator for the Natives Program based at the Bailey Hill site will facilitate the group one Wednesday/month starting in January. Groups will take place during fourth grade lunch between 11:50-12:30 on 1/17, 2/14, 3/13, 4/17 and 5/15. Information to share with students will be forthcoming.
The updated overall Affinity Group schedule is LINKED HERE.
Heart of Teaching December Issue (Erin G. email on 12/4):
We want to bring you the December issue of The Heart of Teaching, your one-stop shop for updates and information from your curriculum team.
In this issue you’ll find:
- Erin‘s Law information
- Information about Oregon’s Early Literacy Grants
- Information for 5th grade teachers about planetarium visits with the Eugene Science Center
- Updates for ELA, math, science, social studies, health, TAG, climate & culture, PE, and library services
We also want to take a moment to recognize the grade level teams at Edgewood and Gilham who graciously opened their classrooms to peer observations last week. We took about 30 teachers brand new to teaching Fundations to observe the curriculum in action, engage in PD about the curriculum, and plan with their instructional coaches. The feedback was incredibly positive and we’re planning additional opportunities for teachers to join us for this type of PD in the future.
REMINDER! PBIS Rules Round Up After Winter Break (Kim R. Emails, 12/8):
We have one more week before Winter Break!! I think we can make it Following Winter Break, its important that we review our school-wide and classroom expectations with all students. Below are resources available to help you review those rules the first week back. I will also resend this email when we get back on 1/2 so the information is easy to find.
In your classroom, please use the slide deck to review common areas in the school such as hallways, library, gym, bathrooms, etc. Its always encourages to go on a walk about and visit those areas to practice our expectations.
Cafeteria:
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- Review the cafeteria rules and expectations with your classroom prior to going to lunch on our first day back.
- If you would like to take your class to the cafeteria to review the rules in the space please use the linked sign up sheet. Grade levels are welcome to sign up as a team on the sheet.
- There aren’t enough times for everyone to sign up as an individual class. If you would like to visit individually, but can’t make it the first or second day back, please review slides the first day back and visit later in the week during available times
Playground Classroom Teachers:
- Review playground slides (linked) below during the first week back. There is a schedule of what recess supervisors will review and it is helpful to review those areas before your morning recess.
- Please make sure your class knows that the first 5-10 minutes will be spent reviewing the play ground rules.
- When you bring them out for morning recess, please have them line up/wait in the following area
- Wednesday: wait where they line up to go inside
- Thursday: wait by the area behind the swings
- Friday: under the covered area
- When you bring them out for morning recess, please have them line up/wait in the following area
**Playground Supervisors**–A separate email to follow**
- Review equipment rules during the first 5-10 minutes of morning recess the Wednesday–Friday.
- Use the following schedule for review. This will allow classroom teachers to pre-teach those areas as well
- Wednesday: lining up, clean up, boundaries, attention signal and how to use balls/jump ropes/etc.
- Thursday: Swings, slide, climbing structures, skyrunner, whirly gig
- Friday: basketball, wall ball, four square (for grades that play), soccer
- **It is really important that we spend time review these rules when we come back from break, please make sure to spend time going over the rules. Linked below is a cheat sheet to help review the main points for each area/piece of equipment.
- We still need to review the playground rules after breaks from school. Supervisors, please review the playground rules during the first 5-10 minutes of each morning recess the week back, January 3-5. Below is a schedule of what to review each day. I am not going to assign people to specific topics/equipment. Given the recess zones, I thought people may have areas they are most comfortable reviewing. Please talk with each other and decide who wants to review what.
- Teachers will drop kids off in the locations listed on the previous email. Most students will be familiar with the rules, so the idea is just to quickly go through main rules for each area/piece of equipment. Then let them play. Teachers will also be reviewing the rules in class so students will get to hear it twice.
Summary:
- Review equipment rules during the first 5-10 minutes of morning recess the Wednesday–Friday.
- Use the following schedule for review. This will allow classroom teachers to pre-teach those areas as well
- Wednesday: lining up, clean up, boundaries, attention signal and how to use balls/jump ropes/etc.
- Thursday: Swings, slide, climbing structures, skyrunner, whirly gig
- Friday: basketball, wall ball, four square (for grades that play), soccer
- Linked below is a cheat sheet to help review the main points for each area/piece of equipment
- There is also the slide deck in case you want more information
I will put a Rules Round Up checklist in your mailbox. Once you’ve reviewed the areas on it, please turn it in to my mailbox and I will put a tail feather in yours.
Resources / School-wide Expectations:
Overview of Referrals and Acknowledgement Systems
Uh-Oh’s, Level 2’s and Level 3’s
Beep Beeps, Positive Referrals and Tail Feathers
Definitions of Challenging Behavior by Level of Referral; Behavior Definitions
Zone’s Information: Zone’s Overview
Classroom Calming Spaces: Creating Classroom Break Spaces
As we come back from break, we often get to meet new students. If you have a new friend (or a returning friend) you are needing additional support with please fill out the request for assistance:
December Community Day – December 15th:
This will be a school-wide pajama day (or students can wear their Howard shirts). I will be putting the flyers in your mailboxes by Thursday at the latest. Here is the other information about community from a previous email:
December Monthly Theme
December’s theme is Giving. For Community Day please pick an activity to do with your class that focuses on giving back to others in some way. I realize lots of classes have Tail Feather parties or other celebrations they are doing that day and we have an assembly, so please fit in an activity that works for you
Ideas for Giving
- Giving back to the school
- Pick an area of the school to clean, add art, decorate in some way
- Give Help to other students
- Have students create a list of ways they can help others. Each day they pick one way to help and share that out at a class meeting, including how helping another person made them feel and how the other person felt.
- Create helper jobs in the classroom (if you don’t already have them)
- Giving back to the community
- Writing letters for Positive Community Kitchen.
- They include letters and drawings in each meal package thats delivered to families. Shelly Silver works with this organization and says that the cards from students really make the deliveries special.
- When your class writes letters or draws pictures, please leave them in Shelly’s mailbox
- Writing letters for Positive Community Kitchen.
OBOB Meetings Have Started! (Debbie email 12/5):
OBOB meetings will start this Thursday in the library in the morning, before school. Students need to eat their breakfast first, but then can come into the library on Tuesday and Thursday mornings after 7:30am until 7:50am.
Tuesdays: quiet OBOB reading days
Thursdays: activities, practice, games
If students come in and goof off or don’t apply themselves, I’ll send them back outdoors or to the cafeteria, and after two instances, they’ll not be able to take advantage of the 2 morning study times.
For those who are guiding students in the morning (from cafeteria or in the hallway), I can provide a printout of those saying they’re participating. It is only 3rd – 5th graders.
This Thursday, Dec. 7, our beginning day, I’ll run through basic rules, have students set up their teams, and hand out permission slips to take home. These are basically an agreement, that students and their parents sign and then return to me, so they know what the commitment is.
Here’s the spreadsheet for students interested in doing OBOB. Students can be on a team and *not* participate in the morning activities, if they choose. Teachers are free to do coaching of teams in their classrooms, but do not have to. Students doing OBOB can check out an extra book from the library, if it’s an OBOB book.
I’ll be putting together info to send home as well about this and other OBOB info. There is info on the Howard Library Info Central page as well, for quick reference.
Eugene Public Library Cards for All Students – distributed during library (Debbie’s Email 12/5):
In case you saw an announcement from our district librarian, Amy Page, about our students getting Eugene Public Library cards, rest assured that the distribution process will be through our own library. (Her announcement was more about going to schools without staffed libraries.)
They’re supposed to show up this week. My hope is we will get them passed out during library lessons (and checkout if needed) next week. We’ll have another activity for students to work on while we do the handing out (it’s a bit involved). Then we’ll go over how they can be used.
I’ll work on providing a short blurb that can go out in the parent newsletter and that you can share as well with your parents, if you like. Just rest assured you don’t have to worry about this process.
I would like to show you how to have your students access Hoopla, now that they’ll have full access to that service at EPL. The books, movies, music, TV are simultaneous access. It is set up similar to Sora, in that only age appropriate material is available to students.
Weekly Library Connection from Amy Page LINKED HERE.
There are some great books waiting to be read in Sora! Please encourage students to test it out this week before they head out for vacation.
January 2nd ELA Intervention Series Day #3 (Email 12/8 from Reid Shepard for SPED Teachers)
K-5 Sped Teachers –
We’re looking forward to seeing everyone on January 2nd for our next ELA intervention PD session and wanted to pass along some important details. We’d suggest taking a look before break to make sure you have everything you need for our first day back…
- What: ELA Intervention Series Day #3 – 95% Comprehension and Assistive Technology. Even though the Comprehension tool is geared towards some of our older students, it’s important that we all take advantage of the learning opportunity as programs and student needs can evolve over time.
- Where: Lane ESD – 1200 Highway 99 North, Eugene, Oregon 97402
- When: Tuesday, January 2nd from 8:00-1:30.
- Food: Light breakfast, coffee and snacks will be provided. Lunch will be on your own; make sure to bring your lunch or there are some food choices nearby in the neighborhood.
