Introduction

Staff Newsletter – October 18, 2021

Staff Newsletter – October 18, 2021

Dear YG Staff,

Monday will be our last day with Monica and Kumiko with us. It will be hard for all of us to see them at school for the last time. On a positive note, there will be no school, and we will have time for a luncheon (sponsored by the PTO) in the cafeteria.

Items of Note

Scheduling Reminders

Monday, 3:00-4:00, Staff Meeting in Room 14 (instead of our Tuesday meeting)

Tuesday, 1:50-2:20, Starting new PM recess schedule

Thursday
10:22, Earthquake Drill
3:15-4:00, Site Council Meeting
6:30-7:30, Teachers to attend the PTO meeting via Zoom.
https://zoom.us/j/91215590068?pwd=Ui9vSTRqZnJlcTVIVjdHVjZhajJLdz09
Meeting ID: 912 1559 0068
Passcode: YGPTO

Scheduling Updates

Revisions to the Supervision Schedule and EA Schedules have been updated to include:

  • The new PM Recess Schedule that will begin Tuesday, October 19th.
    1:50-2:00: Grades 4-5
    2:00-2:10: Grades 2-3
    2:10-2:20, Grades K-1
  • Naoko’s schedule changes. removing all but the last recess from her supervision duties.
  • She will be supporting the 2nd grade as much as she can in her daily schedule.
  • Michelle Melvin will be supervising the 2-3 recess and 4-5 recess in the mornings, but she will be taking her break during the K-1 recess.

Staffing Updates

  • Maran will be starting Monday as the new 2nd grade English teacher.
  • Naoko’s schedule was changed so that she can support 2nd grade as much as possible during her 5 hours at school. Naoko will be absent this week, but Machiko will be filling in for her.
  • Machiko will also be working an extra hours this week.
  • Mariko will be out again this week and Monday, the 25th. Nancy will be her substitute all week and Monday. Mariko could come back on the 26th, but we will need to see how she is doing next week.
  • YG-Kelly EA – Izumi will continue as a substitute campus supervisor Tuesday-Friday of next week.
  • Custodian for next week – I am expecting Randy back this week, but things could change. I am hoping we have a new day custodian starting this week, but I have not yet heard anything.
  • Kelly-YG EA (campus monitor) – John and I will be conducting interviews Monday morning. We hope we will have a new person in place by the following Monday.

Guest Teachers for YG This Week

Tuesday – FridayNancy Imamura in for Mariko
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday – Anne Gilles in for 2nd Grade Japanese
Wednesday, Thursday,  – Jody Garratt in for 2nd Grade Japanese
Tuesday PM, Wednesday, and Friday – Alison Johnson supporting 2nd Grade English.

Library Volunteer Update

Friday I shared with EAs that 4J is now allowing volunteers to come into the building to work in the library. However, staff should know that they cannot work in the same way they have done in the past. I have been in contact with Rebecca Hart and she is interested in volunteering. I need to check her status with 4J in case her volunteer status has expired.

NOTE: Volunteers may not:

  • Check out books to students or check them in – this is a violation of student privacy and often inhibits students from checking out the books they actually want. Check out should be run by library staff, teachers, principals, or any 4J employee.
  • Order books – this should be performed by teacher librarians and classified staff with support from the district librarian, teachers, or principals as we work to build diverse, culturally sensitive, and appropriate library collections.
  • Weed library books – this takes experience, training, and support and should be done by teachers, principals, or classified library staff with support from the district librarian.

Volunteers opportunities:

  • Read with students
  • Process new books (Kapco cover, spine labels, barcode, stamps)
    • Volunteers do not add books to the library catalog. Ask the assigned library staff, the district cataloger (Mellissa Magill), or district librarian (Amy Page)
  • Shelve books and organize shelves
  • Help students locate books on the shelf
  • Listen to kids read
  • Supervise a project station/maker space
  • Teach a special skill (ie. ASL, origami, knitting, etc.)
  • Prepare materials (cutting, copying, gluing, bulletin boards, etc.)
  • Make a poster
  • Assist students on technology projects
  • Photographer (make sure students’ parents haven’t opted them out of photos)
  • Video making (see above)
  • Write a library newsletter article

Autodialer Attendance Calls – As an FYI, downtown is finally starting the autodialer tardy call to families this week. Absent calls started last week.

Learning for All Update/Pause – Kat Lange sent an email to principals and effectively said that Learning for All PD is still a priority in our ACT plan, but PD around Learning For All is indefinitely postponed. If you want more details, see the linked SSD Email.

Free Kits from Audubon-AdventuresAudubon Adventures is an awardwinning environmental education curriculum created by the National Audubon Society for grades 35. Developed by professional environmental educators, Audubon Adventures presents standardsbased science content about birds, wildlife, and their habitats.

Thanks
to generous donations made members of the Lane County Audubon Society,
you can receive these awardwinning environmental curriculum kits at no cost.
The kits require no previous knowledge on the topic and include: online instructional guides
32 copies of three issues of a colorful magazines for your students
learning assessments
quizzes and games
science education standards for grades 35
additional resources for each unitTo preview the material yourself, visit http://audubonadventures.org/Whatis.htm
We are excited about the new materials and hope that you will participate. To receive your free Audubon Adventures materials, please email audadv@laneaudubon.org and be sure to include your name, school, class size, and the grade you teach.

Mandatory Elementary School Bus Safety Training

The state requires all students, even non-bus riders, to receive instructions on bus safety before the end of December 2021. Linked here is a Bus Training Info Sheet (Riding the School Bus Safely and Emergency Exits Handout sent to principals, but all classroom teachers need to do is show a bus safety video. There’s the Newer Bus Evacuation Training Video or the quaint 1990s relic The Safest Way Out. Teachers then let me know the date you showed the video for the report I have to submit to Transportation. You might want to show this on the day we have our earthquake drill.

Upcoming Events

October 18 (M) Teacher Planning Day – No School

8:15-11:15, Tom and John Conducting Interviews
12:00-1:00, YG Luncheon (Sponsored by YG PTO)
1:00-2:00, Scott, Elayne, and Tom to iPBS Meeting

3:00-4:00, YG Staff Meeting
4:00-5:00, Tom to All Administrator Meeting at Ed Center

October 19 (T)
3:15-4:00, Staff Meeting

October 20 (W) – Fire Marshal Inspection
9:00-11:00, Tom to Elementary Principal Meeting on Zoom
3:15-4:00,  No Admin Initiated Meetings for Licensed Staff

October 21 (Th)
8:30-11:30, Kelly to TAG Coordinator Meeting
10:22 – Earthquake Drill
3:15-4:00, Site Council Meeting via Zoom
6:30-7:30, YG PTO Meeting via Zoom

October 22 (F)
3:00-4:00, 850 Howard Safety Committee Meeting

October 25 (M)

3:00-4:00, No Admin Initiated Meetings

October 26 (T)

October 27 (W)
9:00-10:00, Tom to Elementary Principal Collaboration on Zoom
3:15-4:00,  Data Team Meeting in Room 14
4:30, Tom to COSA Administrators of Color Meeting

October 28 (Th)
10:00-10:30, Ruby Bridges-Hall Virtual Event

October 29 (F) – EasyCBM Window Closes
3:15-4:00, Data Team Meeting in Room 14

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