Week at a Glance

Happy New Year! I hope your week has been great!

With the number of language impoverished students we serve at Lava Ridge, I have asked Carole to share strategies and ideas with me on how we can best make sure we are meeting the learning needs of these students. Here is Carole’s tip of the week!

Content objectives are clearly defined, displayed and reviewed. In effective instruction, concrete content objectives that identify what students should know and be able to do guide teaching and learning.  Using student friendly language helps students to understand what they will be learning. (The SIOP model 2008 page 24) Writing down the objectives and reviewing them together helps ELL’s and struggling students to understand what they will be learning.  Sometimes we have to adapt the language.  I had to do this today after teaching my first group.  I had to rewrite the objective so it was clearer for students.  The questions I ask myself are, “Do they understand what they are learning?  Do they understand what they will do with this learning?”

Week at a Glance for January 14-18

Monday:

Tuesday:

• 8:05  Staff Meeting w/presentation from Kerry Morton on collaborative math conversations
• 3:00 PAW Celebration

Wednesday:

• 8:05  ICCL Meeting
• SIW: School Design Team Updates, School Report Card Review, Math Planning Template from the Academic Excellence followed by time for teams to use

Thursday:

• 8:05 5th EBISS
• 4:00 Site Council

Friday:

• Newsletter
• Lion Pride Drawings at Lunch

At our December staff meeting we completed the Work Time Survey. The results of the survey can be located here A final decision on work hours for 2019-20 is expected later this month from the Lead Together Team.

Colleagues,

I hope you have a fun and restful Winter Break!   In the spirit of giving, this will be the shortest Week at a Glance this year.  🙂  Merry Christmas!

Best staff ever!

Week at a Glance for January 7-11

Monday:

• On Tuesday 1/15, Kerry Morton is leading a seminar on collaborative math conversations for us during our Staff Meeting.  In preparation,  Kerry will be on site visiting Number Corner and math lessons to guide her planning.  Kerry’s schedule has been packed and this was the only day available for walk-through visits.

Tuesday:

• 8:05  PLC Time (Staff Meeting on January 15)

Wednesday:

• 8:05  ICCL Meeting
• SIW: School Design Team Meetings

Thursday:

• No EBISS (Round #2 begins on January 17)

Friday:

• Lion Pride Drawings at Lunch

Getting ready for the Reader’s Theater edition of the Grinch.

January School Improvement Wednesdays:

• 1/9- School Design Teams
• 1/16-Math SIW
• 1/23-Work in Classrooms
• 1/30 -Lava Read Preparation Time

Environmental Center presentation on water quality in Torree’s class.  Great stuff.  Similar presentations in all 3rd grade classes this year.

Duty Schedule January 7-18

Colleagues,

One week until Winter Break!  Whoop!  Whoop!

Interested in becoming certified in First Aid from the comfort of Lava Ridge?  On January 9th at 2:15, we are hosting a First Aid Class.  See Pam if you are interested.

On Wednesday the Literacy Leadership Team was on site learning together and observing lessons in Dyan and Amanda’s classrooms.  Below students are listening to a story and recording evidence to use in a flash debate that they recorded with their ipads.

Last Friday, some of us met and had a discussion about building safety.  It was a great conversation on a difficult topic.  Below are some safety updates for all:

In the event of an emergency, email will be our go to communication system in the event we are not able to use the intercom.  This would be the way that I would communicate information to you and the system to use if you need to communicate with another person on our staff.  While texting can be quick, cell phone service is usually compromised in emergency situations and our wifi system is designed to continue to be reliable.

Blinds-In the event of a lockdown or lockout, blinds should be kept open.   There may be instances during a lockout when we might need to close blinds depending on what is happening on our school grounds.  In this situation, Lybe or I would announce this or would go to classrooms and communicate this info in person.

The entry doors to Neighborhoods that are magnetically secured open during school hours are always locked.  This is purposeful, as they can add extra security to the wing if closed.  We do not have a remote means at this time to close these doors.

Third grade mathematicians below- Torree was using Apple Classroom to monitor how students were grouping the manipulatives and then air-playing student work.

Week at a Glance for December 17-21

Monday:

Tuesday:

• 8:00 Staff Holiday Breakfast in the Media Center

Wednesday:

• 8:05 ICCL Meeting
• Craft Fair 9:30-11:30
• SIW: PLC Time

Thursday:

• 8:30-9:00 Sky View Middle School Choir singing on the playgrounds and at breakfast
• No EBISS (Round #2 begins on January 17)

Friday:

• Secret Santas Revealed
• Newsletter
• 9:05 Holiday Sing-a-long (loading after announcements)
• Lion Pride Drawing @ Lunches

Picture from the 5th dress rehearsal below.  The evening concert was just as fantastic and the PTO event afterwards was a fun opportunity for our community to gather, eat some cookies, have some cocoa and enjoy the mild temperatures outside.

I came across this article on Seattle Public Schools decision to adjust start times in 2016 and some follow up research on the impact on students.   Not a required read by any means, just thought some might find it interesting.

Great jumps on the number line in second grade!

Need the scoop on PBIS?  Check out the new PBIS bulletin board outside of the Staff Room.  Lots of great information!

Carole’s SIOP Tip of the Week-Comprehensible input

Finishing touches on the 5th grade program.   They sound great!

Today, 3rd-5th grade families will receive this letter and the state opt out form.   A similar letter is being sent to families at all Bend-La Pine Schools with the goal of increasing participation rates on the SBAC.

Let’s celebrate…90%+ class average on a recent unit test for this group of mathematicians.

Week at a Glance for December 10th-14th

Monday:

Tuesday:

• 8:05 Reading PLCs
• Golden Ticket Luncheon 12:00 in the Media Center

Wednesday:

• 8:05 ICCL Meeting
• 5th Music Program Dress Rehearsal @ 10:00 (Loading at 9:50)
• Lunch in Classrooms
• SIW:Science Curriculum Exploration
• 5:30 5th Grade Music Program in the Gym
• 6:15  Cocoa, Fire Pits, and Cookies Social on the South Playground

Thursday:

• 8:05 Kindergarten EBISS
• Last day to drop-off items for Giving Tree (Toys or Food Items)

Friday:

• Last day to return United Way documentation to Pam
• Lion Pride Drawing @ Lunches
• Christmas Party at Jill’s 6:00 p.m.; 3108 NE Flagstone Ave of off Eagle/Butler Market

Duty Schedule for December 10-21

Thank you for opening up your classrooms to Shay and Lora after the breakfast this morning.  Shay was not able to visit as many rooms as originally planned due to a change in his schedule for today.   He said to share his apologies.

Day # 50 already?

The first grade team and Julie Walker planning for EBISS together on Tuesday (below).   The team is looking at student progress monitoring graphs.  Conversation lead to a shared decision by all to focus even more as a grade level on blending.

Week at a Glance for December 3rd-7th

Monday:

• 8:05 PBIS Meeting in the Media Center

Tuesday:

• 8:05 Staff Meeting
• Attendance Boundary Map input opportunity 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Sky View Middle

Wednesday:

• 8:05 ICCL Meeting
• SIW: 2:30 Collective Efficacy in the Media Center

Thursday:

• 8:05 Kindergarten EBISS
• November PAW Celebration (planned)
• 3:45 PTO Meeting in the Media Center

Friday:

• Lion Pride Drawing at Lunches
• Newsletter

With elementary instructional times set for next school year (8:00-2:30; 8:00-1:00 on Wednesday) everyone will have an opportunity at the Staff Meeting on Tuesday to take a brief survey and give input to help with the decision of what elementary employee work hours will be next year.

After work hours are set we will better be able to answer the questions below:

• On Tuesdays, will Staff Meetings and PLC Meetings be before or after school?
• On Thursdays, will we have EBISS Meetings before or after school
• When will most of our  IEP meetings take place? Before or after school?

You will see a note in the survey that licensed employees at the elementary level have two 45-minute uninterrupted periods per week as per contract language.  Before or after the student day has been, and likely will need to be when those time periods are placed into the day.   Also, at all elementary schools students will begin arriving at 7:30 and will head to recess or breakfast.

Quick reminder of our upcoming assemblies:

• Wednesday, Dec. 12 for 5th grade dress rehearsal  10:00 am (load at 9:50)
• Friday, Dec. 21 for all-school singalong 9:05 am (load after announcements)

Socratic seminar below in 2nd grade.

A reminder that we are partnering again this year with the Bend Elks Lodge to provide canned food and gifts for families in need in our community.  Students are encouraged to drop-off canned food items and unwrapped children’s gifts at the Main Office through December 13th. For the gift drive, families can select one of the generic tags from
our holiday tree or purchase any children’s gift they feel would be enjoyed by another child.

Santa and Elf Hats are available for purchase in the Main Office for $2.00.

Speaking of the Holidays…We are getting close to the Staff Christmas Part on Friday, December 14th.   Thank you Jill for hosting!

• Jill and Tim’s house: 3108 NE Flagstone Ave of off Eagle/Butler Market
• Dress: Christmas Tacky
• Activity: optional White Elephant

Colleagues,

I hope you have a fun and restful Thanksgiving Break!  Here are some notes for when we return.

From the PBIS Team:

• Thank you for your continued reminders to students to be taking pictures of kind acts.  Pictures can be forwarded to Lybe.
• To help in kicking off the safety theme we will launch at the assembly on Wednesday, please wear your snow gear.   Thank you!

Sara Towne is off to a great start in her new role as our long term substitute for Dayna Swanson.   While she would say it has been a long time since she was a special education teacher in Richland, Washington its hard to believe seeing how quickly she has acclimated to her new position.

Week at a Glance for November 26-30

Monday:

Tuesday:

• 8:05  PLC Meeting Time-Writing Focus

Wednesday:

• 8:05 ICCL Meeting
• PBIS Assembly @ 11:00 (Loading at 10:50)
• SIW: PLC Time

Thursday:

• 1st Grade EBISS @ 8:05

Friday:

• Staff Appreciation Breakfast in the Media Center @ 8:00
• Classroom visits by Shay Mikalson and Lora Nordquist, AM
• Lion Pride Drawing @ Lunches

Welcome Olivia Cole!  Olivia will be student teaching with Jessica Cromwell until Winter Break.  Great to have her join our team!

In the newsletter you will see that the evening of December 12th will be a fun community night at Lava Ridge!   From 5:30-6:15 the 5th graders will be performing their Holiday themed program in the gym and from 6:15-7:00 the PTO will be hosting the Cocoa, Cookies, and Carols event on the North Playground.  Families attending the PTO event are asked to bring a package of store-bought cookies to share and to supervise their children by the fire pits.  With seating limitations in the gym, the concert is planned for 5th grade families and the PTO event for the entire school.

Supervision Reminders for November 26-December 7th:

It’s Book Fair Week!

DHS is no longer accepting faxes.   All reports must be made by phone or in person.  We have updated forms in the office in the event a report needs to be made.  Thank you for continue to give me a copy of any reports as well as sending a copy to the Office of School Support attn Jody McBride. 

Lava Ridge was well represented at the Happy Girls Run in Sisters on Saturday.  Nice job team!

We are planning again this year to participate in the toy and food drive sponsored by the Bend Elks Lodge.  We will have information in the next newsletter for families and will encourage families interested in participating to bring in items between November 26-December 13.

Picture below from the second grade dog sled trials.  This was a  STEM and reading integration activity that connected Wonders and a science project in which groups of students worked together to design and create a dog sled.

The Buddy Bench Video we watched on Wednesday can be located here.  Students will learn about the purpose of our buddy tables at the PBIS assembly on the 28th.

Week at a Glance for November 12-November 16

Book Fair through Thursday and Spirit Week, all week!

Tuesday:

• Spirit Day: Crazy Sock Day. Look your best with crazy socks!
• 8:05  PLC Meetings:  Math Focus
• Picture re-takes
• Planetarium Visit Day

Wednesday:

• Spirit Day: Disney Dress up day!
• 8:05 ICCL Meeting
• 1:30 October PAW Celebration
• SIW: Amplify Curriculum Exploration Time

Thursday:

• Spirit Day:  When I Grow Up Day Dress up in your future profession!
• 8:05 2nd Grade EBISS Meeting
• Planetarium Visit Day

Friday:

• Spirit Day: College Day or Wear your college gear or Lava Ridge Spirit wear!
• Planetarium Visit Day
• Lion Pride Drawing @ Lunches
• Newsletter

The third grade Dance Party on Wednesday was lots of fun!  Students were able to teach and lead their families through several of the dances they have learned in M & M.

SAVE THE DATE!  The Education Foundation for Bend-La Pine Schools announces the Classroom Grants timeline for K-12 educators for the 2019-2020 academic year.  The grant process will open Monday, February 18, 2019 with a link to the online application form.  Grant applications must be submitted no later than Friday, March 22, 2019.  The grant application process is open to all educators in Bend, La Pine and Sunriver.  Once determinations are made, funded grants will be awarded in May 2019.  All educators will be sent additional communication with in December and January and the online link in February.  Questions can be directed to Angie Cole, Allocations Committee Chair at:  [email protected] or (541) 318-3794  OR Michelle Johnson, Executive Director, Education Foundation at: [email protected] or (541) 355-5660.  Requests for STEM, art, music & wellness projects will be accepted during the dates indicated and must complete all necessary forms for consideration.  In the 2018-2019 academic year, the Education Foundation funded over $89,000 in classroom grants — it’s highest award in 30 years of service to the K-12 educational community.  To learn more, visit www.engagedminds.org

Supervision schedules through November 16th

AM Duty Schedule North Side Below:

AM Duty South Side Below:

After School Duty Schedule Below (smallest version in the world!)

Colleagues,

I hope you have a great weekend!  Below is information for next week and beyond.

4th grade has been using jig-saw protocols to assist their students in understanding text this year.  The students were rockin’ this one…High levels of  student engagement and empowerment of all learners!

The Oregon Observatory is bringing their portable planetarium to Lava Ridge November 13 and 15-16.   The planetarium will be set up in one of our neighborhoods and a class schedule of visit times can be located here.   A special thank you to Christina for facilitating this event for us!

It was a great October in Number Corner world!  So much rich learning!  Thank you for  facilitating this learning for our students.

The theme of the Book Fair this year is “Books are Enchanting”.  A fairy is planning to visit your classroom on either Wednesday or Thursday to drop-off flyers for students right after announcements.

Mr. Kingrey and students below investigating elk bones.

We have some exciting assemblies on the horizon!  Below are some dates and times for your calendar.

• Wednesday, Nov. 28 for PBIS Kick-off of Safety @  11:00 am (load at 10:50)
• Wednesday, Dec. 12 for 5th grade dress rehearsal  10:00 am (load at 9:50)
• Friday, Dec. 21 for all-school singalong 9:05 am (load after announcements)

It has been so cool (especially for our struggling mathematicians!) to see the way teams and teachers are structuring math interventions this year.

Week at a Glance for November 5-November 9

Monday:

Tuesday:

• 8:05  Staff Meeting
• 3:45 PBIS Meeting

Wednesday:

• 8:05 ICCL Meeting
• Lions Vision Screening
• SIW:  Mathematical Collaborative Conversations with Lindsley Gehrig
• 6:00 3rd Grade Dance Party for Families

Thursday:

• 8:05 Collective Efficacy Book Group in the Media Center
• 4:00 Site Council in the Media Center

Friday:

• Book Fair begins!
• Veteran’s Lunch
• Lion Pride Drawing @ Lunches

Best staff ever!

Below are some of the dates this year we will need students to eat lunch in classrooms.   You may recognize these are the same dates as the dress rehearsals for our music programs…our goal is to prevent the need to set-up/take down music program sets on the same day. Thank you for your flexibility with this!

• December 12
• January 24
• February 28
• March 21
• June 6

Lave Ridge alumnus Jacob Erard (pictured below with his support team) delivered”Buddy Tables” to us on Thursday afternoon.  The idea behind this Eagle Scout Project was to provide a place for students to go on recess to find a friend to play with.  The PBIS Team will be discussing how to roll this out to our students on Tuesday after school.

The PTO is finalizing Spirit Week dress-up days for the week of November 13-16 and is planning to have this out soon!

Small groups rock!   I know some of you feel like you spend more time at the kidney table in your room  then anywhere else.   Thank you!  These small groups can make such a difference for our students and their learning in reading, math or writing!

Supervision schedules through November 16th

AM Duty Schedule North Side Below:

AM Duty South Side Below:

After School Duty Schedule Below (smallest version in the world!)

Colleagues,

Thank you for all of your hard work with conferences!  You do such a great job of making our families feel so welcome!

The latest efficiency from the Pam, Amber and Miriam Team….Batch Print!   After learning the names in advance of those volunteers who are going on field trips or joining us here for school events (ie Halloween Parties, Craft Fair, etc.) the office team does an advanced mass printing of Raptor volunteer badges.  When volunteers arrive for the event they go directly to the counter and pick up their badge (no Raptor check-in needed!)   Thank you for considering this for those times when you will have multiple volunteers coming to your room for events.

We are anticipating lots of visitors for Halloween parties on Wednesday.  Thank you for your reminders to our families about the need to bring their government issued identification anytime they visit.  Yes, even Darth Vader and Wonder Woman need to have ID.

Try looking at this picture and not smiling.   What a fun school event!

With the goal of getting our bus riders home as soon as possible, the Transportation Department has added a new afternoon route.  This new route, 56, is comprised of some of the students who had been riding on route 2.  All impacted families were contacted last week.   Here is a list of students who ride this new bus and also a list of route 2 riders.

The master chef hard at work.   Note the smile.   Almost makes you wonder if he knew (or was planning?) in advance for who was going to get which bucket.

Week at a Glance for October 29-November 2

Monday:

Tuesday:

• 8:05  PLC Meeting Time-Reading Focus

Wednesday:

• 8:05 ICCL Meeting
• SIW:  School Design Team Meetings @ 2:30 in the Media Center

Thursday:

• 3rd Grade EBISS

Friday:

• Lion Pride Drawing @ Lunches
• Newsletter

Colleagues,

Below are some notes for next week and beyond.  I hope you have a great weekend (so does the group below!)

For those anxiously awaiting our next school newsletter….the publisher has delayed publication (due to the shortened upcoming week) until November 2nd.

Go 4th Grade EBISS!   This meeting and the can-do-vibe around the table brought me back to one of the big ideas from the Collective Efficacy Book…”collective teacher efficacy refers to teachers in a school characterized by an attitude that together they can make a difference for students.” Nice job team.

Week at a Glance for October 22-26th

Monday:

Tuesday:

• No Scheduled PLC Meetings
• 3:05 Lion Dash Prize Assembly (loading at 2:47)
• 3:45 Safe Touch Parent Meeting in the Media Center

Wednesday:

• 8:00-12:00 Work in Classrooms and Lunch
• 12:00-8:00 Conferences (Dinner from PTO @ 4:00)

Thursday:

• 8:00-12:00 Work in Classrooms and Lunch
• 12:00-8:00 Conferences (Pizza in the Staff Room @ 4:00)

Friday:

• Enjoy!

A couple of pictures below from the Lion Dash.   What a wonderful school event!  A special thank you to Jake and Rachel for their time organizing and putting this on!

Supervision schedules through November 2nd:

AM Duty Schedule North Side Below:

AM Duty South Side Below:

After School Duty Schedule Below (smallest version in the world…too many cells to copy!)