IMPORTANT ITEMS TO BRING –
- Teacher iPad. If for some reason you don’t have a teacher iPad now would be the time to put in a ticket (4jdesktop@4j.lane.edu) to get one. Additionally, we will be working primarily with the program Snap&Read. Do a search on your device to make sure it’s there, and if not you can make a ticket request for that one as well. It’ll be super important that our devices are charged and ready to go!
- 95% Comprehension Teacher’s Guide. This one is in it’s own little cardboard box in the larger tote of materials you received this fall.
It’s been so great to hear about the successes so far with UFLI and we’re excited to keep building out the toolkit. You all are moving the needle with your students and we know what a lift it is to integrate these new routines and tools. Reach out with any thoughts or questions and keep up the amazing work!
Wit and Wisdom Grade Level Teams – District Paid Opportunity
Teachers, you will receive an email on Monday morning about this, but I had the scoop early and wanted to share.
Our district has received a grant to create grade level teams to dig into Wit and Wisdom. The goal is to develop guidance of what to teach and what to skip to help make the curriculum manageable for each grade level. We’ll also focus on how to support students with the complexity of the texts. Teachers will be compensated $1200 for engaging in the work and will be asked to join us for 6 days between January and June. We’ll provide sub release time and the days will be spread out across the Winter/Spring. There will be a sign up link in Monday’s email.
Week of December 11th-15th
Monday, 11th
- No regularly scheduled meetings
- 9:30am – Dillon and Soriero Field Trip
Tuesday, 12th
- Title Progress Monitoring
- 11:15am – Asian Pacific Islander affinity group meeting in room 19
- 1:15pm – FIRE DRILL
- 2:45pm – Culture & Climate (PBIS Tier 1) Team Meeting in the Nest
- 2:45pm – Literacy Leadership Team Meeting in the Library
- 4:00pm – Math Adoption Committee Meeting (Off Site)
- 6:00pm – PTO Meeting
Wednesday, 13th
- 10:00am – Weekly Front Office Group (FOG) Meeting
- 12:15pm – 4th/5th grades Latinx Affinity Group meeting in Room 8
- 1:30pm – Early Release professional learning session with emphasis on attendance boost initiatives for the New Year.
Thursday, 14th
- 8:10am – Safety Team Meeting
- 11:15am – Rainbow Alliance affinity group meeting in room 19
- 2:45pm – Grade Level Team Meetings
Friday, 15th – COMMUNITY DAY
- 8:45am – Community Day Awards Assembly
- 11:45am – Black Student Union meeting in room 27
And planning ahead to the New Year…!
Save the date for the Howard Staff Holiday Gathering!
When: 4 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024
What: Howard Staff Holiday Gathering and Gourmet (or not) Potluck
Where: The Home of the Gracious Allison Kreider and family
(Just a few minutes’ drive from Howard!)
430 Banton Ave., Eugene
What: A Holiday Get-together to celebrate each other and the survival of our “post holiday” PD
Let’s bring our favorite charcuterie style “boards” or delicious snacks and treats to share.
Bonus: Bring a White Elephant gift (wrapped) if you’d like to partake!
This is the perfect time to “regift” those items you REALLY don’t need or like. 😊
Let’s say $5-ish dollar value… Of course, some items may feel FAR MORE valuable to YOU!
Spouses, partners, children (but probably not pets!) invited!
Week of January 1st-5th, 2024
Monday, 1st – New Year’s Day (NO SCHOOL)
Tuesday, 2nd
- Professional Learning Sessions (See Schedules Above)
- 4:00pm – Howard Holiday Staff Gathering
Wednesday, 3rd
- No regularly scheduled meetings
Thursday, 4th
- 2:45pm – Grade Level Team Meetings
- 3:35pm – School Site Council in Library
Friday, 5th
- No regularly scheduled meetings
- PTO Popcorn Friday? (TBD)
Week of January 8th-12th
Monday, 8th
- No regularly scheduled meetings
Tuesday, 9th
- 11:15am – AAPI Group
- 2:45pm – Equity and Inclusion Team Meeting
- 6:00pm – PTO Meeting
Wednesday, 10th
- 1:30pm – Certified Professional Learning in Library
- 6:00pm – School Choice Presentation in Library followed by tour
Thursday, 11th
- Grade Level Data Team Meetings during school (sub release) – Schedule forthcoming
- 1:50pm – Beep! Beep! Winners!
- 2:45pm – Grade Level Team Meetings (Action Items from day’s data team meetings)
- 4:00pm – Math Curriculum Adoption Meetings
Friday, 12th
- No regularly scheduled meetings
