District Staff News
October 28, 2019
Halloween is certainly an exciting day in our schools (the day after, not so much). The parties, the crafts, the costumes: students will have lifelong memories of their Halloween experiences in our schools. Probably not the best formula for an on-task, focused day of learning, but schools are also about just plain fun. Personally, I enjoy seeing the creativity of staff members with their clever costumes and engaging, themed-lessons! If you find yourself dealing with tired, unfocused students on the day after Halloween, the good news is that the holiday falls on a Saturday next year!
We have begun our data analysis of the feedback we received during our community engagement sessions for our district Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP) and the Student Success Act. Once the data is summarized, we will work to ensure these voices are represented in our CIP. The district will provide an executive summary of the feedback to the community once analysis is complete. That information will be incorporated into our application for Student Success Act funds.
ODE released its At-A-Glance School and District Report Cards earlier this month. These profiles don't reveal anything we don't already know; we have a significant achievement gap in our district. The report cards give the community an opportunity to see how an individual school, or the district as a whole, is performing. The data is part of what we analyze as we build our improvement plans and our goals. It will also be a significant factor in our application for Student Success Act funds, as those funds are tied to improving outcomes, particularly for historically underserved students.
The Canby School District Board of Directors will vote at its November 7 work session on whether to refer a facilities bond to voters in May of 2020. On October 17, the research firm hired to conduct a community poll shared the results. We will update you on the Board's decision on November 8.
Enjoy the week!
Best,
Aside from our principals being incredible individuals, we know that a principal's leadership plays a significant role in improving student achievement. Research supports these Top 10 Makings of a Successful School Leader.
As we continue our School Climate Plan development, these leaders will help guide and support positive school climate efforts in our buildings. Our principals, along with their School Climate Teams, are digging into data and research and best practices to ensure all students have the supports they need to be successful.
I'd like to thank each of our principals for their leadership, collegiality, and dedication to our students.
- Ivonne
October is Bullying Prevention Month. As educators, we are often on the frontlines of bullying prevention. National statistics show that bullying is on the rise. Nationally, 20% of middle and high school students report being bullied. Of these, 15% indicate that they have been bullied through media/cyberbullying. Take a moment to read this article, which discusses this important issue and gives tips to teachers and parents to help our tweens and teens in navigating this issue.
On another note, during the District In-service time provided on October 11, the Special Education staff and learned about Synergy technology updates from Heather Prouty, CESD. Additionally, Betty Rivinus led the team in discussions about increasing inclusive practices, Extended School Year documentation and data requirements and another review of the district-wide pre-referral process.
Also on October 11, each of our District school’s climate teams met and worked on defining Stage 1, 2 and 3 disciplinary referrals and the processes. This is important work and is targeted for implementation in January 2020. Currently, each school’s climate team is working with Patrick to complete the CR-TFI (culturally responsive tiered fidelity inventory), the results of which will help guide our work together in developing our Climate Plans across the District.
- Kathy
Happy National Cybersecurity Awareness Month!!! What? You didn’t know that October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month? Oh…[entire technology team looks down at their shoes]…that’s okay…
To be honest, “Cybersecurity Awareness” isn’t a term that makes anyone jump up with excitement. Your friends would likely question why they hang out with you if it did (speaking from experience). But technology security should be something that we ALL keep in the back of our minds for both personal and professional reasons. If you get time, take a look at this resource: https://niccs.us-cert.gov/national-cybersecurity-awareness-month-2019. It provides definitions, tactics, and tools that benefit your technology practices both at home and on the job. Bonus points if you at least take a quick gander at ‘Five Ways to be Cyber Secure at Work’.
While we’re talking technology security (hah, you thought I was done!), here’s something to think about: When we share a Google Document from our own drives, we have the ability to ‘Turn on Link Sharing’. By default, the first option for a document with link sharing enabled allows anyone in the Canby School District with the link to see the content of the document. Now that students and teachers are in the same ‘canby.k12.or.us’ organization, this means that if a student has access to a link with this setting enabled, they can view the document.
Don’t panic about this. Students can only view this content if we have somehow published the link AND the owner of the resource has this setting enabled. But know “Who should be able to see this information?” is a question you should ask yourself each and every time you share content from your Google Drive.
Thanks! [entire technology team looks up at the sky and nods, knowing each staff member learned something new]…
- Bret
Employee Assistance Program Newsletter
Reliant Behavioral Health provides a monthly EAP Employee Newsletter that has lots of helpful tips and resources to help you live a healthy & balanced life, check it out here!
Nike Company Store Passes
Seasonal Wreath making with Canby High School's own Terri Cummings is coming in mid-November. More details to come soon. Check in with your building champions at the beginning of November for exact date and times.
- Megan & Morgan
How does this translate into our schools? Check out the article by clicking the button below for some classroom tips!
We Need Your Emergency Contact Information
You can also find delay/closure information on the district's website, social media accounts, through Flash Alert notifications, or through local media.
Smash the Hate!
Last week, leadership students set up a junk car, covered in negative words and terms identified by the entire student body. For a small fee, students could take a whack at the car with a sledgehammer to smash the hate.
At the end of the week, the smashed up car was towed away, taking all the negativity behind it. KGW, KATU, KPTV, and the Canby Herald all featured this story. Great job, leadership students and advisor JD Bellum. It's exciting to see students embracing an inclusive, positive school climate where everyone is valued and negativity isn't tolerated.
All students. All abilities. All opportunities.
Email: fostera@canby.k12.or.us
Website: www.canby.k12.or.us
Location: 1130 South Ivy Street, Canby, OR, USA
Phone: 503-266-7861
Facebook: facebook.com/canbyschooldistrict
Twitter: @canbyschools