Archive for September 30, 2024

September 30th, 2024

September 30, 2024

Our EME Focus

  • Tier 1 Instruction
  • Belonging
  • Define what it means to be an Integrated Arts School

Thoughts of the Week

What in the Hallelujah is Going On!!!

One of the hardest songs in the world to explain is Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen. You may have not even known that the song was written and first performed by Leonard Cohen. I do believe the version you are probably most familiar with is by Jeff Buckley, who has one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard. Honestly there’s probably a lot of things that most people don’t know about the song Hallelujah. It’s a really deep and interesting song that’s worth understanding. So here goes Ben’s dimestore explanation, or at least what I get out of the song! 

Leonard Cohen’s explanation is that many different kinds of hallelujahs do exist and all the perfect and broken hallelujahs have equal value. Hallelujahs are about many things, but a large portion of it is understanding what your hallelujah is and how to express it, and why you should even express it. Obviously the choruses are just hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, and those continue on and on and on. But the verses tell stories that lead into giving those hallelujahs. To make it a little more complicated Leonard Cohen actually wrote over 80 different verses and would switch up which verse he would use at different performances. Even the covers that you listen to have different verses chosen for different covers. On top of that, the fact that the way people sing the song significantly changes the meaning of the song as well.Is it mournful, is it rejoiceful is it just kind of like putting it out there and letting people take it as it is? At the heart of it, hallelujah is a Hebrew word used to praise God, but in this case Leonard Cohen refers to this song as the secular hallelujah. So while God is mentioned a lot and the Bible is as well, it’s not necessarily to God. It’s more about the human side of the hallelujah. So a good question to keep in mind as you’re listening to this song yourself, is why are these people saying hallelujah and what inspires them to do so? This song is widely open for interpretation and there are as many interpretations as there are people who listen to the song. 

In verse one we hear, “and I’ve heard there was a secret chord, that David played and it pleased the Lord, but you don’t really care for music do you?”  King David is making music, secret music that pleases God but the person that Leonard Cohen’s is talking to doesn’t really care for music even. I believe this may be evidence that everybody’s hallelujah is a little bit different and some people’s hallelujah doesn’t involve secret chords played to the Lord. The first verse ends with, “the baffled King composing hallelujah.” I believe this is Lenard Cohen telling us with all that has gone sideways in King David’s life he is trying to find, or compose, why he is saying hallelujah.  Verse two states, “your faith was strong, but you needed proof. You saw her bathing on the roof.  Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you.  She tied you to a kitchen chair. She broke your throne and she cut your hair, and from your lips she drew the hallelujah.”  He’s really alluding to both the story of King David seeing Bathsheba, getting her husband killed and making her his wife, and connecting that to the story of Samson, who was superhumanly strong until this girl named Delilah tricked him into giving her his secret for his strength. Which was his long hair, and so she cut his hair and then he kind of lost the superpowers. Even despite all of that fallen nature, and losing at life, they still say the hallelujah. Is it because their life was so great at that moment? No, it’s because they’re trying to find hallelujah in the midst of their circumstances, their mistakes, their brokenness! Verse three is one of my favorites, “baby I’ve been here before, I know this room I’ve walked to this floor. I used to live alone before I knew you. I’ve seen your flag on the Marble Arch, love is not a victory March, it’s a cold and it’s a broken hallelujah. 

Cohen is saying love isn’t about winning, and loving other people is difficult. He tells us in a later verse,” it’s not somebody who’s seen the light. It’s a cold and it’s a broken hallelujah. Maybe Cohen is right. Maybe that hallelujah, that finding, that moment tha tests where we see if we really have a hallelujah in our heart. Maybe it is not about finding hallelujahs in those moments when hallelujahs are being shoved at us through a victory March or seeing the light. Relationships that are not working out really, really well may be the test of our hallelujah. Maybe it is when we’re baffled, when we’re tied to the kitchen chair, when we’re cold, and when we’re broken! In a slightly less well-known verse we hear, “and even though it all went wrong, I’ll stand before the Lord of song with nothing on my tongue but hallelujah.” I believe that whatever this life throws at me, I’m going to end it with a Hallelujah! In the end Hallelujah is about finding your Hallelujah no matter what the circumstances are. This is a song you can sing no matter where you’re at and I think that it’s a beautiful backdrop for humans who are trying to find their hallelujah, their joy, the reason for living. 

So what is this all about? My goal is to find my Hallelujahs this week and share them with you, even the ones found in cold and broken circumstances…

The Coming Week

  • Monday
    • Peter Hoover’s Birthday!
    • Dibels
  • Tuesday
    • Lisa Sheldon’s Birthday!
    • Safety Meeting 7:00-7:30
    • Office Staff Meeting 10:00
    • District ICCL Meeting 2:15-3:30
  • Wednesday
    • Kellie Perry’s Birthday!
    • Lauren VanCoutren’s Birthday!
    • SIW 1:00-2:30
  • Thursday
    • None
  • Friday
    • EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00
    • EME OLYMPICS!
      • 3rd – 8:00-9:00
      • 5th – 9:00-10:00
      • 4th – 10:00-11:00
      • 1st and 2nd – 12:00-1:00
      • Kindergarten – 1:00-2:–

UPCOMING DATES:

  • October 1 – Office Staff Meeting 10:00
  • October 2 – SIW 1:00-2:30
  • October 4 – EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00
  • October 7 – Reading groups begin
  • October 7 – Staff Meeting 2:30-3:15
  • October 8 – Care Teams 7:00-8:00
  • October 8 – Kindergarten Field Trip
  • October 8 – Office Staff Meeting 10:00
  • October 9 – Mary Dean’s Birthday!
  • October 9 – SIW Ed Network Focus on EL Planning 1:00-1:30
  • October 10 – Fire Drill 8:30
  • October 11 – EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00
  • October 14 – Union Meeting 2:30-3:00
  • October 15 – Picture Day!
  • October 15 – Office Staff Meeting 10:00
  • October 15 – Elementary Admin Meeting @ LaPine Elementary 3:00-5:00
  • October 16 – SIW EL Planning Follow Up 1:00-2:30
  • October 17 – BAM Meeting 3:30-4:45
  • October 18 – EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00
  • October 21 – Committee Meetings 2:30-3:15
  • October 22 – Care Teams 7:00-8:00
  • October 22 – Office Staff Meeting 10:00
  • October 22 – ICCL Meeting 2:30-3:15
  • October 23 – EA Meeting 1:00-1:30
  • October 23 – SIW Teacher Prep for Conferences 1:00-2:30
  • October 24 – Earthquake Drill 1:30
  • October 25 – EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00
  • October 26 – Camille White’s Birthday!
  • October 26 – Joelle Pearson’s Birthday!
  • October 29 – Office Staff Meeting 10:00
  • October 29 – Conferences 3:15-7:15
  • October 30 – Teacher Prep 7:15-3:15 
  • October 30 – Ben and Amanda out 8:00-4:00 for Training
  • October 30 –  Conferences 3:15-7:15 
  • October 31 –  Conferences 7:15-3:15 
  • October 31 – Melissa Landolt’s Birthday!
  • October 31 – Pam Bradbuty’s Birthday!

Updates from Downtown

Cheers to Jesse, Erich, Calah the Office Manager, and their team over at Jewell Elementary—the 50th birthday celebration was an amazing event tonight! I was so amazed at all the former staff and students who came from near and far to check out the school, including the first principal 50 years ago, Bill Scott! (Small world–he was my advisor in my admin program 21 years ago!) It was such a special time for so many people. Nice work Jaguars!

From Tammy

Important Links

Notes from our Team:

Tracy Howk in IT: This is last minute, but we just got work this class is in jeopardy of canceling, so please pass it on to your staff!

HDESD is putting on a free AI conference for educators on October 11. Dean says there’s sub pay available for those who want to attend. They’re looking for more participants to sign up or they’ll have to cancel, which is a bummer because the speaker lineup sounds great. The timing might also be handy as we’re launching MagicSchool AI in BLS.  Registration ends OCT 1. Register here!

From Scott Mc in IT: October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and we’re excited to announce Cyber October! Throughout the month, our IT department will be sharing valuable resources to help improve your cyber hygiene and protect our school district from cyber threats.

Here’s what you can expect:

  • Weekly Tips and Tricks: Easy-to-follow advice to help safeguard your digital life.
  • Scam of the Week Announcements: Stay informed about the latest online threats.
  • Cybersecurity Best Practices: Strategies to keep your data and devices safe.

In addition, all staff will receive a link to our annual cybersecurity training. This mandatory training will take approximately 30 minutes to complete and is crucial in helping to protect both personal and district data from cyberattacks. The window to complete the training is October 1st through November 30th. Look for these updates in your inbox each week. Together, we can strengthen our defenses against cyberattacks! Thank you for your continued vigilance and support.

From Dave VanLoo, Director of School Improvement:

2024-25 District Assessment, Testing, & Surveys. Here are two updated support documents summarizing common standardized tests and surveys for the current school year. One is a schedule showing when different assessment activities occur. The other is a general overview of the purpose and logistics of these assessments. Both documents will continue to be updated throughout the year as is beneficial. Please reach out with any questions.

BLP Testing Schedule 2024-25

Major Tests & Surveys 2024-25

OSAS Portal

Bus Moments from Kim and Tina:

Students coming back to school. When we need to return a student to school (ex. no parent present at stop in the afternoon), we will be returning the student back to school, but it will be in the bus loop, not the front entrance/parent. Our buses are too big to fit in these front door loops- we did $20,000 + damage trying to get into a school yesterday afternoon 😕. Our routers will call the office and let them know when the buses arrive.

Guest Riders: Students who are not routed on a particular bus, cannot ride that bus. This includes if they bring a note from home saying they can go to Sally’s house for a play date. Caveat, if they ARE routed to the bus, they CAN get off at a different stop with a friend as long as they have a note from the school or from home.

We will be adding these tags to all kinders backpacks within the next 2 weeks. Red for RED kinders (don’t let off without a parent there), green for GREEN kinders (can be let off without a parent). The tags have first name, last initial, stop information and student ID#. We will also be notifying families of this, so they keep it on the backpack. 

There may also be a few kiddos (Grades 1-5)that we keep an “extra eye on” that will also have a RED tag. This will just help alert drivers to make sure they are getting off at the correct stop. Schools can expect to see us up in the bus loop putting these on kinders in the afternoons. Hopefully this will be helpful in getting them on the right buses and off at their homes 🙂

From Jennifer Hauth, re: Wayfinder’s Waypoints. Waypoints, the initial summative assessment for students will be live in Wayfinder from September 15th through November 15th.  Summative Waypoints allow educators to measure student growth of Wayfinder’s six Core Skills across the school year. By administering the summative Waypoints assessments, educators can understand areas of strength and growth for individual students and the class to make informed, data-driven decisions about instruction. Here is the info on Waypoints, including the new Waypoints Implementation Guides to help teachers set up the reason we are assessing students as well as instructions.  The final summative assessment for students will be open May 12th through June 13th for students.

Waypoint Guide K-2. Waypoint Guide 3-5

From Michell Spetic, Nurse on Special Assignment: OHA / ODE has changed the Communicable Disease Guidance for Schoolsguidelines this year for students and staff returning after having vomiting or diarrhea. They may now return to school after 24hrs of no vomiting or no diarrhea (this replaces the previous 48hr guideline)

Here is a copy of the When to Keep Your Student Home. This information has been sent out to office managers

Here is the link to the full Communicable Disease Guidance packet:

Important Dates

  • October 1: Admin/ICCL Meeting–Ed Center Board Room, 3:00-4:30
  • October 15: Horizontal Meeting at La Pine Elementary, 3:00-5:00 (La Pine and Juniper host) Please allow extra time for travel, depending on where you are located it could take 45 min to get there. Please do your best to be on time.
  • Conferences: Oct 29–3:15-7:15, Oct 30–3:15-7:15, Oct 31–7:15-3:15
  • Work Day: October 30, 7:15-3:15
  • October 30: Administrator EL training–all day, exact time and location TBD
  • October 31: Safe School Trainings need to be done by today
  • November 11: Veteran’s Day–No School

And finally…click on the diagram below to see the details of how to buffer yourself from burn out.

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September 23rd, 2024

September 23, 2024

Our EME Focus

  • Tier 1 Instruction
  • Belonging
  • Define what it means to be an Integrated Arts School

Thoughts of the Week

Ever wonder why we have Autumn – Here is what my Grandmother told me when I was a young boy!

Every view, tree, or rock you see along your travels has its own story. In Anishinaabe culture, we tell stories to learn about the land and to create our own connection to it. These stories have taught me just how alive this earth truly is, and how many secrets it hides within. In my case the stories I’ve heard come right from my own family, and today I would like to share one my favorites with you.

An Anishinaabe story of why the trees change color

Nanabozho is considered the great-uncle of the Anishinaabe people. He is part man, part manito, or spirit and so is capable of silly mischief as well as great deeds. 

When Nanabozho was a boy and the earth was new, his grandmother, Nokomis, made him some paints. She mixed dyes out of moonlight and shadows, snowflakes and sand. She made silky blues from night and soft greens from reindeer moss. She squeezed the sparkle out of shooting stars. Then she put all the colors into pots and put the pots into a pouch for her grandson. 

“Make beauty, Nanabozho,” she said. “Paint the flowers today.”

Nanabozho skipped off to a field full of pale white coneflowers. He dipped his brush into the purple paint pot. Then he painted the petals gently, one by one, being careful not to slop over the edges. 

He saw a ladybug crawling among the blossoms. In those days, ladybugs were plain red. Nanabozho painted a black dot on the ladybug. That was interesting, he thought, and he painted another spot. This was great fun, and he ran about the field, dotting every ladybug he could find. He only missed one. If you ever see a ladybug without spots, that’s a great-great granddaughter of the one he missed. 

Nanabozho caught a bee in his hand. This was before bees had stingers. They didn’t have stripes, either. Nanabozho painted stripes around the bee’s body. 

What else can I decorate? he wondered. 

Raccoon’s plain, gray tail hung down from a tree. Nanabozho quickly painted rings around it. That was pretty! Nanabozho caught Heron3 and painted him blue. He grabbed Fox and painted her red. Nanabozho put spots on Salamander. He painted a red cap on Woodpecker and a black cap on Chickadee. Then he noticed Sparrow perched on a low tree branch.

“Poor Sparrow,” Nanabozho cried, “not a shimmery feather nor a speck of bright color… ” 

Sparrow hopped onto a higher branch.

“Come here!” Nanabozho called. 

Sparrow hopped one branch higher. 

“I want to make you beautiful!”

Sparrow fluttered yet higher, perched, and peeked down at Nanabozho. 

Nanabozho slung the pouch with his paint pots and brushes over his shoulder and climbed onto the lower branches. “Don’t you hear me, little brother?” said Nanabozho. “You’d look handsome with a red coat.” 

Sparrow hopped up two more branches. Nanabozho struggled after him. “Orange?” called Nanabozho. 

Sparrow flitted to the uppermost branch and watched as Nanabozho clambered up the tree. 

“Pink and purple stripes? Yellow-green feathers?” He reached out to grab Sparrow, but the little bird darted away. Nanabozho lost his balance and tumbled backward. His shirt snagged on a branch, and there Nanabozho swung. 

But the paints and dyes! They spilled! Every pot of twilight, dawn, and sunset. Every pot of flame and fire, sunlight and starlight, gold and silver. And worse, Wind chose that very moment to rush over to see what was happening. Wind’s sudden whoosh spattered the falling colors all over the trees. 

The trees shrieked, “Look what you’ve done! Our lovely green leaves!” 

“I’m sorry!” said Nanabozho. “It was an accident.” 

“Oh!” the trees groaned and shook their branches. “Nanabozho, you must scrub us clean!” 

Nanabozho looked around at the trees. The colors were everywhere! How could he ever clean them up? 

All the birds and animals were gathering to see what had happened. They stared up at the trees. 

Aaaah… ,” said Raven. 

“Oooooh… ,” said Owl. 

“Beautiful,” croaked Frog. 

Chickadee twittered, “So pretty! So pretty!” 

The trees hushed their shaking branches and listened. Were they really prettier now? Oak blushed deep red. Aspen’s golden leaves glowed. 

Then Maple whispered, “Don’t feel bad, Nanabozho. I think I will like my new colors.” 

“Thank you, Maple,” said Nanabozho. 

Soon the other trees decided their bright new colors were not so bad after all. They forgave Nanabozho, too. 

Now, every year we remember when Nanabozho spilled his paints and made the trees so beautiful. And every year, Maple, the one who forgave Nanabozho first, is the prettiest of all.

The Coming Week

THIS WEEK:

  • Monday
    • Committee Meeting 2:30-3:15
  • Tuesday
    • Care Teams 7:00-8:00
    • Office Staff Meeting 10:00
    • CPI Escalation Training (Amanda Out)
    • Elementary Admin Meeting 3:00-5:00
  • Wednesday
    • SIW 1:00-2:30
    • EA Meeting 1:00 in the Library
  • Thursday
    • Lockdown Drill 1:00
    • Title Info Night 5:00-7:00
  • Friday
    • EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00

UPCOMING DATES:

  • Sept 30 – Peter Hoover’s Birthday!
  • Sept 30 – Dibels
  • October 1 – Lisa Sheldon’s Birthday!
  • October 1 – Office Staff Meeting 10:00
  • October 1 – District ICCL Meeting 2:15-3:30
  • October 2 – Kellie Perry’s Birthday!
  • October 2 – Lauren VanCoutren’s Birthday!
  • October 2 – SIW 1:00-2:30
  • October 4 – EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00
  • October 7 Reading groups begin

Updates from Downtown

From Tammy

Another fun opportunity for your kids: The fire station wants you! You can print this flyer to put on your community board advertising a community open house this next week at the north station. Bend Fire and Rescue would love to see elementary school tours resume. They trailed off sharply after the pandemic, but fire stations are ready to host classes again. These visits can provide valuable learning experiences about fire safety and the role of firefighters. To schedule a tour, call 541-322-6300.

Important Links

Notes from our Team:

Rosh Hashanah: Evening of Wed Oct 2 to evening of Fri Oct 4

Yom Kippur: Sat Oct 12

Within the next few weeks, you will receive a calendar with key dates like these over the next few years, so you can plan further ahead—stay tuned.  

If your school is allowing any costumes for around Halloween, here are some lessons to discuss with students: K-5, 6-12, Poster.  Equity Coaches can support these conversations if needed.

From Dave Hood, District Athletic Director: Hello—If you could please put this information in your next family newsletters that would be appreciated. The information is timely and impacts elementary students who attend our athletic events. Thank you!

From Scott in Technology: Do you know about Managed Apple ID’s?

Every student and staff member in Bend-La Pine Schools has a Managed Apple ID.   

Your Apple ID sign in is your Bend-La Pine Schools email address.

To enhance the security of our digital environment and protect sensitive information, we strongly encourage all staff to use their Managed Apple IDs on their school-issued devices instead of personal Apple IDs.

Why Use Your Managed Apple ID?

  • Enhanced Security: Managed Apple IDs are specifically designed for educational environments, providing an extra layer of security and management capabilities.
  • Data Protection: Using your Managed Apple ID helps prevent sensitive school data from being inadvertently stored in personal accounts, reducing the risk of data breaches or leaks.
  • Seamless Access: Managed Apple IDs provide streamlined access to school resources, apps, and services, ensuring you have everything you need for your role.
  • 200Gb of storage! All users can take advantage of 200GB of iCloud storage and access it from any of their school issued devices.
  •  

If you need assistance in making this change, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our IT Client Services team or our help desk. Note: Nearly 300 Bend-La Pine Schools computers are currently using personal Apple ID’s. Beginning October, users on these devices will periodically receive a message discouraging this practice. Thank you for your cooperation and for helping us keep our school’s information safe and secure.

Important Dates

  • September 24: Horizontal Meeting at High Lakes Elementary, 3:00-5:00 (High Lakes and Amity host)
  • September 26. Drop by and celebrate 50 years of Jewell Elementary! 5:00-7:00
  • October 1: Admin/ICCL Meeting–Ed Center Board Room, 3:00-5:00
  • October 15: Horizontal Meeting at La Pine Elementary, 3:00-5:00 (La Pine and Juniper host) Please allow extra time for travel, depending on where you are located it could take 45 min to get there.
  • October 30: Administrator EL training–all day, exact time and location TBD
  • October 31: Safe School Trainings need to be done by today

And finally… fall arrives this Sunday! Here is something yummy you could make to get you in the fall spirit! Recipe here!

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September 16th, 2024

September 15, 2024

Our EME Focus

  • Tier 1 Instruction
  • Belonging
  • Define what it means to be an Integrated Arts School

Thoughts of the Week

This is a throwback to a thought of the day last year… I still believe 100% in this and always will.

The Do-Overs vs the Gones (Yes that is gone with an “S”, patent pending)

Life gives you lots of do-overs.  I really can’t think of many things in life that you can’t do over. Your drivers test, your taxes, night out with friends, lessons taught, meals that did not turn out to be as edible as you hoped, etc.  I went out to dinner last night with my wife and 4 daughters and I sat there looking at everyone laugh and eating, and it really struck me that the things you can’t do over, or the “gones” (Patent Pending), are moments like that.  I reflected on some of those moments in my life, moments that I have chosen things that were do-overs, instead of the moments that were gones. I realized that I can’t remember what the do-over I prioritized was, but can still remember the gone I gave up.  Life is short, choose the gone moments, the ones you can never get back over the do-over.  

The Coming Week

THIS WEEK:

  • Monday
    • None
  • Tuesday
    • Elk Meadow Staff Appreciation Breakfast! 7:00-8:00
    • Office Staff Meeting 10:00
    • ICCL Meeting 2:30-3:15
  • Wednesday
    • SIW 1:00-2:30
    • EA Meeting 1:00 in the Library
  • Thursday
    • First day of Math Groups
  • Friday
    • EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00

UPCOMING DATES:

  • Sept 23 – Committee Meeting 2:30-3:15
  • Sept 24 – Care Teams 7:00-8:00
  • Sept 24 – Office Staff Meeting 10:00
  • Sept 24 – CPI Escalation Training (Amanda Out)
  • Sept 24 – Elementary Admin Meeting 3:00-5:00
  • Sept 25 – SIW 1:00-2:30
  • Sept 26 – Lockdown Drill 1:00
  • Sept 26 – Title Info Night 5:00-7:00
  • Sept 27 – EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00
  • Sept 30 – Peter Hoover’s Birthday!
  • Sept 30 – Dibels
  • October 1 – Lisa Sheldon’s Birthday!
  • October 1 – Office Staff Meeting 10:00
  • October 1 – ICCL Meeting 2:15-3:30
  • October 2 – Kellie Perry’s Birthday!
  • October 2 – Lauren VanCoutren’s Birthday!
  • October 2 – SIW 1:00-2:30
  • October 4 – EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00
  • October 7 Reading groups begin

Updates from Downtown

Another 2 resource to share with staff: Here is a cool connection from the City of Bend, about Stormwater Educational Resources for teachers and classes. Check it out here!

Also, the High Desert Museum has moved their Oregon Encounters field day from spring to this fall! If your school has participated in this in the past, you don’t want to miss this! Check it out here!

Important Links

Notes from our Team:

From the Governor: I signed a proclamation declaring the month of September 2024 as Attendance Awareness Month. I was joined by Oregon Department of Education (ODE) Director Charlene Williams, Senator Suzanne Weber, education advocates, and school district representatives.

“I am mission-focused on finding ways to improve educational outcomes for Oregon students, which means finding the cracks in our system that students may fall through,” Governor Kotek said. “We can’t provide quality education unless we make sure we get the kids to school. When a child is chronically absent, not only do they miss out on the daily learning they need to succeed, but schools aren’t able to provide services, support, or intervention.”

“We know that consistent attendance is key to student success. When students attend school regularly, they are more likely to learn, grow, and connect,” said Dr. Charlene Williams, Director of the Oregon Department of Education. “This initiative is a call to action for all of us—educators, parents, and community members—to prioritize attendance and to ensure that each and every student has the opportunity to thrive.”

The full text of the proclamation can be found here.

ODE has released a Social Media Toolkit, a resource designed to help education leaders, advocates, and community members increase school attendance awareness.

Additionally, this document, is important to bookmark, as it is the updated link to the Culture of Safety contact list, of who to contact for a variety of things throughout our district (drill tacking, to pest control, to immigration, and so much more).

From Julie Richards: Would you support your instructional educational assistants attending additional professional learning?  See dates below. Let me know here. 

In the Spring, we discussed options for implementing additional training for our instructional educational assistants.  We were able to offer an amazing two-day conference on August 29th and 30th.  The feedback was very positive!!  Additionally, we discussed offering training during 4 building SIW dates throughout the year.  The training would be offered from 2:00-3:15 on 9/25, 11/6, 12/4 and 2/5.  You would need to work with your educational assistants if this is outside their work hours to either trade time or you could have them fill out a timesheet (paid by the school) for the additional hours. 

From Transportation: Safety is of the utmost importance for our transportation department and we need your help with a safety issue that is popping up at a number of places. Please do not release students before 2:15. We schedule our buses to get to the schools a few minutes before the bell rings so they can line up without students running around. We have had reports from drivers that there are already students out and running around by the time they get there, which makes our drivers a little nervous as you can imagine. Thank you for your help with this.

Also, we need some help in finding a way to make kindergarten students more “visible” to our drivers, especially when there is a substitute driver. Is there a way you can help kindergarten students stand out, (put them in front of the lines for example)? We are in the process of creating tags for K student’s back packs; red tags for kinders that need an adult present to get off, and green tag for kinders that don’t. That will eventually help, but for now, it is tricky and we worry about missing a kiddo. Anything you can do to help with this is appreciated.

Also from HR:  It has come to our attention that some of you have experienced issues with completing your required courses on the SafeSchools platform. Specifically, some users have successfully completed modules and received a certificate of completion, but these completions are not being recognized in the Schoox system, which informs UKG of your status.

While the exact cause of this issue is still being investigated, we wanted to share some tips that may help you avoid or mitigate these problems:

  1. Use a Computer: Please avoid completing courses on your phone. Using a desktop or laptop computer can help ensure the platform functions correctly.
  2. Browser Choice: We recommend using Chrome when accessing SafeSchools. Other browsers may not be fully compatible with the platform.
  3. Course Interaction: Avoid pausing or skipping forward in videos. Engage fully with each module and ensure you answer any questions that appear promptly.
  4. Save Completion Certificates: After finishing a course, please save or screenshot your completion certificate. This will serve as proof of completion if the system does not update automatically.
  5. If your trainings do not register as completed: complete all of your safe school trainings and email all of the certificates in one email to [email protected] letting us know that they didn’t complete. We will credit your courses on our end.

We understand the inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your patience as we work to resolve the issue. If you encounter any problems, please contact [email protected] for further assistance. Thank you for your attention to this matter and for your continued commitment to completing your required training on time. (October 31)

For your parent newsletter:

Cellphones – A Guide for Parents and Caregivers 

By age 11, about half of children in the U.S. own a smartphone. These devices become a constant companion in the lives of preteens and teens – a source of connection, creativity, and, yes, distraction and potential risk. 

See this parent and caregiver guide from Common Sense Media with tips to help preteens and teens use their phones safely and responsibly. 

The guide also includes tips for determining when your kid is ready for a cellphone. 

Teléfonos celulares – Una guía para padres y cuidadores

A los 11 años, aproximadamente la mitad de los niños en Estados Unidos poseen un teléfono inteligente. Estos dispositivos se convierten en un compañero constante en la vida de los preadolescentes y adolescentes: una fuente de conexión, creatividad y, sí, distracción y riesgo potencial.

Consulte esta guía para padres y cuidadores de Common Sense Media (Medios de sentido común) con consejos para ayudar a los preadolescentes y adolescentes a utilizar sus teléfonos de forma segura y responsable.

La guía también incluye consejos para determinar cuándo su hijo está listo para usar un teléfono celular.

Action Items

  • Include cell phone tips in next parent newsletter

Important Dates

  • September 24: Horizontal Meeting at High Lakes Elementary, 3:00-5:00 (High Lakes and Amity host)
  • October 15: Horizontal Meeting at La Pine Elementary, 3:00-5:00 (La Pine and Juniper host) Please allow extra time for travel, depending on where you are located it could take 45 min to get there.
  • October 30: Administrator EL training–all day, exact time and location TBD
  • October 31: Safe School Trainings need to be done by today

And finally… (turn up the volume and push play!)

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September 9th, 2024

September 9, 2024

Our EME Focus

  • Tier 1 Instruction
  • Belonging
  • Define what it means to be an Integrated Arts School

Thoughts of the Week

A book I have been reading recently, brought me back to the question of “WHY?”, and the parable of the three bricklayers.

Three bricklayers were asked what they were doing and the first said, I am a brick layer and I am working hard laying bricks to feed my family. The second brick layer replied, I am a builder and I am building a wall. Finally the third brick layer said, I am a cathedral builder and I am building a cathedral to my almighty God. Same work, three completely different perspectives! The first had a job, the second had a career, and the third had a calling. A purpose turns a job into a calling!

Why do we do this thing they call teaching? Is it the easiest thing? No. Does it pay the most? No. So, why?

It got me thinking that their are 3 reasons to do what we do.

  • First, a paycheck or job. Plain and simple, I need to put food on the table and pay my bills.
  • Second, a career or it’s what I do. I see the beginning and I see the end, or am I seeking a career that has decent benefits, good time off perks, and is a respected profession.
  • Third, a calling or my purpose in this world. A purpose can turn a job into a calling! I see my daily “work” as completely fulfilling and what I was meant to do!

I believe we all experience all three of these throughout our teaching experiences and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. As you go through your day, please remember that you are doing some of the noblest work with the most profound impacts on the world! By continuing to ask ourselves “why” a goal is important, we can begin to unearth the deeper intentions we have that drive our daily actions and behaviors. By reconnecting to the impact we as teachers want to have on students, it can remind us why we got into the profession in the first place. I will repeat what I said earlier. We, as educators, create the equity in society! We truly are the reason that all students are able to receive an education! We give hope, and help to hold the equitable balances between different socio-economic populations. I know the work isn’t easy and sometimes the gratitudes are few and far between. Please, let me, thank you all from the bottom of my heart for what you do, creating the equity in our world

The Coming Week

THIS WEEK:

  • Monday
    • Dental Screenings
    • Staff Meeting 2:30-3:15
  • Tuesday
    • Care Teams 7:00-8:00
    • Dental Screenings
    • Office Staff Meeting 10:00
    • Ignite Virtual Meeting 2:30-3:30
  • Wednesday
    • SIW 1:00-2:30
  • Thursday
    • Sept 12 – Jayne Welch’s Birthday!
    • Fire Drill 1:00
  • Friday
    • EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00

UPCOMING DATES:

  • Sept 17 – Elk Meadow Staff Appreciation Breakfast! 7:00-8:00
  • Sept 17 – Office Staff Meeting 10:00
  • Sept 18 – ICCL Meeting 2:30-3:15
  • Sept 19 – SIW 1:00-2:30
  • Sept 20 – EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00
  • Sept 20 – Bus Evacuation Training 9:00-9:30
  • Sept 23 – Committee Meeting 2:30-3:15
  • Sept 24 – Care Teams 7:00-8:00
  • Sept 24 – Office Staff Meeting 10:00
  • Sept 24 – CPI Escalation Training (Amanda Out)
  • Sept 24 – Elementary Admin Meeting 3:00-5:00
  • Sept 25 – SIW 1:00-2:30
  • Sept 26 – Lockdown Drill 1:00
  • Sept 26 – Title Info Night 5:00-7:00
  • Sept 27 – EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00
  • Sept 30 – Peter Hoover’s Birthday!
  • Sept 30 – Dibels
  • October 1 – Lisa Sheldon’s Birthday!
  • October 1 – Office Staff Meeting 10:00
  • October 1 – ICCL Meeting 2:15-3:30
  • October 2 – Kellie Perry’s Birthday!
  • October 2 – Lauren VanCoutren’s Birthday!
  • October 2 – SIW 1:00-2:30
  • October 4 – EET Weekly Meeting 8:00-9:00

Updates from Downtown

September 5, 2024

From Tammy

Fall Conferences: There have been some questions about fall conferences and the conference/work schedule. Below is the work/conference days if you have not already shared those dates out with staff. Per the contract, this does not include the full work day prior to conferencing, however BEA was part of designing this calendar and knows we may need a Memorandum of Understanding for fall conferences.

