Happy Holidays

 

 In the midst of the challenging, unprecedented events of 2020, the Venture staff came together as a true community to support students, families and each other.  As a community we maintained our vision of providing the emotional and academic support that students need to learn and succeed.  No piece of that effort was ever "business as usual," but rather continual problem-solving, thinking and rethinking.  Somehow we made it through with our humor in tact along with our resolve to make Venture a school that is truly different and better.  Thank you for everything you do and have done for our students and for each other over the past year.  I wish you all a much-deserved time to relax and rejuvenate over the holiday.

On Friday, lunch from Caruso's will be provided for all staff as Venture's holiday gift to you.  Unfortunately, we won't all be able to eat together, but please help yourself to a plate to take back to your rooms.

Bus/Parking lot duty: Meeks and Hook

Monday 1/4:

Tuesday 1/5:
Wednesday 1/6: Non-Work day
Thursday 1/7:

Friday 1/8:  

Bus/Parking lot duty: Beck and Posey

Monday 1/11:

Tuesday 1/12:
Wednesday 1/13: 9:00- 10:30 Attachment training with Keith Orchard
Thursday 1/14:

Friday 1/15:  

Week of December 7

Term 1 going, going...

A huge thanks to each of you for everything you did to make first term run as smoothly as possible.  My two main take-aways from this term is an awareness of how much kids need and actually like being at school and how much they APPRECIATE their teachers.  In interviews over the past couple of weeks I heard various iterations of "the teachers at Venture actually care."  They really, really appreciate YOU.  And, so do their parents.  And, so does the community.  And so do I.

Better because...    

For eight months we've talked about loss.  Trips, both work and play, were cancelled.  Lutherhaven - cancelled.  Exhibit night - cancelled. Classroom collaboration curtailed as we social distance.  Sports, when they take place at all, lack spectators. Some of us said our final goodbyes to family members, marriages were ended, lives were impacted by health issues, and our normal sources of comfort and security were disrupted. Maybe the most painful is the loss of positive narrative that normally surrounds learning and growing.  Everything is "so hard," "so challenging," or "too bad."  

Experiences take on a positive or negative slant based on how we choose to frame them.  2020 may not have been the year we wanted, but it is the only 2020 we're ever going to have.  For our kids, it was their only year to be a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior. Has 2020 held anything for us beyond the need to just get through it?  Were new family members welcomed,  relationships strengthened, or  skills learned?  Did we examine priorities and make some shifts as a result?  

In what ways are we better because of the events of 2020?   Have you had a chance to reflect on positive outcomes from this experience for yourself or with your students?  Can we guide students to find the golden strands inevitably woven into this experience and develop a new narrative that includes the ways that 2020 has made us stronger and better?  The ability to see the gifts that coexist with challenges is at the heart of a life well lived and we can help students practice this very important skill.

December 9:  We will participate in online staff PD with Keith Orchard from 9 - 10:30.  Paper work for the meeting will be in the workroom.  Snacks and light lunch provided. 

Grades are due by Friday, Dec. 11.

Angie and Leadership Students: Thank you for making Venture Festive and Fun!

Watching Venture staff in action reminded me of this video.  It's a worthy repeat.  Thank YOU for being a champion for our kids!

Bus/Parking lot duty: Higgs and Levy

Monday 12/7:

Tuesday 12/8:
Wednesday 12/9: 9:00 - 10:30 am Staff development 
Thursday 12/10:

Friday 12/11: 

Bus/Parking lot duty: Eastman and Mahoney

Monday 12/14:

Tuesday 12/15:
Wednesday 12/16: Non-Work day
Thursday 12/17:

Friday 12/18:

Bus/Parking lot duty: Meeks and Hook

Monday 1/4:

Tuesday 1/5:
Wednesday 1/6: Non-Work day
Thursday 1/7:

Friday 1/8:  

 There are a few things that we should be thinking about:

1.  If you have frequent fliers regarding masks, please let me know who they are on this form: Unmasked  This is for students who are continually reminded, and as soon as they walk past, they take it off again.  This is NOT for kids who request mask breaks or frequently forget, but will leave it on when asked.  

