In this, longer than usual post, you will find a bunch of information for the start of the year:
Please join me in welcoming some new members to our staff:
- Caroline Archiega-Student Success Educational Assistant
- Katrina Bailey-Media Manager
- Jessica Baker-Special Programs Educational Assistant
- Tabatha Davis-Educational Assistant
- Madeline Fulkerson- Counselor
- Haley Nichols- Office Manager
- Tali Parnes- 1st grade teacher
- Kina Powell-Educational Assistant
- Megan Williams Bell-5th grade teacher
- Jessica Wright- ELL teacher
The ICCL Team this year will be: Sarah Kamasz, Tracy Mauze, Robin Sanderson, and Jennie Willis
Update: Teachers attending the PD Day at Lava on Wednesday, August 30, will have lunch provided.
We again are planning that teachers will send an email of introduction/welcome to their students in lieu of the posting of class lists at Open House. This will be sent between 10:00-10:20 on Thursday, August 31st. Let’s plan that this email will be a brief (really, it only needs to be a couple of sentences) email to families welcoming them to your class and reminding them of Open House that afternoon from 4:00-6:00.
The Bridges program will also follow the 7:45-2:15, instructional schedule this year.
From HR: Accessing Safe Schools Trainings: HR has created a help document and help video for employees to access the Safe School’s Trainings in UKG. Here is a link to the help video and this is a document that staff can use to guide them through the process.
The basic system is to login from their district UKG screen and go to the learning module. Because of the varied nature of the trainings, employees need to go select the training that they need- it isn’t auto-populated. Need assistance? Please email [email protected]
Thank you for the time you spent at the end of the school year clearing personal items from the neighborhood commons. This year our goal is to have all items in these common areas stored inside a cabinet (besides tables/chairs & recess equipment). Keeping these areas organized and all items stored, will maximize space for our students during inside recesses, be most regulating for students, and also prevent the opportunity for a disregulated student to throw or dismantle non-stored items.
Beginning the week of September 18, feel free to begin utilizing volunteers in your classroom. We are planning for one volunteer per classroom per day and ask that volunteers be assisting with a specific task at a specific time, and complete tasks inside the classroom. At times we have students navigating big behaviors in the Neighborhood Commons and we want to make sure to always respect the privacy/dignity of our Lions as they sort through feelings. Whether/when to have volunteers is at your discretion. All school volunteers will need to complete a background check. Background checks are good for 2 years. In the event you need more than one volunteer (ie. Field trips, class parties), just communicate this to Gary and Haley so we can plan accordingly. Haley and Kim are both able to check the status of volunteers for you.
This is the time of year when you may be contacted by families wishing to make a monetary or other type of donation (i.e. school items, popcorn machines, jackets, etc) We met recently with PTO and they are ready to accept monetary donations from Lava Ridge Families. Thank you for steering families wishing to donate money or items to the PTO or to Haley.
Visitors again will be allowed on campus during the day when invited for specific events. At the beginning of the year we will only be inviting families to attend meetings with teachers and Open House. With principal approval, there may be other events later in the year we invite families to attend during school. We are not planning to have visitors in the building during lunch or at morning arrival.
During the student day, volunteers and visitors, must check-in via the Raptor system (with government issue ID) and wear a Raptor generated sticker during their time on campus.
Last year, one of the feedback items we heard was the challenge for classroom teachers of providing snack for students who did not bring one (or were not able to bring one) from home. While we have the funds to provide these, the logistics of needing to have something on hand for hungry kids without a snack presented a challenge. We know that having families sign-up to bring snack, adds one more thing to the busy lives of those we serve and that some are not able to afford or have the time to go to the store. We also know that having families donate snacks creates a system that is ripe for impacting student status for those who are not able to bring in a donated snack for their peers. Alas, the ICCL Team has devised a solution! The Student Snack Stash. While in its developmental stages, this will be a place teachers can get snacks for those students who need a classroom snack during the day. More details, and the snacks, will be coming soon.
Safety Updates/reminders:
- When school begins, please do not prop open any exterior doors (including to the courtyard) Please let Mike know if you need assistance opening windows in your classroom for increased airflow. Students can still enter/exit courtyard doors for recesses or other activities.
- Please do not cover the interior windows of your classroom. These windows should be kept clear so it is easy to see in and out.
- In the morning, staff should enter Lava Ridge through the main entrance, bus entrance, or a classroom door. Please do not enter through the playground gates.
- We will have a fire drill within the first two weeks of school.
Wildfire Smoke / AQI and Heat Illness Training Reminder. Please take time to review the training materials available on the portal: