FYI Ticket: This is a new one for 21/22. Please bookmark this one if you haven’t already! As a reminder, these are to be used for data keeping purposes, not for “writing kids up”. Thanks so much and please ask Heidi if you have any questions.
School Rules Video 2.0 The link I sent you on Friday didn’t work! Hopefully this one does. Thanks!
Week Preview:
- Monday 9/20
- 2:30 Teachers meeting with Lindsley or Julie in Library
- Tuesday 9/21
- 2:30-3:15 Storyline Team Meeting (not sure if this is needed, but I put placeholder just in case)
- Wednesday 9/22
- SIW – Individual Teacher Prep*
- Thursday 9/23
- 2:30-3:15 Leadership in Library
- Friday 9/24
- Another day in paradise
*Want to make the most of your teacher prep SIW? Plan ahead, schedule your tasks and time required prior to the afternoon. Don’t let yourself get distracted and don’t distract others. If you are working with your team then hold each other accountable to the timeline. Also, set your firm stop time. This is not the day to stay late. Leave at 3:15 on the dot and practice some self-care – go for a walk, ride, meet up with family or friends or anything that recharges your battery. If you don’t plan it, it will not happen for you.
Lunch-Recess Scenarios – this is all starting to come together more fluidly. I appreciate you taking the time to read through this and helping tweak it for the better for everyone. Thanks again for patience and solution-oriented thinking. We will soon get to a point where the students are running this show like pros…and then the hurricane will hit to send everything into disarray. I plan to paint dots in the next day or two to help keep the spaces set.
The score now;
Lunch=3.5 Us=4.5 We’re getting the upper hand!
Safety Team Meeting Notes – This document will show our agendas and meeting notes for anyone interested.
From Walt and Rob – The Custodial team would like to share some insight into cleaning and the Pandemic:
According to the CDC, “The fomite transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is low compared to direct contact, droplet transmission, or airborne transmission.” As we understand this variant is airborne and surface contamination is a low priority. The updated School Cleaning Protocol is found at Bend-La Pine Schools COVID-19 Cleaning Protocols. The protocol also states that, “Each classroom in our schools will be provided with approved cleaning products by the custodial staff. “ We will keep providing equipment whether its spray solution and micro fiber in each cleaning station with flat mops, solution to dip in, spray bottles and rags, or having both. This will provide your staff with the products to disinfect if needed in their classroom.
- The custodial team will try their best with the resources available to go above their regular cleaning schedule and sanitize the high touch spots. We are putting more effort into your high traffic areas, bathrooms, hallways, commons etc.
- If there is district approved product or cleaning equipment your staff needs let your Head Custodian know so we can provide that for you to make your team successful.
Chairs up – Starting next week please have your students put chairs up at the end of each day. This will help Tim access the floors more effectively. It’s also good to ensure there is an accessible outlet for the vacuum plug. Zach is spraying the tables in the mornings as long as they are free of paper. Please make sure the tables are clear if you want them sprayed.
TLC Update – These are a “must read” for all teachers. I will try not to repeat the same information so I can keep my updates shorter; please don’t skip theirs.
Sniffles – When do I consider asking the office to call home for a child? – from Michelle
It is that time of year and we need to know what to look for during COVID. A rule of thumb is to watch the mask. If a student is constantly wiping their nose, blowing their nose or needing to change their mask, then it’s time to call home. If a student has a sniffle but is not blowing their nose and their mask is secure, it is probably OK.
Five Questions to Help Decide on Priorities for the Year
In this Edutopia article, Jenn David-Lang (The Main Idea) says that after an exceptionally scattered 18 months dealing with the pandemic, educators need to be focused on no more than three key priorities for 2021-22. Why three? According to Chris McChesney, with 4-10 priorities, we’re likely to achieve only one or two with quality, and with ten or more, we won’t accomplish anything of significance. Steve Jobs famously led an annual retreat in which Apple’s top leaders narrowed possible initiatives to ten – and then Jobs theatrically crossed out the bottom seven and declared that resources would be devoted only to the top three.
How to choose a school’s Big Three? Drawing on her extensive reading, David-Lang suggests asking these questions about each competing initiative:
• How much impact will it have on student learning and well-being? Among the practices with the best research track record: professional collaboration, collective teacher efficacy, formative assessments, feedback, a clear curriculum, student collaboration, Response to Intervention (RTI), and high-impact teaching strategies like nonfiction writing.
• Can it have an impact within three months? “People need small wins now more than ever,” says David-Lang. There are strategies to quickly improve staff morale and reduce suspensions, chronic absenteeism, and failure rates.
• Does it address our school’s most pressing needs? To zero in on those, the leadership team should look at test scores, attendance, course passing rates, students’ reading levels and algebra readiness, and insights gathered in surveys, focus groups, one-on-one conversations, and observations.
• Does it piggyback on existing initiatives, strengths, and school values? “The path to success is often faster and easier when it’s built on what you already do well,” says David-Lang. “Lots of schools found successful new approaches during the pandemic that they want to build on.”
• How much will it affect other aspects of the school? Charles Duhigg (in his book The Power of Habit) describes the way certain “keystone habits” (for example, families eating dinner together) have a positive effect on other behaviors. This suggests being very strategic in choosing initiatives that serve as catalysts for other variables within a school. “For example,” says David-Lang, “if you choose to focus on absenteeism as one of your priorities, that would impact engagement (students can’t be engaged if they’re not attending), learning (they can’t learn if they’re missing classes), and staff morale (teachers question their worth when students don’t show up).”
“The Value of Limiting Your Priorities for the School Year” by Jenn David-Lang in Edutopia, September 10, 2021; David-Lang can be reached at [email protected].
Education Appreciation Days at Autzen
The Oregon Ducks are hosting two upcoming Education Appreciation Days at Autzen Stadium. To thank you for everything you and your staff do, we’re offering a 30% off discount for you, your friends and your family to see the #4-ranked Ducks football team play this Fall in the best stadium in college sports. This discount can be used at the September 18th game against Stony Brook and/or the October 30th game against Colorado.
Follow this link HERE to access your exclusive discount, or go to www.goducks.com and buy tickets using the code “2021EDU”! Please feel free to share this opportunity with your staff, friends and family.
Thank you and Go Ducks!
Dylan Robinson – Sales Manager, Ticket Sales
University of Oregon Athletics
M: 541-743-3524