OSP Connected
June, 2018-Office for School Performance-Volume 20
Message from Dayle
In 2016 we completed our district Needs Assessment hearing from over 1000 students about what was and wasn’t working for them in our district. They had wisdom to share and the focus on knowing students by name, strength and need and sharing our belief in each as stated in our strategic plan was fueled by this wisdom.
In the last two months we have again reached out our middle and high school students and have almost 4000 who have shared their opinions via a survey (thank you staff for sharing the link and providing a little time to allow students to share their perspective). We are still crunching data but overall, once again, we are learning a lot.
Students are beginning to identify more adults as advocates and champions of their success. More students can name an adult in the system who they can go to for guidance and support on their path to college and career.
Almost 85% of kids are aware of at least one career that interests them.
Over ¾ of them know what is required to graduate and move on to a career or college of their choice.
The one I want to really emphasize, however, is simultaneously heart warming and heart breaking. In a nutshell, your words matter! One of the questions asks students if they can recall an interaction with a staff member that has had a lasting effect on their lives. (Many of the comments we had heard in 2016 were about teachers who had “loaned their belief” to students and it carried them through.) This open question brought out those stories once again. Students recalled their first grade teacher who said they would be at their graduation because they knew they were capable! They shared the talk with their science teacher who told them to consider being a biologist because they were great critical thinkers and that is what they plan on studying. But they also shared other stories of words or phrases that were deflating or critical and as they recalled the interaction, seemed mean.
As a teacher (and mother, sister, etc) I know I have said things in frustration or aggravation or even exhaustion that I would like to take back. We can’t take words back. But I can tell you, after reading the students stories, I am even more committed to not being the source of those negative memories anymore. I am committing to saying things like, “I’m frustrated” or “I am exhausted and will talk to you tomorrow” instead of responding negatively. Our words matter more than we think. Let’s use each opportunity to interact in a way that plant seeds of hope, potential and belief in our students and the amazing things that are in store for their futures. What can you say today?
HSD Focus 2017-2018
INSTRUCTION: Celebrations and Summer Reboot
This year is coming to a close and with it we have to celebrate all of the learning opportunities that many of you led and / or were involved in. We celebrate around 100 elementary leaders receiving ongoing PD through the math and language arts PD structure and all K-12 schools taking back to move forward PD modules emphasizing that language is the key through our Elementary and Secondary Leadership Collaborations.
Looking forward into the 2018-2019 school year and year 3 of our strategic plan, our instructional focus remains in the areas of Purpose, Engagement and Assessment from the 5 Dimensions of Teaching & Learning. As you indulge in your summer plans, also take the opportunity to get caught up on the pile of books, magazines and articles you’ve been meaning to read. Here is a list of some books for your summer reading.
In addition to these books, jumpstart the school year by attending summer PD sessions and the Hillsboro School District Summer Summit on Thursday, August 23rd at Century High School. This is a conference style professional development with sessions offered by district teachers and staff members! Look for the program at the end of June through Serebra on MyHSD.
In addition to these books, jumpstart the school year by attending summer PD sessions and the Hillsboro School District Summer Summit on Thursday, August 23rd at Century High School. This is a conference style professional development with sessions offered by district teachers and staff members! Look for the program at the end of June through Serebra on MyHSD.
We will also have summer PD opportunities throughout the summer. Check out the following links and register on Serebra:
321 Insight
Amy Blakey - Curriculum and Assessment Coordinator
We are pleased to introduce Amy Blakey as our new curriculum and assessment coordinator in the Office for School Performance, effective July 1.
Amy was serving as the principal of Forest Hills Elementary School in Lake Oswego. She has been a secondary language arts and English teacher in the Klamath County School District and literacy TOSA and regional school improvement coordinator for ODE. She also served as both a principal and curriculum coordinator for the Dixon Unified School District in Dixon, CA and principal in the Travis Unified School District in Fairfield, CA. Amy has a strong skill-set that includes curriculum alignment, professional development, PLCs, and relationship-building. She is currently working on her doctoral degree in transformational leadership, and we are confident she will do an excellent job as our new coordinator of curriculum. We welcome Amy to our HSD family!
Language Arts Adoption
We are gathering a leadership team from all levels to begin the Language Arts adoption process. It has been many years since we reviewed and updated our core instructional materials K-12 in Language Arts. The process will include an evaluation of our current program, a new set of goals for our program moving forward, and piloting of new materials and tools for curriculum instruction and assessment. Stay tune to learn and / or participate as the process moves forward.
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS: Closing Out the Year
While it is important to foster and nurture (beginning and middle) relationships with students and families, it is equally important to give attention to why and how these relationships will come to an end. If you are expecting to see students next year at your school, some suggestions can include a brief recap of how things went this year and encourage students to come back next school year (continue to foster a sense of belonging: “We want to see you next year, so come back!”). For those of you who have students who will be transitioning, it might be helpful to provide students with a piece of advice that will be beneficial to them once they transition into middle/high school, or college.
The how of endings is essential as this could be the last point of contact that a student or family will have with you, and ending on a positive note can open future possibilities. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that when we live in the community that we work in, we are prone to crossing paths with current/former students and families (even if this is 10 years down the road). This is a great time to reflect on: “How do I want to be remembered, and the next time I see this student/family how I do want this interaction to be when it happens—positive, negative, awkward, or distant.” Let’s work towards positive endings, and fostering in our students and families a sense of belonging and importance, and that they are valued." To view more resources and strategies, click the link.
CAREER & COLLEGE READY: More Help for Summer Melt
A collaborative partnership between Portland Community College and the Hillsboro School District to provide proactive outreach using an AmeriCorps VISTA member hopes to protect our students from summer melt. Summer melt is the term used to describe the phenomenon where students, who qualify for college and in some cases even register for classes, ultimately end up not attending college because they lack resources, support, guidance, and encouragement. Summer Melt impacts 10-40% of students, and more prevalent in low-income minority communities and first-generation students. Traditional high school supports do not directly address this period of transition. Additionally students that delay postsecondary enrollment are less likely to complete their postsecondary education, so that first summer after high school is critical to their success.
This partnership between PCC and HSD will help ensure our students are enrolling, and achieving, post-secondary success. The added capacity of an AmeriCorps member will improve the educational equity for some of our most vulnerable students, being available for when our students over the summer months when they need it the most. The AmeriCorps volunteer will be on site weekly in high school buildings working with Seniors starting this Fall. This is the first year of a three year program and we're actively recruiting for a member. If you know somebody who will be a great fit please contact Brooke Nova.
Bond Update: New Furniture
Annual Policy Review
The annual policy review takes 2.36 hours and will be sent to you this month. Licensed staff can choose to do it in summer, inservice or prep/teacher directed academic seminar from now into the end of September. Classified staff are not expected to do it outside of school and should do it on paid contract time and they can work with their principal to decide when that time will be provided prior to Sept 30th.