Junction City School District Home

September 2020

 

JUNCTION CITY SCHOOLS UPDATE: September 2020

 

Planning for the 2020-21 school year has been underway, non-stop, since we had an abrupt end to “normal” schooling in March of 2020 with the Governor’s order to close schools to students and the directive to have all staff work remotely.   Our licensed staff did a remarkable job quickly shifting to the “Crisis Distance Learning for All” that the spring conditions required.  Food service and transportation staff also shifted gears quickly to see that no Junction City child went hungry throughout the spring and summer. In addition to using our transportation services to deliver meals throughout the district, we also used our buses to deliver learning packets, technology, and more to students and families.  Thank you so much to all our staff members for the incredible support they provided to our students and community throughout the summer! 

 

Our District’s administrators, school nurse, teacher and classified staff representatives and many others spent much of their “summer break” in many, many, many long meetings that were focused on developing school re-opening Plans A, B, C, … (you get the idea!) in response to the Oregon Department of Education’s Ready Schools Safe Learners guidance, and the many subsequent revisions to that guidance document.  Over the summer months, modifications were made to our schools to increase fresh air flow and improve air quality, classified staff time was added to increase cleaning and sanitization of our buildings, robust “Blueprints” for staff and student health and safety protocols were developed, PPE was procured, “cohorts” and modified student schedules were planned and more.  With August and September came a flurry of activity to get our schools ready for our staff and students to return… and then another shift when the ODE direction changed again, the new “Metrics” system was introduced, and it was clear that we would be unable to welcome ALL of our students back for in-person learning anytime soon.

 

Parents, I know that the many surveys you’ve been asked to complete, the countless Parent Notification System (PNS) messages you’ve received, and the seemingly endless shifts to your children’s learning plans have been stressful, confusing, and downright annoying. You are doing amazing work supporting your children’s learning; we appreciate you so much! Staff, I know you must be feeling exhausted by the intensity and number of trainings you’ve participated in to get ready for this school year- know that we see you, appreciate you, and are incredibly impressed by all the new skills and talents you’ve developed!  Thanks to each of you- and our students- for the grace you have given leadership and each other during this challenging time. I wish I could say there is an end in sight soon, and we will be returning to “normal” any day but that is not a promise I can make.  Instead, I can promise that our District leaders and our amazing staff will continue to work together to solve problems, create safe and productive learning conditions, and find unique and wonderful ways to support our kids. We are going to get through this the “Junction City Way”- Together!  #JCTogether

 

Now, to news from around the district…. And from the September board meeting!

 

 

TERRITORIAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

           

Principal Sisler wanted to take a moment to thank the district for the time and energy that has been put into welcoming staff and students this school year, a beginning of the school year like no other we have seen in the past; she appreciates that the focus has been on making sure that every child finds a way to connect and engage. 

 

Territorial staff members were thrilled to see so many students and their families at the Territorial meet and greet.  Students got to meet their teachers, log on to their Chromebook, and practice logging onto their lessons.  We also had a wonderful first day with 92% of students logged on and engaged!  Student attendance and engagement has remained strong through the first weeks of the school year.

As Principal Sisler from TES points out, while we are challenged to find a new normal for learning and connecting with our students, we are still a learning and caring community.  

And speaking of caring-  a special thank you to the staff at TES who are providing childcare for district employees so that they are able to return to their classrooms and jobs and serve our district’s students and families.  We would specifically like to thank Victoria Price, Hannah Howe, Anna Myrand, Zoe Loyas-Cady. Their caring and welcoming demeanor- as well as how hard they work to make sure that participating children can engage in their virtual lessons and are getting their developmental needs met- is greatly appreciated.  Way to go ladies!

Our teachers and IAs are working so hard to meet students’ needs.  Every week there are new types of learning experiences teachers are piloting because they want to provide engaging and effective teaching, and no doubt much of what is learned will continue to be used in the future.  Our fall may not be “normal,” but our learning will continue to grow and as a result of our staff, students and families, learning will thrive!

Until we return to the time when all students can be at school every day- we can be assured that Territorial teachers are providing dynamic Comprehensive Distance Learning and are taking advantage of the ability to bring students into the building for limited in person instruction for interventions, assessments, and connections.  Thank you Bobcats!

 

LAUREL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

 

At Laurel, the entire staff came together to prepare our building for the return of students. While the metrics haven't been in our favor with respect to bringing back all of our Kindergarten through Third Graders as we had hoped, we’ll continue to focus on the areas we can control. One of those areas has been providing the best remote learning experience we can for our students. Thank you to our teachers who done an amazing job working together in PLCs to provide care, connection, and enriching lessons for our students.

 

Laurel’s administrators would like to give a huge shout-out to our district’s technology department. Our teachers are so thankful for the variety of learning platforms that have been purchased by the District (ixl, see-saw, GoGuardian, etc.) Teachers have utilized the extra training times that were provided during our in-service weeks and they worked together to practice and build confidence with these new platforms. Thank you Bob, Jeff, Ronda and Erika for the timely technology support you continue to provide. This has allowed our staff to stay focused on preparing and delivering lessons, as we navigate this new way of teaching.

 

Another huge shout-out goes to Darcey Edwards and our IA staff. This team prepared and executed an extremely efficient “Meet and Greet” event. We were able to get chrome books and supplies to our families and it was so nice to connect with students. Even though we all had to wear masks, the lobby was full of undeniable joy and excitement. This event reminded us all of how much we’ve missed being with our students and reinforced our desire to have them back in the building.

 

Our counseling department has also been busy. Miranda (Linville) Tucker has done a wonderful job starting the school year with “kindness.”  She gifted the Laurel staff with “Kind Kits” to kick off our annual Speak Your Kind Week (9/20-9/26). Each kit contained kind cards to write messages of kindness, Kind Bingo to help encourage acts of kindness in the community and a Love Rock to inspire kindness.  Brightly colored student “Kind Kits” were also given out at the Meet & Greet.  We will miss Miss Miranda when she moves on to her new position in the McMinnville School District in early November, but we will never forget her!

 

This year hasn’t started with kids in the building every day the way we had all hoped, but we have remained positive and continue to be grateful for everyone’s effort to make this year special for our students. A big thank you goes to our school board, district office personnel, and everyone else who has been working tirelessly for months to prepare for this year. You are amazing leaders and your relentless support has been extremely appreciated.

 

FIFTH GRADE ACADEMY

 

This year, our District’s fifth graders and their teachers are using the old East Wing of JCHS, where we expect they will likely stay for the entire school year.  We’ve tried to make the spaces as comfortable and inviting as possible for both teachers and their students- and have been largely successful in doing that, thanks to the efforts of administrators Erika Vaughn, Joy O’Rennick and Joy’s long-term admin sub, the Amazing Susan Inman. Many thanks as well to our tech team, custodial and facilities departments and Oaklea administrators for the extra TLC for the “Fifth Grade Academy”. 

 

Fifth Grade Academy reports that it was wonderful to meet together (socially distanced- of course) in our first in-person event of the new 2020/21 school year. A “meet and greet” format held over two days in the historic East Wing gym welcomed families coming from Laurel and Territorial Elementary Schools together to begin a  learning partnership journey.

Rain, smoke from nearby fires and a pandemic could not stand in the way of our determined and supportive JC families! More than 100 families arrived and were greeted by staff members. Each met with teachers to discuss how everyone could come together, work as a team and benefit from the tools we currently have available to us to make this school year the best possible learning experience for all.

 

When they visited, students, parents and grandparents shared their memories of the East Wing facility where aunts, uncles, moms, dads, grandparents, and in some cases, they themselves had attended school. Serving as a high school, junior high, and athletic department over the years, many memories have been made, and will continue to be made into the future.

Behind the scenes, Fifth Grade Academy teachers and support staff have been regularly planning learning targets, establishing strong systems for communication, gathering books, materials, community provided supplies and computer equipment for each and every fifth-grade student to begin the 2020/21 school year successfully.

With a focus on establishing routines and procedures for learning, along with an emphasis on helping our 5th graders gain the social awareness knowledge and skills they need to thrive in 2020, this year has begun with all of us learning our way and starting our journey together. Using everyone’s skill knowledge and persistence, we’ve built a collaborative team- while maintaining connections to students “home schools” of Oaklea and Territorial- that will provide a strong and meaningful foundation for the upcoming year.

  

In the 5th Grade Academy we believe strongly in the power of "yet".  We know that each student and family bring their own unique skills and abilities, and that all together we can achieve greatness.  We know that communicating, even when we have disagreements, can lead to a deeper understanding of each other and the gifts we bring. We know that we will try hard and never give up.  We know that with practice, we will get better. So while we may not be perfect "yet", we will strive to learn and get better each and every day.  And we will never give up.  This work is too important.

 

While we know there will be some speed bumps in the new reality we all find ourselves in, we are confidently working together to ensure the skills and knowledge students need to know and be able to do are learned and demonstrated by all in our 5th Grade Academy.   We look forward to how far this "can-do" attitude will take our students in our continued collaboration for learning.

 

OAKLEA MIDDLE SCHOOL

 

At Oaklea, it was exciting to see school start, see the faces, and get things going.  Oaklea staff spent three weeks preparing for that moment; training, building prep, tech prep, more training, planning. Due to the smoke and weather we had to make an adjustment to our Meet and Greet and schedule but it was still a huge success.  Almost every student we were expecting showed up!  This was in large part because of how much work the staff did ahead of the event, especially the IAs who made all the calls to families about Chromebooks, packaged, and pre-checked Chromebooks out for students.  It was a breath of fresh air to see and talk to the students, even if from a safe distance. 

Despite the fact that this is not the start of the year we had planned or wanted, Oaklea staff are jumping in with both feet.  While there were a few glitches in getting everyone in to the classes they need, those situations decreased daily, and everyone has now settled into their new routines. 

 

Our staff worked hard to create connections and build relationships in the first weeks of Comprehensive Distance Learning.  We want students to know how much we care about them and their success-even in these socially-distanced times we can still be human and connect in ways other than in-person.

 

As we turned our planning to academic instruction, sixth through eighth graders have five classes that they rotate through every morning.  After lunch, they have time to access teacher’s office hours for additional support on a topic or if they are needing clarification regarding an assignment. We recently started bringing small groups of students in for more supports in the afternoons (Limited In-Person Instruction) but  unfortunately will not be able to serve every student.  Families will be continue to be contacted if their student needs to come in for this in-person instruction.   

 

Now that we are starting to conduct classes and providing limited in-person instruction (and then hopefully will eventually be able to bring all students back to the building), we want to remind our staff and families that there are a number of safety protocols in place to help keep everyone as safe as possible.  We’ve looked at every detail of the entry plan and will have different entrances for different portions of the building and different entrances for walkers/drop offs vs. bus riders.  Bathrooms have been pre-assigned to specific areas of the building and increased rounds of cleaning will take place throughout the day.  Students are assigned to cohorts and will remain in a room for their classes while the teachers will rotate through the cohorts to deliver different subject matter.  Our end-of-the-day plan utilizes a staggered dismissal and will also designate exit points for different hallways.  Sanitizing stations are placed at all entry and exits.  We are doing all we can to ensure we keep staff and students safe!

 

Finally, we want to remind everyone that one of the best life skills we can develop in our students is resiliency and a growth mindset.  Couple this with work ethic, a heart for others, a sense of community, and knowledge will produce citizens that we can all be proud of.  This our journey.  The path may look a bit different at the moment, but it still leads us to success.  An enormous thank you to all those that have helped us get this year started; Board Members, District Office staff, Tech staff, Custodians, Teachers, Instructional Assistants, and students and families.  It is going to be a great year!

 

 

JUNCTION CITY HIGH SCHOOL

 

September was a month filled with preparation for the return of JCHS for “new and improved” distance learning. We’d like to recognize our two current custodians, Mike Spoerl and Andy Counts, for their outstanding work getting our main campus ready. They also prepared the East Wing for the 5th grade academy and JC Options programs to have what they needed to kick off the school year. We are looking to fill vacant custodial positions, and Mike and Andy have been simply the best during this challenging time.

We’d also like to thank our classified staff who went “above and beyond” to prepare registration folders, barcode and organize Chromebooks for checkout, called parents personally to follow up on survey information, and did a ton of behind-the-scenes work for our teachers so they would be ready to start remote instruction last week. Our teachers miss our students as well, but have done a remarkable job preparing to deliver engaging lessons in the online format. Special thanks to the Tiger Club for showing TLC to the staff by serving pizza at lunch time recently, we appreciate them for their ongoing support of our staff and students.

 

Linda Jackson and her team deserve huge praise for their work in the JC Options program, as the number of families choosing that curriculum path has grown significantly. This has truly been a team effort, and we are proud of our entire staff for maintaining a positive, student-centered attitude.

 

We want to remind our students and families that daily attendance remains a requirement, whether a student is participating in the synchronous, remote instruction with teachers in the mornings, or is enrolled in the JC Options program. If a student will be absent, we ask that all parents please contact our Attendance Office.

 

 We started limited in-person instruction last week, and have been providing small groups of students the support they need.   Now that students are returning in small numbers for academic purposes, we also kicked-off our "Season 1" of Tiger Athletics and other extra-curricular offerings with 4-week workouts for each program by season. The programs will follow all health and safety protocols, and will rotate with spring sports starting October 5th, followed by fall and then winter. We are looking forward to the opportunity students will have to reconnect and know that they will enjoy the social-emotional attributes that athletics and activities bring.

Finally, given our current reality, we will need to postpone some of the exciting activities that our students traditionally look forward to. This may even mean moving Homecoming and the Noise Night to the spring season. Rest assured, however that we will continue to find ways to highlight student achievements and to give students ways to make the absolute best of this 2020-21 school year, whether in distance learning or in-person mode. We can get through this in the JC way, TOGETHER! Go Tigers!

 

 

DISTRICT NEWS

 

The Meet & Greet Supply Giveaway that happened in mid-September at all our schools was a huge success, as nearly all of our district’s students and families came through for textbooks, Chromebooks and supplies to help start the school year. Special thanks to Susan Inman of Soroptimists, her team, and the many local businesses and churches for putting together "Welcome Back Gift Bags" for all of our students.   That was an awesome gesture!  We also want to thank our classified staff members who worked so hard to get Chromebooks and other supplies ready for student checkout, and to all of our teachers and other staff who made our Drive-Through and/or Drop-In Meet and Greets SO much fun for our students and families!

                                                                                                                                                                

BOARD MEETING NEWS

 

In terms of news from the September 28th Board Meeting, the board took a number of personnel actions, including:

 

A.      Approving an unpaid leave of absence for Everett Davis, music teacher at Oaklea Middle School, effective September 14, 2020, for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year.

 

B.      Approving the resignation of Desiree McIvor, 4th grade teacher at Laurel Elementary School, effective August 26, 2020.

 

C.      Approving the resignation of Miranda (Linville) Tucker, counselor at Laurel Elementary School, effective November 4, 2020.

 

D.     Approving the hiring of Teresa Parsons as 1.0 FTE District Nurse, job-share with Fern Ridge School District (.25 FTE JCSD and .75 FTE FRSD), beginning September 14, 2020.

 

E.      Approve the hiring of Wendy Gangwer as temporary 4th grade teacher at Laurel Elementary School for the 2020-21 school year beginning August 31, 2020.

 

F.       Approving the hiring of Jolene Baron as temporary elementary teacher at Laurel Elementary School for the 2020-21 school year beginning September 8, 2020.

 

G.     Approving the hiring of Laura Wemple as temporary elementary teacher at Laurel Elementary School for the 2020-21 school year beginning September 8, 2020.

 

H.     Approving the hiring of Rebecca Hatfield as temporary elementary teacher at Laurel Elementary School for the 2020-21 school year beginning September 8, 2020.

 

I.        Approve the hiring of Shawna Ricks as temporary roaming sub / long-term sub at Laurel Elementary, beginning September 21, 2020 through the end of the 2020-21 school year.

 

J.       Approving the hiring of Donna Pioli as temporary special education teacher- resource room- at Laurel Elementary School for the 2020-21 school year beginning August 28, 2020.

 

Welcome to these wonderful new staff members, and happy new adventures to our departing staff members!

 

With respect to discussion items, the board heard a report from Director of Instruction Erika Vaughn who shared a “Re-Opening Update”, and a report on the first few weeks of the school year as well as a Student Success Act Update.  They also received an update from District Human Rights Officer Katie Bradford, who shared steps that are being taken to address the concerns raised, and the complaints filed, in relation to incidents of discrimination and harassment in our District.  October’s board meeting, and my October District Update, will include a detailed review of these steps and our future plans to insure that Junction City Schools are a place where every student feels safe and has the opportunity to learn in a secure, supportive and anti-racist learning environment. This is incredibly important work- much of it long overdue- and we will be keeping this work front and center this year and in the years to come.

 

The board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 26th at 6 PM.    While the board is now able to return to meeting together in person, we are unable to accommodate additional in-person staff or community participants.  Please check the district’s website for information about how public comment can be submitted prior to the meeting, and how the meeting can be observed virtually.   Until then, GO TIGERS!

 

Warmly,

Kathleen

 

            ENGAGE                               INSPIRE                                 EDUCATE