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School-wide Theme: Gratitude!

June?! I really cannot believe it’s June and that we have only 9 more days! In honor of our monthly theme I just want to say how insanely grateful I am to be a part of this incredible team! I absolutely love coming to work each day and spending time with you, and I love the work we do together in service to our community! Thank you for showing up as yourselves each and every day, and for being the amazing people that you are. I am truly grateful that I get to be part of the Amity community!

A very Happy Birthday to Brad on Wednesday of this week!

A few notes to get you going on this busy week…
1) Camp Amity today and tomorrow! I love Spring camp! Remember to wear your new Camp t-shirt.

2) Our last Cafe Amity of the year is on Wednesday, Grade 3 is hosting.

3) SIW is site-based this week. Please use the time to work on Grows and Glows, or other pressing work that needs your attention.

4) Last Fire Drill of the year on Thursday at 10:35am!

5) Kinder and New Family orientation on Thursday from 4:30-5pm. For Grades 1-5 there is nothing formal to present, just a meet and greet of students who will be new to Amity next year and will be in your class. Patti will provide you with info.

6) Amity BBQ on Thursday from 5-7pm! We’ll need help with set up after school, grilling and serving during the event, and clean up after the event. Please plan to help out during one of these times. Your help is greatly appreciated!

7) Grade 2 will host a celebration of learning on Thursday after Community Time.

8) Class gifts for Grade 5–just making sure you are thinking and/or working on this! We’ll share these gifts on Wednesday morning, June 10.

Upcoming
June 1/2: Camp Amity!
June 3: Cafe Amity, hosted by grade 3
June 3: SIW-Site Based
June 3: Grade 5 Poetry Night, 6pm
June 4: Family BBQ, 4:30 meet and greet for Kinder and new families, 5-7pm BBQ
June 5: Last day for Buddies
June 5: Water Play, 1:30-2pm followed by popsicles
June 8: Children’s Museum at Amity, AM (schedule coming soon)
June 8: Curriculum ordering for next year with Julie, 2:30pm
June 9: Staff meeting, 2:30pm
June 10: Community Celebration of Grade 5, AM
June 10: 5th Grade Graduation, 5pm
June 11: Last Day of School! Staff gathering!

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

Greetings All,
I hope you had an amazing 3 day weekend! Also, hoping you really felt the love and appreciation last week! Less than 3 weeks to go…

On our meeting schedule it indicates that we’re scheduled for a Staff Meeting on Tuesday-you can ignore this, we won’t be meeting.

A few notes to get you rolling:
1) We have DIBELS first things this AM for K-2 and for a few 3-5 students (16 kiddos). We’ll start with the olders so K-2 has a little time to warm up, then we’ll grab classes in reverse order-2, 1, K

2) SIW this week is a Teacher Work Day–enjoy the time! We did discuss the possibility of filming the kickball video at the beginning of the SIW time–are we still up for this? Please discuss at lunch!

3) Grades 2 and 4 have their Memory Book Night on Wednesday, 5-7pm

4) Grade 5 is off to Lava Lands on Friday

5) Bread and Jam on Friday

6) Reminder: As you begin to make plans for the end of year–activities, celebrations, etc–please either add them to the calendar in the office or email me with the info. Here is the draft for the last 2 week: Last 2 Weeks DRAFT

Upcoming
May 26: DIBELS, in AM
May 27: SIW-Teacher Work Day
May 27: Grade 2 and 4 Memory Book Night
May 29: Grade 5 to Lava Lands
May 29: Bread and Jam
June 1/2: Camp Amity!
June 3: SIW-Site Based
June 4: Family BBQ, 4:30 meet and greet for Kinder and new families, 5-7pm BBQ
June 5: Last day for Buddies
June 8: Children’s Museum at Amity, AM
June 8: Curriculum ordering for next year with Julie, 2:30pm
June 9: Community Celebration of Grade 5, AM
June 10: 5th Grade Graduation, 5pm
June 11: Last Day of School!

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

School wide Theme: Perseverance (we start Gratitude in June!)

Good morning all!
I hope you had a wonderful, rather cool weekend. The end of year busyness has officially begun–hold on tight and enjoy the ride! We have a 3 day weekend on the horizon.

A very Happy Birthday to Gina this Thursday!

A few notes to get you rolling…
1) It’s Teacher Appreciation Week! Allow yourself to bathe in all the love that comes your way this week, you deserve all of it and more! Some things that are already planned:
Tuesday-Smoothies at AM Choice, courtesy of FOA
Wednesday-Lunch from Axel’s, also courtesy of FOA
Thursday-Breackfast courtesy of Karima, Patti, and me

2) Grade 4 heads out on their Outdoor Ed adventure on Tuesday, Riley Ranch/Tumalo Creek

3) Cafe Amity on Wednesday, Grade 4 hosts

4) SIW this week is site based. We’ll be finishing our book study (see Sara’s email), and talking about plans for the last few weeks (yes, it’s that time!). Future SIWs:
*May 27-Teacher Work Day
*June 3-Site Based

5) We have RPA here on Friday to do some Reader’s Theater. Here’s the plan:
8:30-9:15 Performance (All classes)
9:30-10 Workshop with Grades 2 & 3
10-10:40 Workshop with Grades 4 & 5

Reminders:
*ROAR and mClass need to be done by this Friday, May 22.

*Please be sure you have firm commitments from your field trip volunteers. Leaving it open ended until the last minute can leave you in a difficult position. Set a clear date for commitment from parents so that you have time to find alternatives if things don’t work out.

*As you begin to make plans for the end of year–activities, celebrations, etc–please either add them to the calendar in the office or email me with the info. At our SIW this week we’ll discuss plans for the last two weeks. Here’s a working draft: Last 2 Weeks DRAFT

Upcoming
May 19: Grade 4 to Riley Ranch and Tumalo Falls
May 20: Cafe Amity, Grade 4 hosts
May 20: SIW-Site Based
May 22: RPA here to do Readers Workshop, 8:30AM performance
May 25: No School, Memorial Day
May 26: DIBELS, in AM
May 27: SIW-Teacher Work Day
May 27: Grade 2 and 4 Memory Book Night
May 29: Bread and Jam
June 1/2: Camp Amity!
June 3: SIW-Site Based
June 4: Family BBQ, 4:30 meet and greet for Kinder and new families, 5-7pm BBQ
June 5: Last day for Buddies
June 8: Children’s Museum at Amity, AM
June 8: Curriculum ordering for next year with Julie, 2:30pm
June 9: Community Celebration of Grade 5, AM
June 10: 5th Grade Graduation, 5pm
June 11: Last Day of School!

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

School wide theme: Perseverance–we got this!

Team,
I hope you enjoyed the wonderful weekend-I absolutely love this time of year! Let’s enjoy these last few weeks of the school year and have some fun!

A heads up that I will be at a training on Tuesday AM from 8-11:15. Brian will be on call if needed and Brad can cover his class should the need arise. I will still be reachable via text or call.

Lastly, thanks to Brian and Sara for opening their garage for us-fun to have some hang out time with y’all. Let’s do it again soon!

A few notes to get you going…
1) Feels like toys and fidgets are becoming quite the distraction right now. Please communicate with your classes and families about keeping toys at home, and be clear about the use of fidgets in your classroom. Thanks!

2) Mountain View Theater Group is here to day at 1pm–Snow White and the 7 Endings. We’ll come right in from afternoon recess directly to the gym. We’ll sit in grade order–Kinders and Grade 1 up front, and so on…

3) Reminder: ROAR and mClass need to be done by May 22.

4) SIW this week is a Teacher Work Day–enjoy the time.
Future SIWs:
*May 20-Site Based, we’ll finish our book study and talk about the last fe weeks of school
*May 27-Teacher Work Day
*June 3-Site Based

5) Field Trip chaperone reminder: Please be sure you have firm commitments from your field trip volunteers. Leaving it open ended until the last minute can leave you in a difficult position. Set a clear date for commitment from parents so that you have time to find alternatives if things don’t work out.

6) Bread and Jam on Friday.

7) Looking ahead to next week, we have RPA here on Friday the 22nd to do some Reader’s Theater. Here’s the plan:
8:30-9:15 Performance (All classes)
9:30-10 Workshop with Grades 2 & 3
10-10:40 Workshop with Grades 4 & 5

8) As you begin to make plans for the end of year–activities, celebrations, etc–please either add them to the calendar in the office or email me with the info. At our SIW on the 20th we’ll discuss plans for the last two weeks. Here’s a working draft: Last 2 Weeks DRAFT

Upcoming
May 11: Snow White and the 7 Endings (Mtn View Theater Group), 1-1:45pm
May 12: Grade 3 Outdoor Ed to Caldera Arts
May 12: Grades 4/5 to Tower Theater, 12:30 (leave at noon)
May 13: SIW-Teacher Work Day
May 13-15: Grade 5 Coast Trip
May 15: Bread and Jam
May 20: Cafe Amity, Grade 4 hosts
May 20: SIW-Site Based
May 22: RPA here to do Readers Workshop, 8:30AM performance
May 25: No School, Memorial Day
May 26: DIBELS, in AM
May 27: SIW-Teacher Work Day
May 29: Bread and Jam
June 1/2: Camp Amity!
June 3: SIW-Site Based
June 4: Family BBQ, 4:30 meet and greet for Kinder and new families, 5-7pm BBQ
June 5: Last day for Buddies
June 8: Children’s Museum at Amity, AM
June 8: Curriculum ordering for next year with Julie, 2:30pm
June 9: Community Celebration of Grade 5, AM
June 10: 5th Grade Graduation, 5pm
June 11: Last Day of School!

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

Happy Monday, and May the Fourth Be With You!
Another successful auction this past weekend! A big thanks to all of you who were able to make it–I hope you had a good time, I certainly did. Also, thanks for all you did to support the art projects and the auction in general!

Many months ago we offered the opportunity to have the Mountain View High School Theater Group come to Amity and perform. Of course I jumped on the opportunity…I just haven’t shared the info with you yet. On May 11 the theater group will be here to perform Snow White and the 7 Endings from 1-1:45pm. This will obviously impact Invitations for that day. We can have kiddos come right from afternoon recess to the gym for the performance. Apologies for not letting you know sooner!

A few notes to get you rolling…
1) Todd Wells from Fidelity is here Monday morning. If you haven’t made an appointment and you want to, check your email for how to do it.

2) Grade 3 will have their annual Train Your Brain presentation on Tuesday morning. They will be using the gym for this.

3) SIW this week is site based. We’ll use the time to discuss Chapter 11 in our Neurodiversity Affirming Schools book, and we’ll have another look at the progress reports in hopes of creating a Characteristics of a Creeker section.

4) Cafe Amity on Wednesday, Grade 5 hosts (their final time!).

5) Grades 1 (Friday) and 2 (Thursday) have their Spring outdoor ed trips.

6) It’s Cinco De Mayo on Tuesday. In case you are not familiar, Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican’s Army surprise victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Fun facts: Unlike in the US, in Mexico Cinco de Mayo is not widely celebrated as it is not a major holiday-it’s often mistakenly believed to be Mexico’s Independence Day which is actually September 16. In the US in the 60’s and 70’s the day became popular for celebrating Mexican heritage and culture, and in the 80’s alcohol companies launched massive marketing campaigns to turn the date into a commercial holiday.

Upcoming
May 4: Todd Wells from Fidelity will be here
May 6: Cafe Amity, Grade 5 hosts (for the last time…)
May 7: Grade 2 to Fall River Tubes
May 8: Grade 1 to Bentham East
May 11: Snow White and the 7 Endings (Mtn View Theater Group), 1-1:45pm
May 12: Grade 3 to Caldera Arts
May 12: Grades 4/5 to Tower Theater, 12:30
May 13-15: Grade 5 Coast Trip
May 15: Bread and Jam
May 20: Cafe Amity, Grade 4 hosts
May 22: RPA here to do Readers Workshop, AM
May 25: No School, Memorial Day
May 26: DIBELS, in AM
May 29: Bread and Jam
June 1/2: Camp Amity!
June 4: Family BBQ
June 8: Children’s Museum at Amity, AM
June 8: Curriculum ordering for next year with Julie, 2:30pm
June 10: 5th Grade Graduation, 5pm
June 11: Last Day of School!

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

School wide theme: Collaboration (Perseverance starts next week)

Hello All,
I hope you had a fantastic weekend! I was in LA to celebrate my mom’s 85 birthday–it was so good to be with her to celebrate this milestone!

It’s crazy to think that May arrives at the end of this week! You’ll notice that I am now including June dates in the “Upcoming” section below…

A few notes to get you going…
1) Thanks for talking with your classes about the wood cookies–it’s making a difference!

2) Taking Care of this Place: It’s always good this time of year to revisit how we work together to take care of this amazing little school that we inhabit. In particular I am noticing a lot of things being left in the hallways at the end of the day, tons of lost and found being left everywhere, garbage on the playground, and the stage being left pretty messy. Please take some time in the coming days to chat with your classes about the importance of taking care of this place. Thanks!

3)Amity Eats tonight at Mountain Burger.

4) Fire Drill on Tuesday at 9am.

5) SIW this week is a Teacher Work day. I have an admin meeting starting at 1:15 so I will ducking out as soon as the dust settles.

6) Please remember to email me when you are done with Erin’s Law lessons.

7) As you know, the auction is this Saturday–hoping to see y’all there! We’ll be doing a little auction promotion at Community Time each day this week. Best if this can happen after birthdays but before whatever your class is doing. It will be short and sweet!

8) A group of students from REALMS High School will be here Friday to lead some activities with our kiddos. Brian is coordinating the effort so be on the look out for communications from him.

9)Bread and Jam on Friday

10) I’ll be out on Friday, Brian will be covering for me.

Lastly, I have been able to set aside enough funds for one sub day for each of you that you can use for Memory Books and/or Grows and Glows between now and the end of the year. Let me know when you’d like to use your day!

Upcoming
April 27: Amity Eats at Mountain Burger
April 28: Fire Drill, 9am
April 29: SIW, Teacher Work Day
April 29: Kinder Outdoor Ed
May 1: REALMS High School group at Amity
May 1: Bread and Jam
May 2: Auction, Jungle Theme
May 4: Todd Wells from Fidelity will be here
May 6: Cafe Amity, Grade 5 hosts (for the last time…)
May 7: Grade 2 to Fall River Tubes
May 8: Grade 1 to Bentham East
May 12: Grade 3 to Caldera Arts
May 12: Grades 4/5 to Tower Theater, 12:30
May 13-15: Grade 5 Coast Trip
May 15: Bread and Jam
may 20: Cafe Amity, Grade 4 hosts
May 22: RPA here to do Readers Workshop, AM
May 25: No School, Memorial Day
May 26: DIBELS, in AM
May 29: Bread and Jam
June 1/2: Camp Amity!
June 4: Family BBQ
June 8: Children’s Museum at Amity, AM
June 10: 5th Grade Graduation
June 11: Last Day of School!


Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

School wide theme: Collaboration

Greetings All!
I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

I hope by now you have all met our new night custodian John Whitson. John is a Bend local, with family roots that go deep in the community. Please be sure to give him a big, warm Amity welcome! (And remember to empty your own garbage and recycling!)

A few notes to get you going…
1) Please take a moment to talk to your classes about the wood cookies (and all the small pieces) and the importance of keeping them in the wood chip/natural playground area. The district maintenance team will begin their Spring mowing schedule soon and if we have wood scattered about it’s going to be a BIG problem. Thanks for taking a few minutes to discuss with your class.

2) SIW this week is in house. We’ll use the time to dive back into our book study and we’ll have a good look at the progress reports we’ve been working on.

3) Cafe Amity this week, Kindergarten hosts

4) Lots of field trips this week:
Mon: Grade 2 and 5 to BSS
Tues: Kinder to BSS
Thurs: Grade 1 to Sunriver Nature Center, Grade 5 outdoor education

5) There will be a few elementary admin folks on campus Thursday morning. We’re doing quick visits at each other’s schools and peeking in on K-2 literacy.

6) We could use a little help from classroom teachers promoting the Class Baskets for the auction. Below is a note that went to class leads late last week and we’re hopeful they get things moving. It would be great if you could include a little info about the basket and the theme for your classes in communications this week and next. Thanks!

Hi class leads,
We need your help! Our class baskets for the auction raffle are looking very sparse 😩Could you please make a real push to encourage families in your class to contribute items? This weekend might be a great time to do it while they’re out and about! Feel free to get creative with some ideas or to make suggestions to give some inspiration. Or if you have the ability, you could even collect money and buy items on behalf of the class & those families who don’t have the time to shop.

The auction is fast approaching in just 2 weeks, and we’d really like the baskets to be completed by the end of next week if possible. As a reminder, here are the themes for each class:
Kinder—Arts & Crafts
Grade 1—Book lovers
Grade 2—Family night
Grade 3—Pampered pets
Grade 4—Keep it local
Grade 5—Summer fun

Let’s make these baskets as exciting as possible so that we can raise money to support our amazing school!

7) FYI, our end of year DIBELS is set for the morning of May 26. Remember, this is for all K-2 students and selected students from 3-5. We’ll need to talk soon about end of year ROAR and mClass!


Upcoming
April 20: Grade 2 and 5 to Bend Science Station
April 21: Kinder to Bend Science Station
April 22: Cafe Amity, Kinder hosts
April 22: SIW, in house
April 23: Grade 5 to Benham East
April 27: Amity Eats at Mountain Burger
April 29: SIW, Teacher Work Day
April 29: Kinder Outdoor Ed
May 2: Auction, Jungle Theme
May 7: Grade 2 to Fall River Tubes
May 8: Grade 1 to Bentham East
May 12: Grade 3 to Caldera Arts
May 12: Grades 4/5 to Tower Theater, 12:30
May 22: RPA here to do Readers Workshop, AM
May 26: DIBELS, in AM
June 8: Children’s Museum at Amity, AM


Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

School wide theme: Collaboration

Hey Everyone!
I hope you enjoyed the rather soggy weekend, we can certainly use the rain we got! Big thanks for all the birthday wishes last week, much appreciated! And big thanks for the mini eval meetings last week, I always really enjoy having the time to chat with each of you! You truly are very special humans!

A few notes to get you going…
1) New Buddies start this week and run through the end of the year:
K/1st; 2nd/4th; 3rd/5th

2) Auction art projects continue this week and probably right up to the auction. As a reminder, the auction is Saturday, May 2. Hoping to see as many of you as possible there.

3) SIW this week is Educator Network, please be sure you have signed up. FYI, Lori will doing a workshop on Amplify centers here at Amity.

4) Grades 1 (Friday) and 3 (Tuesday) are headed to Bend Science Station.

5) Bread and Jam this Friday

6) I know that quite a few of you are starting your child abuse prevention lessons this week. As a reminder, these need to be completed by the end of the month. Please email me when you have completed the lessons. Thanks!

7) I will be away from school on Thursday and Friday, as usual Brian will be covering for me.

Upcoming
April 14: Grade 3 to Bend Science Station
April 15: SIW, Educator Network Day
April 17: Grade 1 to Bend Science Station
April 17: Bread and Jam
April 20: Grade 2 to Bend Science Station
April 21: Kinder to Bend Science Station
April 22: Cafe Amity, Kinder hosts
April 22: SIW, in house
April 23: Grade 5 to Benham East
April 29: SIW, Teacher Work Day
April 29: Kinder Outdoor Ed
May 2: Auction
May 7: Grade 2 to Fall River Tubes
May 8: Grade 1 to Bentham East
May 12: Grade 3 to Caldera Arts

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

Howdy All,
I hope you enjoyed the beautiful weather this weekend! I had an amazing weekend over in Corvallis with my kids and grandkids. Spring has definitely sprung in the valley! This may be the shortest Monday AM notes of all time…

A few notes to get you rolling:
1) Cafe Amity this week, Grade 1 hosts

2) I sent an email at the end of last week for teachers to sign up for Mini evaluation meetings. Here’s that link again, please sign up ASAP:
Mini Eval Mtg

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

4) New Buddies start April 13 and run through the end of the year:
K/1st; 2nd/4th; 3rd/5th

That’s it, not too much going on this week!

Upcoming
April 8: Cafe Amity, Grade 1 hosts
April 8: SIW, Teacher Work Day
April 14: Grade 3 to Bend Science Station
April 15: SIW, Educator Network Day
April 17: Grade 1 to Bend Science Station
April 17: Bread and Jam
April 20: Grade 2 to Bend Science Station
April 21: Kinder to Bend Science Station
April 22: SIW, in house
April 23: Grade 5 to Benham East
April 29: SIW, Teacher Work Day
April 29: Kinder Outdoor Ed
May 2: Auction
May 7: Grade 2 to Fall River Tubes
May 8: Grade 1 to Bentham East
May 12: Grade 3 to Caldera Arts

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

Hey All!
I hope you had a fantastic Spring Break, always a welcome interlude at this time of year! I had an incredible trip to the eastern Sierras and got my fill of stunning vistas, ice cold streams, and frozen lakes! A few photos:

A HUGE congrats to Haley, Skylar, and Sonny as they welcome baby Jones to the world!

A few notes to get you rolling…
1) Lockdown Drill tomorrow (Tuesday)-9:00am. Please take time on Monday to chat with your class and practice.

2) SIW this week-we’ll dive back into our book study. We’ll also have a Staff Meeting as part of SIW–it’s been a while since we had a nuts and bolts meeting.

3) Local author and musician Dennis McGregor from Sisters will be here on April 2 to entertain K-2. 9:45-10:40am.

4) Reminder that Child Abuse Prevention lessons need to be completed by the end of April. Please remember to notify parents about when you plan to teach the lessons. I’ll resend the link to the lessons in a separate email.

5) Bree from BEAT will be working with Grades 3-5 during Enrichment starting this Friday, April 3.

6) It’s state testing season for Grades 3-5–wish them all luck!

7) The annual auction is May 2, just over a month away. Each class has a parent (or parents) who are in charge of the class art project for the auction. The parent(s) should be reaching out soon to schedule time to work on the project. As always, thanks in advance for your flexibility in finding the time to accommodate the project!

8) Acting Superintendent Lisa Birk (Dr Cook is out for a bit caring for a family member) will host an update for all District staff on Tuesday, March 31, with two 30-minute virtual sessions:
Session 1 – 3:05 – 3:35 p.m. (LINK to join Session 1)–let’s meet in Brian’s room if interested.
Session 2 – 3:50 – 4:20 p.m. (LINK to join Session 2)

9) Last but not least, y’all know that Brad is filling in for Haley for the rest of the year. Huge thanks Brad!

Upcoming
March 31: Lockdown Drill, 9am
April 1: SIW, Book Study and Staff meeting
April 2: Dennis McGregor visits K-2, 9:45am
April 8: SIW, Teacher Work Day
April 17: SIW, Educator Network Day
April 22: SIW, in house
April 23: Grade 5 to Benham East
April 29: SIW, Teacher Work Day
April 29: Kinder Outdoor Ed
May 2: Auction
May 7: Grade 2 to Fall River Tubes
May 8: Grade 1 to Bentham East
May 12: Grade 3 to Caldera Arts

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy