This and That:
Staffing: A couple of staffing updates:
- Therese Cummins will be filling-in while Melinda is out. Therese has many years of experience as an ESL teacher, mentor, and coach in Louisiana. Please be sure to use Linguist Link for support with translation and interpretation needs. Liz Vargas is available to help with more complex situations – here is a reminder of some of the ways our liaisons should and shouldn’t be utiliized.
- We help office manager interviews last Thursday evening and hope to have that process wrapped up this week.
Conferences: Thank you for your patience with waiting for information regarding conferences. I have been waiting for a “final” answer regarding format: in-person or digital. Although we don’t have a 100% answer from the district, here is our Elk Meadow plan:
- We will be moving forward with planning for digital conferences for every family. Unless there is a barrier for the family that we are unable to remove, all of these should be via WebEx and not telephone.
- Please schedule for a minimum of 20 minutes for “easier” conferences and 30+ minutes for those conferences that need a little more time.
- Because we will likely not be hosting in-person conferences, we will not need to hold a sibling scheduling session.
- You are welcome to hold your conferences from school or home (if you have a reliable internet connection).
- If we are told in the next few weeks that we can hold in-person conferences, I will allow staff to determine which, if any, conferences they would like to hold in-person.
Halloween/ Fall Celebrations: As you are probably aware, Halloween falls on the Sunday after conferences this year. The last day with kids that week will be Tuesday, October 26th. After speaking with several of you, here is our plan:
- Students will be welcome to wear their costumes to school on Tuesday 10/26. We won’t have students change into their costume at school.
- Weather permitting, we might have a costume parade outside. Stay tuned.
- Costumes should NOT include masks, weapons (even pretend weapons), excessive make-up, blood, gore, or anything of a scary nature. Students will still be expected to go outside for recess, so please be sure they are ready for whatever the weather may bring.
- Please decide as a grade-level team if you will be hosting a party (zero pressure from me), other type of fun event (fall art project, M&M math, movie, etc…) or nothing at all. These events should be on 10/26 and not on 11/1.
- If you have any Jehovah Witness students in your class, please consider how they can be be included the activities that you might host. If you aren’t sure, consider calling their family for advice.
SIW Schedule: SIW this week is School Discretion and will be team time – your team’s discretion. The following Wednesday 10/13 will be the first of the Educator Network series (formerly called District SIW). Please see the email from Julie Walker on Friday 10/1 about how to sign-up.
Staff Meeting: At our staff meeting this week, we will be covering a couple of required trainings (Civil Rights and Standard Response Protocols) and talking about some of our PBIS systems for the year.
Master Schedule Updates: Classroom teachers – thank you for updating the master schedule with your schedule for the year. I will be starting mini observations this week and as part of the debrief, we will also review your schedule together.
Ed Foundation Grants (From the Ed. Foundation): With a new school year, excitement is in the air! We know you are working hard planning, developing, and executing stellar programs and curriculum for all Bend-La Pine students. To help with that, we are offering Classroom Grant opportunities. Please see the attached Classroom Grant Information and Classroom Grant Application. Since we know the first few weeks of school are busy, we have extended the deadline for applications to Friday, October 15, 2021, at 5:00.
For those of you new to Bend-La Pine Schools, the Education Foundation for Bend-La Pine Schools is an independent non-profit 501(c)3 that has aided local schools since 1988. Our mission is to prepare our students for success and the future through educational and extra-curricular opportunities. Since 2003, the Education Foundation for Bend-La Pine Schools has invested over $1.6 million into local schools through endowments, special projects, and our main programs. For more information about the Education Foundation, please visit our website www.engagedminds.org.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at [email protected] We look forward to receiving your applications and continuing to help make opportunities possible.
Educator Wellness Book Study: The Culture of Care team is also hosting two book studies over the 2021-22 school year for individuals working in education. You may sign up for one or both read-alongs. Click here for more information.
Teaching and Learning:
TLC Update: Here is a link to this week’s TLC Update. A couple of highlights to check out: “Ready, Set, Go” supports, continuous blending supports for grade 2, and Math Learning Center/ Bridges apps.
Hispanic Heritage Month: I have seen some really cool activities and connections to Hispanic Heritage Month happening in classrooms! As many of you know, approximately 14% of our population identifies as Hispanic, so I am appreciative of your efforts to help our all of our students to feel seen and valued at Elk Meadow. If you would like a few more ideas, Stephanie shared this great link with a broad range of activities for some more ideas.
COVID/ Safety Related Information:
COVID Resources Update: Below are some COVID-related resources that will repeat in each of our newsletters for easy access.
- Flowchart for COVID-19 Questions and Concerns: Please follow this flowchart. If in doubt about what to do, you can always check with Frank or Kelle. Frank is our Safety Team Lead, and Ann Hollenberg is our School Nurse.
- BLS Return to School Website: – There is A LOT of great information on this webpage including quarantine and isolation information for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.
- EME COVID Anonymous Safety Concern Form: Link here.
To Do:
Educator Network Sign-Ups: Julie Walker sent an email on Friday 10/1 with information about how to sign-up for the Educator Network Series (the old “district SIW”. Please find this email and register this week. Some positions have required training and some positions have choices. Please reach out for support if you are unsure about the requirements for your position. Our educational assistants are also welcome to register.
Bus Evacuation (From Tina in Transportation): It is time for bus evacuation drills at your school. To keep things as simple as possible, we will use the same format as last year. Please have teachers play the video below for their students. Students who ride the bus will receive extra training from their driver; you may see a small delay in the morning as they exit the bus. Here is the link to the video **Note from Kelle: please share with your class this week and send Sue an email letting her know it was completed.**
Sub Folders: All Staff- please ensure your sub folder is up-to-date (Sue keeps all folders in the office).
Committee Sign-ups: If you haven’t already signed-up, please do so before Wednesday 10/6. The committees in black do not need any more people to sign-up. Committees in red can add anyone who would like to join. Please sign-up here.
Important Dates:
- SIW Schedule for the year
- Tuesday: Staff meeting,
- Wednesday: SIW,
- Thursday: Core EBISS team,