  • SIW the week prior to conferences is teacher prep time
  • Tuesday, Oct 29. Kids attend school. Conferences 3:15-7:15
  • Wednesday, Oct 30, Teacher work day 7:15-3:15, Conferences 3:15-7:15
  • Thursday, Oct 31, Conferences 7:15-3:15–everyone home in time for trick-or-treating!

Important Links

Notes from our Team:

Walt Norris, Director of Custodial and Sustainability, re: Sustainability. Moving into the new school year the sustainability position is changing. Jackie Mueller-Wilson has taken a job with Deschutes County Solid Waste as a Community Outreach Coordinator. She will have some connection with the schools because of her position, mainly for support of the Green Team. 

The sustainability position has been refined, going forward we will be concentrating on three main objectives:

  • Waste reduction across the district.
  • A lunch waste/composting/recycling system for elementary schools
  • A recycling program for secondary schools

The main focus this year is put our efforts into what we do as a district for sustainability. If we are thriving in the way we are sustainable, it will support our students thriving as learners too. The sustainability position will also support the Green Team initiative and also the SEM (Strategic Energy Management) program. Please continue with the Green Leadership Coalition through your schools and once the position is hired, we will work on the best way to support the Coalition. Best guess will be October to see the position filled.

Please reach out with any questions, I will do my best to answer or find someone that can. Thanks!

From Jennifer Hauth in Social Emotional and Mental Well Being:

Student Success: We have a new coaching model this year and many of the coaching assignments have changed as we onboard 10 new SSCs. Going forward, schools with the Student Success Intervention will have a Student Success team that will have two coaches – one team member will have a mental health/clinical/care coordination focus (Darlene and Megan) and one will have a system, SPED, PBSP/Data focus (Jen and Amanda) but they will work very closely together and will take the lead based on the situation or students need. We will be moving forward with building out a Medicaid billing model for our clinicians over this school year to launch for next school year. This information has not been shared with SSCs yet but more information to come as we learn more about what is possible in Oregon with Medicaid and schools. This became a possible opportunity for us going forward as of September 1st. The team has already been working closely with teams onboarding new SSCs so please reach out to your coaches if you have any questions. More to come as we navigate this new transition….

Wayfinder: We continue to have integration issues with Clever and Wayfinder for some staff. If you have a staff member that does not have the correct access or correct school listed, please use the instructional tool process to request what is needed. All elementary and middle schools that ordered workbooks should be receiving them this week if they have not already.

Waypoints, the intial summative assessment for students will be live in Wayfinder from September 15th through October 18th and the final summative assessment for students will be open May 12th through June 13th for students.  Summative Waypoints allow educators to measure student growth of Wayfinder’s six Core Skills across the school year. By administering this optional summative Waypoints assessments, educators can understand areas of strength and growth for individual students and the class to make informed, data-driven decisions about SEL instruction. Here is the info on Waypoints, including the new Waypoints Implementation Guides to help teachers set up the reason we are assessing students as well as instructions.  

From Scott McDonald, IT Director, re: device management tools

There are two applications available to assist with classroom device management, Apple Classroom and JAMF Teacher.

Apple Classroom. Apple Classroom is familiar to Bend-La Pine teachers, as it has been available for some time. The guide linked here provides all the information you need to get started with Apple Classroom. Common uses include:

  • Monitoring all student devices at once, displayed on a single screen
  • Locking iPads to a blank screen while giving instructions
  • Locking an entire class or individual students into a specific app
  • Managing small (ad hoc) groups of student devices

Apple Classroom is ideal for elementary classrooms or any classroom that doesn’t frequently require internet access.

JAMF Teacher. JAMF Teacher is a newer application for Bend-La Pine teachers and offers more restrictive controls than Apple Classroom. With JAMF Teacher, you can create a pre-determined digital lesson that allows access to specific websites and applications while blocking all others.

Use the instructions linked here to create your first JAMF Teacher lesson plan. JAMF Teacher is particularly well-suited for secondary classrooms that use online curricula.

For best results, we encourage both applications to be accessed from your iPad, rather than your computer.

Action Items

  • Make sure all inclusion EAs have access to Synergy and IEPs on their district issued device
  • Share Apple Classroom and JAMF with teachers
  • Meet with a team (ICCLs, teachers, etc.) to determine if you are using Waypoints this year in Wayfinder
  • Refresh yourself with AQI limits for inside/outside play–smoke has started to roll back in!
  • Share conference/work dates and times with staff if you have not done so already

Important Dates

  • September 15: Payroll Cutoff—timesheets and approvals for this last period (August 13-Sept 15) are due today!
  • September 15: Cutoff date for enrollment for benefits!
  • September 24: Horizontal Meeting at High Lakes Elementary, 3:00-5:00 (High Lakes and Amity host)

And finally… if interested, don’t delay, registration closes 9/12!

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September 4th, 2024

September 3, 2024

Our EME Focus

  • Tier 1 Instruction
  • Belonging
  • Define what it means to be an Integrated Arts School

Thoughts of the Week

I know I have sent this out before, but I think it is worth revisiting every year! Just one is worth it!

The Coming Week

THIS WEEK:

  • Monday
    • Media Managers first day back!
  • Tuesday
  • Wednesday
    • First Day of School
    • A-J Kindergarten
  • Thursday
    • K-Z Kindergarten
  • Friday
    • All Students in the Building!

UPCOMING DATES:

  • Sept 9 – Staff Meeting 2:30-3:15
  • Sept 10 – Care Teams 7:00-8:00
  • Sept 10 – Office Staff Meeting 10:00
  • Sept 17 – Office Staff Meeting 10:00
  • Sept 23 – Committee Meeting 2:30-3:15
  • Sept 24 – Care Teams 7:00-8:00
  • Sept 24 – Office Staff Meeting 10:00
  • Sept 24 – Elementary Admin Meeting 3:00-5:00
  • Sept 26 – Title Info Night 5:00-7:00
  • Sept 30 – Peter Hoover’s Birthday!
  • October 1 – Lisa Sheldon’s Birthday!
  • October 1 – Office Staff Meeting 10:00
  • October 1 – ICCL Meeting 2:15-3:30
  • October 2 – Kellie Perry’s Birthday!
  • October 2 – Lauren VanCoutren’s Birthday!

Updates from Downtown

What an amazing welcome back celebration on Tuesday! So fun to see the variety of ways your schools chose to shine during your 20 seconds of fame and what an incredible team we have. I laughed so much—I’m sure it was with you and not at you! It’s going to be a great year!

From Tammy

Community Connections: We have had several community organizations reach out with field trip ideas, music connection opportunities, and more. Here are links if you want to learn more. As always, follow our visitor policy for having guests come by our school to visit the classrooms.

Sunriver Music: They have funds to sponsor “Mindful Music Moments” for 6 more schools.

Schillings Garden Market: They have fall field trip ideas at their amazing farm.

Veterans of Foreign War Auxilliary: They are available for interactive patriotic conversations with students about the flag and Patriot Day (Sept 11).

Important Links

Notes from our Team:

From Scott and Kayla in Safety : Based on feedback our team has received, we are excited to provide opportunities for safety related professional development in the new school year. We are working on a survey that we will send out in a couple of weeks that we would like your feedback on the things you as administrators need to support the safety programs in your schools. 

We will be asking you to identify one administrator on your team that will be the “go to” person for safety in your school. We will then be selecting 4 days that work for those identified individuals to meet with us, your campus monitors, and the SROs to work together on those identified training areas.

More to follow in a couple of weeks, but we wanted to get this on your radar so that when we send the survey out, it doesn’t blindside you to the request to select that individual. Please take time to think about areas of training you’re interested in receiving (i.e. reunification process, incident command for emergencies, standardizing campus monitor roles and responsibilities, etc.)- the more information we get from you, the better we can serve your needs! 

Thank you for all you continue to do to keep our schools safe, and we look forward to working with you as the school year begins.

From Eric Powell, Ted Helton, and Jason Westmoreland, your Code of Conduct and Synergy Team!

The Office Discipline Referral (ODR) form has been redesigned to simplify the form and align with the new reporting system. Typically, this form is used by staff who do the discipline data entry for administrators (an administrator may fill out this form and then give it to a staff member to put into Synergy).

From Robbie and Tracy in Instructional Technology: MagicSchool AI is here!

Exciting news! This fall, BLS is providing full featured MagicSchool AI accounts to all staff and students. Please spread the word! MagicSchool is an AI platform designed for educators, with a large suite of tools that help with building lesson plans, writing IEPs, differentiation, ideating more engaging lessons, communicating with families, and more! MagicStudent, the student facing side of the platform, accompanies teacher accounts. BLS is currently piloting MagicSchool but funds have been earmarked to purchase for any staff who would like to continue with their full featured ‘Enterprise’ account after October, which offers much more than the free version. Getting setup is simple using MagicSchool login instructions. Please contact Robbie Faith and Tracy Howk for AI support, staff training, and anything else related to instructional technology.

From Julie Richards (formerly Walker) in Curriculum, Instruction, and Systems: Please communicate with your staff that the Dreambox Launchpad (placement screener) is open, and students will need to take this assessment the first time they are on Dreambox.  We are asking that 1st-5th grade classrooms complete the Launchpad assessment by September 30th and K classrooms complete the assessment by December 2nd. This information will also be communicated in the TLC Blog. 

From Jennifer Hauth in Social Emotional and Mental Well Being:

Wayfinder: Thank you to all the admin that came to our training on Monday. Here is a flyer that highlights all that is new since last year.

School Counselors: Here are the agenda and slides from their full day training on August 28th. Jess also created this awesome resource sheet for all things school counseling  to help them easily access program updates/reminders as they begin the school year. 

Student Success: Here are the agenda and slides from their full day training on August 28th. The coaches will be focusing their support on our 8 new Student Success Coordinator/Clinicians in the next week.

Important Dates

  • September 4: First day of school!
  • September 6: In bed by 7, thoroughly exhausted!

And finally…

I know after several displays of the worm this week, you were all wishing you knew how to do “the worm” as well. Here ya go!

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