TechBytes

October 30-November 5 - Paper Fall Challenge, grades 3-8 (see info here)

November 6 - Paper Fall Challenge, high school (see info here)

If you have e-waste, please work with your site Office Manager or Secretary for removal. All school and district purchased items that need to be e-wasted must be tracked. This may also include some Instructional Materials, such as Conference Cameras.

Due to recent changes that Google made to their settings related to students who are under 18, students will no longer be able to sign in to apps that aren't on our Approved Apps list with the Google Single Sign On option.

For an app to be added to the Approved list, you must follow the App Approval process. The committee that reviews applications only meets once per month, so please plan ahead if you will need students to sign in to a new site/app that isn't on the Approved App list.

ITS is finding that many schools are running low on student Chromebooks, partially due to staff members using these devices. The newer 3100 and 5400 Chromebooks are for student use only. Any staff members using one of these devices needs to turn them in to your school librarian or Chromebook manager immediately, as devices not checked out to students in Destiny will be locked.

If a device is locked, a ticket must be submitted to unlock the device.

Reminder - the California Healthy Kids Survey runs through November 27, 2023 for PUSD families and staff and for students in grades 6, 7, 9, and 11. The survey gathers feedback on elements that affect learning, such as health risks, school connectedness, school climate, and school violence. It is anonymous, confidential, and voluntary but highly encouraged because your voice is valuable! Each school will send families, staff, and participating students a link specifically for their school.

Students and Staff members can access the Survey links from their Clever Dashboard.

Here are a few resources from Common Sense Media's curation of free resources:

• Little kids can learn to count in Lakota using this full lesson plan. If you want to give students a bit of background, you can also use this video.
• Use the resources from PBS LearningMedia with an episode of Molly of Denali to cover some Alaska Native culture.
• Older elementary students can dig into some STEM with this lesson about ancient astronomy practiced by different Native peoples.
• Watch this video of "The Story of Giants" to open a discussion about perseverance.
• With older students, get into more complex issues around natural resources and environmental responsibility with this lesson about Native peoples acting as water protectors.
• You can also have teens explore the "Living Nations, Living Words" poetry collection from the Library of Congress.
• The "Native Land Digital" interactive map is also a great way for older students to dig into territories, languages, and treaties.

• Try this leaf chromatography experiment (which is actually much simpler than you may think) that will get kids thinking about the science behind the beautiful leaf colors.
• There are a lot of potential angles to this leaf art study, including symmetry, art skills, and leaf identification!
• Send some secret messages using cranberry juice and baking soda, and level it up with more sophisticated science for older students.
• And don't forget Diwali! Celebrate with these crafty options.