11.21.25 Staff Blog
I am wishing you a restful break next week, and hoping you get exactly what you need from some time away from school ♥️
Quick Look:
*for more information, see below
HICAP UPDATE: HELPFUL
Further testing determinations have been completed for students that registered for opt-in screening for further hi-cap testing in October. You can now access your school list of student qualifiers on the HiCap Staff Portal under Rosters. Rosters will be updated to reflect consent received. Testing sessions will be held on: 1/7, 1/14, 1/28, 2/25. Families will select a date that is offered within their PS notification.
Next Steps:
Families will be notified via ParentSquare on Dec. 1st
Consent for further testing is due by Dec. 19, 2025 No Late Registrations Accepted
HICAP PD OPPORTUNITY: HELPFUL
HiCap PD opportunity for staff interested in learning about the SEL and academic needs of gifted students.
Shoreline’s HiCap PTSA Advocacy group is hosting Austina De Bonte the evening of 11/20 at Einstein, for details see the flyer.
Austina De Bonte is a speaker that the HiCap dept. previously brought to provide PD to teachers when there was more funding for release days. For teachers who want to attend this parent event we have created a course in ProDev that teachers can register for 2.5 clock hours (course #2003). Teachers can also choose to pay themselves for the time to attend the evening talk with “282” funds if approved by you.
EQUITY PD OPPORTUNITY: HELPFUL
Amplify Text and Elevate Students' Writing and Speaking through a Black Excellence Unit: (flyer here) Earn up to 12 Equity clock hours as you learn about (or review) powerful and engaging GLAD strategies that get students reading, writing, and speaking. Strategies learned in this course can be used independently throughout the teaching day or used together to explicitly teach informative content writing within a Black Excellence unit. This simplified unit can be modified to suit the needs of different grade-levels and is designed to be used with the whole class. Pre-printed materials provided. No previous GLAD experience necessary. 4 sessions (Dec. 11, 18, Jan 5, 15)
PRODEV INFORMATION: HELPFUL
To ensure questions aren’t lost or buried in individual staff inboxes, please use the dedicated Google Form for all ProDev-related inquiries. If there are issues with accounts, this form is the most efficient way for us to resolve them. Any emails sent directly to Instruction staff will be redirected to the form so we can accurately track issues and resolutions.
For any “how-to” questions, staff can also contact support@schooldata.net
**This google form has been linked in our systems and procedures document linked at the top of the blog**
SAFE SCHOOLS:ACTION
Reminder! It is time to finish your Safe Schools training (due Nov. 30). Here is the link.
NEW CONTRACT LANGUAGE REGARDING EDUCATOR SELECTED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: HELPFUL
Per the SEA Collective Bargaining Agreement:
Each certificated staff member may access up to 1.5 days of substitute time (or the equivalent in cost paid at the certificated hourly rate) to support educator–selected professional development; or engage in other forms of self-selected, paid, professional growth outside of the contract day (CBA section 32.1).
During the two-week period prior to fall elementary conference week, grades 4 and 5 teachers are provided with one half-day release day at the teacher’s discretion to prepare for or conduct conferences (CBA section 34.5)
Grades 1 and 2 teachers are provided with 8 hours of release time to support assessment administration (CBA section 35.18).
Procedures for each of the above can be found here.
Information about Educator Selected PD will be sent directly to teachers.
Additionally, since some of these processes are new or have not been used for several years, we may need to make adjustments as we implement them. If any changes are needed, we will communicate them promptly.
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
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 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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