Saturday Scoop
For Information and Inspiration
Our Collective Work
Consistent Curriculum Implementation In All Classrooms
Meaningful Feedback to Students and Teachers
Social Emotional Learning
Weekly Message
Dear Raleigh Hills Staff,
Wow! Has this been a crazy year or what? It will give us something to talk to our grandkids about for sure. Someone pointed out to me that with this furlough happening, we have 15 days of school left. I have to admit, that gave me a panic attack. There was so much I wanted to do together this year that we won't get to do. The silver lining is that next year has to be so much better in comparison.
Because of the realization that we only have a limited number of days left, there are some things that I will need your help with before the end of the school year. I am putting them all in this newsletter with varying due dates. I will remind you of what is upcoming, but it might be a good idea to bookmark this link. There is so much information in this one. In the announcements section, I listed the things that are upcoming. I tried to spread out the due dates, but I wanted you to have the lay of the land. I apologize in advance for the length. I appreciate all you have done and continue to do to be there for kids during this crazy time.
Warmly,
Jennifer
Staff Shout Outs
Thanks to De-Nice and D-Na for reppin us with the union. K2
Thanks to Max for the new and creative way to choose which movie to watch. Can I borrow your cat? But really, thanks for your good nature and humor. Glad to be on your team! K2
To all the para educators who were running around the halls, Leti, Rebecca, Kathy, Tara, Edwina, Teddy, Colleen, on the day students came to pick up belongings, you were all awesome. So patient with the families and kids and organizing all the bags. Even on the very windy day, :) -- Denise
Thanks, Denise, for helping me help families with Chromebook issues efficiently, patiently, and effectively. Very appreciated! Kris
Thank you Amelia and Pamela for joining for live classes, office hours and prep times! Always great sharing ideas how to best support our students. Always a bonus when you join in on the Kahoots and read a louds! You are both helping me stay sane! -Maximillian
A million thank yous to Kathy and Betsy for zooming with our class and meeting in breakout rooms with students who need extra help and guidance.❤️Laura Richter
Thank you to Yvett for the activities and events you have facilitated in order to keep school spirit alive even though we’re not at school!❤️Laura Richter
Thank you to Colleen for keeping our buddy relationships going! We have had fun zoom meetings with break out rooms. My class is learning so much from this awesome learning experience! -Kristie A
Hoai,
It has been great working with you. Your dedication to continue to educate your class remotely is inspiring. Thanks for making me feel so welcome in your class every day. -Tara
Betsy,
Thanks for keeping me laughing. I look forward to seeing your smiling face in community Zoom meetings. -Tara
A huge thank you to Amy, Dana, Ellen, Kristine, Laura, Susannah, and Haoi for letting me join their Zoom meetings! -Aprill
Shout out to all of my fellow specialists team, who are always helpful, and fun to work with, and who are extremely caring about reaching all of the students! -Jody
All our specialists, Renee, Glen, Holly, Aprill, Jody, Alaina, are getting out such great work for kids in their lessons. You all are doing so much that helps kids feel connected to their music, p.e., tech, and library. Plus you make anyone on your team feel so welcome. Thanks. -Denise
Furlough
- The most important thing is to be a connection for students on M-Th! Let's continue to be available for students on those days.
- Nothing new should be pushed out on Fridays and you should not respond to student work or check email. You might consider an Out of Office reply on your Outlook.
- You and your teammates should decide together how you will cut 20% of your workload. Here are some suggestions: if you do multiple zooms a week-drop one, combine some of your small groups, use one of Alaina's read-alouds in place of one of your own, spend less time responding to student work, or adjust the content you are pushing out. Please put into this form to record what your team has decided to cut so that I know. Use the table in the last tab of the FAQ. It's called Remote Learning Phase 3 Schedule Revisions. (See photos below) I will need this by Thursday, May 21.
- Do not try to do 5 days worth of work in 4 days. As hard as it is, you need to decide what you will eliminate.
As always, if you have questions, please email, text, call or visit my office hours. I can help with guidance. Don't forget, you can come to office hours as a team if you find that helpful. I haven't had to yet, but if I find that you are waiting in my waiting room, I will text you to let you know that I see you.
Schedule Changes for Next Week
- Staff meetings will remain on Tuesdays at 2:30
- The building will be open Tuesdays from 10-2 for check out purposes
- Furlough days will be Fridays for everyone except Chris and Joann
- Care Team will be Mondays at 1:30 as usual
Map
Since the input was that we wanted to bring 4th grade in from the portables, and because I've heard input all year about various different things that don't work on our map, I wanted to get additional input from you about ideas you have for next year. I'm including a link to a map of the school below. If you would like to, please print it out and code it how you think it might work. You could put it into notability and draw on it, then send me a screen shot. Or you could print it, draw on it and then send a picture. Or any other creative way you might think of to share it back. I will take several of the most interesting ideas and put them back out for your consideration. My major goals for the school map are safety of staff and students and ease of collaboration. Therefore, please adhere to these criteria when making your sketches:
- all classrooms should be inside the building with access to sinks for safety
- all teams should be together
- maps should be labeled with grade levels rather than teacher names
I'd love to have your ideas by Wednesday, May 20th.
Announcements
Calendar for Next Year
Due to so many unknowns, the district is delaying the master calendar for next year. It includes conference dates, back-to-school events, etc. This is what I use to start building our Raleigh Hills calendar. Because this will be delayed until June, I will hold off for a bit before I start our calendar for next year. My hope is to get it to you ASAP after they release theirs. If I'm worried that it won't be out until we're done with school, I will put together a draft with dates that will be subject to change.
We will be having Camp Achieve for rising 1st through 5th graders this summer. It will be 8 weeks long and fully online. If you signed up to teach, you should be receiving information soon. Cost to families for participation is $10/child. We will be limited in the number of students that we can nominate to attend Camp Achieve so I am including a form here. You can nominate any student from your class or those you work with (ELD and SPED should feel free to nominate students). If we get too many, I will prioritize those who were successful at connecting during distance learning. Please complete your nominations by Thursday, May 21.
Schedule Committee
I'd like to convene a committee to start talking about the schedule for next year so we'll have something nice to make into confetti once we get guidance from the state. JUST KIDDING! I think if we have a good start on this before we leave for the summer, it will make an easier jumping off point for whatever adjustments we need to make. Let's meet next Thursday at noon. Anyone who would like to be a part is welcome.
Meeting ID: 998 9081 5544
Password: 763449
Student Success Framework
I wanted to remind you about this document. Per the certified contract, I need to get your input about it each year. I thought it might be good if I put it on your radar. If you have ideas about improvements or adjustments, please add them to this form. I will need all feedback by June 1.
End of Year Survey - Input for Next year
I am including an end-of-year survey for you fill out. I will miss having sit-down meetings with each of you to talk about your yearly growth and share successes. Given that, and the fact that we will have to teach our hearts out next year, I'd love to get your thoughts about what the focus of our year should be. This survey will be due on June 8th, but I'm including it here so you can complete it as you have time.
Supply Lists for Next Year
Think about your supply list. I know we talked about this at the staff meeting. If you think you know what you will be asking for, feel free to send it to me and copy Yvett and Vicki. We are going to start talking about school-wide supplies for the school for next year so we can get our lists ready. As soon as I can begin to order things, I will. It will be nice to know what you're asking families for so we can see what we'll need to have on hand. You might consider individual supplies, hand sanitizer, clorox wipes and masks. I'll ask for your best ideas by Monday, June 15th.
New Specialist Schedule
M - PE
T - Music
W - Library
Th - Tech
Teaching Differently Online
Colleen shared an article with me about adjusting our teaching methods to fit the online model. It's not about just putting your lessons in Canvas. It's also about thinking through how students will interact with what you're putting out there. She said that some days are better than others for her and I know that will be true for all of us. Like she says, "Some is better than none." It is an interesting, quick read. Tip number 4 about reflection really spoke to me. I hope you find it useful as well.
SEL Scoop from Juliet
What if We Don't Return to School as Usual
Please take a moment to read this thought-provoking article about equity and how we can change so the system can change for good.
"COVID-19 has produced what may be one of the largest worldwide and systemic disturbances of all time. While schools closed overnight and our daily routines have changed, the inequities produced by our systems are even more stark in terms of which students have access to technology, internet, food, and housing and which families have the privilege of sheltering in place to stay safe. Since we know that disturbance is required for change and there is no doubt that disturbance is happening as we speak, the question is, are we willing to use this opportunity to create the kind of educational system that we want?We have learned that if we are going to change a system, we as individuals first have to SEE what the system is producing, then we have to ENGAGE with others to design something different, and finally we have to ACT."
Parent Communication
- Setting up routines and structures and having a daily academic check in with their kids
- Changes to the pick up and kindergarten packets due to furlough
- A special school messenger went out regarding picking up double food on Thursdays since we are not open on Fridays
Jennifer DeMartino
Email: jennifer_demartino@beaverton.k12.or.us
Website: https://raleighhills.beaverton.k12.or.us
Location: 5225 Southwest Scholls Ferry Road, Portland, OR, USA
Phone: 503 356-2160
Twitter: @jendemartino