9.21.18

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To Do:

  • I mentioned a few weeks ago that there will be a meeting on Oct. 5 @ 7:30am here at the Ed Center regarding conference scheduling of interpreters. I asked that each school in need of an interpreter send one person to this meeting. So far, I have not heard from anyone that they will attending. Please let me know if you (or a designee) will be attending so I can plan accordingly.  Thanks! [Refer to 9/7 blog note for more details]
  • I had an elementary principal reach out to me this week and ask if a date had been selected yet for the 5th grade “move up” day for spring of 2019.  I had to confess that I hadn’t even thought about it yet!  So, would you please check your calendar and see if Tuesday, May 21 would work for you as 5th grade move up day? Please let me know by the first part of next week so I can determine if we need to find a new date; or, if not, can ask Gary to run this date by the elementary admin to see if it will work for them.

This and that:

  • There will be a Level 1 Assessment training (only for those of you who have not had this training) on Oct. 12 from 12:00 – 4:00. Contact Misty Groom (Ed Center) for more details and to register.
  • Just under a year ago Shay sent out a DACA-related letter to our district sites and facilities, reiterating our stance in providing a safe and welcoming environment to all of our students/families. In light of news that ICE had recent Central Oregon presence and report of at least one of our parents facing deportation, I wanted to share this letter with you again – as well as the suggestion of sharing it with your families once again. Here is the letter [Spanish] [English].
  • Following are a few reminders from Julianne… A quick reminder that our 2018-19 Drill Guide is available on the Portal at https://portal.bend.k12.or.us/system/files/bend-la_pine_schools_safety_drills_guidelines_2018-19.pdf. This month a lockDOWN, fire and bus evacuation drill are required. Schools are encouraged to deliver fire drills with ‘blocked exits’ and fire and emergency response drills during passing periods, lunch and before and after school. Please remember to send your drill completion form to Marsha Baro within 48 hours of your drill or emergency response.
  • Please share the following information with your staff via email or staff meeting:
    On October 3, 2018, many student, staff and visitor cell phones should receive one emergency test broadcast message with an audible alert sometime between 11:18 and 11:48 a.m.This broadcast is expected go to Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) compatible cell phones that have wireless carriers that are participating in WEA, which are switched on and within range of the cell tower. These messages are set to alert the public of emergencies — including AMBER alerts and tornado or flood warnings, for example. This test is being conducted by Federal Emergency Management Agency in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission.We want to make you aware of this for two reasons:

    1. This could be a teachable moment for you and your students OR it could be a distraction to your teaching and learning environment if cell phones are on and receiving messages during this time.
    2. This is not a test conducted by Bend-La Pine Schools. This is the first nationwide Presidential-level WEA test and individuals cannot opt out.

    Test Details:

    During the WEA test, cell phone users should receive a single, distinct dialog box on their device, which should say “Presidential Alert” followed by “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.” This text should be accompanied by a special tone and vibration, which should be repeated twice.

    To learn more about this test, please review the following documents:
    https://www.fema.gov/emergency-alert-test

    https://www.fema.gov/frequently-asked-questions-wireless-emergency-alerts/

  • Here is a video that you may be hearing about. Please do not plan on showing this video to students. Showing it to staff is your choice, but I would encourage you to keep in mind that suicide is a sensitive issue and it has likely touched all of our lives in varying degrees. Although this video is very well done, it does not follow some best practices for discouraging suicide and offering hope for those who are feeling helpless. Following is what the Redmond SD is sharing with their staff:

A team of community members, with love in their hearts, came together to produce a video that was released this week on social media. While the video includes some local students, it is not a production of a local school district, it is rather a video produced by the Hunter Holmes Memorial Foundation.

Some have asked if this video will be shown in our classrooms and to students. The short answer is “no.” Our district offers rich social emotional health and wellness curriculum throughout all levels and uses commercially-produced content, including video, for teaching and learning. As this video was not included in our adopted curriculum, it is not being used in our classrooms.

Please help us empower our students to talk about suicide and depression in productive, meaningful ways and show them where to find vetted resources. Together, we can help normalize conversations about suicide prevention, how to find resources in our community that support youth and adults through stressful times, and how to help our children navigate current entertainment in ways that facilitate increased parent-child communication around youth suicide and youth suicide prevention.

Teaching young people how to help a friend is an important part of a comprehensive school based suicide prevention strategy. Educational videos that teach basic suicide prevention skills are often a helpful part of the instruction. Videos are most effectively used with an accompanying curriculum and as part of a larger presentation on mental health, mental illness and helping friends in distress.

These resources may be helpful to you in discussing this video with your students, if asked:

Reminders:

  • New building admin have a meeting on Oct. 1 beginning at 1:45 in the board room. (And you’ll be here early enough to pick your seat for the Leadership meeting!)
  • Our first Leadership (all admin) meeting of the year will be on Oct. 1, starting at 3:15.  We’ll be meeting in the Board Room.
  • If you haven’t yet, don’t forgot to fill out your SIF and MS Alt fund spreadsheets that can be found on a tab the the bottom of the main page of your Staffing Plan sheet. You can start spending these funds once this step is completed. (Dirk, let me know if you need help with locating these.)

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