2.  What if we have to close...  Are students prepared to use Schoology to find their work?  A reminder... you can see what Schoology looks like from a student's perspective.  Can they actually do the work without printing it?  If PDFs are uploaded to Schoology, students will not be able to write on them.  If you want them writing on the form, it should be done in Google Docs.  If students aren't using Schoology to access their work during the day, they won't know how to access it from home.  Also, if you are having them access their work with you in the classroom, you will be able to see the glitches at a time that you can fix them because they cause too much confusion. Hint:  There WILL be glitches.  Students might not do the work.  And, if they don't, they will have to retake the class; however, we need to give them every opportunity and all the support we can possibly give them.

3.  Assigning work in a global pandemic:  

This is not a good year to do extended projects.  This is a year to have a laser focus on specific skills and knowledge that will help fill gaps and move students. along.  When deciding what kinds of work to assign, think about the really important things they need to know in your class.   Assign work that aligns with those most important ideas.  One thought that we have talked about is to use Schoology assignments to sharpen skills that have already been taught.  

When visiting classrooms, I see students engaged with important ideas.  Time on task has been excellent.  Kids are generally busy right up to the bell.  Venture teachers and staff are doing the right work. We need to continue what we've been doing while planning for the possibility that students might have to work on their own.  We hope that won't happen, but the preparation is essential if we find ourselves in that situation again.

4.  What do you need and how can I help?  With teaching, I usually feel like I've walked in your shoes and have a good sense of your struggles, but I've never been in the classroom during a pandemic, so you need to tell me.

5.  Thanksgiving break is around the corner.  We got this.  No matter how much you think we may be missing, nobody is doing this any better than we are.  Nobody cares more about our kids than we do.  Nobody has more insight into their needs than we do.  And... Thanksgiving is around the corner.

From Mrs. Eastman's Literacy class.  Thank you Max B. for putting student slides to music:

Six Word Memoirs

Bus/Parking lot duty: Cooley and Gonzalez

Monday 11/16:

Tuesday 11/17:
Wednesday 11/18: Non-Work day
Thursday 11/19: 

Friday 11/20: 

Bus/Parking lot duty: No one

Monday 11/23: Sleep in

Tuesday 11/24: Play all day
Wednesday 11/25: Veg and relax
Thursday 11/26: Eat lots and be thankful

Friday 11/27: Play, shop, hunt, relax (any, all, or something different)

Week of Nov. 9

 Thanks for the article, Lynn.  Definitely worth a read:

High School Is Not the Time to Let Up on SEL

This fox reminded me a bit of our Venture foxes.

Bus/Parking lot duty: Baker and Pavlik

Monday 11/9:

Tuesday 11/10: Kaiser out @ am
Wednesday 11/11: Work day 9:00 Trauma informed training (for any who haven't had this training that includes the ACE's study)
Thursday 11/12: 

Friday 11/13: 

Bus/Parking lot duty: Cooley and Gonzalez

Monday 11/16:

Tuesday 11/17:
Wednesday 11/18: Non-Work day
Thursday 11/19: 

Friday 11/20: 

Bus/Parking lot duty: No one

Monday 11/23: Sleep in

Tuesday 11/24: Play all day
Wednesday 11/25: Veg and relax
Thursday 11/26: Eat lots and be thankful

Friday 11/27: Play, shop, hunt, relax (any, all, or something different)

Week of November 2

Pizza with the Principal

I had the pleasure of spending an advisory period with Mrs. Pavlik's class for a session of "Pizza with the Principal."  Students were asked to respond in words and writing to two questions.  I'm sharing some of their responses because we are in this work together and their feedback is  for all of us. 

What is something that's going well for you or what is working for you at Venture?

Student responses verbatim:

Having my teachers there for me if I need anything.  I think their there for me because they want me to succeed.

I am comfortable in my body for the first time.

I know my teachers better because the class sizes are small.

My teachers like me (thank God)

My confidence is boosted and it feels great!

I have good grades.

The small classes and the more one on one we get with the teachers if we are struggling.  Also, how the teachers don't overwhelm us in work.  At my other school, teachers wouldn't care to help.

If you were principal for a day, what is one thing you would change at Venture?

I know we can't do anything now, but I would have lunch with everyone again.

Go back to Google Classroom

Have designated hang out spots in the halls so people can actually get to their classes.

I would make a "don't have to do anything day" where you just have to be respectful.  You would still go to all your classes, but its just a whatever day in class.

Go back to Monday's off.

No school on Monday's instead of Wednesdays.

Please email me with a date and time if you want your students to have "Pizza with the Principal."  They can be asked these same questions, or we can seek their feedback on another school issue.  

Alternative Dog Competition

Bus/Parking lot duty: Doering and Stolken

Monday 11/2:

Tuesday 11/3:
Wednesday 11/4: Non-Work day
Thursday 11/5: 

Friday 11/6: 

Bus/Parking lot duty: Baker and Pavlik

Monday 11/9:

Tuesday 11/10: Kaiser out @ am
Wednesday 11/11: Work day 9:00 Trauma informed training (for any who haven't had this training that includes the ACE's study)
Thursday 11/12: 

Friday 11/13: 

Bus/Parking lot duty: Cooley and Gonzalez

Monday 11/16:

Tuesday 11/17:
Wednesday 11/18: Non-Work day
Thursday 11/19: 

Friday 11/20: 

Week of October 26

Feeling Wonderful About Venture Classrooms:

We have all been working diligently to increase academic conversation in classrooms.  The shift in learning is pretty remarkable as students converse about one another's thinking.  This makes sense, because learning is a cognitive process.  The word "cognitive" connotes mental processing, which by it's nature, happens more efficiently in a social setting.  In conversation, we process, problem-solve, reason, compare/contrast, and form opinions that later change as new ideas are brought into the realm of our intellectual processing.  

In the absence of an opportunity to process, no learning takes place.  This statement bears repeating over and over until we, unlike most of the teachers who taught us, are firmly convinced that talking at kids (even if that talking is lively, informative, and entertaining) does little to increase their learning.  Most of us did not benefit from classrooms that used strategies for processing information, so we are continually forging new paths.  

Venture teachers... You are trailblazers courageously implementing protocols and new strategies.  I know this is true, because I see it in classrooms everyday -Thank you! It is so hard to find protocols and strategies that really work, but you keep looking -Thank you!  It is risky - kids don't want to participate, so you hear crickets and have to wait out their discomfort while hiding your own - Thank you!  When they start talking, you find out how wide the learning gaps are and it feels disheartening, but you forge ahead and fill those gaps as well as you can - Thank you!  Nothing we do is perfect and sometimes the first steps of a new practice can feel awful, but it's worth it.  As a group, we are changing our approach to instruction.  One kid at a time.  One lesson at a time.  One interaction at a time.  Making a difference.  Thank you.

Chat Stations for Class Discussion: A strategy to increase academic conversation.

Because chipmunks are awesome:

Bus/Parking lot duty: Beck and Posey

Monday 10/26:

Tuesday 10/27:
Wednesday 10/28: 7:50 am SAT day for seniors
Thursday 10/29: 

Friday 10/30: 

Bus/Parking lot duty: Doering and Stolken

Monday 11/2:

Tuesday 11/3:
Wednesday 11/4: Non-Work day
Thursday 11/5: 

Friday 11/6: 

Bus/Parking lot duty: Baker and Pavlik

Monday 11/9:

Tuesday 11/10:
Wednesday 11/11: Work day 9:00 Trauma informed training (for any who haven't had this training that includes the ACE's study)
Thursday 11/12: 

Friday 11/13: 

Week of October 19

 

Congratulations Angie and Whitney!

Angie Beck has received the 2020 Outstanding Teacher in Community Service award from the Idaho Family and Consumer Sciences Educator Association.  Angie was recognized for the many service learning projects that takes place in her class. A small sampling of the many service projects led by Angie include the Pumpkin Roll fundraiser, the Courtyard Project, and Venture's Prom.  Congratulations, Angie!  We appreciate everything you do for our Venture students!

Whitney Hamill received the 2020 Teacher of the Year Award from the Idaho Family and Consumer Science Educator Association.  Among other things Whitney was recognized for creating an encouraging learning environment and for creating and nurturing strong positive relationships with her students to help them become successful members of society.  Congratulations, Whitney!  We appreciate everything you do for our Venture Students!

Why Wear Masks?

Last week several of us were discussing whether there was any purpose to wearing a mask if we still need to quarantine if exposed.  Our district nurse, Nichole, shared some information about emerging research that suggests that masks reduce the viral load and people are less sick as a result. Early on it was noted that medical personnel that experienced multiple exposures to COVID became very sick and/or died, even if they weren't in a high risk category.  Research going back to 1938 shows that, for some viruses, how sick you get depends on how much virus gets into your system.  

The following comes from the University of California San Francisco newsletter:

 In February, one of the first outbreaks of COVID-19 outside of China occurred on the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Yokohama, Japan. Of the 634 people on board who tested positive, about 18 percent of infections were asymptomatic. In March, an Argentinian cruise ship found itself in a similar predicament, but of the 128 people on board who eventually tested positive, 81 percent were asymptomatic.

A key difference, Gandhi noted, was that on the Argentinian ship, surgical masks were issued to all passengers and N95 masks to all staff as soon as the first passenger became sick.

More recently, an Oregon seafood processing plant where workers were required to wear face masks reported an outbreak of 124 cases, 95 percent of which were asymptomatic. Similarly, in a Tyson chicken processing plant outbreak in Arkansas where workers were provided mandatory masks, 455 out of 481, or nearly 95 percent were asymptomatic.  

So, why are we wearing masks?  Because research supports that if you get COVID-19 while wearing a mask, you may be exposed to less virus and, as a result, be less sick or be completely asymptomatic.

Bus/Parking lot duty: Meeks and Hook

Monday 10/19:

Tuesday 10/20:
Wednesday 10/21: 8:00 am staff meeting (SAT information), 9:00 School-Connect 12:30 staff collaboration in library
Thursday 10/22: 

Friday 10/23: 

Bus/Parking lot duty: Beck and Posey

Monday 10/26:

Tuesday 10/27:
Wednesday 10/28: 8:00 am SAT day for seniors
Thursday 10/29: 

Friday 10/30: 

Week of October 12

Shout Out to Angie...  The Unity display is awesome!

Thank you for getting students involved in positive ways to make a difference in their school community.

Masks

Please, as kindly as possible, continue to ensure that students are wearing masks properly.  It is really an unpleasant nuisance for many of them and it would be good to avoid power struggles, but we need to remind students to wear them properly.  If they need a break, maybe you can send them to stand outside for a couple of minutes or follow through with whatever plan you have in place for them to take a mask break.  If the weather is decent, you can also take them outside.  It hasn't been an issue for Venture (knock on wood) but there have been complaints from parents in other schools that social distancing and masks aren't enforced in every classroom.  It's important for kids to be in school and everything you do to follow district guidelines is greatly appreciated.

THANK YOU for the disinfecting you do between classes.  This is yet another of the many COVID responsibilities that we've taken on and your efforts are greatly appreciated.

THANK YOU for putting assignments on Schoology.  As a staff, you have taken this on and you are doing a great job with it.  Student absences are very high and it is extremely helpful for there to be weekly messages and work posted for them.

Wednesday Collaboration

Because we only meet one more Wednesday in October and once in each November and December, we have quite a bit we will be doing.  Please plan on most of the day being spent in collaboration.

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Eastman and Mahoney

Monday 10/12:  2:30 Lockdown drill meeting 

Tuesday 10/13  
Wednesday 10/14 Non-work day
Thursday 10/15: 

Friday 10/16: Lockdown drill

Bus/Parking lot duty: Meeks and Hook

Monday 10/19:

Tuesday 10/20:
Wednesday 10/21: 8:00 am staff meeting (SAT information), 9:00 School-Connect 12:30 staff collaboration in library
Thursday 10/22: 

Friday 10/23: 

Thank You For Being AWESOME!

This has been the most unique and challenging opening of the new school year imaginable.  Our work and our mission to educate every student continues with purposeful thought and creativity despite the challenges of the pandemic. Each and every one of you has risen to this challenge and you are making a difference for our students.  Your courage, your hard work, and your grace under pressure is what makes Venture High School an amazing place for students and adults.  You are AWESOME and I thank you for the tremendous effort you are making on behalf of our students.

Moving to Yellow

Finally the day we've all waited for - all of our students physically present in the building every day.  As we welcome students back into the building full time it's important that we continue to socially distance students (as much as possible) and ensuring everyone is wearing their masks appropriately.  The kids have been pretty good about it, but it becomes even more important as we are squeezed together a bit more.  Also, the disinfecting of surfaces needs to continue.  All of these factors work together to help ensure that we can keep kids in school, full time for the rest of the year.

Thank you for everything you do to make them feel welcome, connected and safe at school!

Evaluations and Homeroom

At our last collaboration we talked about evaluations being housed in Homeroom this year.  Here is a video that Mike sent out to administrators:  Homeroom Evaluations  Mike produced this for administrators, but I think it helps to clarify the process for all of us.  Let me know if you have any questions and I will help to find the answers.

Powerful Teaching and Learning

A powerful, researched-based learning strategy worth consideration is Retrieval Practice which is the process of trying to remember information without having it in front of you.  This learning strategy is certainly not new.  We've all used flashcards and self-quizzes  to learn material, but memorization has fallen by the wayside as we focus on more "active learning."  Unlike many of the instructional dinosaurs sent to the strategy graveyard, this one is supported by cognitive research.  

Often the first time we ask students to recall information is for an assessment.  The student answers questions incorrectly and this is usually the first time they know that they don't know the material very well.  Retrieval practice is an instructional tool, not an assessment tool and spacing opportunities for retrieval out over time increases the likelihood that the information will make it's way into long term memory.  Practice quizzes or other techniques that require students to remember without looking up the answer prior to the assessment can help them organize information into long term memory that will benefit them for the test and help them build a fact base that improves future learning and thinking.

I have questioned whether this practice runs counter to our efforts to develop a culture of thinking.  However, thinking requires that we manipulate information to form new concepts, solve problems, or make decisions.  That process is hampered if we have to continually look up information that can committed to memory.  For example, simple math problems become unreasonably tedious if a calculator has to be used for simple computations.  

Despite our widespread scorn of factual knowledge, research suggests that the more factual knowledge a person has on a topic, the more critically and analytically they can think about that topic. Studies also show that poor readers can outperform good readers when they have more factual knowledge about the topic (https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.494.4592&rep=rep1&type=pdf)

Additionally, the practice of memorizing information helps increase the brain's ability to learn in general. It serves as exercise for the brain.  Forcing the brain to retrieve information builds neural pathways which is active learning as opposed to listening, reading, or watching that can be quite passive.  If thinking is about shuffling information in new and creative ways, let's not forget the importance of memorizing and learning facts as one component of helping our students become better thinkers.

For more information, check this out:   http://pdf.retrievalpractice.org/RetrievalPracticeGuide.pdf        or this:  https://www.the-learning-agency-lab.com/science-of-learning-research-retrieval-practice.html

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Bauman and Hamill

Monday 9/28:  

Tuesday 9/29  Picture day #2
Wednesday 9/30 Whole group collaboration:  Agenda  Dept. meetings; 
Thursday 10/1: 

Friday 10/2: Flex Day  no School

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Higgs and Levy

Monday 10/5: We're in yellow!!!  (all students every day) 

Tuesday 10/6
Wednesday 10/7: Non work day
Thursday 10/8: 

Friday 10/9: 

Many, many thanks and heartfelt appreciation all you do to make a difference in our students' lives.  I feel so fortunate to work with such an amazing group of educators.  You are AMAZING!

Now for some fun...

And some more fun...

