Blog post for November 19
Hi Staff,
We are so close to Thanksgiving. This will be a short week with a chance to rest and be with family on Thursday.
Week at a Glance
November 19
8:30-11:00 Elementary Counselor Meeting- Kristen out
11:15-12:15 Support meeting for a kinder
2:30-5:00 Elementary Principal meeting downtown.
November 20
9:00 Earthquake/Fire Drill Tuesday Morning
3:45-4:45 New Principal meeting downtown.
November 21
10:15-11:15 Joel teaches in Beth’s Class
November 22
No School - Thanksgiving Break
November 23
No School - Thanksgiving Break
EEF Grants Awarded to Awbrey Park
The Board of Directors of Eugene Education Foundation is pleased to announce that Joel Lavin’s “EEF-Funded Oregon Battle of the Books” grant request was funded for $500 on November 14th! Also funded were the grants “Bilingual Artist-In-Residence” for $500, “Math License IXL Software” for $2000 and “Elementary Exploring Interest Groups” for $2000.
Across 4J, EEF awarded over $200,000 in grants for students. Additional grants will be made through December 31 as additional gifts arrive and make them possible.
The Eugene Human Rights Commission is Currently Accepting Nominations for Youth Awards
The Human Rights Commission needs your assistance in choosing the recipient of the 2012 International Human Rights Award for outstanding youth in Eugene. On December 10, International Human Rights Day, the City of Eugene and Commission will recognize three youth who are engaged in human rights work in the classroom and outside in the community. The individuals selected for this award may be nontraditional or traditional students in enrolled in elementary, middle and high school. They will be honored for their human rights work in our community . Peer nominations are highly encouraged for this award.
Here is the online application link.
Nominations are due by 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, November 13. This form can be emailed to ehrcenter@ci.eugene.or.us<mailto:ehrcenter@ci.eugene.or.us> , mailed to the Equity and Human Rights Center, 99W. 10TH, Suite 116 Eugene, OR 97401; or you may fax it to 541-682-5221. If you have any questions please call Chuck Crockett at 541-682-5177.
The Importance of Math and Science
Here I go getting on my soap box again. In case you did not know, I am a former science teacher. The skills in math and science are very important to children growing up today. Many times you hear about how we don’t know about the jobs of the future. Well, we do know that STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Skills will get them well prepared for those jobs. I would wager that our students will be better off if we prepare them well for these with STEM skills for those professions. Here is a nice infographic that shares some vital statistics about this big issue in the education field. edutopia-stw-mc2STEM-infographic
The 8 Teaching Skills
Here is an article I have read a few times in the last month that still has resonance for me. I really like the way that these 8 skills come up again and again in our classrooms. I am posting this as a reminder to how important your jobs are to the children we serve. If anything, read it to yourself as an affirmation to the good work you do with our Awbrey Park students.
The Strive for the Struggle not the Answer
Many of our Intermediate teachers learned about math and the common core. One topic that came up was the differences between Eastern and Western Cultures in learning math. Read this article to learn more about Eastern vs. Western Math Emphasis.
Earthquake/Fire Drill Tuesday Morning
There will be a fire drill Tuesday morning at 9:00. The earthquake sound will endure for 30 seconds. Then you will hear the evacuation sound at which point you should leave classrooms.
Reminder: After School Supervision Duty
The last few weeks I have been trying to get out to the sidewalks and the driveways to keep an eye on drivers and ensure a safe passage home for our students. Thankfully, we have a great volunteer who is here rain or sine at the staff lot helping out. One area which I noticed needs more supervision is the bus zone. It is important that all or our teachers are out in force managing bus boarding. I know that many students need support in classroom at the end of the day but our priority when the bell rings is student safety. Please do your part and help out.
My Common Core Page
I have added a new page to by blog called “Common Core” On this page you will find a variety of web links that lead you to valuable common core information. Lindsay Gietter will be sharing more details about some of the links in our December 5th staff meeting.