Weekly Memo
WM 13, November 6 - 10, 2017-18
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Congratulations on successfully completing your conferences. We are about a third of the way through the year, so the timing for goal setting with parents is great. Let SST members know if you need follow-up support based on your conference conversations.
Lower School Open House is Wednesday night. Please take some time before then to help prepare common spaces and classrooms for the 150 - 200 prospective parents we expect will visit us that night.
LS Faculty Norms
- Do what is best for the students
- Assume we are all doing our best at the moment and our intentions are positive
- Be present, participate, contribute, include many voices
- Create a safe space that encourages sharing different opinions, ideas, perspectives
- Seek understanding, be curious about what others think
- Express gratitude, joy and encouragement
- Communicate with compassion, clarity and effectiveness
- Demonstrate respect
We continue our new Weekly Memo format with repeat items in blue and new items in black.
“An emerging line of research suggests that a short walk in a natural setting may be the best way to restore students’ flagging attention.” - Eileen Merritt; “Going Outdoors: A Natural Antidote for Attention Fatigue?”
“Today’s world requires problem solvers, not answer-getters.” - Mike Flynn, “From Answer-Getters to Problem Solvers”
COMMUNITY
Students Updates
A reminder that the SST site contains lots of valuable information about a student’s history and student action plans. As we move forward, it is also a great location for new student plans. The SST site is linked and if you need login help, please contact Ari.
If you have class, or a duty with one of the students below, please review their SST notes.
- Hadley Bingham
- Jacob Peizner and Zakary Rahimtoola--eye on friendship, physicality, and communication
SST Meets Every Monday Morning
Let us know if you want some support following up on conference conversations.
Lower School Open House: Wednesday November 8th
- A dinner for folks participating in the Open House will be provided 4:30-5:30 pm in MAIN Dining Hall
- EVERYONE please be in your spaces no later than 5:40- event is 6-8pm.
- Open Exploration and Dialogue with OES faculty, administration, staff, current parents, and student ambassadors. 6:00 - 8:00
- Be aware of your audience
- Read email from Sarah. More details at the 11/6 meeting.
Welcome Alma Pedrosa Gomes - LS Library Assistant
Alma Gomes has accepted our offer to be the next Lower School Library Assistant. She comes to us with a Masters in Library and Information Sciences and 15 years library experience. Alma and her husband recently relocated to Oregon from the Philippines. She hopes to begin work as soon as next Monday.
The Annual Fund Continues
- Thanks to all who have given thus far
- The Fund remains active all year
Gathering and Chapel - Please be seated and ready at 8:10
- Regular Chapel and Gathering this week
- Thanksgiving Chapel - With the earlier start to GPSF Day, we are moving LS Chapel to Monday, 11/20, 8:10 - 8:50
Grandparents Day, Tuesday, November 21
- 8:00 - 8:30 - breakfast in gym
- 8:30 - 9:30 - LS Classroom Visits - All students in homeroom for this hour
- 9:30 - Grandparents Choice
- Recess, snack and then over to Gym
- State of Lower School in LS Library
- Specialist visit
- 10:10 - 10:50 - Concert in Gym
Remember that all classes are asked to be in their classroom from 8:30 - 9:30 so grandparents can find their grandchildren with ease.
EC3 Design Center Update
- Requests to use the "Open Campsites" with Jeffrey
- Discuss your activity, timeline, occupancy needs, any follow-up
- Currently "Bring Your Own" materials and tools during this Explore phase for the EC3!
- EC3 Presentation from Peter Kraft
Upper School Helpers Every Wednesday and Thursday
- Send “help requests to Sandi Lillevik (lilleviks@oes.edu), copy Ashley (scatesa@go.oes.edu)
PROGRAM
Faculty Meetings
Monday, 11/6, 3:15 - 4:30: Admissions check in Open House, Purpose to Practice II
Thursday, 11/9: No meeting, Open House recovery
Monday, 11/13, 3:15 - 4:30: Professional Growth Block (PGB)
Thursday, 11/16, 7:35 - 8:35: Division Meeting - Purpose to Practice III
EC3 Design Center Training
EC3 Design Team members will be in a Design Thinking training Monday afternoon from 3:30 - 6:00pm.
Mindfulness
We have completed our first round of all school mindfulness lessons! Thank you all for your support to help bring mindfulness Pre-K through 5th grade. Claire will continue to work with Melanie the rest of the year for the first ten to fifteen minutes of each counseling class. Our hope is that seeds will be planted that continue to grow in the months and years to come.
Here's what worked really well:
- Teachers having students on the rug in a circle at the start to help with time efficiency (Claire is using her prep times and leaving her classroom with Donna to reach all classrooms)
- Teachers staying during the practice time (to build common vocabulary, incorporate the concepts into your themes, continue practice, listen to your student's experience and take a mindful break for yourself)
- For IY, Claire practices with grade levels once a month and for BY, we have every other week practice.
- Claire will send follow up resources and exercises to practice
Thank you, Claire and homeroom teachers for supporting this important work!
IY Please Check Intermediate Years Odds and Ends 17-18
Professional Growth and Development
- Kirstin and Melanie attended a workshop on interpersonal neurobiology
- David and Peter attended a two day workshop on Design Thinking
Portland Art Museum PGD, Thursday, 11/9 at 5:15 – 7:30 p.m.
Fields Sunken Ballroom, Mark Building
Evening for Educators: Animating Life: The Art, Science, and Wonder of LAIKA
5:15 p.m. – Refreshments in the Sunken Ballroom.
5:30 – 6:45 p.m. – Presentation and discussion with LAIKA staff.
6:45 – 7:30 p.m. – Explore the exhibition.
If you are interested in dinner afterwards let David know by end of day Wednesday so we can make a reservation.
Calendar Task Force
Please see CFT members before next Wednesday, 11/14 if you have calendar ideas you want us to consider - Claire, Tina, David
OPERATIONS
Safe Schools Video link
Last open faculty meeting times: 11/9 for all, 11/13 for some. Be sure to complete the videos and assessments.
You received a message from the SafeSchools system with all the information you need to access this year’s required trainings:
- Child Abuse Mandatory Reporter - Oregon Full Course - Approx. 30 minutes
- Sexual Misconduct Staff to Student - Approx. 30 minutes
- Sexual Harassment - Staff to Staff - Approx. 15
New this year: All courses are available in English and Spanish, you will be able to select your preferred language once logged into the system.
Benefits Open Enrollment - November 1-15. You received notification. All benefits-eligible employees (part time and full time) need log into ADP and review their options online. This is the only way benefits enrollments is being managed for 2018 - includes changing, adding, dropping or waiving coverage!! YES - you will need to login even if you do not plan to change anything or choose to enroll in any of the plans - ie we will need to know that you are waiving coverage for 2018.
HR/ Payroll
- HR/Payroll is requiring all digital time cards in ADP be approved bi-weekly whether an employee has taken a time off from work or not. The modified timeline for bi-weekly approval is the 1st and 17th of each month. The purpose is to ensure accuracy of each employee’s time card report.
Smartfind Express Subfinder
- Every time you take some time off from work, you need to login & create an absence in the Smartfind Express
- Don’t contact the guest teachers and guest assistant teachers directly. Use Smartfinder
- Do contact your assistant teacher directly if you want ask her or him to lead the class
- Employees’ no pay days and absences in Smartfind are reported to HR bi-weekly
Bus Cost: $50/hr or $2.75/mi
Information Organization
Lice Policy - There have been some changes
Amazon orders - OES Amazon Business Account
Curriculum, Furniture and Students Services Supplies - Contact your division Assistant Head Trips around and off campus - be sure Ls Office knows where you are
Disease Prevention - health department predicting an early and heavy influenza outbreak
Field Trip Budgets - approximately $1500 per grade.
Food From Home - must have approval from the nurse
TIME SHEET -Fill out your timesheet digitally in ADP and approve it twice a month
Your Announcements
Send any announcements you have for faculty to Kirstin, Chris or David by Thursday each week August-June and we will include them in the Weekly Memo. This should help reduce the number of emails we are receiving, and maximize our time to collaborate during meetings.
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