Managing Learning Remotely

Lessons Learned 
None of us could have imagined that a day would come where virtually every child in the world would be educated via remote platforms.  None of us could have predicted how the reality of an isolated, quarantined world would play out.  One lesson learned is that working, teaching, and learning from home is, in some ways, more exhausting than doing the same things in a brick and mortar building with a typical work schedule.  Most of us are sleeping a little later, skipping some fashion and make up routines of the normal work day.  We aren't managing student discipline or the usual annoyances and conflict inevitably present when lots of people occupy the same space.  And...we aren't laughing together.  We aren't sharing a quick story in the halls between classes.  We aren't debriefing tough experiences with colleagues at the end of the day.  Neither are we touching base with a friendly coworker for quick reassurances.  No words of encouragement shared in a passing moment.  No "aha" moments when we see understanding light a young person's eyes.
We don't need easier days, we need each other - lesson learned.

Another lesson learned... teachers hold the wealth of the world in their hands.  Beyond the economy, beyond political opinions, beyond all annoyances related to quarantine, the health and well-being of our children is what we most cherish.  We trust teachers to help shape and nurture our children and we suffer as a community when their ability to do that is negatively impacted.  However, teachers have an amazing capacity to overcome incredible hurdles to teach and support their students.  Venture staff... I am in awe of you.  Thank you for stretching the definition of what it means to teach.  Thank you for finding resources and re-imagining what school can be. Thank you for finding a way when it seemed that a way didn't even exist.

Some Cool Ideas
Venture staff have devised a variety of ways to inspire learning for it's own sake to replace learning for a grade.
 
These two math lessons have inspired some fun thinking.  Kevin made the videos using an iPhone and edited with iMovie.  The students post answers and explain thinking using flipgrid.com
Canfield paper Airplane
Cookie Task

We are showcasing student art and poetry on our Venture High School webpage
Check it out and share with students.  If you have assigned student projects that can be featured on this page, please get student permission and then share it with Lena to have it uploaded. 

Please, email me the innovative things you're doing with kids to share next week.  Some of our best learning is from each other.

Working with the weird paradox that more time and more freedom is more exhausting... At first I thought with all this extra time we would all enjoy a book study.  I was wrong.  People who initially agreed it would be a great time to do some professional learning have shared with me that they are maxed out.  If you want to read "Creating Cultures of Thinking" then please do, it's a great book.  However, we will save the book study for next year.

Week One of Remote Learning

Welcome to Remote Learning, Remote Collaboration, and Remote Social Interaction, Isolation and General All Around Weird Stuff

The past few weeks and the weeks ahead are really stretching our capacity to rethink the basic interactions of our lives.  Nothing encourages me more than hearing from each of you the stories of how you fill your time.  Everything from being with children and grandchildren, planting gardens, completing house projects, reading professional literature and exercising have come up in conversations.  Also, mentioned are the stressors... spouses who work with COVID positive patients, financial struggles as family businesses close, facing the death of loved ones in a time when memorial services can't be held, and babies born without the supportive presence of close family members. 

Wednesday we checked Chromebooks out to students.  Our Venture families are facing some heartbreaking challenges.  One mom cried as she told me about losing her job days before she was scheduled to close on her first house.  Another mom with COPD was hospitalized and is very worried about her daughter. Some are struggling with loss of income and other parents are working extremely long hours and are worried about their children home all day.

Our mission is to provide remote learning that engages students, encourages them through their challenges and allows them to use this time to grow and excel at something.  We do not need to prepare them for a test.  What will that look like for your class?  How can we work together to help one another find solutions?  Please, don't hesitate to reach out to me or each other for ideas or just to think through ideas.  And, as you work, please drop your plan into the appropriate folder in this COVID-19 Remote Learning Plan

If we have files and links in one place, I can better communicate to the district and the community what we are doing to help students learn.

Expectations for Teaching, Learning and Grading
I am really feeling your frustration over remote learning... the first week I had lots of free time.  Now, I'm tied to a computer.  I don't like it either.  Thank you... you are the heroes in this crazy mess providing some normalcy (whatever that is) for kids who are pretty scattered right now.

At our district administration meeting this morning, we clarified some grading issues.  As we discussed at our faculty meeting, we are not actually going to grade anything.  Students will be given a pass/fail, or to be more clear, they will be given a pass.  I know this runs counter intuitive to everything we have learned about accountability; however, we have to hold students harmless in a set of circumstances where their ability to participate might be seriously compromised and we can't fully accommodate for that situation.  So, let me doubly clear:  everyone is going to pass.  If we say that upfront to students, many of them won't engage with us at all.  Our mission is to do everything we can to engage them in learning.
Here are some specifics we talked about today:

• Please do not assign due dates
• Do not use words like "mandatory" or "required"
• Please do give feedback on student work and encourage them to redo and resubmit
• Encourage them to participate, note their participation and the work they've completed, etc. but don't do anything beyond encourage.
• Please, do NOT try to meet with classes more than once a week
• If possible, try to do some cross curricular projects. This might be easier for you and the kids.  If it isn't easier, then don't do it.
• Please, do NOT try to take on too much.  If it feels complicated and time consuming, do something else.  If it is fun and energizes you, maybe it will energize the kids too.
• Please do NOT take their criticisms to heart.  Kids are getting a little grumpy too and you're the safe person to take it out on.  
• Please, DO reach out to me or colleagues for some positive stuff.  We need some uplifting interactions.  I am SO INCREDIBLY THANKFUL for the kind interactions I have had with all of you.  You are AWESOME!!!

Please invite me to join your Google Classroom

Resources

by Rachelle

Local Food Bank Resources:

• Lake City Community Church (across from LCHS) has a pretty large food bank that's open from 10-2:00 on Wednesdays.

• Community Action Partnership is open Mon-Fri. from 9-4:00. Their contact info is: 4144 W. Industrial Loop in CDA. (208) 664-8757

• Parker Subaru in CDA has a food pantry that's almost always stocked and you just drive by and take what you need.
• 

Counseling Resources:

Heritage Health has a male clinician that is able to take on 10 students from each high school in a "tele-health" model. He could complete their intake, diagnostic and begin therapy over the phone or via video chat and bill Medicaid. If/when we return to school, these students could transition to seeing the clinician in person (at the school site or at the Heritage office).

When you speak with students or parents who are struggling, please inquire if they would like our counselor to give them a call. Rachelle has a mental health background and is available to speak with any of our families who are needing additional support and/or resources in the community. Please email Rachelle with their names and best contact info.

Human Resource Information:

Leadership Stipends:

The District will be paying the leadership stipends.  I will send in the forms so you all get your stipend.

Evaluations:

As previously discussed, the second observation has been waived.  I will complete and email your summative evaluations to you (they're due by June 1)

• We still need some measure of student improvement.  I would recommend a pre/post test, but you can use another one that might be more relevant for you.  When I email you the evaluation, please note in the appropriate space the evidence of student improvement you are using. "Targets may be based on grade- or department – level achievement or growth goals that create collaboration within groups"
• If you are working on an Individual Professional Learning Plan, could you mark yes (on the evaluation)? this may be important for the non-renewable staff not on the professional rung and those working on the Master Educator Premium - we don't know if this will be waived or not).
• I will start working on those summative evaluations when some of the work settles down a bit.  Like most of you, I'm spending of time an unusual amount of time with emails and writing a blog post that everyone has to read :)

Helpful Links:

COVID Folder with files for each discipline.  

Student Contact Sheet (this is only viewable if you log in with your district ID

Newletter from District

Bus/Parking Lot Duty

How many of you would happily do bus duty every day in exchange for getting to come back to school???

Week of March 9

Student Exhibits
The library and halls are looking AWESOME for the student exhibits.  The building is buzzing with student energy around this project.  There will be pizza and salad for staff in Angie's room from 3:00 until we close up shop.  Thanks to all of you who are making this meaningful learning experience possible for students.

Superintendent Listening Session
Dr. Cook will be here on Thursday, March 19 from 2:00 - 3:45.  He will be in the library and available to listen and talk about anything that's on your mind regarding Venture,  Coeur d'Alene public schools, or any education related topic that you'd like to talk to him about.

