Oregon RTIi Conference- This year’s Oregon RTIi conference is being held April 8, 9 and 10 in Portland. I would highly encourage you to consider taking a team. Registration is half full already, so don’t wait too long.
Head Start Family Nights- We are in need of some kindergarten teachers to attend some Head Start Family nights. These are low key Q and A’s that include dinner. We have done this for several years and have found it to be a great way to reach out to families to help them with the transition to kindergarten and get them registered this spring. Teachers who attend can fill out a timesheet and get 2 hours at curriculum rate. Below are the times/places. Please let me know if you have a teacher who wants to do this. Thank you.
Resiliency Survey- We will once again be administering the Resiliency survey. Please see below for details. These will begin on February 24. Be on the lookout for scheduling information as support will be coming to your schools to help administer.
Improvement Science Training- Some of you have heard about or participated in an Improvement Science training in the past year or so. The HDESD is bringing two additional PD opportunities to Central Oregon in the next month. There will be a basic training (Feb. 10), as well as an advanced training (Jan. 31) opportunity. Both are free and will be held at the HDESD. Click on a link to find out more or to register.
HR Note from Debbie-
- If an employee is scheduled for four (4) hours but less than six (6) hours, the employee must be scheduled for one fifteen (15) minute paid break
- Employees scheduled for six (6) hours get a fifteen (15) minute paid break and a minimum of a thirty (30) minute unpaid meal period
- Employees scheduled for more than six (6) hours shall receive two (2) fifteen (15) minute paid breaks and a minimum of one (1) thirty (30) minute unpaid meal period.
Also, please know you cannot regularly schedule lunches or breaks at the start or end of the employee’s work hours, or combine break and lunch periods to provide for early release or longer lunch breaks. This would be considered a violation of our contract and Oregon law. You do, however, have flexibility to modify an employee’s daily schedule for an extenuating circumstance. If you have any questions about employee work schedules and ensuring you are providing the appropriate paid and unpaid breaks, please call our office.
Sustainability-Please see message from Jackie Wilson, BLSD Sustainability Coordinator-
Please see information about energy use in the district and where all schools are in the ENERGY STAR ranking across the district. Also included in the update is a link to a survey about energy management. I am hoping to get a few hundred to take the survey and get a better pool of information to work from. The link is here:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/T2CSFFR
Horizontal Meeting- We will have our horizontal meeting on Monday at High Lakes beginning at 3:15. Please see last week’s notes so that you are prepared for our Excellence and Equity report review activity.
I’ll leave you with a fun, light, inspiring conversation between a kindergartner and NASA engineer. How awesome is it that we get to work with kids every day! Be sure to allow yourself a minute…or 2 and a half once in a while to talk with a couple of them about whatever they want! It’s worth it!
Have a great weekend! See you Monday at High Lakes.