TO DO:

Like last spring, there is a desire for information, and decisions are being made often right now. Because of this, I’d like to have weekly Webex meetings with you (MS admin) on Tuesday afternoons from 2:00 – 3:00. Does this day of the week/time work for you all? If it doesn’t please let me know. Let’s plan on meeting this coming Tuesday at 2:00 in my “personal room.” The agenda – which could change! – will be providing any updates I might have to give you, as well as a Canvas overview for admin… what do you need to know. __________________________________________________________

If you haven’t yet, it is time to change your saved Webex URL address. Vince sent out an email (which may be easily overlooked) last week regarding the fact that our current Webex saved link will expire on October 27 – which will make for a confusing morning on the 28th if folks don’t change to the new URL prior to then. Here is a video explaining how to change your old link to this new one. Please share with your staff as well! __________________________________________________________

In an effort to clarify, be clear, and add a bit of flexibility, I’ve made some adjustments to our MS CDL Schedule. These are most evident under the “Highlights” section at the bottom. Please ask me any questions you might have, then share with your staff. This schedule was shared with the school board this morning. __________________________________________________________

As you know, we meet as a Leadership team this coming Wednesday. MS admin will be meeting at PCMS. Within our level, we’ll have two small groups – meeting in two different rooms. Here is a document outlining what group you are in (MS groups in mauve). We plan to begin at 8:30, so please arrive prior to that so you have time to be settled in your assigned classroom. We plan to be finished at 12:30 – and have a grab and go lunch for you at that time.

THIS and THAT:

Here is a document that you might want to keep handy. These are the dates during the 2020-21 school year when county metrics will be reviewed for considering our district’s instructional model (CDL, Hybrid, full return). You will notice that the school year is broken into 6-week sections, with a metric check at the end of the fourth week, and any change/remain decision being made at the start of the 5th week. Let me know if you have any questions regarding this. ___________________________________________________________

There is no doubt that you have, or will have, “hybrid” meetings (where some people are in person, and others are joining via Webex. Here are a set of protocols to implement in these situations that are super helpful. ___________________________________________________________

As I mentioned to you in our meeting earlier this week, each of our schools will be asked to create four teams (made up of your building staff) that will help guide the work of reopening schools this year. Please begin thinking about whom might serve on these teams – and how your classified staff who have a little more time right now might support this work. The four teams are: CDL Team – School Curriculum/Instruction Team; Culture of Care/SEL; Family Connections; and Return to School Buildings Hybrid (Safety). More will come soon around the specific roles of these teams. _________________________________________________

This information was shared with your office managers earlier this week. I’m not sure you received it, so thought I’d pass it along. It has to do with the re-opening of school. (As you likely already know, your main office should be open beginning on Monday – ready to assist those who come to your building). __________________________________________________________

The following document was created as a resource for media managers/librarians and you, as building leaders. It outlines some thinking regarding the role of libraries (and employees working in them) during remote learning. Your media manager and/or librarian has also received this, so feel free to reach out to them for further conversation. ___________________________________________________________

REMINDERS:

Leadership meeting next Wednesday, Aug. 19. MS leaders will be assigned a room at PCMS. We’ll meet from 8:30 – 12:30. A grab and go lunch will be provided.

TO DO:

All, here is a link to your 2020-21 work calendar. Principals, please complete this – to your best of your ability – sometime in August. I’ll review these. Assistant principals, please complete your calendar and share it with your principal. Let me know if you have any questions regarding this. ___________________________________________________________

As I mentioned last week, there are a couple of AR’s that have been temporarily updated due to distance learning/Covid. These are JC-AR: Attendance Areas & In-District Transfers and IGBHAB-AR: Choice Option Schools & Programs. One change to note (from last week): The timeframe for holding a student’s spot has been extended from end of first semester to this entire year. _________________________________________________________

Most of you do not have your master schedule finalized yet. Once you do, please share your bell schedule (even though we know we are not starting with students in the building) with your head cook. Nutrition Services need to see these in order to generate work times for nutritional support employees at your site.

