The last few weeks have included continued interviewing and processing of classified and certificated substitutes. We have also had open positions that we have hired for so processing the newly hired staff is important to get them into the classroom quickly.
I continue to contact employees who say yes to the attestation and have seen a slight increase in this since the flu season hit. Being tested is also sometimes difficult for employees to get so letting employees know their options as they wait for the test or results is an important part of our conversations.
I oversee the apprenticeship program in our district. This professional development opportunity was begun by Margaret Wilson and then more recently developed by Stephanie Patterson. When she resigned to work at L&I, the oversight of the program fell to me. The apprenticeship program allows classified employees to take the required classes at Lower Columbia College and be reimbursed for the cost of the classes and materials when passing the classes. We currently have 10 employees active in the program and have 3 more interested in joining. I attend quarterly meetings with the Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (JATC) and support the apprenticeship members as needed. I report their hours monthly to L&I. This quarter we had 2 graduates!
Last week I spoke at WSU to a little over 70 students who are in either the BA or MA program to become a teacher. It was my first attempt at teaching remotely and my topic was Protecting Your Investment in Becoming a Teacher. In this training, I look at the pitfalls a teacher could fall into that could negatively impact their certificate as well as explaining what a Collective Bargaining Agreement is. I also go over where policies can be found and how they are organized. The feedback was positive and I believe these more personal connections help keep Woodland as a possible place to work. WSU works with Asha Riley in assigning student teachers in Woodland schools and the feedback these student teachers give about their experience with our district is always very positive.