Team,
I am thankful for your level of service and care you give each day to our students, staff and school communities. You all are amazing leaders and I know that you place students at the heart of your work. During this holiday break, make it break. But if you need to call or text me for any reason, don’t hesitate. I will be available. If it can wait, let it wait and we can connect upon your return. Have a wonderful break!
To Do
From Scott Bojanoswki (To Know)
From Juilianne Repman (To Know)
BinaxNOW Testing Kits
As a reminder, you may continue to use the BinaxNOW Testing Kits until your supply runs out. If more tests are needed anytime, please send a request to: [email protected]
On 10/12/21, all registered schools received the following message regarding BinaxNOW testing kits expiration update:
Dear School Testing Administrator,
The current Delta surge has depleted the federal supply of Abbott BinaxNOW tests, and regular distribution has not yet resumed. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services allows for temporary use of expired pandemic testing supplies when the supply chain is disrupted until non-expired supplies become available. The Oregon Health Authority is temporarily allowing the use of expired Abbott BinaxNOW test kits if individual test kit quality controls remain functional. Because each Abbott BinaxNOW test includes a quality control process, these expired supplies are anticipated to continue to provide accurate test results. Any test without an appropriate quality control check should be discarded.
These tests have been distributed to schools statewide and this guidance applies to all public and private schools participating in the K-12 diagnostic testing program. The Oregon Health Authority will notify schools via. email once the Abbott BinaxNOW supply chain has been restored and the temporary use of expired supplies ends.
Thank you,
Jamekaa Baker-Flowers
School Testing Coordinator, Operations and Policy Analyst 3
ODHS | OHA SHARED SERVICE
COVID-19 Response and Recovery Unit (CRRU)
From Jackie Wilson
Here are the Standard Operating Procedures for Holiday Shutdowns. Please see that these can be done before you break for the week. In addition, here is a monthly update.
- Holiday shut down – As the Thanksgiving break is upon us, please help remind staff that they are responsible for shutting down all classroom electronics at the power strip to prevent unnecessary energy use over the holiday and to empty and unplug any mini-fridges. The Standard Operating Procedure (Holiday SOP) is attached to review.
- Sustainability updates – Compost is back at Miller elementary school, West Side Village, and at the Bend High Commissary Kitchen. It is a great step in reducing our impact.
- Energy updates – Caldera High school is just starting to gather billing data but is performing pretty great in terms of energy. Here is September billing data for some comparisons.
- Caldera – 32,800 kWh
- Summit – 95,100 kWh
- Bend High- 106,011 kWh
- Mountain View -97,203 kWh
- REALMS -32,040 kWh
- LPHS -68,644 kWh
This and That
From Alandra Johnson
Holiday/Thankfulness: If your school engaged in an activity around gratitude, thankfulness or giving, please let us know (examples: student art or writing about what they are thankful for, canned food drive for the holidays, etc.). We will be sharing art, photos and stories during Thanksgiving break and would love to include efforts from as many schools as possible. Email Alandra details and a photo.
From Jennifer Hauth
“Culture of Care is offering Free Virtual Drop-In Wellness Circles for all educators and helping professionals across the region to reduce stress, bolster resilience and build connections on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month (3:45-4:15 pm). All are welcome! The Zoom link will be sent after you register with your email. For specific questions, email Dr Amy at [email protected].
Sessions begin Nov 15, 2021 & Dec 6, 2021 (3:45-4:15pm); then the 1st & 3rd Monday (3:45-4:15pm) thereafter.”
More from Jennifer Hauth
Are you currently using social emotional learning (SEL) curriculum or strategies in your classroom or school building? Please take a moment to apply to be on our SEL steering committee by Friday, December 3rd. We are looking for certified, classified and administrators to serve on the team. Student and family input will be part of the process as well. We will meet monthly beginning in mid-December.
From Brad Henry
BLS has an agreement with Bend South and Bend North little leagues to allow them to place a yard sign at the front entrance of our schools each year for a short period of time. They are the only non-District group that actually has permission to do this, and it is in the MOA.
This year, Brad Henry gave them permission to place a sign for two weeks between Thanksgiving and the holiday break. In addition they can place a sign from Jan 20 – Feb 28. One sign at each school.
The City may be changing or enforcing their sign ordinance beginning Jan 1, so this could change.
From Human Resources
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Our School District offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to help staff navigate life stressors and/or manage life changing events. The EAP program is administered by Reliant Behavioral Health (RBH). The services they offer at no cost to Bend La-Pine School district staff members (minus substitute teachers) are outlined below.
Portal link: https://portal.bend.k12.or.us/employee-info/content/employee-assistance-program
Portal content:
Bend-La Pine School employees have access to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and Work-Life Services through Uprise Health. This benefit is free and extends to anyone living in the employees home. The following support services are available:
· 24-hour crisis support
· Confidential counseling
· Work-life services, includng finance and legal services
· 24-hour on-demand emotional wellness support
· Peer support groups
· Digital mental health services
Call: 800-395-1616
User access code: OEBB
From Eric Powell
From Monday’s meeting:
Here is the link to the BLS Restorative Practices Admin. Support sheet (which includes many helpful links including the STAS 101 document). I also placed the link under the Safety page.
BLS RP Link
This just in: HB 3294 Toolkit
With the passing of the Menstrual Dignity Act by the 2021 Oregon Legislature and Governor Brown, Oregon is the first state to have legislation requiring free menstrual products in every student bathroom in all schools. In order to honor the needs of all menstruating students and the districts who serve them, ODE has created this toolkit which provides information on the requirements of this law, equity-centric recommendations, and resources to consider when building district and school-wide implementation plans, teams, and when purchasing physical dispensers and products. Ideally this toolkit would have arrived prior to the installation of the dispensers at your school – very unfortunate. We will be discussing the use of the toolkit and make some recommendations for how to use it. For now please do not send the letters linked within.
Reminders
From Julianne Repman
C19 Code Synergy and Attendance Reminder
When a student is quarantined, the office will place a C19 on the school days that fall during a quarantine. The C19 code is an excused absence. If the quarantine extends past 10 days, the student will need to be inactivated.
HOWEVER…
If the student attends class virtually, the attendance office may enter PVQ. Present Virtual Quarantine (PVQ) is a School Activity code that does not generate an all-day value. This code may be used before 10 consecutive absent days.
Teachers will not have access to C19 or PVQ. Only the office staff will have the ability to enter these codes.
A suggestion from Rachel Mavis: If a student would like to attend class(es) virtually, a counselor or teacher may call the student and parent to arrange a plan for the student to attend virtually. The student and parent need to know the expectations regarding virtual attendance. Then the counselor or teacher may work with the office staff on the dates for the PVQ code.
Calendar
M.S. Horizontal Meeting Schedule
- November 22-26 No School
- December 2 Middle School Principals (only) Breakfast 7:30-9:00 @The Original Pancake House 1025 SW Donovan Ave, Bend. (RSVP thanks)
- December 13-Horizontal Meeting 7:30-9:00 @Sky View Middle School-Here is the Draft Agenda
- January 1st-SLGGS Due
Fish On…
