Together we ride, Together we grow.
Welcome back, Broncos! April is upon us which means busy weeks of learning, and spring activities. It can be that interesting time when we have a foot in this year and some energy put toward next. I remember the pace and the feeling of trying to get it all done, cover curriculum, plan events, and the uncertainty of next year. One week at a time we will get there, rmember to breathe, prioritize, and stay present with your students and the work at hand. WE will be communicating many things in the weeks ahead so be sure to take time to read and ask questions where clarification is needed. We are in this together.
Excellence in Education Nominations -Please take a moment to nominate a classified and certified staff member today. Voting will close at 5 p.m. Monday.
We will be submitting the nominations with the most votes this week. Thank you for recognizing one another’s excellence! You all have my vote <3
Here’s to a busy, productive, and positive April!
Digital Citizenship and iPads
With the amount of time spent on iPads during our school days, and recent challenges coming to light across grade levels, it is time to revisit and recommit to digital citizenship lessons and have important conversations with our students. In addition, our families need to know more about the ways we are supporting the use of safe and responsible use of iPads at school.
We have curated a set of lessons for this month (for each grade level) and will be sharing our plans for teaching with Buckingham families. Please take a look at the document attached and talk with your team this week. We will follow up with a request for your team’s instructional plans and address any questions related.
In addition to the lessons identified, we ask that you engage families by sending the connected family activities, and also create a shared grade-level plan for monitoring iPad use, and communicating with families/admin when students have difficulty with the expectations.
Thank you for taking the time to do this important teaching, during an already busy season. It is essential and proactive work that truly needs to be prioritized in our practice each day.
April Events and Meetings
- Staff Meetings- April 9 and April 16, 2:40-3:15 (focused on Erin’s Law, STEM Night)
- SIWs on April 3 and 10 are Teacher Discretion, April 17th will be Building Discretion (STEM planning and prep), April 24th is our final Ed Network Day
- Conferences April 9-11th /No school on April 12 (see schedule below)
- STEM Night is April 24th, 5:30-7:30
- We look forward to connecting with families, showcasing learning opportunities, and also providing some hands-on activities for our community. Stephanie and I will make time to check in with teams this week and identify our progress, needs, and next steps in order to be ready for a successful event! Thanks to all for your planning and collaboration so far. This week’s newsletter will remind families of the date and time, and also showcase kindergarten students and some of their recent STEM/ learning!
Recess Updates and Information
- Supervision and safety at recess continue to be a priority focus this spring. We will be meeting with EAs on Wednesday to review current recess plans, school wide student expectations, shared language and approaches to problem-solving.
- We will be distributing new recess equipment soon along with the following document for grade level teams to review and use as a guide for supporting students with recess responsibilities.
- Equipment Care and Keeping (important news and guidance about recess tools/equipment)
- Zone Supervision will roll out after being discussed with staff (see document attached)
Spring Conferences Next Week
April 10 (3:15-7:15) April 11 (7:15-7:15), April 12 (No School)
Super work preparing the digital Sign-Up links for families for Spring Conferences. Remember to link your conference Sign Up link to our Bronco Spring CONFERENCE SCHEDULE 23-24. Reach out if you would like help so all digital sign up links are embedded within the schedule by the end of the day Monday, April 1. Having each of our classroom individual links accessible on the conference schedule will allow our front office team to stay informed and assist families who contact the school for conference scheduling support.
Yearbook Design Challenge: Vote on the Final 8
Over 60 designs for the Yearbook Cover were submitted. Submissions have been narrowed down to the final 8 and it’s time to vote. Voting is open to all staff, students, and families. Vote for Buckingham’s Yearbook Cover! Voting will be open April 1-5.
State Testing Updates and Information:
Students in Grades 3-5 will participate in the annual Oregon Statewide Assessments this Spring throughout the Month of April and May.
In addition to team check-ins early this week an additional Testing Q and A is scheduled for April 15 at 2:30 p.m. We will solidify individual student test settings this week.
- April 1-19: Test familiarity, practice tests
- April 22-26: SEED Survey, ELA CAT
- April 29-May 3: ELA PT
- May 6-May 10: Math CAT (+Science for 5th?)
- May 13- May 17: Math PT
Walkie-Talkie Locations and Protocols
May Events and Meetings
- Kindergarten Welcome for Incoming Families- May 2nd, 4:00-5:30 p.m.
- Staff Appreciation is the week of May 6th- 10th. PTA is planning some amazing events!
- Volunteer Appreciation will also take place in May- probably the week of May 13th or 20th.
- Obstacle-athon is on May 22nd
- Class Placement TBD (process and dates to be discussed with ICCL and shared early May)