THIS and THAT:

Lora communicated this week a few changes to our district meeting calendar that you need to be aware of. First, August 11 had been reserved for our Leadership meeting. Instead, please plan on meeting from 1:00 – 3:00 as a Horizontal team. I’ll likely not need this much time, but would rather have you excited to leave 5 minutes early (😁) than drag on beyond what I told you. Let’s meet in my Webex personal room. She also communicated that August 19 had been reserved for Safety Day. This will now become the date of our Leadership meeting. I don’t have a lot of specifics yet as to time (likely morning) and location (likely spread out at multiple buildings), but this may be an in-person meeting, pending next week’s ODE guidance update. More to come on this… _______________________________________________________

This is more of a “begin to think about” than a “to do” item… As we start the year with Distance Learning, most of your staff will be quite busy. However, you also have a few staff who’s main responsibility involve direct student contact (e.g. some EA’s, attendance secretary, etc.) and will not be as busy doing her/his traditional work. Please begin thinking about who these folks are, as well as some areas where they can be engaged with supporting teaching/learning. We will talk a bit more about this next Tuesday (see above bullet if you just thought to yourself “what’s next Tuesday?”). ___________________________________________________________

You may likely be aware of this already, but I wanted to pass this along just in case. We have a district Return to School FAQ page that is constantly being added to and updated. This is a resource page that I suggest you become familiar with as well as communicate with your staff and families. __________________________________________________________

Sean recently shared this – but wanted to make sure that this was on your radar if you were planning on bringing a team to the Jim Sporleder training later this month. Here is the flyer – that does not include a few updates: All school leadership teams are now welcome to join both day 1 and 2 (not just priority schools on day 2).  Also, there are reimbursement funds to pay teachers that are attending outside their contracted days.  You can access those funds through the ESD.  The reimbursement is predicated on the fact the staff member is part of a team with the building administrator.

REMINDERS:

I use the thought of “reminder” loosely here – as you didn’t know about it until you started reading this blog post, but please put an MS Horizontal meeting on your calendar for next Tuesday (8/11) from 1:00 – 3:00. We’ll meet in my personal room.

TO DO:

Please review some updated language in our district’s Choice Option AR. As an FYI, there will likely be similar language added to our AR connected to ACRs. Because this is a change in policy specific to this pandemic, it is important you know about this. Also, this change is in effect for semester 1 only – and will be reviewed prior to semester 2 for consideration of continuance. ___________________________________________________________

If you haven’t yet, please follow/do the following steps that Paul sent to you this past Monday. (I have updated the link to the most recent Ready Schools, Safe Learner guide, and Operational Blueprint.)

We are asking you to:

• Watch the introductory video
• Conduct a deep read of the July 22nd 29th revised  Ready Schools, Safe Learner guidelines.  For the purposes of this task, we will be concentrating on pages 1 – 39.
• Watch the other videos (each ~ 5 min in length) to supplement your understanding
• If you have questions about either the RS/SL guidelines or the BLS Blueprint, you are invited to attend one of the following Webex meetings:
  • Friday, July 31st at 12:30 pm
  • Monday, August 3rd at 12:30 pm
• When you are confident in your understanding of the RS/SL guidelines, open this Blueprint template, make a copy of it and complete the information on the cover page information.
• Email your school’s Blueprint to [email protected] by August 5th.

THIS and THAT:

I’m sure you are all aware of the newly released “metric” requirements for schools to open doors for student instruction. Here is the county webpage where you will be able to track and see where we are (here locally) with meeting these metrics. As a reminder, in order to even consider opening our doors to kids (grades 4 – 12), we need to have – for three consecutive weeks: a) 10 or fewer cases per 100,000 people over 7 days, b) test positivity of 5% or less over 7 days, and c) statewide test positivity of 5% or less over a 7 day period. ___________________________________________________________

As you know, guidance around the reopening of schools has taken some sharp turns these past few weeks. My guess is, we are not finished with this ride yet – there are other changes that will come our way still. And yet, we are getting closer to some answers that are needed. Metric criteria helps. We must be (please, oh please) closer to the legislators meeting and making some decisions on the state budget – but we are planning on hiring at 2.0 staffing levels. We now have a definition of what constitutes a cohort. Lora has made a commitment to sending out weekly communication – keeping everyone in the loop on decisions being made with the most current information available. Next week’s communication from Lora will certainly have some important and new information that will help you plan for fall. As always, feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions regarding any information that comes your way (from local or state sources). ___________________________________________________________

REMINDERS:

You got this. Challenge, check. Uncertainty, yep. Low resources, yep. Unknowns that you don’t even know are unknowns yet – you bet. I trust that every one of you is equipped and ready for the challenges we face in the coming weeks and months. You are the right people to be leading this work. It is going to feel a lot like this at times. You got this! I believe in you.

TO DO:

Principals, I need your Leave Sheet no later than Monday (6/15) morning – as I need to sign and turn in to the business office by noon that day. Include any leave you plan to take through the end of June on this sheet. ___________________________________________________________

Here is the most up-to-date 2020-21 work calendar for certified staff. This will be a good one to keep handy as questions arise and you make plans for the fall. ___________________________________________________________

THIS and THAT:

I’m sure you have all taken a peek at the Ready Schools, Safe Learners document from ODE released on Wednesday of this week. This is what the state is calling its guidance around the opening of school in the fall. I’ve read the document and have created some CLIFF Notes for myself, with what I believe to be some of the highlights or reminders of where I can find information quickly that I may need to refer back to later. Remember, the state has committed to providing multiple updates on this document throughout the summer, so this is not the final draft. ________________________________________________________

The article Helping Students Discuss Race Openly in Education Leadership (ASCD) outlines several steps teachers can follow to ensure “safe classroom environments” where powerful discussions regarding race, class, priviledge, and inequities can emerge. Although it is a few years old, the suggestions for teachers on how to connect these types of discussions into the teaching of standards – no matter the content area – definitely still fit in today’s world. ___________________________________________________________

This article not only spells out experiences I’m sure our teachers and students felt this spring, but also provides some ideas to get better at (or avoid altogether) it not happening again. 5 traps that will kill online learning (and strategies to avoid them) is a practical set of reminders of what teaching should be – and should not be. This might be one to read now, then reread, if needed, in the fall as we think about what online teaching/learning should be. ___________________________________________________________

Ed Week just published this article regarding how a school may look next year (a district team is working on a plan specific for us now – and will share updates with you as these become clearer). I thought it provides some ideas, although generic, that may fit within what we need to accomplish in the fall. The Socially Distanced School Day __________________________________________________________

This is a reminder of sorts from Jon L. regarding Level Review Assessors (a follow-up from an email he sent out on Tuesday this week).  The only difference this year is that principals will need to do the recommendation form in Applitrack.  This eventually will be easier when the principals get the hang of it.  The applicants will not be able to see what is on the recommendation.   ___________________________________________________________

If you are looking for a good read over the summer (or would like to recommend one to someone you know – no matter what age), then check out this list that our district librarian has compiled.

REMINDERS:

Please, oh please, don’t work all summer! Take a break. Walk in the woods. Read a book. Play Chutes & Ladders (or chess) with your kids. Go listen to live music. Wash your hands. (A lot.)

TO DO:

At our MS Horizontal meeting yesterday you heard Skip talk about a letter for teachers regarding Canvas (background, how we got to where we are, training/PD/support moving forward). Here is that letter. Please share this with your teaching staff.

THIS and THAT:

You may have likely already read this article, but wanted to pass it along in case you haven’t. This is posted on the OSBA website and give some insight into what the state is thinking as they make decisions regarding the start of school in the fall. While providing some answers, please don’t miss this quote: ODE “would release its guidance for fall next week and plans to update its guidance every two weeks this summer and into the fall.” We live in interesting times… __________________________________________________________

Here is some information that you might consider passing along to your teachers. It is a local resource that has created educational videos that may be useful to science, music, art, and ELA teachers and can be adaptable for students of all ages. Following is information that was shared with me:

The Upper Deschutes Watershed Council coordinates The Upstream Project, a hands-on education program that seeks to connect youth to the natural world. Through outdoor activities in science, art, writing, and music, The Upstream Project works with k-12 students to help them learn about the rivers and streams throughout Central Oregon. Our goal is to help students develop a sense of place for our home watersheds.
Our activities are all listed on our education page. Here is the link to The Virtual Upstream Project on our website:  https://www.upperdeschuteswatershedcouncil.org/the-virtual-upstream-project/ ___________________________________________________________

REMINDERS:

We have a Leadership meeting on Monday, starting at 2:30. NOTE THE EARLIER START TIME. __________________________________________________________

We have our next (and last) MS Horizontal meeting is Thursday, June 18, at 2:00. HR will be presenting a process for how to remotely hire. __________________________________________________________

The regional Culture of Care Coaches are hosting a 2-day training with  Jim Sporleder (Paper Tigers) on August 20-21.

