Category: Uncategorized

Hey Team,
I hope you all had a fantastic weekend and really enjoyed a little rain. Michelle and I got out to Fall River just as the rain was letting up and the sun came out-absolutely glorious!

Before I share the AM notes, I wanted to share a link to this really awesome interview Quinn (Grade 5) did last week with our new superintendent Dr. Cook. Quinn rocked it! Supe’s On Podcast with Quinn

A few (actually many) notes to get you going, grab your planner and list of things to do:
1) We need to do a Fire Drill in the first 10 days of school, which means Tuesday is our last opportunity. We’ll have the drill on Tuesday at 9:20am. I will work with Patti to make sure you have updated class lists and the red and green emergency packet prior to the drill. Also, I will check in with those of you who are new to give you the run down.

2) It’s important that we are keeping windows open and free air circulating in the classrooms, even as the temperatures are cooling. Also, please do your best to remember to turn the air purifier on as soon as you arrive in the morning (and turn it off before you leave).

3) No Staff meeting this week (it’s on our schedule but I am opting to skip it) . SIW this week is “Teacher Directed” meaning you can use it as you as you like.

4) We’ll start our regular Buddy Time this Thursday from 10-11am. Here are the buddy pairs for at least the next two months: K and Grade 4, Grades 1 and 3, Grades 2 and 5. Please connect with your Buddy teacher and make plans.

5) I know several of you have already administered a math screener/assessment as we discussed during our prep week. For those that have yet to do a math assessment, here are 2 excellent options, please use one of them:
*Boulder Valley Math Screeners-these will give you a more global picture of the student’s thinking and reasoning: BVSD

*Bridges Unit Screeners-these will be more targeted to your first unit: Bridges Unit Screeners

I am happy to help with this in any way I can, please reach out if I can support the effort.

6) IMPORTANT: Alwyas, always, always have your phone and keys with you when you are on duty on the playground. In the case of an emergency you may need to unlock the gate(s) to get students off campus, and/or you may need to call 911.

7) Kinder, Grade 1, Grade 3, and Grade 4 please have a plan ready for this Wednesday during your art time (common planning time). Korey will not be teaching art this week or next so we need to have plans ready to be implemented. For K and 1 this is a 45 minute block, and you can consider having Karima lead a PE activity for 20 minutes of that time (Kinder first, then Grade 1). For Grades 3 and 4 this is 1 hour of time, and we talked about the possibility of utilizing Lexia and Dreambox as part of the plan.

Sadie and Ray, no art this Friday or next.

8) Remember to have a look at the Tier 1 LEAD activities and find something as a first step for yourself. Here is the link: resources. All teachers in the district are being asked to take one small step during September, I am interested to know which you are choosing!

9) Some follow up from our staff meeting last week:
*Sadie has stepped forward to represent Amity with the LEAD cohort, and Brian has volunteered to be our Sustainability Coordinator. A huge thanks to both of you! We look forward to learning from you and along with you!

*I’m looking for a few volunteers (in addition to Haley) to continue working on the framework for Take Care of Yourself/Others/Place. I anticipate that this is about 1-2 hours of work and then bringing it back to the group. We’ll start by blocking a 1 hour meeting time in the next few weeks once I know who is interested. Please email or speak with me early this week.

*I’m still looking for an ICCL representative to do some math focused work. Please let me know if you’re interested.

10) I’ve asked Brad to make some time with Kinder, Grade 1, and Grade 2 to learn how to play Gaga. He should be reaching out to you soon to schedule a time.

11) The art that is adorning the hallways looks great. Let’s continue to decorate the hallways, and feel free to use the space near the office as well!

12) Grade 5 will host the first Community Time this Thursday and Friday, September 23/24 starting at 1:30 each day. On Thursdays Kinder/Grade 2/Grade 4 will attend. On Friday Grades 1/3/5 will attend. Future dates:
*Sept 30/Oct 1: Grade 3
*October 7/8: Grade 4
*October 14/15: Kinder
*October 21/22: Grade 2
*November 4/5: Grade 1

13) Clarifying, once and for all, the recess zones. Zone 1 is closest to the school building, Zone 2 is closest to Broadway. Here’s an arial view:

Lastly, I need to let you know that Kelli resigned last Friday afternoon. She has enrolled Lexi in Bend La Pine online and will be home with her for the foreseeable future. Obviously this is a big loss, but we honor the decision that Kelli needed to make for her family. I have posted the position (waiting for district approval) and will interview as soon as I am able to (likely a week or so). In the meantime Alanna is joining the Grade 1 class as the EA.

