News from the Nest

Hi Golden Eagles!

Happy first day of school! I hope that your day has been full of excitement this morning. We are excited to see you all!

For those of you who have been able to connect easily, Congratulations! For those of you who are having difficulty, please know that you are not alone. One common difficulty that we have heard this morning is related to webex connection. Our district tech department is working on this and they believe the difficulty is due to network congestion. We just implemented a fix to move the Webex traffic off of our network on the iPads. In order to re-establish a new connection, students will need to put their iPad in/out of airplane mode. Additional things to try as we work this out:

• Connect to webex by going into the actual course for a teacher. Then find the syllabus on the left and click on the teacher’s webex link from there.
• Make sure you have Location services “On” found under the area of Settings>General>Privacy>Location Services>ON
• Make sure that you have all updates done.
• Delete and re-install an app if it’s not working
• Make sure that VPN is working by deleting and reinstalling Global Connect from self-service.

I know that tech issues can be challenging and frustrating. Remember, this is day one, we are working hard to understand and trouble-shoot our difficulties, and we are flexible. Please assure your student that they will in no way be penalized for an inability to connect.

I am available via e-mail ([email protected]), phone (5410 355-7805) or in webex to help if I am able: https://bls.webex.com/meet/lisa.birk.

Mrs. Hanna is also available (11:30-12:30 and2:30-3:30) via webex (https://bls.webex.com/meet/marni.hanna) or via e-mail [email protected]

Please let us know if we can be helpful. Go Golden Eagles!

Ms. Birk

Hello Golden Eagles and families!

We are only a day away from starting off our 2020-2021 school year! Our entire staff has been working hard to plan for and create excellent learning opportunities for our Golden Eagles during this unusual year. Each and every one of us can’t wait to see you on Monday and are ready to support you in the year to come. Below are some tips to help be ready for Monday.

First Day Photos

Even though this year is going to be different, our partners at Herff-Jones (yearbook) want to make sure that students are able to have their memories documented within a school yearbook. Because we are not having photos at school as we would normally do, we are asking that all families (or students) take a First Day of School photo at home on Monday. The yearbook company is creating a site where we can upload these, but until we have specifics, please hang onto this photo and we will let you know when we have next steps. Feel free to take any photos along the way this year. We will be relying on families and students to help us generate photo content rather than our typical yearbook staff.

First Day Tech

In order to make sure that you are ready with your iPad and Canvas, please visit the district page outlining information related to both. Please pay special attention to the first two sections (iPad Ready and All Ages) as well as the section down below (Grades 6-12). This is where you can often find answers to common difficulties prior to contacting the school. Most issues with iPads can be resolved easily (i.e. making sure updates are complete, shutting-down and restarting, deleting an app and reinstalling, or making sure that Global Connect is installed) but one area that you will need help with if it is not working for you is related to passwords. If you do not remember your password (it is not your 6 digit number- everyone changed theirs at the beginning of the year last year), it will need to be reset by our school tech team. Please send an e-mail to [email protected] to request support for this.

Getting started on Monday

On Monday morning at 9:00 (or a bit before), all students should log into their Advisory teacher’s webex room. You can get to this three ways: (a) students can find their teachers webex room link on the “Home” page of their teacher’s Canvas class, (b) students can click on the link that was included in an email they received from the Advisory teacher sometime in the past two days, or (c) students can type the classroom address into the browser (format is https://bls.webex.com/meet/teacherfirstname.teacherlastname). For example, if a student wanted to come to my webex room, they could type in https://bls.webex.com/meet/lisa.birk and it should bring them to my room.

• • Do you want to just try the webex link to make sure it’s working? On Monday morning, I will open my webex room from 8:30-9:00 so students can connect just to make sure it is working for them. Just click on the link above and it should take you there. I can also help with any other questions that might come up at that time. Feel free to pop in if it is helpful.

Weekly schedules

You can find our middle school schedule on the MS CDL Schedule.pdf . I also attached a PDF version if you’d like to print.

Need other support?

