Golden Eagle Update

Thank you all for your continued patience as we work together to be as ready as possible for all of the changes that may come our way. I cannot stress enough that along the way it will be really important for you to keep Ryan and I up-to-date on your individual needs and our ICCL team aware of your questions. Mary and Ami are also good people to go to regarding specific BEA questions. I will do my best to give you information as it comes up; however, if you are unclear about something, ask.

These next few weeks will require us to be very connected, informed, and together. We will meet on Wednesday at 12:30 for staff meeting and 1:45 for EBISS with 8th grade. That said, information seems to be changing every heartbeat so I may open up office hours for drop in sessions or schedule another short meeting for staff at the end of the week. I will try my best to continue to adhere to our previous schedules but I also want you to have the most important information when it comes out. I appreciate doing this work with all of you and I know that what we are doing each day can sometimes feel impossible. Lean into our ideals (INSPIRE, LEARN, CARE) and know that everything you do makes a difference in someone’s life. You are magic!

New Information Regarding Hybrid

• Questions: THIS LINK is where we will be answering common questions. As you can see, they aren’t answered yet but I will continue to update this and share it as I know information. Please send new questions to your ICCL leader.
• Lunch: Lunches will not be eaten in the commons but rather in classrooms. This is due to mixing cohorts of students which can’t happen. Because this is part of the duty-free lunch period, teachers will need to eat elsewhere (maybe Nest or other areas). We are working on schedules and options for this time period as we speak.
• Guidelines for Asynchronous and Orientation Week: I have been told that teaching and learning must continue during this time but other than that, I am waiting for guidance that I will receive on Tuesday.
• Asynchronous and Orientation Week Schedule: All staff must report to school the week of January 25. The time for that week is 8-4 or 8:30-4:30 (flexible). During this week, it will be mostly time for teachers to plan and organize rooms, etc. but will include a training and a small-group walk-through per space. This will likely occur on Wed or Thur of that week. Orientation Week (Feb. 1-4) will be a condensed orientation for students that will include some training and walking halls. Teachers hours will be 8:30-4:30 this week.
  • Monday: 6th grade students A-K from 10:30-1.
  • Tuesday: 6th grade students in cohort L-Z from 10:30-1
  • Wednesday: 7th and 8th grade students in cohort L-Z from 10:30-1 (or if they need transportation home 10:30-2)
  • Thursday: 7th and 8th grade students in cohort A-K from 10:30-1.
  • Friday morning: staff meeting for last minute changes (8:30)

Youth Truth Survey: During Advisory next week, all teachers will be giving the Youth Truth survey to students. I will send more information to those of you who this pertains to tomorrow.

Wednesday WEB Leader Peer Tutoring: If you have students who would benefit from working with WEB Leader Peer to help get caught up in their classes prior to the end of the semester, please sign them up and contact/verify the time/place with your student’s family. Instruct them to go to Liza’s webex room on the day/time and she will put them in a break-out room with a WEB leader. Here is the sign-up sheet link:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eSHGxlvLF_573s0EhQd37g_Q8ICCUgQi52BPmGR7jUE/edit?usp=sharing

Request from Payroll:  The payroll staff will soon begin preparing the W-2 statements. Please notify them of any changes that may have taken place over the winter break, including any changes that affect your benefits.

If you have an address change, please make sure you log on to Employee Online from a district computer to make any necessary changes. Due to COVID, these forms may get mailed instead of going to the schools and Payroll needs to make sure they are getting sent to the correct address. Please use this link: https://employee.bend.k12.or.us/

Family & Friends Virtual Trivia Night: If you loved Family Bingo Night you are going to love our upcoming Trivia Night that will benefit our local Family Access Network (FAN). Join us on Wednesday, February 10 at 6:30pm. Cost is $10 per family.

• Informational Flyer
• Purchase Tickets
• Event WebEx Room

Free Covid-19 Testing Clinic (Pruebas de Covid-19 gratuitas)

Free clinic at Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center on Wednesday, January 13. Click the below flyers for details.

• English Flyer
• Español Flyer

Helpful Links

• Advisory Announcements (PLEASE USE THIS FOR CANVAS ANNOUNCEMENT IN ADVISORY!!)
• Weekly Tech Tips
• EBISS Information (updated Tuesday of each week)
• Advisory Contact Sheet (updated Tuesday of each week)
• MS Standards of Practice
• News from the Nest (Student & Parent Letter)
• Noticias del nido (Spanish Student and Parent Letter)
• Hybrid Schedule
• BLS District Return to School

This break is something that I think we all are looking forward to. Take time to be silent, calm, in nature, with those you love, and stay safe. Have a wonderful holiday season! -L

BLS Online Resources for Equity:  This website is a clearinghouse of strategies, tips, and tools for you as a classroom teacher to incorporate equity-focused and anti-racist dialogue into your instruction. As Ami described, these resources have been thoughtfully compiled, piloted in classrooms in our schools, and approved by our district leadership.  Please bookmark this site and take some time to peruse the resources and reflect on how you might get started with one of the strategies after winter break (the Tier I resources for your grade are an excellent place to start in January). At PCMS, all staff are asked to know and understand the format and resources within this site by the beginning of Semester 2. LEAD Cohort members will continue to add resources, videos, and tools as they learn and try new approaches. Reach out to a team member at any time if you are interested in observing, co-teaching, or discussing any of the strategies compiled on this website. 

The Winter Equity Book Club: Our Equity Book Club at PCMS has been such a wonderful addition to our school community and culture. Throughout the summer, students and parents read a historical book called Stamped, by Ibram Kendi. At the end of our summer session, we discussed new books to read in the future and the book described below was brought forward as one that folks (those raising white students as well as students of color) were interested in exploring. Please join me for a 4 session, bi-weekly book club beginning on January 7th. We will meet every other Thursday evening (6:00-7PM) via Webex to converse and process, in community, Jennifer Harvey’s book Raising White Kids. This book deals with the conundrums that parents may experience when discussing race and equity with white children, particularly in a predominately white community. It is also timely as our young people continue to process the multitude of events this year. Here is a bit more information: VIDEO. Pacific Crest friends, families, students, and additional community members are invited to participate. All meetings will take place in Lisa’s Webex Room. Contact Lisa if you have any questions and if you are interested in participating, please add your name and contact information HERE. Come to our first session ready to discuss Chapters 1 & 2.

The Winter-Break Podcast Club: Dirk Matthias (principal of REALMS) has invited interested staff members to join in. You do the listening assignment prior to the meeting. Then, you come to a weekly Wednesday evening (6:00-7PM) WebEx Meeting to converse and process, in community, what you heard in that week’s assigned episode. The Podcast that we are going to be listening to is the second season of “Class of 2025” published by OPB. Here’s the trailer. New episodes drop weekly. The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR One app and at opb.org. In our next meeting on Wednesday, 12/23 we’ll be talking about Season 2, Episode 1: “The Class of 2025 and COVID-19”. All meetings will take place in Dirk’s Webex Room. Realms friends, families, students, and additional community members are invited to participate. Contact Dirk if you have any questions.

SLGGs, Observations, etc: Information regarding SLGGs and Observations has been discussed and outlined by the district and BEA and outlined in this document. In January, the ICCL team will work to develop and write school goals for SLGGs (and personal if you prefer) and Ryan and I will continue to pop in classrooms as we have been. If you have any questions, please reach out.

Class Dojo Info: Over break you may be interested in thinking about getting started with Class Dojo. If so, remember you can always ask Liza for any support. Here was the info that she shared in the past: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gDRPRKSIby7OewHAvTT93Z-8B4VPq7b0eg9tPfFrB3w/edit

Winter Break Out Box: Jane Shein has shared a Winter Julbilee Breakout Box. You can use it in Advisory on Friday or send it home as an option for kids to do over the break. There is one lock that was challenging even for my Math brain, but there are hints on page 2 of the document.

Printing Services: The Print Shop will be closed during winter break. Any orders requesting processing during that time (December 19th – January 3rd) will be pulled for production when we return to work on January 4th.

Nurses Newsletter #4: This nurse newsletter focuses on mental health with a reminder about immunizations at the end.

Entering the Facility During Winter Break: We are discouraging staff to enter the building during winter break, but if you have a need and have forgotten the process and/or your code to disarm and arm the building, please contact Deb Mullen or (541) 639-5240. Also, our custodial crew will be on site Monday – Wednesday from 6:00 am – 2:30pm both weeks. In the past, our district facility support team has received quite a few district-wide calls during breaks and holidays regarding building alarm systems and if custodial staff is not on site, it requires the district to send maintenance personnel out to check the school.

Inclement Weather Guide: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZiraONicXDsl_AmnmZ2ItlXZqv6KeQeJ/view

COVID-19 Questions & Comments: Not sure who to ask about what? HERE is a flowchart to help answer questions related to COVID and school. When in doubt, don’t hesitate to throw questions to Ryan or Anita at PCMS.

Additionally, as the weeks progress, our students are becoming more and more “in contact” with COVID in terms of it directly impacting them. You may be feeling this too. As we come back in January, it will be important to keep this at the front of our minds and choose our language around this pandemic carefully. Students may be coming back to us having lost family members or be in trauma themselves due to the pressures that the pandemic has caused. Language around this pandemic really matters and if you are feeling like you or your students need some additional support, please reach out to our counselors, Ryan, or myself.

Youth Truth: Our district has partnered with an outside organization in order to gain insight from families and students regarding their experiences at school. In January during an Advisory class, all of our students will participate in a survey by this organization. We will share more information our first week back. To view the questions students will be asked, you can click HERE. MS questions begin on page 10.

Helpful Links:Staff Meeting Notes: 12/16

Advisory Announcements (PLEASE USE THIS FOR CANVAS ANNOUNCEMENT IN ADVISORY!!)

Weekly Tech Tips

EBISS Information (updated Tuesday of each week)

Advisory Contact Sheet (updated Tuesday of each week)

MS Standards of Practice

News from the Nest (Student & Parent Letter)

Noticias del nido (Spanish Student and Parent Letter)

Hybrid Schedule

BLS District Return to School

I was sharing with one of our teams, yet again today, how fortunate I feel to be with all of you in this wacky time. There is not a group that I would rather go to “battle” with than what has become our PCMS team. All of you play an important role for our school, your grade level, and your smaller content teams. Thank you for being the learners, cheerleaders, stoke curators, questioners, supporters, connectors, and supportive shoulders for our entire community. I am happy to know you, happy to work with you, and comforted knowing that our future leaders get to spend their time with all of you.

As we look toward closing out our 2020 together next week, I’d love for you to take a trip down memory lane. To our staff meeting, bring your favorite song from the year you were born. We’ll ring in 2021 with a new playlist to remind us all just how important that year was because it was when YOU were brought into this world to make it a better place! See you all on Wednesday!

*******************IT’S SPIRIT WEEK!!!!!!!!*******************************

Health Reminder: Although there are few of us working from the building right now, we want to send a reminder to make sure to stay home if you are feeling under the weather. Even if it is just the sniffles, right now it’s important that those little things are not overlooked.

Advisory Announcements Page: The page linked here has an outline for all things to be considered by students during Advisory on Monday. This is changed weekly. Please include the information in your Canvas page in the form of an announcement for Monday. Questions? See Mandy

Weekly Tech Tips: Our fantastic tech team will now be providing weekly tips HERE that you can reference for any new features to consider or need-to-knows.

Professional Development: Stress Relief + Resilience: BLS is working with HDESD who is partnering with Pause and WESD to bring science-backed mindfulness training for calm, stress relief, and resilience program to all our employee groups. Over a six-week period, participants will have the unique opportunity to develop a new set of skills to help reduce stress and find greater ease as we all continue to navigate uncertain times. There will be live, weekly training sessions that explore the science of stress, tools for calming your nervous system, and ways you can cultivate resilience through simple daily practices.

You will also gain access to a digital Stress Relief + Resilience Toolkit with guided audio meditations, videos, and learning materials to help you prioritize your mental health and make mindfulness a daily habit as we head into spring. We will follow up with additional details. Earliest respondents will be considered first as we build a cohort that has representation from all employee groups and departments. If you are interested in participating in this program, please register on Performance Matters.

This Week’s Yearbook Theme: This week’s yearbook theme is Winter Spirit Week. Students will submit photos of themselves participating in our Winter Spirit Week. All submissions will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win prizes! Questions? Email Julia.

Upcoming Birthdays

• December 29 – ANDY KRAUTHOEFER

Helpful Quick Links:

• Advisory Google Folder
• Hybrid Schedule
• BLS District Return to School
• News from the Nest Blog
• Noticias del nido

This has been an awesome week back! It is so nice to see everyone after some time to take a breath and relax, even if it was just for a bit. If you haven’t checked out Amy’s e-mail message, HERE is a link that she included. It is a great reminder that you don’t always get to see your impact and this year, that is even more apparent. You continue to be the “Ms. Patty” for our students and families even when you feel like you are teaching to the void. YOU are making THE difference.

Two new Golden Eagle “Mr. Pattys” are Martin Mendoza Nunez and Scott McDonald! Martin is joining our Golden Eagle team as our Latino Liaison. Please feel free to reach out anytime that Martin may be able to help you connect with our latino families. Additionally, Laura Clark is going to focus completely with Canvas so moving forward, Scott McDonald will be our “go-to” person for any tech issues that are coming up. Please send a welcome message their way!

This week we will resume our morning check-ins and we will have a staff meeting at 12:30 on Wednesday. During this time we will get access to a new tool to help with Advisory communication as well as have some time to make some grading changes described below in the blog. Additionally, on Wednesday at 1:45, 8th grade will have EBISS in my webex room. Science and Humanities teachers also are working with Teacher’s College on Monday. More calendar items are listed on the “Calendar” page while some grading articles are included on our “Professional Resources” page (above text and below mountains 🙂).

Grading “No Zero” Change: Moving forward, all secondary grading will be changed. The district’s administrative regulation on grades and credits was amended on November 30th, requiring that teachers not assign zeros on a 100-point grading scale: Grades and Credit IKA-AR. In order to create a more defensible and equitable grading system, all grades that are less than 50% will default to 50%. In a traditional 100 pt grading system, an F grade represents 59 points within a system whereas any other grade mark represents a 10 point span. The move toward No Zeros, allows for the grade of F (this year known as NG) to represent the same point spread as any other marking. Please read THIS LETTER to understand this change better.

Grades assigned after December 1, 2020, should reflect this new policy. We welcome teachers to make this practice retroactive, but it is a mandate only moving forward. Our ICCL team put together a “How To” guide in order to help PCMS teachers do this most efficiently. We will use the latter half of our staff meeting on Wednesday to make these changes. Feel free to get started now if you’d like and let me know if you need support or would like to talk more.

Mary will be sending a couple of surveys from BEA sometime today to all members. One of the surveys is intended to receive feedback regarding the above changes to grading practices. Please take some time to understand the theoretical framework that is foundational to these practices in order to give your informed input. There are several documents included in Jim’s letter above and please feel free to ask Amy, Mary, or me if you have any questions.

Pear Deck: Thursday morning was a wonderful time for a Pear Deck training. If you were unable to attend, HERE is a recording of the presentation. Please let me know if you have any difficulty accessing your account and you can reach out to Heather Marr for quick tips and tricks when you hit a snag. This tool is a great way for you to see student engagement despite cameras not coming on. Amber also asked if you would take 2 minutes and complete this FEEDBACK FORM for her. You can also access HELP VIDEOS and a TEMPLATES LIBRARY if you need them.

Monday Advisory Information: Monday Advisories have been full of new information. Moving forward, the advisory team asks that you check THIS PAGE and add the information in the form of a Canvas Announcement for your Advisory on Mondays. Please see Mandy with any additions or questions.

Wrestling Posting: Unfortunately, our fantastic wrestling coach Dustin took another path this year and consequently will not be leading our Golden Eagle wrestlers. If you or someone you know are interested in this position, please see Lisa or Brooke and apply using THIS LINK. This position is contingent on a wrestling season taking place.

Weekly Yearbook Theme for Advisory: This week’s yearbook theme is Sustainable Mask Fashion & Being Green. Students will take a quick survey and upload photo(s) to HJ eShare with description of either “Mask” or “Green” and include the first and last name of who is in the picture. Questions? Email Julia.

Facility / Building Closure Update: Until Deschutes County leaves the “Red Zone” in terms of COVID-19 spread, our building will remain closed to the public. The office will be minimally staffed and we are asking that staff work from home if possible. Teachers, you may come into the building if it is a better system for your teaching day. Please make sure to continue to sign in and out and wear a mask. Curbside pickups will continue.

Curbside Pick-ups Update: We are now designating pick-ups for Monday – Friday, from 9:00am – 3:00pm. We have many items just waiting to be claimed so continue to communicate to your students to follow the instructions below when picking up and/or dropping off items.

As I write this update before break, I am struck by all of the messages that our students and families have received during the past 9 months. Outside of school we have seen uncertainty. Our staff has countered with messages of SAFETY and CONSISTENCY as you provide predictable routines that our students can count on. Messages of CARE are clear as you remain flexible, communicate frequently, and demonstrate endless patience even when the rhetoric beyond our walls can be unkind. You continue to model LEARNING as you find and teach one another new platforms and share ideas when the world outside seems unwilling to learn from or share with one another. And, when others show signs of segregation and silos, PCMS shows connection and caring as our families spend time outside of classes together to support worthy causes and learn how to support their students. You are truly INSPIRING and the messages of INSPIRE, LEARN, CARE are in constant demonstration at PCMS.

During this break, please take time to recharge and relax, but also take a few moments to reflect. You have come so far. We have come so far. Our community has come so far. And, we have done all of this together. When things are difficult, it is easy to silo and disconnect. I am so proud to tell everyone around me that in this time, our school continues to lean on one another and connect deeply and that is because of you. I am always thankful to be part of this team but this year, those words mean more than they ever have before.

I AM THANKFUL FOR YOU!!

Holiday Power Down: Let’s do our part to save building energy by powering down wherever possible. Unplug communication radios, space heaters, computers, copiers, electronics and turn off lights. We will leave the workroom copier on and fax machine on during break.

Last Year’s Golden Feathers Paper Slips: Due to our abrupt closing last March 13th, students did not have the opportunity to redeem their golden feather slips. Many students have asked if we will be redeeming them. The answer is yes, we will redeem these golden feathers this school year and will send out a communication early 2021 as to how we are going to proceed.

Webex Security and Updates: Just a reminder that our WebEx will be upgraded to be more secure on Monday, November 30th.  At that time, students who are logged in will be able to go directly to their teacher’s WebEx room, whereas those who are not logged in will be in the waiting room until they are let in by their teacher. All students should have logged into Webex this week but this will be something to keep an eye out for our first couple of days back. Students will need to also be on the most current iOS to have apps run smoothly. Thanks to our Science teachers for helping students do this this week!

Supporting Secondary Instruction: This week’s post is about making videos and the power they hold for students. Thanks to Michele Clements and Dean Richards for giving these tips each week!

Technology Trainings for BLP Staff: Here is some information regarding a few available technology trainings for staff, or “After School Specials.”

Stanford is offering a free course for MS/HS teachers around “How to Teach Online” that will be offered November 21 & 22.

Kindness Advisory Prompts & Thanksgiving Breakout: Thanks to Jane Shein for helping PCMS support the BLP Kindness Campaign through KINDNESS PROMPTS and giving ideas for the unusual holiday up ahead with a Virtual Breakout Box!

New Learning Opportunities: If you are feeling like you’d like to learn something new un-related to distance teaching, this source was shared with me from a parent. A lot of free new learning options.

Notes from staff meeting: Thanks Sarah D!

Middle School Hybrid Schedule: Please let me know if you have any questions.

Grading Guidance for Middle School (2020-2021): Please let us know if you have questions.

Turkey Bingo Night Pics: Turkey Bingo was a HUGE success with 50 families joining in the fun. We raised about $500 for the Red Cross and we had more families attend than we have typically had when we’ve done it in-person. Massive thanks to Molly, Liza, Chicken, Deb, and Christina for making these opportunities available for our students.

PCMS College Day Pride Collage

This week I had the pleasure of attending our first school-wide virtual PCCO meeting where parents repeatedly spoke so highly of all the work that the PCMS team is doing. They shared stories of flexibility, outreach, and connection that have been so important to their students and their families in the last several weeks. On this World Kindness Day, I hope you all realize that each move you make throughout the day, whether it be planning, e-mailing, reflecting, calling, teaching, describing, or inspiring are all, at their heart, acts of great kindness to all of our Golden Eagles. Your care is felt and cherished and matters SO VERY MUCH! Thank you all for choosing to be on our educational “front lines”.

