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The Weekly Memo

Southern Oregon Child & Family Council, Head Start, Early Head Start, LISTO & Preschool Promise

2017-2018, Issue 5 - Sept. 25, 2017 - Editors: Valerie Blade & Linda Bettis

Meetings and Trainings

Sept. 25—Monday

○ Fiscal Team Meeting, Fiscal Office, 9:30-10:00

Sept. 26—Tuesday

○ Orientation Committee, Blue Bldg. Conf. Rm., 10:00-11:30

○ SHINE Webinar, Blue Bldg. Conf. Rm., 12:00-1:00

○ Management Team, Blue Bldg. Conf. Rm., 1:00-4:00

Sept. 27—Wednesday

○ Health Dept. Meeting, Blue Bldg. Conf. Rm., 1:00-2:30

○ Health and SAA Meeting, Blue Bldg. Conf. Rm., 2:00-3:00

○ Directors, Admin. 1:30-3:30

○ MIECHV Training, Blue Bldg. 3:00-4:00

Sept. 28—Thursday

○ Main Office Safety Meeting, Blue Bldg. Conf. Rm., 9:00-9:30

○ PFCE Dept. Meeting, PFCE Office, 9:00-12:00

○ PFCE Content Training, Library, 1:00-4:00

○ Smart Reader Program, Admin., 2:00-3:00

Sept. 29—Friday

○ ED Planning at Centers, 8:00-10:00

○ Garden to Classroom, Blue Bldg. Conf. Rm., 10:00-11:30

○ EHS-ED Planning/Debrief at Centers, 12:30-2:00

○ Fall HS Child Staffing at Centers, 12:45-2:45

○ New HT Cohort, Admin., 1:30-3:30

○ New Teacher Cohort, Blue Bldg. Conf. Rm., 1:30-3:30

○ Child Development Specialist Meeting, Library, 2:00-4:00

Oct. 2—Monday

○ Fiscal/Ops, Admin., 9:00-9:30

○ Fiscal Team Meeting, Fiscal Office, 9:30-10:00

Oct. 3—Tuesday

○ New Employee Orientation, Blue Bldg. Conf. Rm., 8:00-5:00

○ PC Exec. Committee, Admin., 5:00-6:00

Oct. 4—Wednesday

○ New Employee Orientation, Blue Bldg. Conf. Rm., 8:30-5:00

○ Health Dept. Meeting, Admin., 10:00-11:30

○ Directors, Admin., 1:30-3:30

INSIDE Pg. 2—Help Us Keep Our Centers Pleasant

and Healthy for All! Pg. 3—Safe Passing—Bicyclists

Mission Statement Southern Oregon Head Start prepares children and their

families for success in school and throughout life.

Weekly Memo Submission Deadline is

Friday at noon. Please send your articles,

pictures (love those pictures!) and news

items to Linda Bettis/Valerie Blade.

A big welcome to all of our new employees and welcome back to all of you returners! Another exciting school year has started for all staff and children. Even with the extreme heat and smoke we have been very busy over the summer months improving many of

our facilities and planning for new facilities. We have opened “Duration Sites”, changed some staffing models, planned for classes,

trained many staff and hired many, many new staff. Changes are even still going on now!

I hope you each take the time to introduce yourselves to your new coworkers and learn who everyone is. We know there is a lot to learn here at Head Start, and we want to help you on your path to success. Do not hesitate to ask coworkers or your supervi-sor for assistance, or where to find the help you may need. Be-cause so many people have moved around and many things have changed, some things are new for all of us! We are in this togeth-er.

For more Agency information you can check the.SOCFC.org web site. There is a tremendous amount of information for staff and families on it. Our “Who To Call List” which will direct you on who you need to call to get your questions answered, is found on our website.

If you are looking for general Head Start information, ECLKC.ohs.acf.hhs.gov is a wealth of information for all things to do with Head Start, Early Childhood Education, Performance Standards, Rules and Regulations, etc. It has a great search en-gine to find anything you might be looking for.

We also have many long time employees that can be your great-est resource and are happy to assist you. Go to your supervisor right away for assistance if you have any issues or problems. Your Area/Center Manager or Department Manager will be happy to clarify any questions you may have regarding your job duties, and Human Resources is extremely helpful on personnel issues.

Remember, we are all in this together and we all want everyone to have the best year ever for children, families, and staff!

Submitted by Valerie Blade, Operations Director

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Help us keep our Centers pleasant and healthy for all!

The academic success of a student can be directly linked to his or her health. For this reason, it is imperative that Southern Oregon Head Start insures the wellbeing and safety of all its students to support a positive learning environment. In order to create a safer learning environment for stu-dents as well as a safer work environment for staff, we intend to protect the indoor and outdoor air quality of our centers. Strong scents and fragrances can contribute to poor indoor air quality that can be unhealthy to students and staff.

There are many people who experience unpleasant physical effects from scented products and a growing number of people who suffer more severe reactions to these types of products and chemi-cals. People with sensitivities can experience a range of physical reactions, some even life-threatening, to compounds used in a variety of scented materials, including fragrances, chemical products, and essential oils. Scented products can cause: • Headaches • Nausea • Upper respiratory symptoms • Skin Irritation • Asthma. Allergic and asthmatic patients, as well as those with other conditions, report that certain odors, even in the smallest amounts, can trigger an episode.

We ask that you are mindful of fragrances and odors in your classroom and center, and be re-spectful and responsive to others needs. If a student or employee is affected by a specific scent, we ask that center staff eliminate the cause of the bothersome odor.

We appreciate your commitment to the healthy and positive learning environment for the children and families we serve!

Sarah Forga, Health Services Director

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“Most motor vehicle drivers pass cyclists with the required space when there

is no oncoming traffic and sight distances are good. Encroachment often oc-

curs when drivers pass people riding bicycles with oncoming traffic. Waiting

a few seconds for a clear passing lane may save a life. In Oregon (like most

other states in the nation) bicycles are considered vehicles. As such, bicycles

should be treated as (and are bound by the same rules of the road) as other

vehicles on the road.” Gary Shaff, Education Chair, Siskiyou Velo

Submitted by Chuck Ljungberg, Safety Compliance Officer