Focus on Excellence and Equity…

“We now have the opportunity not to just reimagine schooling or try to reform injustice but to start over. Starting over is hard but not impossible; we now have a skeleton of a playbook. It starts with creativity, teacher-student relationships, and teacher autonomy.”

This quote is from the article Mary Ehrenworth mentioned that was written by Bettina Love.  Here’s the link to the full article.

To Do

Safety Updates and Return to School Information

Info for parents (priority) –  Some of you inquired about a district communication that describes for families our back to school practices and procedures.  You should include in your newsletter a link to this website.  It should provide the necessary information a parent will need.  We will also be sending a district letter to all families on Friday.  Between now and the end of next week, you need to send out a family newsletter that includes what lunches and breakfasts will be looking like at your schools.  Included in that letter will be that all students will be eating lunch outside in assigned spaces with 6 feet distancing.  You also need to include what it will look like in your school on inclement weather days when you will be eating inside.  Emphasize that students will be in assigned spots, 6 feet apart, and other mitigating strategies that you will deploy to reduce the spread of covid.  I would like to preview your message and plan before you send it to parents.

(continued from above) From Alandra Johnson

Friday, Aug. 27 we are sending a district newsletter home to families in ENG and SPAN with content about returning to school. It will include an FAQ addressing items like masks, vaccines, quarantines and more. If you would like to also share this info with families, please use this approved content rather than creating your own for these topics. (Alandra can email you a copy after Friday if you’d like it.)

Safety teams 

Once again a reminder to start up your safety teams and use them to help create safety practices at your schools. As you make those decisions, make sure you are referencing the latest RSSL document and aligning decisions with practices and procedures specific to our district.  Here is the 2020/21 Return To School Cheat Sheet For Administrators to help guide some of the areas to review and focus on (remember, this is from last year so things have changed). I took it from elementary. I don’t know if Jim shared something similar. It does contain useful information and you are not required to complete all the information. You may want to. FYI-Julianne Repman is the new Paul Dean in the flow chart. Nevertheless, here is the updated 1 pager based on current RSSL guidelines.

Sign in and sign out 

Please ensure approved district visitors, ESD staff (including all subs), and approved essential volunteers are using a paper sign-in/out form located in your office.  These are critical for contact tracing purposes.

Proof of Vaccination and Vaccine Opt Out 

I know you have many questions about the opt out of vaccines for medical and religious reasons.  HR will be getting out a document soon with the steps to follow.  For now, just hold tight and tell anyone who is inquiring about opting out that directions from HR are coming soon.  Same goes with when and how we will be collecting proof of vaccination status. 

Coming to work sick or symptomatic 

Pure and simple, DON’T!  On day one with staff this needs to be communicated very, very clearly. This was a topic heavily discussed at the cabinet level, as there have been several cases already in which adults have come to work with “allergies” or a “cold” and eventually found out it was really Covid, unknowingly spreading it to others. This has to be a tight practice! 

From Dave VanLoo

Please have all schools send Stephanie Bent the email addresses of any staff to include on our district’s assessment and accountability email listserv. These communications will contain information necessary to coordinate and support any essential district or state assessment activities and data collections.

From Human Resources

Here is important information that Human Resources has asked us to share regarding hiring and PAs.  When you have received permission to hire and the person has accepted the position, it is extremely important that a PA gets generated right away, both certified and classified.  If a PA is not received by the end of the week, the new hires will most likely not have district access for their first day of work next week. 

CANVAS Expectations

From Michele Oakes

The mentor program likes to double-check that we have all our beginning teachers in their first couple of years in their career enrolled in the program. If you have a beginning teacher in his/her first or second year in their career, please send the name to Michele Oakes.  We are especially trying to catch those educators hired in the last few weeks. 

September 22, 2021-Equitable Grading Team

On September 22, I will be asking you to release your Equitable Practice team member at 2:15, so that they can make their SIW meeting. The meeting will be hosted by HDMS. More information to follow.

Music Masks

Let me know if you need “music masks” for your band students, how many. I can have JulieAnne order more. These masks have a little opening for kids to play their instruments while still wearing a mask. These will help you in mitigating social distancing and maximizing your music rooms.

This That

From Christie Boen

 From Eric Powell

Discipline & Restorative Practices Resource Guide

From Jackie Wilson, Sustainability Coordinator

Cheers, to the start of the school year. I am the District Sustainability coordinator.With a new sustainability plan, there will be updates, shared metrics, and other positive strides the district is taking to be nation-wide sustainability leaders. I do understand with the growing Covid numbers and schools starting, there is tons of information coming in.  I will try to keep things as brief as possible.

1. The District is in the process of adopting the new 5-year sustainability plan. As teams are planning the return to school, Jackie Wilson, District Sustainability Coordinator can present a brief synopsis to staff and will have additional information about the goals for all teams as we begin the school year.
2. Here is the Sustainability Advisor description. In 2019 we had sustainability Advisors in 22 of our schools and are hoping to have one in place at all schools for the coming year. This staff member is the liaison for all things sustainable and works as a leader of the student green team. The staff member will be compensated for this position for 40 hours at their curriculum rate. Please make sure that all administrative staff see the position and reach out to staff to find someone interested in this great position.
3. Idling information for the first newsletter-As office managers and Administrative teams are preparing for the first of many newsletters, it is important to get out some information to parents about idling. This fall there will be campaigns at several schools about idling.  Part of the program is to educate parents and staff and driving students about idling.  Here is that information. Schools can choose what to add to newsletters, but the hope is all schools share some information with parents before school starts. 

More from Jackie Willson

I am running a school team challenge to learn more about sustainability? A small team of staff can join or the whole school as a team to complete challenges. It should not take more than an hour to complete.
If the school is interested, the game runs from 8 am August 30 – 12 pm September on 3. It is through a mobile app called GooseChase. The winning team will receive a great prize.

Participants can join the game by following these simple steps:

1. Download the GooseChase iOS or Android app.

2. Choose to play as a guest, or register for a personal account with a username & password of your choice.3. Search for and select the Middle school sustainability challenge game, or search by game code VW89V9.
Please let me know the name of the staff member interested in serving as the sustainability advisor. Our first virtual Sustainability coordinator meeting will be Wednesday, September 22

From Sean Reinhart

Suicide Prevention and Intervention Trainings

QPR:

Due to COVID, we are a little behind in out 3 year rotation for the Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) 3 year training rotation.  Please check the link below to see if you school is due for a training this year.  If, yes, you can then click the link to find a Wednesday that will work for you building.  I have taken the liberty to combine a few schools that share the same SIW times which are in RED.  Let me know if you have any questions.  Thanks

Question, Persuade, Refer1.5 hour training where participants learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help.  Offered on Wednesdays

All building/district  staff

Every 3 YearsLook HEREto see if you need to sign up this year.

Sign up HERE

ASIST:

Please save the date for Oct. 21-22 for this fall’s ASIST training.  Each build needs at least two ASIST trained staff.  Further, all new school psychologists and school counselor will need to attend this training, as they are the folks in your building that respond when a student present with suicide ideation and need a screening and safety plan.  We are working on updating our list of trained building staff and will share with you shortly.

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training Suicide prevention protocol first responder training. Each building has a minimum of twoASIST trained staff to respond.  Look HERE to see who is trained in your building.

School counselors/school psychs/student services

Offered 2 times per year

October 21-22Register HERE

Sub situation 

The ESD reported that they added some additional subs but the sub situation still is not what it was a couple years ago.  We will be hiring 5 additional district subs which will help but it won’t nearly solve the shortage issue.  Be prepared with contingency plans within your building

Reminders

From the Superintendent’s Office

The expectation at K-8 schools is that students will eat lunch outdoors, with a social distance of 6-feet, unless inclement weather prevents doing so.

Students in grades 9-12 are highly encouraged to eat lunch outdoors and to maintain appropriate social distancing.

Six-feet of social distancing will be maintained when meals are eaten in indoor designated areas at K-8 schools.

Six-feet of social distancing will be maintained, to the extent possible, when meals are eaten in indoor, designated areas at 9-12 schools.

Lunch Supervision Stipends (on top of what you were allocated)

Please let me know what your need will be for lunch supervision. You might need additional hours to help supervise your lunches.

Kathy Alexander, STEM Pathways Coordinator from HDESD

Central Oregon STEM Hub is committed to ensuring the safe use of all materials being checked out of our Lending-Items online Library. We have STEM Kits and Resource Books available.

Sign up to access our Lending Library Resources.

Once you are familiar with our Library resources, you may suggest a new Kit or Book be added via our Wish List. We will review your request, and determine if we are able to place the order.

From April Jorgenson, Account Technician

Every school administrator should have received a leave record calendar via Google Docs from April Jorgenson.  This calendar is for keeping track of your non-contract time, as well as any other leave that you may take (i.e., sick, bereavement, etc.).  Per district protocol, leave sheets are to be done each and every month, regardless of you taking leave or not.  April will send out a reminder once per month to let you know the dates that your leave should fall into.  If you have leave to report, please follow in the directions on the “Directions” tab of the calendar.  Once you are done, please email April and let her know you are done.  She will print off your leave sheet and get the appropriate supervisor to sign it.  If you don’t have any leave to report, just email April and she will note that you don’t have leave, print out your leave sheet and get the appropriate supervisor to sign it.  If you have any questions,  please reach out to April at 541-355-1056 and she is more than happy to walk you through it. 

Calendar

• August 30 – New Teacher day at Summit (If you have a new teacher, one admin from each building needs to be present) 7:15-7:30 at the latest.
• August 31 – All Staff Welcome Back (Virtual)
• September 3- Horizontal Meeting @8:30 am (Principals only-Juan’s Webex-https://bls.webex.com/meet/juan.cuadros)
• September 7- 6th grade orientation
• September 8 – first day for all kids

Formal Notice

I want to bring to your attention the following message that Skip Offenhauser, Executive Director of Elementary Schools, shared with his team.

“I need to take a minute to talk about the enforcement of all our practices and procedures during this pandemic.  If you happened to watch the board meeting on Tuesday, August 24, 2021, you heard a member ask how we will ensure schools will follow through with all the safety measures we are putting in place?  The answer is simple – it’s our job.  As school leaders, you know it starts with us and ends with us.  We need to set an example with our behaviors, clearly communicate expectations to our staff, and have honest conversations when those expectations are not being met.  Your attitude and mindset about things rub off on everyone, so what you project is important.  If we have to close down a school because of an outbreak, and if the reason for that outbreak was because of a failure on our part, then that is on us. This means some tough conversations might have to happen. If someone is not following protocol (wearing a mask for example) we need to talk with them ASAP and follow up that conversation with an email. Please don’t think I’m saying you’re not taking our situation seriously (you are) or that you’re not having those tough conversations (you do).  But because of the intensity of our situation and the concerns of our community I wanted to make sure I communicated our responsibility as leaders.”

I can’t agree more. It starts and ends with us. I like to believe that we lead by example, and if this is true, then we know what our values are and we apply them to our behaviors. I believe in our group and what you do is what is right in the world. I am here for you and let me know how I can support.

Fish On…