Updates, Reminders, Info and Rants…
As we approach the 18th – Over these next few days please read emails from Human Resources and Paul Dean very carefully. There will be critical information in each communication regarding vaccination status and next steps for your staff.
Dyslexia information for k/1 – For the past several years (except last year), we have been required by the state of Oregon to send Dyslexia notifications to certain K/1 families. These were traditionally done at Fall Conferences. Julie is waiting to hear back from ODE as to whether this year is also on hold for that or if we will be needing to resume this practice. Long story short, stand by to hear if we will still need to do that this year or not.
Sub reminder – here is a reminder about our sub process. Please do not try to prearrange a district sub. They are to be used the day of for unfilled positions. Additionally, if you need someone to supervise a class (not teach) you can utilize a classified staff member. This sometimes might be needed if a sub is arriving late. Doubling classes can also occur but should be a last resort and should only be done with like-grade levels or content areas. Also be aware of class size limitations when doing this.
Face covering reminder for all – From the Oregon Health Authority: “A “face covering” means a cloth, polypropylene, paper or other face covering that covers the nose and the mouth and that rests snugly above the nose, below the mouth, and on the sides of the face. The following are not face coverings because they allow droplets to be released: a covering that incorporates a valve that is designed to facilitate easy exhalation, mesh masks, lace masks, or other coverings with openings, holes, visible gaps in the design or material, or vents.”
It is the responsibility of the building administrator to ensure that all staff are wearing an approved mask and wearing it appropriately.
From Julie – Educational Assistant training for Elementary will be on October 27th. Please share this flyer and this link with the schedule with your educational assistants. Please remind your staff to sign up on Performance Matters so we can get an accurate lunch count.
From Lindsley – For those who could not attend the k-1 literacy training – here are the videos that Lindsley put together
- the version in my google drive
- the version uploaded to youtube
Department News…
From April – This is your friendly reminder that leave sheets are due on Monday, October 18th. The dates we are recording for this period are 09/20/21 – 10/17/2021. Those with electronic calendars (administrators) can fill in their calendar and let me know when they are done. Everyone else (paper leave sheets) can send me their leave sheets or email me with their dates of leave and I can fill them out for you. If you did not take any leave during this period (09/20 – 10/17) just let me know and I will note it. We are required to turn in a leave sheet whether we have taken leave or not.
From Tami Pike (Distinguished Administrator of the Year) – Because contact tracers do not have the capacity to call close contacts, and automated calls from the district were being ignored, schools are encouraged to use their own automated voice messaging system to reach parents about their student being quarantined. The script can say something like “Hi. This is Juniper Elementary School. Your student has been identified as a close contact in 2nd grade or on the bus. Your student is required to quarantine at home. Please check your email that you have on file with the school for more detailed information”.
Another from Tami Pike (still Distinguished Administrator of the Year) – We will be starting our vision and dental screenings for our students starting November 1st. For any questions about scheduling, please reach out directly to Matt Phillips for vision screening and Tiffany for dental screening.
From Lora – district administrators will be meeting with BEA leaders next week to discuss temporarily reducing the number of required observations of certified staff, as well as identifying “focus standards” for observation and evaluation.
Also, while the media headlines about emergency sub licenses sound great, the change is not helpful for us. The district must manage the subs (not the HDESD), sub licenses are taking approximately 7 weeks to process (so that would be January), and they expire March 31.
From Kinsey – Family Workshop: We will be offering our families a workshop in preparation for conferences. This workshop (designed and delivered in partnership with our Latino Family Advisory, with input from our Equity Coalition) will cover family rights and responsibilities, how to prepare for upcoming conferences, and in particular how to navigate our high school systems.
Spanish-language event: Thurs, Oct 21Chinese-language event: Wed, Oct 20
Please see the invitation for details (the middle page is English for your convenience). Language Dept staff are promoting this event with our multilingual families, but please share with them from your office as well!
From Nutrition Services – here is a hiring flyer that Nutrition Services was hoping you could include in your newsletters. They are really in need of help!
Calendar
- SIW schedule
- Horizontal Meeting Schedule
- Tammy and Skip visitation schedule
- Monthly checklist
- October 25, Horizontal PD Day – TBD. Draft plans are not due
- October 27-29 Work Day and Conference time
- October 27 – Classified training
- October 27, from 8:00-1:00 Restorative Practices Training
- October 29 – Civil Rights training due
- November 2 and 4 part II of Restorative Practices, 3:30-5:30
- November 2-5 – Skip is out
And Finally…
Something shared recently by Kelle…