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Doering and Baker

Monday 3/9 PD DayAgenda

Tuesday 3/10 First Day of Term 3  Kaiser out @ am;  Idaho Capacity Builders at Venture@pm
Wednesday 3/11 
Thursday 3/12

Friday 3/13 

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Smith and Cooley

Monday 3/16  Non Work day

Tuesday 3/17 Kaiser out AM
Wednesday 3/18 Learning Walks 
Thursday 3/19 Dr. Cook Listening session 2:00 - 3:45

Friday 3/20 

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Gonzalez and Fehling

Monday 3/23 Non work Day

Tuesday 3/24  Kaiser, Meeks, Smith, Doering, Hook @Deeper Learning Conference through Friday
Wednesday 3/25 
Thursday 3/26 Spring BBQ

Friday 3/27  First day of spring break!

Week of February 24

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Hook and Beck

Monday 2/24  PD Day Agenda

Tuesday 2/25: Kaiser out pm
Wednesday 2/26: 
Thursday 2/27: 

Friday 2/28: 

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Gaynor and Frame

Monday 3/2 Non Work Day

Tuesday 3/3 
Wednesday 3/4 
Thursday 3/5 Exhibit night

Friday 3/6  Last Day of Term 2

Bus/Parking lot duty:  

Monday 3/9 PD Day

Tuesday 3/10 First Day of Term 3  Idaho Capacity Builders at Venture
Wednesday 3/11 
Thursday 3/12

Friday 3/13 

Week of February 10

Congratulations Mrs. Frame - VHS nominee for Coeur d'Alene Teacher of the Year!!!

Congratulations Mrs. Eastman - CDA Secondary Teacher of the Month!!!

February 10:  Professional Development...

Edmentum is an online program that offers a wealth of opportunities for students to recover credits and for teachers to enrich their programs.  We will have an Edmentum trainer here on February 10 from 10:30 - 1:30.  I would like for all certified staff to attend training from 10:3- noon so we all have a better idea of how we can implement the programs.  Prior to Feb. 10, please access your account by going to:

https://login.edmentum.com/

Account Login: CDSD271

User name (your CDA username)

Password:  PLATO271

Update Your Teacher Page For A Chance To Win Movie Tickets:

The Communications and Technology Departments are teaming up with all school web editors to work with (cajole, bribe, strong-arm) all teachers in the District to update their teacher web pages BEFORE SPRING BREAK. Quite a few of these pages have been neglected for years. Many gently guide the visitor into a solemn space unencumbered by words or images. You get the point. Let's give our families a better experience when they learn who their child's new teacher is and go to the school website looking for that smiling face, contact information, background, class schedule, learning resources. (Below is a great example of a dynamic and informative teacher page.) To sweeten the deal, all those whose pages are up to par by March 9th, will be entered into drawings for Regal movie tickets. We will get rolling on this next week with communications directly to all teachers, plus tips on what should be on their pages, how to log in and do it, and who can help them if they need it. We would appreciate any help you can provide in reinforcing why this is a good thing to do. Thank you!

Sample:

Student Engagement Survey

This is just a reminder that the student engagement survey opens in 11 days. The survey will be available from February 18^th through March 31^st.  We will try to complete as many as possible on the first day.

These are the minimum percentages of completion required by the State:

• Parent - 20% of parents/guardians of current students;
• Staff - 90% of all classified and certified staff in your building; and
• Student - 95% of students in grades 03-12; students will need their state ID number

* Reports by building identifying students who have not participated

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Levy and Eastman

Monday 2/10:  PD day - Edmentum Training:  Agenda

Tuesday 2/11: Kaiser out@am; 
Wednesday 2/12: 
Thursday 2/13: Kaiser out 11-2

Friday 2/14: No School (PD flex day)

Bus/Parking lot duty:  Mahoney and Meeks

Monday 2/17:  

Tuesday 2/18: Administer Student Engagement surveys/advisories 
Wednesday 2/19: 
Thursday 2/20:

Friday 2/21: