8.9.26 Otter News

As we have developed our instructional vision at Ord Terrace, there are many best practices that we've collectively owned and found success implementing. We have also received a lot of feedback from consultants, such as Chartwell, and from curriculum experts. This, combined with our staff's knowledge of current research on the science of reading, means that we collectively can create more consistency and coherence across classrooms.

In order to create consistency and coherence across classrooms, we have, over the years, developed some common agreements around best practices. Below is guidance around pacing (ensuring students get access to grade level standards), curriculum (access to rigorous, grade level materials), time (access), and things we do we want to avoid.

Small group interventions should start August 24th. Teachers are encouraged to teach the routines for small groups before then, and you can start other types of small group support prior to then. However, Jen O, Heath, Olga and Juana will not be working with small groups or pulling groups until then (kinder can start any time).

Jen Ortiz has a preliminary list of students and their groups, and will work with grade level teams to review them on Wednesday, August 12th during PLC time. Please email Jen with any questions or concerns!

Please be sure that any lesson plans, planners, and TEs are in a visible, obvious place in your classroom when you leave each day, as sometimes energencies come up and a sub, Chanelle or Joe have to cover. It is helpful to have them on your desk or in a location toward the front. This aligns with district requirements outlined in the MPUSD Staff Handbook on page 36 here.

Though the district assessment window is opening for i-Ready Inform assessment soon, we would like students to engage in goal-setting first. We can start the assessments once that process is completed. Please plan to administer Inform starting the week of August 17th. Ensure students have note-taking tools for both ELA and math.

If you have not already posted a welcome message to the families in your class, please do so. Also, a follow-up messages about how the first day or first week went would be appreciated!

Several people have done this already. It helps parents feel more connected to teachers and supports our goal of cultivating a sense of belonging for all! Thank you.

Teachers voted and Monday August 17th will be the evening conference date. 

You can use the template called "Sign Up: Back to School Connections Conferences" and feel free to modify if you'd like.

You can go above and beyond that if you wish.

Sign up for translation here. If you run out of slots, please use Language Line (directions here).

TK/K: Please check sign-up for your current conferences, and if you see the need for some slots the week of Aug 17-21st, go ahead and post those.

We are very fortunate to have many opportunities for students with learning differences to play alongside each other at recess. It's important that students all learn safe ways to interact and play side by side. Please reinforce these:

There are no "SDC only" play spaces - all students are welcome to play alongside students in our LEAP and STEPS programs.

This is an Ord Terrace tradition! Sign up in this Google form.

The more people sign up, the better! This year, please be sure to put it on your calendar once the schedule goes out. This form also includes a field for any feedback to improve it this year! Please feel free to add suggestions.

Teachers - Thank you so much for your input about the adjunct duties! It was very helpful. We consolidated everyone's thinking and put into this document. We hope it provides more guidance for each team.

Please choose your preferences for before/after school duties, as well as adjunct duties here. All teachers need to have 1 adjunct, and 1 a.m./p.m. duty (7:45-7:55 a.m. every other week, or 2:25-2:35 p.m. every other week).

All parents who will volunteer (be with students consistently, OR present at an event for more than 30 minutes) must complete the volunteer process. This includes chaperoning for field trips. NEW THIS YEAR: They have to take an online Keenan course on child abuse reporting.

The office has all the information - just send parents there (they still need a government issued ID from any country, as well as fill out the paperwork).

It still takes 4-5 days to process, so please ensure parents are aware. All this info will also be in the parent newsletter!!!

Like past years, all teachers will do goal-setting with me or Chanelle. Some people are being evaluated (if you weren't evaluated last year, or if you are a probationary teacher).

Once we get the schedule finalized, we will send calendar invites for goal-setting meetings. In the meantime, you can watch the screencast I made previously here that explains the process and how to complete the documents.

Do not complete anything yet - please wait to get a link to your specific document. The expectation is the 2 documents will be completed by the time your goal-setting meeting happens (in September).

The schedule for Chromebook check-out will be going out early this week. Please anticipate that your students will check out Chromebooks between Wednesday and Friday, possibly some the following week.

For now, please give your class set to the grade level above, ensuring each one is assigned to the correct students. However, do not distribute them yet until your appointment with Olga.

All lists look good, and you can send them to your families! They will also be included in the parent newsletter.

Below is the kindness calendar for the month, which will be in everyone's boxes. It would be nice to introduce it to your class and even have students check off each day anything they've done! Thanks.

ALL staff - please go to this slide deck and complete ONE slide introducing yourself. There is a template at the end of the deck if you want to use iit, or use your own layout. Feel free to share as much or as little info about yourself as you'd like! I left slides for everyone who completed one for last year. You can either make a new one and delete your old slide, or revise the slide you already made! Please complete by Friday, August 7th.

The current classroom map is here. It will be updated when changes are made.

Every year, Keenan trainings are required of all employees as a condition of employment. Please ensure you login at https://mpusd-keenan.safeschools.com/ (your login is your email) and complete them by the due dates listed (most are due by September 30th).

To enhance and enrich their educational experiences, I hope that all students will attend at least 2 field trips during the school year. To support this, each teacher has a budget of $250, which covers the cost of buses to most local destinations.

However, we will need at least 1 month to process purchase orders, OR advance notice if reimbursement is required (receipts or invoices are required for reimbursements). If a field trip appears cost prohibitive, just email me and we'll see what we can do!

Plan to work with your grade level team (or other colleagues) to plan field trip experiences for your students; you will be asked to provide that information to me later in August.

I highly recommend all primary grades TK-2 plan for a field trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium (check out this page in a month so you can sign up soon - spots fill up).

You can put in work orders for anything that needs to be fixed in your classroom. Examples: clogged sink, heater broken, windows/doors broken, etc. Put the work orders in at workorders.mpusd.net. Technology-related work orders can be put in at helpdesk.mpusd.k12.ca.us.

Note: Please DO NOT SUBMIT work orders for anything related to the bond construction work. If you believe something was not done correctly or is incomplete or missing, please reach out to JOE with the details.