Quote to consider:
“We do not learn from experience… we learn from reflecting on experience.” – John Dewey
To Dos:
GOING BACK TO BETTER SIW ACTIVITY: This year more than ever, we know that teachers have had to navigate a plethora of professional and personal challenges. So much so that many of us have experienced trauma over the past fourteen months, often with little opportunity to process, let alone heal.
And, we’ve heard from all staff that the pandemic has forced us as educators to be creative, utilize new tools, and adjust our practice. Despite the circumstances that forced these changes upon us, many of these adjustments were a net positive for our practice and for our students!
Wednesday’s activity is designed with all of this in mind. The goal of the activity is to provide an opportunity to reflect on the meaningful professional adjustments the pandemic required us to make. As we use summer break to rest, process, heal, and attempt to put all the struggles of the last fourteen months in the rear view mirror, Wednesday’s reflection activity will ensure that we have a record of these adjustments to use as a launching point to going back to better in the fall.
Details: 6/2, 2:30-3:30pm. Stay tuned for an invite from your ICCL liaison.
TAKING STUDENTS OUTSIDE *update*:
Taking your class to a different learning space? What is the procedure for that again?
Well, use this new form. Quickly enter where you are going and when, then submit the form. It will automatically notify all the people who need to know. It also has all the latest Safety Team guidelines on taking your class to a different location. The Safety Team hopes this will make it faster and easier, especially with those last minute decisions to take your class outside. As always, reach out to a Safety Team member if you have any questions, comments or concerns.
JUNE FIRE DRILL: Friday, 6/4 during 6th period (2:45ish). This drill will not be scheduled for students, so please do not share this info with them ahead of time. Reminder: students may choose to take off their mask outside but we are not advertising this explicitly. Additionally, be certain students remask upon entering the building.
END OF THE YEAR VIDEO: Please consider recording a 15-30 second video for 8th graders that will be part of a 8th grade graduation video viewed as part of the last day of school celebration activities. Please contribute your videos to this folder by June 9th. No judgement if you simply reuse the send off you recorded for last year’s 8th graders.
MULTI-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION: Middle School staff will be asked to set up Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on Monday, May 31st. This communication will come from Chad in IT. The deadline for setting up MFA will be Monday, July 26th. Huge thank you to Martin and Elissa, who have volunteered to help be a support resource for other staff at HDMS!
Bits and Bobs:
21/22 STAFFING UPDATES: We are excited to announce the following staffing updates for next school year:
- Karina Munch – Data & Curriculum Office Staff
- Karina has done a phenomenal job jumping in on a short term basis during a HIGHLY unusual school year. We are thrilled to announce that she interviewed for and was hired to continue serving in this capacity.
- When being offered the position, Karina responded, “Yay!!! I am so excited and happy!”
- Dustin Lackey – 0.33 Physical Education
- Dustin comes to us from San Diego, CA with 4+ years of experience teaching middle school PE and health, 3 years serving as a high school athletic director, and many years of coaching a variety of sports.
- When Wendy called to offer him this position, Dustin said, “Oh my gosh, I am speechless! This is a dream come true, I can’t wait to be a part of the Diamondback crew!”
PD OPPORTUNITIES:
Taking It Up: If you are interested in reflecting on the impact of Oregon’s history on ourselves as educators and on the students and families we serve, please consider participating in Taking It Up. For details on this two-day workshop, see this flyer. To date, nearly 200 BLS staff have already participated in the TIU workshop! To register, click here. Space is very limited, so sign up soon. Once spaces are filled, a wait list will be created for future sessions.
Trauma-Informed Engagement Practices: See this flyer for details on a free PD opportunity through the process of continuous improvement.
ARTICLE TO CONSIDER: As you think ahead to next week’s ICCL activity on lessons learned this school year, consider checking out this article. The author acknowledges upfront that schooling during a global pandemic has been a mess. And, “from that mess, it’s possible that schools could emerge even better if some of the changes made during these impossible months don’t disappear once we say goodbye to masks.” Let’s keep focused on going back to better!
STAFF MEETING SLIDES: For your reference, here are the slides from 5/26’s staff meeting.
Reminders:
SAFETY FEEDBACK: Here is this week’s optional safety survey for staff to provide feedback to the safety team. No new Safety data since no one filled out the survey last week.
High Desert Highlights:
