Weekly Update

Good evening AF staff. Each week I will publish an update that includes important information. Please feel free to provide feedback! Also, when using this format before, my staff would often send me articles, videos, and relevant information to add in the teacher corner.

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

-Maya Angelou

I love this quote by Maya Angelou, and I heard it again this weekend on NPR. It immediately made me think about the power we possess to change the lives of children each day. It also made me think about the responsibility we have to lift up and support one another. Over the next few days, find someone that has gone above and beyond to help you out, or made you feel special and say, "Thank you."

Casey:

Principal's Meeting: 9/9 2:30-3:30

DMUSD Leadership Meeting 9/11 1:00-2:00

Tuesday:

Please plan on attending our first staff meeting this Tuesday.

Time: 2:20-3:05

Zoom Invite: (Click Here)

Wednesday:

No CLW

Getting Started With Person-First Language: (Click Here for Article)

Focusing on who students are as individuals—instead of on learning differences or other descriptors—starts with empathy. This is an easy read and begins to shed light on a topic at the heart of a nation-wide movement regarding student/person-first language.

Repeat:

I am sure you are familiar with this thinking routine, and it was neat to see it in action last week when I was in a couple of Zoom sessions. See the attachment for See, Think, Wonder.

Daily Schedules:

Thank you to those of you that already shared your daily schedules with us. If you haven't done so yet, please email those to Terri and me at some point this week.

Classroom Visits:

The favorite part of my day is to spend time in classrooms supporting teachers and working with students. In the first few weeks, I will be popping into rooms to introduce myself, memorize names, and talk about expectations. If you want me to cover anything in particular, please don't hesitate to ask.

Screening Temperature Taking Procedure:

• The screeners will be using the protocol below:
• Wash your hands
• Take Temperature: At arm’s length, using the infrared non-contact thermometer, point to the person’s forehead about ½” to 1” away and activate the thermometer. If a person has hair overlapping on the forehead, ask a person to lift up hair, to expose skin on the forehead. Refer to the specific model’s operating instructions.
• DO NOT TOUCH THE PERSON’S SKIN. Some thermometers require 20-second “rest” between tests for an accurate reading. Skin must be DRY for an accurate reading.
• Temperature or 100.0 or above = no pass. Wait a few minutes and then try again. IF NO PASS occurs a second time- call Health Office to let them know you are sending a student with a fever.
• If a student has a temperature or symptoms immediately contact the Health Office.
• The thermometer must be wiped down with an alcohol prep wipe when finished with screening students
• Wash your hands

Science Shift/Update:

As some of you may know, and as I recently learned, within the Del Mar School District, we are in the midst of a shift with respect to science instruction. We are shifting from what’s it has traditionally looked like in the past (where our science specialists used to teach grade-level content often disconnected from the science content being taught by classroom teachers,) to a model where you will be working together to help children understand the same science content in the classroom and through STEAM. This shift is taking place districtwide and will take some time to accomplish. This is newer information for our science specialists too, as they recently had an opportunity to discuss these shifts in their program with Instructional Services a couple of weeks ago.

Since many teachers use Mystery Science as the main resource to teach science in the classroom, Jenn will not use the Mystery Science lessons because she can design lessons that pull from other available resources, including the pilot curriculum Amplify, to provide meaningful learning experiences that support the same NGSS content you are teaching in the classroom.

In order to support the success of this new shift, please work with Jenn by letting her know the scope/sequence of the NGSS content you will be teaching during your science blocks. This will allow her to plan lessons that align with the same content. I am certain it would help Jenn if you could give her that sequence of learning for each trimester as your team makes those decisions, so she has time to prepare her lessons as well.

Jenn’s lessons will likely be hands-on at times - to make science come alive - so she may be distributing materials to you the morning she has STEAM with your class to ensure your students have what they need to engage in exploration, experimentation, etc.

I understand this will be a shift, and anticipate some bumps along the way. Please know I am here to support in any way that I can!

Repeats:

• Jenni Huh provided this friendly reminder. Please don't forget to wear your face covering throughout the day unless you are alone. Also, we just got updated guidance from public health and the Local Health Jurisdiction regarding masks and face shields. We are no longer permitted to wear only a face shield during the day, even when working with students. If you are wearing a face shield, you must also wear a cloth face covering. The district is working on ordering and distributing clear masks for all staff and hopes to have them available soon.
• I know the first few weeks back have been crazy, but please take some time to double-check your websites are updated and current with a new team photo (send a copy of to Terri).
  
• Make sure you can view the AF calendar in Outlook. If you need help with this, come see Terri or me.

As we shift into in-person teaching, don't forget to help out and have attendance submitted by 8:30. This will help us get our absence phone calls out promptly.

Feel free to share articles, videos, classroom lesson ideas, pictures and anything else you think the rest of the staff would benefit from!

• Please use this link to find the End-of-the-Year Math Problem Solving Tasks. These are the Problem Solving Tasks that would have been given in Spring 2020 by the previous grade-Repeat:
• We received the impressive Assessment Matrix last week from Vivian...see the attached file below. We were asked to remind everyone to hold off on starting assessments until our students return to campus on Tuesday, September 8th. If you look at the Assessment Matrix, it suggests we should hold off until the window opens the week of September 7th to start assessing via iReady.

• The health office should be used for children who are ill or need assistance with an injury that cannot be treated in the classroom.

• In order to prevent healthy children from becoming exposed to viruses that may make them ill, the health office bathroom should not be used for healthy children.

• Children that are immunocompromised should not use the health office bathroom.
• Another bathroom on campus may need to be designated for students requiring more support in the bathroom
• Minor injuries (papercut) should be taken care of in the classroom.
• Any child with Covid-19 symptoms must be isolated from staff and students.
• Determine the location of the isolation room for students with Covid-19 symptoms.
• Chairs and cots should be wiped down (by trained staff) in between students.
• Students should be kept 6 feet apart when in the health office.
• Sick children will be sent home, with or without a temperature. Follow the Covid-19 Symptom Decision Tree.
• Health Technicians should wear gloves when taking a temperature or if necessary, to be near a student.
• Children should not use the health office phone to call home.
• Single-use ice packs.
• Infrared “no-touch” thermometer.
• No parents in the health office. Parents should never be allowed in the health office to protect another student’s privacy and to prevent their own exposure to illness. Children may be escorted to the parent’s car and a clipboard can be brought to the parents to sign them out.
• Visitors entering the school should be provided an alternate restroom to use. Children of those visitors will also need an alternate restroom to use.