Month: September 2025

School-wide theme: Community (shifting to Problem Solving soon!)

Hey Team,
I hope you had a fantastic weekend! I’ve been spending most of my weekends lately working on a small studio apartment we are creating at my house. This weekend was flooring–every part of my body hurts!

A few notes to get you going…

1) It’s school picture day! Don’t forget to get yours first thing this AM and remember your scheduled time:
8:30-Grade 5
8:50-Kinder
9:35-Grade 2
9:55-Grade 3
10:15-Grade 1
10:35-Grade 4

2) Grade 5 heads off to Tamarack Monday-Wednesday of this week!

3) Singing with Ian begins this week! Here;s the schedule:
Monday
10-10:30 Grade 5 (obviously not this week–Tamarack!)
11:45-12:15 Kinder
12:15-12:45 Grade 3
Friday 
1:05-1:35 Grade 4
1:35-2:05 Grades 1 and 2 (would like to alternate turns)

4) SIW this week is a Teacher Work Day–enjoy the time!

5) Book Fair next week. Below are your times to take your class–like last year you will have a preview on Monday (15-20 mins) and then a specific day for purchasing. Please include this info in your weekly note. All time slots are flexible so if you need to switch just do so with another teacher, but be sure to communicate with families.

Monday (October 6) Preview
8:15 Kinder
8:35 Grade 1
8:55 Grade 2
9:45 Grade 3
10:05 Grade 4
10:25 Grade 5

Purchasing time, directly after Community Time
Tuesday: Kinder and Grade 5
Wednesday: Grade2 1 and 3
Thursday: Grades 2 and 4

6) I need to meet with each of you for a few minutes to do SLGGs. Be on the look out for an email from me and be sure to sign up for a time. Thanks!

7) Also be on the look out for an email related to the Bias lessons that need to be shared with your classes.

8) Tentative Jammie Jam date–November 21. Because FOA is financially very comfortable this year, they’d like for the event to be used to raise money for a local cause-more info to follow. I’m putting out the date now to give you time to share any concerns/issues you may have about the date. I am aware that it is the day before break and that some students will not be present. Any other reason we can’t do it that day?

9) Tentative date for Variety Show: Based on availability, February 26 is looking to be our best bet. We’ve put in a request to reserve the date and are awaiting confirmation. I’ve been in touch with Bend Science Station and they are willing to work with us on scheduling our visits this year so as to avoid scheduling them in February. I’ll touch base with you about your preference for BSS dates soon.

10) Our first Bread and Jam of the year is this Friday.

Upcoming
Sept 29-School Pics, starting at 8:15am
Sept 29-Oct 1-Grade 5 to Tamarack
Oct 3-First Bread and Jam after school
Oct 6–10 Scholastic Book Fair
Oct 18-Harvest Festival, 4-7pm–lots of info going out to parents this week

September/October

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
		3-First Day, dismissal at 2:15pm	4	5
8	9	10-SIW	11-Pancake breakfast, 7:30-8:30am	12-Fire Drill, 9am
15-Bus evacuation drill, 9am DIBELS 12:30-2pm K-2, plus some 3-5) In house ICCL, 2:30	16	17-SIW: TWD Back to School Night-5:30pm	18-Dental Screen, 8:30	20
22-Camp Amity	23-Camp Amity Staff mtg, 2:30pm	24-SIW/TCT	25 Lockdown, 9am	26
29-School pictures Grade 5 to Tamarack	30	Oct 1	Oct 2	Oct 3- Bread and Jam

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

Howdy Campers!
I hope you’re feeling really good about the first few weeks of the school year–from my perspective things are going fantastic, so I hope you’re feeling the same! It’s Camp Amity week!

A few notes to get you going…
1) Camp Monday and Tuesday! Please take a few minutes on Monday morning before camp to go over some of the more important rules for camp–we’ll do a quick(ish) review at camp but I think going over the rules is most effective in smaller groups. Points to cover:
*Nothing goes in the pond–sticks and body parts being the most important
*Camp is supposed to be a ton o’ fun, being inclusive helps the fun
*Gather only things on the ground, no picking of flowers, etc
*Cones are set up to remind kiddos of the boundaries
*We operate on the “leave no trace” ethos–all forts need to be taken apart at the end of both days
*Blankets, towels and tarps are ok, NO toys of any kind (including face paint, walkie talkies, etc)
*All food is to be consumed in the hall

2) Staff meeting on Tuesday at 2:30pm in Brian’s room (we may need to move across the hall if the room is too hot!)

3) SIW on Wednesday at 1pm–Sara sent an email last week sharing to the plan

4) I’m working on a draft of a schedule for singing with Ian, I’ll share it on Tuesday at the staff meeting.

5) Lockdown Drill on Thursday at 9am. Please take time prior to the drill to talk with your classes and establish where they will take cover out of sight. Please practice prior to the drill and stand outside the door to see if any student(s) are visible. Thanks!

