10.10.25 Staff Blog
Looking forward to all the fun October events including Literacy Night, Hispanic Heritage Assembly, Hot Cocoa Celebration, Spirit Week, and a Walk-a-Thon! I can’t think of a better way to spend October or a more amazing group of people to spend it with.
Quick Look:
*for more information, see below
SAFE SCHOOLS:ACTION
Reminder! It is time to finish your Safe Schools training (due Nov. 30). Here is the link.
CONFERENCE PREPARATION: HELPFUL
The Fall Conference Guide has been updated by our district leadership team.
As you begin scheduling Parent-Teacher Conferences, please also keep the following recommendations in mind:
Lingolet is available for on-demand services for our top languages and can help reduce scheduling management.
For in-person interpretation, please prioritize our in-house interpreters. Utilizing them is half the cost of using the agency (Dynamic). We take the privacy of our families and students very seriously and believe that clear communication is essential to building strong, trusting relationships. All of our in-house interpreters have completed training in ethics, confidentiality, and conflict of interest.
For questions around interpretation or translation, please contact Casey Baldner, Language Access Coordinator.
Notes:
11/5 is an individual day
See the tab on our master schedule labeled 25-26 Fall Conference Schedule for our schedule
STAFF MEETING SCHEDULE:HELPFUL
I have added all of our staff and team meetings to our shared CK-8 calendar. In case it is helpful for you to have a list, I am linking it here. Please note that this is a living document, so printing it out may lead to confusion (especially with snow closures or other delays). I recommend either bookmarking it, or making it your practice to frequently check our Systems and Procedures document where it is linked under the heading “schedules”. As a reminder, that Systems and procedures document is linked at the top of the blog each week.
ASSESSMENT: HELPFUL
Reminders: The Fall Assessment Window is open 9/4/25 - 9/26/25
District Assessment Calendar: See the calendar for assessment windows. Updated regularly and on our district website. Please note that for District Assessments (i.e., DIBELS, i-Ready), the district sets a window for which these assessments need to be completed, but individual buildings may set more specific timelines for completion within that window. Please check with your building administrator for clarification.
Assessment Resources: Google folder with resources for assessment.
WONDERS ONLINE ACCESS: HELPFUL
As we shared last fall, the cost to continue annual Wonders digital licenses and current usage continue to make the purchase of these licenses prohibitive. Although our Wonders digital licenses have expired, teachers may access digital content by visiting the following website:
https://my.mheducation.com/login
Username: wonders
Password: MGH26literacy
This is a shared platform, so teachers should not create their own class, or assign content to students. However, access to the website will allow teachers who use Wonders materials to see the content digitally for planning or presentation purposes. If you have any questions or need further guidance on using Wonders materials, please feel free to contact Rachel Trudelle, ELA TOSA.
COMMUNITY MEETING SIGN UP: ACTION
Please consider signing up to present a mini lesson at a community meeting. Families have given very positive feedback each time our staff is willing to share the amazing work we are doing with students. The presentation does not need to be long (10-15 minutes), and will be at the start of the agenda in case you need to leave afterwards.
HICAP K SERVICES TIMELINE:HELPFUL
UPDATED LISTS of ELIGIBLE STUDENTS FOR 25-26 - AVAILABLE NOW!
To help you with your planning for next year, the Highly Capable Department has updated the master spreadsheet of eligible students for the 25-26 school year.
Below are spreadsheets of Highly Capable Students by School for the 2025-26 School Year
Please make note of those students who have NO PARENTAL CONSENT in Column “L”.
Until the HiCap office receives parental consent, that student cannot receive hi-cap services.
Consent forms can be found on the Highly Capable website
NOTE:
This spreadsheet is live and will reflect changes as students are identified during the summer testing session. Make sure to check your school spreadsheet at the end of August for updated lists of students eligible for services or class placements.
25-26 Eligible Students
PTSA GRANTS:HELPFUL
Grants are back!! Here is the information you will need:
Here is a grant link. Cascade K-8 PTSA Grant Application - Google Forms
This year we have $5K in grants available for use in the 24/25 school year budget. Any staff that has interest in applying can fill out the application form. It will be reviewed by the Finance Committee and recommendations will be presented to and voted on during RepBod meetings. All funds must be used before the end of the school year.
The purpose of this program is: To nurture creativity and enthusiasm by awarding grants to members of the Cascade K-8 community to benefit the students in unique ways that improve or enrich their learning experience, when funds are not otherwise available.
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