Golden Eagle Update

February 4th Pivot

There’s been a change to the February 4th plan and I think y’all got the message from Steve Cook today but I wasn’t included on that email that I think went out but am not sure about, so I’m sharing the text here again. Or for the first time maybe.

In light of the continuing surge of COVID-19 cases in our community, we are looking for ways to limit spread that do not have a negative impact on instructional time for students. Based on this, we are offering some flexibility on Feb. 4, a non-student contact day, for you to complete grading. You (teachers) may complete your full workday at school or from home. 

Schools and offices will remain open and staffed for calls or walk-ins on Feb. 4 and there will be no change for extracurricular and club activities. The only change to this contracted work day is the flexibility for teacher grading to take place from school or home. 

Thank you all for your continued professionalism and care for our students during this challenging time. 

YouthTruth Survey

We are at 75% participation of staff for the YouthTruth survey (or, as teachers call it, a C). Please, make the time to complete this. It’s for ALL staff and really is valuable data for us.

PCMS Staff Emergency Contacts

We are automating and updating our staff emergency contact database. Take two minutes to complete this Google form, but before you do, have the make, model, color and license plate number of the primary vehicle you drive to work. Please know that our admin team does not share this info beyond admin support team and is purely used in emergency situations. We will re-share this form with staff at the end and beginning of each school year so that staff can update information if needed. Thanks for taking the time to help us out!

Winter MAC Survey

If you received an email from Heidi Odman this week, CONGRATULATIONS, you get to participate in the Winter MAC SURVEY, which will take place the week of January 24^th. Please know that your time and effort is appreciated more now than ever. Covid has stretched our school staff beyond limits and FAN services are in high demand. Your participation raises over 60% of the budget to keep our FAN program running. Contact Heidi Odman at (541) 355-5682 with any questions.

A couple of reminders with the new MAC system: 

• One working day before the survey, you will receive an email from [email protected] letting you know the survey date 
• The morning of the survey, you will receive another email from [email protected] with a link to complete the online survey 
• MAC billable codes include time spent on mental health, physical health, dental, and vision concerns either with students/families or in planning conversations or meetings with staff or outside agencies 

Gold Mine Store and Golden Feathers

Wednesday was the grand opening of our new Gold Mine store. Students will be able to redeem Golden Feathers every Wednesday during lunch and the currency has clearly flooded the market, so prices were adjusted accordingly.

Golden Feathers are our PBIS currency, each of you should have received a stack of them earlier in the year. Hand them out like candy on Halloween. Megan Martens made a Google Slideshow with suggestions (thanks Megan!) on when/why/how/where to disperse them.

Wrestling Assistant Coach Position

We have the second largest wrestling team of all the Central Oregon Middle Schools! With so many wrestlers, we are in need of an Assistant Coach to help Coach Toso. If you have wrestling experience and/or coaching experience and/or are looking to hang out with some kids after school and be paid for it, you can apply by clicking the link below.

Assistant Wrestling Coach Online Application

Helpful Links

• MS Bell Schedule 
• SIW Calendar
• PCMS Expectations Tracking Form
• Advisory Planning Sheet
• Supporting Secondary Instruction Blog
• PCMS Athletics
• BLS Información Webpage
• News from the Nest
• News from the Nest in Spanish
• Student Clubs
• BLS Family Spotlight Newsletter

YouthTruth Survey

Please, stop what you’re doing and go to the YouthTruth site and complete your survey. It will take you less than 15 minutes. We are TWENTY staff members away from having a 100% completion rate. See me with any questions you have, and thanks in advance for taking the time to provide honest (and actionable) input.

Canvas Updates

Jane and/or Mandy should have reached out to you if your Canvas needs any work. Please be sure to do this by the 20th.

All teachers need to check that their Synergy and Canvas gradebooks match. If they do not match, you can try to remaster your gradebook (in the Grade Sync tab of Canvas) or just reach out to Jane or Mandy for help.

Also, with the end of the semester approaching, all assignments that have due dates of Thursday, 2/3 or earlier and are synced to Synergy will show in the semester 1 gradebook. If you want an assignment to be on the semester 2 gradebook, be sure that it as a due date that is Monday, 2/7 or later. 

Expectations Tracking

Anne-Marie and I had a great time visiting classes this week, sharing what we expect from students and what students can expect from PCMS. It was a valuable conversation and it was great to get so much time in front of kids. Thank you to the Humanities/Community teams that gave up some instructional time for this process.

To borrow from Maya Angelou, now that the students know better, we expect them to do better. If students aren’t meeting your expectations, please have a conversation directly with them before reaching out for administrative support. You undoubtedly have a better relationship with them, and the message will mean more coming directly from you.

That said, there are times to bubble things up to Anne-Marie and I. The best way to do this is by completing the expectations form.

COVID Safety Information

There have been some changes to how the Oregon Health Authority is directing our response to Covid, and they’re too many to detail here, so I’ll direct you to the district’s Staff Covid-19 Response and Recovery Newsletter for more info.

If you are interested in a KN95 mask, there are some available in the staff room.

Helpful Links

• MS Bell Schedule (Revised: 12/13/21 includes 2 hour delay)
• SIW Calendar
• PCMS Expectations Tracking Form
• Advisory Planning Sheet
• Supporting Secondary Instruction Blog
• PCMS Athletics
• BLS Información Webpage
• News from the Nest
• News from the Nest in Spanish
• Student Clubs
• BLS Family Spotlight Newsletter

Aloha, Elizabeth!

Elizabeth Wright, one of our amazing SpEd EAs, is heading off to Juniper to work in a certified role there for the rest of the year. Elizabeth has been an amazing resource for our students the past 3 years, as her experience as a classroom teacher coupled with her calm and supportive manner have allowed our students to get support in a manner that is caring, consistent and predictable. It is another bittersweet farewell, as I’m always happy when people are in the roles that best suit them but am certain that she’ll be missed.

Special Programs has assured me that they are already searching for someone new to join our team, but in the coming weeks (hopefully it will be just days), there will be some shifting of Christina and Angie so we can be sure that the students in need of support are receiving it.

IMPORTANT: Canvas Things

• Mandy and Jane are sending individual emails to people who need specific Canvas support with their gradebooks/set-up. The things that they are supporting are district policies that MUST BE COMPLETED BY 1/20, so please be prompt in replying to their emails to set up a time to meet with them. Again, this is a MUST-DO.
• EVERYONE- Make sure your Canvas and Synergy gradebooks match. Do a spot grade check with 3 students. If they don’t match, please reach out to Jane or Mandy. DO THIS NOW! FOR REAL! RIGHT NOW! THIS MOMENT!
• New course shells for semester or quarter long classes will be pushed into your Canvas Dashboards on Feb. 2. Year-long class shells will not change. Directions for how to transition to a new term course shell or a new semester (for year long classes) can be found here. 

Covid Safety

Test kits  

We have test kits here, at a time when case counts are rising and testing opportunities are shrinking. If you feel symptomatic, think you have been exposed, or need some peace of mind, we can conduct a test here for you.  We have to stay safe to stay open.

You may have noticed an uptick in the “C19” absence indicators in Synergy this week, more evidence that we remain in the thick of all things Covid-related. It is especially important that you ensure that you are reminding students of the need to adhere to the mitigation measures we have in place, particularly the PROPER wearing of masks. This is a safety issue that needs to be dealt with consistently and immediately. I have heard from some staff that they are reluctant to have this conversation with students for fear of damaging a relationship, to which I say that nothing shows you care about someone more than tending to their safety and well-being.

If there are students with whom you have had multiple conversations with about proper mask wearing or any other mitigation measure to no avail, please let Anne-Marie know.

If you need any supplies (hand sanitizer, masks (including KN-95 masks), please let Tami know and she’ll get you stocked up.

Please, refer to the district’s Covid dashboard and Superintendent Cook’s message from this past weekend for more information and review the below protocols.

• GUIDANCE FOR PARENTS: When to Keep Your Student Home
• BLS STAFF: Should I Stay Home from Work Today?

YouthTruth Survey

The YouthTruth Survey opened on Monday, January 3rd for families, students, and staff. This survey is a great tool for us, made even more useful with a higher turnout from all of our stakeholders. This is a completely anonymous survey that allows us to get a better understanding for how staff feels in the areas of Engagement, Relationships, Culture, School Safety, and Professional Development & Support specific to our school and allows us to see how these indicators compare to other middle schools across the district, across the state, and across the nation. We reviewed the data from last year’s survey as we developed our School Design plan for this year. The survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. To take yours now, please visit the YouthTruth site and get started. See me with any questions you have, and thanks in advance for taking the time to provide honest (and actionable) input.

Lunch Time Supervision

As we head into winter, we’re going to have more days with Indoor Optional lunch and some days where the weather forces to have Indoor Mandatory lunches. We are down one lunch supervisor with Elizabeth leaving and we are doing all we can to ensure mitigation measures are in place at both of the lunch times.

I heard from staff this week about their concerns about the closeness of students at lunchtime, and I want you to know that we are working daily to remind them of the three-foot requirement and that it is certainly not without challenges. If you have constructive, solution-oriented feedback on how lunch might be improved, please connect with Anne-Marie.

We also have an unlimited amount of Lunch Supervisor positions available, so if you are interested in being paid in return for giving up even one lunch period per week to leverage your relationships with students in order to help provide a great environment, please let Anne-Marie know.

Fellowship Opportunity

The Educator Advancement Council, a division of ODE, is offering an amazing opportunity for racially/linguistically/ethnically-diverse educators to participate in a racial justice institute fellowship.  Details can be found here.  Applications are due very soon, so act quickly if you are interested!  

Differentiated Instruction

Quinn Daly, one of the district’s TOSAs who is also a new teacher mentor, is hosting a course on differentiated instruction. As you have undoubtedly heard me say, here at PCMS, we value differences, which means we have to plan for those differences. This course will support you in providing differentiated instruction both in a virtual and face-to-face classroom settings. As a result of this class, you will come away with a better understanding of what differentiated instruction is and you will have created a differentiated instruction lesson you will be able to implement directly into your classroom this year. This course is run completely through Canvas, with a group share on the last day of the course. The dates of the class are from January 18th – February 22nd.

Certified staff can register on Performance Matters.

Educator Network Day

Wednesday, January 12, is an Educator Network Day, where you will collaborate with your colleagues at other sites. Full details and locations (please be sure to check if your team is meeting in-person or virtually) can be found on this week’s Secondary Instruction Blog.

Winter Weather Notifications

Copying-and-pasting from my email on Monday:

I’m a big believer that inclement weather days are like Beetlejuice, except the opposite. So I don’t say those two words out loud.

That said, please make sure you are signed up to receive text alerts regarding any adjustments to our schedule. Follow the links on this page.

https://www.bend.k12.or.us/district/news-events/news/2020/01/winter-weather-decisions

Helpful Links

• MS Bell Schedule (Revised: 12/13/21 includes 2 hour delay)
• SIW Calendar
• PCMS Expectations Tracking Form
• Advisory Planning Sheet
• Supporting Secondary Instruction Blog
• PCMS Athletics
• BLS Información Webpage
• News from the Nest
• News from the Nest in Spanish
• Student Clubs
• BLS Family Spotlight Newsletter

A Message from Payroll

As we near the end of the calendar year, our payroll office will soon begin preparing our W-2 statements. I wanted to send a reminder out to everyone, to update any changes you may have had so that the information we have on file is current and correct. To review or update any of your information, please log on to Employee Online to make any necessary changes. In order to log on and make any changes, you will need access to a district computer. If you require assistance from Payroll or Human Resources, see email contact info below.

• For Payroll questions: [email protected]
• For Benefits questions: [email protected]
• For Certified questions: [email protected]
• For Classified questions: [email protected]

Helpful Links

• MS Bell Schedule (Revised 12/13/21 includes 2 hour delay)
• SIW Calendar
• PCMS Expectations Tracking Form
• Advisory Planning Sheet
• Supporting Secondary Instruction Blog
• PCMS Athletics
• BLS Información Webpage
• News from the Nest
• News from the Nest in Spanish
• Student Clubs
• BLS Family Spotlight Newsletter

Hallway Walks

Thanks to those of you I’ve seen walking the hallways down to the Main Office during the passing period preceding your prep period. It’s nice to see an increased adult presence in the hallways and a student even asked me if it was “because of all the stuff that’s happening in the bathrooms” (you have to love those sweet 6th graders). I want to reiterate that this is a requirement for all full-time staff and for part-time staff with a single, full prep period. If you’d like to talk more about it, please come see me.

SLGG Update

The SEL goal data is in and I’m so happy to report that, out of 557 respondents, 51% rated themselves as a “4” on the belonging scale and 39% rated themselves as a “3” thank you for all that you do to make our students feel like Pacific Crest is a place they belong.

I’m still working on assessing the CERs for the content-area goal. I’ve graded about 300 of the them and our students really love using first- and/or second-person pronouns in their writing (among my bigger pet peeves when I was a Language Arts teacher). I am hoping to have all of that data and information and instructions to share with you by Monday, but will definitely have it to you by Wednesday.

Important School Closure or Weather Delays and Work Days

With winter weather finally approaching, Steve Herron, BLS Chief Human Resources Officer, wants to make all staff member aware of the 2021-22 Inclement Weather Guidelines. We have reverted to the guidelines as they existed in 2019-20, given that we are exclusively back to in-person learning. Do your snow dance and sign up for BLSConnect so you know if your dancing was maybe a little too successful.

Spending Process Update and YTD Team Budget Numbers

Again, I appreciate your patience and understanding regarding spending this year. At the beginning of the school year, I was informed our school budget would be covering the cost of student supply items which, in the past, were provided by families for their student. Upon learning of this additional expense, I invited each teacher to complete a Google Form, School Supply Need-To-Have/Nice-To-Have List to capture student and classroom supply needs and provided the information for Deb to purchase these items. Fast forward to now, more than a third of the way through the school year, and I am sure that there are still many items, student and/or classroom, on this list you still need, no longer need, or have already received. So let’s start fresh with the following processes:

Student Supplies (ie. pencils, paper, notebooks, comp books, index cards, etc.): Continue to email Deb with items and quantities. She will order them and also stock the most commonly used items in the workroom so they are available as needed. If you take the last of something (like I used the last of the colored pencils), let Deb know so that more can be ordered (Deb, we need more colored pencils because I used the last box and forgot to tell you).

Classroom Supplies & Materials: We are circling back around, after a couple of years, to using the “Purchase & Professional Development Request” form. Some of you will remember it from years past, some will have never seen it before (including me!). Going forward, we are requesting you to complete this form and have your teammates review and sign-off before giving it to Deb. These forms are also printed and in workroom. These are for items/materials/etc. that will be purchased from your department’s current budget.

Spring Additional Funds: As many of you know, we take hard look at the budget in March and spending needs for the remainder of the year. Based on past years’ spend, we have been able to allocate an additional dollar amount to each department and hope to be able to do so again, so start thinking of what you’d do with some additional funds. The goal is always to spend this year’s budget on this year’s students and the reality of this year is that doing so is going to be tricky, like so many other things.

YTD Team Budget Numbers: By the end of this week, Deb will send you team budgets and a list of year-to-date expenses to assist you in moving forward with purchases.

As always, if you have any questions regarding the above or anything regarding budget, please don’t hesitate to ask me or Deb.

Staff Gatherings

A reminder that Mandy sent out earlier this week:

Let’s get together, enjoy a beverage, make some connections, and sneak up on sixth graders on ice cream dates! Staff gathering at Market Hall/The Grove directly following SIW on Wednesday, 12/15 at 4:00ish. Address is: 921 Northwest Mount Washington Drive, Bend, OR 97703.

Additionally, in attempt to build connection and spend some time together, our ICCL team members will be hosting informal gatherings in each of the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade hallways Tuesday morning. Come by for some coffee, treats, and conversation!

Winter Clothing Collection in January

Our WEB Leaders will be putting up flyers soon! This info is in the News from the Nest and a slide in Monday’s advisory. This effort will benefit Bethlehem Inn.

From Our Friends in Teaching and Learning

As a school, we are JUST above the requirement for first-aid certifications in our building, so if you have the time to do so, please consider taking this training. I did this earlier in the year and it was the easiest first aid class and I still found it to be helpful.

Due to COVID-19 we will again be offering a blended model for the First Aid/CPR class.  The class will be done online with a hands-on skills assessment to follow.  The online portion of the class should take about three (3) hours with the skills assessment to follow with a first aid/CPR trainer that will take about 20 minutes.  The online course can be done to fit your schedule.  Your First Aid/CPR card will not be issued until all portions of class are completed.

The process will be as follows: 

1. Sign up for the class in Performance Matters. Stephanie Bent will send you a link from HSI/Medic to get started ([email protected]).   
2. Please check your Junk Mail if it does not appear in your regular inbox.  
3. After each section of the online session, there will be a one or two question quiz. 
4. When scheduled, the hands-on skills assessment schedule will be emailed to you to register if you have completed the online portion.  You can only do the in-person skills assessment after you have completed the online portion of the class.   
5. The in-person skills assessment will be done in 30-minute increments with 1 to 6 person ratio (20 minutes for the class and 10 minutes to clean and sanitize equipment). 
6. First Aid cards will not be sent out until both portions of the class are completed.  

The class currently in Performance Matters opens 12/3/2021 with a completion date by 1/28/2022.  If interested, please sign up now. 

Helpful Links

• MS Bell Schedule (NEW! Split Lunch begins 10/25/21)
• SIW Calendar
• Advisory Planning Sheet
• Supporting Secondary Instruction Blog
• PCMS Athletics
• BLS Información Webpage
• News from the Nest
• News from the Nest in Spanish
• Student Clubs

Canvas Must-Do List

Please, take some time right now and ensure that your Grade Passback and your 50% grading options are both set up in Canvas. We are going to have to spend some time at a January SIW with everyone to ensure these are set up correctly ahead of the end of the semester, so you checking right now will save us all some valuable time.

(Seriously, go check right now; the information below will be here when you get back.)

New Staff Introduction

We continue to have turnover in our Special Education department, as Lauren McAllister is leaving Pacific Crest at the end of the month and won’t return in January. We are fortunate that our Special Programs department had a licensed teacher who is already working as an Educational Assistant ready to make the move.

Ben Jackson has been working at Mountain View High School in their Intensive Academic Intervention program as an Inclusion EA, has prior experience as a certified Social Studies teacher, and is currently working on obtaining his Special Education endorsement through Lewis & Clark. Ben will be starting with us on Monday the 6th and will be working alongside Lauren so that the transition can be as smooth as possible.

Please, welcome Ben when you see him in the coming weeks and help him discover what a special place PCMS is.

Additionally, please take some time to thank Lauren for all the work she’s done on behalf of our students this year. Lauren has been amazing from the start and was my first choice in hires after I was part of the team that interviewed more than 20 teachers for placement within the district. She is professional, committed, knowledgable, and (most importantly) student-centered in her work for our students and families. She’ll be missed and we are sad to see her go.

One more addition – an EA has been hired to fill Chicken’s recently-vacated role; they are currently going through the HR rigamarole right now and I am hopeful they can start soon so we can just be a bit understaffed and not woefully so. Stay tuned.

New Athletic Director

In addition to Ben, I am excited to announce that Steve Blackmarr has been hired as our new Athletic Director. Steve is the father of Keegan (7th grade) and was our 7th Grade Football coach this year, where he did an incredible job not only helping our students learn how to play football, but also in impressing upon the athletes the importance of character and leadership off the field. We are looking forward to his character-focused approach continuing as he oversees that department.

Sparrow Mariah

Please refer to todays News from the Nest to read entire story about our lovely Sparrow Mariah. Our WEB Leaders will include more info in WEB News in the upcoming days AND our virtual Sparrow assembly will be during advisory on Monday, December 13.

SIWs This Month

Next week’s SIW (12/8), which is designated as a grade-level MTSS meeting on the SIW Calendar, has been changed to a teacher-directed SIW.

The following week’s SIW (12/15), which is designated as a teacher-directed SIW on the SIW Calendar, has been changed to an all-staff SIW so that you have the opportunity to participate in an information-gathering session for the upcoming Principal job posting (to be posted 12/17). Juan Cuadros, Executive Director of Middle Schools will be here along with a representative from Human Resources to gather input on the skillset, traits, etc. to be used in the job posting and interview process.

Also, please remember that SIW times are part of the workday and are mandatory for full-time certified staff. If you have something come up and need to cut your time at SIW short, you need to let me know ahead of time, just as you would do for a typical work day.

If you have questions about any of this, please see me or Anne-Marie.

Golden Eagle Time

Next week during SIW, Mandy will be hosting some sessions for Advisory teachers, broken into first Advisory and second Advisory, in order to share some ideas around how this time can best be used when we move into twice-weekly Golden Eagle Time sessions for students. I encourage all Advisory teachers to attend to be able to learn what their colleagues are doing and brainstorm ideas. 

We’d like to launch these with a heavy academic focus so that we can offer those students struggling some support that matches their needs. Over time, we’ll get a better clue as to what is working, what is not working, and what gaps remain present, all of which will allow us to see when the more enrichment (read: fun) activities can happen.

This document has been created to start to brainstorm ideas by subject area for interventions and enrichment activities. Look it over and see what genius it ignites for you.

Sustainability Awareness

This information was shared with me too late to include in the Golden Eagle Update prior to the Thanksgiving break, so I’m getting a head start on sharing in advance of the upcoming Winter Break.

Our district’s Sustainability Team has put together a Standard Operating Procedures documenting all of the responsibilities and best practices schools should take to ensure a proper amount of energy usage occurs in non-school times such as these breaks. Please review and start planning for how you will leave your classroom on the 17th.

See me or Walt with any questions.

Secret Snowman Gift Exchange

Just a quick reminder about our Secret Snowman gift exchange. If you are interested in participating forms are by the mailboxes in the Work Room for you to fill out. Don’t forget to put your name on the form! Return your completed form to Christina or leave it on Christina’s desk before you leave this Friday, the 3rd. We will draw names on Monday, Dec. 6th. Spending limit is $30.

From our Friends in Human Resources:

Supplemental Retirement Saving Opportunities

Bend-La Pine Schools offers two excellent programs through which you may contribute a portion of your current income into supplemental retirement savings accounts. Bend-La Pine Schools’ supplemental retirement savings programs are offered under Sections 403(b) and 457(b) of the Internal Revenue Code, and are called the Tax-Sheltered Annuity Plan (TSA Plan) and the Deferred Compensation Plan (DCP), respectively. Bend-La Pine Schools has adopted the services of Carruth Compliance Consulting, Inc (CCC), an independent third party administrator, to provided compliance and administration services for the 403(b) TSA Plan. Please Note: CCC is not involved in the administration of Bend-La Pine Schools 457(b) DCP.

All employees are eligible to contribute. You may begin participating in the TSA Plan and/or DCP at any time by establishing an investment account with an authorized vendor and then completing, signing, and submitting a salary reduction agreement to the payroll office. You may increase, decrease, or stop contributions to either plan, or change the Vendor receiving contributions, at any time by submitting a new salary reduction agreement. Changes to the DCP take effect the month following receipt of appropriate forms. You may contribute to the maximum limit of both the TSA Plan and the DCP in the same year.

Click here for all the details.

Helpful Links

• MS Bell Schedule (NEW! Split Lunch begins 10/25/21)
• SIW Calendar
• Advisory Planning Sheet
• Supporting Secondary Instruction Blog
• PCMS Athletics
• BLS Información Webpage
• News from the Nest
• News from the Nest in Spanish
• Student Clubs

6th Graders at Miller Elementary

I am so incredibly delighted to be sharing news about our first field trip of the year, as our 6th graders went across the street to visit the first graders at Miller Elementary on Thursday, where they read them their “Choose Your Own Adventure” stories. The Miller students were enthralled by these giant visitors and were really invested in the stories shared. What made this visit to Miller a particularly great outing was that this group of 6th graders is the first group who could have been part of the tradition full-circle; that is, when they were first graders, they were read to by then-PCMS 6th graders. It was a truly special moment and, I’m grateful for the work Lindsey, Kyle, Jane, and Jane put into it to make it so.

Field Study is a big part of the philosophical foundation of Pacific Crest and, while we are sad to have missed out on all of those experiences last year and some already this year, it is an encouraging development that we could get our typically-annual visit to Miller in this week.

Bathroom Usage Adjustment

In an effort to eliminate the vandalism that is repeatedly occurring in the bathrooms, we will be moving back to the bathroom policy we had in place last year, which is that all restrooms will be closed during passing periods. This is not an ideal situation, as it means students will need to access the restroom during class time, but it needs to be done at this time.

We also needing all staff to be in the hallways, actively circulating, during passing periods whenever possible, as we know that adult presence in the hallways will deter this undesired behavior. Additionally, we’d like to return to the practice of requiring teachers to do a sweep of the hallway directly after the period prior to their prep period – for those of you who have been here a while, these are the “backpack sweeps” of yore; for those of you newer to PCMS, we are asking that you, at the end of the period preceding your prep period, walk the hallways down to the office, urging students to go to their next class as you travel. This is an effective way to show students you care about them and their well-being that also has the added benefit of deterring undesired behaviors. See me or Anne-Marie with any questions.

We’ll be sharing the information about the bathroom closure with students when we come back on the 29th.

From our Friends in Special Programs:

Educator Wellness Program

“Culture of Care is offering Free Virtual Drop-In Wellness Circles for all educators and helping professionals across the region to reduce stress, bolster resilience and build connections on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month (3:45-4:15 pm).  All are welcome! The Zoom link will be sent after you register with your email. For specific questions, email Dr Amy at [email protected]. 

Sessions begin Nov 15, 2021 & Dec 6, 2021 (3:45-4:15pm); then the 1st & 3rd Monday (3:45-4:15pm) thereafter.”

From our friends in Human Resources:

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Our School District offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to help staff navigate life stressors and/or manage life changing events.  The EAP program is administered by Reliant Behavioral Health (RBH).  The services they offer at no cost to Bend La-Pine School district staff members (minus substitute teachers) are outlined below. 

Portal link: https://portal.bend.k12.or.us/employee-info/content/employee-assistance-program

Portal content:

Bend-La Pine School employees have access to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and Work-Life Services through Uprise Health. This benefit is free and extends to anyone living in the employees home. The following support services are available:

·    24-hour crisis support

·    Confidential counseling

·    Work-life services, includng finance and legal services

·    24-hour on-demand emotional wellness support

·    Peer support groups

·    Digital mental health services

Call: 800-395-1616

User access code: OEBB

Helpful Links

• MS Bell Schedule (NEW! Split Lunch begins 10/25/21)
• SIW Calendar
• Supporting Secondary Instruction Blog
• PCMS Athletics
• BLS Información Webpage
• News from the Nest
• News from the Nest in Spanish
• Student Clubs

Taking Attendance

 Attendance must be taken each period in a prompt fashion. That is a stand-alone sentence, but I’m going to expand on it anyway. Taking attendance is not only legally required, but it also is a HUGE help to a number of people inside our building. Families get automated calls sometime during the 11 o’clock hour letting them know if there student was marked absent (or marked present), which can lead to more work for some of your colleagues when those calls are made due to incorrect or incomplete information. Set a reminder, stick a post-it to your computer, task a student with reminding you – whatever you need to do in order to take attendance promptly, please do.

Student Behavior Expectations

Our students are showing us, in ways that are less-than desirable, that they don’t know what it means to be part of a community here at Pacific Crest. The vandalism and destruction in the bathrooms and classrooms, the litter at lunch, the unkindness towards one another, the near-constant iPad gaming – all of these are ways that they’re expressing that they need more guidance around what it means to be part of a community at school.

To help them better understand what it means to be part of our Golden Eagle community, Anne-Marie and I are working to develop a road show to meet with all students in their classes and talk about what our expectations are for them and for them to have an opportunity to share some things we, as the adults in the community, might do to help them feel more ownership of their experience here.

One of the structural changes we are going to make will be to close the bathrooms during passing times, but we need to be sure that this is rolled out in a way that is clear and durable, so that won’t happen until the week after Thanksgiving break. Thanks to those of you who are doing the hard but necessary work of being in the hallways during passing periods so that students see adults are present; I know it’s a big ask, as you have 10,000 things to do in only five minutes between classes, but seemingly small things like this have big impacts. HUGE thanks to those of you doing the harder work of popping into bathrooms during passing period and shooing kids out. This is a great deterrent to the vandalism we’ve seen in bathrooms this year and I’m grateful for the steps taken to show pride in our building and help combat these behaviors.

If you have any solution-focused ideas on how we might make the community experience more student-driven, please reach out to me or Anne-Marie. We’ll take all the help we can get on this one.

A reminder, Anne-Marie created this Expectations Tracking form for you to record any undesired student behaviors where documenting a pattern may be helpful. There’s also now a question on there about whether you’d like Admin follow up with an incident for those things that are not classroom-managed issues.

Emergency Drill Changes

Since we have moved to two lunches, we had to rethink the timing of our fire drills since they can’t happen in Advisory anymore.
We will run future fire drills during the last 10 minutes of class time. We will rotate class periods so that one class is not getting disrupted more than the other. All staff, even those who having planning period when the drill occurs, are required to leave the building during any evacuation drill (such as fire drills).

Below is the schedule. 
Our November Fire Drill will be next week, Tuesday (11/16) at 9:50 AM.

Drill Schedule

November – period 1

December – period 2

January – period 3

February – period 4

March – period 5

April – period 6

May – period 7

June – TBD

*** Other drills like Earthquake, Secure, Lockdown, etc. will still take place during Advisory and will be more educational than a the typical “drill”, as we know that even drills like this can cause trauma but we still do need to be prepared in case there is ever an event that requires us to put these skills to use.

Now Hiring: Athletic Director

Brooke Walton, our Athletic Director, has resigned her position and we are now looking for a new Athletic Director. This is an extra-duty position that comes with a stipend and is a great way to help support our athletes have a fun and positive experience with middle school sports. The hours of the position vary by season, and the full job description is available online. If you or someone you know is interested, please let me or Anne-Marie know or apply!

Evaluations 

Here is the agreed-upon evaluation process for the 2021-22 school year. Please note that both the number of observations and the evaluation domains and standards have been adjusted. We’ll review at SIW.

Virtual Family Turkey Bingo Fundraiser

All staff are encouraged to join us on for an evening of fun at our 2nd annual Family Virtual Turkey Bingo Fundraiser on Wednesday, November 17th from 6-7:30pm. Tickets are available for purchase on Touchbase now through November 16th. Each kit includes 10 bingo cards and 1 dauber; cost is $5 per kit. All proceeds benefit The Giving Plate. This is a great way to have a fun family evening while supporting a great cause. Sign up and get your kit today!

If you have received Heidi Odman’s email on 10/25, your training has expired. Our Fall MAC Survey will be the week of November 15th. Please complete the training by Monday November 15th, 2021.  You can stop and restart the training if you do not complete it all at one time. You may have activities that you perform as part of your job that are claimable for reimbursement on MAC Survey Day, and if not, just by being a part of our trained employee base, your salary and benefits contribute to our reimbursement dollars dedicated to FAN. It will take approximately 22 minutes to complete (shorter if you increase the playback speed on YouTube). 

There is a MAC Training Video that will assist you with your MAC Training. You will need two windows open and will be listening to the MAC Training Video in the background while clicking through your MAC Training slides.

More Vandalism

Anne-Marie shared an email this week detailing the latest TikTok destructive trend, wherein students use the elastic band of disposable masks to saw through our vinyl chairs. Please, be aware that this trend is happening here at school (we’re up to 17 damaged chairs, at approximately $80 per chair) and be mindful of what’s happening in your class at all times.

This trend is another way students tell us that through their actions that they are not feeling part of our school community, so it’s our job to help them remember what it means to be a member of a community. Anne-Marie and I are working on a “Road Show” for December to connect with all students in classes to talk about what it means to be a middle schooler at PCMS and to have a discussion with students about our expectations. In the meantime, please take time to discuss this occurrence in all of your classes and talk with them about doing the right thing and about being an upstander and calling out damaging behavior when they see it.

SIW Follow-Up

Thanks for a great SIW this week. Moving forward, I will be looking for visible learning targets in all of our classroom and learning environments every time I enter. This is a great way for students to better understand what they’re learning so that they can better understand the things they are doing and see connections between their learning in any given class and other classes or their world at-large. Here are the slides from this week’s SIW.

Golden Eagle Time Reminder

We covered this in Wednesday’s SIW, but I want to remind all Advisory teachers that they MUST have a Golden Eagle Time activity posted by Monday’s Advisory class so students can enroll.

The format for any activity needs to be written in the following format: (1st or 2nd) Advisory -Activity Name – Teacher Last Name (e.g. 1st Advisory – Salsa Dancing – Kelling.

You need to be sure to include your room number/location of the space the activity is occurring and HOW MANY students you will host. Unless the activity is an academic intervention, the expectation is that any activity will include an opportunity for at least 30 students.

November is Native American Heritage Month

November is Native American Heritage Month. Learning for Justice has put together a great resource list that you may want to share in some of your classes or just review for your own learning. Often, Heritage Month recognitions live in Social Studies classes, but these types of recognitions are great to share in all classes to build community and/or create another opportunity for students to understand that learning about the world around them isn’t compartmentalized.

All-State Middle School Orchestra Qualifiers

We have TWO students who will represent Bend-La Pine Middle Schools as members of the All-State Orchestra at the event in Eugene this January – Hazel Donnelly and Kepler Orton, both violinists.

This is a huge honor for Hazel and Kepler, please congratulate them if you see them and please also congratulate Stephanie Seed, our Orchestra Director, for all the instruction, encouragement, and support she has given these students the past year-plus that allowed them to have the courage and confidence to audition!

Apple Classroom Training Coming Soon

Apple Classroom is a wonderful classroom tool that will help teachers ensure that students are doing the things expected of them on their iPads. To help teachers learn how to access and use this tool, former Golden Eagle and current TOSA Dan Curfew will be coming to PCMS in the next two weeks to provide training for any and all interested staff. Exact time and date is TBD and will be shared when I know Dan’s schedule, but please get this on your radar now so you’re prepared.

ACTION ITEM: Annual MAC Training

If you have received Heidi Odman’s email on 10/25, your training has expired. Our Fall MAC Survey will be the week of November 15th. Please complete the training by Monday November 15th, 2021.  You can stop and restart the training if you do not complete it all at one time. You may have activities that you perform as part of your job that are claimable for reimbursement on MAC Survey Day, and if not, just by being a part of our trained employee base, your salary and benefits contribute to our reimbursement dollars dedicated to FAN. It will take approximately 22 minutes to complete. 

There is a MAC Training Video that will assist you with your MAC Training. You will need two windows open and will be listening to the MAC Training Video in the background while clicking through your MAC Training slides.  

Action Item for NEW STAFF

From Scott Bojanowski, Assistant Director of Safety:

As a district, we now need to provide the full one-hour training to new employees and any staff that may have missed the full training this fall, or anyone that just wants the full training as a refresher.

Any new hires since January 2021 need to attend one of the training dates below, between now and May 2022. These training dates are in PD Place on the portal for sign-up and they will receive one hour of professional development for attending.  Please contact your new hires and have them sign up for one of the following trainings.

WHEN:  Choose one of the following dates:  11/10, 12/8, 1/12, 2/9, 3/9, 4/6, 5/11

WHEN:  3:00-4:00, one hour in-person

WHERE:  Ed Center room 314

Oregon Savings Growth Plan

With the 21/22 school year underway, now is a good time to start thinking about your financial future.  This is a friendly request to please register for the Oregon Savings Growth Plan virtual workshop, to be held Wednesday, November 10^th, from 3:30pm to 5:00pm. All information and registration details are covered in the attached flyer.

Our Oregon Savings Growth Plan Rep

• Wes Handley @ Voya Financial Advisors
• 800 Summer St. NE, Suite #200, Salem, OR 97310
• Tel: 541.539.5508  Fax: 503.603.7651
• Email [email protected]

Annual Flu Shot Clinics

BLS is not able to host clinics at all schools and departments this year as they have done in the past, but there are a number of participating clinics listed below which employees are welcome to attend – no appointments are necessary.

Important Information

• Flu vaccinations are optional.
• Your Care, LLC will be providing our flu shot clinics.
• Only employees and their immediate family members (spouse/partner, and dependent children over the age of 2) may attend. Please adhere to COVID and visitor protocol while attending the clinics.
• The flu vaccination is covered by most insurances with no out of pocket cost. Please have your insurance card with you at the time of the clinic.
• If you are uninsured, you are welcome to attend and pay at the time of the clinic.
• If you have questions regarding the flu vaccine, please review CDC information here: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/season/faq-flu-season-2021-2022.htmFrequently Asked Influenza (Flu) Questions: 2021-2022 Season | CDC What’s New for 2021-2022. A few things are different for the 2021-2022 influenza (flu) season, including: The composition of flu vaccines has been updated.; All flu vaccines will be quadrivalent (four component), meaning designed to protect against four different flu viruses.www.cdc.gov  
• COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters will not be administered at the flu shot clinics.

Flu Clinic Location & Schedules

• November 9                      7:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.                La Pine High Auditorium Lobby
• November 10                    3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.                 La Pine Elementary Conference Room
• November 17                    7:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.                Education Center, room 312
• November 18                    9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon              Bend Transportation Department
• November 18                    3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.                 Education Center, room 312

COVID Vaccine Updates: Boosters and plans for ages 5-11

BOOSTER INFO: Deschutes County Health Services is partnering with FEMA to host free drive-thru COVID-19 vaccine clinics in November. Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines and booster doses will be available. No appointment or insurance are needed. For more information, please visit: COVID-19 Vaccine Drive-Thru Clinics. Other upcoming clinics through November:

• Mondays: Sisters Firehouse, 1 – 5 p.m.
• Tuesdays: La Pine Library, 12 – 3 p.m.
• Tuesdays: Bend Larkspur Community Center, 4 – 7 p.m.
• Wednesdays: Downtown Bend Library, 1 – 5 p.m.
• Thursdays: Redmond City Hall, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
• NEW CLINIC Fridays: Redmond Airport, 7 a.m. – 1 p.m.

 12+ welcome. 12 to 14 year old’s must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Please bring your vaccination card from your first dose if you are coming for a second or booster dose. If you are looking for another vaccination location in Deschutes County, please visit deschutes.org/covid19vaccine or call the COVID-19 hotline at 541-699-5109. The hotline is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Ages 5-11: Bend-La Pine Schools is working with local health care providers to support the roll-out of vaccines for ages 5-11, once authorized. We anticipate news about potential clinics and access to vaccines to occur this week. Watch Deschutes County Health Services and our Return to School webpage for details.

Helpful Links

• MS Bell Schedule
• Supporting Secondary Instruction Blog
• PCMS Athletics
• BLS Información Webpage
• News from the Nest
• News from the Nest in Spanish
• Student Clubs

Share Your Shout-Outs

The best part of conferences for me was hearing how happy our students are with their teachers. Every conference I participated in included a student of a parent sharing how much they liked the teacher with whom they were meeting, which makes me so incredibly happy. One such conference featured a parent telling me they had emailed the teacher to tell her how wonderful she is and how appreciative they are, which leads me to ask you to share those emails with me. This can sometimes be a thankless job, and when you get those shout-outs, I want you to be proud and boast a bit!

DEADLINE! Safe Schools Online Training

Reminder! October 31 is your deadline to complete this training. Keep those slides moving as you rake the pine needles or pass out candy this weekend. Using your web browser, go to the Vector Training, K-12 Edition website for Bend-La Pine Schools: https://bend-or.safeschools.com/

Equitable Grading Information

For those of you curious about the Equitable Grading Think Tank – what it is, what it’s doing, and how it’s going, this week’s Secondary Instruction Blog is for you.  They’ve interviewed three team members – including our own Mary Wellington – to share with you what’s going on and how the

Fall BLS Board Leadership Listening Session Set Nov. 4

The community is invited to share their voices and thoughts with Bend-La Pine Schools’ Board of Directors during an in-person Board Leadership Listening Session set for Thursday, Nov. 4 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Three Rivers School in Sunriver. Space is limited, so registration is required.

Register and learn more: https://bls.fyi/listeningnov4

Helpful Links

• MS Bell Schedule (NEW! Split Lunch begins 10/25/21)
• Supporting Secondary Instruction Blog
• PCMS Athletics
• BLS Información Webpage
• News from the Nest
• News from the Nest in Spanish
• Student Clubs