Upcoming
*September  21: Back to School (Virtual) Grade 2, 5:30pm
*September 22: Teacher directed SIW
*September 23: Back to School (Virtual) Grade 3, 5:30pm
*September 23/24: Grade 5 hosts Community Time
*September 30/Oct 1: Grade 3 hosts Community Time
*October 7/8: Grade 4 hosts Community Time
*October 14/15: Kinder hosts Community Time
*October 21/22: Grade 2 hosts Community Time
*October 27-29: No School for students, Conversations (conferences)
*November 4/5: Grade 1 hosts Community Time

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

Good Morning All!
I hope you enjoyed the glorious weekend and the freshness after a Fall rainstorm! It was a definite reset for me. And congrats on getting through a wacky, but wonderful first week of school last week!

Last weekend Michelle and I hiked up to Little Three Creeks Lake to escape the smoke for little while. While we didn’t totally escape the smoke we did find ourselves perched and mesmerized alongside the inlet to the lake. I videoed 30 seconds at the inlet that I want to challenge you to stop, take a deep breath, and watch before reading any further. It’s a busy week ahead, take a moment to take a few deep breaths. (Turn up the volume)

I want to start the morning notes with a HUGE welcome to our newest team member Lauren Romney who will be taking over the first grade class this year. Lauren starts today and will spend the week with Sara getting comfortable with the class (and Amity) and then will likely start on her own next Monday. Please welcome Lauren with open arms and lots of Amity love! We’re super excited to have her joining us!

A few notes to get you going (lots to share):
1) I’ll be off campus starting at 11:30am today and will be unreachable for the rest of the day. In case of emergency, Patti has Skip’s phone number (for those that don’t know, Skip is my boss).

2) As we settle in let’s remember the importance of being extremely vigilant in terms of masks and distancing. The current variant is insanely contagious and we want to do all we can to keep our students and ourselves safe. I am hopeful we will not have to eat inside again (or much in the coming weeks) but when we do it is vital that we maintain 6 feet of physical distance between students. This is our most vulnerable time and we need to be vigilant and relentless. As I always say, I have no desire to be on the front page of the newspaper. Let’s control what we can!

3) While I’m hopeful we don’t need this, in case we aren’t able to go outside for recess/lunch we’ll continue to use this gym schedule:
Morning Gym time-you can use for scooters or other games
8:30-8:45: Kinder
8:45-9:00: Grade 1
9:00-9:15: Grade 2
9:15-9:30: Grade 3
9:30-9:45: Grade 4
9:45-10:00: Grade 5

Snack: Eaten in classrooms, 6 feet of distancing.
Lunch: Eaten in the rooms and hallways/cafeteria (if extra space needed), 6 feet of distancing, supervised by EAs.  Games in the classroom, supervised by EAs.  Please let students know what they can play with and have games ready before you leave for lunch.

Afternoon Gym time-you can use for scooters or another game
12:00-12:15:  Kinder
12:15-12:30: Grade 1
12:30-12:45: Grade 2
12:45-1:00: Grade 3
1:00-1:15: Grade 4
1:15-1:30: Grade 5

4) Music and PE begin this week:
Monday, 12-1pm: Kinder (music first)/Grade 1 (PE first)
Tuesday, 12-1pm: Grade 2 (music first)/Grade 3 (PE first)
Thursday, 12-1pm: Grade 4 (music first)/ Grade 5 (PE first)

5) This Wednesday is a big day:
*Art begins for Grades K, 1, 3, and 4
*Health and Wellbeing with Brad starts for Grades 2 and 5
*We begin our Wednesday common planning time for K-2 and 3-5

