Quote to consider:

“Betterment is a perpetual labor.”  ~Atul Gawande

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To Dos:

KINDNESS:  At our last staff meeting we asked that our building show kindness, acceptance and relationships by reaching out to a staff member and asking some follow up questions to their padlet post as a way to further build connection and community. 

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ADVISORY:  Make sure you have led your advisory students through the Take Home Conference activity, as this will support our students and families with a current picture of their students school status.  (Paper copies are encouraged- it is OK to print a class set at school!  Digital versions are acceptable if it works best for you.) 

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CONFERENCES:  Please log into MyConference and make sure you have an account.  Signing in with Google is an easy way to do this.  Click here for details that were previously shared in an email from Wendy.

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Bits and Bobs:

GRADING PRACTICES:  Here is a video that talks about the five instructional strategies that align with AVID and WICOR.  In this video, you will hear info about feedback and to use your time more efficiently.

Here is additional information regarding grading practices. 

If you are interested in learning more, there is a lot of great stuff in the book Embedding Formative Assessment. One chapter in particular goes into how much time teacher’s should spend on grades/feedback.  The 25% rule stood out to me.

25% Detailed teacher feedback

25% Student self scoring/feedback

25% Peer feedback

25% Not for grade or quick scoring

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FROM CANVAS COACHES:  Please remember to check grade accuracy between Canvas and Synergy.  Even though grades sync automatically it is good practice to double check that the grades match in both locations.

Teachers who teach quarter classes:  Your new class shells will populate November 3rd.   If you need assistance with your new quarter classes Lisa will be available Thursday Oct. 28th from 9:00-10:00 in her room (T2).  If you’d prefer to meet via WebEx please email her directly. 

Teachers who teach year-long classes:  Please add pages for weeks 13-18 to your Previous Weeks page to prepare for the rest of Semester 1.  If you need assistance with this, Elissa is available Thursday, October 28th from 10:00-11:00 in her WebEx room.  Please email her if you would like help during that time.  

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FROM COLLEEN FUNDERBURG: Since next Thursday, Oct 28th is a MS conference day and it is also a paid work day for our inclusion educational assistants we put together some professional development opportunities that classified staff can attend. Here is the flyer.  

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CLASSIFIED TEAM SUPERVISING CLASSES:  From the district office:  There may be situations in which a classified staff member is used to supervise a class.  When this happens there are important things to remember:

• They are supervising the class, not teaching the class.
• They should be introduced to the class by an administrator or licensed staff member as the someone who will be supervising the class. “Students, Mrs. Smith will be supervising you today while your teacher is gone.  If you need assistance from her as you work on your assignments, please ask her.”
• An administrator or licensed staff member should check in with the classified staff member periodically during their supervision time.
  • The classified staff member should not be asked to plan lessons or develop curriculum.

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Reminders:

POSITIVITY IN THE HALLWAY:  Thanks for being available in the hallways with positivity (and Diamondbucks!) whenever possible.  As Koop shared at our last staff meeting, passing period is a great opportunity to connect with a variety of students! Additionally, don’t forget about your hallway sweep duty; see the link at the right of the blog’s homepage for duty assignments.

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High Desert Highlights:

Quote to consider:

Things present themselves to you, and it’s how you choose to deal with them that reveals who you are. We all say a lot of things, don’t we, about who we are and how we think. But in the end it’s your actions, how you respond to circumstance that reveals your character. 

~Cate Blanchett

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To Dos:

COUNSELING NEEDS ASSESSMENT:  Currently only 66% of our students have taken the counseling needs assessment survey which was assigned during advisory.  If your advisory students have not yet taken this survey, please do so during advisory next week.  The results from the survey help our counseling department create small groups to support students with their needs. 

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TAKE HOME CONFERENCES:  Please be sure to complete the take home conference activities with your advisory students next week.  Having all students complete these activities will ensure that our virtual conferences are successful school-wide.

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Bits and Bobs:

CONFERENCES: 

Staff voted to work Wed and Thur evening to get Friday off as a trade day. Conferences will be held Oct 27 from 4pm-8pm and Oct 28 from noon to 8pm (since at HDMS we grade at the quarter 8am to noon is grading time for staff).  

There is NO SCHOOL for students on Oct 28 and 29.  

Families will get a link where they can sign up for a conference slot at a specific time and with specific staff next week.  Conferences will be held virtually using teachers’ WebEx rooms. 

I am not managing where staff conduct their virtual conferences from (classroom, home. etc up to you).

We are using an online platform called myconference where families will sign up for a time slot

We will have specific times for multilingual families to access staff with interpreters

Conference reminders:

• If family brings up concerns beyond the scope of your classroom, refer family to grade level counselor (Joe Albano 6th, Lynne Tat 7th, Brettney Bryant 8th)
  • Ask to reschedule if it gets contentious 
• WebEx reminders
  • Locking your room so no other family can join in the middle of someone else’s time
  • Professionalism:  ensure you are aware of your background, noise around you etc 

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CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONS:  From Lora N, deputy superintendent: “District administrators will be meeting with BEA leaders next week to discuss temporarily reducing the number of required observations of certified staff, as well as identifying “focus standards” for observation and evaluation.”  Nole and I have enjoyed informally stopping by classrooms while we wait for the directive from the district on the number of observations.

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ARTICLE TO CONSIDER:  “When Problem Solving Followed by Instruction Works: Evidence for Productive Failure” by Tanmay Sinha and Manu Kapur in Review of Educational Research.

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Reminders:

• Consider the following:
  • What brought you joy this week? How can you build more of that into your day?
• What family outreach system have you created to ensure you are supporting your habits toward building connection and community with the adults at home who support our students?

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High Desert Highlights:

Quote to consider:

“Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.” ~Goethe

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To Dos:

CANVAS: Ensure your homepage on Canvas is up to date and translated (including such documents as: syllabus, staff introduction, classroom procedures etc).  With virtual conferences coming up, your homepage will be the first stop for families to learn about you, your class, expectations, procedures and the learning that their student will experience this year in your classroom.

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Bits and Bobs:

CONFERENCES:  After reviewing the staff survey the overwhelming majority voted for adjusting our conference schedule to option #2. Staff will conference Wed and Thurs evening and not report to work Oct 29.  Conferences will be held virtually, more to come on this next blog post. 

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SIW PD SLIDESHOW:  Here is the slideshow presented at 10.6.21’s SIW.  Reminder: as it says on slide 15, if there is an urgent need for an interpreter, it is acceptable to phone the on call interpreting services; directions and phone number found here. 

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EBISS:  Notes of the Action Items found here: 7th EBISS and 8th EBISS.  These will continue to live on the blog “hot links” as ongoing documents as well. 

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ADVISORY TEACHERS:  Please consider using this Advisory Family Newsletter as a template for communicating with your students’ families about what you are doing in Advisory.  Add your own information, activities, links and pictures. Make it your own!  

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TAKING STUDENTS OUTSIDE:  Taking your class to a different learning space?  Use this updated Out of Classroom form.  Quickly enter where you are going and when, then submit the form.  It will automatically notify all the people who need to know.

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SURVEYS & PRIOR NOTICE:  This is a reminder that before conducting student surveys, prior notice to parents/guardians is required.  For example, staff can send it out in a classroom newsletter, share it on the Canvas syllabus, etc.  Here is a board policy on this topic.

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EDUCATOR NETWORK SIWs:  Please click here for a document from Dean Richards (Director of Secondary Curriculum, Instruction and Systems) that includes time and location details for our district’s Educator Network SIW scheduled for 10/13.  (Reminder: the SIW and staff meetings schedule is linked under the “hot links” section of the blog.)

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YOUTH TRUTH:  FYI- this year’s Youth Truth survey will occur in January; the district will be sending out more information later.  

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NAEP: HDMS was selected to participate in the NAEP assessment.  This is the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what students in the United States know and can do in various subjects. It is administered by NCES, within the U.S. Department of Education. Participation in the NAEP 2022 state-level assessments is required for schools in districts that accept federal Title 1A funds.As part of the NAEP 2022 program, selected 8^th graders attending High Desert Middle School in-person will participate in civics or U.S. history assessments on Tuesday, February 15, 2022. NAEP will select approximately 50 of your school’s grade 8 students to represent 8^th graders across the nation. Each student will be assessed in only one subject. NCES plans to release the national results as The Nation’s Report Card.

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Reminders:

Remember at HDMS we are all part of a village that supports the success of every student that comes through our doors. Many of us supported Cameron during his middle school years at HDMS and I hope this article brings you joy:

Popular Bend HS basketball player advancing to a bigger, national stage

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Take an inventory of your professional life and consider the following:

• What is taking the majority of my time? Is it giving me the same in return?
• What can I adjust in my daily practice to find more joy in what I do?
• Have I internalized the permission given to remove items from my plate?
• Have I adjusted the expectations of myself during these unprecedented times?
• Am I asking for support and help when I need it?

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High Desert Highlights:

Quote to consider:

Everyday focus on your purpose.  Remember why you do what you do.  We don’t get burned out because of what we do.  We get burned out because we forget to focus on and enjoy daily the why that brought us to this work.

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To Dos:

POWER STANDARDS:  Ensure you have met as a content team to discuss and prioritize what standards will be covered this year.  It is unrealistic to expect instruction of all the standards due to instructional time lost from the past year and a half.  Please remove some standards and instead focus on going deeply into the ones your team selects to teach this year. 

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CONFERENCES:  We have confirmed that conferences this fall will be virtual.  We are working with the district on specific details and will communicate them to you all as soon as they are made available to us.  
Click here for a staff survey to vote for your preferred conference schedule; votes must be submitted by 10/5 at 4:00pm.

