Quote to consider:
“Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.” ~ Malcolm X
To Dos:
AVID TIP: The addition of the AVID wheel course for all 6th graders means that in the coming years all our students will have had the opportunity to be in an AVID class. That makes implementing AVID strategies that much more effective and easier in your class! The AVID tip of the week is found here.
ELL TIP: The ELL tip of the week is found here. We know that sheltering our instruction is vital for our ELL students and that it has a positive impact for all our students!
Bits and Bobs:
STAFFING UPDATE: Welcome to Mr. Crawford! Timmy will be in our SS wing beginning Monday, supporting Laurie’s classes in her absence for the remainder of the year.
EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION: Nominations are now being accepted for our Excellence in Education awards! This event is designed to honor district employees who have distinguished themselves during the 2021-22 school year with their leadership, innovation, outstanding professional practice, and positive contributions at work and in the community.
We are looking to honor one certified and one classified staff member from each school, and a staff member from as many departments as possible.
The nomination form is linked here and due to Wendy by March 18
This year, the district is asking for one, collective nomination for each category (certified and classified), from each school. Once all the nomination forms have been submitted to Wendy, our ICCL team will meet and process the forms and make the final selection to represent HDMS. If you are interested in being a part of the review/selection process, please let Wendy know so you can be included.
As you work to nominate employees, please keep in mind that staff members recognized as Excellence in Education award winners will be considered for our Employee of the Year, announced at our Welcome Back event in August 2022. Then, the district will help support each of our Employee of the Year award winners with applications for state level recognition.
The district is continuing to work on logistics of how to safely celebrate staff members (please stay tuned for more details) but know that our goal is to bring back an in-person awards event in early May.
STAFF MEETING: Here is the link to the slideshow from Tuesday’s staff meeting.
SECONDARY BLOG POST: A tried and true instructional practice used by most teachers is the jigsaw. It is a great way to engage students in their learning while empowering speaking and listening through structured dialogue. The practice has a strong evidence base for improving student learning. This is especially true when a third step is added. In the final step, expert groups come back together and discuss what they learned while in mixed groups. For more detail, check out this week’s blog: Jigsaw Revisited and Revised
Summer School Update from Kevin Milner
Programming for summer programs is off and rolling. Kevin Milner is taking the lead on this, with summer learning options looking similar to last year. Programming (Jump Start (Gr. 1-5) and Spark (Gr. 6-8) will target learning and enrichment opportunities for our district’s traditionally underserved student populations (gr.1-8) and help these students to get an early start on learning classroom/school routines, along with strategies that will help them to be successful learners in the year ahead. In addition, we will offer participating students with enrichment opportunities that they normally would not experience during their time when they are outside of school.
The process to select students for Jump Start and Spark will be coming up in April.
Some details:
Summer School Dates: August 1-19, Monday-Friday
Times:
Jump Start – (8:00-3:30) Day will have two segments: a morning academic focus and an enrichment focus in the afternoon.
SPARK – (9:00-1:00) Day will include academic, with enrichment built into the schedule.
Elementary Sites:
Ensworth: Students from Juniper, Silver Rail and Ensworth.
Pine Ridge: Students from Elk Meadow, Miller, Jewell and Pine Ridge)
Buckingham: Bear Creek, Ponderosa and Buckingham
High Lakes: Students from High Lakes, Highland, North Star and Lava Ridge
Elementary LaPine Site:LaPine Elementary (Students from Rosland, Three Rivers and LPES)
Middle School Sites:
Pilot Butte (Students from PBMS, Realms,…)
Cascade: (Students from Pacific Crest and Cascade)
Sky View: (Students from High Desert and Sky View)
LaPine Middle School
Postings for Jump Start Students Services and Spark Deans of Students will be coming out soon, with postings for classroom teachers, enrichment teachers, educational assistants, office managers, food service, nurses and other positions to follow in April.
Reminders:
CALENDAR: Regularly check the HDMS calendar of events for new additions, adjustments and to ensure you are aware of all that is happening around HDMS. Recent addition: March’s fire drill is scheduled for 3/14 near the beginning of 5th period.
High Desert Highlights:
