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Howdy All,
I hope you had an amazing week off!  We’ve got a busy month ahead of us between now and our next break–lots to look forward to!

A few notes to get us going…
1) We’ll continue with our school wide “I Am Different, We Are The Same” project this week.  The photos are ready to go and this week we can take time to do the writing.  Also, I still have a large collection of great books that you are welcome to use to support this project!

2) We’ll celebrate our Sparrow Alexander’s birthday on Wednesday at Community Time.  Kinders are planning something.  We raised over $200 with our change collection efforts!

3) Reminder: Bright Bytes survey is to be done by this Friday, November 30.  This is for students in Grades 3-5 and ALL teachers.  Please reference the email I sent on November 13 for details.

4) We’ll have a Lockout and Fire Drill tomorrow (Tuesday) at 1:15pm.  We’ll start with a Lockout (business as usual in the classrooms, all exterior doors will be locked–nobody in or out) for 5 minutes, then we’ll sound the fire alarm.

5) Keeping you in the loop, I’ll be sending a note to Kinder parents later today letting them know about Lindsey’s return in January.

6) This is a great time of year to remind your classes about hallway and Community Time etiquette.  Specifically, if you could review the following with your classes today it would be greatly appreciated and helpful:
*Hallway–walking or skipping, quiet voices when moving in the hallway during class time.
*Community Time–the usual reminders about respectful listening, sitting with friends, etc
*Invitation dismissal–kids are flying out of classrooms and sprinting down the hallway.  It would be very helpful if you walked your kids into the hallway and then watched as they make their way down the hallway.  If everyone made this effort (and sent students back to their class if they are running) it would help to keep the hallways a lot safer.

7) Below is how we’ll spend our SIWs between now and Winter Break:
*Nov 28 (this week)–Planning time, no meeting
*December 5–Chapter 4, Mathematical Mindsets.  Please have this read and be ready to discuss.
*December 12–Science
*December 19–Reflection time for the first part of the school year

8) If all goes well, we will be having a projector installed in the gym/cafeteria starting today!  Fingers crossed!

9) I have an admin meeting today so will be leaving around 3:15pm.  Call or text if you need me.

10) Patti is out, but Korey will be here to cover for her (and Beth, too).

Upcoming
*December 12: EBISS
*December 12: “Song and Sing-a-Long” from 5:30-6:30pm

Good Morning All,
I hope the long weekend was good to you.  We have a 4 day week this week, and then a nice long Thanksgiving Break.  A joke to start the day (related to note number 9 below): Did you hear about the claustrophobic astronaut?  He just needed a little space.

A few notes to get you going:
1) This week we will be starting the “I am Different, We are the Same” project. We will kick it off today at Community Time, and each day this week we will read a book that supports the project.  Matt will be creating a mock up of the photo/writing project and sharing it with you this week.  I have a 15 or so books that I got from the library last week to support the project, stop by and have a look.

2) Family BINGO Night is this Wednesday 5-7pm.

3) SIW this week is set aside by the district for you to work on Science.  This would be a good time to work with your partner to set a date for rolling out the unit!

4) Kinders Host Cafe Amity this week!

5) Now that we are moving the Variety Show to March, Dale has requested that we have an opportunity for classes to perform the songs that he has been working with him on.  This week I’ll be setting a date for a little musical show some time between Thanksgiving and Winter Break and I’ll be using the calendar to set the date–please be sure the calendar reflects all events/celebrations/field trips that you have planned so I can pick a day and time that works for everyone.  Thanks!

6) BrightBites survey begins this week and closes November 30.  All teachers must take the survey, as well as all students in Grades 3-5.  I’ll be sending you an email with instructions later today.

7) Clothing Exchange is this week–Wednesday to Friday.  Autumn will be using the stage for this so it will not be available for Community Time this week.

8) Thanksgiving Lunch is this Thursday and families are invited to join.  A note has already been sent to parents and a reminder will be sent today.

9) We have the opportunity to have the Planetarium Dome here at Amity.  I have tentatively scheduled it to be here December 13 and 14.  Once I know more about scheduling classes I’ll get a schedule to you.  Please let me know if you do not want to be included.  Here’s a blurb from them: Take your students on a 20-30-minute journey through the universe from the comfort and security of your own school. Our portable, inflatable planetarium will come right to your location and dazzle your budding astronomers as they are taken on a tour of the solar system. Students will enter the dome and be introduced to a “star filled” sky. Our navigator with the use of a digital planetarium projector will guide students through the night sky. Students will learn how to identify every planet in our solar system in dramatic “flights” towards each world. They will be introduced to mythological characters and see how these heroes of the past can be found in the stars.

10) If you are planning on having Brad join your class for a field trip as an extra adult, please discuss with me at least 1 week in advance so I can be sure to cover his duties while he is away.  Thanks!

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

 

Good Morning Fine People,
Hoping your weekend was wonderful and fun-filled!  We’ve got this week and next week (only a 4 day week!), and then  a much anticipated and well deserved Thanksgiving Break!  Lots of great stuff going on between now and then.

I was inspired by Grade 1’s joke telling last week so I’ll start with two jokes.  In the spirit of our math journey the first one is a math joke:  Did you hear about the mathematician who is afraid of negative numbers?  He’ll stop at nothing to avoid them.

Joke 2: Did you hear about the new restaurant in town called Karma?  There’s no menu, you get what you deserve.

A few notes to get you going:
1) We have officially launched a coin drive to support our Sparrow Alexander.  There is a large glass bottle in the hallway near the office.  Please encourage your students and families to participate.

2) Dale is out this week, Deb Mata is here in his place.  Deb has done a wonderful job covering for Dale in the past so things should be smooth.

3) Please remember that we are shifting supervision duty at Choice Time to the afternoons.  In case you forgot your day:
Mon: Amanda
Tues: Frans
Wed: Heidi
Thurs: Wendy
Fri: Matt

4) Grade 4 is off to the High Desert Museum on Tuesday

5) Grade 1 is hosting Cafe Amity.

6) I will be gone all day on Wednesday.  NO SIW this week, please use the time as you need.

7) Veteran’s Day lunch on Friday.  All vets and current servicemen and women are invited to join us for lunch for free.

8) Picture Retakes this Friday–8:30am for staff, 9:00am for students

9) Looking ahead to next week, Family Night Bingo is next Wednesday, November 14 from 5-7pm.

10) I have an admin meeting today and will be leaving campus around 3pm.

Coming soon:
*November 12: Veteran’s Day, NO SCHOOL
*November 14: Family Night Bingo, 5-7pm
*November 14-16: Clothing Exchange on the stage.  No use of the stage for these 3 days.
*November 15: Holiday Meal, families invited to join (see newsletter for more info)
*November 16: College Day, come in your favorite colors

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

Greetings!
I hope that Conversations were great (as usual!) and that the extra day off this weekend helped keep you happy!  It was so great to see so many of you and to be together at the celebration for Colby yesterday.  I know Lindsey really appreciated our presence and support.

A few notes to get us going:
1) Earthquake drill tomorrow (Tues) at 1:15.  The basics: duck under table, cover head and back of neck, and hold.  See below for more in depth information (from your red/green notebooks that you carry with you when we evacuate the building).

2) Trick or Treating on Wednesday starting at 12:30.  As always let’s have staggered departure times starting with the Olders who are likely to be ready a lot sooner than the Youngers.  We’ll send a group every few minutes.  Be sure to have masks and bags ready!

3) EBISS on Wednesday!
9:15-9:45—Grade 5
9:45-10:15— Grade 4
10:45-11:15—Grade 2
11:15-11:45—Grade 1
1:00-1:30—Grade 3

4) SIW this week: We’ll discuss Chapters 2 and 3 from Mathematical Mindsets.

5) Movie Day on Thursday.  I had a heck of a time finding a movie suitable for Kinder through 3rd so I decided to split the group up into smaller groups.  We’ll split into 3 groups, K-1, 2-3, and 4-5.  If you were wondering, movies for Kinder-3rd must be rated G, 4-5 can be rated PG.  Please let me know if you have access to renting the movie for your group and I will reimburse you for the rental.

K-1: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh has a run time of 1 hour 40 minutes.  Let’s plan to start the movie at 9:20–we’ll break for Choice time from 10:05-10:25, then be able to finish the movie before 11:30.  In the gym.

2-3: Toy Story 2 has a run time of 1 hour 37 mins.  If you get started by 9:20 you should be fine.  Frans and Heidi, can you decide which room to use?  The studio could also be an option.

4-5: Run time for Hidden Figures is 2 hours 7 mins.  You’ll need to start as close to 9:05 as possible in order to finish before lunch time, or you could start whenever and finish after lunch-up to you!  I believe you will be in Matt’s room.

6) Talent/Variety show: currently scheduled for Dec 5–should we postpone until the Spring? This would allow Lindsey to be a part of it.  We’ll talk at SIW this week.  March 20 is a possibility, the week before Spring Break.  Please give it a thought and feel free to chat me up about it prior to the meeting if you have ideas.

7) Grades 4 and 5 are headed to Smith Rock on Friday–yahoo!

Here’s to a great week!
Andy

Good Morning All,
I hope you enjoyed the spectacular weekend!  It’s a short with kiddos, and a little longer of a week with parents.  Conversations are this week and as always they are bound to be informative, insightful, and a wonderful way to strengthen partnerships with our families!

First, a fun fact:  Did you know that a baby blue whale consumes 100 gallons of milk every day and gains up to 200 lbs per day?  Random, I know.  But so fascinating I just had to share.

A few notes to get us going:
1) Thanks to all of you for getting writing scores in to the assessment document!

2)  Kinders, Grade 1, and Grade 2 are headed to D and D Ranch on Tuesday.

3) Our next SIW is October 31.  That day we will continue our discussion about Mathematical Mindsets.  I committed to giving you plenty of notice to keeping up with the reading, so please take some time to read Chapters 2 and 3 between now and then and jot down some notes for our discussion.

Good Morning!
I’m hoping you got out and enjoyed the Fall weekend.  I babysat my grandkids for most of the day on Saturday and it took me most of Sunday to recover!

A few notes to get you going…

1) Harvest Festival is this Saturday from 4-7pm.  I hope you can join in the fun for a bit.

2) Grade 3 heads to the Metolius on Thursday.

3) Grade 4 and 5 will be participating in an Inspiration Day on Wednesday in partnership with Younity, a local organization that also facilitates the Challenge Days at middle and high schools.  They will be using the gym from 9:30-11:30 on Wednesday.

4) If you haven’t discussed SLIME with your class please do so first thing today so that we are all in harmony on this. If you have already discussed it, please remind your kiddos.   Matt has already begun to cultivate a crew to facilitate the SLIME invitation.

5) We (and when I say we, I mean I) missed a Fire Drill last week.  We’ll do it at 11:15am tomorrow.

6) Grade 3 hosts Cafe Amity this week.

7) I will drop off your SLGGs this morning.  Please be sure to sign up for a quick 10 minute SLGG meeting this week–I sent out the link at the the end of last week and here it is again: SLGG Meetings.  Please have your SLGG completed prior to the meeting–thanks!

8) SIW time this week is for you to prep for Conversations.

9) Brad is out today, Harkin is sick.  Beth Thomas will be here to cover for him.

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

The Community Pub Crawl for Colby is tonight, 4-9pm.  $1 per pint is donated.  Here is a list of the participating pubs:

AVID Cider Company, 550 SW Industrial Way
Boneyard Beer Pub, 1955 NE Division St.
Broken Top Bottle Shop, 1740 NW Pence Ln #1
Cascade Lakes Brewing Company, 1441 SW Chandler Ave #100
Crux Fermentation Project, 50 SW Division St.
D&D Bar & Grill, 927 NW Bond St.
Deschutes Brewery Bend Public House, 1044 NW Bond St.
Deschutes Brewery Bend Tasting Room, 901 SW Simpson Ave. (open until 6pm)
GoodLife Brewing, 70 SW Century Dr.
Immersion Brewing, 550 SW Industrial Way
Monkless Belgian Ales, 20750 NE High Desert Ln #107, (3pm-6pm)
10 Barrel Brewing Company Westside, 1135 NW Galveston Ave.
10 Barrel Brewing Company Eastside, 62950 NE 18th St.
Worthy Brewing, 495 NE Bellevue Dr.

REDMOND
Cascade Lakes Brewing Company, 855 SW 7th St.
Wild Ride Brewing, 332 SW 5th St.

Good Morning All,
I hope you enjoyed the weekend.  I had my daughter Arielle in town this weekend so we could celebrate the beginning of her new career which starts today–a nurse at Good Samaritan Hospital in Corvallis!  It was a great weekend of celebration!

A few notes to get us going:
1) Fire Drill Tuesday at 11:15am.  I have scheduled drills for the rest of the year on our main calendar book in the office.  Here is the list:
Fire Drills (monthly): Oct 9 (11:15), Nov 15 (1:45), Dec 13 (1:45), Jan 9 (12:45), Feb 8 (11:15), March 14 (1:45), April 16 (9:50), May 9 (1:45), June 5 (9:45)
Earth Quake Drills: Oct 30 (1:15), Jan 15 (11:15)
Lockout Drill: Nov 27 (11:00am)
Shelter in Place: Dec 18 (11:15)

2) Grade 4 hosts Cafe Amity this week

3) SIW this week: We’ll have a short info sharing and then you will have time to work in teams on Science.  As a reminder, no district SIW until the Spring.

4) Grade 5 is off to Todd Lake on Thursday

5) EBISS meetings have been set for the year; the first is Wednesday, October 31.  The others: Dec 12, Feb 20, April 17, May 29 (Grade 5 at Tamarack, we’ll meet another time).  Please get these on your calendar.

6) By now you should have done a beginning of year writing assessment.  Please get results to me by the end of the week and include number of 4s earned for each student (usually not many).  Thanks!

Upcoming dates:
*Oct 18: Grade 3 to the Metolius
*Oct 20: Harvest Festival, 4-7pm.  Hope you can make it!
*Oct 23: D and D Ranch field trip (K-2)
*Oct 24-26: Conversations

Here’s to a great week!
Andy

Good Morning All,
I hope you had a great weekend, it’s definitely feeling like Fall!  I genuinely love this time of year with the crisp air, the colors, harvest time–so much to love!

I wanted to start with a couple of Thank Yous…
*Thanks to all of you for warmly welcoming Tonya last week!
*Thanks for your stewardship efforts, there have been noticeable improvements both in and out of the classrooms
*A big, heartfelt thank you for being so incredible during a challenging start to the school year, and for taking care of each other.  Towards the end of last week it really felt like we were hitting our stride and finding our Amity groove.  I truly appreciate your strength and resolve in getting through this first part of the year and for staying so positive and upbeat–I know it has not been easy.

Special note: We’ll have a special visitor for lunch today–Daniel is coming by for a visit!

A few notes to get us going:
1) We have a busy week on the assessment front. DIBELS on Tuesday morning, EasyCBM for Grades 1 & 2 on Wednesday (studio), and EasyCBM for Grades 3/4/5 (in classrooms) at various times throughout the week.

2) SIW this week: This week we will begin to dive in to Mathematical Mindsets.  I’m requesting that you do a little reading prior to our meeting on Wednesday.  Please read the introduction and Chapter 1 in preparation for our meeting.  I believe that each of you has already received a copy of the book, but if you haven’t please see me today and I’ll give you a copy.  We’ll start our meeting at 3pm to give you a little extra time to complete the reading.  In the future I’ll try to give at least a week notice about readings for SIW.  Please come ready to share your highlights from the reading.

3) School pictures on Wednesday

4) Field Trip Requests: Thanks to those of you who are making sure to fill out these requests.  The forms are extremely helpful in tracking field trips and being sure we have done all the needed preparation, and they will help us from year to year.  Please remember to fill out a request for all trips.

5) Dates on the calendar: Please remember to add your field trip dates as well as celebrations, presenters, and all other import dates to the calendar in the office.  On a daily basis we refer to this calendar and many important decisions are made using the calendar.  We can easily avoid double booking or missing events if we keep the calendar up to date.

6) Please remember there is NO ART THIS WEEK.

7) I’ll be leaving school at 3:00pm today for an admin meeting across the street–call or text if you need anything.

*Oct 2: DIBELS in AM
*Oct 1-5: EasyCBM
~Grade 1 on Wednesday @10:30
~Grade 2 on Wednesday @12:30
~Grades 4/5 on Monday, Grade 3 TBD
*Oct 3: School Pictures.  Patti has extra forms and you can also remind parents that they can order on-line (another reminder will be sent today in the October Newsletter).
*Oct 20: Harvest Festival, 4-7pm.  Hope you can make it!

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

Good morning all,
I want to start with a big thank you for last week–it was full and busy, but it was also fun and full of connections.   Thanks for a successful Back to School Night, Pancake Breakfast, and Camp Amity! I truly appreciate all you do!  And thanks to Matt, Amanda, and Scott for staying late last Thursday to help with interviews.  Next year I think we’ll keep the Pancake Breakfast with Camp Amity, but we won’t have Back to School Night the same week–far too ambitious!  Again, thanks for all the extra efforts.

Lots to share this Monday AM:
1) We welcome Tonya Myers this week as a new member of the team!  Please reach out to her and see how you can help her settle in and perhaps make some plans to buddy-up with the Kinders soon.  I greatly appreciate your help in supporting Tonya as she settles in.  A note went out to the community yesterday welcoming Tonya.

2) Outdoor Ed info was supposed to be submitted to me by the end of last week.  For those who have yet to get it done please make time to get it to me by the end of the day Tuesday.

3) SIW this week: We’ll meet for about 30 minutes, mostly to discuss kiddos needing extra support/attention.  You’ll likely have about an hour to work on other things.  We’ll meet at 2:30 in Frans’ room (hope this is ok Frans!).

4) Important reminder: Whenever you leave campus with your class you must have your phone with you (and please check to be sure it is not silenced).  This is obviously a significant safety measure–you can call for help, and we can locate you when needed (i.e. parents showing up at school and needing to pick up their child).  This applies to planned field trips, Invitations, and spontaneous walking trips–any time you leave campus with students.

5) Field trips this week: Grade 2 heads to Fall River on Tuesday, Grade 5 is headed out to the Deschutes on Thursday.  These both look to be amazing trips!

6) Cafe Amity update: Hopefully you have had a chance to read the letter I sent to families last week regarding changes to Cafe Amity.   A few key points:
*We will continue to encourage families to contribute donations, either in the form of a baked good (made or purchased) and/or to contribute to a fund to purchase freshly baked goods from a local bakery (Village Baker) with whom we will have a standing weekly order.  The donation ($) folders are in the office.  We have suggested a donation of $15-20 for families who would rather donate money than goods.  We already have a few donations!
*We are also encouraging families to get involved by helping their child’s class bake for Cafe Amity.  This is something they can coordinate with you and we just need to know so we don’t purchase bakery items for that week.  One of our new Kinder parents, Chris Bachtel, has graciously offered to work with any class to bake goods–you just need to reach out to her and let her know you are interested.  Let me know and I’ll send you her email address.  Below are the dates that each class is hosting.
*We will continue to need support of parents and students to set up, sell, and clean up.  When it is your week please continue to send out an email to parents asking for donations of freshly baked goods (no donuts, donut holes, cookies), and seeking help with set up (8am), selling, and clean up.

Cafe Amity Dates for each class:
Café Amity Committee: 9/26
5^TH Grade: 10/3, 11/28, 1/23, 3/6, 5/1
4^th Grade: 10/10, 12/5, 1/30, 3/13, 5/8
3^rd Grade: 10/17, 12/12, 2/6, 3/20, 5/15
2^nd Grade: 10/31, 12/19, 2/13, 4/3, 5/22
1^st Grade: 11/7, 1/9, 2/20, 4/17, 5/29
Kinders: 11/14, 1/16, 2/27, 4/24
*All grades have 5 rotations except for Kinders who have 4

7) Grades 3/4/5–iPad rollout this Friday.  Patti and I will be getting some important info to you today–forms, etc.

8) In case parents are asking (we will be sending a reminder today) the Pastini Fundraiser is tonight and tomorrow night from 5-9.  All families need to do is mention Amity Creek and we get 50% of the profits.

9) Deschutes Brewery is hosting a community fundraiser bonfire this Friday, Sept. 28, 5-9 pm, down next to The Marina in Bend. Beer and raffle sales will benefit the Nightingales.  Let’s try and get as many Amity folks there as possible.  If you are sending out a note this week to families please include this.

10) I have an admin meeting today and will be leaving campus shortly after school gets out.   Call or text if you need me.

Upcoming dates:
*Oct 2: DIBELS in AM
*Oct 1-5: EasyCBM
~Grade 1 on Wednesday @11:30
~Grade 2 on Wednesday @12:30
~Grades 3/4/5–we will coordinate soon.
*Oct 3: School Pics.  Order forms going home today-Patti will deliver to you.

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy

Morning all,

I hope you had a good rest after that long (but awesome!) first full week of school.  We’re officially rolling now…

A few notes to get us going:

1. Communication with the community about Lindsey: I sent an email to Kinder families yesterday morning asking them to join me for a meeting just prior to the end of the day today.  I want to update them face to face and not have them get an email as the situation has the greatest impact on their little ones—I want to look them in the eye and assure them that we have it covered.  As soon as I am done with the meeting I will send out a communication to the community.  As you can imagine it has been a bit of a precarious situation in terms of when and what to communicate—trying to protect Lindsey’s privacy, waiting for Maryn to hear, etc.  So, today is the day.  You will get a copy of the communication as an email this afternoon.
2. Bus Evacuation today at 9:30am
3. Back to School Night is this Wednesday starting at 5:30.  I’ll do a short presentation highlighting some of our goals for the year, promote volunteering, etc. and then I’ll send parents off to meet with you. Please be in the gym at 5:30 for a quick intro and then you can retreat to your room.  I will chase everyone out by 7pm, but please feel free to send parents on their way whenever you are finished.  Childcare will be provided on the playground for all school age children.
4. Camp Amity Thursday and Friday
5. Pancake Breakfast on Friday starting at 7am
6. Interviews for Kinder sub on Thursday from 4-6pm. At this point we will interview 4 candidates.  If you know of anyone who might be interested (and a good fit) please have them contact me immediately.  If this first round of interviews does not produce a viable candidate we can start over and find more candidates.  However, I am hopeful that one of the four candidates will be a great fit!
7. Outdoor Experiences/Environmental Ed trips: As we discussed at last Wednesday’s meeting I am requesting a list of the trips you have planned and a brief description of the activity that will take place.  Please get this to me by the end of this week.  It can be short and sweet.  Thanks!
8. Cafe Amity begins this week.  The committee will host the first 2 weeks.  Grade 5 will begin October 3.

Here’s to a great week ahead!
Andy