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| BCSD Staff Newsletter |
May 2016 |
Superintendent Letter to Staff
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GwenCarol Holmes
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Dear Colleagues,
What do we want for our children? When our children are in our classrooms do we want:
1. Students following directions and dutifully completing assignments?
OR
2. Students who are truly engaged and grappling with their learning: asking intriguing questions, immersing themselves in the work and seeking feedback from their peers and teachers?
As a mom, I definitely wanted the second option for my children. In fact, sometimes I was the pushy mom and asked for a different class for my child if I didn't think my child was being challenged enough! (Aren't you glad my children are grown and not in our schools!) Option one is just mere compliance. Deep learning happens when students are truly engaged with their learning!
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Summer Reading
I would like to challenge each of us this summer to engage in this reflection. What can we do in our classrooms to increase the level of engagement? In order to facilitate this reflection, we are again offering the opportunity to participate in a summer read. If you want to participate, choose one of these titles to read:
If you would like to read one of these titles and then participate in a Book Club discussion with peers at the end of the summer, please call or email Susie to order your preferred title (x5007 or [email protected] )
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Buildings and Grounds
Spring is in full swing with all of the fields being fully utilized by the Blaine County School District, Blaine County Recreation District and a number of other entities. We appreciate everyone's patience as we allow the fields to firm up after the snow comes off, thus preventing serious damage to the turf.
The Maintenance Department is gearing up to install the new playground at Hemingway this summer. In the past we have installed new playgrounds in Carey, Bellevue and Hailey. The shortened summer window and the site logistics will make for an interesting project at Hemingway.
The SCHS sound studio project is moving along nicely. The Maintenance Department has taken part by providing a staging area in the shop for materials and fabrication, hauling materials to the site, and moving system piping for equipment relocation. We are pleased to be involved with this inspiring and engaging student project, as well as past projects such as the bottle filler fountains at the WRHS and WRMS, and the tree planting celebration at Alturas.
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Communications
Thank you to our
Star Communicators
! You are the people who took the time to invite us to your classrooms and send us stories of student success this year. Thank you for helping our staff, parents, students and community members see how much we have to celebrate in the Blaine County School District.
It's because of you, our talented teachers and staff, that we have so many stories of student success to share.
Website Update: Hit the easy button and help us help you. We need you to fill out the Teacher Bio Form by June 11 if you have not done so already. Thank you to the staff who completed the Teacher Bio Form for the website update. If you have not done so, please fill out the form today!
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Curriculum & Programs
Professional Development in the Blaine County School District is Valued
There are numerous ways within our district to develop professionally (beyond the traditional October Inservice Days). There have been many staff members pursuing PD opportunities outside of the district using their allocated professional development funds. Schools too, have arranged various PD opportunities for their staff members and are currently working on their building professional development plans for this coming school year.
Here are the PD opportunities offered beyond the October Inservice Days:
Completed this school year:
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We are just completing our spring PD series with classes listing 73 attendees, 27 of whom earned continuing ed. credit through NNU for attending at least four workshops.
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Our 4th and 5th grade teachers were offered credit for their work on their PBLs (the same option for our 2nd and 3rd grade teachers will occur next year).
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Math Adoption Task Force attended a National Teachers of Mathematics Regional Conference.
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Secondary math teachers and elementary Math Leadership Team members could apply for BSU credit for their curriculum work.
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Math coaching and consulting provided by Jonathan Brendefur and Sam Strother for all elementary schools.
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New teachers who attended all of the Teachers for Quality School Improvement sessions were eligible to earn credit.
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WIDA National Conference attendance.
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High school teachers learning about Personal Projects earned credit.
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Imagine Learning users were provided technical support for implementation
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The OWL (Organic World Language) workshop offered credit to attendees.
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Co-teaching 101 Introduction for teachers new to co-teaching.
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Co-teaching consultants from Cherry Creek, Colorado visited our schools and provided coaching support.
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Leader in Me coaching provided by John Flokstra at each elementary school.
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Saturday CODE workshop was offered in Hailey.
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On-going assistance provided by Paul Z and Becky Duncan (Instructional Technology Specialist) to include lesson support and Mindcraft training.
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Teachers earned inservice hours that are recognized by the state as continuing education credit for: Social Studies curriculum implementation training, Leader in Me, Math 180, Advisory/SEL, FLASH, ACCESS Testing Training, Math Leadership Team, and the Secondary Math Curriculum Team.
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Vulnerable Readers Intervention Conference for PK-3 attendance.
As you can see, there are many ways to learn and grow as a BCSD employee outside of the October Inservice days. With principal pre-approval and guest coverage, teachers may also consider attending statewide conferences offered next October.
And if that's not enough - see our new
PD website
for one-stop shopping. The website is updated as we become aware of offerings inside and outside of the district, to include community, regional and statewide opportunities (and some even outside of Idaho).
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Finance
It's that time of year we sound like a broken record; budget, budget, budget. Budgeting is still our main focus but we have completed a
draft copy that is heading to the Board of Trustees for review. The Board met on May 4th for a special budget workshop. This was our opportunity to go through details and answer any questions. That meeting will help prepare the Board for the May 10th regular board meeting, where it will be discussed again. The final budget will be voted on at the June board meeting.
The past few weeks we have had the pleasure of meeting with many of you and our patrons at the State of the District meetings. We have listened to concerns and answered many questions about budget cuts and the impacts to staff and programs. One of the biggest concerns is the reduction of Guest Teacher costs. It will take an awareness by all staff to work together to ensure that the Guest Teacher budget is not overspent. Overspending on Guest Teachers will need to be covered by another budget within the building, so it's important we are all aware of the impact.
Negotiations are taking place this month, wrapping up today. Meetings are open to the public to observe. I would encourage anyone who has some time to come and watch. Interest Based Bargaining creates win/win decisions that facilitate a respectful relationship.
As a reminder, our fiscal year is from July 1 to June 30 each year. If you have personal professional development money from the previous year, it will drop off your balance on July 1 and the new year's allocation will be added. This is a great time to optimize the money available to you. Please feel free to contact anyone in the finance department if you have questions on how to utilize that money.
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Student Services
Debi Gutknecht
During the month of May, people and organizations across the county bring awareness to mental health. It is a time to fight the stigma of mental illness and give people from across the nation a chance to build our collective understanding and improve the lives of all Americans who are affected by mental health conditions. According to the NAMI (
National Alliance on Mental Illness), 1 in 5 Americans will be affected by a mental health condition in their lifetime and there is impact upon every U.S. citizen through our relationships with friends and family.
The Blaine County School District is dedicated to supporting our students and families who may experience mental health concerns. The district prioritizes our student's social and emotional success by providing eight Social Workers, six School Counselors and one Mental Health Therapist to support students and families in need. Please thank these dedicated colleagues for the work they do to improve the lives of our students. We truly work in a district that values and cares about the whole-child. Our dedication to the mental health of our students shows our commitment in working towards reducing stigma of mental illness in our school communities.
Sign up now for the Youth Mental Health First Aid Training:
The district is dedicated to bring mental health awareness to district employees by providing Youth Mental Health First Aid training to
all
staff. More specifics about this course include the following:
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This is an 8 hour training taught by our very own Social Workers: Becky Tinsley and Carlos Mesa who have been trained by national trainer.
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The next training date is
June 15, 2016
. Contact Susie Reese (
[email protected]
) to register for the class by
May 25th
(maximum enrollment is 30). As it is provided during non-contract hours and part of the expectation of the Strategic Plan to be trained by 2020, classified staff will be paid their hourly rate, and certified staff members will be paid $150.00 for attending.
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In the course, participants will learn risk factors, warning signs and ways to support a youth developing signs and symptoms of a mental illness.
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Silver Creek High School
Silver Creek High School Accepted to Mastery Program
Silver Creek High School is one of 19 schools across the state of Idaho to be accepted into the newly created Idaho Mastery Education Network (IMEN). IMEN was authorized in 2015 when Governor Butch Otter signed HB 110 to move Idaho towards a mastery education model. This model will move students away from the current time-based system to a mastery system and allow for a more personalized and differentiated learning experience. In a mastery education system, students advance to higher levels of learning when they demonstrate mastery of concepts and skills regardless of time, place, or pace.
SCHS Students Take Third in National Chess Tournament
Dylan Porth, Yayee Tongsiri, and Carmen Pemsler represented Idaho at the prestigious Kasparov National All-Girls Championships held in Chicago, Illinois this past weekend. Both Dylan and Yayee are students at Silver Creek High School and competed in the U16 section against 69 girls in their section. Yayee's and Dylan's combined score allowed the Silver Creek High School students an opportunity to earn a large, national trophy. The competition began last Friday, April 22 and included 6 rounds featuring games that could last up to 3 hours. Dylan and Yayee also competed in Blitz, or fast chess, and also Bughouse, a team-oriented variation of chess. Overall, the tournament contained 454 girls, K -12th grade. Carmen is a senior in Eagle and without her mom's support, the SCHS students would not have been able to go. All the girls worked together and created a very memorable experience. This is a tremendous feat.
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Announcements
From our friend Patty Scherer: There is a new Higher Ground family-friendly event called 'Carry the Load'. It's mission is to restore the true meaning of Memorial Day. There will be a short route through SV & Ketchum with stations along the way that will have historical facts about Memorial Day. I know that we, as educators, try to teach students about a holiday like this, and basically tell them why they are getting the day off! I will be stopping by a few May staff meetings with more details.
Patty Scherer
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Save the Date!
All Staff BBQ Retirement and End of Year Celebration
Hop Porter Park
June 1, 4:00-6:00 p.m.
Featuring Steve and Heidi Thompson's Famous Ribs
These ribs were a huge hit at the Carey Football fundraising dinner. Don't miss your chance to try them!
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CSI Summer Spanish Institute
New This Year:
1. We have developed a self-assessment tool to help guide students to the appropriate Spanish Language level for classes and workshops. Language levels are now color coded to align with morning classes and afternoon workshops.
2. We have streamlined the afternoon workshops to assure that all participants are able to enroll in workshops of their choice.
3. We have made Friday afternoon workshops specific for educators seeking professional development credit.
4.We have added a specific PD track for educators that includes afternoon workshops titled: "Intercultural Competence: Embracing and Teaching Diversity in Our Schools" and "Language Objectives and Supports: Not Just for ELL's."
Overview:
The Sun Valley Summer Spanish Institute provides a unique opportunity for adult students to develop their Spanish language skills and to broaden their knowledge of Spanish-speaking cultures. The intensive week-long format and diverse activities are designed to challenge motivated learners in a fun and friendly atmosphere. The morning academic classes range from a true beginning level to an advanced level. The afternoon workshops range from grammar to music to yoga to dancing and more.
Dates: June 20-24, 2016
Location: College of Southern Idaho Blaine County Center (Hailey)
Tuition: $395 (includes lunch on the first day). A limited number of partial scholarships are available.
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Dick Simpson Recognized
High school basketball is in the past for this school year, but the awards keep coming.
The Idaho District IV Basketball officials association presented Carey High School Tuesday night with the Lee W. Cook Sportsmanship Award.
The award is named after the late Carey athletic director.
Every school in the 4th district was challenged to do their best when it came to sportsmanship.
Lee Jay Cook also gave head boys basketball coach, Dick Simpson a plaque for reaching his 300th win on January 12, 2016.
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