Whitford Newsletter
October 2020
Principal Message
October 2020
Hello Whitford Families,
All I can say is thank you. Thank you for your patience, effort, and for supporting your children with comprehensive distance learning (CDL). I may sound like a broken record, but we’re all in this together. It takes all stakeholders to support our students and make this experience the best it can be.
Over the next few weeks, you have had, or will have an opportunity to meet your child’s teachers in a back to School Night Zoom format. Instead of having one night for everyone, I allowed each team to decide on a date and an hour to meet with you. During this opportunity, teachers will be presenting how their online classrooms function and how to be successful during CDL. If you have not heard from your child’s teachers, please reach out to them about their date of Back to School Night. If you have specific questions about your child’s progress, please communicate directly with the teachers.
It was released last week that we will continue with comprehensive distance learning through the first semester. This decision was based on the metrics given by the state of Oregon and the current trends that we are seeing not only in Oregon, but more specifically Washington County. Our hope is to return to school as soon as possible as we are all missing the face to face interaction with students.
I have been asked by parents what teachers need right now. Right now, they need positive feedback. This is not what any of us signed up for, but we are up to the challenge to do our very best. I think of it this way, every teacher is now a first-year teacher again, with no student teaching experience, no mentors, and administrators who are learning right beside them. Going from in person teaching, to asynchronous teaching in the Spring to providing a full day of instruction using both synchronous and asynchronous instruction this Fall has been a heavy lift, but a lift that they are adjusting to and determined to get it right for students and families.
Over the next several weeks, I will be hosting several parent Q&A sessions over Zoom. I want to have interaction with our community and hear what successes and challenges you are facing with our CDL model. It’s extremely hard to see from a teacher’s Zoom Room how things are working. The more interaction I can create, the better I’ll be able to guide our staff through this most unusual school year.
Be well,
Brian Peerenboom, Principal
Whitford Middle School
Principal Question and Answer Sessions
https://beavertonk12.zoom.us/j/6218979890?pwd=UCtWek95ZkNzVnQwOUthR3RxeUpXdz09
Zoom ID: 621 897 9890
Passcode: WTMS
10/13 – Principal Question and Answer Session – ENGLISH 6PM
10/22 -- Principal Question and Answer Session – ENGLISH 6PM
10/22 -- Principal Question and Answer Session – SPANISH 7PM
11/9 – Principal Question and Answer Session – ENGLISH 6PM
Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Awareness Week
BSD will be promoting its first Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Awareness Week (October 12-16) to spread awareness of actions that we can all take to prevent suicide and reduce the stigma related to mental health concerns. As part of this important campaign, students at Whitford will receive a lesson to promote positive mental health, recognize the warning signs for suicide risk and encourage help-seeking behaviors. Parents and guardians play a critical role in preventing youth suicide. Please see the resource below to learn more information about suicide prevention and steps that you can take to protect yourself, your community, and your children.
International Bike and Roll Day is October 7th
Join students and families from around the world as you walk or roll in your neighborhood on October 7th. (Please remember to stay 6 feet from those not in your household and wear a mask.) All community members are welcome to participate. Use the link to fill out the google form for each person that joined you on your trip. (BSD students may include name and student ID number for a prize entry).
This year students can earn things like flashing safety lights, reflective shoelaces and new bike helmets. Schools with the most participation will also earn a Safe Routes to School book bundle for their school library. Finally, celebrate International Walk + Roll Day with our Beaverton community by visiting our Facebook page @BeavertonSafeRoutes to share a photo of you with a sign telling us why you love to walk, bike, scooter or skate! (Use the hashtag #BSDtogether)
Google Form Link: https://forms.gle/9rBZws7qDdqAj6Ab6
Whitford Calendar of Events
Upcoming Events
10/6 – 8thgrade Willamette Back to School Night 6PM
10/6 – 6th grade Columbia Back to School Night 7PM
10/7 – School follows a Thursday Schedule
10/7 -- EGC Back to School Night 7PM
10/8 – School follows a Friday Schedule
10/8-- 7th Grade Willamette Back to School Night 6PM
10/9 – NO SCHOOL – Teacher Work day
10/13 – Principal Question and Answer Session – ENGLISH 6PM
10/13 – SUMMA 101 7pm
10/14 – SRC Back to School Night
10/15 – PTO Meeting 6PM
10/20—ISC Back to School Night 6PM
10/22 -- Principal Question and Answer Session – ENGLISH 6PM
10/22 -- Principal Question and Answer Session – SPANISH 7PM
11/9 – Principal Question and Answer Session – ENGLISH 6PM
11/11 – Veteran’s Day – NO SCHOOL
11/13 – Grading Day – NO SCHOOL
11/18 – Picture Retakes 2:30-6PM
Schedule Updates
There are four times during the 2020/2021 school year when a full day of school will be held on Wednesdays. The purpose for holding school on a few Wednesdays is to support four full days of instruction in a week when school will be closed for a holiday, or professional development on a Monday or Friday.
The first day of Wednesday full day instruction will be October 7. For Whitford students, this means that Thursday classes will be held on Wednesday the 7th, and Friday classes will be held on Thursday the 8th. Staff will engage in professional development activities on Friday, October 9, so no classes will be held this day. Friday will be an independent workday for students with no Advisory.
Please mark your calendars. Future days of Wednesday instruction will be January 20, February 17, and June 2.
Extra Computer Monitors?
It is really helpful for teachers to have a monitor in addition to their laptop for teaching this semester. If you have an extra one, in good condition that you are willing to donate, let us know.
Need Help Navigating Canvas?
The district has some videos that will walk you through Canvas. Please go to the Whitford Web Page, select Connect, then Family Tool Kit. Scroll to the bottom of the page for On Demand Video Library. There are 5 Canvas videos that are very helpful.