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Bits and Bobs:

CANVAS COACH CORNER: Hopefully all teachers have the AutoSync feature enabled on Canvas.  This feature will automatically sync your grades with Synergy nightly at 6:00 pm.  It is still strongly encouraged for teachers to check accuracy of grades between Canvas and Synergy on a regular basis.  Check that your percentages match and grades are appearing in Synergy the same as in Canvas.  

If you do not weight your grades, please check that you have them accurately unweighted in Canvas.  Here is a video to show you how.

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SRP VIDEO:  During our 9/28 staff meeting, we watched the SRP 2021 What’s New video (6 minutes in length).  It is required that all district staff view this video.   

The main takeaway from the video is that the “Secure” protocol replaced the term “Lockout” from the previous SRP protocols.  The protocols to conduct a Secure have not changed from the Lockout protocols, only the terminology as Lockout and Lockdown were often confused as protocols.  Dave, Koop, and the safety team continue to work on updating our school and classroom emergency response signage.  FYI: the updated SRP posters can be found here.  These details will be shared with students in an upcoming safety focused advisory lesson. 

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CLASS MEETINGS:  Thanks for hosting the admin team and grade level counselor for our first class meetings!  For your reference, click the links to view the slideshows we reviewed with 6th grade, 7th grade, and 8th grade. 

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​​THE DEN DIGEST:  So far this year we have focused on supporting students with their emotional regulation and helped to get them back to class and learning in a meaningful way. We’ve practiced on their breathing.  I know this seems like a basic skill but seeing it in practice with distressed kids is reaffirming to me that it really works. We have seen on several occasions this “basic” technique, regulate students’ brains and help them recenter to be able to express their needs. One specific strategy is “Nostril Breathing”. This video is kid appropriate and quick to learn.  ~Beau Variel (Ext. 7272)

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COMPOSTING:  It’s happening at HDMS!  The composer set up this week with “browns” and “greens” from Foods room scraps.  Leadership kids will tend to turning and watering it, TAG kids are doing a little research on how to get the soil going, and Foods kids will continue to add the scraps.  Awesome teamwork among the students!  And science came running outside to say how excited they were that they can use it in Science lessons too!  Curriculum, collaboration, and community coalescing for composting… cool!!!  (That alliteration was for you language arts teachers!).  See the HDMS Highlights section below for pictures.

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Reminders:

SIW PD:  Our next SIW PD is scheduled for 10/6 from 3:00-4:30pm; we will meet in Wendy’s WebEx and Dave will be in the media center for those interested in meeting there.  Please continue to refer to this SIW and staff meeting document.  

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SCHOOL-WIDE CALENDAR:  Continue to check the HDMS calendar linked at the top of the blog for upcoming events.  Please email Kerri if you’d like a school-wide event added to the calendar and refer to this calendar prior to scheduling other events. 

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MASKING ISSUES REMINDER:  For masking issues with students, BLS middle schools will be following this updated flowchart.  As always, we will start with positive reinforcement, friendly reminders, and explicit teaching of the expectations with our students.  As the flowchart states, if a student continues to struggle meeting mask expectations or if the masking issue turns to defiance, please refer them to the administrative team.  For your convenience, we’ve created this letter home in English and Spanish as a starting point for staff for parent communication; feel free to use, make your own, or ignore.

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High Desert Highlights:

Quote to consider:

Quote:  Before taking a job offer, it’s worth asking: Do I want to become more like the people here?  You can aspire to change the culture of a group, but don’t overlook how the culture will change you.  Few of us are immune to the values of the people around us. ~Adam Grant

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To Dos:

ENJOY THE WEEKEND 😎

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Bits and Bobs:

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GRANT OPPORTUNITY:  Check out this grant opportunity from the Education Foundation:  We know you are working hard planning, developing, and executing stellar programs and curriculum for all Bend-La Pine students.  To help with that, we are offering Classroom Grant opportunities.  Please click the links to see the Classroom Grant Information and Classroom Grant Application.  Since we know the first few weeks of school are busy, we have extended the deadline for applications to Friday, October 15, 2021. 

For those of you new to Bend-La Pine Schools, the Education Foundation for Bend-La Pine Schools is an independent non-profit 501(c)3 that has aided local schools since 1988.  Our mission is to prepare our students for success and the future through educational and extra-curricular opportunities.  Since 2003, the Education Foundation for Bend-La Pine Schools has invested over $1.6 million into local schools through endowments, special projects, and our main programs.  For more information about the Education Foundation, please visit our website www.engagedminds.org.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at [email protected].  We look forward to receiving your applications and continuing to help make opportunities possible.

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INFORMATION FROM HD ESD:  Culture of Care Team is hosting a variety of learning opportunities for educators in the region. The newsletter references all the opportunities, and the links below are for the event on Educator Wellness.  You are welcome to attend any of our courses, though spaces are limited, so sign up soon! 🙂  These events are provided by the Culture of Care, so there is no cost to participants! 

Wellness Read Along Flyer

Fall Wellness Registration

CARE Fall Newsletter 

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INFORMATION FROM DISTRICT SPED TEAM:  blog here 

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INFORMATION FROM DISTRICT SECONDARY INSTRUCTION TEAM: blog here

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INFORMATION ON BLSO:  link here

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STAFF SPANISH  CLASSES:  We still have spots available in many of our Spanish classes.  Classes are free and available to all staff members. Log into Performance Matters and sign up now!

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Reminders:

LOCKER/BATHROOM PASSES:  Please limit allowing 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. 

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HALL DUTY:  Please continue to be a positive presence in the halls during your assigned passing period duty; link to the duty schedules in the “hot links” section.  

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LATE BUSSES/ATTENDANCE:  As you know, we have quite a few students that arrive on a late busses; please be sure to edit any students arriving on a late bus that you marked “absent” to “late excused” and work with the student to ensure this uncontrollable factor does not negatively affect their opportunities to access key learning nor lower their grade.

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FROM HR:  We need 100% of staff to complete the Frontline vaccination form they received via email.  If they cannot find the email from Frontline, have them check the “clutter” and “junk” folders, as it has gone to all three places. This survey asks staff to upload their vax card or their waiver form.  We will be reviewing staff lists next Friday and notifying building administrators of those staff who have not completed this request.  

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FROM THE DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT:  The district has designated four SIW’s over the course of the school year “Educator Network” SIW’s: October 13, January 12, February 9, April 20

The purpose of these days is to provide time for four-part districtwide trainings, district PLC meetings, etc. A few examples include content-area meetings for high school language arts and science teachers, trainings in incorporating strategies to support multi-lingual students, early literacy best practices, training with Bruce Perry for our student success staff, and an overview of our instructional framework. 

1. All certified and building administrative staff (and some classified EA’s) will be required to participate in a strand during the EN SIW’s: this is not individual prep time for any staff. For some staff, a particular strand will be required; for others, choices will be provided.
2. Most trainings will be conducted on Webex; a few will be live.
3. The teaching and learning and student services departments will be sharing more complete information and training descriptions very soon! The schedule will be in next week’s blog!

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High Desert Highlights:

Quote to consider:

“The best growth is aided by community. Yes, we teachers should study our craft vigorously. We should take classes. We should attend conferences. But, in truth, without discussion practice, we will never see our fullest potential. Here, teaching is no different from other pursuits: Lasting improvement requires dedication to the humbling cycle of practice and reflection.”

― Matthew R. Kay, Not Light, but Fire: How to Lead Meaningful Race Conversations in the Classroom

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To Dos:

SYLLABI:  Make sure you have followed the district guidelines by creating and posting your course syllabus.  Best practice is to have the standards that are connected to each unit listed and linked as well for parents information. 

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FROM CANVAS COACHES:  Looking for an easy and quick way to plan ahead and save time in Canvas using your “Previous Weeks?”  Watch this video for a simple way to add your entire home page to previous weeks, and then turn that page into your home page (as opposed to copying and pasting!).

If you have an EA working with you and you’d like to give them access to Canvas, they need to create an Observer account.  Here is a link to show you the steps in making an Observer account.

Please keep this Canvas Tool Kit document handy.  It has tips and tricks for basic Canvas features that can save you a lot of time.  

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STAFF DUTIES:  First draft of staff duty assignments found here and linked on the hot links of the blog; please connect with Nole if there is a specific issue with your duty.  Also, don’t forget to include this info in your sub folder.  Please be present in the halls daily per these assignments, positively reinforcing students meeting expectations.  

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ATTENDANCE:  Be sure to take accurate attendance all periods!  For advisory (and 1st period on Wednesdays), edit any students arriving on a late bus that you marked “absent” to “late excused.”  This is vital to help reduce the number of inaccurate attendance robo-calls that are sent which often worries families needlessly.  For a more thorough overview of these procedures, please review slides 11-14 on the Nuts and Bolts slideshow. 

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FROM HR: This is a staff reminder to complete the vaccination survey recently sent out by Steve Herron in HR. Can’t find it?  Check your “Clutter”.

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Bits and Bobs:

LOSS OF PREP:  The HDESD is continuing to see a lack of substitutes available throughout our region.  While the district office has hired five roving subs for this school year, we anticipate having teacher sub jobs go unfilled throughout the year.  When this occurs, we will ask staff within our building to support covering these vacancies (certified staff will get compensated for this loss of prep).  The office staff and/or admin team will reach out to those whose prep aligns with the coverage needed; loss of prep will be paid. 

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TEACHERS & CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS:  Check out this article from Matthew Kay in Educational Leadership.  From Lora: Family concerns about curriculum guidance. 

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SEARCHING ID # IN SYNERGY:  As we stated in the previous blog, please refrain from using full student names in emails.  To search in Synergy using student ID numbers you click Home > Student Profile > Choose a Student, then you can search via number.  (Thanks Martin!) 

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STAFF SURVEY RESULTS AND NEXT STEPS:  Thank you for giving your feedback by completing the staff survey during Welcome Back week.  After reviewing the results I want to clarify a few things:

• HDMS has the overarching motto of “Where Every Story Matters”
• Last year our focus was “The Connection Chapter”
• This year our focus is “Going Back to Better”
• Our PD will be focused on how we continue our work becoming “Warm Demanders,” continuing building relationships while moving our students toward high standards and offering academic rigor across their day. 

We believe that focused PD in the three areas listed below are the best ways to leverage this idea in a systematic and simple way  

• High quality instruction
• Education for all
• Productive response to students’ need

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RESTORATIVE PRACTICES TRAINING OPPORTUNITY:  Click here for details.  This flyer we were provided has an inactive link; if interested, email [email protected].  We will timesheet teachers who would like to attend. 

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FROM DEN STAFF: I imagine many of you have been wondering what is going on with The Den (previously known as D’Back Den) and our role this year. I have included in this blog entry two links to documents that outline and clarify the role of Student Success Coordinator and BRYT program. I invite you to go over the slideshow and the “communique”. Please know that we would love to have you visit (we are in the tech hall before you get to Foods and CTE) and see the space that is evolving into another layer of support for our students to grow. If you have any questions please reach out to me at your convenience.  Beau Variel x7272

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FROM SPED STAFF:  Because of the numbers in our groups and the need to be 3 feet apart, the administrators assigned us Learning Specialists to the Media Center to teach our groups. At this time, we are able to teach in our own offices, however, if one of us is out and a sub is unavailable, we will need to use the Media Center to teach. If/when this occurs, one of us will let you know as soon as possible so you may change plans and/or work together to use the Media Center.  As always, thank you for your flexibility. 

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ADVISORY ANNOUNCEMENTS: Please double check advisory plans as there have been some slight changes for this week. Announcements will be Tuesday (allowing leadership students to finalize their first video announcements) and class meetings will be the week of 9/27.

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Reminders:

STUDENT REFERRAL INFORMATION: Here is the Behavioral – Student Support Form link.  

The slideshow from the Productive Response to Students’ section of Wednesday’s PD is found here; please reach out to Nole for further clarification or support.  As always, you can email the three admin team members and cc grade level counselor (and case manager, if applicable) instead of entering a form.  However, we encourage form usage (both “SST follow up support requested” and “FYIs”) as the data collected from all referral types helps us identify which students need more interventions and/or referrals to other teams (SET, Kid Time, Den, etc.)  

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FIRE DRILL:  As you likely saw in the advisory info, our first Fire Drill is scheduled for Monday (9/20) at 9:30am.  Please connect with Dave or Koop for support/questions.

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High Desert Highlights:

Quote to consider:

“The past year we learned that everything in schools that looks fixed and hardened is actually contingent and flexible.

There are three possible scenarios as schools begin the 2021-22 year:

• Returning to the status quo before the pandemic;
• Focusing on remediation of learning loss;
• Using the events of the last 19 months to reflect and reinvent.” 

~Justin Reich and Jal Mehta (click here for a summary of and link to the full article)

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To Dos:

EVALUATION:  Ensure you have reviewed the staff evaluation rubric linked here that corresponds to your job title as this will be what you will use as a self reflection tool and will be what admin uses for feedback throughout the year. 

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MARK YOUR CALENDARS:  Here is the schedule for our SIWs and staff meetings for the rest of the year.  This document will be updated with additional details on an on-going basis.  These meeting dates will also be added to the HDMS calendar. 

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STAFF DUTIES:  In an effort to continue to reduce the number of demands on teachers, we are eliminating the thrice yearly two-week teacher duty assignments!  (Note: We may have to revisit this later this year or next, depending on many factors, but our aim will always be to provide as much time as possible for teachers to focus on the essential parts of their work.)  We are continuing the practice of a daily five minute teacher duty assignment during the passing period immediately prior to your prep period.  More specifics coming soon; in the meantime, please be present in the halls daily during the passing period prior to your prep, positively reinforcing students meeting expectations.   

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EQUITY AND LEAD COHORT:  Equity is important to me as your leader and is an essential component of ensuring “education for all.”  Our building’s equity work takes many forms, and each of you is involved in different ways.  One way we know is critical for sustainability is to involve students–to have productive conversations with students around equity issues, and to make thoughtful steps forward as a team, so we can learn together as a community.  

To help us with that, our district’s LEAD Cohort has developed some awesome resources. Each certified teacher, please complete the following during September:

• Review the website of resources with your grade-level team/department
• Select one of the “Tier I” strategies you will commit to implementing in your class in September
• Be prepared to share your implementation and reflections at a staff meeting this fall

Reach out to myself or our LEAD Cohort representative (Julie McCabe) with any questions!

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Bits and Bobs:

FIELD TRIPS: From the district office: Currently we are not allowing field trips with buses. Walking field trips are allowed as long as masks are worn at all times and socially distancing is maintained. We will revisit this on October 1st. 

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6TH-12TH GRADE CANVAS EXPECTATIONS: Linked here.

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HDMS FAQ: Linked here; use this document on an on-going basis to get your questions answered.

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SLIDESHOW LINKS: 

• Welcome Back – Going Back to Better Visioning Slideshow
• Nuts and Bolts: This has been updated since it was sent out; see updates on slides 3, 7, 10, 21 and new slide 14.   A link to this document has been added to the hot links section of the blog.  

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MS START/END TIMES:  As you read from Dr. Cook, due to lack of bus drivers, middle schools in the district will start at 9:15am and will end at 4:10pm (2:40pm on Wednesdays).  Teacher work times are 8:30am-4:30pm.  

Click here for this year’s bell schedule; building doors will open for students at 9:00am.   

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MASKING DIRECTIVE:  Masks are to be worn at all times indoors (regardless of vax status) unless you’re alone in a room/office with a closed door.  For further details, see this document from BLS HR Director Steven Herron for details on our current masking mandate at school. 

For masking issues with students, BLS middle schools will be following this updated flowchart.  As always, we will start with positive reinforcement, friendly reminders, and explicit teaching of the expectations with our students.  As the flowchart states, if a student continues to struggle meeting mask expectations or if the masking issue turns to defiance, please refer them to the administrative team.  For your convenience, we’ve created this letter home in English and Spanish as a starting point for staff for parent communication; feel free to use, make your own, or ignore.  

Here is a great article on talking points of the potential positives of mask wearing in schools for students you can consider referencing if/when talking with students/families about masking in schools. 

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EMAIL BEST PRACTICES: 

• Do not send student identification information (eg: full name) through regular email, which isn’t secure.  You may send this information via Google Drive or BLsend.  Additionally, if using email, you may use the student’s initials, grade, and student ID.  
• Always use the BCC function whenever sending mass emails to families.  It is not appropriate for family’s emails addresses to be viewable to other recipients.  
• Please limit the use of all HDMS emails as much as possible.  If you’d like something shared out with all staff, you can always send it to the admin team to be added to the next blog post. 

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DISTRICT ADMIN VISITS FYI:  Juan Cuadros, BLS’s new director of middle schools, plans to visit HDMS at least once a month, likely Tues AMs or Thurs PMs.  Additionally, Superintendent Dr. Cook and Deputy Superintendent Dr. Nordquist also plan to visit HDMS regularly.  

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VIRTUAL VS IN PERSON MEETINGS:  Click here for an article that will be a component to help guide our thinking when scheduling virtual vs. in-person content/PLC/parent/staff etc meetings.

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Reminders:

GOING BACK TO BETTER:  If you haven’t already, please email the ICCL person that led your breakout room during our staff visioning meeting your K-W-L document.  We will be adding the K-W-Ls to this document to help guide our ongoing PD as we focus our Going Back to Better work school-wide on:

• High Quality Instruction 
• Education For All
• Productive Response to Student Need

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WORDS THAT ENCOURAGE STUDENTS:  Check out this article on seven comments high effective teachers use to empower students and create a supportive classroom environment.

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High Desert Highlights:

Quote to consider:

“If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, then you are an excellent leader.”  ~Dolly Parton

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To Dos:

SUMMER ASSIGNMENT:  Rest, recover, relax, recharge, and rejuvenate!  

Collectively we have recorded the positive adjustments the pandemic forced us to make in our practice; we will use this as a launching point to going back to better in the fall.  In the meantime, my hope for all of us is that this summer is full of life giving activities that allow us to process and heal from the roller coaster of this past school year.  

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CELEBRATE TOGETHER:  Please join your colleagues for a picnic on the patio after school Thursday at 3:15pm!  Sandwiches, wraps, chips, drinks, and cookies provided!!   

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ALL HANDS ON DECK:  For the last day of school, please prioritize being in the halls during passing period and at the bus or front pick up zones after school if at all possible.  We know that having a positive staff presence during less structured times helps ensure all our students are safely meeting expectations. 

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SUSTAINABILITY FOR SUMMER:  As the school year begins to come to a close, please be aware of the BLS holiday standard operating procedure. This document is meant to help guide you on how to close down at the end of the school year.  Please make sure to closely follow the guidance in this document as we approach summer break.

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RETURN DATE IN THE FALL:  Here is the 21/22 school year district calendar. Note the first day back for returning staff is on Tuesday, August 31st. EAs: please connect with a member of the HDMS SPED team to ensure you know what date you are expected to report back to work in the fall.

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Bits and Bobs:

21/22 STAFFING UPDATE:  

• Welcome to HDMS:
  • Tami Hertzler – Media Manager 
    • Tami joins HDMS after having a long history of serving in a variety of administrative support roles in different PNW local government agencies and a stint as temporary office manager at Marshall HS.  
    • She shared that she is “thrilled and so excited to work with fun, energetic, engaging folks and is very passionate about equity and how to support varied voices and experiences being visible in our media center.” 

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EDUCATION FOUNDATION GRANT INFO:  Please click here for a letter from the executive director of the education foundation.  Here is information on the education foundation grants and here is the grant application form.

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Reminders:

END OF THE YEAR CHECKOUT FORM:  Here is the digital copy of the end of the year checkout form.  Please print it, follow the directions, and submit completed forms to Nole on Friday, June 18th.  See Nole’s email on 6/15 for additional details.

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High Desert Highlights:

Quote to consider:

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”  ~Nelson Mandela

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To Dos:

TALENT ED TASKS:  Please double check that you have all green check marks in Talent Ed; log in to check using the second link from the bottom on this page.  Please complete any unfinished tasks assigned to you; email Wendy, Heather, and Nole if you have questions.  

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END OF THE YEAR CHECKOUT FORM:  Here is the digital copy of the end of the year checkout form.  Please print it, follow the directions, and submit completed forms to Nole on Friday, June 18th. See Kerri with questions.  Note: all computers being checked in need to have data you want saved backed up (eg: Google drive, thumb drive, etc).  When computers are checked in with Kerri, they will be immediately handed over to Rob for reimaging.

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THIS FRIDAY ADVISORY:  

• 6/7 Grade Advisors: Prior to Advisory, PLEASE REVIEW the 8th grade farewell parade info HERE.

• 8th Grade Advisors: Prior to Advisory, PLEASE REVIEW the Parade times/protocol/expectations/plans HERE on slides 16-19.

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Bits and Bobs:

YEARBOOK DISTRIBUTION:  Yearbooks will be passed out on 6/16 during 7th period.  Students will only be able to sign others’ yearbooks during their shared classes (no signing during passing period).  Students need to keep and use their own pen for signing. 

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21/22 MS SCHEDULE:  As you know, the district office is planning for MS staff to return to a 8:00am-4:00pm work schedule and for the school/start end times to revert back to 8:45am-3:40pm.  

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21/22 HDMS ADVISORY:  High Desert’s student focused story is centered on cultivating future ready students, relationships, opportunity, character, acceptance, and service.  One way we plan to go back to better next year is to have advisory increase in duration/frequency from the pre-pandemic schedule.  

Research shows that students who feel connected to school are more likely to attend school regularly and have better academic achievement. Students who feel a sense of belonging and community are less likely to engage in risky behaviors and less likely to experience emotional problems, including eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation.  As we recover from the impacts of a global pandemic, this support is needed now more than ever before. 

A strong advisory program provides systematic, structured opportunity for teachers to build relationships with students and foster a sense of community.  Regular advisory will also provide time to address the Social Emotional Learning competencies, as well as positive communication, conflict resolution, equity, and leadership. Through Advisory, SPED, ELL, and Counseling teams will provide push-in instruction and co-teaching opportunities to develop and apply AVID and SIOP strategies.  

If you are interested in the research on school connectedness and/or the development and ongoing improvement of Advisory at HDMS please connect with Lynne Tat.

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STAFFING UPDATE 21/22:

• Welcome to HDMS:
  • Jennifer McKevitt – Inclusion (SPED) Educational Assistant 
    • Jennifer comes to us having previously served as an inclusion EA supporting our elementary Tamarack programs.  She is “looking forward to serving at HDMS!” 
• New adventures ahead:
  • Jane Aleskey –  ELD teacher at Caldera High School
    • We are excited for this new opportunity for Jane!  While we are sad to see her go knowing how much she’s brought to HDMS, we are looking forward to continuing to serve students together through vertical alignment.  
  • Megan Barrett – Deschutes County Public Health – Family Support Services 
    • All staff know the incredible job Megan has done serving and supporting our students, families, and staff.  We appreciate, now more than ever, her commitment to the health and safety of all at HDMS.  We are excited to hear about the amazing impact she’ll have serving our community in this new capacity.  
  • Bridget Dean – on the hunt for a children’s hospital nursing job
    • Bridget joined our school in the nursing department in the craziest time in history, right?!  Despite that, she jumped right in and made an enormous positive impact on our community.  
  • Tracey Bryan – empty nesting!
    • Tracey’s steadfast commitment to serving students in the Life Skills program is evident to all!  Her kindness has been infectious for students and staff. 

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ADMIN OUT A.M. 6/15:  This is just an FYI: Heather and Nole will be out of the building the morning of 6/15.  We will be attending an in person middle school admin meeting at the district office.  We will both likely be back before school start time; text or call Nole’s cell: 541.610.4861 if something urgent comes up.

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INNOVATIVE TEACHING & LEARNING CONFERENCE:  The conference will be held Wednesday, August 25 and Thursday, August 26th, at Pacific Crest Middle School.  Like other years ITLC will be an energizing way to start the new school year!  Click here for more details and the sign up link from Amy T.

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SUMMER MEALS: See the summer meals flyer here.

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Reminders:

END OF THE YEAR GRADING:  See Gina’s email on 6/8 for info on posting grades and a report card comment list.  Reminder that the district-wide no zero policy is still in place.  Additionally, A, B, C, P, and NG are the letters used for reporting grades.

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LAST DAY OF SCHOOL (June 17th)

• We will be running on an SIW schedule this day, periods 4-7 (approx 55 minute classes).
• For each class period, optional activities (8th grade goodbye slide show, BINGO etc.) will be provided for you to complete. Signing yearbooks is another activity you can give your kids time to do! 😊

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High Desert Highlights:

Quote to consider:

“Children learn more from what you are than what you teach.” ~W. E. B. Du Bois

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To Dos:

COFFEE CART RETURNING:  Friday morning from 8:15-10:15am.  Please enjoy a cup or two of hot/iced coffee, chai, Italian soda, or hot chocolate!!  Click here for the full menu.  We hope you’ll take a moment to relax, connect with colleagues, laugh, and celebrate the many successes of this school year; thank you for all the hard work and dedication for our students, families, and staff!

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TALENT ED TASKS:  Please login into Talent Ed (second link from the bottom on this page) to ensure that you have signed and completed all assigned tasks.

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END OF THE YEAR VIDEO:  Please consider recording a 15-30 second video for 8th graders that will be part of a 8th grade celebration video viewed as part of the last day of school 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.

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Bits and Bobs:

21/22 GRADING INTERVALS: HDMS will be following quarter grading intervals for all classes next year. This is essentially what we have been doing for years, so ultimately nothing changes; we just wanted all staff to be aware as folks begin to plan for next year. 

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BACK TO BETTER SIW ACTIVITY:  Thanks to our ICCL team for leading Wednesday’s back to better activity.  And thanks to all staff for meaningfully engaging in this work!  Here is the document we used to collect all of your amazing ideas.  We look forward to returning to this document and continuing this self reflective and collaborative work in the fall with the goal of going back to better, specifically in the following areas:

• Productive response to students’ needs
• Education for all 
• High quality education 

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STUDENT PRONOUNS:  I’d like to suggest that staff re-review the pronoun blurb in 4.16.21’s blog post.  Additionally, here is an article from NPR that may be a helpful resource on this topic. 

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ARTICLE TO CONSIDER:  As we continue to think about how we’ll “go back to better” in the fall, consider checking out this article titled “13 Online Strategies for All Learning Environments.”  

Highlights: 

• Diversify Instruction with Pre-Recorded Videos: 
  • Teachers can flip instruction, having students view online mini-lessons outside school hours and then engage in discussions and hands-on learning in the classroom.
• Prioritize Formative Assessment with Online Assignments:
  • Quizzes, polls, and asynchronous discussions are more flexible and avoid the social pressures of in-class tests.
• Diversify and Improve Feedback
  • “Centralizing feedback in an online hub like a LMS [Canvas!] keeps feedback organized and easy to refer back to”
• Partner with Families, Communities, and the World Beyond School
  • One of the most positive developments during the pandemic has been improved communication with families. Teachers have also learned how to bring a wide variety of outside speakers and resources into their classrooms and give students authentic audiences for their learning products.

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Reminders:

LAST WEEK SCHEDULE:  Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday will be the “regular” MS schedule (bell times of 10:35 – 4:25).  We will have students in person on Wednesday.  Thursday will be an SIW release (bell times of 10:35 – 2:57).

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END OF THE YEAR ACTIVITIES:  Refer back to slide eleven of last week’s staff meeting slideshow for details.  (Big shout out and thank you to the team of staff working diligently on creating a fun and safe plan for these activities!!) 

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6/9 RETIREMENT/SEND OFF CELEBRATION:

There are many who have stepped up to serve and support the HDMS community this year who will be moving on to new adventures next school year.  Please take a moment to swing by the Family Resource Room to sign a beautiful (thank you Lauren!!) 2020-21 HDMS Yearbook with your best wishes. If you know someone who is leaving us, who is not yet represented in the FRR but should be, please let Lynne know ASAP. 

For Cathy Tash, who is retiring, there is a floral note card in your box today.  Please sign and write a note to share your goodbyes, memories, gratitude, best wishes etc. on the card.  We will be binding these into a book as a keepsake.  We will be shopping this weekend – last call for gift donations!  Venmo @Lynne-Tat, Cash App –  $LynneTat, or drop off cash in the Counseling Office.

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EMPLOYEE ASSIST PROGRAM:  Don’t forget that our School District offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to help staff navigate life stressors and/or manage life changing events.

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INTERRUPTING MICROAGGRESSIONS:  Refer back to this tool from last week’s staff meeting equity activity.  While we know that equity work can be deeply personal and challenging at times, we also know that having school-wide equitable classroom practices (like interrupting microaggressions) is absolutely vital.  Thanks to Julie, Lynne, and Amber for their leadership in this area; please connect with them and/or the admin team with questions.

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TAKING STUDENTS OUTSIDE: Use this new form.

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SAFETY FEEDBACK:  Here is this week’s optional safety survey for staff to provide feedback to the safety team.  And here are the results from last week’s survey.

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High Desert Highlights: