To Do:
Communicate to parents and students that the ACT will be hosted at Summit HS April 2: Reno sent out information to HS admin this week about the testing opportunity open to all juniors. The building administrator who oversees testing should attend a mandatory WebEx meeting in Katie’s room Monday, Jan 31 at 9:00am.
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The Removal of Appendix A and the new return to school policy – This week, the school board voted to remove Appendix A per the recommendation of Dr. Cook. Please reach out if you have questions about implementation.
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Attend the State of Schools Retreat–February 4, from 9:00-12:00 The MS and HS teams will be meeting at Bend High School in Perseverance Hall (the new building in the back by the Tech Center). The format will be similar to the work we did at SVMS last year: meet in groups with facilitators, WebEx to all rooms/locations, have breakout activities to do together, etc.
Please be sure to bring your leadership notebook to this meeting as there will be a few opportunities to reflect and write down your thinking, as well as your computer to look up information. You will be leaving with a boxed lunch to take with you and enjoy. For more information on future sessions, long term vision, plan and please refer to Lora’s email she sent earlier this week.
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Information:
FROM BEA (SARAH BARCLAY) Equitable Grading Practices: As everyone knows Bend-La Pine Schools has been moving through a process, in collaboration with BEA, to examine best practices in grading at the secondary level. OEA has also been exploring this topic of discussion and we wanted to ensure that all BEA members were aware of some available resources.
Grading for Equity Book Study Flier: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J7d4MjAPOPuPsrQJRAvVc8ZfuIPzHMnj/view?usp=sharing (This is the same book the BLS Equitable Grading Think Tank has been using to guide their work!)
Rethinking Grading Webinar Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl3_0SNHqpE
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From Lora Nordquist: Please share the message with all staff:
Bend-La Pine Schools Staff: A number of you have reached out with questions about whether Bend-La Pine Schools will continue with summer programming for students this summer. The answer is “yes”! We are currently identifying an administrative lead for the program and hope to get out information soon about certified and classified positions available. The dates for this summer are August 1-19, Monday through Friday. Both part-time and full-time positions will be available.
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From Jennifer Hauth – National School Counseling Week 2022 is Feb. 7-11, to focus public attention on the unique contribution of school counselors within U.S. school systems. National School Counseling Week, sponsored by ASCA, highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career. National School Counseling Week is always celebrated the first full week in February.
I have had posters and certificates made for each school counselor in your building, serving in a traditional school counseling role. Please take a moment on February 4th-7th to present the certificates and posters to your school counselors, thanking them for all that they do.
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Student Success Program Update from Jennifer Hauth: I have received a few questions regarding grades for students enrolled in the Student Success course. While Student Success is designed as an intervention and not a course, I realize there were a few instances where this was needed. Since this intervention is not a course in most applications, please make sure when assigning grades for this semester that your SSC/SSIs use a P for Pass or NG for No Grade. We will discuss this process during our BRYT admin lead training on Tuesday, February 1st. Please reach out with any questions.
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From Paul Dean: Classified Job Postings and Hiring Update for Temporary Positions
We are closely approaching the date when some temporary classified new hires will not be eligible for benefits and be excluded from the bargaining unit because their employment in 2021-22 will be less than 80 days. HR will be editing temporary job postings to reflect when 80-day employment window ensues (see this link for the impacted jobs and dates).
It is very important for administrators/supervisors involved in offering jobs to new temporary hires after these dates that these prospective employees are aware of the non-benefited status of their position before they accept the offer of employment.
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Announcement from College Board regarding changes to the SAT:
The College Board recently made the announcement related to welcome changes to the SAT. The SAT will be delivered in an all-digital format starting in Spring of 2024 (Class of 2025) in the United States (and in Spring 2023 internationally). Testing will continue to be available via SAT School Day and at testing centers. At-home testing will not be available. Other changes include the following:
- Adaptive test: Each test section will be divided into two parts called modules. The questions students are given in the second module depend on performance with the first module.
- Shorter test: The test will be shortened to two hours, with more time per question
- Shorter reading passages, with one question tied to each
- Calculators will be allowed on the entire math section
- Scores will be available in days instead of weeks
- Digital PSAT will be available in Fall of 2023 to give the Class of 2025 a chance to practice in the digital format before taking the SAT in the Spring.
Read the full story here. Additional information and an FAQ about the changes can be found here. I’m most intrigued by the adaptive feature of the test, which allows a 3.5 hour test to drop down to 2 hours!
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Note from Jackie Wilson regarding sustainability efforts in your schools and the district. Check out the most recent information here. Hey Title schools–there is a great idea for a family engagement activity you could develop for your school!
Calendar:
HERE is the calendar for meetings for the year
Here is a sample Learning Walk schedule you can use as a guide to plan that visit.
- January 31 – ACT WebEx for Testing Administrators – KT’s WebEx room @ 9:00am
- February 1 – MS and HS BRYT Admin Lead work session with BRYT partners @ Ed Center, Room 314 (Board Room) 8:00-10:00am – breakfast and coffee provided
- February 4 – State of Schools – 9-12, Perseverance Hall, Bend High School
- February 7 – SLGG’s and your Self Reflection due (moved both back to account for the Canvas/Synergy clean up).
Reminder: complete your work calendars. If you need assistance please contact April Jorgenson.