Staff News
11/20/2020
SE Guiding Coalition Update
Check out info shared in Family Newsletter.
Fall Conferences- IMPORTANT
To view your conference schedule go to :myconferencetime.com/bridgerk8
Login: your pps email
Default Password: Bridger2020
Conference Support Zoom Room:
Office staff will be available on both days from 8:30am-8:30pm to support staff and families.
Here is the link to the Zoom Support Room.
The link has also been added to the Bridger Staff Google Calendar for easy access.
Sharing Conference Forms with Families:
Please Review this document for options and directions for sharing the completed conference form with families.
Interpreters:
This sheet has all conferences that will have an interpreter. It is being updated as interpretation requests are filled. It has the interpreter's name and contact info in case you need to contact them. Please check and see which conferences you are expecting an interpreter for.
In the event that an interpreter cancels, or is unable to attend you can use Telephonic Interpretation.
How do I request a telephonic interpreter?
Call LionBridge at 800-444-6627.
Provide Bridger's 8 digit number (school PIN)- Bridger’s Code is 2213-5708
Request your required language from the language facilitator
Start your conversation
Tribal History/Shared History Amazing PD Opportunity- Extended Hours Available
Bridger, we have some great news from the PPS Office of Teaching and Learning!
Teachers have the opportunity to learn about Oregon Department of Education work on SB 13 curriculum called Tribal History / Shared History. Currently there are two Modules available:
Module 1 covers Since Time Immemorial and Sovereignty Essential Understandings
Module 2 covers History and Tribal Government
These modules are designed to support educators in building a foundation for teaching, training, and serving as a source of support, knowledge, and advocacy within their school, district, or organization.
More Modules are being created, be on the lookout for them in the coming months.
How to Access this Online PD
You will need to set up an iLearn account. All the information you need to set up your account and get started is located on this ODE webpage.
How Do I Get Paid of this PD
You will receive a certificate from iLearn when you complete the PD. Email this certificate to Cindy and she will ensure these extended hours are added to your next paycheck.
How Do I Get Support
Dr. Angie Morrill, our PPS director of Indian Education, is a great resource and expert for any questions as both personally as a Klamath tribal member and also Native professional, she works directly with our Oregon Tribes and ODE Office of Indian Education. Her email address is amorrill@pps.net.
TAG Nominations
This Fall the TAG department is accepting TAG Nomination Forms. If you would like to nominate a student this year, this is the form: TAG Nomination Form for Teachers. Forms are due by December 4th, and no late forms will be accepted. Since we are unable to complete any testing (this includes 2nd grade universal screening), teachers will be providing two work samples instead.
The department has separated the original one page form into two separate forms. If a parent nominates their child, I will let you know and you will be asked to fill out the form for teachers. Families have received a postcard if their child scored above the 95th percentile on Winter MAPS. Families will be responsible for initiating the nomination process.
To view the demographic data for TAG at Bridger, click here: Demographics of TAG at Bridger. Since most nominations for TAG are made by parents, we, as teachers, are in a position to help remove the barriers that prevent all students from being considered for TAG, by nominating students who are representative of different races, language backgrounds, or those who just need an advocate because they would not otherwise be nominated without your help.
Thank you! Let me know if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Jody Acevedo
TAG FACILITATOR
PBIS Virtual Rewards System
Click here to view a summary of the responses.
Therefore, Option 2 is the system that the PBIS committee is moving forward with to implement.
Here is the Google Form that classroom teachers will use to award virtual "Wildcats" to their class.
Here is a menu of possible class rewards.
From the PTA
Dear Bridger Staff,
We appreciate how hard you all are working! In the past, PTA has provided a potluck dinner during conferences. Since this option isn't possible, we would love to offer you a choice of three options: 1) choose a giftcard to postmates to treat yourself to dinner from the place of your choosing, 2) choose an amazon gift card to buy an item of your choice to support yourself or your teaching, 3) say no, thanks.
Please click this link to fill out this information on the google form so we know how we can best show you a little love! If we don't hear from you, we will assume it is a no, thank you.
Also, FYI, we are so grateful for your connecting families to our emergency funds. We have shared $8185 in support to families so far. We have about $1700 left if you have any families that you think would benefit from this support. Thank you!
Bridger PTA
New Teaching Devices Coming!
New teacher devices have been ordered to support CDL. Click here to read more about the new teacher devices.
Don Wolff, Chief Technology Officer, Office of Technology & Information Services (OTIS), wolffd@pps.net
Google Meet Security
This also means that links cannot be created via Google Calendar and shared with students, as this creates a live link that is not secure. If a Google Meet link is shared, rather than a NICKNAME students are able to join the meet at any time without a teacher. District policy states that this is not permitted.
If you do want to share an invite with a student/family via Google Calendar do NOT add a Google Meet Video Conference. Instead, you can add the NICKNAME in the Description.
Check out this video tutorial for instructions on how to do that.
The Hip Hop Nutcracker
Hello, PPS Principals & Teachers!
You're invited to bring your students to the HIP HOP NUTCRACKER Virtual Performance, a free virtual matinee show sponsored by Portland'5 Center for the Performing Arts for PPS schools. This experience is open to grades K-12. A study guide will be furnished for teachers to introduce key content before bringing students to the event.
The show is available to view December 7th - December 11th
Register your class HERE
School Supply Pickup
Thank you SUN School! (long read, but very eye opening)
The Bridger SUN Community School started this work in April 2020 based on the information that was provided during the teacher to family phone calls- if the families disclosed that they needed food support or other basic need support we called them. This work was expanded based on the teacher to family phone calls in the fall of 2020.
I have found that the main buckets of support for families at this time are Food, Rent, and Utilities support based on family surveys and connections.
Food:
- Bridger SUN team currently provides 25 families with weekly food box deliveries
- The Bridger Community Support Group provides 42 families with monthly food box & gift card deliveries
- UMAN provides 10 families with monthly food boxes
- At least 4 Bridger families receive food box deliveries from Sunshine Division (including Thanksgiving and Christmas food boxes)
- PPS has provided approximately 60 $100 gift cards to food insecure families
- 20 COVID-affect food insecure families received $500 gift cards from Multnomah County
- 5 families received a bag of food and a bag of PPE in November from Oregon Family Support Network (OFSN) (number will increase in December)
- Bridger Free Food Market began again in October
Rent:
- 17 referrals made for rental assistance with Latino Network
- Rent due based on family disclosure to Latino Network: average $1250-1850/month with 3-5 months since the last time rent was paid.
Utilities:
- 11 referrals made for energy assistance with Latino Network
Other Resources:
Christmas gifts:
- 5 families will receive Christmas gifts from Grace Baptist Church (including adults)
- 5 families will receive 1 toy for each child in household through Toys for Tots
- 3 COVID-affected families will receive $225 gift card for gift support
- 12 Bridger families will receive $100-$200 gift cards for gift support based on family size
Cleaning & Hygiene Kits:
- 50 Bridger families received either a cleaning kit or hygiene kit (or both) during Summer 2020
COVID-specific support:
- 24 COVID-affected families received a $200 gift card after applying (purchased with CARES funds)
- 1 family referred to Latino Network Community Health Workers for support after positive COVID-19 diagnosis
- 5 families with no access to Unemployment Insurance referred to Oregon Workers Relief Fund
- 5 families referred to PTA emergency funds
School Supplies:
- Prepare approximately 60 school supply kits to distribute to families at the beginning of the school year
- 7 hotspots delivered to Bridger families
- 2 Chromebooks delivered to Bridger families
The biggest needs that families have disclosed in a survey recently shared:
Food
Utilities
Winter Clothes
One last piece I forgot to include is that we were able to provide $8,970 in gift card support over the summer.
And a crazy number I realized last night is that SUN has been able to provide approximately $32,000 in gift card/cash assistance to families since April 2020 between all of our partnerships with Multnomah County and PPS, as well as creatively using our SUN budgets since we are not doing in-person programming. In a typical year we provide about $1000 at most of that support, and that is typically in partnership with the Bridger PTA.
The PTA and the Bridger Community Support group have also provided thousands of dollars of support to our school community as well- we are really wrapping our families with lots of love and support. :)
How to make edits in Book Creator (video)
MTSS November Newsletter
Looking for MTSS resources? This issue highlights "At Home Strategies for Distance Learning" and resources to support Attendance & Engagement. Check it out!
Chandra Cooper, Senior Director of MTSS, OSSS, ccooper2@pps.net
Common Lit Available for Grades 3-12
This is just a reminder that CommonLit is available for all teachers and students grades 3-12 to support and enhance the delivery of the scope and sequence of standards in Humanities courses.
CommonLit (access through Clever or at www.commonlit.org) is a reading program that offers a comprehensive library of literary and non-fiction texts, videos, and lessons for grades 3-12. It includes formative assessments, writing and discussion prompts, interactive annotation tools, text scaffolding features, read-aloud functions, and text translation capabilities in 26 languages.
For information about resources to support usage, including self-guided learning opportunities, please see this document: Overview of 6-12 Humanities Resources + Support + How to Use Through Canvas LMS
Kristina E. Granby, Ed.D., Program Administrator for Secondary Humanities, kgranby@pps.net
Updates from Learning Technologies
This week’s updates include: Google Meet with Parent Conferences, Blocked Youtube videos, Lunch and Learn.
Kevin Crotchett, Director of Learning Technologies, OTIS, kevinc@pps.net
NWEA MAP Accelerator for TAG Students in Grades 3-8
Map Accelerator is a personalized learning tool developed by NWEA and aligned to Khan Academy content for grades 3-8. MAP Accelerator may be used to support instruction of a student’s individual assessed rate and level of learning in Math. It is not a student’s math curriculum, but a resource for teachers to support students in differentiating instruction and monitoring individual student progress. MAP Accelerator will be available to grade 3 - 8 teachers and administrators beginning December 1, 2020. You will receive an email from Khan Academy with a login in link and welcome guide. The email will come from no-reply@khanacademy.org. Be sure to check your spam folder if you don't see the email by 12/1/20.
Administrators and teachers that would like more information on this resource can access a voluntary tutorial at http://prolearning.nwea.org/. Instructions for logging in found here.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact your TAG TOSA or Linda Smith, Director, TAG/IB, lsmith2@pps.net.
Parent Workshop on Early Reading Skills
The Humanities Department is offering a virtual workshop in collaboration with Read by 4th, Drexel University School of Education, and AIM Institute designed to help parents grow their grade K-3 students into strong readers. This workshop will have ideas for making reading fun with the ultimate goal of reading by 4th grade. Parents will receive a workbook to use during and after this workshop.
Sessions will be offered in both Spanish and English with translation available during the English session. Sessions will be recorded. Administrators, please share with teachers and include in your family newsletters.
Friday, December 11, 2020 (4:00 pm-6:00 pm) - English with translation
Saturday, December 12, 2020 (10:00 am - 12:00 pm) - Spanish
Jennifer Hernandez, Assistant Director, Humanities, OTL, jhernandez1@pps.net
Building Access
There is no need to sign in on the paper sign in sheet, it is for contractors ONLY. Please note there are separate sign in sheet links and forms for Holladay Annex