Week of January 7th
Hi All,
I purposely sent this today so you would not read it during vacation. I hope you have had a restful and fun break.
• Schedule of Events for the Week –
Jan. 7 (M)
Professional Development Day
Certified staff – 30 min. lunch, 2 hours planning, 2 hours furlough
Jan. 8 (T)
1:15-2:15, Governor Kitzhaber Visit Regarding Evaluation Pilot Progress
Jan. 9 (W)
8:00-4:00, PM North Region iT3 Training
12:45-3:45, Dr. Sheldon Berman visits Awbrey Park.
4:00-5:00, Wednesday Forum with Jon Saphier (Ed Center)
Jan. 10 (H)
9:00, Lock Down Practice Drill
Jan. 11 (F)
8:00-4:00, Joel to All Principal PD with Jon Saphier
• January 7th PD Day Schedule in Room 13
8:00-11:00 Planning Time
11:00-12:00 WordPress Training with Misty Forsman and James Grubic
12:00-12:30 Lunch provided by Awbrey Park PTO
12:30-1:00- Melissa Davies ( Joel and Kristen present) on the Heifer Foundation and our new Read to Feed Literacy Promotion Program
1:00-1:30- Jamie Tait and Beth Shershun share Math Leadership Information and a little about our new math/science/engineering outreach activities.
1:30-1:50- Lindsay Geitter shares the ELA Common Core Links/ Smarter Balance Samples and how to use them.
2:00-4:00 Two Hour Furlough for Licensed Employees, Please leave the building and do not work.
•Classroom Change for CLCB soon and other construction. Over break the facilities dept. helped us convert the central classroom Room 32 into our new behavior classroom. This room should be done very soon if not completed by mid January. Some other instruction news is related to the fence. Because our fence needs to meet state and federal regulations, the building will be adding new fire alarms over the next couple weeks. All alarm testing will occur after school hours but there may be some contractors in the attic space during the day.
• Staff Meeting Agenda for 1/9/13
1. Meet with Dr. Berman 2:40-3:15
2. Review Safety Procedures for Lock Down Practice and General Security Changes 3:15-3:30
• Governor Kitzhaber Visit to 4J 1/8 – Governor Kitzhaber will be visiting 4J on Tuesday, January 8th, 1:15-2:15 to hear about the District’s progress towards meeting the new state requirements around teacher evaluations. Other schools will be sharing their experiences with the pilot.
• Shelley Berman Visit to Awbrey Park, 1/9 – Shelley is planning to visit every school between January 8th and the end of the school year. Shelley is scheduled to visit Awbrey Park on 1/09. He will tour the school 12:45-1:45, meet with me from 1:45-2:40, then meet with the whole staff from 2:45-3:30.
•Crisis Team: Would you like to be involved in the Crisis Team. Kristen and I will be doing some planning work very soon. We would like to have a variety of voices give input on the plan. Contact Kristin and myself via email if you think you would like to meet to plan this for a couple hours in January.
• Schools Showcase, Saturday, January 26, 9:30 AM–12:00 PM – The School Showcase will be held again this year Jan. 26th, with some changes based on the feedback from last year. If this wasn’t on your radar before, it’s something new the district tried out for the first time last year where parents could learn about all 4J schools in one place at the same time. This year’s event is briefer, just 2.5 hours compared with last year’s 4 hours. Let me know if any of you are willing to help me promote Awbrey Park and tell interested families why they should come to our school! This year there will also be breakfast, including a vegetarian option, for staff helping at the event.
• MECCA Teacher Resource Room – MECCA (Material Exchange Center for Community Arts) here in Eugene would like to spread the word about their Teacher Resource Room. Attached is their e-flyer. If you’re not familiar with MECCA, they are a non-profit organization whose mission is to divert scrap materials from the land fill and make them available to the community for creative reuse, from artists and teachers, to children and their families. MECCA is also dedicated to providing low cost arts education and experiences.
• Tiburcio Vasquez School In California Named After Bandido Ignites Controversy – Here’s a great example of looking at an issue and having different lenses. Here’s the link.
• Community Gang Prevention Symposium – January 12, 2013 – Carmen Urbina asked principals to help get the word out about this symposium. It’s happening on the 12th if any of you are interested in attending or know of anyone else you’d like to pass this information along to.
• Recommended Children’s Books – Suzy Price’s Title 1 blog included this great information on good book selections for kids. These are the most recommended books in Reading Today’s 2012 roundup. Check them out!
• Children’s Choices
• Teachers’ Choices
• Young Adults’ Choices
• Why read-alouds matter more in the age of the Common Core Standards – “In addition to getting kids hooked on books, narrative read-alouds are an effortless way to help students acquire the academic language they will need to comprehend informational texts,” write ASCD authors William Himmele and Pérsida Himmele. In their ASCD Express article, the Himmeles make the case for carefully chosen read-alouds in a time of Common Core State Standards, emphasizing the crucial role this activity can play in building any student’s lexicon “in contexts that are painless and meaningful.” Read on.
Have great first week back, everyone! Happy New Year!
Joel