Do Now:
- Initiate Self-Reflections (SRs) for your staff this week if you haven’t already. Directions are in the reminder section.
- Please let your staff members know that they can indicate their interest in having their child attend KIDS Inc by filling out the KIDS Inc Interest Form specific to BLP employees for the 2024-2025 school year. As a reminder, they also MUST submit an application to the program that can be found on the KIDS Inc website in order to be considered. Indicating interest does not guarantee a spot in the program but BLP employees will be prioritized. The application period is May 6- May 17.
Reminders:
- Roger White support: Thank you Patrick for sharing the information about how we can help Roger and his family as they rally around helping their husband and dad. While it is a Meal Train link, it is also a place to send gift cards and donate money as well. What to help? Click this link.
- Performance Evaluation Reminders: All goals, formal observations and most mini’s should be finalized in UKG by the end of April. We are asking Level Leaders to review your progress during their next one-on-one site visit.
- In addition, please initiate Self-Reflections (SRs) for your staff this week. You may ‘skip’ instead of ‘initiate’ SRs those who are not on a full evaluation cycle this year. Staff are instructed to complete their SRs by May 1.
- Here is an instruction video to share with your staff on how to complete self-reflections
- Here is an instructional video for admin on how to review, submit and finalize self-reflections
- Recess for K-5 (and state reporting): Please go into your main schedule for the year and make sure your schedule now reflects the added 3-5 recess per Article 16 of the contract. You should now have a morning and afternoon recess K-5, with only one of those recesses being a rotation. No exceptions please (if you are not doing this, please reach out to Tammy/Lisa to talk about it asap.) Also, Jo Kinzel is in the process of auditing for the state, our instructional minutes, and your accurate and current schedules are an important part of this process.
- Erin’s Law: When you finish with these, let April Jorgenson know!
- From Julie: Curriculum, Instruction and Systems: Expeditionary Learning (EL Education, Language Arts adopted materials) launch will be on our next Educator Network Day, April 24th from 2:00-3:15. Trainers will be here in-person to give us our first look at the “why” behind the curriculum and the components. We will be travelling to 4 locations. The expectation is everyone is there on time and ready to learn.
- Transfer Interviews: Update, they have now been moved to April 30 instead of April 23.
- TLC Update: April 3, Elementary TLC Update
- Tentative BEA Agreement can be found HERE
- Inservice Week Certified work calendar for 24-25
- April: Naglieri testing & SBAC for ELA
- May: SBAC for Math and Science
New Notes:
From Kinsey:
Title IX Coordinator:
Coordination of TItle IX responsibilities are transitioning from Steve Herron to Kinsey, to align better with current practices and with other Civil Rights-related coordination duties.
As a reminder, Title IX protections cover:
- discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity;
- sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, stalking;
- athletics, academics, and activities;
- admissions, hiring, access;
- pregnant and parenting students
If you have a potential incident or complaint that involves one of the above topics, please promptly:
- Report it via the bias incident reporting form, or
- Contact Kinsey 🙂
Upcoming Office of DEI district-wide events:
Mark your calendars! Please share a ‘save the date’ with your staff as applicable (flyers and details to follow):
- Queer Prom = Saturday, May 4th 7:00pm at BTA (Star Wars theme, of course)
- KínderFiesta = Saturday, May 18th 10:00am-1:00pm at the Ed Center (for newly-enrolling Spanish-speaking kindergarten families)
- GSA in the Park = Thursday, June 6th 10:00am-1:00pm at Troy Field/Ed Center
- Community celebrations (BLS family advisory groups will host booths):
- Pride = June 1, Drake Park
- Juneteenth community celebration = June 15-16, Drake Park
More details to follow. If any staff wants to volunteer or participate, please reach out!
From Jackie Mueller- SUSTAINABILITY
EARTH DAY RESOURCES: Looking for something to use with students during Earth Day? Here are two great resources to explore:
FOOD WASTE REDUCTION VIDEOS: Food waste reduction week, which took place April 1-7th provided an opportunity to challenge students to make changes in their choices. This initiative not only aims to reduce waste but also plays a crucial role in our greenhouse gas reduction and climate change mitigation.
If you have not had the chance to view them yet, you can watch the food waste reduction video created for elementary schools here and for middle/high schools here. These videos will help you and staff and students learn about the meal program requirements and how to reduce waste through choices.
IDLE-FREE CAMPAIGN: School green teams are preparing for Earth Week, and many will be working on Idle-Free campaigns at schools. Here is a PDF you can share with parents and driving students about idling. Here is some information that was created by the green team at BSH. And lastly, here is newsletter and parent letter ideas.
MAY 8TH WALK AND ROLL TO SCHOOL: New this year, we will be distributing a google sheet to each school for each teacher to log a simple tally of who walked, biked, took the bus, or drove to school on May 8th. It will take less than 30 seconds and we really appreciate your help with this!
Please join us in celebrating the May Walk + Roll to School Day Event on May 8th! If your school is interested in participating please contact ([email protected]) She can drop off Walk + Roll swag, posters, and informational flyers for to distribute to students. In addition, feel free to use this poster and take-home flyers. The following language can be sent to students and parents:
* Please join us in celebrating May Walk + Roll to School Day on May 8th by walking or rolling to school. Log your trip for a chance to win a prize! See the following link to log your trip and for more information. Thank you!
Unirse a nosotros celebrando el día de Mayo de Walk and Roll a escuela el 8 de Mayo con caminando o rodando a escuela. ¡Registre su viaje para una oportunidad a ganar un premio! Para más información y registrar su viaje, ve este enlace. ¡Gracias!
From Tammy and Lisa:
The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education is announcing an opportunity for 5th grade classrooms to be invovled in designing and proposing microgravity experiments to fly on the International Space Station (ISS) in the fall of 2024. Read more here!
We’re looking forward to meeting with you all on April 16th at Jewell from 3-5. We will discuss planning for the end of the year and prep for next year. Please bring a fully charged computer, your mid-year data, your school design plan, and your Youth Truth materials (all likely accessed electronically).
Jessica added a TAG Night information graphic (linked in the below Important Dates) for June 5th. Be sure to share this with your families in you TAG communications. Thanks!
Important Dates
- April 16: Admin Meeting (formerly Admin/ICCL) at Jewell 3-5 pm.
- April 17: Office Staff training in the board room from 1:15-2:15. Cover your office for staff please
- April 19: Staffing plans due
- April 23: Horizontal 3:00-5:00–mandatory EL training– at Highland. We need the full 2 hours, so please be on time. No school share outs this time–we’ll catch you up later!
- April 24-26. Tammy and Lisa out of town at a conference–24th will be traveling and may not be able to receive texts/calls, 25-26 should be fine. Call Lora Nordquist if you need some help right away and we are not available.
- April 30: All goals, formal observations, and most mini observations finalized in UKG
- May 4: Queer Prom 7 pm at BTA (Star Wars theme)
- May 7: Transfer interviews: High Lakes Elementary, 3:15-5:15
- May 18: Kinder Fiesta 10-1 at Ed Center (newly enrolling Spanish-speaking kindergarten families)
- May 30: School Counselor Celebration in board room 8-9:30
- June 1: Pride @ Drake Park (BLS Family Advisory hosting a booth)
- June 6: GSA in the Park: 10-1 at Troy Field/Ed Center
- June 6: TAG Night at Juniper 5-6 pm
- June 15-16: Juneteenth Community Celebration in Drake Park
And finally…
