Our EME Focus
- Tier 1 Instruction
- Belonging
- Define what it means to be an Art Focused School
Thoughts of the Week
Recently I was fortunate to have a wonderful conversation with a teacher here. She said something at the end of our conversation about Gifted and Talented students and the fact that all students are gifted in their own way. I couldn’t agree more! It reminded me of my cover letter from my first teaching application, almost 20 years ago. Here is a sentence that has been in every cover letter I have ever written:
I believe every child has been given a gift, and this gift is the key to his or her purpose in life. It is our responsibility as educators to help each child unlock this gift and motivate them toward it.
I still believe this today! I have always found it interesting that we talk about how important math and reading are, and how kids may not make it without those skills. Then we flock to the movies, concerts, plays, and art galleries in our spare time. These are all art based activities and math and reading truly do not make a defining difference in these careers. When I was the Director of curriculum I always felt bad for those kids struggling with Algebra I or Algebra II. Having to tell them that, “some day, this will come in handy,” knowing full well I have not used either since I took them. I worked to help rewrite our math path to graduation, giving ways around Algebra for some of our students. Telling them that they can’t graduate because they could not pass Algebra did not make any sense to me because that was not their gift. Holding back a diploma so they could not get a job and allow them to make a livable wage was asinine. Some of those kids are now welders, sculptures, craftsmen, and mechanics. They make more than a livable wage. I have been to math and spelling competitions and came away wowed, but I have seen students create art and left in awe! I have heard music that left me in tears and I have watched plays and left thankful for the opportunity to see the magic. I am so proud to be a part of a school that is “Art Focused”! After the workshops, I was amazed at all the kids who produced something, and did not feel less then. Thank you for that, and thank you for helping each child unlock their gift and motivate them toward it!
The Coming Week
MONDAY
- Admin Meeting 6:45-7:15
- Staff Meeting 2:30-3:15
TUESDAY:
- Office Staff Meeting 10:00-10:30
- Elk Meadow Site-Walk & Safety Walk Through 1:00-2:00
- ICCL Meeting 2:30-3:00
- Care Teams Meeting 2:30-3:15
WEDNESDAY:
- EA Meeting 8:15-8:45
- SIW – Holiday Party 1:00-?
THURSDAY:
- MTSS building wide 2:30-3:15
FRIDAY:
- EME Sped Meeting 2:00-2:45
UPCOMING DATES
- December 20 – Natalie’s Birthday
- December 24 – Sue’s Birthday
- January 4 – Julia’s Birthday
Updates
- Wayfinder:
- Please share this document with teachers on how to mark a lesson/activity complete in Wayfinder. Checking it off is part of a successful implementation to the program. In doing this, you will be able to see how the implementation is going in your schools as well.
- Student Services:
- Monthly REQUIRED inclusion EA Trainings: Contact Krista Hought or Stephanie Smith for info
- Prevent, Teach, Respond information, PTR Facilitators Guide
- MTSS Tier 3 process
- Counseling: School Counseling Blog
- Safety: Updated SRO List as of 11/14/23.
- OSU–Outdoor School Survey–You can get paid $25! OSU manages the Outdoor School grants for the state and they need information from the districts they support. We are one of those districts and they have received very few surveys from BLS. They are seeking some input through this survey on the following topics:
- Roles and time you invest in coordinating and reporting on outdoor school
- Suggestions for how OSU’s Outdoor School team could make your job easier
- Strategies and lessons learned that might be helpful to others new to coordinating and reporting on outdoor school
- Let’s help them out and take the survey—it will pay off—literally!! The survey takes about 15 minutes, and you’ll get a $25 gift card!
- From Julie in Curriculum, Instruction, and Systems: Please share with your staff, these direct Links to Partner Up activities in Wayfinder: Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
- The SIW plan for Educator Network Day on January 10th from 1:45-3:15 will be lead by Admin/ICCL and will be dedicated to introducing and planning for the changes to the Oregon Math Standards. Please share this plan with your staff.
- From Scott in IT: Greetings! We have a couple of items to share as we look toward winter break.
- Signing into Synergy: This is the final reminder regarding a change of process for staff who sign into Synergy Mobile applications. From now on, be sure you choose “Sign In with BLS” whenever you are given the option.
- The regular Username and Password fields will no longer provide access beginning this coming weekend.
- Video streaming tips for classroom AV: Now that all our schools have Apple TV’s available in their classrooms, there has been some confusion about how best to stream video. Apple TVs use “Apple Airplay” to share what is on your computer with your classroom projector or flat panel TV. It is a very handy service that allows teachers to project wirelessly. However, Apple Airplay does not support most video streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime. It is important to note that this is a function of Apple Airplay that protects image quality and unintended buffering (delays). NO, this is not a district setting that can be enabled or changed 😊. On the rare occasion that video streaming is necessary in the classroom, teachers must use the HDMI cord and dongle that was originally provided with every classroom AV system.
- Does your classroom have a ceiling mounted projector? Be sure to unplug your HDMI cord from the wall plate and store it when not in use. Wall plates are easily damaged by feet and vacuums. Not to mention, they will cost your school $500 to replace if damaged!
Important Dates
- Dec 12 (3:30): TAG Meeting- Meeting Link Here
- questions/needs before the meeting?: Link to question document
- Dec. 18-January 1: Winter Break—See you all back in 2024!
- Jan. 10. Educator Network Day, in your buildings from 1:45-3:15
- Jan. 15 No School in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.