Upcoming
Sept 22/23-Camp Amity
Sept 25-Lockdown, 9am
Sept 29-School Pics, starting at 8:15am
Oct 3-First Bread and Jam after school
Oct 6-10 Scholastic Book Fair
Oct 18-Harvest Festival, 4-7pm–lots of info going out to parents soon

September 2025

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
		3-First Day, dismissal at 2:15pm	4	5
8	9	10-SIW	11-Pancake breakfast, 7:30-8:30am	12-Fire Drill, 9am
15-Bus evacuation drill, 9am DIBELS 12:30-2pm K-2, plus some 3-5) In house ICCL, 2:30	16	17-SIW: TWD Back to School Night-5:30pm	18-Dental Screen, 8:30	20
22-Camp Amity	23-Camp Amity Staff mtg, 2:30pm	24-SIW/TCT	25 Lockdown, 9am	26
29-School pictures	30	Oct 1	Oct 2	Oct 3- Bread and Jam

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

Congrats on making it through the first full week of school last week–it’s always a bit of a slog getting through that first full week, but we’re off to a great start!

It’s a bit of a busy week, as these first few weeks always are, so be sure you have everything on your calendar!

A few notes to get you rolling…

1) A HUGE thanks for adapting so well to the new lunch duty schedule–it’s gone very smoothly so far! Thank you!

2) Bus Evacuation Drill at 9am Monday!

3) DIBELS on Monday for all of K-2, and assorted 3/4/5. The team will not arrive until 12:30 so the assessment time will run through Afternoon Choice and Invitations–not optimal, but we’ll make it work. We’ll start with the K-2 classes and grab the 3/4/5 students towards the end. I’ll monitor how things are progressing and figure out the best way to gather the needed olders.

4) We have Back to School Night this Wednesday starting at 5:30pm. The plan is to start in classrooms and then at around 6:15 we’ll do an “ALL CALL” to get folks down tot he gym to sigh up for volunteer opportunities. At that point you are free to leave and head home!

5) SIW this week is a Teacher Work Day. This will give you a little extra time to get ready for Back to School Night.

6) Dental Screenings on Thursday starting at 8:30am.

7) Camp Amity next Monday and Tuesday! Lunch orders have to be in TODAY!

8) Our annual Fall Book Fair will be October 6-10. More details as we get closer.

9) We checked into securing a venue for an earlier Variety Show date but none of the spaces in the district are available the week before Winter Break. We can talk more about this soon.

10) Our first Bread and Jam for the year will be Friday, October 3. Our first Cafe Amity will be October 8 (Grade 5).

Upcoming
15-Bus evacuation drill, 9am
15-DIBELS (K-2 and a few 3-5), 12:30am-2pm
17-Back to School Night, 5:30pm
18-Dental screening, starting at 8:30am
22/23-Camp Amity
25-Lockdown, 9am
29-School Pics, starting at 8:15am

September

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
		3-First Day, dismissal at 2:15pm	4	5
8	9	10-SIW	11-Pancake breakfast, 7:30-8:30am	12-Fire Drill, 9am
15-Bus evacuation drill, 9am DIBELS 12:30-2pm K-2, plus some 3-5) In house ICCL, 2:30	16	17-SIW: TWD Back to School Night-5:30pm	18-Dental Screen, 8:30	20
22-Camp Amity	23-Camp Amity Staff mtg, 2:30pm	24-SIW/TCT	25 Lockdown, 9am	26
29-School pictures	30-ICCL district

School wide Theme: Community!

Happy 2nd week! The first week felt so good, lots of connecting and happy kiddos–thanks for all your efforts to make the first week so great!

A few notes to get you going…

1) Lunch update: I feel like we made a little progress the first week by using a decibel meter and showing a mellow nature video for the last 5 minutes. We’d like to be eating outside all week, but at the moment the weather is not looking too favorable. We’ll see how it goes.

2) Some notes about lunch duties: If you are in the cafeteria (or outside depending on the weather) your duty ends at 11:05–you do not need to stick around for dismissal. If you are on playground duty, please grab a red safety bag and proceed directly to the playground at 11:05–you’ll be the first adult out there. Your duty ends at 11:25 to give you time to get ready for kids returning to class. Please let me know if you have questions.

3) Specials start this week!

4) SIW this week: We’ll dive further into our book study so please bring your copy of Neurodiversity Affirming Schools book.

5) Pancake Breakfast on Thursday–we’ve invited families to show up starting at 7:30am (later than in the past). We’ll continue to serve until about 8:15 and I hope we can have Community Time at 8:30am. As always, we can use as much support as possible that morning starting at 7am. If you are inclined, arriving even earlier to help Patti and me get things ready would be greatly appreciated.

6) Our first Fire Drill of the year is on Friday at 9am.

7) FYI, the 2 Amity ICCL positions are open for application. If you are interested please let me know so we can chat. The positions will be posted until Thursday so please reach out to me before then if you are interested. It’s a $1250 stipend in exchange for a 30 hour commitment.

8) A big thanks for getting going on the stewardship in and around your classrooms, it is definitely noticeable!

