October 3, 2024 RCSD Educator Digest

Communications

ParentSquare

• Reminder: Families can now have more than two contacts per child in ParentSquare. Front office staff can support families in adding additional contacts.
• With Parent-Teacher Conferences coming up soon, ensure you fully utilize the ParentSquare platform and send out conference sign-ups in the ParentSquare platform. A quick step-by-step to send out sign-ups can be found here. An FAQ can also be found here.
• Comments on posts can only be viewed by the commenter and the sender. Comments are not viewable to all.
• When sending a message, ensure you click to create a group message so all in the group can view the conversation and separate strings are not created.
• Please reach out to Jessica Hull (jhull@rcsdk8.org) with any questions you may have or to request training/support on ParentSquare.

Educational Services

K-8 Math: Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) Collaboration Opportunity

Building Thinking Classrooms is a book written by researcher and professor, Dr. Peter Liljedahl. In this book Liljedahl presents 14 teaching practices that are meant to enhance learning by increasing student engagement, collaboration, and discourse. If you are interested in hearing more about these teaching strategies being used by some RCSD teachers and what the start of their implementation looks like, please join us for a BTC Collaboration on Tuesday, October 8 from 2:45-3:30 in the District Office Board Room.

K-8 Science: Roseville Utility Exploration Center Programs
The Roseville Utility Exploration Center offers free, NGSS-aligned programs for Roseville schools. Check out the current options available here: K-5 / 6-8
Contact: Lisa Wegsteen

K-5 Science: Mystery Science Anchor Layer
Looking for ways to add even more engagement and opportunity for inquiry to your Mystery Science lessons this year? Turning on the Anchor Layer can help with this. Click here for more information about the Anchor Layer in Mystery Science.
Contact: Lisa Wegsteen

Unfilled Elementary PE Teacher Absence
With the current MOU in place, elementary teachers may be paid on a timesheet if they lose their prep time due to no substitute available for an elementary PE teacher.

• Three scenarios are available for the teacher to choose from should their PE teacher be absent with no sub:
• Teacher may choose not to attend PE and keep their class during the PE time (timesheet completed)
• Teacher may choose to teach PE with support from the IA (timesheet completed)
• If two classes attend PE together, teachers may choose to split teaching PE with support from the IA so each teaches half and has prep half (no timesheet completed)
• If teachers go out to facilitate PE, they are the PE teacher during that time and the IA is a support during the class
• Sites will be asking for communication from teachers whether or not they will be taking their class out to PE that day so they can plan accordingly

Placer Area Reading Council
Placer Area Reading Council in partnership with the California Reading Association is here to help. PARC and CRA work together promoting Literacy in our area and across California.
This year starts off with the California Reading Convention on October 4 and 5th. This Conference will be held virtually and can also be attended after the October dates, in case you aren’t free on the 4-5th. You can register at the group discounted price as a member of PARC. Register right now at: https://californiareading.org/ Then, throughout the year, there will be CRA webinars by wonderful speakers with current research to share with you.
Locally, PARC would like to offer “Conversations with Colleagues.” We would send an article or a question out to our members for you to reflect on. Then a couple weeks later we would send out a zoom link and discuss the topic. If you are interested in this type of interaction, please reply by email to: tanyacain@yahoo.com.
Here are some topic ideas and if you have something specific you would like to discuss, please send us your suggestion:

• What brings you (the educator) JOY in reading?
• How do I help my struggling readers?
• Assessments and their usefulness
• What does my literacy block look like?
• Favorite read alouds (picture books and chapter books)

Personnel Services

Frontline
If you are having difficulty accessing Frontline or entering an absence, please reach out to Sub Services.
Certificated
Melinda Pon
mpon@rcsdk8.org
(916) 771-1600 x50154

Classified
Jenny Bainbridge
jbainbridge@rcsdk8.org
(916) 771-1600 x50156

Technology Services

Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Best Practices for Passwords
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, an ideal opportunity to remind ourselves why safeguarding our digital environments is so important. With cyber threats constantly evolving, it's essential to stay informed and proactive. Throughout the month, we'll share weekly best practices to help reinforce strong cybersecurity habits. One of the most common security risks is the passwords we use to protect the information we share and the systems we access. By following these recommendations, you can better safeguard personal and professional data, reducing the risk of security breaches. Here are a few tips to kick off the month:

• Never reuse the same password across multiple sites. While it may seem convenient, reusing passwords increases the likelihood of a cybercriminal accessing multiple accounts if one gets compromised.
• Password length is crucial to ensure its strength. At a minimum, passwords should be 8 characters long and include a mix of uppercase, lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters whenever possible.
• Use a passphrase for stronger security and easier recall. While "kG0&;~l" can be hacked in minutes, a phrase like "I do not like green eggs and ham!" would take many years. Keep in mind that some systems may restrict or require certain characters or lengths.
• Use a password manager to generate and store unique passwords for every login. These tools securely store and generate strong passwords, making it easier to maintain good password hygiene without the hassle of remembering each login. By using a password manager, you can create longer, more complex passwords that are much harder to hack.