Here’s how Wednesday will look (I will send another email on Tuesday outlining common planning time info):
*Art will begin at 8:30am for K/1 and will be supervised by EAs and me (Kelli and me with Grade 1, Jill and Karima with Kinder). Teachers, please leave activities for students to do after art and until recess.
*Grade 2 will be with Brad from 8:30-9:30
*K-2 teachers will meet in the Staff Lounge for planning time

*Art will begin at 10:00am for 3/4 and will be supervised by Alanna (3) and me (4). Teachers, please leave activities for students to do after art and until lunch.
*Grade 5 will be with Brad from 10:00-11:00
*3-5 teachers will meet in the Staff Lounge for planning time

6) We will have a Staff meeting on Wednesday starting at 1:30pm. We’ll meet in Ray’s room. I’m looking for a volunteer to lead a warm up activity. This can be a get to know you activity, mindfulness, something silly and fun, anything you’d like. Who’d like to step up for this week? Let me know.

7) As we settle in, establishing our routines is important. One thing I’d appreciate your help with is walking with your class to and from the playground, with you setting the pace (as opposed to following students who are running down the hallway). I’m counting on your support–thanks!

8) When you are on playground supervision please be sure that one of you has the red first aid bag that also contains the bell and you are aware what time the recess ends. I will not always be on the playground (just mostly) and it’s important that someone is aware of the time.

9) Contact tracing emails. If a child in your class tests positive for COVID you will likely receive a contact tracing email from the district–please be sure to respond to the email as quickly as possible. Responses to these emails are critical!

10) Virtual Back to School Nights are starting this week! Be sure you remember how to share the link to your Webex room and be sure to get it out to parents at least one day in advance. As a reminder, this does not need to be a big production–cover some of the basics (routines), what you’re diving into this first part of the year, what your passionate/excited about, what kind of engagement you are having with other classes (buddies, other), how parents can support their kiddos at home (and you at school), and leave time for Q and A. For fun you could ask them what they’ve learned about the class so far from their children–sometimes this can be hilarious!
In case you have forgotten:
*Sept 14: K and 1, 5:30pm
*Sept 16: 4 and 5, 5:30pm
*Sept  21: Grade 2, 5:30pm
*Sept 23: Grade 3, 5:30pm
***IMPORTANT NOTE: Be sure to either turn off the function that sends people to the waiting room upon entering or make sure you are monitoring the waiting room and let people in!


11) Grade 5 will host the first Community Time Thursday and Friday, September 23/24 (next week). On Thursdays Kinder/Grade 2/Grade 4 will attend. On Friday Grades 1/3/5 will attend. Future dates:
*Sept 30/Oct 1: Grade 3
*October 7/8: Grade 4
*October 14/15: Kinder
*October 21/22: Grade 2
*October 28/29: Grade 1

Upcoming
*Sept 15: Staff Meeting, 1:30pm
*Sept 14: Back to School (Virtual) K and 1, 5:30pm
*Sept 16: Back to School (Virtual) 4 and 5, 5:30pm
*Sept 21: Staff Meeting, 2:45pm
*Sept  21: Back to School (Virtual) Grade 2, 5:30pm
*Sept 22: Teacher directed SIW
*Sept 23: Back to School (Virtual) Grade 3, 5:30pm
*Sept 23/24: Grade 5 hosts Community Time!

Here’s to a great first full week!
Andy

Hello Team!
I hope the long weekend treated you well and that it was just what you needed to be truly ready for our big week ahead (even with the smoke). I have had numerous emails from parents letting me know how excited their kiddos are to be returning to/starting school this week. It’s an especially big week for us as we start the school year as a new team and I couldn’t be more optimistic about the year ahead! If there is anything I can do to support you this week as we launch please don’t hesitate to reach out!

For those that are new, the Monday AM Notes are usually sent out late Sunday afternoon or very early Monday morning. It’s important that you read the notes prior to the start of school on Monday as there may be very relevant information that you will need first thing. It’s helpful to have your calendar next to you when you read the notes to make sure you don’t miss important dates and times.

Here are some notes to get us going our first week:
1) You should have received an email from me regarding some plans we discussed for the first 2 weeks of school: Wednesday’s Community Time outside, Buddies, PE/Music, Team Planning Times, and art times

2) What to cover with students first week
Masks
*Must be worn at all times indoors and getting ready to return inside
*May take off for snack, lunch, and recess–any time outside
*Masks can be put in a pocket or around the wrist when off

Distancing
*Must keep 6 feet of distancing (come up with some approximate measurement for students to use) anytime students are eating (inside and outside)

Washing and Sanitizing
*Encourage good hygiene practice–washing hands regularly, especially before eating and after using the bathroom. Encourage frequent washing!

Bathroom
*NO limits on number of students in the bathroom, but as always if it seems overly crowded have some students wait int he hallway.

In and out to playground
*Class walks in and out together with teacher
*Wait in designated area for pick up
*We’ll do pick up line for K-4, K starting at the LOVE wall and then in class order to the edge of the field for Grade 4. Grade 5 will meet Ray in the lunch table area. I’ll mark the head of the lines for reference.

Playground
*Encourage 3 feet of distancing while playing

End of day
*Walk students to designated pick-up areas (same as lunch spot) and stay with them
*Please try to make some form of contact with each parent/guardian as they pick up students

Cough or sneeze?
*Into the elbow crease please!

3) Info regarding air quality I will be sharing with parents:
With the return of considerable smoke this past week I wanted to share some information about how we track the air quality in Bend and how we make decisions about mitigation strategies. We use the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality website to monitor the Air Quality Index (AQI) and use the guide below to help us make decisions. If you’re not familiar with monitoring air quality have a look here:Oregon Deptartment of Environmental Quality. The AQI is updated hourly and we use the reading closest to the time we plan to be outside to make decisions. If your child tends to be particularly sensitive to the smoke, for specific medical or other reasons, please be sure we are aware of this. Please email both me and Patti: [email protected] AND [email protected]

4) Please be sure to include your Back to School Night (virtual) date and time in parent communications. This will be done via Webex so it would be good to re-familiarize yourself prior to the day! (Sadie, we’ll need to get you set up on WebEx soon!)

5) Grade 1 teacher search update: We are actively accepting applications (post is official on district website) and meeting with candidates. We hope to make a hire within the next week. HIUGE thanks to Sara for helping with this transition and looking after the Grade 1 kiddos in the meantime!


Upcoming
*Sept 8: First day–full school day. Community Time at 1:45pm
*Sept 9: Field Games in PM–sign up! 1:30-2:15pm
*Sept 10: PM recess and popsicles, 1:45pm
*Sept 14: Back to School (Virtual) K and 1, 5:30pm
*Sept 16: Back to School (Virtual) 4 and 5, 5:30pm
*Sept  21: Back to School (Virtual) Grade 2, 5:50pm
*Sept 23: Back to School (Virtual) Grade 3, 5:30pm

I couldn’t be more excited to be starting the year with this incredible team!
Andy

We made it! When this school year started we had no idea where it would take us. From online to hybrid at North Star, and eventually settling back in to our beloved home, it has been a wild ride! Your perseverance and determination have been nothing short of extraordinary. And all the while you kept the joy and love alive and well–I am in awe of each and every one of you!

We have a busy last week ahead, here are some notes:
1) We’ll have a short Staff Meeting on Tuesday starting at 2:45pm in the staff room.

2) Schedule this week–please note your class time with Mindy on Monday:

3) For Egg Drop: Please create groups of 4 (plus or minus one as needed) with your buddies. Supplies will be ready to go Tuesday AM. Please take time with your class and with buddies to explain the activity:
*Groups will have 1 hour to create something to hopefully keep their egg safe when dropped from the roof
*They can only use the supplies provided–each group will get the exact same supplies
*Olders should make every effort to include the Youngers in the planning and creating
*They may work anywhere (just about) in the building–hallways, classrooms, gym
*Building will occur from 8:30-9:30am and then everyone will go for Choice together.
*We’ll meet on the playground after Choice to do the drop–we’ll cone off a drop zone

4) We may shift the graduation day schedule a little depending on how rehearsals go early this week–we may need to have Choice time a little earlier so we can start the festivities a little earlier in hopes of finishing by lunch. Here’s how the schedule looks as of right now:
*Grade 5 enters with their Grade 2 Buddies (Kinder-created hats on seats)
*Welcome (Ray)
*Slide Show and Speeches: Tiana, Eli F, Charlotte, Talus
*Grade 1 Gift
*Slide Show and Speeches: Logan, Wade, Koa, Hayley
*Grade 2 Gift
*Slide Show and Speeches: Lucas, Mitchell, Alazar, Shay
*Movement Activity
*Slide Show and Speeches: Olivia, Eli V, Kirra, Miles
*Grade 3 & Grade 4 Gifts
*Slide Show and Speeches: Kearina, Ari, Rush, Abby
*Grade 5 Dances off

We are setting up the chairs Tuesday after school so students will be able to sit for the graduation.

Please remember to have your classs gift for Grade 5 ready for Graduation!

5) Field Day information will be in your inbox this afternoon (Mon) or early Tuesday AM.

6) Please check in after school on Wednesday to see if we need help getting ready for the afternoon graduation event. I am hoping that all staff members will be able to attend the afternoon event.

7) Let’s gather at Bend Brewing Company at 3pm on Thursday to celebrate!

Upcoming this week
June 16: School lets out at 2:30pm
June 16: Grade 5 Graduation with families, 4pm
June 17: Last day! 1pm dismissal
June 17: Staff gathering at BBC, 3:00pm (changed from 3:30)

Signing off for the insane 20-21 school year,
Andy

Greetings!
I hope you had a wonderful, fun packed weekend! I’m really looking forward to these next two weeks. We’ve been through a lot this past year and I am so proud of how we have managed to find joy every day, to be here for our students and families, and take of each other–we have a lot to celebrate as the year winds down. There’s a bright light shining at the end of the tunnel and I’m starting to feel it’s warmth…

A BIG Happy Birthday to Sara today (if you’re reading this Sunday it’s tomorrow).

A few notes for the week:
1) I’ll be sending out a full schedule for next week’s activities–stay tuned, it should be in your inbox by Wednesday.

2) I had a great meeting with a small group of 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders to plan Community Time for Magic Mindy Monday. We have a few nice things planned!

3) Grade 2 interviews on Tuesday starting at 3pm in Ray’s room.

4) Community Time this week on Thursday and Friday at 1:30. Grade 2 on Thursday, Kinder on Friday

5) This will be the last week for Music and Art.

6) Please remember to have your classs gift for Grade 5 ready for Graduation next Wednesday!

7) A few things regarding End of Year Celebrations (Grows and Glows):
*They are due before you leave for the summer–meaning you can finish them after school gets out if you want.
*Please remember we agreed that in the Additional Comments section you will be writing a short note directly to the child.
*Please let me know if you did not receive a link to your google folder from me. If you didn’t it may be in your junk or spam folder.

8) Earthquake and Fire Drill this week on Thursday at 10:45am. Apologies, but we still have to get these done for the month of June. We’ll announce the Earthquake drill and students will need to seek cover under their desks. We’ll keep this short and then activate the fire alarm. We should be done by lunch time.

9) We also need to do a Lock Out drill on Friday at 10:45am. This just means we lock all external doors, announce that we are in Lock Out, and it’s business as usual inside the building. During the lock out you are not allowed to leave the building. We’ll do this for 5 minutes.

Upcoming
June 8: Grade 2 Interviews, 3pm
June 10: Earthquake/Fire Drill, 10:45am
June 11: Lock Out Drill, 10:45am
June 16: School lets out at 2:30pm
June 16: Grade 5 Graduation, 4pm
June 17: Last day! 1pm dismissal
June 17: Staff gathering, 3:30pm

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

Greetings All,
I hope you had an AMAZING long weekend! My plans to head to the Alvord Desert changed at the last minute so we made the best of a staycation. We loaded up the canoe and spent a phenomenal night out on Sparks Lake!

A few notes to get us going:
1) No Staff Meeting Tuesday. I think we all have plenty going on this week!

