Introduction

YG Staff Newsletter – November 8, 2021

YG Staff Newsletter – November 8, 2021

Dear YG staff,

Sunday the time shifted from Daylight Savings to standard time. That is, we “fell back” one hour. I don’t expect that this will change behavior significantly, but it will be a change to students’ internal clock. A significant change for teachers is that they will have two long 12-hour days, Tuesday and Wednesday. Fortunately, we all have Thursday off for Veteran’s Day, and most licensed teachers will have Friday off as a comp day.

Items of Note

Staffing Updates

Naoko’s status and 2nd Grade Japanese

Naoko was able to get her emergency license at the end of last week. She will officially start working at the 2nd grade Japanese teacher, working Monday through Thursday. I will be posting a .2FTE Japanese teaching position to teach Japanese on Fridays. Fortunately, we do not have school on Friday, the 12th or the 26th.

Naoko is taking a leave-of-absence from her 4-hour EA position while she teaches 2nd grade. I will likely be posting a part-time position, but I have to determine how much staffing I can afford. I had assigned more classified staffing that YG was allocated this year, so I need to be mindful of what staffing we have remaining. On a positive note, we have some staff who have taken leaves-of-absence. I think this will result in a net reduction in the licensed staffing we will be using this year. I am expecting some staffing that we can save and re-allocate to classified staffing. I am hoping to post for a 4-hour EA position, but I will be taking this week to determine how much staffing we can afford to allocate.

In the meantime, Machiko will be shifting her responsibilities and supporting 2nd grade during the transition.

Guest Teachers for YG This Week

Monday – TuesdayNancy Imamura in for Mariko
Monday – Tuesday – Alison Johnson in for Taylor
Tuesday AM – Chastity
in for McKenzie

Bathroom Use by Staff

Here’s a reminder that staff may not use student bathrooms. Staff need to use the bathroom in the staff room or the staff bathroom near the office.

Assisting Students Using the Bathroom

If a student needs assistance using the bathroom, be sure to have another staff member present. Let me know if you have questions.

Go to an Art Museum Today Day

Tuesday is “Go to an Art Museum Today Day.” If you are interested in taking a virtual trip to a museum, see “20 Famous Art Museums You Can Visit from Your Living Room” or “25+ Amazing Educational Virtual Field Trips” on the We Are Teachers website.

Parent Conference Updates

REMINDER: Conference Dates – Dates for conferences are:

Nov. 9 (T), 4:00-8:00, Evening Conferences
Nov. 10 (W), 8:00-8:00, All-Day Conferences
Nov. 11 (Th), Veterans Day – No School
Nov. 12 (F), No School, Teacher Comp Day, but classified staff work

EA Extravaganza, Wednesday, Nov 10th – Education Assistants should attend the EA Extravaganza between 8:00 and 12:00 via Zoom. See the above link for sessions times, descriptions, and the zoom information. See Marlee Litten’s EA Extravaganza email for more details.

Staff Not at Conferences – Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday are regular work days for all staff who are not part of conferences and should work your regular hours on site. However, if you accumulate trade time or are planning to accumulate trade time in order to stay home any of these dates, email me your plan ahead of time.

Translation Services – If you need someone to translate during parent conferences, remember that 4J has translation and interpreter services. See the Language Link Interpretation Service for more information.

Seesaw Usage

Seesaw and Families – Make sure families are signed up with Seesaw Family at conferences. You can see which family members are connected by logging into your Seesaw account and clicking on the ADD families button.

Resources for Families

Should any families request tutoring, the Eugene Rotary (WEBSITE and Rotary-Community-Tutoring Flyer) offers free virtual tutoring and the NAACP (WEBSITE and NAACP-Free-Tutoring-Flyer) also offers a free in person tutoring program for all BIPOC students. Teachers should NOT suggest tutoring, because that puts the district on the hook to provide or pay for tutoring.

Parent Requests for SpEd Evaluation

If a parent requests their child get an IEP or wants them tested for special education, you need to notify me or our school psychologist, Justin Potts, ASAP. A time clock starts from the moment the parent makes the initial request.

Language Arts Adoption Updates

If you’re interested, Expeditionary Learning (EL) and Wit & Wisdom are the two curriculum choices that will be piloted this year. One of them will be adopted for implementation next school year.

PD on the Fly.

This information was sent to teachers, but I thought it would be useful to have it repeated here. In this edition of PD on the Fly, you will find information on TalentEd goals and parent-teacher conferences. Our team wishes you great success with conferences and we hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Thanksgiving Lessons Reminder

Here’s a reminder about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Staff should keep in mind that student conceptions of Native Americans often come from classroom activities around the First Thanksgiving. These conceptions of Native Americans gained from such early exposure is often both inaccurate and potentially damaging. When planning activities, be aware that what most of us learned in school about the “Pilgrims” and “Squanto” and the “First Thanksgiving” is a mixture of both history and myth. Thanksgiving activities should avoid reinforcing historical myths and should also avoid stereotypes. It’s often best to shift the focus away from the “First Thanksgiving” and instead focus on items children can be thankful for in their own lives and on their families’ celebrations of Thanksgiving at home. Some resources on what to avoid and what to teach can be found at the National Museum of the American Indian, Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance), and Education World. This Google Doc links to a ton of read aloud stories, primary sources, site, and other information about Native and Indigenous People. Here is a good article with a Native American Perspective on Thanksgiving as well as one on The True Story of the First Thanksgiving. Also, the 4J Natives Program is available for classroom presentations year-round and can offer an accurate picture of Native American culture.

Repeat – Behavioral Safety Assessment Training Video

Sheri Hoyland, the 4J Behavioral Safety Assessment Coordinator (threats, suicide, safety, etc.), asked principals to share with staff the linked Behavioral Safety Assessment Training Video. Linked here is her full Behavior Safety Assessment email, which also includes a link to the Student Wellness & School Safety Department website, which is your “one stop shop” for all things Student Wellness & School Safety Department, and also the linked Age Appropriate Sexual Behavior in Children and Young People , which delineate which behaviors are Age Appropriate, Concerning, or Very Concerning by age range (0-4, 5-9, 9-12, and 13-18).

Parent Conference Repeats

REMINDER: Conference Dates – Dates for conferences are:

Nov. 9 (T), 4:00-8:00, Evening Conferences
Nov. 10 (W), 8:00-8:00, All-Day Conferences
Nov. 11 (Th), Veterans Day – No School
Nov. 12 (F), No School, Teacher Comp Day, but classified staff work

EA Extravaganza, Wednesday, Nov 10th – Education Assistants should attend the EA Extravaganza between 8:00 and 12:00 via Zoom. See the above link for sessions times, descriptions, and the zoom information. See Marlee Litten’s EA Extravaganza email for more details.

Staff Not at Conferences – Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday are regular work days for all staff who are not part of conferences and should work your regular hours on site. However, if you accumulate trade time or are planning to accumulate trade time in order to stay home any of these dates, email me your plan ahead of time.

Translation Services – If you need someone to translate during parent conferences, remember that 4J has translation and interpreter services. See the Language Link Interpretation Service for more information.

Upcoming Events

November 8 (M)

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

November 9 (T)
Regular School Day
3:15-4:00, iPBS Meeting
4:00-8:00, Parent Conferences on Zoom

November 10 (W)
8:00-12:00, EA Extravaganza
9:00-10:00, Tom to Principals Collaboration via Zoom
8:00-8:00, Parent Conferences on Zoom

November 11 (Th) – Veterans’ Day Holiday – No School

November 12 (F) – No School – Teachers Comp Day

November 15 (M)
4:00-5:00, Tom to All Admin Meeting

November 16 (T)
3:15-4:00, YG Staff Meeting

November 17 (W)
9:00-11:00, Tom to Elementary Principals Meeting on Zoom
3:20, Tom to Goal Setting Meeting

November 18 (Th)
3:15-4:00, Site Council Meeting
6:30-7:30, PTO Meeting

November 19 (F) – Picture Retakes
2:00-4:00, Tom to DLI Principals Meeting

Coming Up

November 24 (W) – Potential Teacher Work Day

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