‘Behind every strong person, there is a story that gave them no choice.’ ~ Jay Shetty
To Dos:
CANVAS: (from Dean Richards) In preparation for next year, I wanted to share the current draft of the expectations for the use of Canvas for the 22-23 school year and request some feedback.
This link will take you to the expectations for next year’s use of Canvas. A few highlights:
Canvas will be the tool that all 6-12 teaches will use for their courses next year.
Canvas will be the grade book of record for all classes (with the exception of standards based grading schools). This will mean that there will not be a need to double enter grades.
Assignments and assessments that are summative in nature (those covering multiple standards or that are used for instruction over multiple days) will be posted in Canvas by the end of the day that it is assigned.
Graded assignments that are formative in nature (those that are practice of one standard or skill) or that are ungraded do not need to be posted in Canvas for students to access outside of class.
Here is a survey that will provide feedback to Instructional Technology and the Office of Teaching and Learning about these expectations.On the afternoon of August 30th, a variety of Canvas trainings will be provided to staff. A menu of options will be available.
Bits and Bobs:
STAFFING:
Laurie Walsh is retiring. Martin Wardle will take the 1.0 FTE in SS this Fall.
Clarrisa Wiebe is moving to serve Jewel Elementary. Kinsey Martin will work to fill this ELL vacancy at HDMS.
Mark Koopman will support district wide LEAD work for part of his day. Therefore we will be looking to hire a 0.33 FTE to teach some Health class in his absence.
Will will be looking to hire 0.90 Elective/AVID/Careers/Computer Science teacher since Martin will be teaching in the SS wing.
DISTRICT CALENDAR: Click here for next year’s district calendar. SUPPORT MATTERS: Check out HDMS’s own Mark Koopman and former HDMS students on this episode of the superintendent’s podcast titled “LGBTQ+ Youth in Our Schools.”
Reminders:
COMMUNICATE: Please remember my (Wendy) cell number and use it as you need to this summer. I am here and happy to support anyway I can. 541.598.5993
High Desert Highlights:
Ms. McCulloch with the clamp down defense! Best front office reflection form ever!!
‘If we do not change, we do not grow. If we do not grow, we are not really living’. ~ Anatole France
To Dos:
STAFF DUTIES: In addition to continuing to routinely do your assigned duty assignment, we are asking for “all hands on deck” with hallway and before/after school duties for the last week of school.
LOCKER/BATHROOM PASSES: Do not allow students to go to their locker and/or the bathroom during classes unless it is an emergency/unique circumstance. See slide 16 on the Nuts and Bolts slideshow for more info.
POST FINAL GRADES: See Gina’s all staff email sent on 6/7 for details.
END OF THE YEAR CHECK OUT: See Kerri’s all staff email sent on 6/7 for details.
END OF THE YEAR CELEBRATION: Check your staff mailbox for a yellow slip with details inviting ALL staff to our end of year gathering.
GROCERY BAGS: If you have any grocery bags that you don’t need, please consider bringing them to school to support with locker clean out.
Bits and Bobs:
LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL SCHEDULE:
Monday and Tuesday we will be on a normal bell schedule
Wednesday will be a full school day with the normal M, T, Th, F bell schedule Fi
FALL BOOK STUDY OPPORTUNITY: The following is from Jeannie Bloom, Continuous Improvement Coach with the HDESD- COREN is offering another session of the book study Belonging Through a Culture of Dignity with John Krownapple. The session starts in late September, 2022. Click here for a flyer with details and see the link on the flyer to register. One of the things that this year’s participants appreciated about the training was that it didn’t feel like adding “one more thing.” Instead “it is a different perspective and added vocabulary for the same thing.” Note: There is a $700 stipend for participating and an opportunity to earn a graduate-level credit.
EQUITABLE GRADING RESOURCES: As requested, the equitable grading Q and A was recorded for those who could not make it. That recording is linked here.
Additionally, here is a link to a folder full of resources the team used to examine practices in conjunction with Grading for Equity by Joe Feldman. Feel free to dive into the readings yourself.
Once again, here are a few other links you may find useful.
Sign up for the Innovative Teaching and Learning Conference in Performance Matters. Grading Expert Rick Wormeli will be speaking on the 24th. We HIGHLY encourage you to attend.
If you would like a copy of Grading for Equity, we will send one your way. Please fill out this form.
If you have interest in using an alternative grading scale (0-4, 1-4, etc.) and are not at a school that uses one building-wide (Cascade, Pilot Butte, BTA, Realms MS/HS), please fill out this form. Support and PD will be arranged for the fall.
DEI JUNE NEWSLETTER: This month’s newsletter includes upcoming equity-related learning events and community engagement FUN for you and your staff.
END OF THE YEAR TRANSLATION/INTERPRETATION: This Monday the 13th is the last day before the ESD shifts into their summer mode, and requests will be significantly more expensive and harder to fill after that point. Please submit any requests for translation/interpretation to Linguist Link ASAP.
End-of-year items that require translation/interpretation:.
-Report card/Grading comments
-School newsletters and announcements
-End-of-year invitations, events, and awards ceremonies
-Summer resources
-Summer phone message
-Front office hours signage (here is one you can use)
SUPPORTING TRANSGENDER AND NON-BINARY STUDENTS: Dr. Cook recently shared with us this in-depth toolkit. We wanted to highlight the following two parts of the toolkit as resources for all staff:
‘Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength.’ ~ Sigmund Freud
To Dos:
ADVISORY FEEDBACK: Please make sure you have completed the survey linked here as your feedback on advisory is valuable and supports us improving pieces of advisory.
MUGS: If you were unable to attend the staff celebration send off on Wednesday, and weren’t able to pick up your “mug of goodies”, please see Kerri.
STAFF DUTIES: As we approach the final weeks of school, it is more important than ever to have a positive staff presence in the hallways. Please continue to routinely do your assigned duty assignment.
For the final two weeks we ask for “all hands on deck” with hallway and before/after school duties.
SLGGs: All Certified staff, please log into TalentEd and ensure you have completed your final SLGG as well as your Self Reflection.
WEEKLY ELL & AVID TIP: Here are the links to the weekly ELL tip and AVID tip.
Bits and Bobs:
SPARKS TEACHERS NEEDED: With the bulk of the positions filled, we are still seeking EA support across all levels (Jump Start, Spark, Base Camp and SPED/ESY). In addition, we would like to add a few more teachers to the middle school Spark program, specifically at HDMS. To apply, find “Careers in BLP Schools” and under “Internal Applicants” you can find open positions for summer employment. The support for students is rewarding and stipends are substantial! For more information, please contact Kevin Milner or Dean Richards. Sparks summer program is seeking 2-3 more teachers (one math and two enrichment teachers). The stipend is $7,125 for a month of service.
STEM SUMMER PD OPPORTUNITIES: From Tracy Willson-Scott, HDESD’s Coordinator of Central Oregon STEM Hub: Click here for info re: the STEM Hub’s Summer 2022 Professional Development Schedule (including links to sign-up). All workshops are FREE and Central Oregon educators will receive project pay for attendance. The deadline to sign-up is Friday, June 13th.
HANDBOOK REVIEW & STAFF INPUT: We plan to do an audit and update of our school handbook this August. All staff are invited to comment directly on our current (internal) handbook document with ideas and suggestions for improvement. (*Note: some items are non-negotiables. We will match district standards and policy.) Additionally, if you have interest in being a part of a team of staff that will finalize this work in August, please add your name to this document. Staff will be time sheeted for their work on this team.
SAFETY TEAM INFO: A huge thank you to the staff that have voluntarily served on this team; their input, support, and hardwork is HUGELY beneficial to the safety of our school. As always, the latest safety team notes can be found on the right hand side of the blog.
