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!
