Month: February 2023

Greetings!
I hope you had wonderful, chilly winter weekend! All the hard work of getting kiddos ready for the big show is coming to fruition this Wednesday! It’s a messy business, but it all comes together! A HUGE thanks on behalf of the kids for all you have done to make this happen, it’s a big moment for all of them!

It was a crazy, busy short week last week and I know we all felt it–BIG TIME! Thanks for all your hard work!

A few notes to get you going:
1) Lindsey and I are feeling pretty confident about most of the acts at this point, and we agree that we don’t really need the rehearsal time on Monday afternoon for the Variety Show–except for groups who had part of their troupe out sick or away last week. So instead of practice, let’s do Invitations and Lindsey and I will pull any groups that may need to do a run through. I’ve updated the Invitations google doc and it’s ready to be filled out at lunch.

2) After Grade 3 Community Time we will have Dress Rehearsal on Tuesday morning. This usually takes most of the morning, so plan accordingly. We’ll share a start time with you on Monday.

Also, let’s have a short meeting after school on Tuesday to sort out responsibilities at the show. 2:45 in Brian’s room.

3) On Wednesday, as soon as students are gone we will load up all the props for the show and shuttle them over to Bend High. We’ll unload them there and then you will all have a few hours to yourselves. We’ll meet back at Bend High at 5pm, and doors open at 5:30pm. We’ll start the show promptly at 6pm.

4) Wheel of Talent on Thursday morning. Grade 4 will lead a mini Community Time and then we’ll spend the first part of the morning enjoying abbreviated versions of the Variety show acts. There’s nothing you need to do to prepare for this, just leave Thursday AM open. It’s a great way to slow roll the day after the show!

5) Reminder about baskets for the auction–your class lead should have reached out to the class AGAIN by now, and it would be great if you share the info in your parent notes for the next few weeks:

For those new to Amity (meaning haven’t been through an auction season yet), each year we assign a theme to each class for the creation of a basket . This doesn’t require much from you other than continuing to promote contributions to the basket by families. Each year this yields really awesome baskets for the auction! I will be asking your Class Lead to support this effort and I will be unveiling the themes to parents early this week. We will provide a collection box for you to keep in your room. Here are the themes for each class:
K: Arts and Crafts
Grade 1: Camping
Grade 2: Pamper yourself
Grade 3: Game night
Grade 4: Keepin’ It Local
Grade 5: Get outside/Sports and games

6) I am being called to several meetings this week so I will be away from school a bit:
*Monday, 8:30-9:30am
*Friday, all day

Upcoming
March 1: Variety Show! 5:30pm at Bend High
March 18: Auction

March arrives this week…yikes! Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

Greetings!
I hope you had a great 3 day weekend–seems like the timing was perfect! We’ve got a few busy weeks ahead with the info meetings this week and the Variety Show next week! I know the show prep is taking all the energy you can muster at the moment, and I (on behalf of the kiddos) truly appreciate all you are doing!

A few notes to get you going:
1) Please be sure you have read the email regarding show prep–I sent it on Friday.

2) Lottery Info meetings on Wednesday at 2pm and 5:30pm. Teachers should plan to be at both meetings. If you are not able to be at both meetings please come chat with me.

3) Staff Appreciation Breakfast (hosted by the district) is this Thursday starting at 7:15am. As a small school we are also able to include the kids so I will send out a note to parents letting them know they can join starting at 7:30am.

3) If you haven’t had a chance to take the Oregon Statewide Educator Survey here is a reminder: You all should have received an email from Steve Cook regarding the survey. The district is greatly in need of your feedback as they grapple with lots of very challenging issues in our schools. Also, I know there are a lot of concerns about the state of our schools and this is a really good opportunity to have your input count!

I sent the following link and token in an email on Feb 15:
DIRECT SURVEY LINK: https://rezed.io/1NMPF1
ACCESS TOKEN: 1NMPF1

4) Reminder about baskets for the auction–your class lead should have reached out to the class by now, and it would be great if you share the info in your parent notes for the next few weeks:

For those new to Amity (meaning haven’t been through an auction season yet), each year we assign a theme to each class for the creation of a basket . This doesn’t require much from you other than continuing to promote contributions to the basket by families. Each year this yields really awesome baskets for the auction! I will be asking your Class Lead to support this effort and I will be unveiling the themes to parents early this week. We will provide a collection box for you to keep in your room. Here are the themes for each class:
K: Arts and Crafts
Grade 1: Camping
Grade 2: Pamper yourself
Grade 3: Game night
Grade 4: Keepin’ It Local
Grade 5: Get outside/Sports and games

Upcoming
February 21: Staff Meeting, 2:45pm
February 22: Amity info meetings for lottery, 2:00 and 5:30pm
February 23: Staff Appreciation Breakfast, 7:15am
February 23: FOA Fundraiser at MOD Pizza
March 1: Variety Show! 5:30pm at Bend High
March 18: Auction

Next week is already March…yikes! Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

Greetings All!
I hope you had a fantastic weekend. There’s been a lot going on at school these days and I hope the weekend helped you to refuel! It’s looking like it’s going to be a fun-filled, energetic, and busy Spring! Yahoo!

A HUGE congratulations to Frans who got married over the weekend!!! We are so happy for you Frans!

A few notes to get you going:
1) SIW is Educator Network. Have you signed up yet?

2) Basket Themes for the auction: For those new to Amity (meaning haven’t been through an auction season yet), each year we assign a theme to each class for the creation of a basket . This doesn’t require much from you other than continuing to promote contributions to the basket by families. Each year this yields really awesome baskets for the auction! I will be asking your Class Lead to support this effort and I will be unveiling the themes to parents early this week. We will provide a collection box for you to keep in your room. Here are the themes for each class:
K: Arts and Crafts
Grade 1: Camping
Grade 2: Pamper yourself
Grade 3: Game night
Grade 4: Keepin’ It Local
Grade 5: Get outside/Sports and games

3) Oregon Statewide Educator Survey. You all should have received an email from Steve Cook regarding the survey. The district is greatly in need of your feedback as they grapple with lots of very challenging issues in our schools. I will send out tokens for the survey soon, be on the look out!

4) A note from the district: Certified teachers: Interested in getting your ESOL endorsement for free?  Bend-La Pine Schools has a partnership with OSU to cover all tuition and costs associated with ESOL certification.  Our goal is to increase the number of classroom teachers who are highly-trained in supporting culturally- and linguistically-diverse learners and families.  We have had several cohorts of teachers selected for this opportunity in prior years, who have earned their ESOL endorsement with no cost, moved over on the pay scale, and are better equipped to serve our students and families!

If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, you must applyby April 3.  Additional details here.  

5) Variety Show practice continues. We’ve got a little more than 2 weeks to go! We’ll have a dress rehearsal Monday, Feb 27 in the afternoon–I’ll confirm details soon. This will give us that Tuesday to make adjustments and finalize the program.

6) I have an admin meeting on Monday at 3pm so I’ll be leaving shortly after school gets out.

Upcoming
February 15: Educator Network for SIW–sign ups coming soon
February 22: Amity info meetings for lottery, 2:00 and 5:30pm
February 23: FOA Fundraiser at MOD Pizza
March 1: Variety Show! 5:30pm at Bend High
March 18: Auction

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

Greetings All!
Hoping you had a great weekend. Last week was a nice “break” from the normal routine–I especially appreciated our conversation on Thursday about Black History Month/diversity and inclusion and how we are striving to find ways to integrate it all together in our daily lives at school. A conversation that will evolve over time–thanks for the open and honest conversation! I also loved being out in the woods with all of you and taking time to celebrate Brad, what a great time!

As I mentioned last week, I may be on jury duty this week. I don’t have to go on Monday and I will keep you in the loop day to day. Fingers crossed I don’t have to do it!

A few notes to get you going:
1) Camp Amity this week! We’ll need to get a sack lunch count to Wendy first thing this AM.

2) As discussed on Thursday, our new theme for February is Belonging! Look for books in the staff room soon.

3) SIW this week is school based. Look for an agenda soon.

4) Grade 5 Community Time is officially moved to Friday mornings starting this week! Also, we are adding Variety Show practice on Friday afternoons from 1:50-2:20pm.

6) Parent Listening sessions on Thursday at 5:30pm, and Friday at 8:30am. We have invited parents in to share celebrations and ideas, and ask questions. The sessions will be lead by Casey (Taran’s mom) and Lily (Sam and Walt’s mom). We did this a few years back and it was really informative, and brought forth some new ideas.

7) Help! Please take a few minutes on Monday to chat with your classes and remind them about a few important things:
*Walking in the hallways. We have lots and lots of kiddos sprinting down the hallways–it’s dangerous. This is primarily happening at the beginning of Choice Times and lunch.
*During lunch recess is not “choice time”–everyone is outside with no indoor option unless it is announced at lunch. Please be sure that everyone has their warm gear outside the classroom ready to put on.

8) Following the incident of someone walking into Amity through the Georgia Street door, a thorough investigation was conducted. This included looking through lots of lots of video of the hallway. One of the things noted by the investigation group is that we have students working and hanging out on the carpeted area by the Georgia Street door–this is considered a danger to exiting the building in case of emergency (materials being used left in the way). A directive following the investigation is that no students are allowed to work or hang out on the carpeted area. I know this is disappointing, but we need to enforce this. Please discuss with your students and share the reasoning with them. Thank you!

Upcoming
February 9: Camp Amity!
February 9: Parent Listening Sessions, 5:30pm
February 10: First AM Grade 5 Community Time
February 10: Parent Listening Sessions, 8:30am
February 15: Educator Network for SIW–sign ups coming soon
February 22: Amity info meetings for lottery, 2:00 and 5:30pm
February 23: FORA Fundraiser at MOD Pizza
March 1: Variety Show!
March 18: Auction

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy