A note from Heidi T.: Here is the link to the SEL Menus. Remember, you don’t have to do it all! Pick and choose what works for you and your class. Also, don’t hesitate to reach out if you want more or something specific. I have a lot of SEL and Mindfulness resources that I would love to share.
As of today, I now have access to Highland’s social media accounts (Facebook and now Instagram). I want to keep this space as positive and informative as possible. I would LOVE to share some Storyline successes in this space. So… if you have pictures of artwork or your freeze that you’re willing to share with me, that would be fantastic. Thank you so much!
Try this…
I find a lot of our conversations starting out with this..”What do they expect…” or “What’s the district’s expectation…” When I find myself saying or thinking this way, I am now trying to turn this around and look at the problem at hand and then ask myself, “What do I expect of myself and my staff in this situation?” So I am going to suggest we all start our sentences out with “What do I expect” or “What do we expect”…when we encounter problem x? Approaching our common problems with this attitude can give us a little more sense of control and make better use of our time. If we get guidance that tells us to do something differently then we can incorporate it into our own plan.
Observations and Evaluations… I included the material from Skip in the last update and I just wanted to circle back with my own thoughts on this. I know these are more challenging times to teach and they will be equally challenging times to observe and provide meaningful feedback. The evaluation process is still under discussion at the district level, but for our purposes, let’s keep these in a low stress, low stakes environment. More than ever teachers (and principals) need support in all sorts of areas, so the purpose for observations should be perceived as a support strategy. (At the very least, just an opportunity to talk.) We’ll talk about your plans for instruction, reflect on how things are going, and maybe identify something that can be provided to help you. The only expectations we will address are your own for now. Sound good? I hope so.
Now, I need your help in making this happen. Without classrooms to wander in and out of, I really need your help to know a good time to drop in and talk OR if you want me to watch a webex. If you could send me a few ideal times for any scenario that works for you, I’d appreciate it.
Welcome Ashley Chally! – Ashley is getting started in the office and she is thrilled to be a part of the team. If you have not already met or re-met her, please stop by to say “hi” and get acquainted.
EA position – FYI – I posted for a temporary 3-hour EA position. As I look forward to facilitating a hybrid and all-in school day, this position can help with quite a bit of coverage for recess, lunch, PE and music. My goal is to make sure we get this person hired just prior to kids coming back into the building.
EA Training
Please see link below for EA training listed by topic!
| Paraeducator Training Opportunities by Topic | HDESD Learn at HomeWhy These Opportunities. The Culture of Care team has compiled these links for your browsing. Opportunities found on this guide will focus around the three main components of a Culture of Care: Trauma-Sensitive, Restorative, and Equitable Practices that systematically promote wellness, safety, and community support for all. We appreciate the work of our care coaches, and Erin Taylor …learnathome.hdesd.org |
Conferences – October conferences are canceled and these days will be instructional days. Communication to families will go out soon.
Meeting Schedule – I finally came up with a meeting schedule for our different teams for the year. The chances of this meeting schedule changing are high, but we’ll give it a go. We’ll get these on the google calendar soon.
EBISS –
We should begin our first round of EBISS meetings prior to Thanksgiving break.
The goals include the following;
- Examine the progress of the whole group and the small groups.
- Identify how to organize and plan instruction to make sure all students are receiving appropriate instruction.
- Identify the needed materials and resources to design instruction for the next cycle.
Master Schedule
Now that we have some time, I’ve been “playing” a little with the master schedule to see if there are tweaks that can cause improvement. I am at a point where I need to share with a team of you for input.
Safety Team
Our meeting notes are posted on the board in the staff room. One message this team would really like you to hear is this, “Please clean up after yourself in the staff room.” (This group has also sanctioned some public-shaming strategies to make sure you don’t leave your dirty dishes or food in the sink – consider this a fair warning. (= )
Staff Room Guidelines
- Clean up your own mess.
- There is no disposal in our sink. Throw all food out in trash and use a paper towel to mop out any food you drop in the sink.
- Clean up your own mess.
- Rinse all dishes and place in dishwasher. We do not recommend air-drying dishes on the rack.
- Clean up your own mess.
- Use a paper towel to wipe out the microwave after each use. Cover things with a paper towel when heating to minimize splatter.
- Clean up your own mess.
- If you use the tables, then please spray and wipe them down.
- Clean up your own mess.
- Oh yeah….Clean up your own mess.
TLC – Here is the link to TLC Happenings for October 9th, 2020.
Here are a couple of tech tips that will hopefully take less than two minutes to read…
- Are you getting ready to start Wonders? If so, remember that students need to complete the one-time steps below to allow pop-ups to access Wonders books and other materials.
- On their iPads, students will need to visit Settings > Safari > Turn off “Block Pop-ups”
- Also, here is a video for students about logging into Wonders through Clever for the first time. The “allow” pop-ups steps are at the end of the video as well.
- Did you know you can change your Webex background while hosting a meeting?
- Start a meeting
- Audio & Video (top toolbar)
- Change Virtual Background
Information from Paul…
Questions/Concerns about COVID-19 related matters?… Please see this flowchart.
Staying Clean…Many thanks to the dynamic duo of Nole Kennedy and HDMS lead custodian, Tim Bennett, for creating this “How To” video instructing staff on daily cleaning routines of desks/tables.
Inventerprise Contest |
Hello Inventerprise aficionados, What a strange year this has been so far! With all the uncertainty and challenges around us, we hope we can still find a way to encourage the next generation of scientists in our community to put their problem solving skills to the test. This year’s annual Inventerprise contest will look a bit different as we will employ a virtual format with the contest culminating in January 2021. All details are included on our website https://or-inventerprise.zfairs.com/. Inventerprise is an annual science contest sponsored by Lonza (formerly Bend Research, Inc) with help from Bend-La Pine School District and Central Oregon Community College. The contest is open to all K-12 students in Central Oregon. Prizes will be awarded at all grade levels and include cash prizes at the high school level. Elementary school teachers with more than 50% classroom participation are also eligible for gift cards to purchase classroom supplies. Best wishes, Dory Koehler-KingInventerprise Contest Director |