11.2.20

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To Dos:

WEDNESDAY ATTENDANCE: Please familiarize yourself with the adjustments below.

  • Here the link to the spreadsheet you will use to take attendance for your Advisory on Wednesdays. There is a tab for all of you at the bottom (you may need to scroll horizontally). There is a practice entry for each advisor currently so you can see what a student’s entry will look like on your tab. This is the form students will submit; the data from this form is what will populate the spreadsheet.
  • The overview of this process will be explained school wide in Advisory today and Tuesday. As you know, I have already communicated this with families. Here is the video that will be used in Advisory and will be sent out to families this Friday. It can be used as a refresher if necessary. 

HYBRID SURVEY 2.0:

BLS Middle School Options Comparison and Survey:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hU34-zCZ7V2yaDhe2X382DNg32BPMQne8YrEQnnfFxE/edit?usp=sharing 

As always, the admin team will be available to answer questions and discuss the details of this hybrid survey, and any other topics, during our twice weekly admin office hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:00-8:30am in Wendy’s WebEx Room.

STUDENT SUPPORT TEAM: We have begun a to implement a new process of EBISS/Kid Time for HDMS during CDL and beyond. Our Student Support Team (SST) will meet weekly to view attendance, social emotional, behavioral, academic, and at home/connectivity data to determine which students need the most support and collaborate on our next steps in supporting them. The SST team will be using this spreadsheet to track and guide our work. While teachers will be able to view this spreadsheet to stay informed, it is not expected as the responding SST point person on implementing a student’s specific next steps will communicate this information with the student’s teachers.

Here is the HDMS intervention checklist that we’ve created to guide the potential next steps for advisory/content teachers (for tier 1 and tier 2 students) as well as for SST staff (for tier 3 and tier 4 students).

Students will be referred to the SST by staff entering concern observations/incidents using our new SST Referral Form (which is currently in beta). This referral form can be used for any concerning student observation/incident including providing an FYI to the SST team, one-time incidents, and/or on-going student concerns. Our hope is that staff will use the referral form regularly for any type of student concern as it also serves as a data collection tool to identify students that need more intensive interventions. When entering a referral form, please include only facts about the observation/incident as information entered into the form will likely be shared with families as part of our response. Nole is more than happy to meet with any staff/teams to gather feedback on the new referral form, to help support its implementation, and/or answer any questions. We’ve done our best to make it user friendly and easy to fill out while still being able to gather all the information from the referring staff person. Additionally, staff have the option of emailing referral observations/incidents to the admin team (Petersen, Kennedy, McCulloch), the grade level counselor, and the case manager (if applicable); a SST member will then enter a referral form on their behalf.

SOP UPDATES: Please read and familiarize yourself with the updates to the district’s Standards of Practice that were made from gaining staff input across our district. Nole and I will add discussion of these adjustments to the agenda for the next time we meet with department teams.

Highlights of this updates are:

  • Clarification provided for Advisory vs. Classroom teacher role and communication frequency (HDMS has created this flowchart to make clear the roles and next steps when supporting students/families that are facing concerns.)
    • Advisory if SEL need or for multiple classroom difficulties (contact every 3 weeks)
    • Classroom teacher if content need for specific course (contact every 4 weeks)
    • Any student with concerns should have a two week contact by either teacher or school-level team
  • Wednesday: consider all learners when planning for 20-minute guidelines- may need to alter expectations for students who struggle more than others
  • Use ODE language to highlight sentiment that allows for multiple opportunities for handing in and leaving assignments open. 
  • Staff to frequently refer to this document so it is living and teachers know it well
  • Video post is not mandatory but encouraged

Bits and Bobs:

SUPPORTING SECONDARY INSTRUCTION: Michele Clements and Dean Richards have put together this blog that aims at supporting secondary instruction. This week’s post includes a narrated PowerPoint video presenting a variety of strategies for using the chat bar to increase student engagement.

OPTIONAL ELD MEETING: As Jane shared in a school-wide email, she and Clarissa will be available for an optional ELD meeting Wednesday at 12:30pm in Jane’s Webex room.  They will go over a couple of ELD items, work through questions about recently shared info on differentiation, and discuss any specific questions about a student.   

MAC SURVEY: Our fall MAC Survey day is Monday, November 9, 2020. Please connect with Jamie Neill with any questions.

As new state metrics are being discussed, so is the growing possibility of returning to school in at least a hybrid format. As families are considering this very real possibility, they are also experiencing a range of emotions (some are very excited, while others are very anxious or concerned – and no doubt some a roller coaster of all of these). Due to this, the district has received a number of parent communications requesting that teachers or other staff do not talk with students about when a return to school is going to occur. Following is a sample message that the district asked us to share with you regarding this:

We know many staff members are excited to see students back in class. But as state metrics and conditions are changing and evolving, please make sure to only communicate return to school plans with parent/guardians – and avoid sharing these details with students. We don’t want to create unnecessary disappointment for our students.

Many of our Bend employees have internet service with BendBroadband. Some folks have experienced an overage of data usage due to CDL this fall (both teaching themselves and any children they have learning through this model). Here is some good news on how teachers can avoid being charged for this overage usage during this crazy time:

Any teacher that’s been impacted by data overage charges with BendBroadband should send an email to [email protected], from their school email address with their name and account number, requesting credit for their “data usage allowance overage charge,” and they’ll be credited.

There is a new Webex functionality that allows the presenter (teacher) to control the “mute” feature in ways that were not possible, well, prior to this update. Here is more on that.

From Nutrition Services regarding holiday meals being served: We will be offering meals over the holiday breaks. They will include breakfast, lunch and supper grab ‘n’ go from 12pm-1pm on the following days:

  • Monday 11/23 – we will serve meals for 11/23, 11/24, 11/25, 11/26 
  • Monday 12/21 – we will serve meals for 12/21, 12/22, 12/23, 12/24
  • Monday 12/28 – we will serve meals for 12/28, 12/29, 12/30, 12/31

We will be serving only at the sites below (No mobile routes).  Meals are available to all kids 18 years of age or younger.

  • Bend High
  • Elk Meadow
  • La Pine High
  • Lava Ridge
  • Pilot Butte 
  • Three Rivers
  • Westside Village

If you have any questions or need clarification, contact Nutrition Services.

Reminders:

CULTURE OF CARE CORNER: Be sure to check out the Culture of Care Corner hot link on the sidebar of the blog for ongoing staff social opportunities. I (Nole) would like to personally invite staff tomorrow, and every 1st & 3rd Tuesdays, at 7:15am in my WebEx room to share positives with each other over coffee.

END OF QUARTER: The end of the first quarter is this Friday, 11/6. Gina is sending an email to staff with quarter rotators so they can be informing their students and families which class they’ll rotate to for second quarter. Please remind students and their families of our all HDMS staff WebEx document (linked on the sidebar of the blog).