Month: October 2025

New school wide theme: Belonging

Happy November–I can’t believe it’s already this time of year! I hope the 3 day weekend treated you well and that you are feeling good about how Conversations went. Please be sure to reach out to families who missed (or didn’t schedule) their meeting time.

Our new school theme for November is Belonging. We frequently talk about the importance of a sense of belonging, both for the children at Amity as well as their parents. Having belonging as a school-wide theme is powerful because it touches the core of what every student needs to thrive—a sense of being seen, valued, and connected. Belonging is intentionally woven into the culture here at Amity, and as a result most of our students feel safe to express themselves, take risks, and engage deeply in learning. Belonging fosters empathy, strengthens relationships, and breaks down barriers between individuals and groups. Our focus on belonging is what makes Amity a true community, so I’m glad we take time each year to do a deeper dive!

A few notes to get you rolling…

1) Student Success Meeting on Wednesday, Brad will be covering classes. Please be sure you have filled out the prep form prior to the meeting, this really helps us focus on our most needy kiddos.  Here is the link.
8:45-9:15-Lauren/Sara
9:45-10:15-Lindsey
10:15-10:45-Frans
11:45-12:15-Brian
12:15-12:45-Amanda

2) Amy Yillik will be here Tuesday to present on Trauma Informed practices, this is related to our book study. 2:30-3:15pm in Brian’s room. Please be on time so we can start at 2:30pm.

3) SIW this week is in house–it will only be from 1:00-2:15pm (we borrowed some time for the Tuesday presentation). We will be talking about what we’ve learned so far from our book study and what we gleaned from Amy’s presentation.

4) Pie the Principal (fundraiser from Harvest Festival) is on Thursday at the end of Community Time!

5) Staff get together on Friday around 3ish at BBC. Hoping you can make it! The next gathering will be on December 5-same time and place.

Upcoming
Nov 4: Amy Yellik from ESD to present at staff meeting, 2:30-3:15pm
Nov 5: Student Success Meetings–Brad will cover classes
Nov 5: SIW-in house, book study (1:00-2:15pm only since we added meeting on 11/4)
Nov 6: Pie the Principal at end of Community Time (switched from 11/7)
Nov 7: Staff gathering, 3ish at BBC
Nov 19: Continuation of Care presentation at SIW by Anna and Haley
Nov 21: Jammie Jam, save the date–more info coming this week
Nov 24-28: Break!

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

November

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
3	4 Amy Yillik @ Staff Mtg	5 Cafe Amity, Gr 3 Student Success Mtgs SIW-in house/Book Study	6 Pie the Principal @end of CT	7 Staff Get Together after school
10	11 No School	12 SIW-TWD	13	14 Bread and Jam
17	18 Picture Retakes	19 Cafe Amity, Gr 2 SIW-In house/Book Study	20	21 Jammie Jam/PJ day
24 Break-No School	25 Break-No School	26 Break-No School	27 Break-No School	28 Break-No School

Greetings All!
It was a wet weekend but I’m hoping it was a good one for everyone! It’s Conversations week, so not a whole lot to share. Enjoy the connection time with parents this week! I’m loving the great feeling around school right now-thanks for all you do!

A few notes to get you going…

1) Families have been invited to participate in our annual Ofrenda, and I am encouraging you, too, to participate if you feel compelled. Here’s what I shared with families:

For many years now we have created an Ofrenda (oh-friend-ah) here at school and the tradition continues this year. A little background information first: Around this time of year in Mexico (November 1 and 2) they celebrate Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.  Part of this celebration is the Ofrenda. Ofrendas (ofrenda means offering in Spanish), are an essential part of the Day of the Dead celebrations.  While they are also called alters, they are not for worship or religious purposes, but rather a way to honor and keep the memory of loved ones in the present.   Ofrendas are constructed to remember and honor the memory of ancestors and loved ones that have passed.  It is a beautiful ritual, and one that truly honors those that have been a part of our personal history and journey. This year is particularly emotional for me as I lost my dad in March, and last week I had to say goodbye to my beloved dog. I hope you will share with me in honoring these two special souls.

If you’d like to participate in the Ofrenda, you have two options for sending in a photo. You can bring in an original photo (labeled, in a frame if possible–we will return it!) or send it in with your child, or you can send a digital image to Patti ([email protected]) and we will print it out . We always love the stories connected to your loved ones, so if you are inclined to share a story please do! In years past this has been something we deeply cherish and we hope you consider honoring your loved ones along with us. We will begin collecting photos next week, and we’ll start creating the Ofrenda.

2) Please remember that we have a master calendar in the office (black one on the shelf next to my office), and it’s important for you to get dates on the calendar as you set them. Keeping this up to date is extremely helpful for all of us! Thanks!

3) How are your Vector (Safe Schools) Trainings going? Please remember they are due to be complete by the end of next week!

4) Please be sure you have your singing time with Ian on your calendar/lesson plan each week. There have been multiple occasions where Ian has showed up to a classroom and it’s clear that the classroom was not expecting him.

Upcoming
Oct 29-30-Conversations
Oct 31-No School!
Nov 4: Amy Yellik from ESD to present at staff meeting, 2:30-3:15pm
Nov 5: Student Success Meetings–Brad will cover classes
Nov 5: SIW-in house, book study (1:00-2:15pm only since we added meeting on 11/4)
Nov 6: Pie the Principal at end of Community Time (switched from 11/7)
Nov 19: Continuation of Care presentation at SIW by Anna and Haley
Nov 21: Jammie Jam, save the date–more info coming soon

November

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
3	4 Amy Yillik @ Staff Mtg	5 Cafe Amity, Gr 3 Student Success Mtgs SIW-in house/Book Study	6 Pie the Principal @end of CT	7 Staff Get Together after school
10	11 No School	12 SIW-TWD	13	14 Bread and Jam
17	18 Picture Retakes	19 Cafe Amity, Gr 2 SIW-In house/Book Study	20	21 Jammie Jam/PJ day
24 Break-No School	25 Break-No School	26 Break-No School	27 Break-No School	28 Break-No School

School-wide theme: Problem Solving

A happy Monday to you all!
The Harvest Festival was a huge success and lots of fun! We have such an amazing community of parents who made the magic happen, we are so incredibly fortunate! Hoping you all had a great weekend!

The biggest thing this week are the murals. 2 things related to this:
1) We need volunteers for every class–at least a few.
2) The community mural painting will take place Monday, Thursday, and Friday from 1:30-2:30. This is for EVERYONE–students, parents, and staff! Please find a time on one of the days to participate. It’s going to be amazing!

A few notes to get you rolling…
1) Three field trips this week: Grade 4 goes to Tumalo on Tuesday, we all go to the Tower Theater on Thursday, and Grade 2 heads to Fall River on Friday.

2) We have Team Collaboration Time on Tuesday from 2:30-3:15. Try to use this time to hone in on something you are all wanting to work on this year–could be the new math curriculum, EL, reading support, etc. Find something your team wants to work together on.

3) Cafe Amity on Wednesday, hosted by Grade 4

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

5) Links to Conversations were sent out on Friday–thanks to all of you for getting me your links! Parents have already been thanking us for doing this! You are free to send out your link to families if you haven’t done so already.

6) Please let me know when you have completed your Bias lessons. They need to be completed this month. Thanks!

7) Change of date for Student Success Meetings-we will do these on Wed, Nov 5.

8) Just FYI, new Buddies begin on November 3: K/4, 1/3, 2/5

Upcoming
Oct 20 to 24-Murals! Volunteers needed! Community mural M/Th/F 1:30-2:30pm
Oct 21-Grade 4 to Tumalo
Oct 22-Cafe Amity, Grade 4 hosts
Oct 23-Jazzy Ash at the Tower! Doors open at 9:30am
Oct 24-Vision Screening
Oct 24-Grade 2 to Fall River
Oct 29-30-Conversations
Oct 31-No School!
Nov 4: Amy Yellik from ESD to present, 2:30-3:15pm
Nov 5: Student Success Meetings–Brad will cover classes
Nov 7: Pie the Principal at end of Community Time
Nov 19: Continuation of Care presentation at SIW by Anna and Haley
Nov 21: Jammie Jam, save the date

October

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
6 Book Fair begins Gr 2 Metolius	7	8 Cafe Amity, Gr 5 Ed Network	9	10
13 Gr 5 Ryan Ranch	14	15	16 Fire Drill, 10:30	17 Bread and Jam 18-Harvest Festival
20 Community Mural-1:30	21 Murals @ Enrichment Gr 4 Tumalo Falls	22 Cafe Amity, Gr 4	23 Jazzy Ash @ Tower Community Mural-1:30	24 Murals @ Enrichment Vision Screening Gr 2 Fall River Community Mural-1:30
27	28	29 Conversations	30 Conversations	31 No School

School wide theme: Problem Solving

Greetings All!
I hope you had an amazing weekend. I was in Corvallis to celebrate the birthdays of both grand kids there. Birthdays are magic when you’re 2 and 5 years old–very joyous occasion!

A few notes to get you rolling…

1) Playground–help needed! I have sent you all a copy of the playground expectations–it’s in your inbox. Please be sure to review these expectations and be prepared to help in enforcing them. There seems to be a lot of inconsistency right now and kiddos are getting conflicting messages (things that are said, and behaviors that are being ignored) and it makes it difficult to maintain a safe playground experience for all students. I think with a little more consistency we can keep things safer. Thank you for your support!

2) Grade 5 is off to Ryan Ranch/Slough today

3) Can someone do Easy Dodgeball for Invitations? Dax has requested this. Thanks!

4) At SIW this week we’ll be diving into the next chapter of our neurodiversity book. Sara sent y’all an email last week.

5) Fire Drill on Thursday, October 16 at 10:30.

6) Harvest Festival is this Saturday from 4-7pm. Volunteer sign ups have gone out twice now (and I’ll send it again) and I’ll be posting paper copies in the hallway this week. Please share this information in your weekly note. We need volunteers! Thanks

7) Bread and Jam on Friday

8) Mural project-as you know, next week each of your classes will be helping to create a mural that will be hung over your doorway. This will happen during Enrichment time–the only ask of you is to reach out to families in your class to get a few volunteers to support the effort (during your Enrichment time). There will also be times for parents to come in and help create the community mural–as soon as those times are solidified I will share them with you and families! Very excited about the murals!

9) Please add a Staff meeting to your calendar on 11/4. We have Amy Yellik from ESD coming to share some information related to our neurodivisity work. In exchange for this extra meeting, on 11/5 our SIW will be shortened by an hour.

Upcoming
Oct 13-Grade 5 to Ryan Ranch
Oct 16-Fire Drill, 10:30am
Oct 17-Bread and jam
Oct 18-Harvest Festival, 4-7pm–lots of info going out to parents this week
Oct 22-Cafe Amity, Grade 4 hosts
Oct 23-Jazzy Ash at the Tower!
Oct 20-24-Mural Project during Enrichment
Oct 24-Grade 2 to Fall River
Oct 29-30-Conversations
Oct 31-No School!
Nov 4: Amy Yellik from ESD to present, 2:30-3:15pm
Nov 6: Student Success Meetings–Brad will cover classes
Nov 19: Continuation of Care presentation at SIW by Anna and Haley

October

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
6 Book Fair begins Gr 2 Metolius	7	8 Cafe Amity, Gr 5 Ed Network	9	10
13 Gr 5 Ryan Ranch	14	15	16 Fire Drill, 10:30	17 Bread and Jam 18-Harvest Festival
20	21 Murals @ Enrichment Gr 4 Tumalo Falls	22 Cafe Amity, Gr 4	23 Jazzy Ash @ Tower	24 Murals @ Enrichment Vision Screening Gr 2 Fall River
27	28	29 Conversations	30 Conversations	31 No School

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

School-wide Theme: Problem Solving

“What you do makes a difference, you just have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”~Jane Goodall, life-long problem solver, 1934-2025

Me, Jane and Michelle circa 2014, Green School Bali

Hey Team,
I hope you all had a fanstastic weekend! Fall is definitely upon us, always an amazing time of year! The Optimistic October calendar was shared with me recently and I thought I’d pass it along in case you were looking for some optimistic inspiration.

A few notes to get you rolling…

1) Book Fair this 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. if you haven’t shared this info with parents please do so right away.

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

2) Our first Cafe Amity of the year is this Wednesday hosted by Grade 5. We’ll do our best to get Community Time started on time!

3) SIW this week is Educator Network–I hope you have all signed up by now.

4) Mural project-during the week of October 20-24 each of your classes will be doing helping to create a mural that will be hung over your doorway. This will happen during Enrichment time–the only ask of you is to reach out to families in your class to get a few volunteers to support the effort (during your Enrichment time). There will also be times for parents to come in and help create the community mural–as soon as those times are solidified I will share them with you and families! Very excited about the murals!

5) Please add a Fire Drill to your calendar–October 16 at 10:30.

6) Grade 3 is off to the Metolius!

Upcoming
Oct 6–10 Scholastic Book Fair
Oct 8-First Cafe Amity, Grade 5 hosts
Oct 13-Grade 5 to Ryan Ranch
Oct 16-Fire Drill, 10:30am
Oct 17-Bread and jam
Oct 18-Harvest Festival, 4-7pm–lots of info going out to parents this week
Oct 22-Cafe Amity, Grade 4 hosts
Oct 23-Jazzy Ash at the Tower!
Oct 20-24-Mural Project during Enrichment
Oct 24-Grade 2 to Fall River
Oct 29-30-Conversations
Oct 31-No School!

October

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
6 Book Fair begins Gr 2 Metolius	7	8 Cafe Amity, Gr 5 Ed Network	9	10
13 Gr 5 Ryan Ranch	14	15	16 Fire Drill, 10:30	17 Bread and Jam 18-Harvest Festival
20	21 Murals @ Enrichment Gr 4 Tumalo Falls	22 Cafe Amity, Gr 4	23 Jazzy Ash @ Tower	24 Murals @ Enrichment Vision Screening Gr 2 Fall River
27	28	29 Conversations	30 Conversations	31 No School

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy