Author: Andy Slavin

Good Morning All!
I hope you enjoyed the wintery weekend! It was a great weekend to hunker down and enjoy some time at home. I was able to get out for a great hike along Fall River yesterday and it was glorious!

Happy Birthday to Amanda!

A few notes for this week:
1) Invitations on November 19 is still a go. If you haven’t added to the Invitations document please do so today! Invitations

2) No School this Wednesday in honor of Veteran’s Day–please be sure families know. I hope you can take the day to do something fun!

3) MAC Survey day–please look for an email prompting you to take the survey.

4) Staff Lunch on November 18 at noon! FOA would like to treat the staff to lunch in appreciation for all your hard work. Patti will send out a menu soon.

5) Teacher Meetings this Week–thanks for getting signed up! If possible I’d like to do these meetings in person. If this is not possible please let me know.

6) World Kindness Day– I am hoping you will work this into your plans in the coming days/weeks. From the district: We know the world, and even our community, can feel awfully stressful and hostile right now. We are hoping to make the discourse in our community more positive and are launching a kindness campaign with regional partners to elevate stories of kindness – with special focus on World Kindness Day, Nov. 13. If you are interested in learning more and supporting this effort: Here is a list of ideas of how to join both in and out of school. We are hoping these resources will make it easy to join: Writing prompts, for instance; topics for advisory or freshmen foundations; a contest at the high school level; books to read at the elementary level. Additionally, we know many schools are ALREADY doing a lot around kindness. Please consider sharing with Alandra the great work you are already doing. Thank you. And if you haven’t yet watched the kindness launch video featuring our 8^th graders, be sure to do so.

Upcoming
November 9-13: Teacher 1 to 1 meetings w/Andy-check schedule above
November 11: Veteran’s Day, NO SCHOOL
November 13: Packet Pick-up, 1-3pm (tentative, to be confirmed closer to the date)
November 18: FOA sponsored lunch, noon
November 18: Staff Meeting, 2-3pm
November 19: Invitations, 11-11:30am
November 23-27: Thanksgiving Break, NO SCHOOL
December 21-January 1: Winter Break, NO SCHOOL

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

Welcome to November! With good news from the governor, November may turn out to be a monumental moment in time–a return to school! Fingers crossed we get to return!

I was able to get away this weekend to the coast, truly my favorite place! On Saturday morning while I sipped my coffee I watched the nearly full moon (it was a Blue Saturday night) set over the ocean–glorious! The photo is below, not great quality but worth sharing! And then, that night I watched the sun set over the Pacific, second photo. I hope you also had a fantastic weekend!

This week may be one we’ll remember for a very long time. With the new metrics creating a possible pathway to returning to school, and a very contentious election on Tuesday, emotions may be running high this week–for students, families, and us. Take some deep breaths as you begin the week, and be sure to take care of your self in all the best ways that you know how to!

A few notes to get you going:
1) In case you missed my email on Friday, here is the link to the new metrics:
https://www.oregon.gov/ode/students-and-family/healthsafety/Documents/Following%20the%20Metrics%20Visual.pdf
These metrics are dramatically expanded and leave lots of room for us to be successful in returning not only to hybrid, but to full-time school across all grade levels! If all goes well we should hear some concrete plans Tuesday. Fingers crossed!

*A note about discussing the return to school with students: Let’s be careful not to be the ones to set up a potential disappointment should the situation change and we are not able to return to school. Please let parents do the bulk of getting their kiddos excited about the possibility, this way we don’t end up being the ones to disappoint. Just a note of caution!

2) Our tentative Staff Meeting this week has obviously been upgraded to a definite Staff Meeting. We’ll meet Wednesday from 2-3pm, but please leave a little extra time open in case we go longer. I’ll be sharing lots of information including the Safety Plan, a document that I’ll be sending to families, our master schedule, and Nurse Kim will share some important info, too.

3) Teacher one to ones. Thanks to all who have already signed up for a time to meet next week. If you haven’t signed up yet, please take a moment to do so: Teacher One to Ones

4) Our decision to do a Community Invitations may not come to fruition given the potential return to school. Just make sure you have November 19 on your calendar in case. If we don’t return to school we can still move forward.

Upcoming:
November 3: Election Day, don’t forget to get your ballots in on time!
November 4: Staff meeting, 2-3pm
November 9-13: Teacher 1 to 1 meetings w/Andy
November 11: Veteran’s Day, NO SCHOOL
November 13: Packet Pick-up, 1-3pm (tentative, to be confirmed closer to the date)
November 23-27: Thanksgiving Break, NO SCHOOL
December 21-January 1: Winter Break, NO SCHOOL

Here’s to a monumental week ahead!
Andy

Good Morning!
Fall has definitely set in–I hope the weekend was good to you!

A few notes to get you going:
1) Interestingly, we are still required to do virtual fire drills while in CDL. Please discuss fire drills with your students at some point this week and use it as a time to remind students what we do when we have fire drills in school. Thank you!

2) Remember, Amity swag for sale until November 1: https://amity2020.itemorder.com/sale

3) K-2 team meeting on Wednesday 1-2pm

4) Staff meeting on Wednesday at 2pm here at North Star. We’ll spend most of the time on our next community activity. We’ll also have a guest (via WeBex)–Rebecca Easton from Silver Rail who is part of the district LEAD team, a group of 25 district teachers who have been selected to support anti-racism work in the schools. Rebecca will spend about 10-15 sharing information about LEAD.

5) We’ll be having a virtual Scholastic Book Fair from November 2-16. I’ll share links with you soon that you can share with families–I’ll also send the link to families. Please encourage families to participate–it puts new books in student’s hands and provides us with lots and lots of free books!

6) If you are sharing Youtube videos with students please take a moment to learn how to do this safely:

If you are sending out links without using this process (or another one that you know of) you are potentially exposing students to content that is not appropriate for them in the form all of the additional links that typically show up to the right of the video you have shared. Thanks!

7) Looking to mix it up a little? Familiar with Kahoot? Kahoot is a super fun game/quiz app that kids really love! You can find it in Self Service, and you can learn how to use it below. Several of your colleagues have experiencing using, too.

Upcoming:
October 28-30: These are school days, NO Conferences
October 30: Packet Pick-up, 1-3pm. Come in costume!
November 1: Deadline to order from Amity Store
November 3: Election Day, don’t forget to get your ballots in on time!
November 11: Veteran’s Day, NO SCHOOL
November 13: Packet Pick-up, 1-3pm (tentative, to be confirmed closer to the date)
November 23-27: Thanksgiving Break, NO SCHOOL

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

Good Morning Team!
Wow, what a beautiful weekend we had–I hope you got out and enjoyed it! I absolutely love this time of year, such a beautiful transition time between the warm summer days and the magical snowy winter. I embrace the change!

A huge, heartfelt thank you for the gifts and very kind words on Friday in honor of Boss’s Day. It feels great to be appreciated, and I sincerely hope that you know I am always here to support you, collaborate with you, and work to make our work as rewarding as possible. I hold you all near and dear and want only the best for us as a community of educators!

A few notes to get you going:
1) The on-line Amity Clothing Store is open for business! This is a limited time event, so act quickly–the store is open from now until Nov 1. Here is the link: https://amity2020.itemorder.com/sale. The turnaround/distribution time is a week or two after November 1. Get your gear on!

2) If you haven’t already, please share your current schedule with me, as well as invite me as a co-teacher on your Seesaw and Google Classroom. Please do this no later than Wednesday of this week. Thank you!

3) From an email I sent you last week: Sometime in the next week please take a  few minutes to record a short  (1 minute-ish) video of yourself and upload it into this folder: Staff Intro Videos.  I’ll compile the videos with an intro and get it ready to send out. Please get this done this week–should include who you are and one thing you do to take care of yourself.

4) Tentative material pick-up dates: October 30 (come in costume), November 13, and December 4. We’ll confirm each of these pick-ups on the Monday of those weeks.

5) I’m working on a virtual Scholastic Book Fair. These book fairs help us buy lots of books each year and puts books in the hands of our kiddos. I’ll get back to you soon with details–hoping to launch it next week, just in time for the holidays.

6) Based on my calculations we missed the metrics again last week. It looks like our first possible return date is now November 16. I’ll confirm this and let you know.

7) Please remember to take attendance by 10am each day (for previous 24 hour period). Still have questions? Check in with Patti.

8) The district is pushing out a new on-line library called myON. Have a quick look to see what it’s about and consider attending one of the informational Webex meetings:
https://blogs.bend.k12.or.us/instructionaltechnology/2020/10/16/myon-digital-library-for-k-5-students/

I shared this on Facebook last week and wanted to share it with you:
Though we are living through some difficult and challenging times, it doesn’t mean we have to lose our sense of humanity and the love we hold for each other. As I was looking through photos last week I found this gem of a photo (below) from last Spring when some families shared their love and appreciation for their teachers drive-by style. This is a great time to remember the mantra shared by Ms. Amanda: May I Be Peaceful, May I Be Kind, May I Show My Love Well. Peaceful, Kind, Love. These things can get us through difficult times if we stay true to them, and now more than ever we need to stay true!

Upcoming:
October 28-30: These are school days, NO Conferences
October 30: Packet Pick-up, 1-3pm (tentative, to be confirmed next week). Come in costume!
November 1: Deadline to order from Amity Store
November 3: Election Day, don’t forget to get your ballots in on time!
November 11: Veteran’s Day, NO SCHOOL
November 13: Packet Pick-up, 1-3pm (tentative, to be confirmed closer to the date)
November 23-27: Thanksgiving Break, NO SCHOOL

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

A picture says a thousand words–we may not be able to take our kiddos to Shevlin Park for Camp Amity, but they are taking themselves! Here are some 2nd graders who spent time at Aspen Hall last week–doing that Camp Amity thing!

I’d like to start the week by welcoming Michelle Dolce, our new SPED teacher! Michelle is new to Bend, but she comes to us with lots of experience as a support teacher. You’ll have an opportunity to meet her at the staff meeting on Wednesday. Welcome Michelle!

A few notes to get you rolling this week:
1) Staff meeting on Wednesday from 1-2pm at North Star. Please also get the following staff meeting days on your calendar, meetings will start at 2pm:
*October 28, Nov 18, December 9

2) October 28, 29, 30–please remember that these are now teaching days (Conferences have been postponed).

Now that Conferences have been postponed it makes it even more important that you continue to reach out to families and make time for 1 to 1 chats during your teaching day. For most of you this is the afternoon time from about 1-3pm. If you haven’t checked in with families in a while, please ask them to sign up for a time to meet with you–it’s vitally important that we are staying connected to families and finding out how things are going for their kiddo and for them.

3) One of the topics for discussion at our staff meeting this week is Goals for Amity Creek for this year. Indeed this is unlike any other year but we want to keep momentum going in terms of our goals as a school. Please find time before Wednesday to think about some goals you think we should be focussed on this year. Thanks!

4) A few of you have asked about taking Personal Days. You are allowed to take personal days during CDL with the understanding that you will still provide lessons (pre-recorded) and activities for your students for the day. Also, you need to notify parents ahead of time about the plan. Please also let me know in advance if you are planning to take a Personal Day.

5) Integrated Learning Projects. In case you haven’t had time to explore some of the links that TLC is sending out, here is a direct link to some great Integrated Learning Projects that could be utilized on Wednesdays:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BCuXRr1KMdXkVufUNsTf0UTnk0LKxn8cc5HPzKUyoag/edit

Also, now that you’re settling into some consistent rhythms, I’d like to continue to encourage you to engage in some equity education during CDL. A great place to start is the Teaching Tolerance website:
https://www.tolerance.org/classroom-resources

Upcoming:
October 14: Staff Meeting, 1-2pm
October 28: Staff Meeting, 2pm
November 11: November Veteran’s Day, NO SCHOOL
November 18: Staff Meeting
November 23-27: Thanksgiving Break, NO SCHOOL
December 9: Staff Meeting, 2pm
December 21-January 1: Winter Break, NO SCHOOL
January 4: Move back to Amity??? 🤞🏾

I’m really excited about a doll I bought for my new granddaughter to memorialize the year she was born:

Have a great week, see you on Wednesday if not sooner.
Andy

Good Morning All!
First, a big thanks to Frans for hosting Happy Hour and showing us around his place on Friday! I hope we can continue to gather regularly and enjoy each other’s company.

A few notes to get you rolling:
1) Most of you have been hearing about Limited In Person Instruction (LIPI) starting in the district and I want to share some information. As of last week we are allowed to bring students into school during the school week, on a limited basis, to provide support that we cannot provide on-line. If you have a student or students who you feel would benefit from some in-person support (reading, math, writing) please let me know so that we can discuss a plan. The plan could include a daily amount of time, a few times per week, or even once per week. The support needed would not necessarily have to be provided by you (could be an EA, me)–we would need to sort that out once we decide what is needed.

2) I hope you have been able to complete beginning of year assessments in reading and math by now. If there are students that you are concerned about, let’s discuss how we can work together to provide needed support. We do not know when we will return to in-person instruction so it’s important that we don’t wait if there is a student who needs extra support.

3) We are being encouraged to use Lexia and Dreambox as an additional way to monitor progress of our students while we are in a distance learning mode. I am hopeful that you are either using these programs or are planning to launch them soon. Please also share if you are finding useful elements of the programs that would be beneficial to others.

3) Update on whiteboards-we hope to have them in our hands by the middle of the month.

4) From the district: Each fall, SELCO awards grants of up to $1,000 to K-12 educators at accredited schools throughout Oregon. If you have a creative classroom idea we can help with, we’d love to hear it. To accommodate educator’s needs, this year’s application period is now open and runs through October 31. Visit selco.org/SPARK to learn more.

5) Conferences: They are on the schedule for late October and the district is considering what to do–stay tuned for more information.

6) Have you had a chance to ready the Ready, Set, Learn document, the most recent document produced by the district and shared with families? If not, please take a few minutes to have a look: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1x7W8MnG3rUury-n3JaBesGxQ-wbh9Rma/view

7) And, the latest OHA document about returning to school: https://www.oregon.gov/ode/students-and-family/healthsafety/Documents/Following%20the%20Metrics%20Visual.pdf

8) New Webex features: If you haven’t heard, some new WebEx features were recently released. The biggest feature was the addition of breakout rooms – this is turning out to be a great option to engage students in small group discussions–probably best for older.  This link is super useful if you are interested.  Additionally, John Craft could provide some training if you are interested. Let me know.

9) As far as I can tell it doesn’t look like we met the metrics again this last week (waiting for the official word, but what I have seen puts us over the mark). If I’m correct, the earliest return (assuming we keep numbers of new cases down) is the week of November 2.

Lastly, I think we should continue to plan for fun activities for the year, such as dress up days. Here’s a tentative schedule:

It should include Backwards Day, but so far every day feels like backwards day!

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

Good Morning Team!
I hope you enjoyed the amazing weekend weather and that it lifted your spirits! We have a beautiful week in store and I hope you plan to get out and do the things you love.

I don’t have much to share this morning as we are in a moment of waiting to see how the COVID numbers from last week pan out, but there are a few notes below.

Notes to share:
1) If hybrid is still on the table for K-3 then we will have our Staff Meeting with Kim on Thursday at 2:30pm; if hybrid is pushed back a few weeks we’ll reschedule our meeting with Kim. I am hoping we have an update from Lora before the end of the day.

2) Karima and Beth are here all week (if we are opening next week) to help K-3 teachers move in and get ready to welcome kiddos next week.

3) There is a Balanced/Hybrid Townhall tonight that is worth tuning in for.
 It starts at 6 p.m. on Facebook and Vimeo. The videos will also be available on the district’s website – www.bend.k12.or.us (likely 24 hours later).

That’s it for now while we wait for more information! Here’s to a great week ahead!

Andy

First, we have to acknowledge the passing of a true American hero, and someone who was a genuine trailblazer–Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Her dedication to fighting for equality for all was truly inspirational. I hope we can all carry a little piece of her passion and dedication in our hearts. RIP RBG!

Congrats on a great first week of CDL! Yes, there were some technical difficulties along the way but all in all it was a successful week! Thank you for all your hard work and perseverance, and for your ability to connect from a distance.

A few notes to get you going:
1) Guidelines: I know you are all anxiously awaiting all the guidelines for hybrid. I am also awaiting these guidelines! The district is slowly rolling these out with a big document that is supposed to be coming by the end of the week. We’re going to have to hang tight until we have a comprehensive list in our hands.

In the meantime, Kim and I are currently working with a small team from Northstar as part of a Safety Team. We had our first meeting on Friday, and the next one will be on Tuesday at 1:30. The team is pouring over the safety checklist from the district (this is part of the guidelines but not all)–everything from how we enter and leave every day to how we will move from classroom to the bathroom. I could use at least one teacher to support this team. We’ll meet a few times between now and when start with hybrid. I will be doing 98% of the work, we just need a teacher representative on the team. We’ll meet when we can find mutually agreeable times. Please let me know if you can help–it’s a small, short term commitment, but a very important one!

2) Two notes related to COVID Training: 1) The COVID-19: What Our Local Medical Professionals Know About The Virus. BLS staff are invited to join Logan Clausen, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Central Oregon Pediatric Associates (COPA) and Nathan Ansbaugh, MD, MPH, St. Charles emergency physician, to learn more about the COVID-19 virus and answer questions submitted by certified and classified staff members.  The session will be from 2 pm – 3 pm on Wednesday, September 23 in https://bls.webex.com/meet/paul.dean

Have you completed the district COVID Training? (PowerPoint).  The deadline was September 11.  Follow this link if you have not done the training: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MHqcjVx2MuxQ551oBUNcJFQoAol10ZQW/view?usp= sharing

3) Music, PE and Art begin this week! I sent you the links for Music and PE, and Korey will send the Art link later in the week. I’m letting parents know that we will likely switch Music and Art to Wednesdays for K-3 once we go to hybrid. I’m working on a schedule and will share it soon. The switch will assure that Music and Art only have to be taught once per week on the day that all students are home.

4) Help with room set up and preparing for hybrid. We’ve hired Karima and Beth Thomas to put in some hours helping K-3 teachers get ready. Karima will be here in the afternoons this week and then in the mornings next week. Beth will be here in the mornings for the next couple of weeks. PLEASE use this support–they can unpack boxes, label folders, sort, copy, bring you coffee and make you lunch (well, maybe not these last two, but all the others and more). They are here for you, so please do all you can to let them help!

5) Staff Meeting on Tuesday at 2:30. I would love to do this in person if possible, but if not we can do it virtually (some in person, others at home). Please let me know where you plan to be.

6) Packet pick-up. We had tentatively set Oct 1 as the next packet pick up time. Please let me know if you plan to have materials to hand out. You would not necessarily have to be present for the pick-up but you could be.

7) Please remember–Take Care of Yourself, Take Care of Each other, Take Care of This Place. It starts with you, so be sure you are taking care of yourself, doing things that nurture your mind and body, and carving out the time needed to do so. Also, let’s continue to take care of each other by being present when we are together, reaching out for support and to help, and making time to connect. Where to start with taking care of this place? Focus on your sphere of influence–what can you positively impact today or in a moment, big or small!

Upcoming
September 22: Staff meeting, 2;30pm
Sept 28-Oct 2: Hybrid Transition Week for K-3. Reduced Webex group and small group meetings.
Oct 1: Packet/materials pick-up, tentative (will confirm soon)
Oct 5: Hybrid Orientation Week for K-3
October 12: Hybrid instruction begins for K-3

Here’s to week 2!
Andy

Happy Virtual First Day of School!
First, I’d like to acknowledge the tremendous work you have put forth in a very short time to get ready for today. You continually amaze me with your determination, creativity, and undying commitment to make things work for children! I am sincerely in awe of your perseverance and I feel so lucky to work with such an amazing group of people! One day, hopefully soon, we’ll look back fondly on today as the strangest start of school ever–and, we’ll be so much stronger for having survived it!

A few notes to get the year rolling:
1) As you kick off the year this week please be sure to let me know if there are students in your class who are not attending meetings or who seem to be having difficulty with connectivity. Just keep me in the loop so I can help out if needed.

2) I have a working draft of our Amity PE page that we will use each week. The link will be the same each week and I will update the content–you can use the same link on Seesaw and Google classroom each week. Here’s a quick preview if you want to have a look: https://blogs.bend.k12.or.us/andy.slavin/amity-creek-pe-page/. We’ll start PE, music, and art next week.

3) Thursday lunch will be provided by Rachel Worbes! Food will be here by 12:oo. I’m hoping we can all break for lunch around that time to eat and chat.

4) SIW time for the first 2 weeks is all yours as you make time to connect with families and plan. We will plan to have our first SIW on Wednesday, September 30. I’m hoping we can do these meetings in person, even if not everyone can attend–the rest could attend via Webex.

5) It’s likely that big discussions about Hybrid instruction will begin today as there were some high level meetings going on last week. I anticipate communications from the district today or tomorrow outlining the big picture plan.

6) For those looking to start using Lexia soon it’s important to note that every student will be asked to take a placement test upon starting. I am hoping this will be helpful to you in gathering a little data at the start of the year. NO DIBELS this year.

7) I’d like to create a version of the Amity song and the Amity Birthday song by recording each of you singing a line or two. I’ll try to catch you when you are on site this week. I think the result will be an awesome thing to share with students and families!

These are challenging and stressful times, so PLEASE remember to take care of yourself!

Best of luck to you this week, and remember the first few weeks are all about establishing connection and rolling out routines. You got this!

Here’s to thriving on line!
Andy

Hey Team,
I hope that after drinking from the firehose last week that you were able to have some fun and relax this weekend! I appreciate your positivity and your focus on making the best of our situation!

A few notes for the week:
1) Students will pick up materials this Thursday, the schedule is below and it would be extremely helpful to have you helping during your time slot–not to mention how much the kids will want to see you! Please have all your materials ready to go by your scheduled time. EAs will be at school Wednesday and Thursday to help.

Materials Pick-up Schedule:
2-3pm: Kinder and Grade 1
3-4pm: Grades 2 and 3
4-5pm: Grades 4 and 5
5-5:30pm: For anyone who was not able to make it earlier

2) Teacher letters and schedules need to be sent out Wednesday morning before noon. Please be sure your note covers all the important information:
*First two weeks
*Building stamina
*Materials list
*Break times
*Acknowledge concerns, fears, grief and loss
*How you plan to do groups
*What partnership will look like
*How best to communication with you (email, text, phone, etc)
*Platforms you will be using–might be good to do a test run with families on SeeSaw and Google classroom
*Re-read your note a thousand times before you send it–check to be sure it’s not overwhelming! I have already read a few drafts shared with me and I am happy to read as many as you’ll send me. I think it’s always helpful to have another set of eyes have a look at a big, packed email.

3) Community Meeting on Webex, Thursday 6-7pm. I am hoping you can join me for this meeting with families. It’s an opportunity for them to get some updates and ask questions. It will be super helpful if you can attend and help with monitoring the chat for questions. As this is traditionally the evening we would do our Watermelon Social I am encouraging families to bring some watermelon to the chat–feel free to do the same!

4) Work days and times. I’m hoping you all have some sense of what days/times you will be at school so that we can plan on all being at school at certain times. Having lunch (and a little therapy) on those days will be really therapeutic for all of us, and it would be nice to have SIW/staff meetings in person if possible. I’m am still waiting for direction on SIWs and will share as soon as I have it.

5) Friday Art times: In looking at the schedules, I don’t think 30 minutes is going to be enough time for art on Fridays. I am hopeful we can make a small adjustment to Friday schedules to add an additional 15 minutes to the art period. This does not really impact K/1 but it will mean that 2-5 have to dip a little into SPED/ELL time just on Fridays. Art (and PE and music) will start the second week of school. I realize this ask may require us to get more creative than simply adding an additional 15 minutes–just let me know and I’ll work with you to figure out how to make it work.

6) Happy Hour at Frans’ place on Friday, hope you can make it.

Upcoming
September 9: Emails and schedules from teachers go out, by noon
September 10: Materials pick up at Northstar, 2-5:30pm
September 10: Community Webex Meeting, 6-7pm
September 14: First Day of School!

Lastly, I hope that have your full support in terms of being a solid front of stability and positivity for students and families. This has been such a challenging time for all of us, and it can be easy to slide down into the rabbit hole of disappointment and frustration. However, we have children and families really counting on us to shine bright and be a positive guiding force as we navigate this next chapter of distance learning. Let’s stay positive and lean on each other for support when needed!

A quote to share as I sign off: Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain! (Vivian Greene). I think this speaks very clearly to our goal of thriving, not just surviving! Looking forward to dancing in the rain with you!

Andy