Stress relief from laughter is no joke, so here are a few good jokes to keep in your back pocket when you meet someone who could use a laugh! (Or you want to crack yourself up!)
From Tammy
Staffing: Still watching!
Slides from today: My deck, Robbie’s deck and Jennifer’s decks are all uploaded in the slide link above.
Take care of yourself this weekend! I know how hectic it can be this time of year and we often show up with a half full cup, so make sure you do something this weekend to fill ‘er up! I appreciate you all!
Action Items
- Update staffing plans every day please (for one more week).
- Update this Kids Inc Spaces and Admin contact form for this year.
- Please read this information I made on having a successful partnership with Kids Inc.
- Check out this link from Scott Maben for a Monday meeting to plan for Tuesday’s kick-off
- 8/28 locations for Student Services trainings and EL trainings and the staff who still need to take them. If your school is not on there, you are all trained and teachers get this day to use as flex work day or take off.
Important Links
- Tier 1 Expectations
- Personal Electronic Device Expectations (we’ll get it translated into Spanish)
- School Issued iPad Expectations
- Assurances for Learning
- Priority Standards (Critical Areas of Focus)
Notes from our Team:
From Garra Schluter in Nutrition: Did you know that your school could “Adopt a Cow”? It’s free through the School Nutrition Association! Check it out--they are so cute!
From Jessica Houser in the Business Office/Payroll: Here is a link to the payroll calendar we talked about at today’s meeting. Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions or need support!
From Scott and Kayla in Safety : The District Safety Team has put together a “need to know” safety refresher presentation for you to share with your staff. It includes all key expectations for staff accessing the building, in their classrooms, etc. We hopes this helps support communication with safety expectations for all!
From Julie Richards (formerly Walker) in Curriculum, Instruction, and Systems: Forefront’s overview page for Leaders has changed. It has some great new features that Kerry Morton, our Math Coach knows you will really appreciate! Here is a link to a 30 minute webinar that you can watch at your convenience.
NEW! We have made some adjustments to the protocol for 5th grade students wanting to take 6th grade math online. Please read this updated protocol. We will discuss in a little more detail at our next horizontal. Also, know that this will be sent out to 5th grade teachers next week.
From Paul Dean: Here is a link to the latest Operations Blog if you want to know what we are up to in operations.
From Jennifer Hauth in Social Emotional and Mental Well Being: Please check out this great back to school resource for families from Care Solace. Sharing this in your next newsletter or a quick email is a great way to build that family and school connection by providing families with some resources to support a smooth transition to school!
Also, the Culture of Care with the HDESD has some amazing trainings to support staff and school culture throughout the year. Here is a flier of what is available.
From Kinsey in Policy, Advocacy, and Equity: Families sometimes still need a free and reduced application to qualify for things other than free meals at school (AP exam waivers, summer camp scholarships, waivers for sports, etc). With the transition to CEP (all get free lunch) we no longer have that process for families. We are coming up with an alternative way to support families with the information they still need. Take a look at this list and add anything to it that you know they need free and reduced information for to apply. Thank you
From Ryan Kelling in HR: We are excited to announce the creation of two new extra duty positions, a new ICCL position within our elementary and middle school buildings, specifically focused on Talent and Gifted (TAG) efforts and a Green Team Advisor for all sites.
Please request to post both jobs in UKG.
The ICCL (TAG) role will be integral in enhancing our support for TAG students and ensuring that our practices are in line with our district’s high standards.
The responsibilities of this new position will mirror the existing ICCL efforts, but with a targeted emphasis on TAG professional development and systems. This means that the individual in this role will be dedicated to fostering growth and improvement in our approach to identifying and servicing TAG students.
Key responsibilities include:
- Attending monthly meetings with district TAG leadership to strengthen existing systems and stay informed on best practices.
- Gaining deeper insights into identifying and servicing TAG students.
- Developing strategies for differentiation in the classroom to better cater to the needs of gifted learners.
Additionally, the person in this role will serve as a crucial conduit for TAG processes and services, ensuring that all staff within our building are well-informed and equipped to support TAG students effectively.
We believe this new position will significantly enhance our ability to provide exceptional educational experiences for all students by adding enrichment to our classrooms.
Reach out to Stephen DuVal for more information about the specifics of the role.
24/25 Green Team Advisor – New position
The Green Team Advisor has been added to the extra duty schedule. Each high school and middle school will find this added to their list of year round extra duty positions on the Extra Duty Google Doc. Each elementary school will be added to the Extra Duty Google Doc as they complete their hire.
The Green Team Advisor will serve at each school to educate and engage the school community with the knowledge and influence to be leaders in a sustainable society, use resources wisely and support the district’s efforts to make the school’s operations and activities more environmentally sustainable. Additionally, this position will support compost efforts at schools where programs are in place.
- This new position will be paid on level F of the extra duty salary schedule.
- There will be 1 FTE at each school site.
- This new position should be posted and hired through UKG.
- This position will be for one year only and if funds allow can be hired again the following year.
If you currently have someone who has filled this role in the past, they will need to apply for the position for this year.
Important Dates
- August 26: New Teacher training–Update: only one admin rep needs to attend to welcome your new staff (but of course you both can come!). This will be at Pacific Crest Middle School, breakfast service begins at 7:00, and the program begins at 8:00 with welcome remarks from Dr. Cook.
- August 26: Check in online between 1:30-2:00 for testing your computer set up for Tuesday’s Kick-Off
- August 26: optional Wayfinder admin training on at PCMS at 2 pm in the Cornice room
- August 27: District Welcome Back! An interactive whole school event. 8:30-10:00
- September 4: First day of school!
- September 6: In bed by 7, thoroughly exhausted!
- September 15: Payroll Cutoff—timesheets and approvals for this last period (August 13-Sept 15) are due today!
- September 24: Horizontal Meeting at High Lakes Elementary, 3:00-5:00 (High Lakes and Amity host)
And finally…
