{"id":725,"date":"2021-08-23T22:56:30","date_gmt":"2021-08-23T22:56:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bend.k12.or.us\/pcms-staff\/?p=725"},"modified":"2021-08-28T06:16:27","modified_gmt":"2021-08-28T06:16:27","slug":"august-27-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bend.k12.or.us\/pcms-staff\/2021\/08\/23\/august-27-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"August, 27, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It’s almost time!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we head into the shortest weekend of the year, I want to again share my excitement for the year ahead. We have such an amazing responsibility ahead of us to welcome students and staff alike in shaping a community that is inspiring, caring, and full of learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m going to try to keep this short, as we’ll see each other soon, but there are a few need-to-knows and a few to-dos on the docket for y’all (at bottom).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bell Schedules<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’re going to try something new with the bells this year in hopes of reducing tardies and allowing teachers the full 45 minutes of instruction each period. Schools across the country have increasingly been doing this in recent years, and share that the result is a positive boost to school culture<\/a> (I particularly love the quote that opens the second graf).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Class dismissal bells will not sound; bells will sound 1-minute before each class starts to let students know it’s just about time to be in class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A bell will also sound at 9:10 to let students know that school starts in 5 minutes (doors will open at 9:05), and another bell will sound at 12:50 to signal the end of lunch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daily Schedule<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Class Schedules are (Almost) Live<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The class schedules will go live in Synergy sometime between right this very second and Monday morning. The Synergy deities are in charge of that and we don’t know exactly when publishing will occur. Thanks to the amazing work of Sarah Girard and Renee McCoy, we have a master schedule. Please know that it is not yet final and may change between now and September 8 and that I will communicate any necessary changes ahead of time with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For everything that makes you happy about your (tentative) schedule, please take a moment to thank Sarah Girard and Renee McCoy for all of their hard work and dedication. For anything that makes you unhappy about your schedule, please take a moment to come talk with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming to Work When Ill<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’ll go over this in more detail this week and yet I still want to use this space to tell you not to come to work if you’re ill. Educators are classically martyrs and can fight the sniffles or the flu and it’s easier to suffer than to build good sub plans, but we need to take our health and the health of those around us more seriously than ever before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bottom line, we need to stay safe to stay open<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OEBB Open Enrollment Deadline is September 15<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

OEBB Open Enrollment for the 2021-22 plan year (October 1, 2021 \u2013 September 30, 2022) has started! Enrollment is mandatory <\/strong>for ALL benefit eligible employees\u2026even if you would like to continue with the same plans, you must log in and complete Open Enrollment by September 15. Bend-La Pine Schools\u2019 Benefits Team has designed an interactive benefits page<\/a> to help review plans, compare plan costs with online rate calculators, and provide additional resources to help you make your benefit selections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drop-in Enrollment Help Sessions (if possible, please bring your own laptop)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n