Weekly Memo 24 February 5-9 2018

Weekly Memo WM 24, February 5-9, 2018

The first Yes, Brain gathering was a great success. Thank you Beth, Chris and Kirstin for your good work making it happen. Thank you to Tasha and her class for the wonderful performances of Twelfth Night. On we go to a three-day week with students and two days of other important work. 

Lower School Agreements

• 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 Weekly Memo format with repeat items in blue and new items in black.

COMMUNITY

Who is in Charge

Monday, 2/5

David away. Chris, Kirstin and Lyn are in an all-day training on campus. Ari and Melanie will be in charge.  Chris is on call.

Tuesday, 2/6

Chris and Kirstin are in charge. David will be back late afternoon.

Gathering and Chapel - Please be seated and ready at 8:10.
Lower School Chapel Schedule for 2017-2018
Chapel 2/6: Regular
Gathering 2/8: No gathering. Admissions Day

Lunch/recess duty

When you are on lunch or recess duty, report on time. Teachers dropping off a class for recess may not leave until an adult on duty has shown up. Contact or text Lyn if assistance is needed.

OES Humble Lunch, February 14, 2018

The 2nd Annual Humble Lunch is coming up on Wednesday, February 14. We want to provide you with the context, so you can think through your own questions and wonderings in advance of the day. P-5 students will be hearing about Humble Lunch and food insecurity in Chapel on Tuesday, Feb. 6. Parents will see information about it in this week's Wednesday Express. In next week's Weekly Memo we will give you specific framing questions and reflection questions to use in your classroom to bring your students as thoughtfully as possible into the spirit of the day (including acknowledging the different food experiences they likely encountered that day due to Valentine's Day). NOTE--PK, K, P, 1, 2 students in the Lower Cafeteria will not have the full humble lunch experience, and modified framing questions will be provided.

Did you know?
16.1% of Oregon households are experiencing food insecurity?
Food insecurity sets up a series of difficult choices--the choice between paying for food or for utilities, the choice between paying for food or for rent, the choice between buying inexpensive, unhealthy food or more expensive, healthier food to stretch a budget

But what is food insecurity?
The USDA defines food insecurity as, “A state at which consistent access to adequate and healthy food is limited by a lack of money and other resources at times during that year."
We know that there are members of our broader Portland community, in all walks of life, of all ages, currently experiencing food insecurity.

Why the Humble Lunch?

The OES community has been engaged in conversations around how to we think about the topic of food insecurity and how we then respond. One way we will advance this conversation is through the Humble Lunch on Wed. February 14. At lunch on that day the OES community will share a Humble Lunch together of soup and fresh bread. The difference between the cost of preparing this meal and the cost of preparing a fully serviced OES lunch will be donated to Neighborhood House Food Box, an organization serving SW Portland, to support their efforts to feed those experiencing food insecurity in our community. With every $1 donation, The Food Box can buy 4 lbs of food from the Oregon Food Bank to then give to their clients. The Humble Lunch also intentionally coincides with Ash Wednesday, a day when there is a focus on humility and a focus on our connectedness as a community.

If you have questions or concerns about the Humble Lunch, please direct them to Kristen or Phillip.

Admissions
Thanks to all who participated in the Saturday PreK visit day. 

Admissions Day – Thursday, 2/8

Required day for all, unless you worked the PreK Admissions Day on Saturday.  Even if you are currently unassigned, know that last few years we have had to bring someone in the replace a colleague who became ill.

Admissions visits days 2nd - 4th grades are winding down. Your observations are critical for candidate rating and decisions:
Classroom Teacher Observation Guidelines for Student Visit
Specialist Observation Form

Playground Update
We are getting closer. Friday was punch list day. Now it is just a question of how quickly Brian can work his way through the list. Once we know when we will have access to the playground we will invite classes in one class at a time both to explore the elements and to help us create guidelines. We will share a Google doc sign-up once we know.

Student Updates
The SST Site contains valuable information that is helpful in understanding a student’s history and action plans. You may want to review the entries in the site before writing a child's report. The SST Site is linked in the Weekly Memo and can only be accessed on campus.

Stephanie Rankin is Back
She will continue to work a reduced schedule with Jessica and Scott team teaching PreK and Primary

Jeffrey Sprague is Back Full Time

Home Base Book Club- Intermediate Years

Do you have a student that stays after school for Extension that may benefit from additional reading activities? IY Home Base is starting up a book club on Monday, 2/5. 

• All students are invited to participate in the book club. 
• Students are encouraged to chose a book that is new to them and a challenge. 
• Books may be read with a friend.
• Once the student has finished his/her book the student will complete a Book Talk. 

Please email Miriam at agronm@oes.edu if you have a student that should be encouraged to participate in Home Base Book Club.

Patricia Polacco Cards
Chris mentioned the opportunity at Gathering. Cards will be collected in the Library and at Extension.

PROGRAM

Faculty Meetings
Monday, 02/5 - No meeting. Report preparation
Thursday, 02/08 - No meeting. Admissions Day
Monday, 2/12 - PGB/ Proof Reading
Thursday, 2/15 - No Meeting

Yes Brain

Many thanks to Beth, Melanie and parent Wendy Wray for working with Chris and Kirstin on the Yes Brain Discussion group planning and hosting, to Claire for lending us mindfulness books and to Deborah and Anna for attending! We had 35 parents participating in discussions and activities around zones of regulation and life balance. Here is the Healthy Mind Platter worksheet we used in case you'd like to make one of your own as you read the book.  Our next meeting is February 20th from 7:30-9:00 in the LS Library-we hope you can join us! 

Google Drive Security in Sharing
A reminder about sharing links for documents.

1. Only engage "link sharing" when you are intending wider circulation of the document. Link Sharing at it's LOWEST setting will be potentially seen by ALL STUDENTS AND FACULTY AT OES.
2. If you wish to remind a group or someone in particular of how to get to a shared document, simply copy the URL from the address bar. Do not click "get shared link" as this will turn on "link sharing" to the base community.

Also a reminder of a part of the Laptop Agreement that you acknowledged this summer. (Link to full document) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1m3zczbxrvYKhoN3_wD-ZKdZh8cQUqPT7ahvYi1aoFBs/edit

1. A laptop is for the exclusive use of the teacher to whom it has been assigned. It is not intended as a replacement for a home computer and at home should be used only by the teacher.

Mindfulness App

Calm Mindfulness iOS app or Website is giving teachers free accounts to use with their students. Here is more information about the Calm Schools Initiative. Here is the Link if you would like to sign up for your own account. OES will be pushing out the Calm App to your teacher iOS device. Note: It does take several days to receive your redemption code email. (Check your Spam Folder if you don’t receive one.) ~Debra

Research Support from the Library

As you and your students continue and begin your research work, please feel free to use this as a guideline for citations.  There are three really useful links included as well.  There are lots of possibilities to generate citations without writing them out by hand, but this template which I have shared before breaks it down and provides space for them to create their own using the MLA format. 

Also, don't forget our databases when guiding students.  Gale Biography in Context, Gale Science in Context and Access Science are really easy to use and have quality articles.  And, of course, World Book and Encyclopedia Britannica-which offer text to speech/audio for many of the articles.

Report Writing Day – Friday, 2/9

You are welcome to write reports wherever you are most comfortable. Lunch will be served at school. See proof-reading plan below.

Report Timeline
Thanks for your good work on assessments and report writing
2/9 – Report Writing Day
2/12 - Reports Due. Proofing begins.

• Proofing rotation:
• Grade Level Classroom Teachers - proof each others
• Primary - Shelley proofs Chris O'T’s
• Art - Chris proofs Margaret’s, Kirstin proofs Laura’s
• Music - Kristen and Amy proof each others
• PE - Proof each others
• Spanish - Kelola proofs Alfredo’s. Kirstin and Chris split Kelola’s
• Science - David proofs Jane’s

2/14 - End of day all posted in PCR
2/16 – All Reports posted to Parent Portal/ ERB’s mailed
2/19 - Holiday
3/1 & 3/2 - Conferences

Report Card Reading Continuum Reminders
These two documents might be helpful as we work on report cards. The Fountas and Pinnell Instructional Reading Level Expectations is a document which highlights the instructional reading level expectations for every grade level. This is helpful just as you are tracking your students and making sure they are meeting expectations.
The Correlation of Continuum Stages and Text Levels document highlights reading levels and matches them with the continuum stages. This can help you start in one stage and review the skills to see which stage the student fits into as well as skills and strategies for the narrative comments.

PGD Opportunities

Mathematics Conference

On March 7th-10th, Teachers Development Group Leadership Seminar on Mathematics Mary is going. Even better if some LS colleagues join her. Many of the authors of mathematics education books and curriculum materials as well as leaders in the math education research field come to speak. They often share their most current research on children's mathematical thinking.  

Wednesday night for the keynote. Thursday and Friday all day. Thursday night a banquet is offered, but it is optional. Saturday morning is one 2 hour session and a lunch which many people do not attend. 

Brain-based Strategies for Children and Adolescents
Workshop details are available here. Please RSVP no more than one person per grade level to Kirstin.

Library of Congress Teacher Institute
Applications for the 2018 Library of Congress Teacher Institutes have just opened

gcLi Leadership Lab
Week long conference in Colorado focused on teaching teachers about teaching leadership. Let David know if you re interested.

Mindfulness Resources
Claire has compiled a collection of mindfulness resources she’d like to share with you: you can access them here, including the video Why Mindfulness is a Superpower and other wry animated animal wisdom.

Videos
Jeffrey has prepared a folder for us for LS Professional Development videos. Currently you can access videos of the Purpose to Practice Fishbowl from our Faculty meeting as well as Patricia Polacco’s BY Library visit from last year.

OES Google 2 Factor Authentication requirement
Deadline has passed.

OPERATIONS

Flu/Illness Prevention

Shirley has put boxes of gloves in the dry goods cabinet.  Please keep a box in your classroom and use them for serving snacks.  Students should also wear gloves when serving food, and tables should be wiped down before and after snacks. Thank you!

Dining Hall Courtesy

Teachers in Grades PreK-2, please incorporate a visual sweep under the table into your lunchtime duty practice--it can be a child's job or can be completed by an adult, but picking up large items like silverware, napkins and orange peels from the floor is a good habit for us all and makes things easier for our lunchroom staff. Thank you!

PGD and Absence creation

Create an absence  in the Smartfind eSchool Solutions when you are approved to attend a PGD conference or training. Select your absence category as “PGD/Curriculum”. Even if you don’t need a sub, you still need to create an absence.

Storage Room

For safety reasons, students may not go into the storage room to get your class or department supplies. 

Production Room

Materials have been disappearing from the production room: stapler, glue sticks, pens, markers, etc. These materials need to stay inside the production room for everyone to use.

Safety: Emergency Procedures Meeting Notes - The Short Form

• Have your phone, keycard and keys at all times. 
• Maintrequest for issues with blinds or locks
• See Rebecca if you don’t have the keys you need. 
• Jon and Rod are finishing PA testing/repair. We will do a test of our remote PA system once all is ready
• Kati and the Extension team are looking at ways to enhance security after hours

NEW Emergency Procedures Flipchart
Familiarize yourself with it. Know basic first steps.

ALL LS Employees: Time Cards need to be approved twice a month.

Yearbook Pictures
Austin is looking for photos for the yearbook. You can either share them (or where you post them) with him, or add them to the appropriate Google Drive folders. I already have a plethora to dive through, and he is excited to see what you all add.

School Closure Procedure
We generally make a decision—school as usual, two hour delay, or no school—shortly after 5:00 AM.
Accident/Incident Form
We have a NEW Incident/Accident Report Form created by Brad K. 


Three SubFinder Reminders

• Be sure your regular sub hours are set for 7:30 - 3:15
• Specialists, be sure your regular hours match your schedule with 20 minutes of prep time before the day begins and 20 minutes after the day is done for clean-up and communication
• Request planned sick days at least 3 days in advance.

Bus Cost: $50/hr or $2.75/mi

Information Organization
LS Common Forms & other Relevant Information in LS Important Documents
Calendar Manager - LS Calendar information.
Lice Policy - There have been some changes
Field Trips- use the Field Trip Checklist and forms
Ordering materials and supplies - use this Order Form and Order Tracking List
Amazon orders - OES Amazon Business Account
Curriculum, Furniture and Students Services Supplies - Contact your divison Assistant Head Trips around and off campus - be sure Ls Office knows where you areDisease Prevention - health department predicting an early and heavy influenza outbreak
SmartFind Express Reminders - Use SmartFind Express to report all absences
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.