Updates, Reminders, Department Info and Rants…
From Instructional Tech – Digital Citizenship Made Simple For the month of March, you will be seeing several posts here on the topic of Digital Citizenship. This is a topic that we all know is important, yet many of us have a hard time finding time to fit it in. Here is a quick video showing you how easy it is to sign into Common Sense Media and how to access their quick activities. Their material is fantastic and will offer opportunities for rich discussions.
Spring Conferences – At this time, the plan is to have schools offer in-person and virtual spring conferences. That way we accommodate families who want to come in person and those who are still not yet comfortable doing it.
Volunteers – look for an email either Friday or Monday with information, next steps, and timeline for bringing in volunteers.
Masking – By now, you may have heard that when we come back from spring break, masking will be optional. That is moved up from March 31 being the end. It is now March 19, in businesses as well as schools. More information and communication will be coming soon.
Transfer interviews – I mentioned earlier that there was going to be a change to the transfer interview process. We are tentatively looking at offering teachers two options – in person or virtual. This has not been finalized quite yet so don’t share anything with your staff at this time. We will see how the virtual option works and maybe next year we will offer only one.
Mary Ehrenworth – You might be currently thinking….How did our professional learning sessions with Mary Ehrenworth connect to the work we are beginning to do as a district? When I think about our work around highly effective teaching practices…an on-demand piece of writing is probably the highest leverage task to gain evidence of student learning and think about how we can provide feedback that moves learning forward. One piece of writing can tell us current understanding of the following skills:
- phonics/spelling knowledge
- Genre
- Organization
- Craft
- Voice
- Knowledge of the child
One thing that really resonated with me from what Mary said was, “we should see growth in writing over 5-6 weeks of instruction.” So, when we collect on-demand writing we can see where students are at, and then plan the feedback that is going to move the learning forward for each child.
The Red Zone – Things to Share or Do…
Sign up for March Site Visits – Here is the link for the next round of March site visits.
Poetry Contest – Here is a link to a poetry contest, sponsored by the State of Oregon’s Poetry Association. It is open to K-5 as well as older students. What a great way to get your whole school writing with a purpose.
To share in your staff Newsletter from Human Resources – Please don’t forget that our School District offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to help staff navigate life stressors and/or manage life changing events. The EAP program is administered by UpriseHealth. The services they offer at no cost to Bend La-Pine School district staff members (minus substitute teachers) are outlined below. For the 21/22 school year, each covered member can receive up to six EAP visits per year which is an increase from the three allowed in the 20/21 school year.
Counseling Resources
- Short-Term Counseling
- 24-hour Crisis Help
- Tess Chatbot
- Online Peer Support
Work-Life Resources
- Childcare Resources
- Adult/Eldercare Resources
- Financial Services
- Legal Services
- Mediation Services
- Online Legal Forms
- Home Ownership Programs
- Identity Theft Services
Digitally Enabled EAP
- Wellbeing Assessment
- Self-Guided Mental Health
- Skills Training
- Coaching
To find out more about your EAP, schedule a counseling appointment, or access services call UpriseHealth at 866-750-1327 or visit uprisehealth.com/members to find out more. Access Code is OEBB.
From Dave – Here is a link to a folder with helpful resources and instructions for schools doing NNAT3. With these I think schools have everything they need for NNAT3 and they should contact Stephanie or me with specific questions.
Also From Dave – Just checking in to make sure all schools sent out the required communications about OSAS testing. At this point you should have sent home to all 3rd-5th grade families the Annual Notice of intent to test. Here it is in English and Spanish–download them and share (don’t copy these links they are restricted). In addition, you should make available the Opt Out of Testing forms for families who request it. Here it is in English and Spanish (download those as well.)
Unconscious Bias in Schools – Book Study read Chapters 1-3 by Monday, Feb. 28th. See all Principals at the Ed Center for “Preparing to Lead Equitable Schools” from 3:30-5:00.
From Julie— Our first foundational skills adoption “invitational family forum” is on Monday, February 28th, 6-7pm in the Boardroom and March 3rd, 6-7 at La Pine Elementary . I am still looking for two parents/caregivers to attend this session from each school. Please add information here. Include an email address so I can follow up with the family.
Calendar
- February Visits
- March Visits
- SIW schedule – this is the newest version
- Horizontal Meeting Schedule – there have been changes – check it out now!
- Monthly checklist
- February 28 – Preparing to Lead Equitable Schools–Principals only. 3:30-5:00, Ed Center – don’t forget to do your reading!
- March 7 – Horizontal 3:00-4:30, Board Room
- March 21-25 – Spring Break
- April 4 – Preparing to Lead Equitable Schools–Principals only. 3:30-5:00 location TBD
- April 11 – Horizontal – school BRYT visits follow up 3:00 – 4:30, Board Room
- April 18, 19, 20 – Tammy and Skip out
- April 25 – Horizontal 3:00-4:30