Stoller Weekly
April 24th, 2020
Good evening Stoller families,
I hope you are well and you and your family are settling into a routine that works for you. By now your student’s teachers should have a general schedule in place that will allow students to access content and teacher support. If you have questions or concerns around your student’s ability to keep up with assignments or conflicts in teacher’s office hours, please reach out to their teacher, they will be happy to accommodate.
Our teachers are being as thoughtful and as considerate as possible as they try to make content accessible to all students. All of this is new to them as well. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we set up systems that are equitable for all. As you can imagine these circumstances have created a strain on all of us. I know I am struggling working from home and helping my children keep up with their school work. Some days are easier than others. I am thankful to be able to help them and have the resources needed for them to keep up with remote learning. As you know, this is not the case for everyone. Because of this, we want to give students some structure that also allows for some flexibility. Teachers can give “due dates” for students who want to follow a daily or weekly schedule. However, teachers have the ability to make adjustments if these due dates do not work for your family. Teachers will grade and provide feedback to your students, but overall grading will follow district guidelines that were released earlier this week:
Grading expectations for 6-8th grade students for Semester 2 of 2019-2020 are as follows:
- Grades for 6-8th graders are to be Pass/Incomplete (I) for classes taken during Spring Semester 2020.
- A “Pass” grade is indicated by earning a D- or higher by the end of Spring Semester 2020
- An “Incomplete” grade is indicated by earning an F by the end of Spring Semester 2020.
- Passing marks will not be converted to letter grades at any time for Spring of 2020 coursework. ODE has directed that GPA's are frozen during this period.
If you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to email me.
Thank you,
Veronica Galvan
Principal
Important News
Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
Starting 4/17/20 Social Emotional Learning (SEL) content will be released weekly on Friday mornings for students and families to engage in as a support. Every week will include a theme of focus, extension activities, as well as additional related resources for students and families. All of this can be found on Canvas.
This week's theme is Self Care. Using this LINK you'll engage in a FlipGrid lesson with a short video. Afterward we encourage you to share a short message responding to the prompt. These lessons are strongly encouraged to help you cope with the ever-changing learning environment and are completely optional. The SEL lessons are designed to be supportive and not an added stressor. So please, do what you need to do to take care of yourself. Feel free to reach out to your counselor if you want to talk about any of this content or have any questions.
We are committed to providing SEL supports for all of our students and families. We're here for you and we miss you!
Warm Regards,
Mr. Brooks, Mr. Damiano, Mrs. Dell, & Mr. Everson
Zoom Office Hours - Safety Tips
Stoller Scholars,
Here are the expectations that all students will commit to moving forward with digital remote learning. We know most students are already abiding to respectful and thoughtful behaviors. Thank you for engaging and learning through this new platform.
How to enter Zoom office hours:
Reminder: Please do not share your login email address or password with anyone. If you share this information and someone impersonates you, you are as accountable as the individual who does so.
For teachers who choose to use Zoom for office hours(not all teachers will use Zoom), they will email you a link to the Zoom office hours. Click on this link using your Chromebook. Do not share this link with anyone.
You may be prompted to install a Zoom extension. Click install.
Select “join with computer audio”. You can use headphones to listen, or you can listen through your computer.
Only use your first/preferred and last name as identifiers.
If you have a question during Zoom office hours, raise your hand by selecting “participants “and “raise hand” or send your teacher your question through the chat feature.
Attend office hours where you can sit, think, and work.
Set aside distractions: pets, side-conversations (digital or live), tv, devices, music, toys, food, wild movements, etc.
No guests to Zoom office hours (siblings, pets, parents/guardians, etc.)
Protect the privacy of your peers - do not take photos or recordings of anything in Zoom office hours.
Parents and Guardians - please honor the privacy of our students. These office hours are intended to be for students only.
Have a growth mindset -- it is new for ALL of us!
What if you do not follow the guidelines for Zoom office hours or Canvas discussions?
Teachers will be locking, freezing, blocking and not admitting students who are disruptive, crude, obscene, or not following the above rules.
Parents/Guardians will be notified of any obscene or disruptive student behavior, once the individuals are identified.
Also know that we are able to work alongside the Beaverton School District Instructional Technology team and our Washington County School Resource Officer to:
1.Track individual login and logout times for all individuals in a Zoom meeting through IP addresses. You may use your personal device, but once you log onto our system we have a record of your device within the Zoom meeting log that is kept for all meetings.
2. Identify students who use false names or pretend to be other students.
3.Turn your information over to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office for impersonating another, using pornographic images, or bullying and harassment, if the behavior warrants.
