Happy Snowy Day!
From Tammy and Karen
It has been so wonderful visiting all of the schools together! The schools have been assigned and we are ready to share the lead contact for each school. At this point, if you have questions or needs, feel free to contact your school lead first without needing to reach out to both of us. As always, if your school lead is not available and you need more immediate support, feel free to reach out to either of us. We will still continue to do co-site visits every other month. For January, we will be meeting with you one-on -one. We are excited to continue to work together to make our elementary programs an amazing place to be!
Please sign up for a January Site Visit with Karen or Tammy!
Tammy will be the lead for the following schools:
- Bear Creek
- Buckingham
- Elk Meadow
- Ensworth
- Highland
- North Star
- Jewell
- Rosland
- Westside Village
Karen will be the lead for the following schools:
- Amity Creek
- High Lakes
- Juniper
- La Pine
- Lava Ridge
- Pine Ridge
- Ponderosa
- Silver Rail
- Three Rivers
- WE Miller
Tammy will be out on the 19th and 20th through the break. Karen will be your main point of contact from the 19th until we return on January 6th.
Facilities Modifications: Please be sure to complete this form if you are doing any kind of modification to your building, such as murals, installed art (e.g., tiles), garden boxes, benches, greenhouses, etc. Reach out to your Level Leader and COO if you have any questions.
Lavender Lady: A woman named Janet Mager and a group of her friends have offered to provide lovely lavender filled neck pillows for all of staff at our elementary schools. They currently have 700 available. Over the course of the next few weeks, Janet will be reaching out to determine time to bring these to your team. It is up to you how you want her to do that. She he could just drop them off or she would also love to be able to hand them out in the staff room. You decide!
January SIWs on the 15th (END) and 22 (protected). Reminder–Educator Network Day is January 15th, followed by an EL planning day on January 22. On January 22, this whole 90 minutes is protected for teachers to have time digging into and planning the second EL module that they will be in the middle of doing. The Educator Network Day (END) on the 15th will get them going with loads of information, but will not provide the needed time to do some deep and intentional planning. Please use this time for what it is intended to be used for and do not schedule any other topics to be covered during this 90 minutes. Thanks!
Important Links
- December 11th Elementary TLC Update
- Topics of Interest/Problem of Practice–Keep connecting and supporting each other!
Notes from our Team:
From Human Resources: Administrator Survey
We are launching an Administrator Assignment Preferences Survey to give licensed administrators an opportunity to share their preferences regarding assignments. This survey is designed to:
- Gather insights into your preferences for school level, region, and program involvement.
- Help district leadership evaluate potential reassignments that align individual strengths with district needs and to refresh school cultures where needed.
What the Survey Will Ask: The survey will ask for detailed input on:
- School Level: Indicate your preferences for working at the elementary, middle, or high school levels, or in district-wide roles.
- Region: Specify any regional preferences across the district.
- Program Involvement: Share your interest in specific programs or focus areas, such as Special Education, STEM, Advanced Placement, Social-Emotional Learning, or others.
- Additional Considerations: You’ll have space to share any other factors or context you’d like us to keep in mind, including professional goals or areas for growth.
Why This Matters: This survey is part of a broader effort to ensure our schools remain vibrant, innovative, and engaging places for students and staff alike. While we will make every effort to honor individual preferences, it’s important to note that some decisions may need to prioritize district-wide goals, ensuring the best outcomes for our school communities.
Next Steps: To provide additional clarity and answer questions, this topic will be included in the agenda for the January horizontal meetings. These discussions will allow for deeper engagement and dialogue about the process and its purpose. We understand that this may prompt reflection and questions, and we are committed to approaching this process thoughtfully, transparently, and with collaboration at the center. If you have any immediate concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your Level Leader, Ryan Kelling, or Lisa Birk.Thank you for your openness and engagement as we work to create the strongest possible learning environments for our students and staff.
From Human Resources: Winter Break Coverage
The HR office will have sporadic coverage over winter break, from December 21 through January 5. To ensure a smooth workflow, please complete and submit any hiring requests by Friday, December 20. New hiring requests should be held until the office resumes regular operations on Monday, January 6. If you are in the process of making an offer that will take place between December 21 and January 5, please contact Ryan Kelling as soon as possible to develop a plan for completing the process during this period.Thank you for helping us maintain a seamless hiring process.
From Human Resources: Green Team
As we continue to advance sustainability initiatives across our schools, we are asking each building administration team to designate one member to act as the first level of support for your site’s Green Team. Please share the name of your designated administrator with Karen or Tammy by Friday, December 20. This role is not about leading the Green Team but simply being available as a point of contact and support for the individuals spearheading sustainability efforts in your building.
Each site has a 1.0 FTE Green Team Advisor, which is on the Extra Duty schedule. This is a new role this year and must be filled via the recruitment process. What was formerly our Custodial department is now Custodial and Sustainability, led by Walt Norris, Director of Custodial and Sustainability. Walt is actively recruiting a Sustainability Coordinator, who will soon serve as the direct liaison for all Green Team Advisors. Once this position is filled and up to speed, they will provide additional guidance and support for sustainability efforts across the district.
From Instructional Technology – Robbie Faith
Thank you for participating in our MagicSchool AI training on Tuesday with your ICCL teams. Please reach out to Robbie Faith or Tracy Howk if you would like to schedule a training for your school or have any questions. If your team would like to run your own MagicSchool training, you can find our presentation and printable activity here. Our goal is for all staff members to learn best practices for using AI and how to successfully navigate the numerous tools available to them in MagicSchool.
From Curriculum and Instruction – Julie Richards
Math Curriculum Review Team Update: This letter will go out to all teachers tomorrow:
The Math Curriculum Review Team has been actively engaged in the curriculum review process since the fall of 2022. We want to take a moment to thank them for their dedication to this important work.
This year, the Math Curriculum Review Team and field testers have been involved in evaluating various math materials as part of the ongoing review process. After field testing one set of materials, STEMScopes, the team determined that it did not meet the criteria established in our rubric. Consequently, information about this program will not be shared at your school. However, if you are interested in exploring STEMScopes on your own, you can access it here. Additionally, you can review the detailed results from both the Math Curriculum Review Team and the field testers.
Looking ahead, we are excited to begin our next field test. Starting in early January, the team will be teaching Experience Math and gathering valuable insights. If you have any questions or need further clarification, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Julie Richards, Kerry Morton, or any member of the Math Curriculum Review Team. Thank you for your ongoing support and understanding.
From Curriculum and Instruction – Julie Richards
Progress Report (Report Card) presentation: Building ICCLs and administrators received training on the new progress reports this week. They will be rolling out the information to their buildings soon. Here is the presentation with video links on each slide to explain the new progress reports, especially in regard to literacy priority standards in case you want a sneak peek.
Life and Career Readiness – Jenny White
Principals, here is an activity from Wayfinder called Convergence that you can use during a staff meeting or SIW.
From School Improvement – Dave VanLoo
Youth Truth: Here is a one-page document to help with our YouthTruth survey in January. Reach out to Laura Clark if you have question about the Canvas module or Dave with any questions about YouthTruth.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1d3E1_MIbWrZKqfvnr0Jj2g_tpyj9elAbNlW9oC4UvB4/edit?usp=sharing
Policy, Advocacy, and Equity – Kinsey Martin
Save the date: Our district-wide Spanish-language FAFSA Night will tentatively be Mon, Jan 13th 5:30-7:30pm. More details and flyers to follow, but for now please reserve this date (avoid scheduling school-based events that evening, if possible) and share with applicable staff like counselors, ELL, etc.
Complaints: Please see Kinsey’s recent email about complaint management. Thank you for checking your Dashboards to be sure all complaints there are addressed (or more recent ones are at least in process) prior to heading into winter break. Reach out if you would like support on them!
Action Items
- Sign Up for January Site Visits (For your newly assigned school lead: Karen or Tammy, not both!)
- Designate one member from each building administration team to support the Green Team. Please submit by December 20.
- Reach out to Robbie Faith or Tracy Howk if you would like to schedule school training or have questions related to MagicSchoolAI. (Ps we generated this list using Raina)
- Reach out to Robbie Faith or Tracy Howk for scheduling school training or questions.
- Save the date for the Spanish language FAFSA night on January 13th from 5:30-7:30 PM.
- Ensure all complaints are addressed before winter break.
- Protect January 22 SIW for a FULL 90 minutes of EL planning for your staff
Important Dates
- December 19-20: Tammy is out–connect with Karen if you need anything
- December 23-January 3. Winter Break!
- January 6: First Day back from break!
- January 7: Horizontal Meeting at Elk Meadow from 3:00-5:00, hosted by Elk Meadow and Westside Village
- January 15 and 22: SIWs that are Educator Network day followed by an SIW that is EL planning time
- January 29: All Admin PD at Perseverance Hall, 3:00-4:30
Finally From Mr. Snowflake in IT
Watching everyone attempt to create a “six-pointed snowflake” was a special moment taking me back to my first year of teaching at Three Rivers Elementary 26.5 years ago.
Before the winter holiday, a Sunriver resident named Jerry Sawyer would volunteer in my class to teach art lessons, one of which was how to create a true six-pointed snowflake. He would talk about how every snowflake was unique, forged around a central piece of dust, and always started its journey from the sky as a crystal with six points. Shout out to Pat McClain who is now teaching at Bend High and was a student in that class. Most year’s since then I have done my best to channel “Mr. Snowflake” in the other schools where I have worked. The “assessment data” on the floor yesterday demonstrated that many of you have yet to master the six-pointed snowflake. This video will share the steps to create your own six-pointed snowflake. Share with your staff if you wish. At the very least, you will have the answer key in the case you are tested again next year. Thank you for reading. And remember-dimple, snow cone, coyote head, torch!