Upcoming
11-Pancake Breakfast, 7:30-8:30am
12-Fire Drill, 9am
15-Bus evacuation drill, 9am
15-DIBELS (K-2 and a few 3-5), 11:30am-1pm
17-Back to School Night, 5:30pm
18-Dental screening, starting at 8:30am
22/23-Camp Amity
25-Lockdown, 9am
29-School Pics, starting at 8:15am

September

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
		3-First Day, dismissal at 2:15pm	4	5
8	9	10-SIW	11-Pancake breakfast, 7:30-8:30am	12-Fire Drill, 9am
15-Bus evacuation drill, 9am DIBELS 11:30am-1pm K-2, plus some 3-5) In house ICCL, 2:30	16-Staff Meeting, 2:30-3:15pm	17-SIW: TWD Back to School Night-5:30pm	18-Dental Screen, 8:30	20
22-Camp Amity	23-Camp Amity Staff mtg	24-SIW/TCT	25 Lockdown, 9am	26
29-School pictures	30-ICCL district

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

It’s the first week! As I always say, I love the start of the school, so much promise lies ahead! A big thanks for the retreat last week, it always feels so great to connect about some really important things at the heart of what we do!

A few notes to get you going these first 3 days:

*School-wide theme: Community…what else could it possibly be?!

1) Be sure you are up to date on the First Two Weeks

2) We will have Community Time on the first day at 8:45am. Prior to bringing your students down please spend a few minutes (if you can!) setting expectations. Let’s start with the following traits of good audience members (this can also easily transfer to outside performers/experts who come to school). Asking your class what makes a good audience member would be a great way to start the conversation, and they will likely nail every one of these!

Good audience members:
*Sit next to people they feel will also be good audience members
*Quietly listen when the hosts/performers are speaking, singing, or performing
*Let the hosts/performers know you appreciate their efforts by clapping and cheering when they are finished
*Politely ask their neighbors to be quiet if needed
*Leave their snacks and any toys in their classrooms

3) CT on Thursday this week will be hosted by K-2 teachers, on Friday by 3-5 teachers. Let’s set the tone by starting at 7:45am!

4) Please review Playground guidelines!

5) Reminder about our conversation regarding Choice Time: Students can stay in but must be in a classroom. If you see kids in the hallway, just kindly remind them!
Mon: Gr 3, Gr 5
Tues: Gr 3, Wolf Den
Wed: Gr 3, Gr 4
Thurs: Gr 3, Wolf Den
Fri: Gr 3, Running Club

6) Here is the after school in-class pick up rotation for this year
Mondays: Kinder and Grade 1 families 
Tuesdays: Grades 2 and 4
Wednesdays: ALL outside 
Thursdays: Grades 3 and 5 families
Friday: ALL outside (Bread and Jam every other week–coming soon!)

Note: Kinder and Grade 1 families will do inside pick up every day the first week.

7) Attendance: As we discussed last week, each of you will be responsible for taking attendance and getting it to the office by 8:30am. And, even though lunch is free, we will still take a count every day. Thanks!

8) Afternoon duty help needed first day! Since no one is assigned to duty on Wednesdays I kindly request that everyone try to be out on duty the first day–you’ll probably need the break and some fresh air! Be sure to grab a vest and fanny pack, and have your keys and phone. Here’s the duty rotation for lunch and afternoon choice:

9) Classroom agreements: Please make time this week to create classroom agreements with your classes, and find ways to tie it to Taking Care of Self/Others/Place.

10) As a reminder, Specials (Enrichment, PE) and Invitations start next week.

11) You were provided with some paper work for each student to take home on the first day (including a Camp Amity permission slip). Please be sure it goes home and that you let parents know to expect it and to sign and return forms ASAP. Please collect and track the Camp Amity permission slips as they come in, and keep them in the folder. Please also collect all other forms and pass them along to Patti and she will track them.

12) Just FYI, a message about birthday treats went home to parents last week. It outlines how we have chosen to discontinue treats in favor of other, more lasting ways of celebrating.

13) Speaking of treats…we’ll get Cafe Amity and Bread and Jam up and running in the next few weeks.

14) On Friday afternoon, let’s do our first all school clean up!

September Calendar

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
		3-First Day, dismissal at 2:15pm	4	5
8	9	10-SIW	11-Pancake breakfast, 7:30-8:30am	12-Fire Drill, 9am
15-Bus evacuation drill, 9am In house ICCL, 2:30	16-Staff Meeting, 2:30-3:15pm	17-SIW: TWD Back to School Night-5:30pm	18-Dental Screen, 8:30	20
22-Camp Amity	23-Camp Amity Staff mtg	24-SIW/TCT	25 Lockdown, 9am	26
29-School pictures	30-ICCL district

Upcoming
10-1st SIW
11-Pancake Breakfast, 7:30-8:30am
12-Fire Drill, 9am
15-Bus evacuation drill, 9am
17-Back to School Night, 5:30pm
18-Dental screening, starting at 8:30am
22/23-Camp Amity
25-Lockdown, 9am
29-School Pics, starting at 8:15am

Here we go–let’s have an amazing, joy-filled year!
Andy