2) We’ll have our final EBISS meetings this Wednesday. This is a time to start planning support for kiddos for next year so we can hit the ground running. Please come to the meeting ready to share concerns and bring work samples/assessments that will be helpful. Below is the schedule, Brad will be covering your class (if he’s not covering for Ray, in which case we will need to adjust). Sara will also attend these meetings as she will be part of the support team for next year.
8:30-Matt
9:00-Frans
9:30-Lindsey
10:00-Amanda
10:30-Stephanie
*No Grade 5 meeting

3) No SIW this week. This week and next week have been set aside to give you time to start your End of Year Celebrations.

4) Application screening Wednesday from 3-4:30. Everyone is invited to join and be involved. We’ll meet in Amanda’s room.

5) Community Time this week, starting at 1:30pm:
Thursday-Grade 3
Friday-Grade 2

Next week:
June 10-Grade 1
June 11-Kinder

6) Reminder: We are scheduled to attend a gender workshop at Westside Village at 3pm on Thursday. Out of respect for the kiddos organizing this for us please be on time.

7) Here is a link to the Field Day document I created to get us organized–please take a moment to sign up for an activity: Field Day 2021

8) Nancy Hitchcock, the OT that serves Amity is looking for some things that we had here at Amity prior to the remodel. Please see if any of this is in your room:
Dark slant board #21070
Red round air cushion #1843410
Black medicine ball #22487
Chalkboard 10″x17″ #14274
Handwriting without tears Kindergarten teacher guide #20799
Poster-“I can calm myself” #2036

9) A big Happy Birthday to Brad this week–Thursday!

Upcoming
June 2: EBISS (see schedule above)
June 3: Gender presentation @Westside Village, 3-4pm
June 16: School lets out at 2:30pm
June 16: Grade 5 Graduation, 4pm
June 17: Last day! 1pm dismissal
June 17: Staff gathering, 3:30pm

Lastly, I’d love to hear your answer…

Here’s to a great week ahead…3 more to go!
Andy

Happy 4th to last Monday of the year!
I hope your weekend was great. I spent most of the weekend gearing up for camping season–as a new travel trailer owner I am discovering all that needs to be done to get a rig “season” ready!

Believe it or not, we have only 4 weeks of school left, and only 3 more AM notes left after this one!

Here’s what’s up this week:
1) Fire Drill on Tuesday 10:45am

2) SIW on Wednesday, 2pm. We’ll spend the time planning out the last week of school.

3) Screening of the Variety Show will happen this Thursday at 10:30am in the gym. I hope this doesn’t interfere with anyone’s previous plans for that time. I’ll send a link home to families that night so they can watch it, too.

4) The Annual Mr. Z Table Top Football Tournament is this week, initiated by Taran and Kai. I’m working with the boys to get the brackets set up. Youngers will play Youngers and Olders will play Olders for the first few rounds so we can have the games during recess. Once we get further along games will take place across the grades and we’ll do them at lunch recess. There will be practice games at recess on Monday with the tournament starting on Tuesday and hopefully finishing up on Friday. Taran and Kai will come around to make an announcement on Monday before recess.

5) If you need to use tape on the stage for Community Time, please use blue (or green) painter’s tape. Masking tape leaves a sticky residue. Thanks!

6) Community Time schedule for the rest of the year–I’ve sent the info in a separate email. Please block 1:30pm on Thursday and Friday for the next 3 weeks.

7) End of Year Celebrations templates are ready for you. I will soon share with each of you the Google folder for your class.

8) We’ll have our final EBISS meetings next Wednesday, June 2. This will be a time to start planning support for kiddos for next year so we can hit the ground running. Below is the schedule, we’ll have someone to cover your class. Sara will also attend these meetings as she will be part of the support team for next year.
8:30-Matt
9:00-Frans
9:30-Lindsey
10:00-Amanda
10:30-Stephanie
*No Grade 5 meeting

9) FYI, the last Wednesday of school will be a full day (2:30), and the last day of school will be early release (1pm)

10) Last day of school adult celebration. Let’s plan to get together right after school gets out on June 17. Venue to be determined (BBC has always been fun the last day), but please save this time so we can gather before we all head out for the summer.

