https://blogs.4j.lane.edu/howardstaff/2024/05/04/may-6th/
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!
Super big thanks in advance to our classified staff, PTO and a few other organizations for rallying to show incredible support and thanks for our teachers this week! You all so super deserve it! The fun activities and treats are listed in the weekly calendar section below, but wanted to share a couple items here:
- We have a school-wide staff game that is OPTIONAL for all staff to participate in this Thursday and Friday! There will be PRIZES for those who win! It’s called “ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE” and the description can be found LINKED HERE. Simply, you’ll need to hone your Rock, Paper, Scissors skills to win big! 🙂
- Also, Friday is “Favor Friday!” Teachers will receives tickets on Tuesday and Wednesday to write specials favors they’d appreciate folks completing for them on Friday, 5/10! Please don’t hesitate to fill out your favor tickets, teachers! We’re all willing to help fill your bucket and take something off your plate!
We hope you all enjoy the week! You’re all amazing! Just watch this video below and hear that from our students themselves!!
Please do share this with students so they may enjoy seeing themselves and their peers celebrating all of you!
Monday Morning Announcements this Week, May 6-10:
STATIC BUILDING RESOURCES (HERE EACH WEEK)
Teacher Professional Development Unit (PDU) Tracking
Teachers, the LINK TO THIS TRACKING PDU SHEET – All staff, please feel free to access this to help track your professional development units (PDU’s) when it’s time to renew licensures. This is here to help you easily compile the hours you need to report when processing renewal.
Student Attendance Concerns Reporting
Teachers, please remember to report student attendance concerns HERE. Our front office team will follow up with families. Thanks!
Meeting Agendas and Notes from this past week:
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, April 29th-May 3rd, included:
PTO Request for Funds
Teachers, our PTO wants to help you and your students! If you have a particular lesson, unit, or project you want to enrich and could use some additional funds to fulfill it, please fill out the request form from the PTO → LINK TO FORM! It is SUPER rare that the PTO denies funds to teachers, so please access this resource. The PTO appreciates you!
ARTSPARK (LANE ARTS COUNCIL) AND OSAS TESTING SCHEDULES (Email, 4/23):
Here is the LINK TO THE ARTSPARK AND OSAS TESTING SCHEDULES. A BIG THANK YOU to Jennifer Dillon and Cyria Wisner for putting this schedule together! It was no easy feat! If you have questions, please let us know. We will have a one-page reference of the schedule in the near future. Thanks!
NEW BUILDING INFO THIS WEEK
Staffing Updates
CLASSROOM UPDATES:
Sarah Schiltz will be leaving at the end of the year to relocate with her fiancé to Canada! Please join me in wishing her and her new husband-to-be well in their future endeavors! Barring any possible forthcoming internal movement, we will be posting for a 4th grade position as soon as possible.
SPECIALIST UPDATES:
Kim Reinhardt has accepted a position at the district office as a MTSS Specialist. Please join me in congratulating her on her new position. We will be posting for the Student Success Coordinator position as soon as possible.
Katherine Phoenix, currently a classroom teacher at Family School will be joining us as our 1.0 Music Teacher this coming school year. Kimberly Melby, a previous music teacher at South Eugene High School, will be joining us as our 0.3 hour music teacher, and also the 0.7 music teacher at Spring Creek Elementary. Please join me in welcoming both of them to Howard, and thanking both Lauren Scott and Bridget Calhoun for all their hard work this year as they embark on new journeys as well.
Artist in Residency starting this week (ArtSpark – Lane Arts Council)
Our ceramics Artist in Residency is beginning this coming week. We are in need of a few things for the lessons to be successful:
-Old shirts for student smocks.
-Cart with wheels and shelves.
-Paper box lids.
Artist Provided Supplies School Provided Supplies
1.Clay 1. Cart with wheels and shelves
- Clay boards-one per student 2. Paper ream box lids-2 per class
- Glazes 3. Shelf storage
- Tools 4. Document camera
- Charged microphone (hangs from neck)
- 1 photocopy of diagram per student (attachment)
- Copy of schedule w/grade, teacher’s name, # of students
Teachers: Can you please take care of the following items listed below
1. Allow artist use of document camera with a dongle attachment for plugging in laptop to show previous student project examples
- Allow use of a microphone that hangs from neck.
- Availability of shelf space in the classroom to store projects
- Collect two (2) lids from paper ream boxes for each classroom for storing and transporting projects. Please make sure to use the box LIDS because regular boxes take up way too much room at the studio where I fire pieces and they tend to be adamant about economizing space. These boxes must be labeled with the teacher’s name and room number.
- Arrange the classroom either in 5 tables or 5 desk groups (desks pushed together to form a maximum of 5 “islands” or grouped desks) on the last 2 class sessions
- Remind students to bring smocks for kids to work in, although it’s not mandatory
Just a quick side note – I share frustration these material requests were only shared with us mere days before this project was set to begin. In no prior communication was it ever mentioned we would need to provide materials. This feedback is being very clearly relayed. We could have been accumulating items well in advance. Thanks, everyone, for ongoing flexibility with this.
Pacific University Math InstructionObservation Request
Dr. Steve Rhine from Pacific University would like to observe a couple math instruction lessons incorporating technology to help update and refine the math methods classes at Pacific. Please let Charlie know if you’re willing for him to come and observe sometime in the next week or two. Great opportunity to help improve the instruction for future teachers! Thanks, all!
BEHAVIOR DISCIPLINE MATRIX WEEKLY DRILL DOWN
This week, we are focussing on the specific behaviors listed on page SIX (6) of our district’s Discipline Matrix document LINKED HERE. Examples to responses to these behaviors are linked in the supporting documents. As always, focusing on our tier 1 PBIS supports, including our curriculum resources (Second Steps) and making ample time for morning meetings involving relationship building and class discussions help mitigate these behaviors.
Please note, that while some offenses may possibly warrant in or out of school suspension, there are links to separate, supplemental documents to provide guidance on determining whether that disciplinary course of action is warranted.
May and June Potlucks:
These are the dates for the upcoming Potlucks. Your “group” may choose a theme, or not. It’s totally up to YOU!
Please let me know if I’ve missed someone or some employee group! Can’t wait to see what you all will come up with!
May 22- Green Wing, up and downstairs – First and Fourth Grade, Preschool Promise and Title 1.
June 5- EVERYONE ELSE: Front Office, PE, Music, Cafeteria staff, Custodial, Library, Counseling, Speech, Tech Wizard, Instructional Coach….who am I forgetting?
Direction Service 2024 Client Resource Guide
Please find the attached 2024 Direction Service Client Resource Guide. We publish this guide each year containing activities, camps, community supports, educational supports, and employment programs that families of youth with disabilities can access. Feel free to share it with your staff or others who may find it useful. You may also print additional copies to share with your families.
A copy of the Client Resource Guide can also be found on the Direction Service website at https://www.directionservice.org/familyresources
Spring Upbeat Survey
This is a friendly reminder to complete the spring Upbeat staff culture survey. You should have received a link to the survey directly from Upbeat. If for whatever reason you did not receive a link to the survey, please let me know.
As you know, we are always trying to improve our culture and workplace. We have previously reviewed the fall results and developed a plan of action for the remainder of the year and leading into the fall. This survey will help us collect areas of strength and room for growth with our plans. It is important to note that the survey results are presented anonymously to school, department and district leadership. Please answer each question as honestly as possible so we can direct any school, department district-wide improvements.
Thank you to those who have already completed the survey!
SAEBRS Spring Screener Open (REMINDER)
Also, please remember the window for this spring screener is open. Directions for how to access and complete the screeners, as well as 2nd-5th graders to complete their self-evaluations, are in the previous week’s bulletin.
ABBY’S PIZZA DISCOUNT COUPONS FOR STAFF AND STUDENTS!
There are a BUNCH of Abby’s discount coupons available in the front office! Please feel free to take some, and use them as incentives for students in your classrooms! We gave out several to the Beep Beep drawing winners on Friday afternoon. Big thanks to Howard parent, Abbie Stillie, for providing these!
