To Do:
Please share this special invite is for any of your staff working with BRYT including building administrators AND district administrators: Our friends at BRYT have been able to pull together an opportunity for you to hear directly from one of their model BRYT high schools. I hope you are able to participate. Here are the details:
Westborough (MA) High School and the BRYT team invite Bend-La Pine educators to a one hour virtual visit to Westborough High’s Center for Student Success (BRYT-model program) on Tuesday, January 26 from 8:00 to 9:00 am PST.
The BRYT team continues Westborough High’s Center for Student Success (CSS) to be one of the highest-performing and most innovative programs in the BRYT network—among many innovations, CSS has worked systematically to develop a shared framework and language about mental health, based in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), across the whole school. This visit will provide interested district and school leaders, counselors, student success instructors and other Bend-La Pine stakeholders with:
· An overview of CCS and virtual tour of the CSS room at WHS
· Breakout groups:
o administrators with Brian Callaghan, Westborough High’s principal
o direct service staff with Courtney Balacco and Stephanie Glenn, CSS social workers
· Final wrap-up all together
This virtual visit will happen on Zoom; meeting information below. Please email Amy Stafford ([email protected]) no later than Monday evening to RSVP for this virtual visit.
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://zoom.us/j/98417083167?pwd=aHZOd1p5WXcxTmgrM3VMcjgzZE5OUT09
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
You might want to take a look at the Willamette ESD Reopening Metric Dashboard. Select Deschutes County to review our area.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
As you plan for orientation during the week of Feb 1, consider what schedule of classes you want students to follow during their orientation day. Because it is the end of the semester, student schedules will still show classes in which they are currently enrolled. If you’d like students to attend their second semester classes then know that these will not be the courses appearing in Synergy during that week. You will need to communicate clearly with students where you want them to go that day!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Please share with your staff these important notes from Tami:
Quarantine Time Change: Quarantine time has changed from 14-days to 10-days when an individual has been exposed to a positive COVID-19 case.
COVID-19 Notification Process in Schools: Notification of a positive COVID-19 case (in a school building) will be sent out to parents and school staff within 24 hours of case confirmation. A separate communication will be sent to parents in cohorts affected by the case. Information in this communication will include quarantine instructions (if warranted).
Attendance Voice Mail Messaging: To help track illnesses, we are encouraging schools to add the following to their attendance phone line recordings:
“To help with illness tracking in our schools, please include any illness symptoms your student has when reporting your student absence.“
Nurses have been receiving some push back from school offices who do not want to change their current attendance recordings. If we could have (at least some) parents indicate what their student symptoms are, this would help reduce the number of calls our nurses would have to make to parents regarding why their students were out. If a student is out due to tooth pain or broken bone, a nurse would not need to make a phone call to that parent because they would have indicated the reason/symptom (hopefully). It will save time.
*Please continue to complete the staff absence report form for any staff that are out due to COVID illness symptoms so that one of our district nurses can follow up and provide further guidance.
Schools Wanting to Order KN95 Masks for Staff: Ordering KN95/N95/Medical grade masks for your school staff may not be a good idea (and it is not necessary for school staff).
- On average, staff will need 5 masks per month. Are you prepared to continue to replenish these supplies on regular, monthly basis? We are not sure how long this pandemic will continue. What happens if PPE supplies nationwide run low (which some supplies already are) and masks aren’t available? Staff will be upset and fear that they are not adequately protected when the CDC and RSSL Guidelines did not indicate that masks were needed for all staff to begin with?
- Can you guarantee that these KN95 masks are FDA approved medical grade masks?
Continued education and staff reassurance for COVID safety is something we need to continue doing.
Please make sure your staff knows that the district provides masks for them, that they have been delivered to your buildings and where they can access them if they need one. We are still hearing from staff that they believe we are not providing masks and they have to use their personal money to purchase them.
For students who cannot wear masks in the general education setting….For students who are unable to wear a mask (due to a disability and/or medical condition), precautions need to be taken for the student to safely be in the general education classroom. For example, students who cannot wear a mask should have an area designated in the classroom specifically for their desk (such as the back of the classroom, near a window, with plexi glass surrounding their desk). Extra precautions should be taken to ensure that the student remains clear of other students while waiting in line to go out to recess, bathroom, etc.
Our district has a large supply of PPE, specifically masks and gloves, available for you to request. You should have enough RSSL-approved PPE to provide for every staff member in your building that is needing it. Many of you have already accessed this and have adequate supply on hand. If you haven’t yet, please work with your Office Manager to request what you need. Please make sure your staff understands that the district will supply their mask AND that they know how to get one if they need it.
Safety videos for students and staff should be completed by this Friday, Jan 22, and posted to your website early next week. Use Paul’s check sheet for content of the video.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I suggest you review our Supervisor’s Guidelines one more time. This is a document meant to help you think through your responsibilities at school related to Covid-related requirements and safety. You’ve seen it before, but it may be helpful to review it again so these are fresh on your mind.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Calendar:
Next week and the following week (weeks Jan 25 and Feb 1) are asynchronous weeks for students, as teachers prepare for orientation week Feb. 1 and Hybrid Feb 8.
Next Tuesday, Jan 27, is a MAC Survey day.
Thursday, Jan 28 at 1:00 is our next HS Administrator WebEx