It’s amazing the difference clean air and nice weather can make. Thanks for persevering through last week. Your patience and efforts were rewarded with some beautiful weather this week so eating outside was possible. Speaking of eating outside, at our Horizontal meeting I know we raised some confusion over whether kids needed to be in assigned seats at lunch. Instead of burying the answer to this question in the blog, here is what we heard today from our Return to School committee – students need to be in assigned locations outside, and be spaced 6 feet apart, but they do not have to have an assigned seat outside. For now, that is our final answer.
Updates, Reminders, Info and Rants…
A bit more clarity on our lunch temperature guidelines. After discussing this further with Dr. Cook here is what he/we are thinking:
- K-8 students will come inside for meals at 45-degrees.
- If outside temperature + windchill is lower than 40-degrees, move meals inside.
- For example: If the air temperature is 48 degrees and there are sustained winds at 25 mph, then the wind chill temperature is 40 degrees = Meals inside
Encouraging students to dress in layers will be important as well on days where it will be close to the minimum threshold.
Schedules – just a reminder to drop your schedules into this folder. If you’re having problems dropping your schedule in the folder call for assistance or just share your schedule with us and we can make a copy to put in the folder. Thanks.
Kids Inc. – Click on this link to indicate the two spaces that will be utilized at your school for Kids Inc so they can split groups into two cohorts for age appropriateness and COVID considerations.
From April – Just an FYI that April Jorgenson is the contact person for the following:
- DHS/Child Abuse Reports
- Student Threat Assessment Forms
- Suicide Risk Screens
- Expulsions
Additionally, administrators and approved staff can find Suicide Risk Screen and Student Threat Assessment history in Synergy by following these steps:
- Focus to the school appropriate for the student, then navigate to:
- Synergy SIS > Discipline Incident > Student Incidents
- Search for the student in question, and select the Discipline History tab.
- Click show detail on the incident you are inquiring about.
Wearing masks outside – we also caused some confusion this week about wearing masks outside. When should we wear masks and when is ok not to wear them. Here is the OLD guidance:
Masks are not required for outdoor recess, meals, outdoor classes and those actively engaged in sports.
Here is the NEW guidance:
All individuals 5 years of age and older are to wear a face covering outdoors when individuals cannot or do not consistently maintain at least 6 feet of physical distance from people not in their household.
According to our Nurse Tami Pike, nearly 100% of our students under age 12 are not vaccinated which makes them the most vulnerable segment of our population right now. So, whether inside or outside, correctly wearing our masks around our students and families sends a positive message that we care about their health and safety and models the behavior we want everyone to practice.
Letters for health screening – over the last 18 months we have not done any health screenings. This year, as conditions improve, we will begin bringing these back (hearing, vision, dental, Safe Touch, etc.). As a reminder, it is very important that notifications go out to families in advance for any health screening. We want our parents well aware of what is being planned and be given the opportunity to either ask questions or opt out.
Leave sheets due – The dates for this time period are 08/16/21 – 09/19/21. Please remember you don’t need to complete a leave sheet – just make sure your calendar is up to date for any non-contract time or sick leave. April will do the rest. If you don’t have anything to report please drop April a quick email so she doesn’t think you just forgot.
Collective Efficacy – For our 9/27 PLC, please read chapters 1 and 2 Come prepared with the 4 A’s protocol:
- Something you Agree with
- An Assumption you have about something
- An Argument you can make
- Something from the reading you Aspire to
Department News…
From Sean – At this time we are not having any telehealth appointments occur at our elementary sites with any counseling services. This includes our partners, Child Center and Trillium. These partners have permission to come on site to provide in-person treatment.
From Stephanie Bent – Bend-La Pine Schools will once again provide Spanish training and conversational practice taught by OSU-Cascades and COCC instructor David Engel.
- Register for classes in Performance Matters.
- Classes will begin the week of September 27 and run until Winter Break (11 weeks), resuming again in January.
- Classes will meet on Zoom during the Fall.
- See below for class times and descriptions of each level offered and information about joining us on Zoom.
- Plan to join us on Zoom a few minutes prior to the beginning of your class
Mondays, 4:30-5:15 pm (beginning Sept.27) – Level One (True Beginner) learn to introduce yourself, basic conversation skills and introduction to present tense verbs.
Tuesdays, 4:30-5:15 pm – (beginning Sept.28) – Level One (True Beginner) learn to introduce yourself, basic conversation skills and introduction to present tense verbs.
Tuesdays, 5:30-6:15 pm – (beginning Sept.28) – Level two (Advancing Beginner) practice conversation skills and use of present tense verbs, introduction to the past tense
Thursdays, 4:30-5:15 pm (beginning Sept.30) – Level Three (Beginning / Intermediate) practice with conversation skills and use of preterite verb tense to narrate past events, introduction to imperfect verb tense.
Thursdays, 5:30-6:15 pm (beginning Sept.30) – Level Four (Advancing Intermediate) practice with conversation in present and past, practice commands and future tense, introduction to present perfect and other grammatical constructions.
- You will need to have Zoom downloaded on your device to join. Meeting ID: 494 975 6496
- You will need a microphone and camera on your device.
- Once you join the Zoom “meeting” you will be placed in a Waiting Room. Once in the Waiting Room, you will be admitted into the meeting as soon as possible. Please have your name showing when you join.
- The class will be interactive in nature, using features on Zoom.
- Handouts and activities will be shared over email prior to class and during class sessions.
- Feel free to contact instructor, David Engel at [email protected] with additional questions.
From Walt and Rob – The Custodial team would like to share some insight into cleaning and the Pandemic:
According to the CDC, “The fomite transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is low compared to direct contact, droplet transmission, or airborne transmission.” As we understand this variant is airborne and surface contamination is a low priority. The updated School Cleaning Protocol is found at Bend-La Pine Schools COVID-19 Cleaning Protocols. The protocol also states that, “Each classroom in our schools will be provided with approved cleaning products by the custodial staff. “ We will keep providing equipment whether its spray solution and micro fiber in each classroom or cleaning stations with flat mops, solution to dip in, spray bottles and rags, or having both. This will provide your staff with the products to disinfect if needed in their classroom.
- The custodial team will try their best with the resources available to go above their regular cleaning schedule and sanitize the high touch spots. We are putting more effort into your high traffic areas, bathrooms, hallways, commons etc.
- If there is district approved product or cleaning equipment your staff needs let your Head Custodian know so we can provide that for you to make your team successful.
From Roy in IT – a quick reminder that you don’t have to do a reset of iPads, unless an iPad isn’t working correctly or is locked up. No need to make extra work for yourself, or the teachers. Especially our K-2 student devices. On iPads I would just focus on making sure they clear out any unwanted apps, delete some of their photos or videos to help free up space. The link below is a good tutorial to use, which I believe was sent out earlier to all our Tier 1’s.
https://sites.google.com/gapps.bend.k12.or.us/ipadroll-in/fall-info?authuser=0
Just scroll down and you’ll see the slideshows for returning students. Hope this helps. Enjoy the Friday (yay for rain) and have a relaxing, hopefully less smokey weekend. Thank you.
From HR – employee badges are backlogged because of staffing issues and priority being given to some other projects (ie – making sure people get paid!). Please be patient with your employees who do not yet have a badge.
From HR again – please remind your staff (all staff) to complete the vaccination survey recently sent out by Steve Herron in HR. Can’t find it? Check your “Clutter”.
From Lora – we have traditionally used 90 minutes as the scheduled length of SIW activities, though it is not specifically addressed in the CBA. Occasionally, school leaders HAVE scheduled longer activities, due to special training or speakers, but these have been done as “trades” for early release for staff on the next Wednesday, for example. Please be sure to follow this practice when planning your SIW activities.
From Kinsey and Steve Herron – please record here when you’ve completed the Civil Rights training with staff at your site? As a reminder this should be done by the end of October.
- As you engage in this conversation with staff, if you find format tweaks to make this more meaningful or effective, please share your ideas!
- Here are the slides and notes/talking points. Here is the Trivia Sheet.
- New: here is a poster/handout to print and make available for easy reference for reporting (and/or, bookmark the form link). Either you (if you’ll collect and report each incident) or your staff (if you have teachers report incidents themselves) should have this readily available.
- Reminder: this reporting tool is for staff use only at this time.
- Contact Kinsey and/or Steve Herron if you would like support with this presentation.
From Tami Pike – Weekend COVID-19 case reporting for Bend-La Pine Schools
To report a COVID-19 case over the weekend, we have a contact tracer “hotline” number that you can call. This will connect you to the contact tracer “on call” for that weekend.
The number is 541-355-6930.
For positive cases reported over the weekend:
- Please complete the COVID Positive, Primary Symptom, Exposure Reporting Form.
- Please call the Contact Tracer Hotline number and leave the following information on the voicemail.
- your name, school, student ID# and any other information. This will help alert contact tracers that a positive case has been submitted for your school.
For positive cases received during the week after school hours, please complete the COVID Positive, Primary Symptom, Exposure Reporting Form and a contact tracer will follow-up.
 | COVID Positive, Primary Symptom, Exposure Reporting Formdocs.google.com |
Calendar
- SIW schedule
- Horizontal Meeting Schedule
- Tammy and Skip visitation schedule
- September 20 – leave sheets due
- September 22 – District leadership training, board room @ 1:30
- September 24 – Tammy is out, but available by phone.
- September 27–Horizontal Meeting (professional development focus–please bring your Collective Efficacy book) location TBD @ 3:00
- October 29 – Civil Rights training due
And Finally…
Tammy and I recognize how hard all of you have been working. Getting our schools up and running during these trying times has been a heavy lift and your efforts have not gone unnoticed by us or by others. But even with your hard work and planning, unexpected things occur. When that happens just remember to channel your inner Bob Ross and don’t dwell on things too long.
Thanks for all you’re doing.