DISTRICT INFORMATION
May Heart of Teaching Curriculum Updates (Erin G. email, 5/2)
Linked here is our May issue of The Heart of Teaching. As a reminder, it’s your spot every month for updates, tips, and guidance for our curricular materials and other information and opportunities related to instruction. Our goal is to reduce the number of emails you receive and put all the information you may be looking for in one place. You can always find our updates and other resources on the 4J Learning Hub.
Included in this month’s issue:
- Resources for Oregon STEM Week
- May 8th Rock + Roll to School Day
- Great Body Shop Unit 9 overview
- Info about the new 2nd grade universal TAG screening tool
- Math Parent Voice survey opportunity
- Lesson links for the Confederated Tribes of Siletz
- Resources for Asian American and Pacific Islander and Jewish Heritage months
- ELA Updates about decodable readers coming soon and print orders for next year
As we head into Teacher Appreciation Week, we want to thank you for the amazing work you do every day across our district. Your hard work doesn’t go unnoticed and we appreciate you!
4J Safe Routes to School – Has a grant from EEF to buy bikes for students whose bikes are stolen from school or who simply need a bike – ideally for school transportation, but that’s not a requirement. The same grant also provides u-locks and helmets to give away to students.
Please share the information with your staff so that anyone can make a request via this form: https://forms.gle/NgbQWBSVH9tneu7a8
Also, if you could include the message at this link requesting bike donations in your next school communications. We are able to give away as many bikes as we do because of the donations that Shift Community Cycles receives and refurbishes.
WEEK OF MAY 6TH – MAY 10TH
Teacher Appreciation Week!
Fun activities and treats for each day are listed in PINK
Monday, May 6th
- Charlie is providing CINNABON cinnamon rolls for staff (there will be a gluten-free option too). 🙂 There will be enough for all staff
- BJ’s Steakhouse will provide pizzas and salad mid-day (enough for teachers only). Thanks Tami Berge for arranging this!
- 2:45pm – IPBS Meeting in the Nest
Tuesday, May 7th
- Title team doing something fun – Non-food related.
- 2:45pm – Equity & Inclusion Leadership Team Meeting
Wednesday, May 8th
- The RISE Organization is bringing bagels and coffee in the AM, and PTO is doing a NACHO BAR. Both will be in the Lounge!
- 9:00am – FOG
- 12:15pm – Latinx Student Union for 4th/5th grades
- 1:30pm – No Meeting: Time to complete SAEBRS screeners and spring Upbeat Surveys
- 6:00pm – PTO meeting in the Library
Thursday, May 9th
- The Yellow Wing is preparing fun Salty & Sweet treats!
- ALSO, Schoolwide Staff Game, “Another Day in Paradise” begins! Game Rules LINKED HERE
- 8:10am – Howard Safety Team Meeting
- 1:50pm – Beep! Beep! Winners
- 2:45pm – Grade Level Team Meetings
Friday, May 10th
- “Favor Friday” and PIZZA will be delivered by PTO during all lunch break periods.
- Tickets for Favor Friday will be delivered earlier in the week, Tues or Wed.
- 1:50pm – Beep! Beep! Winners drawing
WEEK OF APRIL MAY 13TH-17TH
Monday, May 13th
- Spring EasyCBM window opens
- 1:50pm – Fearless Flock Student Leadership team meeting in room 27
- 2:45pm – Attendance Team Meeting
Tuesday, May 14th
- 11:15am – AAPI meeting in room 19
- 2:45pm – PBIS Tier 1 meeting in the Nest
Wednesday, May 15th
- 1:30pm – Certified Professional Learning in the Library
Thursday, May 16th
- 11:15am – Rainbow Alliance meeting in Room 19
- 1:50pm – Beep! Beep! Winners
- 2:45pm – Grade Level Team Meetings
Friday, May 17th
- 8:45am – FIRE DRILL
- 10:30am – Haylee from Horace Mann cooking grilled cheese in the lounge until 12:30pm
- 11:45am – Black Student Union in room 27
- 1:50pm – Beep! Beep! Winners drawing
Thank you, Howard teachers!!!