Upcoming
May 25: Fire Drill, 10:45am
May 26: SIW, 2pm
June 1: Staff Meeting, 2:45pm
June 2: EBISS (see schedule above)
June 3: Gender presentation @Westside Village, 3-4pm
June 16: School lets out at 2:30pm
June 16: Grade 5 Graduation, 4pm
June 17: Last day! 1pm dismissal
June 17: Staff gathering, 3:30pm

Here’s to a great last month of school!
Andy

Greetings y’all,
I hope you enjoyed the amazing weather this weekend. We had our grandkids overnight on Friday and most of the day on Saturday and we spent Sunday recovering! Yikes, it’s a lot of work! I hope your weekend was equally as fun but less exhausting…

A few notes to get you going:
1) Tom is out through Wednesday. Derek is covering Tom’s AM duties and we have a sub covering the evenings. If you have any concerns or needs please let me know.

2) I sent you all a Save the Date for Grade 5 Graduation–June 16 at 4pm. We’ll also do a school-wide celebration earlier that day. I’ll keep you updated as plans develop. We’re still waiting for info from the district before proceeding.

3) In the next week I’ll be creating a Google folder for each of you with End of Year Celebration templates for each of your students. Like last year I’ll name each document with a student name so they will be easy to find. Having this shared folder with me and Patti greatly helps as it allows us to help out with formatting issues that arise and will allow us to print directly from the folder.

4) Staff Meeting on Tuesday at 2:45pm. No SIW this week.

5) Art is back this week! Regularly scheduled times.

6) Kinder will host Community Time this week!

7) Subs are extremely hard to get right now--as a result admin received this email from HR on Friday: We will not be approving anymore personal days unless a substitute can be found.  If we have already approved a personal day, then we will honor that decision.  Moving forward, however, if an employee, either classified or certified, asks for a personal day, we need to know that positions will be covered before okaying the request.  We also would like to remind you that we’ve made special agreements with both associations that employees will be paid for unused personal days. If you have plans to use a personal day between now and the end of the year let’s get working on finding a sub!

8) I’ll likely be out part of Wednesday and Thursday helping my gal post-surgery. At this point we don’t know what time her surgery is scheduled for on Wednesday so we’re keeping things flexible. I’ll update you when I know.

Upcoming
May 18: Staff Meeting, 2:45pm
May 25: Fire Drill, 10:45am
May 26: SIW, 2pm
June 1: Staff Meeting, 2:45pm
June 2: EBISS–more details later
June 17: Last day! 6 weeks left…

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

Greetings all,
I hope you had an amazing weekend, and a big happy Mother’s Day to all the mamas! I got to spend the weekend with the youngest member of our family–it’s been a few months and she has grown up so much! This is Aurelia at the sweet age of 7 months, and a picture of the treehouse Kaila and I stayed in a few miles outside of Corvallis.

• 

• 

A few notes to get you going this morning:
1) Big thanks to those of you who were able to help out with Bike and Walk to School event last week–it was a huge success, and more importantly it was a nice community bonding experience!

2) SIW this week starts at 1:30pm. We’ll meet in Matt’s room so we can use the projector. We’ll be discussing what it means to be a “good fit” at Amity as we prepare for upcoming interviews. Please give this some thought prior to the meeting.

3) Last week I sent you a copy of the End of Year Celebrations (Grows and Glows). Please take some time to chat with at least one other teacher before Wednesday’s SIW time.

4) I’m trying a little experiment with re-zoning in an effort to expand options in each zone. I’ll cone off each zone early Monday AM and it would be great if you brought students out a little early for first choice time to orient them.

Zone 1: 4 swings, jungle gym, play structure, one side of wall ball, slice of field
Zone 2: 2 swings, climbing wall, basket ball court, slice of field
Zone 3: Four square, Gaga, table area, slice of field

5) Grade 2 will host Community Time this week, Kinders next week.

6) Planned staff meetings for the rest of the year:
*Tuesday, May 18, 2:45-3:30pm
*Wednesday, May 26, 2pm
*Tuesday, June 1, 2:45-3:30pm
June 2 and 9 will be time for you to write End of Year Celebrations
Save the afternoon of June 17, our last day of school, for some kind of social gathering–it’s a tradition!

7) School cleaning schedule. Several of you have asked what the cleaning schedule is now that we’re back at Amity. Tom has shared the following with me-if you feel that things on this list are not getting done as indicated please let me or Tom know. Thanks!

Daily
Clean and sweep classrooms 
Vacuum carpet
Empty trash and recycling
Clean sinks
Check (and if needed replace) paper towels
Clean and mop bathrooms (including paper towels, toilet paper, soap)
Check teacher bathrooms to see if they need cleaning
Sweep hallway
Empty trashcans
Sweep gym
Scrub gym floor (most days)
Help clean-up after lunch (in kitchen, empty garbage)
Health room
Check “TO DO” list in office—all staff can add to this list

Weekly—Tuesdays and Fridays
Mop classroom 
Staff lounge: sink, mop, vacuum, tables
Empty large blue recycling 
Playground 
Office

8) Please drop by my office this week to sign your SLGG. You need to sign now and again at the end of the year.

9) Reminder: No art again this week.

10) Just a heads up I’ll be out on Wednesday, May 19 to be with my gal who is having a knee operation…finally. I’ll just be attending to a heavily medicated patient so I’ll be available by text and phone all day.

Upcoming
May 12: Interview Prep, 1:30-3pm
May 18: Staff Meeting, 2:45pm
May 26: SIW, 2pm
June 1: Staff Meeting, 2:45pm
June 2: EBISS–more details later
June 17: Last day! 6 weeks left…

Here’s to great week ahead!
Andy

Greetings All,
I hope the weekend was great! It’s Teacher Appreciation Week and I’m hoping you have a week full of all the love that is out there for all of you! Two things to get on your calendar right away: On Wednesday FOA is providing an appreciation lunch (see email from Patti to order), and on Friday morning there will be bagels and treats in the staff room. As for the rest of the week, we’ll see what comes your way…

A few notes for this week:
1) Safety and Security. As we head into the last part of this insane year I know we are all feeling the exhaustion of the many challenges we have faced and continue to face. It’s natural that our vigilance is waning a bit; however, we must continue to make sure we are keeping children safe. Please read the following carefully:
~When on playground duty please always have your keys and your phone. In the case of an emergency you may need one or both of these!
~Playground supervision is more than just being available if and when there are problems on the playground. Almost more importantly it is about being aware of unsafe situations that are happening or about to happen–and prevention can save everyone a lot of pain and anguish. Prevention can be the difference between a close call and a serious injury. Please be vigilant.
~After school is especially of concern. We need to be sure we know who each child is leaving with each day, and we need to be sure students are not running out to meet their parents/guardians on the street. I have watched helplessly as two different kiddos ran across Georgia and Broadway without looking! This feels like an accident waiting to happen. I am positioning myself at the “exit” gate on the Broadway side of the playground to watch who each child is leaving with and to be sure kids are crossing the street safely. And, I need your help in keeping your students in a particular area and being aware of who they are leaving with. I appreciate your help!

2) SIW on Wednesday at 2pm. We’ll have time to discuss end of year plans including Memory Books (to be or not to be), Narratives, end of year events/activities, and Grade 5 celebrations. I’m going to hold off on discussing plans for next year for a few weeks.

3) Just a reminder that we’ll continue with current buddy pairings for the time being.

4) Bike and Walk to School Day is on Wednesday. See previous posts for the details.

5) Reminder: Korey will be out of town for the next two weeks. This means no art this week and next. A great time to do some of your own art projects or other things you’ve been wanting to do!

6) This Wednesday is Cinco de Mayo. Here is a link to the History.com site and an excerpt from the site-many think this is Mexican Independence Day, but it is not: Cinco de Mayo, or the fifth of May, is a holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s May 5, 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. The day, which falls on Wednesday, May 5 in 2021, is also known as Battle of Puebla Day. While it is a relatively minor holiday in Mexico, in the United States, Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a commemoration of Mexican culture and heritage, particularly in areas with large Mexican-American populations.

7) Speaking of Wednesday, we have a social get together at Crux after our meeting on Wednesday. Please join if you can.

Upcoming:
May 5: Bike/Walk to School
May 5: Staff Meeting, 2pm
May 5: Staff get together at Crux, after staff meeting
May 12: Interview Prep, 1:30-3pm
June 2: EBISS–more details later

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy