{"id":732,"date":"2022-08-18T15:16:12","date_gmt":"2022-08-18T22:16:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bend.k12.or.us\/skip.offenhauser\/?p=732"},"modified":"2022-08-18T16:08:54","modified_gmt":"2022-08-18T23:08:54","slug":"august-18-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bend.k12.or.us\/skip.offenhauser\/2022\/08\/18\/august-18-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"August 18, 2022<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Happy Thursday everyone. We hope you are all holding up well and not working too many late hours. We know there are many, many things to keep track of or to communicate.  When in doubt just reach out to one of us or to one of your colleagues.   For our new principals, don\u2019t hesitate to call your principal friends.  They will gladly help you out. One thing I really like about our team is how we all access the collective genius of the group.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tammy\u2019s first week back cheat sheet – <\/strong>Tammy sent out an email earlier this week that was a good cheat sheet for the first week back.\u00a0 Here is the pdf version<\/a> of that email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outdoor school – <\/strong>We are moving forward with doing outdoor school the way we used to do it.  Charlie and his team from Camp Tamarack have already reached out to the schools who will attend during the Fall and he will be reaching out to the Spring schools later to coordinate their dates. There will also be winter lessons offered at the schools too.  Please be sensitive and understanding to families that may not want to have their child spend the night.  In the era of COVID we might have families that might not be comfortable with overnight events so be prepared to accommodate those students who might not participate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clarification from Lora re: late office hours <\/strong>– There is NO requirement from the district that the person staffing the office be a clerical staff member. Administrators can staff the office themselves, pay other staff who are not yet on the calendar to do this, allow other staff on the calendar to adjust their hours, etc.  However you do it, thank you for keeping your office open until 5:30 at least one day per week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

News from and about SMART –<\/strong> In the coming week Tammy and I will be meeting with representatives from SMART to finalize our partnership with them.  In the upcoming year, SMART hopes to return to in-person service where possible. They will also continue to offer two virtual adaptations that have proven to be popular and effective tools for building reading engagement and getting kids excited about books. Their focus continues to be on providing the best possible support to students and remaining flexible and adaptable to the needs of schools. They understand the ongoing need for safety precautions and will work with schools to determine which of their models is the best fit for your site. Click here for our overview on program delivery models and specific opportunities.<\/a>  We will be sending out further details after our meeting with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Jennifer Hauth<\/strong> – Introducing our new partnership with Care Solace. Care Solace secures mental health and substance abuse appointments in a fast time frame, care companions speak 200+ languages, match clients to culturally and gender appropriate care, and are available either anonymously via a weblink or through a warm handoff by school staff. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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General Information Flyer – English<\/a> and Spanish<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Family Letter  – English<\/a> and Spanish<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Staff Training on August 30th from 1:30 to 4:00 pm at Caldera: School Counselors, Student Success Coordinators, Nurses, School Psychs and Public Health Specialist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instructional Tech Staff –<\/strong> This year our instructional tech team is much smaller than previous year.\u00a0 Helping out at the elementary level is Robbie Faith and Tracy Howk.\u00a0 Robbie comes to us from Ponderosa where he was a 5th grade teacher.\u00a0 Prior to that he worked in Corvallis as an Instructional Technology coach.\u00a0 Robbie will be at the new teacher day and he will be trying to get around to all the schools to introduce himself to school admin and teachers.\u00a0 Tracy Howk is still with us.\u00a0 As you recall, Tracy was the librarian at Juniper and joined the instructional tech team shortly after the year started.\u00a0 Since we do not have a replacement for Christie Boen, Tracy will be helping out elementary librarians and be the point person they should reach out to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reminder from Dan Dummit re: painting – <\/strong>please read and familiarize yourself with FKAA-AR – Requirements for Volunteer Painting<\/a>.\u00a0 If you have any questions about painting, or other building improvements, please reach out to Dan before starting a project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Red Zone – Things to do or share<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Staffing Plans – <\/strong>just a reminder to update your staffing plans daily with the most current numbers and to build your class sizes from your ACTUAL not your projected.  There were a few schools using the projected number and that is throwing things off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Drop off times – <\/strong>We discussed drop off times at cabinet today and for the time being the drop off times are going to stay the same. The earliest buses will arrive is 7:15.  That does not mean they all will arrive at 7:15. Transportation will monitor the situation and if possible make adjustments to the drop off times once routes and the number of riders have settled down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Ryan in HR – <\/strong>If you could please include this agenda<\/a> in any back-to-school communication you send your staff, that would be greatly appreciated (all new Certified hires already have received communication about this mandatory event at Pacific Crest, but it would be nice to have it repeated).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elementary iPad home use and insurance –  <\/strong>In response to screen time concerns, home management issues, and Lexia and Dreambox overuse, we are asking that k-5 teachers not send iPads home on a regular basis.  This doesn\u2019t mean they can never go home.  There will be times when projects need to be worked or students need an iPad due to an extended absence. When they are sent home we ask that teachers notify parents well ahead of time, describe the purpose for them coming home, and remind everyone of proper iPad use.  There might be some parents who want the iPad sent home regularly.  These requests should be granted.  Parents should coordinate with their classroom teachers on how this happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because we will not be regularly sending iPads home we will not be offering insurance to our elementary families.\u00a0 We predict that this new approach will vastly decrease damage rates.\u00a0 In the event an iPad is damaged, the district will be covering the cost.\u00a0 We will be monitoring this new approach and evaluating its effectiveness and success at the end of the year.\u00a0 Feel free to communicate this news to your families in your back to school newsletter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Random Safety Day notes.  <\/strong>During our Safety Day presentation from Julianne and Scott I took some random notes on important things.  I\u2019m sure there are things I missed so be sure to review the whole presentation once Julianne send it out.  When in doubt contact Julianne or Scott or reach out to me or Tammy.  Please remember, Julianne and Scott are available for any staff safety training.  Having them deliver training to your staff is not required but it is encouraged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n