This and That:
Scoop on Schools: It was great to have families back in our building for Scoop on Schools this year. THANK YOU to everyone for all of your extra time and energy in supporting the event, and an extra big THANK YOU to Olivia for all of her work in making this what I am estimating as our best-attended Scoop on Schools. And one more THANK YOU to Chris for all the love and details that made the event extra special.
Bus Evacuation Drill: Every class will participate in a bus evacuation drill between 9:30-10:30. We will send more details early this week.
Conferences: Conferences are coming quickly! Here are a few details:
Schedule:
- Wednesday, 10/19 – No Students/ Teacher Work Day (8-4), Conferences (4-8)
- Thursday, 10/20 – No Students/ Conferences (8-8)
- Friday, 10/21 – No Students/ No Teachers/ Day off to compensate for two 12-hour days
Other Important Dates:
- Tuesday, 10/4 – Office will have letters to parents in your box to send home ON THIS DAY
- Friday, 10/7 – Conference forms should be returned by families
- Before Monday, 10/10 – All families that require an interpreter will be scheduled
- Monday 10/10 – Sibling Scheduling – Come with blank schedules (other than conferences with interpreters)
- Thursday, 10/13 – Time confirmation notes should be sent by this date.
Other details:
- Plan for 30-minute conferences – longer as needed.
- Families will have the option of Webex to support families with busy schedules, work, and daycare issues.
Bias Incident Student Lessons (From Kinsey): As you lead the Bias Incident Student Lesson in your buildings, you will have the opportunity to engage with some families in dialogue about the ‘why’ of this work. Here are some tips and resources:
- Remember, our Equity Stance has language you can pull from to respond
- Remind families they are invited to share their thoughts (positive ones, too!) via the feedback form linked in the letter they received. Staff are welcome to use that form as well to share how it went in their classrooms.
- If you get anyone particularly persistent or upset, please let your administrative staff know. They are happy to talk with them or work in partnership with you.
Reading Intervention: Reading groups are starting on Monday, 10/3. Thanks in advance for your patience as we work out the kinks. Please let us know what’s working and ideas for next steps. Please ensure that you are not doing any core foundational skills while your students are out of the room for intervention. Please see Olivia or Anna Schmitt if you need ideas for what that time could look like.
Canva (From Instructional Technology): Canva for Education (not to be confused with Canvas) is now available for all teachers and students. Canva is an online design and publishing tool that provides templates for easy-to-create presentations, posters, documents, and other types of visual content. This PDF explains how to access and login into your Canva for Education account. If you need support with Canva for Education, please contact Tracy Howk, Robbie Faith, or Austin James.
Education Foundation Grants: Deadline Approaching: With a brand-new school year, excitement is in the air! We know our K-12 educators are working hard planning, developing, and executing stellar programs and curriculum for Bend-La Pine students. To help with that, we are offering our 2022 Back-to-School Classroom Grant opportunity for funding. Please see the attached Classroom Grant Information and Classroom Grant Application which can also be found on our website. We understand that the first few weeks of school are busy, so the deadline for applications is Friday, October 14, 2022, and all application requests must be emailed to our office at this address: [email protected]
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 has invested over $2.1 million into local schools through endowments, special projects, and our main programs. For more information about the Education Foundation, please visit our website at https://engagedminds.org/testimonials/classroom-grants/
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or our Program Coordinator Jessie Norman at [email protected]. We look forward to receiving your applications and continuing to help make opportunities possible for our students and teachers!
State of the Schools (From Alandra): Staff members are invited to tune in to one of two presentations by Superintendent Cook on Thursday, October 6. He will share information about the state of our schools as well as information about the upcoming construction bond on the November ballot. Tune in at 8 a.m. or 2:30 p.m. If time allows, Dr. Cook will also answer questions from staff. Submit a question in advance using this form. For those that can’t make it, we will record the presentation and share it at a later date. If your school is interested in having Dr. Cook share a presentation in person, please reach out to Marta Broberg, and we will gladly add you to the schedule. Thanks!
Nursing Staff on Field Trips (From Tami Pike) For students needing nursing support during a field trip, please complete the Medical Request for Direct Care Nursing for Off-Campus Fieldtrip form and send it to Tami Pike at least 2 weeks before the trip. Due to nurse scheduling, requests submitted less than 14 days before the event may be denied due to staffing.
SIW: This is an “A” week for Wednesday specials. Our SIW this week is “school discretion,” so it will be grade-level team time. Please plan on meeting with your team for at least 90 minutes on whatever topics are the highest priorities for your team. Please add foundational skills instruction to your agenda and take a little time to share what is working well and any questions or challenges each of you has.
Monday Staff Meeting Agenda: The meeting will start at 2:30 in the media center. Darlene Becker, our behavior coach, and Mary Dean will be training on “Ready to Learn” kits.
Focus on Excellence and Equity:
*TLC Update: Here is a link to the 9/14 TLC Update.
COVID & Safety Related Information:
*EME Safety Concern Form: Link here. You can use this form to report any safety concerns – big or small. Please use this form or talk directly with Frank or Kelle.
To Do:
Parent Volunteers: Before a volunteer can begin, you will need to get official confirmation from Cindy or Chris that the parent has passed the background check. Once they say yes, you will need to add them to this weekly google document letting us know who to expect each day.
Conferences: Be sure to send home the office-provided conference notes on Tuesday, 10/2. See above for more information.
Family Connection Phone Calls: Classroom teachers – be sure to turn in a timesheet by the end of the day on Monday, 10/3, for the number of hours above 4 hours that you spend on family connection phone calls in August and September.
Important Dates:
- Monday: Reading Intervention groups begin for grades 1-5, Staff meeting
- Tuesday: Send home conference letter, ICCL Training
- Wednesday: SIW= School Discretion/ Grade level team time
- Thursday: Bus Evacuation Drill (more details coming soon), State of the Schools Presentations w/ Dr. Cook (optional)