On Monday, Mrs. Hanna will be helping students during webex help sessions from 9-10, 11:30-12:30, and 2:30-3:30. If you need tech support, please log into her webex room during one of these times to get the help you may need. https://bls.webex.com/meet/marni.hanna

As we get going this year, I encourage you to think of this as a marathon. If you are worried that you are going out a bit too slow or you are having difficulties getting all of the pieces aligned, that is absolutely okay. At Pacific Crest, we talk a lot with students about Golden Eagles being the best at getting better and this year will provide no shortage of opportunities for all of us to get better. We are all learning new things and with that sometimes comes stumbles but when we demonstrate flexibility and adaptability for our young people we are modeling important skills that they will need for life. Please know that our team of excellent educators are here to support all of you along the way and please do not hesitate to get help or ask questions as we get going.

I look forward to another great year at Pacific Crest and could not be happier to do this work in such a caring community. Thank you for being our partners as we learn with, care for, and inspire our young future leaders.

Go Golden Eagles!

Lisa

Happy Thursday Golden Eagles!

Today was a great day filled with teacher trainings, family phone calls, as well as meeting all of our new families to the Bend La Pine community. This message is intended to point out some common questions that have come up and to make sure that everyone has the resources they need to be ready on day one.

Getting ready with Canvas and Tech

• Please refer to our Navigating Canvas letter to help you with any Canvas questions that you may have. Teachers will directly support students during the first few weeks in Canvas so for now, simply know that you have access and take some time to get familiar.
• Refer to the district information with other questions for students in grades 6-8 related to being ready on day 1.

6th grade and New Student Day

• We are so excited to welcome you all tomorrow to PCMS!
  • 6th graders, please log into https://bls.webex.com/meet/liza.huet at 9:00 to meet all of the people who are going to be here for you during the next 3 years!
  • New 7th and 8th graders, please log in at 11:00 using the link above.

Advisory Calls

• During the next couple of days, your advisory teacher will be reaching out to you to check in, make a connection, and ask a few simple questions. Because of this, you may receive a call from an unknown number. Please pick up if you are able. We would love to connect with you!
• If you have not yet received a call but need something specific before Monday, please feel free to reach out directly to your student’s advisory teacher using the e-mail format ([email protected]). You can also feel free to call our school directly at 541-355-7821. We are here to help you so let us know if we can be of service for connectivity, trouble-shooting, meals, etc.

Introductions, FAQs, Mission/Vision Info Night

• Please join Ryan and I in a Webex meeting tomorrow night from 5-5:30 pm https://bls.webex.com/meet/lisa.birk. We will be sharing information about ourselves, our school, our programming, and answers to current FAQs. We will also be introducing a variety of people who you may want to know in the year to come. Please join if you are able. This is not mandatory but all are welcome.

We are looking forward to supporting you and your family this year!

Go Golden Eagles!

Lisa

Good Morning Golden Eagle family!

We are only a few short days away from beginning this school year! The first day for teachers was on Tuesday and we spent the day together getting ready to make the launch of the 2020 school year as seamless as possible for everyone at Pacific Crest. Everyone is so excited and our Golden Eagle team can’t wait to meet all of you and get started Learning, Caring, and Inspiring each day.

For those of you who don’t know, I try to consolidate all the information I can for families into one notification each week in order to limit the e-mails that you receive. This week will be an exception to this rule. Because there are events and information that will unfold throughout the week, you will receive more communication in the days to come than a typical week at PCMS. This allows us to send the most up-to-date information with specific support directions. Below there are a number of things you should be aware of as well as information you will expect to come later this week.

Getting Ready with Technology

This year in all grades 6-12, students and families will become familiar with a platform called Canvas. Just like anything new, it will take some getting used to. Our teachers are designing ways to support our students as they learn about navigation and there are several parent supports as well. Please check out this Canvas Information Letter to help you and your student be as familiar as possible with the program going into our new year.

Getting an iPad (students new to BLP Schools)

All new students to Bend-La Pine Schools will be issued an iPad. Please refer to the New Student iPad Pick-Up Letter for more information.

ALL STUDENT Acceptable Use and iPad Insurance

All parents and their students must complete the four steps outlined in the Acceptable Use and Insurance letter by September 18, 2020.

New Students

We are looking forward to meeting all of our new 6th grade Golden Eagles on WEB day from 9-10:30. All new 7th and 8th grade students will also have orientation from 11-12:30 on Friday. Please meet in Liza Huet’s webex room at your respective times to start the fun! https://bls.webex.com/meet/liza.huet

Student Schedules

Student schedules will go live on Wednesday of this week. Students can access them via Student VUE and parents via Parent VUE. The work of creating a master schedule for 700 students with 7 different classes and varying constraints is highly complex. This is even more challenging considering the few elective options for students in this age group. For this reason, it is common that students do not end up with their first choice electives but rather alternates and making changes to schedules is very difficult. We will NOT be accepting changes for students based on preferences (teacher, friend groups, etc). However, if you believe that there is a glaring error (i.e. they are missing Language Arts, or they are in Advanced Orchestra but have never seen a stringed instrument) please contact your student’s counselor to ask for a change consideration. Andrew Krauthoefer is the counselor for students with last names A-K and Sarah Girard is the counselor for students with last names L-Z.

Advisory and IEP/504 supports

This year you and your student will develop a relationship with your student’s Advisory teacher. To get this connection started, you can plan to hear from this person near the end of next week. They will be asking some general questions and this is also a time to express any specific needs that your family may have that our school can support through our Family liaisons or other supports. This person will be connecting with you frequently throughout the year in an effort to provide a consistent support for you and your student.

Students with an IEP or a 504 will be contacted this week as well by case managers to help create a solid transition for your child.

As I said, more will continue to come out this week. Thank you for your support and please continue to reach out if you have questions.

Go Golden Eagles!

Lisa

Good morning Golden Eagle families!

Each day brings more and more excitement as we gear up for our 2020-2021 school year. I can’t wait to meet all of our new students and welcome back all of our past eagles. After talking with several of our teachers this week, I know that they are feeling the excitement as well. For families, this time of year may bring a lot of questions and for some, you may be still trying to determine what will be the best option for your student and your family. Below are some important pieces of information that may help you to make these decisions as well as prepare for our year at PCMS. I know that brevity is hoped for in these e-mails but there is simply a lot of information this time of year. Please know that all of the News from the Nests can be found on our website if you need to refer to them again. When in doubt, give us a call in the office, or reach out to your student’s counselor. We are here to help!

Comprehensive Distance Learning

Check out this link for MS schedules, guidance, and athletic information. This page will continue to be updated so it may be a good one to bookmark for quick reference during this year.

• • At PCMS, we have used a structure known as “Community” in order to support cross-curricular projects and learning across Science, Social Studies, and English Language Arts. This means that we have always had one Science teacher partnered with one Humanities (SS and ELA) for three consecutive periods. According to our new district MS schedule, all periods are broken out individually. We will be communicating in our next News from the Nest as to how we will navigate this three-period block so students and families have a clear and predictable way to plan for instruction within our Communities.
  • This week and last we sent a survey for ALL FAMILIES to complete regarding your plans for next year. This information is critical for our planning. If you have not yet filled out the survey, please call the front office at (541) 355-7820 to let us know your plans. We will be calling these families next week to solidify numbers.

Moving Between BLPO and PCMS classes

We have gotten a lot of questions about this. Please connect with your counselor if you have questions that are not found within this linked document. We know that there are always situations that don’t quite fit the mold for everyone.

6th Grade Students

We are so happy to welcome the class of 2027 to PCMS! in order to help students get acquainted with our school and to ease any nerves before we begin, all 6th graders are invited to attend our WEB Day on September 11th from 9 am to 10:45. Where Everyone Belongs (WEB) is a program that’s focus is to support the transition from elementary to middle school while developing leadership opportunities for 8th graders. All 6th grade students will be partnered with an 8th grade WEB leader for the year. WEB leaders will be supports for 6th graders and help them to navigate any of the questions that come with advancing into middle school. All students are asked to please log in to Liza Huet’s webex room (https://bls.webex.com/meet/liza.huet) at 9 am. We look forward to seeing you there!

New 7th and 8th graders

We are excited to have you join the our Golden Eagle community this year! In order to best support you, our WEB leaders will be doing a training with you all on September 11th as well from 11-12:30. This will begin in Liza Huet’s room (https://bls.webex.com/meet/liza.huet) at 11 am. Please log in using webex.

New Parent Back to School Session

We invite all new parents to a Virtual Back-to-School session on September 11th from 5-6 with our administration in order to hear about PCMS and answer questions related to the new year. This event will be done via webex. Please log in to Lisa Birk’s webex room to attend (https://bls.webex.com/meet/lisa.birk)

New Student iPads

During the week of September 7, new students to PCMS will be issued an iPad. More information will be coming out directly to you as well as in the next issue of News from the Nest.

WEB Leaders

Thank you for supporting the transition to Pacific Crest for all of our new students. You will set the tone for a new year at a new school. Please join Mrs. Huet in her Webex room (https://bls.webex.com/meet/liza.huet) for WEB leader training from 9-11 am on Wednesday, September 9th. If you have any questions or needs, please send her an e-mail.

Mathematics Placement Assessment

In some circumstances there are students entering 6th grade (sometimes other grades) that may need to move into a different math course than that of their grade-level offering. This is often due to being new to the BLP program and having had much of the grade level curriculum already but can happen for other reasons as well. Placement in another level of math is NOT automatic and students must demonstrate skills and understandings that ensure they will be successful upon advancement by taking two mathematics placement assessments. This year, this will be done virtually and proctored by one of our math teachers at the end of next week. If you believe your child should be in another math course, please contact Ryan Kelling ([email protected]) by WEDNESDAY evening in order to be part of the assessment group. He will contact you with more information at the end of next week.

Student Schedules

Schedules will go live during the week of September 7th. You will be able to see them in Parent VUE during that week.

• • Band and Orchestra students: Due to late staffing changes, Band and Orchestra students will have a new instructor this year.
  • Learning Pods: Our counselors have received questions regarding schedule changes in order to accommodate many learning pods within our community. The work of creating schedules for 700 students with 7 classes each is very complicated and we simply cannot support these changes and get a schedule going for the year. However, it is important to know that all grade-level teachers of the same subject area are planning together so regardless of the teachers students are with, instruction and activities will be very similar between classes.

Accident Insurance:

It is important to know that Bend-La Pine Schools does not carry accident insurance for students. This means that you, as parent or guardian, are responsible for any medical bills if your child is hurt during school activities. Bend-La Pine Schools does provide access to insurance plans offered through Myers-Stevens & Toohey and Company, Inc. to help pay for those bills. Information on this coverage can be found at this link: https://www.bend.k12.or.us/district/parents/health-immunizations

iPad Insurance

Please use this site for all things related to iPad insurance. Just like any other insurance plan, iPad insurance needs to be purchased each year in order to remain in effect. Don’t be caught without it!

Nutrition Supports

Meal Applications: We are now accepting applications for SY 20/21. We are very excited to announce that part of the Oregon Student Success Act are expanded income guidelines for qualifying for free meals. We are encouraging all families to apply for meal benefits! Click Here

Please see the Oregon Expanded Income Guideline Chart

We encourage all families to apply on line. You can apply online at https://www.bend.k12.or.us. Applying via the online option is the best way to ensure we receive your application and it gets processed in a timely manner.

Parent & Student Book Clubs

This week we ended another great parent book club session and will complete our summer round of book clubs with students on Monday. These book clubs are focused on race, equity, intersectionality, history, and the work of raising excellent future neighbors and leaders. We will be holding these throughout the year. Please look for more information in our upcoming News from the Nest.

Phew! What a time! Thanks for sticking with me until the end. As we transition into the fall, we are all trying to navigate new territory and it will come with no shortage of challenges. As they come up, I encourage you to lean on our PCMS staff to support you. We are all working to embrace our inner gymnasts and become as flexible as possible during this unusual year. One way to help this transition is to be thoughtful about the language you use at home or with your friends about this school year. HERE is an interesting article from the Washington Post that reminds us that “…students have learned from our responses to the crisis, our interactions with them during the crisis, and the way we have talked about returning to school. They have also learned from things we have and will say about them [and the learning they experience].” Our Golden Eagles will leave this year having learned things that no other students in history will have learned. I look forward to a wonderful year full of INSPIRATION, LEARNING, and CARE at PCMS. At Pacific Crest, we like to say, “the Golden Eagles are the best at getting better” and this year will be no exception. As always, thank you for supporting this community of fantastic educators and impressive students. I feel lucky to be part of this special place.

Go Golden Eagles!

Lisa

Welcome Back Golden Eagles!!!

I am so excited to get another great year at PCMS underway. Although this year is not going to look like what any of us anticipated, I am looking forward to working to create the best possible learning situation for our Eagles given the current circumstances. In all honesty, some of the learning that our students will experience simply cannot be taught in a traditional way and will give them skills that will help them for years to come. This year will be a year full of flexibility, perseverance, supporting one another, and organizing our systems to be as supportive as possible. Our team at PCMS stands ready to create a connected and rich experience for each of our Eagles. Let the year begin!

I recognize that many families are still trying to decide whether to participate in Comprehensive Distance Learning (CDL) at PCMS or to try another program such as Bend La Pine Online. The information listed below as well as our BLP District FAQ page will help you make the best decision for your family. If you haven’t already, please make sure to complete our 20-21 Planning Survey (due tonight, August 21) to let us know what your plans are. If you have lingering questions that are not answered within these two links, please don’t hesitate to send me or Ryan Kelling an email and we will be happy to get you the information that you need.

Individual student schedules will not be ready until the end of the first week in September; however, the STUDENT SCHEDULE LINKED HERE is a daily outline of what students and families can expect. Last spring, we were able to get feedback from parents, staff, and students about the distance learning experience. One common comment was that students and families wanted more live instructional time with teachers each day and for students to interact with other students. Additionally, the lack of traditional grades contributed to a lack of student engagement. This year, both of these experiences will be different. Students can expect that they will meet their teacher at the start of class and be connected with them and other students for the first half of each period. Additionally, all students will receive consistent feedback and final grades related to the learning that they demonstrate during the year. Finally, each student will be part of an Advisory class four days per week. We will be relying on Advisory teachers to consistently make connections with families regarding progress and provide a supportive place for students who may have different needs arise throughout the year. You can expect to hear from your child’s Advisory teacher during the second week in September. These agreements are consistent across middle schools within the district in an effort to create a more consistent, meaningful, and equitable experience for all.

Right now our WEB advisor is preparing an experience for our 6th graders that they will have prior to the first day of school. I will share more information about this next week in the News from the Nest. We are so excited to welcome new Golden Eagles to our family! New 7th and 8th graders will have an opportunity to connect prior to the year beginning too. More information to come. If you have any questions regarding systems or support at PCMS, please reach out to your student’s counselor. Andrew Krauthoefer is the counselor for all students with last names A-K and Sarah Girard (new this year!) is the counselor for all students with last names L-Z. They are ready to support you so don’t hesitate to give a call!

Athletics have been delayed for the fall. You can read more about information related to this decision HERE.

Our offices are open Monday through Friday from 8:00-2:00 pm. Please, if you are able, contact the office via phone (541) 355-7804 or e-mail ([email protected]) to let us know you are coming. This will allow us to get any materials ready before you arrive and minimize the time you will be in the building. Before entering the lobby, please use the sanitizer in the foyer and don’t forget your mask, which is required while in the building.

I look forward to seeing you all and talking with you soon!

Go Golden Eagles!!

Lisa