What a great week! A relatively small group of folks and I have been coming to work at a mostly empty school for several months now. Some days there is a productive energy that comes with a mostly quiet work place, and our office and custodial crew is quite a fun group. On the other hand, the building’s energy changes instantly when staff are buzzing in the classrooms and when kids walk through our doors. Thank you for the preparation that went into receiving our kids this week and welcoming them back.

You may have noticed that some of our students looked a little weary. It is critical that we acknowledge and respond to these mixed emotions and recognize that we have a critical opportunity to shape where student mindsets go from here. Let’s help one another and hold each other accountable for fostering positivity and making sure that whatever else students have faced or are facing, that our school and classrooms will be a place of refuge and hope.

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Calendar Items:

• Monday, 2/8 (A-K)
  • Start of balanced-hybrid model
  • Start of 2nd semester
• Tuesday, 2/9 (L-Z)
• Wednesday, 2/10
  • WebEx meetings (AM)
  • SIW – 2:30 in Stancliff’s WebEx initially (SLGGs/EBISS)
• Thursday, 2/11 (A-K)
• Friday, 2/12 (L-Z Via WebEx on a Wednesday schedule 9:45-12:00 w/support, if needed, afterward until 1:00)

To do’s . . .

• Please make a point of previewing advisory slides in the morning before students get here so you can be familiar with the information and seek out any clarifications ahead of time. Thanks to Mary and Stacy for getting these dialed in!
• Remind students in Tuesday classes and again in the WebEx classes on Wednesday that Friday’s L-Z cohort will follow a required WebEx schedule that will follow Wed. stop and start times. A-K will be asynchronous as usual.

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On the Radar . . .

• As you continue to plan for this first three week rotation, many of you will be celebrating Black History Month. If you didn’t already know, our BLS libraries page did a blog post full of resources that celebrate achievements and elevate voices from the Black community.
• With Brett Brunner headed over to PE and Kristina McCann headed to La Pine middle school, our SPED team will be stretched thin initially. Please be patient and supportive as we work with our counterparts downtown to fill these positions.
• Here is a link to a page on our Hybrid site with district language around addressing positive cases within our schools.
• State guidance for RSSL requires districts in counties that have in person instruction while still in high to extreme risks levels to develop systems to provide on-site testing. BLS is on schedule to have these options by March 1. Stay tuned for more details.
• In accordance with the recent BLS/BEA MOU, we have posted copies of the PBMS COVID-19 safety checklist in work/break rooms.

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Shout outs . . .

As we pivot out of CDL it’s worth remembering that many of our students were thoroughly engaged and some great work. Check out Jayden’s presentation for an info-writing project in Mr. Macomber’s class!

Thanks again to all for your preparation for orientation and your warm reception of our students this week!

Have a great weekend GIANTS!