Dear Sexton Mt. Families:
Last week I shared that one of the best parts
of working in an elementary school is
getting to see the wide range of learners.
Another great thing about working in an elementary school is how often I
get to step into different roles. Though
my title is principal, I get to do just
about anything that needs to be done.
Last week I got to step into the role of secretary for a few hours and
changing my perspective helped me to
better understand why some of our procedures are so very important.
I wanted to share my key learning with you
regarding attendance, late kids and informing the office if your child will be
gone.
CALL THE ATTENDANCE LINE IF YOUR
CHILD WILL NOT BE IN CLASS BY 8:30am.
You can find the number on the lovely school magnet the PTC provided or
put the number in your phone now so you’ll have it handy (503-259-7635). MAKE
SURE YOUR CHILD IS AT SCHOOL BY 8:20AM
·
Safety is
our number one goal. Knowing that each
child is accounted for is our first step in school safety. Our school
attendance system helps us know who is here and who is not. We’ve learned from local and national missing
children cases that notifying families early in the day if kids don’t show up
is very important. Here is how the
process works for us:
o
Teachers
take attendance electronically at 8:30am.
o
Any child
arriving at or after 8:30am gets a pink tardy slip from the office and their
name, teacher’s name and arrival time are marked.
o
At 8:31ish,
staff check the attendance line (503-259-7635)
and tardy list then make changes in the online system to show which children
are accounted for. If families have left a message about a child’s
whereabouts, the process goes much more quickly. If we have no or few tardy students, the
process also goes much more quickly.
During this time, staff are still attending to urgent needs (bloody
noses and knees and sick kids) so these things can interrupt or slow this
process.
o
Next, staff
attempt to track down children who have yet to be accounted for. Again, urgent needs can also interrupt or
slow the process. On average we have
about 15 students not in class each day.
During flu season the number can be much larger. If families have called the attendance line (503-259-7635)
staff can do this much more quickly.
o
Finally, the
automated system continues notifying families.
On the day I got to serve in the secretary’s
role 87.5% of absent children were accounted for because families had called
us. Even though it was a rainy day, only
3 students were late to school. Because
I don’t know how to make the changes in the attendance system, Becky Douvris tracked down the children we
hadn’t heard from (all while taking care of headaches, blood and bandages) and
the I.T. department quickly made the changes for us. I am so thankful that kids showed up on time
AND parents had called in for those who were sick.
WORK ON BUILDING YOUR NETWORK
I noticed the importance of the whole Sexton
Mountain team from my perspective in the office. I am thankful for the volunteers who were in
for Passport Club and other things. I
don’t get to see the morning routine from the office perspective so I was thrilled
to see adults helping other adults sign in and get visitor’s stickers. In the main hallway, I even saw a parent
direct another adult to the sign in clipboard when the adult was ready to walk
the child he was dropping off to the classroom.
I noticed neighbors delivering a late lunch, extended family dropping
off homework, and grandparents come in to volunteer. I noticed volunteers showing genuine care for
kids as they came in after a mishap on the playground. A genuine, “I’m so sorry you’re not feeling
well” acknowledged the child’s discomfort until staff were able to deal with
the situation. Our school is as special
as it is because WE work together.
Once again, I was reminded that my white,
female, Oregonian perspective is just that;
MY PERSPECTIVE. It is by no means
the right perspective or the only perspective. I feel fortunate to learn about others’
perspectives and realize that when I push myself to better understand the
perspectives of others, I grow and change in positive ways. I value diversity and realize that my
responses to the interactions I described above can demonstrate this value. In fact, one of our District pillars is
EQUITY. WE EMBRACE EQUITY.
- Student success will not be predicted based on race,
ethnicity, family economics, mobility, gender, sexual orientation,
disability or initial proficiencies.
- Diversity and bilingualism are honored as assets.
The diversity of the Sexton Mountain learning
community makes it extra special. We have VERY SPECIAL KIDS from very SPECIAL
FAMILIES. Over the next few weeks I’m
going to continue to share information
about who WE are and what we do.
Students in our school come from many types
of families. Some kids have one parent and some have two parents. Some kids
have zero parents so live with grandparents.
Some kids have a mom and dad. Some
kids have foster parents. Some have a
mom and dad plus step-mom and/or step-dad. Some kids have two moms. Some kids have two dads. Some students have a deceased parent. The combinations are endless and the
differences vast but the similarities even more important. Though we have many different types of
families, all of our kids have families who want them to succeed.
I am proud to be part
of a district that recognizes the diversity and worth of all individuals and
groups. It is the policy of the Beaverton
School District that there will be no discrimination or harassment of
individuals or groups based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual
orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, marital
status, age, veterans' status, genetic information or disability in any
educational programs, activities or employment.
We expect students to be
respectful, safe and responsible at Sexton Mountain.
Fondly,
Dr.
Teresa Clemens-Brower
a.k.a. Mrs. C.-B.
Principal
Thank you!
· Thanks to Tristan Kerbo for sorting and putting away
all reader board letters.
· Thanks to Lindsay Zobrist for helping teachers write
donorschoose.org grants.
· Thanks to the Ruelle family for noticing vandalism on
the playground and covering it up before students returned on Monday.
· Thanks to Heidi Elliott and team for successfully
running the first Passport Club check of the year.
Reminders
•
We won’t
disrupt class learning time for late deliveries. Let kids know if they forgot lunches in the
morning and you plan to deliver them, lunchpails will wait for kids on the late
lunch cart so they should check there.
•
Please
continue to update the office with any email, phone or emergency contact info
changes.
•
Are you on
Facebook? Stay connected by liking the
Principal CB’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Principal-CBs-Page-Sexton-Mountain-Elementary/227153960776053
•
Remind 101
is an app that allows me to send texts to those who have signed up. Text @drcleme to (971) 340-2104. Urgent news will be shared this way.
Wish List-These are things or jobs that make a
difference to our kids, teachers or school. Send in items or let Mrs. CB know
if you can volunteer.
•
Volunteer jobs are sometimes posted in the workroom. If you have a few minutes to spare, check out
the back counter and see if you can knock out a task. From sorting reader board letters to making
copies, all these little tasks add up to make our school run efficiently.
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