Any misuse of district technology or software application will be documented with a discipline referral in accordance with policies outlined in the
Student Help Desk Information - Please Read
Cleaning Out Lockers
8th Grade Families
We understand the disappointment around your 8th graders missing out on the chance to enjoy their send-off activities and say goodbye to their friends and teachers in person. We are trying to find ways to allow them to have closure and say goodbye to Stoller, as they move on towards high school. We are working with the PTO to make sure all our 8th graders get t-shirts. We will send out information as more details become available.
2020-2021 Forecasting
Incoming 6th Graders (Current 5th Graders)
Dear 5th grade families,
Please see the following message that was sent via School Messenger on Tuesday afternoon:
The week before Spring Break our Stoller Counselors had planned on going to all of the Elementary Schools that make up Stoller's 6th grade class to have your student choose their encore classes for next year. As with many things, these plans had to be changed, and our method of gathering this information needed to be adjusted.
The link provided in this message takes you to an online forecasting form. where you are able to make these selections. Please fill this out and submit the form even if you have already turned in a paper form to your elementary school. This form allows us to gather the information in one place for all five of our feeder elementary schools and begin the planning process for next year.
If you are unable to access the online forecasting form. I have attached a copy of your forecasting form to print and return to Stoller via mail. Please, Only complete a hard copy of the form if the online form is not available to you.
If you have questions regarding the forecasting process, please reach out to Marcel Brooks (marcel_brooks@beaverton.k12.or.us), next year's 6th grade Counselor.
Current 6th Graders
Dear Stoller families,
Please see the following message that was sent via School Messenger on Tuesday afternoon:
We hope this message finds you healthy and safe. The week before Spring Break our Stoller Counselors had planned on going into your student's class to have your student choose their encore courses for next year. As with many things, these plans had to be changed, and our method of gathering this information needed to be adjusted.
The link provided in this message takes you to an online forecasting form. Please take a moment to read the attached course descriptions and follow all instructions to complete the linked form. We hope to have all forecasting information gathered by April 10, 2020.
If you are unable to access the online forecasting form. I have attached a copy of your forecasting form to print and return to Stoller via mail. Please only complete a hard copy of the form if the online form is not available to you.
If you have questions about the forecasting process, please reach out to your student's Counselor, Sue Dell (susanna_dell@beaverton.k12.or.us).
Current 7th Graders
Dear Stoller families,
Please see the following message that was sent via School Messenger on Tuesday afternoon:
We hope this message finds you healthy and safe. The week before Spring Break our Stoller Counselors had planned on going into your student's class to have your student choose their encore courses for next year. As with many things, these plans had to be changed, and our method of gathering this information needed to be adjusted.
The link provided in this message takes you to an online forecasting form. Please take a moment to read the attached course descriptions and follow all instructions to complete the linked form. We hope to have all forecasting information gathered by April 10, 2020.
If you are unable to access the online forecasting form. I have attached a copy of your forecasting form to print and return to Stoller via mail, or when school resumes. Please only complete a hard copy of the form if the online form is not available to you.
If you have questions about the forecasting process, please reach out to your student's Counselor, Gregg Everson (gregg_everson@beaverton.k12.or.us).
AVID Applications 2020-2021 - Update
Any current 6th or 7th grader can still apply for next year's AVID class at Stoller. The application deadline is May 22nd, 2020. The application window for high school has passed. For current 5th graders, contact your school counselor for information.
If 6th or 7th grade students have applications in process, please have them scan or take pictures of the pages and send them to allyson_king@beaverton.k12.or.us.
Alternatively, students can make a copy of the fillable Goggle form application, fill it out, and e-mail it to allyson_king@beaverton.k12.or.us.
Here is the application:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zbIs5y-ij1CpUhpuWybrA8_BAP2nkKi7L7O7YPpIing/edit?usp=sharing
Students also need to choose a teacher or their counselor to send a recommendation form to. Please e-mail the Stoller staff member of your choice this form with a polite request to fill it out. They should return it directly to the AVID Coordinator, and not the student.
Here is the recommendation form:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aEMeaWD1reUneCkcvJUHd8Z2qbikhESRVGdKwkSztec/edit?usp=sharing
All AVID interviews will be suspended for this spring, and if an interview is necessary, it will be conducted in the fall.
If a student submits an application, they will get a letter, via e-mail, in June indicating whether they have been accepted into the class or not.
Note, students currently in AVID should receive communication from their AVID teacher about how to apply for next year's class - do not fill out this application.
For any questions, please contact the AVID coordinator - Ally King at allyson_king@beaverton.k12.or.us.
Stoller Middle School
Website: https://stoller.beaverton.k12.or.us/
Location: 14141 Northwest Laidlaw Road, Portland, OR, USA
Phone: 503-356-2680
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stollermiddle/
Twitter: @StollerPOWER1