PRESS CONFERENCE: Governor Brown just gave a press conference with information related to a temporary shut-down of sorts for Oregon. I do not yet know if this will change any operation for us at PCMS but as I know more, I will share with you.

SICK LEAVE/ABSENCES: If you need to be absent from work and it is related to COVID-19 symptoms (exhibiting high or low risk COVID-19 symptoms, have tested positive for COVID-19, or had a close contact to a positive COVID-19 case), a building principal, direct supervisor and/or office manager are required to fill out the Staff Absence Form in addition to the traditional manner of reporting sick leave/absences so that our school nurse will follow up with them. For all other non-COVID-19 leave, staff will report the absence in the traditional manner.

FOOD DRIVE & BINGO: Please join us in the giving and sharing spirit by donating holiday food items to Miller Elementary on Wednesday between 2 and 4 pm. Then later that evening, please join us in Liza Huet’s room for a family Bingo Night with proceeds going to the Red Cross. Check with Deb to purchase a Bingo kit and we’ll see you there!

PARENT WORKSHOP: Join your PCMS Counselors on Thursday 11/19/20 for a Parent Workshop at 6 p.m. to discuss tips and tricks to support our students during distance learning as well as strategies for organization, time management, and having conversations about mental health.

iOS 14 iPAD UPDATE: All Science teachers will make sure that students have updated to the new iOS and have logged into Webex using the new process. This will help with webex “bombing” and will support iPad functionality.

WebEx | Be sure to start ALL WebEx meetings from https://bls.webex.com/ and NOT from the app in your dock. If you have students who have not been able to join some of your WebEx meetings, this may be the reason.

WEEKLY YEARBOOK THEME: This week’s yearbook theme is “Crazy Quarantine Hair & Photography”. Students will take a quick survey and upload photo(s) to HJ eShare with description of “Hair” or “Photo” and include their first and last name of who is in the picture. Questions? Email Julia. 

STANFORD ONLINE SEMINARS: Stanford Online High School teachers have been giving virtual seminars about teaching virtually. These seminars are free and I have heard they are really worthwhile. Connect with Jane or Mandy for more information and feel free to sign up for the next one offered HERE.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! -L

There is a lot to celebrate at the end of this first quarter! Our 6th graders have experienced a new language or learned about leadership likely for the first time in their educational lives, we have begun our EBISS process to direct support to students who may need it most, we launched our first in-house virtual staff learning PD during SIW, and we even had some visiting famous scientists in our science classrooms. You all continue to make distance learning exciting, engaging, and thoughtful despite what our world has thrown our way. Thank you all for your willingness to share with one another, care for one another, and learn together. These common experiences make us strong!

I know that this week has brought a multitude of anxieties and unknowns from our election to our upcoming hybrid learning model. Remember, we are all in this together and when we lean into our WHY and our values we continue to be strong and focused despite sometimes feeling like the boat is rocking underneath. As always, please reach out if you need anything in the upcoming weeks. Our team is here for you!

As we move into the snowy upcoming weeks, below are some important messages. Also, please notice that there are two additional tabs above that include a calendar and professional readings.

During the past week, it has been so fun to see all the creative juices flow from our students and staff! Thank you for always showing your playful side and demonstrating so much care and love each day. This week also included a few changes: Wed. attendance, EBISS meetings (data review and synching expectation), as well as this NEWish blog format for information. I hope that these changes will help to keep our system smooth and responsive to both student and staff needs in the weeks to come.

Today was also the last day for Steve Simpson who worked with our students in Leadership. Steve has accepted a full-time position with Deschutes County Mobile Crisis Unit. We know he will do a great job in this work and wish him many years of future success. HERE is his staff introduction video.

Of note for next week: Seventh grade will have EBISS and 8th may meet if the team decides knowing that our next Wednesday is Veterans Day (refer to the data and protocols in the folder linked above). Ryan and I will be in trainings all day Tuesday and Wednesday but are available by text or phone if you need anything. We will also check e-mail periodically. Wednesday staff meeting will include several breakout options to either clean up or get clarification regarding Canvas/tech issues or participate in new learning tools with demos of tools from our very own teachers. I will also be slowly picking away at putting my old updates into this blog format so everything is in one place.

Election Information: Next week is the culmination of this election season. If you remember back to the launch of last year, we asked that you all spend time recognizing your personal WHY for doing the work of education. Regardless of where you stand on issues and candidates, we are all here because we have a personal belief in students and the power of our work together each day. Please refer to Lora’s election message as you plan for class after Tuesday.

From Bend Broadband: Any teacher that’s been impacted by data overage charges with BendBroadband should send an email to [email protected], from their school email address with their name and account number, requesting credit for their “data usage allowance overage charge,” and they’ll be credited. Wahoo!!

Tutoring: A local organization has secured 3 spots for PCMS to have 3 students receive tutoring for 1-2 hours per week during the winter season. The primary focus is ELA and Math. Please take a look at current data using the EBISS info above and send me an e-mail if you would like to suggest a particular student.

Tech Info: Webex has added a new mute function that Laura shared with us this week. Dan told us that you can get rid of the recommended videos and other videos that pop up by changing the URL. Here’s how: before the ? type _popup and it changes everything. Here’s how to add a distraction-free Chrome extension (from Ryan) https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/df-tube-distraction-free/mjdepdfccjgcndkmemponafgioodelna?hl=en Additionally, Dean Richards and Michele Clements have been working on a Secondary Instructional Blog. This week’s hot tips are all around ideas for using the Chat feature to support students.

Oregon Savings and Growth: Virtual seminar November 5th from 4:30-5:30

State of Schools Update: The Governor held a press conference today to highlight some changes regarding metrics etc. related to school openings. None of these changes immediately affect middle schools but you can refer to this document to see the information. Next week middle school teachers will be asked to provide input regarding the ongoing planning for hybrid design at the middle level. Stay tuned.

Staff Videos: Introducing Bri Agenbroad, Cindy Dziurzynski, and Elizabeth Wright!

Please continue to communicate with your ICCL members regarding celebrations and trouble-spots so we can make our system work the best for everyone. I always feel lucky to work with all of you and please know that even in times when your feedback may not feel very positive, a system that seeks out, considers, and responds to feedback is a sign of a health. PCMS really is pretty magical. Have a wonderful weekend Golden Eagles!

✌️&❤️ -L

It looks terrible outside so I hope you have plans to be warm with family inside this weekend. Snow is almost here! Thank you all for being part of our awesome assembly this morning. A round of applause goes to Molly, Chicken, Sarah, Andy, and Liza for all of their hard work to make this place so special. I’m looking forward to an awesome spirit week this week! Here are a few more updates to have in your mind:

Wednesday Attendance: Please refer to my e-mail regarding attendance on Wednesday. This change will hopefully simplify things but may take a bit of time to get used to. I welcome any feedback as we get it going!

Staff Meeting Notes: Thanks to Sarah for taking notes during the staff meeting. The two main topics discussed were: 

• • Canvas Synching: Must be done Tuesdays and Fridays moving forward. The Canvas team continues to have a lot of great ideas to share so please read, watch and attend to the things that they send your way. 
  • Policies and procedures related to equitable access and outcomes for students
    • • • All Students Belong Rule: Read more about it HERE
        • Differentiation: PCMS Gathered Ideas
        • EBISS: Grade-level teams will begin to meet for EBISS from 1:30-2:15 on Wednesdays every three weeks beginning with 6th grade this week. We will share tools with teams this week during the staff meeting. If, down the line, we choose to change our staff meeting times, EBISS times will move to another day as well.

Spirit Week 10/26-10/30: Advisory students will vote during 10/30 advisory for the best Halloween costume.

• • • Advisory teachers will 1) email the student’s name to Deb Mullen before the end of advisory; 2) ask costume winners to send a photo of themselves in their costume to Deb Mullen at [email protected] by the end of the day on Friday, 10/30; and 3) let winners know they can pick-up their prize bag on Wednesday, 11/4 curbside pick-up between 9:00 – 3:00.
      • • • Monday, 10/26: Pajama day or stuffed animal day
          • Tuesday, 10/27 Show and tell pet day
          • Thursday, 10/29: Virtual Background Drawing Day
          • Friday, 10/30: Halloween Costume

PCMS Swag for Sale: We will resume Golden Eagle Spirit Fridays! Our PCMS Online Store closes this Sunday, October 25 at 5:00pm.Swag will be available for pick-up by 11/16 or sooner. Click here for swag promo video!

A message from Nutrition | Adult Meals: With so many schools having meal offerings each day, there has been interest by those working in the schools to be able to access the meals as well at the sites where offerings are made.  The cost for the meals is $4 for supper, $4 for lunch and $3 for breakfast. You can pay each time by cash or check for the meals you would like. We do not have change, so the exact amount would be necessary.  If you would like to use your meal account, we can offer that option.  If you need to add money to that account, you will need to pay online through BLPay https://blpay.bend.k12.or.us   We have waived the transaction fee since this is the only payment option we can accept at this time to add funds to your account. Our staff in the kitchens do not have access to your account to be able to make a deposit to your account.

1st Virtual Assembly Link 

Upcoming Birthday(s):

• • • Tuesday, 10/27 | Cindy D.
    • Thursday, 10/29 | Stephanie Charnay

I love working with you all and there is no shortage of deep learning and warm caring being demonstrated each day. Thank you for making this place so special. 

Happy Saturday everyone! It is an awesome weekend to be outside and maybe even pick up a few pumpkins! I hope you have some time to get out there and do all the awesome CO things even as the weather begins to get colder.

During the next few weeks, continue to consider what overt demonstration of CARE looks like for your students. We heard from several teams this week and some great ideas are brewing. If you are interested in quick ideas to add to your personal CARE repertoire, you might make the Greater Good Science Center Monthly Calendar part of your daily routine. It has a daily link to a brief article and idea that may just spark your interest during the day. Consider it as an add to the CARE part of your life. Here is a link to October’s calendar.

Here are some updates for our week to come:

Canvas:

• • Here are some options that teachers have for commenting and what it looks like on the student end:https://www.loom.com/share/10c2e784ef43493eba792c783cc94057
  • While meeting with staff over the past few days the Canvas team found that there were still a lot of inconsistencies in canvas pages that are leading to staff and student confusion. Please watch this video to make sure we are all on the same page. Mandy is available for help if you see something that you are doing that doesn’t line up. https://www.loom.com/share/0b9e4463f09c485bb091b3e81ac33a41

PCMS Swag For Sale: We will resume Golden Eagle Spirit Fridays! Our PCMS Online Store is now open to purchase Golden Eagle swag. We have extended the deadline to purchase to Sunday 10/25. Swag will be available for pick-up by 11/16 or sooner. Click here for swag promo video!

Flu-shot Clinic Tuesday Morning: If you have any lingering questions, please contact Deb on Monday!

Wednesday Attendance: I have talked with some of you regarding the complexities of attendance for Wednesdays. Changes are in the midst. We are doing some piloting of a plan this week at Cascade and if successful, our plans will change moving forward. Stay tuned…

Webex Session Security: Upcoming changes to security should help with managing unintended or inappropriate student visitors to your Webex meetings. The students will log into Webex in a similar fashion to how teachers log into Webex. The teachers will have “host” accounts.  These accounts allow them to schedule and create sessions. The students will have “attendee” accounts. These accounts will only allow them to attend sessions. Users from outside the district will not be able to attend Webex sessions that are created by teachers. Look for new instructions for how students will join Webex meetings in the next few days.  By the way, the next update of Webex will also have the most requested item by teachers… a mute button that students can’t unmute! [And a special shout out to Vince Valenti for doing the behind-the-scenes heavy lifting to make sure these changes work!].

Data Review: Thank you all for getting the data to Ryan and I regarding student progress. We will ask for this periodically throughout the year for comparisons at the district level. We also will use this information to design supports for students with common difficulties. We will share some of this information with you all on Wednesday at our staff meeting.

Celebrations:

• • Chicken Stoefen (Wed) and Ashley Wallace (Thurs) have birthdays this week! 🥳🥳🥳🥳
  • We will end our week together in Liza’s Webex room during Advisory (9:00) for an All School Assembly!!🎇

Thank you all for yet another great week full of learning, care and inspiration at PCMS!