Here is an article that you might want to read (if you haven’t already). This is from OPB and relates to recent communication (this week) around ED approving ODE’s assessment amended waiver request. There are not a lot of specifics shared here. All indications are also that the assessments will be much shorter than normal. You’ll see at the end of the article that one district (Ashland) is going with the approach of having parents “opt-in” rather than “opt-out” as is required. At this point, BLS is not considering this approach… so plan on our normal “opt-out” approach we’ve been taking.
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Last week I included this request to share with your parents. I’m including it here again as I’m also including the Spanish version of the letter
In a recent, previous, blog I shared a return to athletics medical clearance informational letter with you (after a positive COVID result). That form has been updated and I’ve been asked to share this update with you and ask that you also share it with your families in a future communication. Here is the English version of this letter. Here is the Spanish version.
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Here is an important reminder from Scott! Please share it with your staff and ask them to let him know if they are interested:
Here is a link to the ECS curriculum and the sample course description for course catalogs.http://www.exploringcs.org/for-teachers-districts
| For Teachers & Districts – Exploring Computer Science: NEW! Unit 5 or 6 Alternative: Artificial Intelligence Students gain an understanding of AI terminology while considering AI’s social, moral, and ethical impacts. Students design smart cities, homes, and schools and learn to build, train, and test an AI system through a NVIDIA platform.www.exploringcs.org |
Here is the sample course description: Think-Make-Explore Computer Science: Computer Science For All and Exploring Computer Science: This class is for everyone – no experience needed. Sign up with a friend! There are lots of opportunities to learn together. Make web pages, design your own program, design and control devices, learn what artificial intelligence is and why you care, understand how data is captured and used, learn how technology influences your life experience, investigate how technology impacts society, and create your own new technologies instead of being consumed by others’ creations.
Computer Science is changing everything. Entertainment, medicine, transportation, communication, public policy, agriculture, fashion, art, energy, society, and design all rely on computer science. Be part of that change, and have fun doing it!
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Information:
Equity Updates from Kinsey:
Pronoun communication:
In the staff Spotlight newsletter next week, we will share this communication. This is an FYI, so that you have the info in advance. This is not required of anyone, but if you’re interested in modeling this inclusive practice yourself before it goes out to all staff, the bottom of the document can help you update your signature.
Equity lens:
This time of year brings lots of opportunities to make important decisions. Here is our district Equity Lens (special thanks to Matt Fox’s students for the design of this document!). We will use these questions during our April 28 admin Equity PD session, but feel free to use them before then, too. Consider discussing each question with your team (an interview panel, your master scheduling team, etc) as you make decisions together in the upcoming weeks.
New sign:
On this document, see top of page 2 for a picture of the new sign that you’re getting (and why you’re getting it). Just a heads-up that manufacturing is complete and they are on their way–yours should be delivered before the end of April! LEAD Cohort members or Language Specialists can help your office team find a great spot for it in your front entry. Reach out to Kinsey if you have questions about any of this info!
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From Alandra: Reminder on Elected Officials and Candidates in our schools: If an elected official would like to visit your school or speak with a class, please send them to Alandra or Julianne before you confirm the visit. Please also ask clubs and classes who would like to host elected officials or candidates for elected office to run the visits through the Comms Dept. first. A lot of unintended consequences.
In advance of the May election, this is also a great time to share and review our handy dandy Election Guidance document, which outlines key dos and dont’s for public employees related to elections. Please share this resource with your staff.
When staff members visit another school, they need to: Enter through the front door; sign in; wear their badge in a visible place. This is especially important because, with masks, it can be harder to identify even staff that are familiar. Let me (Alandra) know if you have any questions!
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From Dana: Homeless Student Enrollment: A question came up recently regarding timeframes for enrolling students with an IEP who qualify for services under the McKinney-Vento Act. Below is the clarification Sandy Schmidt, our new Homeless liaison, received from Dona Bolt at ODE:
The McKinney-Vento Act supersedes federal, state, and local laws, including IDEA, in the provision of immediate enrollment for homeless students. The McKinney-Vento Act requires districts and schools to immediately enroll eligible students, regardless of whether they lack records, immunizations, etc., and there are no exceptions for students on IEPs. There are even higher expectations for districts with MV subgrants, such as Bend-La Pine SD Schools, that their schools support compliance with the MV Act.
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Paul shared this information in an email earlier this week.
Instructional Programs
We know that many people rely upon outside speakers to provide real-world context to course content. We want virtual tools like WebEx to be the primary option for speakers to engage with our students. In unique situations where the instructional needs require an onsite demonstration, building leaders can approve speakers to meet outside with students while maintaining normal safety measures.
Some examples of when this might be appropriate:
- A K-9 demonstration with law enforcement partners
- High school AP physics students teaching a science lesson to a MS/ES class (in outdoor classroom space)
- A botanist visiting a school garden
We still want to restrict non essential visitors so parent volunteers are not allowed at this time during normal school hours.
Community Gatherings After Hours In Our Schools
We are getting lots of questions regarding sports banquets, awards celebrations and other school-specific gatherings. Since these events occur outside of the instructional day, we have to refer to the County Risk Sector Guidance instead of RSSL.
This chart is a great overview of the limits placed on gathering sizes and is based upon Deschutes County COVID infection rate. On Friday, our county is moving from the Moderate to the High category. The next county reset will be released on Tuesday, April 20th and effective on Friday, April 23rd (it resets every 2 weeks).
To assist in interpreting the chart, as of Friday, outdoor gatherings in Deschutes County are limited to 15% of outdoor occupancy limits and indoor limits are a maximum of 25% occupancy or 50 people, whichever is smaller. Since most of our indoor cafeterias, gyms and auditoriums have large occupancy capacity, in most situations you’ll be limited to no more than 50 total people for an indoor event. Click here for steps to determine outdoor occupancy
BLS recommends that events be planned for outdoors and then move indoors should the weather require it. For both indoor and outdoor events, BLS requires that:
- No serving of food/drink is permitted
- Events be coordinated so that there is no overlapping use of spaces with sports/other activities
- Custodians be involved so that they are aware of cleaning needs
- A specific person is responsible that all COVID-19 safety measures are met
Fundraising
As you know, we have had strict limits on fundraising this school year. As of May 1, we are allowing school groups to fundraise once again. Please encourage your groups to be extra sensitive in their promotions as many people are still feeling financial impacts from the pandemic.
Calendar:
Graduation WebEx: Monday, April 12@ 1:30
HS Administrator WebEx: Tuesday, April 13@2:30
Interview for LPHS Principal position – All day; Community Forum at 4:15
Next Friday is a non-work day (as trade-off for evening conferences).