Summer Forecast #1

I am on the fence about sending email updates in the summer. I HOPE you are all relaxing, rejuvenating and enjoying your summer. I have been able to get my yard somewhat back into functioning shape, spend some time with friends and family and begin a few projects. Unfortunately, both Emily and I came down with COVID the weekend after we were officially kicked out of the building. I had a "lite" case, but Emily was hit a bit harder. To be honest if it wasn't for quarantine I would have most likely come to work. I am noticing I am a bit more tired than normal, so the more relaxed pace of summer is appreciated. I hope you are all staying well. 

I will admit I am on book three so far and this is my favorite spot to read....

SAVE THE DATE:

Emily and I are meeting tomorrow do calendar for the year. Please pencil in Friday, August 26th  from 5:30-7:00 for our Open House/Back to School Night. This may shift, but I am hoping to do this event prior to the beginning of the first day of school (August 30th).

As a reminder we will be holding our PD at Edgefield on August 24th & 25th. The 25th we will also hold a staff social. 

• I am excited to share we were given some additional FTE on June 17th. This is SIA funding and most likely will not be sustainable, but it will be put to good use. We were given FTE to fund a 1.0 Restorative Justice position, a Qualified Mental Health Care Professional, and an additional EA. There are some perimeters and we will be working to hired as soon as possible.

• We have solidified several of our new team members for this upcoming school year. I will send out specific emails to the grade level/teams for introductions soon. I will not be introducing our new staff members in this update however. I will say we had very strong applicants this year and for a few positions had 50+ people apply. 

• The building is definitely under construction. I tried to get into my office after I had finished my quarantine and was met by tenting etc. I was able to make it to the door of my office, but let's just say there was no way I was getting in. I finally gained access (I needed some paperwork), but it was a hassle. I am hoping to drop by tomorrow or Friday to do some snooping, but for the most part won't be in the building until August 8th.

• I know some of you have been busy in trainings for our new curriculum. I have started a list of things we may need to purchase to support the adoptions. If you have heard of materials, books, etc. you think will be useful feel free to email me and/or Theresa. We will not be ordering anything until August when Shannon returns and we are back in the building for deliveries, but would like to do it as quickly as we can upon our return to avoid delays. 

• Here is next year's schedule. Please note things may still shift a bit, but gives you a general idea. 2022-23HP Schedule

• If you have any thoughts, concerns, or simply want to catch up anytime this summer please feel free to reach out to Emily and I. We are both taking a full week off at some point and are doing a lot of 2-3 day work weeks. I do check my messages and texts, but there may be some delay. I can be reached at 503.545.9463. 

• For those of you are bored and want to avoid this task once school is up and running the window for mandatory trainings is now open. You will receive some time during the school year for this purpose. If you get them out of the way now, that time would be yours for whatever you see fit. I am not putting pressure on anyone, but I know some people like to get it out of the way. 

"You will be automatically assigned the 2022-23 courses under “My Current Courses” in Pepper, the District’s Professional Learning Management System. You can access Pepper at pepper.pps.net. See directions below. If you are receiving this notice outside of your work year, please be advised of this requirement once your work year begins. Additionally, you are not required to print your certificate.

*Exceptions:

• PPS Athletic Coaches must complete the training sessions by August 12, 2022. If hired after August 15, 2022, coaches will have 1 week to complete the mandatory training.

• Mandatory Online Trainings:

• (PC1031) Child Abuse Prevention and Reporting

• (PC1032) Discrimination, Harassment, Bullying, and Retaliation 

• (PC1033) Emergency Preparedness Training

• (PC1034) Employee Handbook 

• (PC1035) Supporting Students and Families Experiencing Homelessness

• (PC1036) Risk Management and Hazard Communication 

• (PC1037) Adult Sexual Misconduct: Staff to Student/Title IX

• (PC1038) Professional Conduct Training

• (PC1039) Information Security Awareness training

• (PC1040) School Suicide Prevention Training

Please follow the steps below to begin training:

• Step 1: Click on the following link: pepper.pps.net.

• Step 2: Enter your PPS username and password and click “Login & Access My Account.” If you need assistance with logging in, contact the IT Service Desk at support@pps.net.

  • If this is your first time logging into Pepper, you will be asked to create a profile and review the “Quick Start Guide to Pepper” in your “My Pepper Announcements.”

• Step 4: Your mandatory courses are located in the upper right of the screen under “My Current Courses.”

• Step 5: Each course will begin on the navigation instructions page. Please review these instructions as they may differ from course to course.  

• Step 6: After finishing all course requirements, be sure to check the “I have completed the course” box and then “Submit” in order to receive a certificate of completion.

  • Certificates are available under “Tools” on the main menu bar. To download your certificate, click on the certificate icon.

• Step 7: To complete your remaining courses, return to the dashboard by clicking on the Pepper logo in the upper left of the screen.

Note: Partially completed courses will remain under the “My Current Courses” section until they are fully completed. The “My Progress” tab will display your courses in progress and the percentage that is completed. Once a course is fully completed, the course will be removed from the “My Current Course” section and a certificate is available under the Tools menu.  

More information about Pepper learning can be found on the PPS website at https://www.pps.net/pepper.