Nightly News for Tuesday September 20th

• We have two major due dates for Title this week. Shannon will be out tomorrow morning to complete our 2021-22 year end budget and is out in the afternoon for an appointment. She won't be in tomorrow. Naima will manage substitutes tomorrow and Thursday. On that note Shannon and I will be completing our 2022-23 Title proposed budget on Thursday morning and will be offsite to complete this task. 

• Safety Alert/Tip- While there are some great things about the new office there are some drawbacks. Today, a staff member was hit by the swinging gate in the front office. Please be mindful when walking through to do so slowly. I would advise if you are accessing your mailboxes you go through the staff entrance on the north side of the office instead of going through the main office door and through the gate. This front area is fairly small and we will try to keep it as clear as possible for students/parents.

• We talked last week about how sub fill rates increase when absences are put in at least a day ahead. It is better to put in for a sub if you think you may be ill then to wait until the last minute. Please be aware that is you decide to cancel a sub it does need to be done by 7:30 in the morning (let's go with 7:15 to be safe). If you decide to cancel the sub and it is after 7:30, they are still supposed to report to the building and will be paid for half a day.  If it is done before 7:30 they are able to pick up another job. Please note Shannon can not cancel a sub if you put it in. This is something you will need to do. 

• Currently the district is about three weeks out on paperwork to approve volunteer applications. Just a few reminders around field trips. 

1. Please fill out all paperwork and make sure it is complete. This includes listing chaperone names. We have to ensure they are cleared before they can attend. If a parent volunteers we as that you ask them if they are cleared. We will double check this, but want you do do due diligence. 

2. All students should be attending field trips. If you have concerns about a student not behaving or being safe on a field trip please talk to Emily or me. Unless the student is suspended they will be allowed to participate as a field trip is educational opportunity. We can discuss how to support the student on the field trip.

3. Do not plan on taking staff along with you as chaperones. We never know what coverage will look like on any given day and because of this we don't want to pull someone to go on a trip unless we are adequately staffed in the building. There may be exceptions for specific special education or 504 needs. This should be put on your field trip "application". 

Thank you to Kim & Tim for being our field trip test pilots. 

• In the same vein if you want a parent volunteer in your classroom they have to be cleared to volunteer. If you have any questions on clearance feel free to check in with Naima or Kelly. 

• If you have any more sign ups for Portland Backpack that students have brought back, please put them in Lindsay Alex's box in the office! We will start food distributions next week, typically on Fridays toward the end of the day. Thank you!

• Q1 progress report mark entry is due Thursday, September 29, 2022, by midnight.  The grading window is open as of today.  

• If educators are missing core curricular resources and/or consumables (e.g. workbooks) needed to teach the adopted curriculum, they should email textbooks@pps.net. This will be the most efficient way to get missing materials in buildings.

• K-12 SEPTEMBER 23RD PD DAY - NEWSLETTER

The 9/23 Professional Learning day will be at McDaniel High School and Grant High School. We are still determining which sessions will be at specific locations.
Lunch will be provided for all educators in attendance.
Since 9/23 is a work day for Building Leaders, you have the option to choose to attend the PD Day, but you must register in Pepper for the session you will attend.
Reminder to share with your teachers the September 23rd Pepper Registration document. TPL will send out communication to teachers through the Teacher Connect and through a direct email to all teachers the week of September 6th and September 12th.
Non contract day for PFSP and PAT members. 

• Starting this fall, all K-5 educators shall use report cards only to report quarter 1 grades.

The past several years we have used conference forms instead of the report card for quarter 1.

The reasons for the return to use of the report card instead of the conference form are because the report card:

• provides a permanent record of student achievement

• aligns to the standards and materials we now use whereas the conference forms are outdated

• provides consistent progressive feedback to parents about their student's growth and performance

By mid-October, the Office of Teaching and Learning will provide further guidance on using our report cards to reflect student progress within our current curricular resources and assessments.

The original reason the conference form was created and put in use for K-5 was when conferences were moved to October, which meant conferences happened before grading. With conferences now taking place during the week of Thanksgiving/Fall Break, the conference form is no longer needed as educators have a full grading/Teacher Planning day prior to conferences.

• Do you have a passion for elementary science? Do you want to help shape the future of K-5 science in PPS? If so, please consider joining the K-5 Advisory Committee for Elementary Science (ACES). More information here.