4J Educator

Information for Eugene School District 4J employees

• Winter Break: No school Dec. 18 –Jan 1; PD day on Jan. 2, with classes resuming the next day

• Give Blood: Staff are encouraged to donate blood during Jan. 2 drive at Willamette High School

• School Choice: January is school choice month; here's the details shared with families

• Helping Hand: BLACKS program founder to support 8th graders headed to high school

• Classroom Support: District continues work to address behavior concerns

• EEF Grants: Foundation awards more than $148,000 to 50+ school, district projects

• Wellness Survey: Tell us how our grant program can nourish your body, mind and soul

• The Water Cooler: Check out the latest district-level staff newsletters

Winter break is almost here. Schools are closed starting Monday, December 18 and classes will resume on Wednesday, January 3. Tuesday, January 2 is a no-school staff professional development day. Looking ahead, here are the schedules:

ELEMENTARY

• 8:00–8:25 a.m. Carpool Time
• 8:30 a.m.–1 p.m. PD Sessions*
• 1–2 p.m. Lunch & Drive Time
• 2–4 p.m. Planning Time

* Teachers will report to Gilham; classified staff will report to Holt; SPED and ELD teachers, counselors, Life Skills EAs, ELD EAs, and counselors, see communication from team about where to report.

SECONDARY

• 8–9:30 a.m. Synchronous PD
• 9:30–11:45 a.m. Asynchronous PD; UDL planning assignment
• 9:30–11 a.m. Synchronous PD w/ Andratesha (principals and assistant principals only)
• 11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Lunch (on your own)
• 12:15–12:30 p.m. Transition Time
• 12:30–2 p.m. Building PD
• 2–4 p.m. Teacher Planning Time

The Eugene Education Association and Bloodworks Northwest is sponsoring a blood drive on Tuesday, January 2, at Willamette High School, 1801 Echo Hollow Road. Sign up for an appointment here.

Your leadership team is supportive of employees using time during professional development to give blood. Please consider your work obligations during this day and notify your administrator if you sign up to donate.

Families living within 4J boundaries have the option to request to enroll in a 4J school outside their neighborhood. You must request a transfer online between January 1–31 to be included in the annual school choice lottery that determines the order in which transfer offers will be granted. Families living outside of our district’s boundaries who want their child to attend a 4J school next year submit requests later, March 1–31.

Families are invited to explore their school choice options, including their neighborhood school, before deciding whether to request a transfer. Learn more:

General School Choice Information Sessions

Learn about 4J's school choice process and get answers to your questions at the following live virtual information sessions:

• Tuesday, January 9, 6-7 p.m. | English (Zoom link)
• Thursday, January 11, 12-1 p.m. | English (Zoom link)
• Thursday, January 11, 6-7 p.m. | Spanish (Zoom link)

School-Specific Information Sessions & Visits

Click here for the schedule of virtual and in-person school visits at every 4J school.
Contact the school in advance of the scheduled visit to request interpretation support

Our district has retained Dr. Brenda Sanders to provides services to our Black students who may need more support. She will be working in the Churchill, Sheldon, and South regions during the current school year.

The founder of BLACKS (Black Leaders Activating Cultural Knowledge), Dr Sanders' main focus will be on our eighth graders moving on to high school next fall. She will be working with each middle school to identify students in need and provide outreach and support to them. In preparation of that work, she will reach out to the middle schools in the three regions to set up a time to introduce herself and explain her program. While her program focuses on Black students, the program will not ignore or turn away any other student in need of these services.

Welcome, Dr. Sanders!

Like other districts around the state and nation, our district has seen a notable increase in behavioral issues in the classroom. 4J is making substantial, ongoing investments at both the school and district levels to provide a safe and disruption-free learning environment for our students and educators.

A major initiative underway is the Behavior Assistance Teams. These teams will be able to respond rapidly to requests from school staff seeking additional support for students exhibiting the most challenging behaviors. The responding team will observe and assess the situation at the school and then draft an action plan, providing ongoing resources during its implementation to best serve the students and school. This work is an expansion of the teams deployed last fall and is based upon identified successes and lessons learned.

Other steps taken by 4J:

• Added 19 new behavior support educational assistants in grade K–5 to work with individual students in the classroom. 4J now has more than 40 of these assistants in grades K–8.

• Increased the number of mental health specialists
• Expanded training for educators on collaborative problem solving. This training is designed to promote the understanding that students who have trouble meeting expectations or managing their behavior lack the skill—not the will—to do so.
• Implementing a discipline matrix that provides administrators with consistent guidance on a range of appropriate responses and support in their decision-making. It emphasizes an instructional and restorative approach and integrates resources for educators who support students. Our district is focused on teaching skills to students to meet their needs while preventing future episodes.
• Trained more than 200 employees on a state-approved system to de-escalate highly charged situations to keep students and staff safe.

We appreciate your continued support and understanding.

The Eugene Education Foundation has awarded over $148,000 in grants for dozens of classroom and districtwide projects at 4J during the current school year.

The funding will make possible innovative projects, purchase crucial classroom supplies, and provide support for students with the greatest needs at elementary, middle and high schools throughout the district. Educators who applied for grant funding shortly after the start of the school year were notified last week that 55 projects will receive awards. The full list of grants can be found here.

Since 1993, the foundation has connected the generous support of donors, corporate sponsors, and school-parent partnerships with projects and initiatives that benefit all 4J students. For more information, or to donate to support EEF, visit www.eeflane.org.

You are encouraged to complete and submit an anonymous online survey to help support the collective care of all 4J employees.

Our district is in the fourth year of its Education Employee Wellness Grant from OEA Choice Trust. Money from this grant has been used to provide at no cost to 4J employees yoga classes, Wellness Webinars on a variety of topics, Walker Tracker challenges, and more!

Wellness needs change over time, and you're encouraged to take a few minutes to let us know what you would find the most impactful for your own physical and emotional health. The more we know, the better we can do for all of 4J's valued staff members. Thank you for your time and insights!

The Grinch didn't stand a chance against this crew.

4J transportation employees, many dressed as Whos, marched -- and skipped and danced -- in Springfield's "oldest and coldest" holiday parade on December 2. The team's sunshine committee planned the whole shebang, including decorating a school bus as the mean one itself, to spread happiness throughout the community.

Did you also know the our school district's boundary includes Glenwood, Coburg and small parts of Springfield and Linn County? The Whos knew, that's for sure.

District-level newsletters:

• NEW! Hadley Herald (tech tips for 4J educators)
• EdTech (technology tips, teaching strategies and more)
• The Library Lowdown
• Eco Experience with Eco Chick (eco tips and more)
• Student Services Department Newsletter
• Equity Extra

12/18–1/1 No School: Winter Break
1/2 No Classes: Staff Professional Development

1/1–31 School Choice Request Period

1/9 School Choice Live Virtual Info Session (English)

1/11 School Choice Live Virtual Info Sessions (English & Spanish)

1/15 No School: Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday