{"id":70,"date":"2017-09-09T02:14:17","date_gmt":"2017-09-09T02:14:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.bend.k12.or.us\/brian.kissell\/?p=70"},"modified":"2017-09-09T02:14:17","modified_gmt":"2017-09-09T02:14:17","slug":"weekly-update-911-915","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bend.k12.or.us\/brian.kissell\/2017\/09\/09\/weekly-update-911-915\/","title":{"rendered":"Weekly Update 9\/11-9\/15"},"content":{"rendered":"

Congratulations on a successful first few days of school. \u00a0The smoke was challenging, the changes to our lunch-recess flow were challenging, indoor recess was challenging, lunch buckets were challenging and there were plenty of other tough moments like a brief torrential downpour with lightning at pick up. The good news is we got <\/span>way<\/span> more right than wrong when you step back and look at the big picture and see all our happy kids, so thank you everyone for everything you do. \u00a0Sorry this is a long update.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lunch-Recess Flow<\/b><\/p>\n

Thank you as well for your patience as we continue to work out the kinks with the lunch-recess flow. \u00a0We recognize that everyone is learning this new routine and is doing his\/her best to be on time. \u00a0I really messed it up today and sent a large group of the 4\/5 students early at the wrong bell, so I apologize for that mistake. \u00a0The students are really making their best effort to make the process work, so we very much notice and appreciate their contribution. We will make a point to give kindness coupons to those who are demonstrating positive behavior. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bells and Whistles<\/b><\/p>\n

We experimented with some different bells and it seems like it would be in our best interest to reduce the number of bells. \u00a0We will turn off several of the transition bells used for outside recess (most importantly the alarm-sounding ones) and we can go back to using whistles with possibly some visual cards to help as cues for students for their different transitions. \u00a0I may seek to eliminate a few other bells to simplify, but I will email those groups most impacted for some input before doing so.<\/span><\/p>\n

Calendars and Schedules<\/b><\/p>\n

In an effort to provide multiple displays of our complex schedule for each grade level, and even the individual level, in that master schedule document I believe there is still quite a bit of confusion around schedules and places to be, so I am sorry. \u00a0I will see what I can do to mitigate this and make things simpler and easier for everyone involved. <\/span><\/p>\n

Alright, let\u2019s talk math and school design!<\/b><\/p>\n

Last year our school-wide focus was on writing and fluency. \u00a0Becky and Michele hosted informative and interactive SIW times to support your classroom instruction. This year our ICCL and Academic Excellence Team decided to focus our energy on math. We brainstormed a variety of goals for math learning that I feel confident everyone will appreciate and enjoy.<\/span><\/p>\n

The upcoming district-provided math SIWs are very much congruent with these math goals. These district SIWs are not focused on Bridges, but on math best practices such as small group work, habits of interaction, number sense, and number talks. I will reach out as soon as the schedule of these workshops is established, but we will be able to bring our Everyday Math materials and put them to use with the workshop content. \u00a0It will be really important to be strategic in signing up for these workshops in a way that each grade level team can benefit, so reps from each team splitting up for the different themes would be best.<\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally, I have some great news for our math assessment data. \u00a0The rest of our district started using a program called Forefront for math assessment data. \u00a0The program was already designed for the Bridges math program so it took some work over the summer to get it up and running with Everyday Math, but it appears we have arrived. \u00a0I am going to ask everyone NOT to enter their math scores for any assessments until we have you trained on Forefront. \u00a0Please do not enter anything into Synergy or any other tool. \u00a0You are, of course, welcome to do a paper-and-pencil record, however to avoid doubling your work I would encourage you to wait for the Forefront training. \u00a0We will plan on providing that training on Tuesday 9\/26 during one of our PLCs. \u00a0The training takes about 10 to 15 minutes and then the rest of the time can be used for data entry. \u00a0I know this is a new item, however the feedback so far promises a very user-friendly system so I really think this will be welcomed change.<\/span><\/p>\n

At our first staff meeting this coming Tuesday we will devote a significant amount of time to presenting a planning process for math. \u00a0The next day for our SIW you will be working with your teams to plan your upcoming math lessons with this planning tool. \u00a0My hope is that we will use this lesson planning tool to attack your math lessons with the design process in mind. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

MAC Survey<\/b><\/p>\n

The annual MAC survey is happening a little earlier this year, so we are pressed for time to do the training. \u00a0I scheduled a time with Eilean Karpstein to complete this training on Wednesday 9\/27 from 2:30-3:00 as this will still give us an hour of our SIW for math.<\/span><\/p>\n

SafeTOUCH<\/b><\/p>\n

The district intends to provide training for all staff this year, so we will be using a staff meeting time in the future for this purpose; I will let you know as soon as that meeting time is scheduled. \u00a0Some schools have already completed the training and the teachers are providing the lessons to students rather than an single designated person at each site. \u00a0I will be calendaring these lessons very soon with a parent night planned for end of September or early October, but before I get too far down that road, I wanted to see if anyone is interested in providing their own SafeTOUCH lessons for their own classes. \u00a0I am happy to continue doing the lessons but I need to make the offer. \u00a0If you are interested in teaching the lessons after your training, then please email me. \u00a0Even if you have been trained before I do believe the mandate will require everyone to do it again.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tech Stuff:<\/b><\/p>\n

Good news! \u00a0The Stop, Breath and Think App is available on Self Serve, however it is a little difficult to find. \u00a0If you need some help finding it, please let me know and I will try to help.<\/span><\/p>\n

The content below is from Skip Offenhauser.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kudos<\/b><\/p>\n

A big thanks to the tech department and our Tier 1 staff for getting almost 15,000 iPads ready for students. \u00a0We are the largest deployment of iPads in the Northwest and we do it better than anyone else. The work involved to make this happen is huge and year in and year out our tech staff rises to the challenge. \u00a0So, next time you see your site tech make sure you thank them for all their hard work. <\/span><\/p>\n

Digital Citizenship Starts Now!<\/b><\/p>\n

As we begin a new school year now is the perfect time to establish good digital citizenship practices at your school. \u00a0For our students, being a good digital citizen means two things. \u00a0First, it means proper use and care of the device that has been issued to them. \u00a0We realize that iPads break. \u00a0No matter what we do accidents will happen. \u00a0However, we can take steps that will minimize the breakage rate. \u00a0Now is the time to put in place agreed upon expectations and routines for every teacher and student to follow. \u00a0Simple things like making sure iPads are carried or stored safely before leaving class can help tremendously. \u00a0Second, but most importantly, being a good digital citizen means using a device in a thoughtful and responsible manner. \u00a0We have reached a point where most of our students don’t know what it’s like to live in an unconnected world. \u00a0It is our responsibility to teach them how to be responsible and safe online just like we teach them to be responsible and safe on the playground. \u00a0But the teaching of these skills shouldn’t just occur during a dedicated digital citizenship week. \u00a0Rather, it should be ongoing instruction that capitalizes on teachable moments when they present themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some tips and resources for schools teach and support digital citizenship:<\/span><\/p>\n