Cougar Chronicles
October 6, 2023
Good afternoon,
As we close out our first week of fall, I want to thank all of you for the numerous and unique ways you have supported our OTE family.
Under "Staff Resources," you will find a link to individual and team schedules. Please make sure that your plan remains updated. Also, no schedule should include students' full names; please use initials.
Lastly, I am working to add staff birthdays to the OTE Outlook calendar--it takes time, but hopefully, it will help to celebrate our Cougar family members further!
I wish you a relaxing weekend, staff--enjoy the fall cozies! đ đ
Erica McDonald
Newsletter Table of Contents
Recurring News
- Save-the-Date
- Master Schedule
- Duty Schedule
- Assessment Schedule
- Professional Learning Plan
- PLC Updates
- Emergency Drills
- DEI Spotlight
Recent News
- Updating Staff and Student Computer Operating SystemsâImportant Change
- Updated Directions for Grade Card Comments
- Election Season is Upon Us
- đ Fall Book Fair
- đ Halloween Celebration | October 31
Repeat News
- Bullying Prevention Plan
- Grade Reporting
- Public School Works Training | Due November 10. 2023
- Class Read-Aloud
- Field Trips | First Semester
- Sunflower House Lunch and Learn Session #2
- BVEF Grants
- Extreme Hot and Cold Weather Guidelines
- Staff Resources
Save-the-Date
Friday, October 6: PTO Board Meeting; 9:00 AM-10:00 AM
Wednesday, October 11: PTO Community Service
Wednesday, October 11: Third Grade Field Trip | School of Economics
Friday, October 13: No School | End of Quarter 1
Wednesday, October 18: Third Grade Field Trip | School of Economics
Friday, October 20: Skate Party at Skate City; 5:00 PM-7:00 PM
Tuesday, October 24-Thursday, October 26: Scholastic Book Fair
Tuesday, October 24: Family Night; 5:30 PM-7:30 PM
Thursday, October 26: Donuts with Grownups; 7:15 AM-8:15 AM
Friday, October 27: Cougar All School Assembly; 9:00 AM
Tuesday, October 31: Fall Celebration; details to come at a later date
Click here to view more important dates in the semester.
PLC Updates
- Tuesday, August 29: Literacy/Librarian
- Tuesday, September 12: Math
- Tuesday, September 19: Literacy/Librarian
- Tuesday, September 26: SIT (Student Interventionist Team)
- Tuesday, October 3: WIN (Whatever I Need)
- Tuesday, October 10: ESOL (Monthly)/SEL (Quarterly)
- Tuesday, October 17: Math
- Tuesday, October 24: ESOL (Monthly)/SEL (Quarterly)
- Tuesday, November 7: SIT
- Tuesday, November 14: WIN
- Tuesday, November 28: Literacy/Librarian
- Tuesday, December 5: Math
- Tuesday, December 12: ESOL (Monthly)/SEL (Quarterly)
- Tuesday, December 19: SIT
At the beginning of each i-Ready and Acadience week, Kristen Byers (IDC), Jennifer Gessley (RS), and Sam Armistead (Title I) will inform teams on how to prepare for collaboration and where to meet.
Emergency Drills
We have two drills for October: Lock and Teach and Shelter in Place. Please plan for a Lock and Teach drill during the week of October 9, and a Shelter in Place drill during the week of October 16. Please plan to discuss the drills with your class to best prepare for the procedure.
If you have questions after reviewing the Overland Trail Elementary Building Emergency Plan, please do not hesitate to reach out.
⨠DEI Spotlight
While many Latina and Latino immigrants arrive in the United States seeking work and opportunity, their reasons for immigratingâand methods of arrivingâvary. Some immigrants are fleeing war and violence; others are motivated by economic hardships. Many decide to immigrate to access education and a better quality of life for future generations. Historically, U.S. immigration policies, wars, economic conditions, and political shifts have shaped patterns of immigration. Thus, Latino immigration stories will continue to evolve, and Latina and Latino immigrants of diverse nationalities will keep shaping U.S. history.
Anna Bermudez, Granddaughter of Abundio Delgado Sanchez and ConcepciĂłn Nieves Sanchez
Anna Bermudez, Granddaughter of Abundio Delgado Sanchez and ConcepciĂłn Nieves Sanchez
Updating Staff and Student Computer Operating SystemsâImportant Change:
Staff and students can now update the OS anytime a notification appears on their computer. Many of us were trained to only go through Self Service to update during specified periods, but that has changed. We can now go straight through System Preferences anytime there is an update; for security purposes, it is recommended to do so! (as a bonus, updates take less time when your machine is kept up to date.)
Updated Directions for Grade Card Comments
Election Season is Upon Us
đ Fall Book Fair
đ Halloween Celebration | October 31
Today, parents will receive communication about our celebration for Halloween. You may share the details in the Cougar Connect in your classroom newsletter. The details are quite hefty, so please read thoroughly for the sharing of consistent communication in your newsletters beginning Friday, October 6.
Tuesday, October 31, will be Day 5. We will follow the usual schedule, with third grade and Kindergarten having their specials during Diff. Specialists will collaborate to plan coverage for this time.
Attention: We will no longer have the parent/guardian community attend classroom parties. We only welcome room parents and three additional volunteers for each room.
Costumes
All students look forward to the Halloween Celebration; we have specific guidelines for these parties.
At classroom parties where costumes may be worn at classroom parties where costumes are unacceptable.
Costumes should not take away from instructional time. If a costume distracts self and others, the student will be asked to go to the nurse to change.
No costume âweaponsâ or look-alike weapons may be brought to school, e.g., light sabers, swords, or toy guns.
Costumes will be worn to school and should not depict violence or gore.
Students should have costumes that do not require time-consuming assistance with makeup, dressing, etc. Also, masks and face paint should not be worn or brought to school.
Costumes must respect the Blue Valley dress code policy â BOE policy 3513.
Halloween Parade and Celebration
1:45 PM: Room Parents Enter and Parade Prep
Room parents and three volunteers for each class will be invited to begin setting up for the class party and supporting costume adjustments. Room parents will facilitate communication with your families to gather volunteers for this yearâs celebrations.
2:15 PM: Parade
We will have a school-wide parade that includes the fifth grade leading all grade levels out the bus-cut doors, walking on the west side of the Early Childhood playground, and circling the track counterclockwise before entering the exterior gym doors.
2:30 PM: Monster Mash
Leading your class into the gym, we will begin a short, guided dance party led by specialists in the gym. We will have students enter, sit, and then stand upon cue to begin singing and dancing. When the Monster Mash concludes, we will have Kindergarten exit first through the exterior doors, with the first and second grade following. Third through fifth graders will exit the gym through the interior doors and return to their classrooms for the class celebration.
2:55 PM-3:25 PM: Class Celebration
The class celebration will consist of one game or craft and treats. We will request that parents enter their dismissal changes through PUP; however, we will require you to have parents sign to check students from your room using a provided sign-out sheet, even if they have made changes in PUP. This sign-out will enable you to dismiss students through PUP. A signup sheet and a parade map will be placed in your mailbox.Board of EducationâElection FYI
In addition to city-specific races, the Blue Valley Board of Education has four members/spots up for reelection. Board members live within their individual geographic member districts and are elected by a voting plan whereby six members live in geographic member districts and one runs at large. Board members are elected to four-year terms. All seven serve the entire district without pay. In all general elections, all residents vote for all candidates.
- Jodie Dietz, President (S Area, Member 3)
- Sonya Evans (NE Area, Member 4)
- Patrick Hurley (NW Area, Member 2)
- Jan Kessinger (NE Area, Member 1)
- Gina Knapp, Vice President (NW Area, Member 5)
- Jim McMullen (S Area. Member 6)
- Tom Mitchell (At-Large, Member 7)
Grade Reporting
Staff,
As a best practice, all teachers are encouraged to update grades continuously as parents and students actively use Canvas to monitor due dates, submit assignments, review progress, and increase engagement in the learning process. Separately, the negotiated agreement does specify that one-half (1/2) day grade preparation and record keeping shall be provided at the end of each grading period.
As we approach the end of the quarter, I wanted to take a moment to share a few important pieces of Canvas end-of-quarter information. First quarter courses will conclude soon. Concluded courses will no longer be visible on the Canvas app for students and parents. They can view concluded courses on the Canvas website through Past Enrollments.
âď¸ Grade Prep & Reporting Timeline Dates for 2023-24
(Note: Dates and times for future terms may change if calendar changes are made.)
Courses for this quarter will conclude for students/parents on October 12th at 11:59pm. Teachers will continue to have access to edit grades in Canvas. The Standard Based domain scores should be updated by elementary teachers in Canvas by October 16th by 11:59pm. You will have a chance to review the report card through TeacherVue on Monday, October 23rd.
Donât forget to add additional co-teachers or SPED teachers that may need to enter/edit Canvas grades in your course by October 12th. Otherwise, you will be the only person who will be able to enter the scores for students in your Canvas course.
Teachers can add comments to the report cards by entering notes in the Canvas gradebook. These comments will only be viewable on the report card. They will NOT be viewable by parents or students in Canvas. Click here for a guide.
Here is the process:
Open Gradebook
Click on VIEW and under the COLUMN section make sure the NOTES option is checked.
Click on a NOTES field to open the note and enter your comment for the quarter.
Click SAVE.
The note is saved and ready for the end-of-quarter report.
Report cards will be made live in ParentVue on Tuesday, October 24th after 4 pm.
At the start of the new quarter, you will need to publish your Q2 course in Canvas. As you publish your courses, students and families will again be able to see current courses on the Canvas app and website.
Thank you,
Erica
Public School Works Training | Due November 10, 2023
All staff should have Public School Works learning modules completed by November 10th. Completion of the training courses is part of the employeeâs contract and job responsibilities. Administrators will receive a list of employees who do not complete the training courses by November 10th and will follow up with those on the list.
You can access Public School Works directly from BV Connect:
Visit www.bluevalleyk12.org
Click on âStaff.â
Click on âStaff Links.â
Scroll down and click on the icon for Public School Works.
Log in with your district username and password.
Class Read-Alouds
Classroom Teachers,
Erica and I have purchased a book for each classroom titled Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal. We would like to come into each classroom and read this book to your students and talk with them about the message portrayed in this book. Please use this Class Read Aloud sign up to select a date and time from November 6 through November 17 for one of us to read this book to your class. We will send a calendar invite to confirm the time your classroom selects. We look forward to reading to your class soon!
Alicia
Field Trips | First Semester
BVEF Grants
Option 1: BVEF Fall Teacher Grant: Teacher Grants allow teachers to submit an online request to support their classroom or program. Grants range from $750 to $3,000.
- September 6 Online grant applications open
- September 29 Grant applications close-submission deadline!
Option 2: Womenâs Giving Circle Grant: Womenâs Giving Circle Grants fund BIG IDEAS. These grants, awarded twice a year, allow building leadership and teachers to submit an online request to support a district-wide, building, or programmatic idea. Womenâs Giving Circle Grants fund requests up to $15,000.
- September 8 Online grant applications opens
- October 6 Grant application closes-submission deadline!
- October 9 Top three applicants are notified their proposals are moving forward. Applicants will present projects at Womenâs Giving Circle Event.
Extreme Hot and Cold Weather Guidelines
Staff Resources
number of nut-allergic students in avoiding their allergen.
Erica McDonald, Principal
Email: ECMcDonald@bluevalleyk12.org
Website: www.bluevalleyk12.org/OTE
Location: 6225 West 133rd Street, Overland Park, KS, USA
Phone: (913) 239-7020
Twitter: @OTEMcDonald
Alicia Anderson, Assistant Principal
Email: ARAnderson@bluevalleyk12.org
Website: bluevalleyk12.org/OTE
Location: 6225 West 133rd Street, Overland Park, KS, USA
Phone: (913) 239-7015
Twitter: @OTEAnderson