Together we ride, Together we grow!
Upcoming Dates:
- Monday, 1/29: Announcements and Pledge at 7:55
- Tuesday 1/30: Report Card Prep
- Wednesday 1/31: SIW (staff directed) , Michelle & Stephanie Admin Mtg 3:00
- Thursday 2/1: Black History Month begins
- Thursday 2/1: Report Card Prep
- 2/2: Report Cards completed by 4 p.m.
- 2/5: All specialists will have reports to classroom teachers no later than Monday at 3:00
- 2/8: Progress Reports go home in folders
To provide as much time as possible for collaboration and progress reports, we have no additional meetings this week. Some IEPs or PBSP meetings may have been planned, however no Staff Mtg and SIW is your time with your teams.
Save the Date:Friday, February 9th from 12:15-12:50 for our next Bronco Community Gathering (Assembly). Lots of great celebrations are in the works for this month’s gathering focused on friendship, kindness, and fun. January and February birthdays will be celebrated.
Report Card Information:
- By the end of the day on Feb 2 (4 p.m.), teachers will hit “post” -then posting the report cards to the system after all marks and comments have been made on the report card.
- Margaret will print a report to make sure all grades are posted and then alert the district office. The longer it takes us to finish, the longer Margaret is here so that this important step can happen. 🙂
- We can print report cards even after the system turns over to semester 2.
- While it would be nice to get it all done on Friday and off your plates, if you need to wait to print until Monday that’s okay all marks and comments must be posted by Friday at 4.
- We will send progress reports home on Thursday (in Bronco folders) and at the same time, we will be encouraging parents to access their report cards via ParentVue
- Students may need two copies printed because of more than one household- let Margaret know and she will also provide extra envelopes and labels.
- Specialists will share their completed reports with you by Monday (ELL, Sped, SLP)
- Please consult with learning specialists if you need a thought partner for academic marks and to align with the information in their reports as well
- I will also be including a family letter and will have those in your box by Friday at 4. As you collate, please plan to have the letter be your first page, or just behind any personal letter you plan to include. Thank you!
Belonging and Connection in our Community
At Buckingham, we are dedicated to a safe and caring community; one that is inclusive and creates a sense of belonging and connection for each student, staff member, and caregiver. Knowing what ‘safe’ means to others requires deep listening. Being inclusive often means taking a close look at our biases, experiences, and being willing to learn something new.
We have been and will be learning so much together in the weeks, months, and years ahead. I am grateful to be in that learning with each of you and look forward to creating a brave space for important conversations to grow. We start where we are but don’t stay there!
Each human has a right to be seen, known, and to be addressed by the correct pronouns. This can feel different initially, and hard to remember at times. The resource below provides some helpful information as we all strive to do better. Simply self-correct and acknowledge mistakes! We will make them. In acknowledging those mistakes we demonstrate care, kindness, and value for others.
It is the ‘try’ that helps us grow, and it is the growing that matters!
In support of our students, families, and dear colleagues, please take a few minutes to read this important resource. Consider where the next step might be for you. What do you need to know and understand to best support our community now and in the future? Recent reflection reminded me of a leadership mistake I made at the beginning of our year. Learning each of your pronouns matters to me, and I should have created a space for that to happen. Let’s do that soon, team.
Here is to all Broncos Belonging!
SSC Update:
We are continuing our interview process with great hope for the just right fit! We are grateful to Janet Gibson and Maddie Paquette for subbing this week and next. Justin is also back so we can do some additional things with support while we move through a transition period. Thank you all for your patience and positivity, as we navigate a big change mid-year.
Erin’s Law Lessons
During February, March, and April all schools will be teaching Erin’s Law Lessons. New to the district, but not new to this work, I look forward to talking with teams before you facilitate the lessons with students and learning more about what you need /how to best support staff when teaching difficult topics. I know Alaina will want to be part of those conversations as well.
Here is the document from the district that includes family letters and slide decks so that you can begin to plan for when this might happen and how to teach with support and care for all students and support and care for yourselves.
I will be sharing a document with teams soon, to help record when we have met about the lessons and your grade level plan, when family letters will be shared, and when lessons will be taught. Plenty of time- just putting an important thing on your near horizons.
Drill Updates
We typically won’t cancel and reschedule drills as often as we did in January- Yikes! In February we have one Fire Drill on February 8th. A reminder of the date and time will be in next week’s Notes.
We have a Safety Committee meeting this Wednesday. If there are things you would like us to discuss, please share them with Eva, and we will be sure to include in our conversation.
Fire Drill reminders:
Please have someone in the classroom turn off the lights and close the classroom door when you exit. Be sure all students are silent throughout the entire drill. Once outside all students face away from the building. Reentering the building should also be a calm, quiet walk back to learning or a circle if you need to review expectations. Thank you!
District Event
Attached is information about a wonderful event for families, students, and the Bend LaPine Community, as we launch Black History Month in February. This will be shared in our newsletter tomorrow and can be shared in your class news as well.
Education Foundation:
Grant proposals are due 3/1:Â www.blpedfoundation.org
Speaking of Grants from Ed Foundation, we have a spot secured at a STEAM Symposium in Long Beach, CA. on Feb 9/10. A flight and hotel room would be needed -we have some funds available to help cover those things, if anyone is interested in attending and can make the trip? Please let me know on Monday or Tuesday!
Counselor Appreciation and SRO Appreciation
National School Counselor Appreciation Week is coming up, February 5-9th. I think we can all agree that we hit the lottery when Alaina joined our team! What a gift she is to our students, families, and to all of us. Just wanted to put the dates on your horizon as we find ways to let her know what she means to our entire Buckingham community.
School Resource Officer Appreciation Day is February 15th. The Safety Team is requesting your help to collect cards, notes, pictures, etc. to present to our SRO team office.
Perhaps this can be shared writing opportunity for your class or tie in with warm fuzzy friend grams and kindness this month. These messages can be directly to Officer Casey or to all BLPS resource officers. The goal is to highlight the positive relationship between our SROs and their schools. If you are willing, please offer your students the opportunity to share their appreciation for Casey and all SROs. Please get those to Eva by February 8th and we will pass along to the District Office.
We will also be working with our fifth-grade leaders to create a quick appreciation slide show, in hopes that Casey can join us for some in-person love at our assembly on February 9th!
Bronco Restaurants Student Survey
Votes are in and our 5th Grade student leaders will announce the top restaurant names for our Pop Up Community Meal Time spaces. Following the announcement students, in grades K-5 will be invited to participate in a restaurant logo design contest. A template will be provided for traditional or digital sketches. The design challenge is a great soft start activity to embed into morning arrival or a project to encourage students to participate in at home. Submissions will be due by Friday, February 16th.
Elementary Curriculum and Instruction
There are some great reminders and resources in the blog this week- particularly as we plan for progress reports. As you consider shared and hopeful language for all students and their development there are ideas included from the text Classroom 180. Additionally you can reduce some planning time with Wayfinder tips/lessons related to Student Self Care & Mindful Movement activities.