Two reminders the team wanted to surface with the staff:
Do NOT prop exterior doors
If any staff see propped doors, shut them immediately!
Possible exception:
If you are actively monitoring the door
If the door opens to a fenced area (patio, big field)
The codes for using any school phone to make a school wide all-call are printed on a label that should be on the inside of all staff’s sub notebooks that “live” under each classroom phone. Check out the latest safety team notes for more specific details.
Reminders:
Take care of yourself and find joy in the moments we have together these next two weeks.
“Education is as indispensable as water and air” ~ Taha Hussein
To Dos:
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: Wednesday, June 1st at 3pm in the Media Center we will be hosting a reception to honor retirees, resignations as well as long term subs. Please join this special event and be prepared to share sweet stories of those who are ending their chapter with us at HDMS.
END OF THE YEAR SURVEY: Thank you to those that have already completed this survey. If you haven’t done so yet, please click here to take an end of the year survey regarding the HDMS admin team and our school in general. The survey window will close on 5.31.22.
WEEKLY ELL & AVID TIP: Here are the links to the weekly ELL tip and AVID tip.
Bits and Bobs:
TAKING STUDENTS OUTSIDE: It is best practice to take classes to secure (eg: fenced areas) such as the patio, grass area outside the science wing, and the big field. If taking students to the par course, front of the school, or bus entrance, please be extra vigilant to keep all students accounted for to ensure safety for all. Additionally, to ensure that all needed staff are aware of your students’ location, it is imperative that you use this Out of Classroom form.
ALT GRADING REQUESTS: Please click here for very important information from Sephen Duvall re: Alternative Grading Scale Requests. “BLS will be limiting the non-percentage grading systems at our comprehensive middle school sites to a 1-4 scale.”
BLS BOARD MEETING: Speaking of equitable grading, a huge kudos goes out to our own Nishka Morton!! She did an amazing presentation at a recent BLS School Board meeting sharing her experiences on implementing equitable grading practices in her math class here at HDMS. You can view the board meeting here; the topic of equitable grading practices starts at 1:01:51 and Nishka’s portion begins at 1:30:35.
FROM TLC: For the last several years (minus the lost year to CoVid) Bend-La Pine has put on an amazing conference. The incredible teachers of Bend-La Pine share with their peers the beautiful work that they have been doing. Along with national level speakers, BLP teachers share the innovative work that happens in our schools every day. We are excited to bring the Innovative Teaching and Learning Conference back again this year with over 30 educators sharing what they are doing in their classrooms every day. You can register at this link. Click on the Sections tab part way down the screen to see the registration.
FROM DAVE VAN LOO: Click here to read info from Dave Van Loo re: questions about the possibility of a relationship between the establishment of the 50% floor and high absenteeism.
Reminders:
STAFF MEETING AND PD DOCS: As always, all staff meeting and PD docs from this year can be found in this folder (which is also linked in the hot links section).
STAFF DUTIES: As we approach the final weeks of school, it is more important than ever to have a positive staff presence in the hallways. Please continue to routinely do your assigned duty assignment.
Additionally, FYI, we will ask for “all hands on deck” with hallway and before/after school duties the last two weeks of school.
High Desert Highlights:
Sixth graders are learning about portrait art!Sixth graders are learning about portrait art!From Byrns- 7th grader AD wanted to talk about my tattoo today instead of doing his classwork, so I updated the tattoo to say what I was thinking: “Armaan, DO YOUR WORK!!”New WEB Leaders in actionWEB Spring Play day joy!Smiles all aroundWEB = Where Everybody BelongsWe can’t get this video of WEB leaders running remote 5th Grade Move Up Day to be embedded on the blog. If you want to see it, click the dots in the bottom right hand corner and download the video to view.
‘Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful’ ~ Margaret Wheatley
To Dos:
STAFFING UPDATE: Bryan Tebeau has resigned. This means Laurie Walsh will move back to the Social Studies wing and we will interview and hire for a 1.0 ELA teacher. Amy Douglass will be taking leave next year, this means we will interview and hire for a 1.0 temp PE teacher. Tommy Lutz and Mekenzie Salas have resigned effective at the end of this school year. We thank these awesome educators for their hard work and commitment in serving HDMS students!
If you know of anyone who has a huge heart to support students in our Community/SRC please connect them with Wendy.
CANVAS TO DOs: Please click on the two links below this week for some end-of-the-year Canvas information. Additionally, to make the end of the year as smooth as possible, please start comparing your Canvas grades with Synergy NOW, and let us know if you need help making them match!
END OF THE YEAR SURVEY: Please click here to take an end of the year survey regarding the HDMS admin team and our school in general. Your input and feedback is highly valued and significantly contributes to our continual improvement. The survey window will close on 5.31.22.
iPAD TO DOs: Staff please review the following link to learn the process for iPads. End of Year iPad Checklist
CERTIFIED EVALUATIONS: Check here to confirm which Group you are in this year.
GROUP B: This is an ‘on’ year for staff in Group B. Please sign up for the time, using this link, indicating when you would like to have our Summative Evaluation discussion. Prior to this meeting please complete your self reflection as this will guide our discussion. Remember most educators are 3’s most of the time. At times folks have a 2 in an area they want to improve in and at times folks have a 4 in an area they feel they have excelled in this year. If you mark a 4 for any area, please ensure you have read the rubric (starting on pg. 18) and have evidence to share for this mark.
GROUP A: This is an ‘off’ year for staff in this group, your only ‘to do’ is completing your Self Reflection in TalentEd.
LOCKER/BATHROOM PASSES: Please do not allow students to go to their locker and/or the bathroom during classes unless it is an emergency/unique circumstance. See slide 16 on the Nuts and Bolts slideshow for more info.
Additionally, students have been “gaming the system” lately asking to go to different locations to work on projects for other classes. Please do not approve these types of requests unless specifically worked out with the other teacher and the office is looped in as students’ whereabouts need to be known for safety reasons.
\WEEKLY ELL & AVID TIP: Here are the links to the weekly ELL tip and AVID tip. We will continue to implement these best practices school-wide this year as well as continue to make it a focus of ours next year.
Bits and Bobs:
MEDIA CENTER: Next Friday, 5/27, will be the last day that students can check out books from the Library. Would you please remind students to return any overdue books. Remember, when students return a book their fines for that book are waived. So, if students are afraid of their fines, let them know that they can simply return a book and the fines for that book go away!
Reminders:
STAFF DUTIES: As we approach the final weeks of school, it is more important than ever to have a positive staff presence in the hallways. Please continue to routinely do your assigned duty assignment.
Additionally, FYI, we will ask for “all hands on deck” with hallway and before/after school duties the last two weeks of school.
High Desert Highlights:
Thank you counseling team for the thoughtful monthly staff careJavi dressed up as Mr. Kennedy!!Albano’s Psych of Success classAlbano’s Psych of Success classSixth graders are learning about portrait art!When a mouse in the house affects your work environment 😆
‘The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.’ ~Ernest Hemingway
To Dos:
CERTIFIED EVALUATIONS: Check here to confirm which Group you are in this year.
GROUP B: This is an ‘on’ year for staff in Group B. Please sign up for the time, using this link, indicating when you would like to have our Summative Evaluation discussion. Prior to this meeting please complete your self reflection as this will guide our discussion. Remember most educators are 3’s most of the time. At times folks have a 2 in an area they want to improve in and at times folks have a 4 in an area they feel they have excelled in this year. If you mark a 4 for any area, please ensure you have read the rubric (starting on pg. 18) and have evidence to share for this mark.
GROUP A: This is an ‘off’ year for staff in this group, your only ‘to do’ is completing your Self Reflection in TalentEd.
CURRICULUM ORDERS: It is my understanding that all certified staff got an email with the following information: The time to request new instructional tools (both physical and digital) for next year is here! We have sent each teacher an email outlining their classes for the current year and tools that have been inventoried. As shown below, this email included links to request new resources for next year via Google Form. There was also a link to request instructional tools for new classes. As requests are received, we will evaluate each request using updated criteria. It is our sincere hope that we provide a response for every request before teachers leave for the summer.
A few scenarios and questions from teachers might arise. Here are a few we have thought about:
What if I’m teaching at a different school next year? Please fill out the form as if you were teaching these classes next year so that the new teacher is equipped and ready.
What if I don’t yet know what I’ll be teaching next year? You have until June 3 to fill out the form. We can extend this date on a case by case basis.
Will long term subs get a copy of these emails? We are making every effort to deliver to long-term subs but if a sub does not receive an email, please have them contact Austin James.
How do I let you know which classes will not be taught next year? You don’t need to! If the current class isn’t on next year’s master schedule, we know it isn’t taught.
Take a look at image for reference Doc If you have any questions regarding the process or criteria for getting the curriculum or resources you need, please contact Dean Richards or Austin James.
STAFF DUTIES: As we approach the final five weeks of school, it is more important than ever to have a positive staff presence in the hallways. Please continue to routinely do your assigned duty assignment. We’re happy to have been able to remove the previously assigned thrice yearly longer duties, but this is only possible if all staff regularly do their daily mini-duties.
WEEKLY ELL & AVID TIP: Set aside time to dig into, process with PLC teams, and implement the weekly ELL tip and AVID tip.
Bits and Bobs:
BIAS LESSON: Thank you for completing the bias lesson during this past week’s advisory. If for some reason this didn’t get completed this week, please prioritize teaching it next week. Reminder: at this time, the district bias reporting form is for staff only.
STAFFING: I am thrilled to announce that the amazing Shari Nichols has accepted our Media Manager position beginning in the fall! Shari has taught Science and Art at HDMS, so she knows us well. It will be fun to see what she has in store for the Media Center, and we all know she will support our students and staff with that huge heart she has for ALL Diamondbacks! Welcome back Shari!
UPCOMING PD INFO: Our final ICCL facilitated PD is scheduled for 5.25.22; the topic will be “High Quality Instruction.” For your reference, here is the teaching strategies hyperdoc resource we will continue to build and reference this year and next.
If you are considering attending the breakout session on “Structured Student Discourse,” the article “Partnering With Families to Support Black Girls” will be used as part of the planned activities. Hard copies will be available at the session, and reading this article ahead of time is not a requisite to joining this breakout session.
Reminders:
TAKING STUDENTS OUTSIDE: Taking your class to a different learning space? Use this updated Out of Classroom form; this link has been added in the “hot links” section of the blog. Quickly enter where you are going and when, then submit the form. It will automatically notify all the people who need to know.
CALENDAR UPDATE: As always, regularly check the HDMS calendar on the blog. One recent addition: May’s fire drill is scheduled for 5/27 during advisory (approximately 9:35am).
BIAS INCIDENT FORM: Be sure you have read and are following the directive sent out in an all staff email (linked here) on 3.14.22 regarding responding to bias incidents. If you hear offensive, hurtful and/or derogatory language (language with negative intent based on gender, race, sexual orientation, religion) please respond by interrupting, intervening, and likely send offending student to the office (situation depending). Then, if the language was bias, please fill out this form (state reporting for bias incidents). Once you submit this form you will get a confirmation email; you must forward it to Nole and Wendy. Without this step, we won’t have any details to take our next administrative step (we will transfer the information into our internal form on your behalf).
High Desert Highlights:
Congrats HDMS band!!Congrats HDMS track!! New favorite activity at 6th grade lunch: getting all the passing trucks to honk
“Choose courage over comfort. Choose whole hearts over armor.” ~ Brene’ Brown
To Dos:
RETEACH EXPECTATIONS: Many of you have already done this, but now is a great time in the year to reteach and remind of the classroom expectations and norms you have established with our students. The reminder may support our students finding success these final 6 weeks of the year, as well as support us knowing that we have done the explicit instruction that is needed for us to see this sorts of success.
LA, SS, SCIENCE and MATH TEAMS: Please reply all to the email I sent earlier with the sections/grades you all are wanting to teach next year, so we can move forward with our master schedule. Please do this by 5.11.
RESTROOM: Please continue to encourage students to use the restroom during passing periods. We are seeing way too many students in the halls (some with passes) but not in restrooms during learning times. Please reteach your restroom expectation, most adolescents can manage staying in class for 45 mins between their restroom breaks.
CURRICULUM ORDERING: Staff in the next few days please be on the lookout for an email from BLP Instructional Technology <[email protected]. This emails is being sent to all certified staff and this is the new system for ordering your curriculum, apps, etc for next year. Watch for an email from the address above, don’t trash it!
BIAS ADVISORY LESSON: All staff must teach the lesson in advisory before May 13th. It is an important opportunity to explicitly instruct school wide our expectations with this topic as well as gain student, family and staff feedback so as to build this ongoing conversation and topic proactively and collectively. Maria has worked through the lesson and has offered the following additional resources for us to use in conjunction with our roll out next week. Again, the only change to the content of the slideshow and lesson plan was to add sentence stems to support student written reflection. Everything else is copied from the Teacher Notes included in each slide in the original slideshow that was shared.
BILINGUAL STAFF: Are you bilingual? Interested in earning a stipend to support occasional communication with our multilingual families? To learn more about this new opportunity for bilingual employees in Bend-La Pine Schools, see our CAFE Program overview. To indicate your interest and to be contacted regarding a chance to ask questions and complete next steps, please complete the interest form (see item #6 of the overview).
MINI OBSERVATIONS: The final round of mini observations for Group B is just about wrapped up. It has been amazing to see all the learning, laughter and care happening around our building while staff engage with our students and move them forward in their understanding.
STAFFING UPDATE for NEXT YEAR:
Alicia Covell – assigned to CHS – Liz Ortiz will be our new school psychologist
Julie McCabe – moving to PCMS – no replacement in Science due to our student numbers
Ingrid Hoban – teaching Art at HDMS – no replacement in Math due to our student numbers
Amy Douglass – assigned to HDMS to teach PE
NOMINATE OUR STUDENTS: This message from our district office: We are excited to feature students in our annual Calendar & Handbook, which is mailed home to all families in English and Spanish. The 2022-23 calendar will include professional portraits of students taken this spring as well as a short bio/quote. Our goal is to represent a wide range of students by highlighting a variety of backgrounds, ages, abilities and interests. Who would you like to see featured? Nominate an outstanding student today: https://bls.fyi/nominate (Due May 6). I’m happy to answer questions – Alandra.johnson@wendy-mcculloch
CONSIDER BECOMING AN ICCL @ HDMS:
ICCL jobs are for 2 yrs
HDMS has 2 open ICCL positions
Interested teachers will submit an application through Frontline Recruit/Hire. This is a one page application that should only take them a few minutes to complete. https://www.applitrack.com/bend/onlineapp/
A colleague recommendation form will no longer be required.
Paper applications will not be accepted. Applicants must apply through Frontline Recruit/Hire.
There will be an option for applicants to upload a cover letter, resume and letter of recommendation, but this will not be required.
Once they start their application they will be able to select what school they are applying to.
Applications are due by June 1st
SECONDARY BLOG: We have all seen students who are not engaged in school. One way to increase their engagement is to increase their voice and choice in the their daily interactions in school. This week’s blog gives a few instructional ideas to increase student agency.
POSITIVE COMMUNICATION: Staff please continue to email, call, write notes home sharing the positive experiences you are seeing in your class with our students. Consider challenging yourself to connect weekly for the next 8 weeks with a few families each week and see if we are able to find the joy, share the joy and admire these moments with our families.
“Listening is such a simple act. It requires us to be present, and that takes practice, but we don’t have to do anything else. We don’t have to advise, or coach, or sound wise. We just have to be willing to sit there and listen”. ~Margaret J. Wheatley
To Dos:
SUPPLY LIST: Schools are continuing to provide supplies for students. Please review this link to see our current supply list. Please send any adjustments to Wendy by 5.6. After that date we will begin purchasing student supplies for next year.
POSITIVE COMMUNICATION: Staff please continue to email, call, write notes home sharing the positive experiences you are seeing in your class with our students. Consider challenging yourself to connect weekly for the next 8 weeks with a few families each week and see if we are able to find the joy, share the joy and admire these moments with our families.
FEEDBACK: Please find the link below to give us your feedback on how the April 27, 2022 PD on Education for All wentHERE.
BIAS INCIDENTS: From Kinsey Martin: “Curious about next steps with our bias incident work? This timeline shows where we’ve been in recent years (a celebration of our collective efforts, considering the pandemic happening in the ‘background’), and where we’re headed next: short-term actions for this spring, as well as longer-term/ongoing work.
Schools’ LEAD teachers (if they have one) will be trying out a lesson on Bias in their class. Ask them about it and pop in if you get a chance. These will not be taught schoolwide this year (except in the case of HDMS who is piloting it school wide).”
EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION: The two staff members from HDMS that have been nominated this year are Stacy Miholich and Heather Campbell! Congrats! There will be an awards ceremony in May to celebrate and recognize these amazing beings!
PD RESOURCE LIBRARY: This teaching strategies hyperdoc is a resource library that we’ve begun building together during our recent PDs. This will be a document and resource we’ll be referring back to regularly the rest of this year and next school year.
SECONDARY BLOG: We have all had that experience where we hear another language and wonder what is being said. For some of us it is during travel, others while we are in our home and come across a TV show with actors speaking other than English. We have a number of students who have this experience every day as they move toward becoming biliterate and Bicultural. World Language TOSA Julie Montoya shares a look through the eyes of our native and non-native English speakers and how our worlds open up when we engage with other languages. Going Global: World-Readiness Across The Board
Reminders:
ON-DEMAND SPANISH INTERPRETER: Continue to use Linguist Link for translations as well as pre-scheduled and on-demand interpreting services. If using the on-demand services, follow these directions; complete the form, scan it to your email, and submit it to the updated district point person [email protected] and [email protected].
6-10 STUDENT LIST: We are seeing an uptick in Covid cases and/or folks who have been around people who have tested positive. Here is the link showing students on the 6-10 day list who are required to wear masks. Please see Kevin with any questions.
PRODUCTIVE RESPONSE TO STUDENTS’ NEEDS (BEHAVIORAL): As a school we use this student support flowchart to determine next steps for responding to behavioral concerns. As always, students may be sent immediately to the admin office for any serious violation or for disrupting the learning of others (when in-class redirection hasn’t been effective). If a teacher would like a Student Support Teammember to follow up, they need to enter a referral form (or email the admin team, cc counselor and case manager, if applicable). Otherwise students sent to the office will complete a reflection form and spend the rest of the period in a timeout.
High Desert Highlights:
Dr. Cook addresses SAGA and GSD students of High Desert, Sky View, and Pilot Butte Middle SchoolsWednesday was day to celebrate our incredible Super Heros who do all the things behind the scenes to make this building run with smiles, joy and laughter! Couldn’t, wouldn’t want to do this work without them! Thank you Kerri, Stacy, Gina and Karina! 💜
“Change is hard at first, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end.” ~ Robin S. Sharma
To Dos:
SPENDING/BUDGET: End of year spending deadline is April 27th, as you saw in Kerri’s email earlier this week. If you have purchasing needs you must see Kerri prior to this date. If you have any questions regarding your dept balance please see Kerri immediately so everyone is on the same page. Due to continued supply challenges this district is holding firm to this deadline.
STAFF MEETING SLIDES: 4/19’s staff meeting slides found here.
STAFFING UPDATE: HR and district leadership are still working with staffing numbers districtwide. Our staffing plan has not yet been approved, as HR may be adjusting the sites where folks work due to need/licensure etc. The transfer survey results will be used as well as hire date. If you are interested to know your hire date (it is the district hire date, not HDMS start date) please swing by my office and I can share.
HDMS SAGA: Thank you for supporting our students who choose to participate in today’s Day of Silence. If you haven’t already done so, please watch this informational video about the Day of Silence.
HANDBOOK REVIEW INFO: Beginning next week, we will be sharing out videos from the admin team to show in advisory reviewing certain topics from the handbook. Our goal in this effort is to remind students of our school-wide expectations. Please ensure you show these videos in the upcoming weeks and discuss/answer questions from your advisory students on these important topics.
Reminders:
CALENDAR UPDATE: Please continue to check the HDMS calendar regularly. One recent addition: April’s fire drill is scheduled for 4/25 at the beginning of 6th period (approximately 2:40pm).
LEAD UPDATE: The resources on the LEAD website are constantly changing and being updated. (Coming soon: more video examples of the lessons, and specific Ethnic Studies, Language, Health, and other standards identified throughout the links and descriptions.) Check it out here, and consider bookmarking and returning to it regularly; we have added a hot link to this resource on the right hand side of the blog’s homepage.
FIELD TRIP POLICY: The HDMS field trip policy can be found here; it has also been linked in the blog’s “hot links” section.
High Desert Highlights:
Below are some pictures of the student artwork that is downtown at the Commons Cafe (formerly Crows Feet Commons). These students worked so hard and are really excited to have their work on display!
Only during hard times do people come to understand how difficult it is to be master of their feelings and thoughts ~Anton Chekhov
To Dos:
WEEKLY ELL & AVID TIP: Consider setting a reminder to return to these important documents when we return to school on Monday to ensure that you are working to embed these best practices in your instruction. The ELL tip of the week is found here and AVID tip of the week is found here.
TEACHER MATERIALS: Extra teaching materials are on a cart in our Media Center. Please check it out and take anything of interest to you. These will be donated early next week.
Bits and Bobs:
HOMEBOUND TUTORING: Teachers, if you are interested in making a few extra dollars this spring, or long term, we are in desperate need for Home Instructor/Tutors. If you have any interest or questions, please reach out to Josh Marks via email or phone for specific details. [email protected] or 541-355-1060.
STAFFING: Bryan Tebeau will be out for the rest of the year on leave. We are still working to secure a long term sub for this vacancy. For next week Henry Coates will be here to teach these classes.
Thank you for the flexibility and care during these challenging times of reducing our staff. We won’t have a concrete idea of what next years master schedule will look like until I receive all the transfer data as well as any additional resignation/retirements.
INSTRUCTIONAL BEST PRACTICES: I read this article and it made me pause, reflect, and ponder. I am passing it along because I believe caring is sharing! www.cultofpedagogy.com/10-equity/
Next week is the voluntary Educator Network Day which provides an opportunity for you to meet with teachers in the same content area. The Educator Network Days are led by ICCLs in each content area. You will be time sheeted for your time collaborating with your peers.
CALENDAR: As always, continue to check the HDMS calendar on the blog to ensure you’re up-to-date on upcoming meetings and events. The next staff meeting is Tuesday (4/19) in Wendy’s WebEx room beginning at 8:30am.
