https://blogs.4j.lane.edu/madisonstaff/2020/05/04/384/
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! This week you deserve to be celebrated more than any other year. I’ve learned it’s Madison tradition to celebrate our entire staff this week. You are all appreciated! Please be on the look out for a little token of our appreciation in the mail. If nothing arrives by Friday, please let me know!
- Job Expo Updates – Our 0.4 ELA position was filled, but the remaining positions will be available in round 2 of the Expo.
- Staff Meetings – We have been asked to return to following the CBA as closely as possible. From now on, we will hold mandatory staff meetings every other Friday at 10am. Grade level teams will continue to meet weekly, however teams are welcome to set up their own times that work best for them. Please let Peter, Matt, Amy, and I know your GLT meeting schedule so we can join in. The alternate Fridays will be optional staff check-ins at 10am. This Friday Brenda Hanson will be hosting a trivia tournament during our staff meeting.
- Attendance Update – Just a reminder that attendance is due by 4pm on Friday. Attendance runs from 12:01 pm the previous Friday to noon the next Friday.
- If you’d like to pilot using a Google Form to track attendance, please click the link below, click the three dots in the top right corner, and choose Make a Copy. When you share the link with students, please be sure to use the Send button, then click on the link button (paperclip looking icon) to get the link to post in your classroom.
- Link to Optional Weekly Attendance Google Form (please make a copy first!)
- The form is designed to let you share it with all your classes.
- You could also make multiple copies, name one for each period, remove the third question (click on it and hit the trash can), and you’d have a separate sheet for each class.
- The goal of the Google Form is to provide one consistent method for students to be marked present for the week. This would eliminate the need for you to track who logs into Zoom, turns in assignments, or emails you for attendance purposes.
- Contact Log – We are required to keep a contact log of our attempts to contact students who are not attending. Please be sure to have some way you’re documenting attempts to call families of students who haven’t been showing up to class. Peter, Anne, and I are running attendance reports weekly and are reaching out to the families of kids who were marked absent for four or more classes during the previous week. All contacts with families should start with “How are you?” We don’t need to pressure families into doing school with us, instead we’re just trying to make sure families are okay and have what they need.
- Zoom Classes – We have received questions wondering if staff could cancel Focus or other scheduled Zoom classes. We understand that there may be rare times when you will need to cancel your class because of appointments or life conflicts. Please contact Peter or myself if that issue arises. However, meeting three times a week with focus classes and with class periods on Monday and Tuesday are part of our agreed upon schedule that families now count on. It is to be expected that attendance will fluctuate as the quarantine continues. As noted in the survey, the kids want to see each other, so as long as even a few kids are showing up, we should be there to meet with them. Linked here are some ideas for games or activities to try on Zoom if your sessions could use a little livening up. Kahoots are also really popular with the kids. There are a lot of pop culture ones available. Caitlin’s class is doing Fun Fridays on their Zoom calls and it’s been a huge hit with her.
- Online Training for Stand-by Staff – Classified staff on stand-by (working only when called upon) will soon receive information regarding required online trainings, such as the Safe Schools Online Trainings. This requirement can be modified by supervisors if staff are currently working (i.e. assisting with meals, consistently working with students online). Please check in with Peter or Erin if you are asked to do online trainings and are already doing other work for Madison or the district.
- Using Sick and Personal Leave – If you need to take time because you are sick or need to use personal leave time, please use the regular Aesop system. Please also email Peter or myself to let us know so we know you will be unavailable. There is a small list of approved subs, so if you’ll be out for a longer period, we do have the option to have a sub step in.
- Additional Filters on iPads – The Tech Department is taking additional steps to filter content on devices borrowed by families. See the linked email for details if you’re curious how they are able to filter devices not connected to the 4J Network.
- Memorial Day – No School – The current plan for Memorial Day, Monday, May 25th, is that this will be a non-school day, meaning there will be no distance learning and no meal services this day.
- Eugene 4J District Librarian Support – Amy Page, the 4J District Librarian, is holding tech help sessions. She can also be reached via email with any questions. Visit Amy’s The Library Lowdown blog for the latest resources.
- Repeat: Progress Report Day Moved to May 15 – This Friday is progress report day. We haven’t heard yet what this will look like, so we’ll send out information as soon as we have it.
- Remote Learning Is Breaking Parents – This article from the New York Times is a good reminder for us to give kids and families grace when students are not completing assignments or doing everything we ask. Many parents are working full time either at home or out of the home while also trying to oversee their students’ work load.
- Schedule of Upcoming Events:
May 4 (M)
Teacher Appreciation Week
9:30am, Focus Class meeting
11-12:00, Student Lunch
1-2:45pm, Office Hours on Zoom with periods 1-3
May 5 (T)
11-12:00, Student Lunch
1-2:45pm, Office Hours on Zoom with periods 4-6
May 6 (W)
9:30, Focus Class Meeting
11-12:00, Student Lunch
May 7 (H)
11-12:00, Student Lunch
May 8 (F)
10:00am, Staff Meeting with Trivia!
11-12:00, Student Lunch
4pm, Attendance Due
May 11 (M)
9:30am, Focus Class meeting
10:00am, Peter, Anne, and Erin Attendance Meeting
11-12:00, Student Lunch
1-2:45pm, Office Hours on Zoom with periods 1-3
May 12 (T)
11-12:00, Student Lunch
1-2:45pm, Office Hours on Zoom with periods 4-6
4-7pm, Peter on Job Expo Zoom Interviews
May 13 (W)
9:30, Focus Class Meeting
11-12:00, Student Lunch
May 14 (H)
11-12:00, Student Lunch
May 15 (F)
No School – Progress Report Day
10:00am, Staff Meeting (optional)
11-12:00, Student Lunch
4pm, Attendance due
You’re amazing! Hope you have a great week!
