To Do:

• I ask that you make an announcement regarding next year’s staff work hours during SIW on Wednesday, 1/23. Please do not communicate this message to anyone prior to next Wednesday afternoon as we want to coordinate its release district-wide as best we can. Additionally, after the SIW announcement, please send this message out to all of your employees so those who were present can have it in writing, and those who were not present can be informed. Lastly, after the announcement is made, please let me know of any questions that arise that you feel might be good to communicate an answer to a larger audience than just your building (coming from the district).
• Please provide your feedback to me by next Friday (1.25.19) on the following question: Would you recommend having our annual district Leadership Academy (building admin and ICCL leaders) this next fall on Aug. 7 or Aug. 14? (The question is being asked because we are trying to balance having it too early – and potentially excluding teachers who are out of town – or too late – and requiring a number of training days for admin when you are also working on getting your building opened up.)
• Please make verify that the gates (fences) around your building are locked during the school day. Let me know if you have any questions regarding this.
• Please reach out to me if you have any teachers (health?) who are teaching Stop the Bleed to students.  I am told that this is often in conjunction with Bend Fire. There have been some issues that we’d like to avoid in the future around this.

This and that:

• Blog writer Dan Rockwell recently wrote a  short article 96% Believe they are Good Listeners and that’s Baloney on his blog site Leadership Freak. I hope you take a few minutes to read what Dan had to say. I know I needed the reminders. Just prior to our recent break I was not a very good listener with some of your parents (and likely some of you – I am sorry!). I don’t like when I’m not a good listener. Reading Dan’s admonishments and encouragements have helped me remember the importance of being a good listener, especially in a role that often requires others to listen to me.
• The Attendance Area Review Committee has completed its work and passed on their recommendation report to Shay for consideration and final decision. Shay will be making an announcement regarding elementary boundary changes for next year sometime on Jan. 29. Although these changes do not directly affect your students, you may want to become familiar with the process and outcomes of this work as questions arise and to be prepared for a similar process to occur next fall for all MS and HS boundaries (for new HS opening in fall 2021).
• Earlier this week you were sent brochures to have in your office regarding high school options. You received an English version of these. I learned today that Spanish versions are now being printed and should be coming your way very soon as well.
• Here is some information regarding an essay contest sponsored by the American Legion. It is organized by grade levels and there is a cash prize for winners. Feel free to pass along as you see fit.

Reminders:

• No school on Monday for MLK Day. (And also Shay’s birthday!)
• At our next MS Horizontal meeting (Jan. 28) we will not be discussing chapters 7 – 8 of The Culture Code, so you do not need to read that section quite yet. Instead, we will be spending that time processing the information that Austin James collected from you during a site visit in the past number of weeks. Remember Tony Hsieh (downtown Los Vegas project from chapter 5)? He was quoted as saying: “I try to help things happen organically. If you set things up right, the connection happens.” (p. 64) He is also the one that spoke about the power of “collisions” – the belief that: “Serendipitous personal encounters are the key driver of creativity, community, and cohesion.” (p. 66) One of my goals for our time together on Jan. 28 is to allow for “collisions” to happen among you. (And taking a risk that my plan doesn’t crash and burn instead!)