• Day 1 is designed for a broad overview message about restorative justice and creating a culture of care.  This is open to anyone.
• Day 2 is designed for building administrators and leadership teams to go deeper.

TO DO:

Please plan on mailing home report cards at the end of this school year. I am sorry I haven’t had better communication on this prior to now. Even though the grading options are only P/NG, we need to communicate with parents regarding this final term grades. This is also an opportunity for teachers to add a comment and make sure parents see these. Let me know if you have any questions on why these need to be mailed home, but know that I strongly believe this is an opportunity to over-communicate and connect, rather than under-communicate and make assumptions with families. _______________________________________________________

Beginning now, and prior to next fall, please take a look at your School Design Plan, while considering the following questions: Are these the goals we’ve been focusing on as a school community? If not, what has gotten in the way? How might these goals need updating? What is an achievement gap that needs to be worked on/closed? How can we measure this? How can our Design Plan be simplified (then better communicated and made “alive” amongst our staff)? Whom else do I need to include in processing these (and other) questions related to Design Plan? One of the conversations I look forward to having with you next fall is around your School Design Plan. _____________________________________________________

As an FYI… I will not have access to my office next week (6/1 – 6/5), so please don’t call or leave a message on my office phone and then think I’m ignoring you for not calling back. Email, call, or text my phone to find me!

THIS and THAT:

At this time, we are moving forward with position postings. You may request to post any positions you have in your 2.0 Staffing Plan starting next Monday, June 1 – by first emailing me what you anticipate posting. I will then approve these and reply to you and HR with the green light for you to send in the position posting(s). Please put a closing date of June 30 (knowing that this could be moved back to a later date, depending on what the Legislature decides to do in late June). If all goes well then you would be able to interview and hire beginning in July. This timeline and staffing plan could change based on Legislative action (or inaction), but we are hopeful it will not. ________________________________________________________

You may have recently heard that our school buildings/facilities will be open for summer programming starting June 15, as long as these groups/organizations follow ODE guidance, including social distancing. Boys and Girls Club and Park and Rec., in addition to our own athletic programs, will be the likely users of our facilities during this time. _________________________________________________________

The ELL Dept is partnering with Migrant Education to provide summer school for emergent bilingual students.  We have additional (limited) space in the program for ELL students who do not otherwise qualify for migrant ed services.  We are prioritizing students who:

• Are credit-deficient and at risk of not graduating by Aug (seniors)
• Are earning “incompletes” this spring in math or language arts (9th-11th)
• Have a history of significant learning struggles, or are in the process of team problem-solving
• Are K-2 students (early learning)
• Have not made progress on language proficiency assessments (long-term ELLs)
• Have parents/family who are unable to support academics at home

ELL/Language Specialists are working with buildings to identify and refer potential candidates.  For more information or to include this referral process in your end-of-year MTSS/RtI conversations, reach out to your specialist!

REMINDERS:

We’ll be meeting in my personal room as a MS Horizontal next Thursday at 2:00.

TO DO:

The summer iPad communications are complete and ready for you to share with your families (via communication going out from school) and students (if teachers want to share it with their students). The district will also advertise this information in a variety of ways. This letter contains hotlinks embedded, so please share this Word version (rather than PDF). Here is the Spanish version; and the English version. NOTE: If a parent does not want to keep their student(s) iPad over the summer, we are not advertising this but, please be accommodating by allowing them to return it to your school for retention until the start of next year. _____________________________________________________

Here is a short article out of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics from Santa Clara University entitled “How to build empathy in children.” This article puts a spotlight on psychologist Michele Borba – who was highlighted in a recent webinar by Character Strong (that you may have also received a link from Lisa about last week). I’ve done some digging and found both of these worth learning more about – especially these free resources.

THIS and THAT:

As you are aware, and likely have heard about since, the state provided an economic forecast earlier this week. Even before it was presented, we knew it wasn’t going to be pretty due to the economy slowing way down due to the pandemic. We just didn’t know how bad it was going to be. What we heard is that, although not pretty, it could have been worse news. The hole wasn’t as deep as some were projecting, and there is still a major lifeline that could come into play via a special session with the legislature. It is sounding like such a session would not take place until about mid-June, at which time we’ll have a much clearer picture of what K-12 funding will be. ________________________________________________________

Speaking of unknowns, here is an article from AP on the reopening of South Korean high schools to their seniors. While we don’t know what our fall will look like, this read shed some like for me to think about the fact that our start will likely require some “outside the box” thinking from us. If you read the article, also take a few moments to click through the five photos. _______________________________________________________

Connected to the opening up of schools, here is a small excerpt from ODE’s most recent guidance for summer – start of school 2020-21. (I’ve shortened it down to what you might think is most important… you’re welcome. 🙂 ) If you are wanting to read the entire document, you can find it here. ______________________________________________________

Here is a link to more information and registration to a webinar on June 4 around the topic of exploring strategies for supporting the social and emotional needs of students amidst COVID-19 school closure/re-opening. I have shared this with your counselor(s) already. _______________________________________________________

Dean Richards will be supporting secondary schools next year as the “Secondary Coordinator of Professional Learning and Instructional Design.”  In this role he will be working on secondary multi-tiered systems of support, coordinating professional learning across the secondary system and supporting administrators on building instructional needs.  Dean says, “I’m excited to be able to work with principals on instructional systems and school design plans to support student learning.” _________________________________________________________

I let you know last week that our fall Leadership kick-off will occur on August 11 – and that ICCL members would not participate this year. A question then came up regarding whether Deans/Student Services should attend. Yes, these folks are invited and may attend if they would like (but it is not required). __________________________________________________________

This might be a short video (just over 1:00 in length) you’d want to share with students and parents ( your librarian/media manager should have already seen it). The video is a quick tutorial on how a student can see what they have checked out of your library. [I swiped this from the PCMS blog last week – thanks Lisa!] ___________________________________________________________

It was decided this week, based largely on the summer guidance sent out from the state last Friday, that our Extended School Year (ESY) will be conducted via a distance learning format – students and staff will not enter our buildings over the summer for this program. ___________________________________________________________

REMINDERS:

Next Monday is Memorial Day… enjoy the holiday! ___________________________________________________________

We will not have a MS Horizontal Webex next Thursday (5/28) at 2:00.

TO DO:

Principals, please send me a copy of your Leave Sheet from 4/20/20 – 5/17/20 by Monday (when I have to turn it in to the Business Office). I have two so far… ___________________________________________________________

Add August 11 to your calendar – this will be the date of our Leadership Retreat in the fall. This fall’s event will NOT include ICCL members. _________________________________________________________

I’ve shared this general link previously, but I wanted to share (and hope you take time to listen to) this 20 minute talk by Dr. Bruce Perry on the topic of decision fatigue. Dr. Perry shares some ideas that will likely make you think about leading in our current situation, as well as how to best lead and make decisions after things return to normal. _________________________________________________________

THIS and THAT:

We will NOT be meeting as a Horizontal group next Monday (5/18) afternoon. This had been our last regular Horizontal meeting for the year (pre-COVID). ___________________________________________________________

A couple of follow-up items regarding iPads that I want to circle back with you on. First, Skip is working on a written communication regarding iPads that you will be able to share with staff and families. This should be ready next week. In the meantime, feel free to share with your staff that we are not planning on having an iPad turn-in at the end of this year. Second, Skip said he’d be modifying the iPad insurance coverage to include the summer months. And lastly, Skip is in agreement that the full weight of iPad replacement (if it is needed) should not fall on schools due to kids keeping them over the summer. We hope to not pass these costs on to the building budget as much as possible. ___________________________________________________________

There will NOT be a district-wide Welcome Back (for all district staff) this fall. ___________________________________________________________

The only hiring that is currently approved is for ICCL team members whose contracts are up this year. Be sure to follow a process for hiring that includes: notifying all of your certified staff about the number of openings and the deadline for applying, verifying they have submitted their paperwork to HR and selecting your interview team, and interviewing all candidates. ________________________________________________________

I think I shared some info with you a few weeks ago regarding a COSA-sponsored virtual meeting on the topic of “transitions” from 5th to 6th and 8th to 9th. Here is a link to the recording of that meeting. When I listened to it, there was some sharing of ideas around what schools are doing (I like our plan!) and a lot of questions around what school in the fall might look like (we have some of the same questions ourselves). It is just over an hour in length and like a typical meeting, wanders off topic every now and then. __________________________________________________________

REMINDERS:

No MS Horizontal on Monday, but we will plan on meeting in my Webex room on Thursday afternoon at 2:00. There may even be a spontaneous challenge – so be ready for that!

TO DO:

After reading the following district guidance around fundraising, please touch base with me if you have any questions. There is not an expectation that you share this with your staff, but feel free to do so if you think it would be helpful… As we navigate COVID-19 and the impacts to our communities and families in the district this spring and summer, we are asking that principals use discernment around any fundraising being considered by schools and programs.  We are not putting a stop on all fundraising at this time.  There is some acknowledgment that some schools or programs may have long-term projects in process and other unique considerations that may warrant fundraising.  However, in general, we are asking that we do little to none of the typical fundraising that we would do in these weeks and months to come.  Out of respect for our families and businesses, now does not seem to be the time to be asking them to contribute to fundraisers.  If there are unique circumstances around a specific fundraising project that you would like approval to do prior to the fall of 2020, please seek approval from your level leader before doing so. _________________________________________________________

Please take a look at this one-page summary that Kinsey has put together for schools as a follow-up regarding the Multi-Lingual Family Survey that she shared results of last week during our Horizontal meeting. Note the “responses” at the bottom of the page to make sure your part of this is communicated and completed (on an ongoing basis). _________________________________________________________

Check out this video montage from HDMS staff to students. Pretty creative and fun! I love sharing what our MS are doing to stay connected with students. If you’ve/your staff has done something to reach out to students (and don’t mind me sharing it with your peers) please send it to me and I’ll include it in TRIBE. __________________________________________________________

THIS and THAT:

National Board certification recruitment has begun!  Heather and Michele, working alongside OEA and TSPC, have 3 virtual recruitment sessions set for May.  If you have teachers who are interested in pursuing National Board, please share the OEA flyer that is in this google folder.  There are also several resources available for you.  Teachers who are “shoulder tapped” by an administrator are more confident and eager to grow their professional learning in this way and become teacher leaders in their buildings.

Three key points of information:  

1) HB2763 will reimburse teachers for the cost of certification once they certify 

2) OEA has a grant to support teachers of color and novice teachers (first 5 years) in their pursuit of NB certification

3) MidOregon Credit Union is offering zero-interest loans for our candidates in order to support the upfront cost. ___________________________________________________________

I just registered for this webinar, thinking the topic sounded important – but not knowing if the presentation will be well done or not. Thought I’d pass it along to you, just in case you might be interested too…

Here is one to add to your calendars… with more to come as we get closer to August:

The regional Culture of Care Coaches are hosting a 2-day training with  Jim Sporleder (Paper Tigers) on August 20-21.

• Day 1 is designed for a broad overview message about restorative justice and creating a culture of care.  This is open to anyone.
• Day 2 is designed for building administrators and leadership teams to go deeper.

This was planned prior to the COVID closure and we are still hoping for an in-person training.  However, we understand the format may need to change based on ODE and OHA guidance. ________________________________________________________

The HDESD is excited to share the Paraeducator Professional Development webpage, compiled by the Culture of Care Coaches. For leaders and administrators, there is a catalog of opportunities at the top of the page, that allows you to view the comprehensive list of PD in the event you want to plan and organize specific content for certain programs/staff.  In addition, there is a Professional  Development Reflection Document that can be used by staff.  All of the content in this Paraeducator PD webpage is then divided into categories on the webpage, with a variety of resource links/videos for paraeducators to access.  It will be updated weekly with new resources/links.  ___________________________________________________________

Our district is partnering with the University of Oregon, the HDESD, and The Center on a grant that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently awarded to the Psychology Center on Brain Injury Research and Training (CBIRT) at the University of Oregon. This project was “awarded a 4-year, $2.2 million cooperative agreement to study an established Return to School program for students with traumatic brain injury. The study will compare health, academic and social outcomes of children and youth with brain injury who are served by the Central Oregon TBI (COR-TBI) team model with comparison school districts in Washington and Ohio.” Tami Pike and Katie Legace are the lead contacts in the district for this project. As the logistics of this work develop and become more clear, they will be connecting with building administrators about the role of the schools (this will mostly involve communication and data assistance with your school nurse and attendance secretary) in the project. To support our continued learning about Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), information located on the HDESD website provides a wealth of information about concussions. ___________________________________________________________

REMINDERS:

Don’t forget Mother’s Day is this Sunday! ___________________________________________________________

We’ll be having a Leadership meeting via Webex next Tuesday morning at 9:00. Shay will be sharing a budget update. We will NOT be meeting as a Horizontal group next Thursday. ___________________________________________________________

Please remind your staff to adhere to social distancing if/when they need to come to your school building. This includes cleaning out their classrooms, preparing or distributing work packets, or other essential functions. Additionally, make alternative plans for any staff member who may need to come to school, but should not due being in an at-risk category.

TO DO:

As you know, May 4-8 is Teacher Appreciation Week, a time to celebrate our classroom teachers, counselors, school nurses, and other certified staff members. Whether serving in person or remotely, we know these staff members care deeply about our students and this is a great opportunity to share our thanks! Please share the following information related to honoring our employees with your students and families:

Please share a quick video, drawing, or photo saying thanks on Bend-La Pine Schools’ fun new webpage and we will share with our community to help our educators feel celebrated and appreciated.  Share your stories here __________________________________________________________

Please share this with your front office/registrar/counseling folks: When you receive enrollment inquiries/paperwork (incoming K – 12th) from a multilingual family, please continue to follow our Welcome Center protocol.  During the closure, that basically means: reach out right away to the Welcome Center (x6824 or [email protected]).  Our team will help complete paperwork if needed, conduct our multilingual family intake process (including explaining the deferral of proficiency testing, and access to services in the meantime), and will reach out to school staff with any follow-up at the conclusion of that process.  Feel free to email Kinsey with questions.

THIS and THAT:

The HDESD is hosting a webinar series (along with Studer Education) related to becoming resilient leaders. The first installment in this series will take place next Tuesday afternoon and you can sign up for it here. Once you sign up then you will receive an email with a video conference link. ___________________________________________________________

The business office has recently updated the conversation calculator for the 2020-21 school year. This is the tool you’ll use for converting classified hours into certified FTE, or vice-versa. I think I have double-checked your staffing plans to make your numbers are correct for next year, but feel free to check my math! __________________________________________________________

This year, we are getting creative with the production of our annual Family Handbook and Calendar, which is mailed home to families before the start of each school year. For the 2020-21 calendar, we are inviting students to submit artwork and photographs to be featured. Alandra is sharing this opportunity district-wide, but we also would like to invite teachers to share this opportunity with students (elementary classroom teachers, art teachers, photography teachers, or anyone interested!).

The theme is #BLSproud. What makes you proud to be part of your school or your school district? Share a piece of artwork or a photograph that conveys that sentiment.

Deadline: May 25, 2020

Students can use this link to submit artwork.

Questions? Contact Alandra __________________________________________________________

Remote learning has been our new normal for about a month now – and a number of great things have occurred during this time; including seeing our amazing classified, certified, and administrative staff being creative, collaborative, resilient, forgiving, and patient. We’ve heard the metaphor before about building a plane while it is flying – and that is truly how this process has felt at times. Thank you for your leadership and guidance during this time of charting a new path. ___________________________________________________________

REMINDERS:

I’ve sent this out a few weeks ago, but wanted to have it easily accessible to you again if you are in the midsts of planning material pick-up at your site: Please review this guidance for materials distribution and pick up. This document is shared on behalf of your schools’ nurses and is an excerpt from a longer document produced by the National Association of School Nurses. Consider having EAs (or other available staff) help with the process of not only material distribution, but also summer room prep.  __________________________________________________________

We’ll meet again next Thursday as a MS Horizontal group.