Old Adobe Educator Weekly Round-Up
August 23 - August 27, 2021
MESSAGE FROM SUPERINTENDENT LOWERY
Three Days in the Books and Exciting Days Ahead
Greetings OAUSD Educators,
With our first week of school in the books, we were absolutely energized having students back in our lives as they filled our classrooms, halls and playgrounds. Over the next couple of weeks we will continue to refine our practices with arrival and dismissal, transportation and food services.
We remain committed in our prioritization of student and staff safety. Please continue to visit our COVID page where you can stay up to date with our mitigation and response protocols.
This week we will kick off the Superintendent Classroom Visit Sign-Ups. Please sign up for a time for me to visit your classroom and see the awesomeness already happening in OAUSD. Recognizing that this week is STAR testing, there will be more opportunities if this week doesn't work with your class schedule. Next week we will kick off the Superintendent - Educator Meet Ups. Please look for more info in next week's Round-Up.
Let's make it a great week!
Superintendent Lowery
Stronger Together, Better Together.
#OldAdobeStrong
COVID-19 Update
Welcome Our New COVID-19 Safety Technician!
Please welcome Michael Jones, our COVID-19 Safety Technician!
Michael brings a wealth of knowledge and experience as a social worker. His aim is to care for our school community and this new role is pivotal in keeping us all safe.
As a current Sonoma Mountain parent, Michael also brings a genuine love and understanding of OAUSD.
Latest vaccine clinic information: scoe.org/vaccines
CURRICULUM
STAR Benchmarks Begin This Week
EQUITY CORNER
Equity Coalition
Here is a link to the Equity Coalition update and presentation shown at the staff meeting last week.
We want to encourage all to participate and join us. This is a shared leadership opportunity and YOU are vital to this work.
The Equity Coalition Meetings will be held on the 4th Wednesday of the month. Come join us! Here is the Zoom link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88233270203FACILITIES
We just sold our old tractor for $750. That is more money than we thought it was worth. It was nice to see it go to a new home!
FOOD PANTRY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Sign Up Today:-)
We can always use more volunteers to ensure that we can continue this service and provide this much needed resource.
Please sign up by clicking the button below.
HUMAN RESOURCES
STUDENT SERVICES
As we welcome our students and a new school year, remember to develop your self care plan! Investing some time in yourself by developing your self care plan will pay off through the year.
Although it can be easy for an educator to dismiss self care as selfish or even unnecessary. It is an essential part of a teacher’s overall and effectiveness. Taking care of your health allows you to be the best teacher and person you can be- for yourself and your students and others in your life.
Because every educator’s schedule and specific needs are different, practicing self-care can look different for each individual. Please continue to utilize our Districts SELF CARE PADLET for resources and ideas.
Here are some quick ideas to get you thinking about your Self Care Plan:
It is easy to push your self care to the back of the line. For this reason, ensure that your plan includes at least 10 or 20 minutes a day for you to take a break and decompress by yourself.
Without a sense of compassion for yourself, you can’t practice positive self-care. If you struggle with low confidence levels, find ways to work on and improve your self-perspective.
Bring self-care items to school with things you enjoy so you can de-stress during your break if needed.
Social support and connection are important factors in self-care. Find ways to connect with others at least once a day.
Connect and make an agreement with your site principal or another teacher around class support if you need a break or a few minutes for self care.
Some Self Care strategies can even be done with your class at school:
Learning and/or practicing recognizing and processing emotions
Journaling or writing to work through difficult days or challenges or when you feel overwhelmed
Practicing yoga
Mindfulness practice activities
Breathing activities like Four Square or Box Breathing activities.
Practicing positive affirmations
Please continue to look for an Educator Wellness section in the weekly roundup. In this section you will find important information about educator wellness, resources and strategies that you can access and implement right away.
NEW STUDENT SERVICES STAFF
The Student Services Department has welcomed two new educators to our District team. Ashley Gonzalez, School Psychologist, comes to us from Napa. She has a background in Marriage and Family Therapy and has worked with students and families in various settings and with diverse communities. Most recently Ashley has worked in the Martinez Unified School District and the Napa Valley Unified School District as a School Psychologist. Ashley will be working at Old Adobe Elementary, La Tercera Elementary and in our special day program at Miwok. Some fun facts about Ashley are that she loves to travel, her favorite color is red, and she loves to spend time with her family and friends. She and her husband recently got a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and are enjoying riding together.
Vivienne Rus joins us as a new Speech and Language Pathologist. She will be working at Loma Vista and Miwok Valley Elementary Charters. She is so excited to meet everyone and join the District. Vivienne just moved to Petaluma from San Jose where she had spent the last 10 years. She and her husband are both San Jose State University Alumni and have been together since she was nineteen! Vivienne and her husband share a fur baby cat named Cali. When she is not working, Vivienne enjoys camping, reading, spending time with family and friends and trying new things. She recently learned to ski and is looking forward to practicing more this winter.
Please welcome Vivienne and Ashley to our District!
TEACHERS'S CORNER
Book Recommendations, Sharing Materials, Resources and Strategies, etc
Contributed by (THIS COULD BE YOU!)
This section of the Round Up is a focus on teacher voice, input and sharing. If you have something to contribute please submit items HERE by Thursday at 9:00am.
TECHONOLOGY SERVICES
As we continue to provision equipment and deliver devices to sites for distribution and use, here are a couple of resources:
OAUSD Acceptable Use Policy here.
If you have any tech needs please reach out to itsupport@oldadobe.org
OAUSD EVENTS SCHEDULED THIS WEEK
August 23, 2021 - August 27, 2021
THURSDAY, 8/26
Board of Trustees Regular Meeting
Weekly Video(s)
A Little Back to School Humor! :-)
Old Adobe Union School District
Website: https://www.oldadobe.org/
Location: 845 Crinella Dr, Petaluma, CA 94954, USA
Phone: 707-765-4321
Twitter: @OAUSD_Super