A message from Superintendent Chris King - BVSD Budget Update
At the board’s last regular meeting on March 10, I reported on our four superintendent’s community budget forums and other meetings designed to determine our budget priorities for the coming 2009-2010 fiscal year. I used these forums to listen and interact with our parents and employees during these uncertain times.

As I stated in March, our parents’ first priority is maintaining, as much as possible, current class sizes. Their second priority is related to their first. They value and respect their teachers and want them to keep their jobs. Thirdly, they want us to find efficiencies in our current operation.

To this end, I have been meeting with cabinet to review each of their budgets on a program-by-program basis looking for efficiencies. I will be able to be more specific as to where I’ve found efficiencies at next week’s April 21 Board Work Session.

This year’s amendments to the School Finance Act were initially drafted in late March. However, those figures have moved back and forth over the past five weeks as the governor’s office, the legislature and its Joint Budget Committee struggle to reach a decision as to how to meet the constitutionally mandated K-12 funding increase under Amendment 23 and determine how the state fiscal stabilization funds from the federal stimulus package can backfill state government cuts.

The March 20 state revenue projection came in over $150 million less than projected by the state in December. Because state lawmakers are concerned that they have enough reserves on hand at the end of this fiscal year to balance the 2008-2009 fiscal year, they are hesitant to draw down their current reserves.

Return to top of page

Impact on Education's Razzle Dazzle Beach Ball
A Night in Nantucket - May 30th
Impact on Education funds everything we do for students and teachers in BVSD through donations from businesses, foundations and individuals. In these challenging economic times, fundraising events are more critical than ever. Our annual major fund raiser Razzle Dazzle Beach Ball, is the single largest source of funding, contributing $100,000 to $200,000 each year!  In its 22nd year, this event attracts 450-550 guests to “the big tent” on the shores of the Boulder Reservoir the Saturday following the end of school. This year’s “Night in Nantucket,” will be Saturday, May 30 from 5:30 to 10:00 p.m. and offers a New England theme, extending to the food, cocktails, décor and music. 

The evening starts with canapés, cocktails and jazz, while guests peruse silent auction items featuring gift baskets, donated by BVSD schools and gift certificates and items from area businesses. Dinner will feature a buffet of East Coast inspired cuisine such as lime flank steak with cranberry onion relish and fish escolar with blueberry cilantro salsa, followed by a live auction featuring vacation getaways, sports packages, fabulous dining experiences and unique adventures.

The Razzle Dazzle fund raiser allows Impact on Education to fund annual programs such as Classroom Mini-Grants, the Opportunity Fund and Crayons to Calculators; as well as current multi-year programs such as tutoring support at Boulder (Adelante) and Centaurus High Schools, an Algebra I pilot at Monarch and Centaurus High Schools, the GAMES (Girls at the Museum Exploring Science) partnership with CU for grade school girls and the Take My Teacher Home partnership with BVSD Instructional Technology Department, which helps kindergartners achieve literacy proficiency.

Attending Razzle Dazzle Beach Ball is a wonderful way to enjoy the area’s best FUNraiser while supporting educational excellence in BVSD.  Tickets are $150 per person and can be purchased online on our homepage at www.ImpactOnEducation.org or by calling 303-245-5937.  The deadline for buying tickets is Friday, May 22. Thanks to corporate sponsors that help to underwrite the event, $75 of the ticket price is a tax deductible contribution. 

Impact on Education is dedicated to increasing student learning and support for public education in the Boulder Valley School District. We focus on supporting and motivating excellent teachers; increasing student interest and achievement in science, technology and math; and creating opportunities for “at-risk” students. For more information, visit our website.

Return to top of page

BVSD Bike to School Day/Earth Day - April 22, 2009
Trim your shoe laces and dust off a bike for BVSD Bike to School Day. The event will be held Wednesday, April 22, Earth Day. The entire BVSD community - students, staff and parents - are invited to Walk & Roll to school. Join colleagues and families across the district to ring in the spring season with a refreshing bike ride to school.

BVSD Bike to School Day promotes activity and health. Spice up your daily trip to school and get some exercise to boot. Register online and you’ll be entered in a prize drawing and learn more about the event. The school with the highest participation of students and staff will be recognized as well as earn a Rush - Naturally Enlightened smoothie party (determined by registration numbers).

The inaugural event is brought to you by the BVSD Safe Routes to School Program. Twenty-three elementary and middle schools already participate in the Safe Routes to School program, and parent champions are leading the charge to put more people on foot and bikes. Aiming for less reliance on automobiles and more use of clean, human power, parents organize fun and encouraging activities such as BVSD Bike to School Day that yield benefits such as less traffic, cleaner air and refreshed spirits.

Return to top of page

BVSD Blood Drive - May 21, 2009
Boulder Valley Schools is hosting a blood drive on Thursday, May 21, from 1:00 - 5:30 p.m. in the Crescent Room. Bonfils Blood Center needs more than 4,000 blood donors each week to meet Colorado’s needs and to be prepared for any unexpected events. To schedule an appointment online, please visit the Bonfils website and reference site code 2721 when searching for a donation location. If your drive is more than a week away, extend the date by clicking on the calendar icon to ensure your drive is listed in the search results. Please contact Susana Aguirre by email or at 303-447-5022 to schedule an appointment to donate blood.

Your donation will help Bonfils maintain the community blood supply and give a kid with cancer, a car accident victim or another patient in need, a future. You have what it takes to save a life. It's already inside you.

For more information about Bonfils Blood Center, call the Bonfils' Donor Relations department at 303.363.2202 or 800.365.0006, opt. 1. with questions about blood donation.

Return to top of page

Studio B Tapes on April 19
Boulder Community Media will be taping the final Studio B of the academic year at the ATLAS Center on Wednesday, April 29. Students who wish to participate can choose to be on camera or behind the scenes.

Students wishing to appear on camera should bring a prepared piece - one to three minutes in length. Commentaries can be about anything of interest to youth. Notes are allowed, however, it is best if the piece is memorized. Come to the ATLAS Center on the CU Campus at 5:00 p.m. For more information call 303-910-5782 or email.

Open Casting Call for Education TV Programs
Boulder Community Media in partnership with Boulder Valley Media Alliance will be holding an open casting call for students of all ages on Wednesday, May 20 in Downtown Boulder.

You'll have a chance to be on camera and those who attend the casting call have a greater likelihood of appearing on programs like Studio B, Downtown Spotlight, Art Perspectives, Process Now! and other new shows in development. Students have great "out of classroom" experiences and through hands on learning in the control room and operating cameras.

Students who are younger than high school should bring a parent or other caring adult.

Weather permitting, the try-outs will be on the Pearl Street Mall near the Downtown Boulder kiosk at the corner of the mall and 13th Street. For more information call 303-910-5782 or email.

Google Docs & PBwiki Unblocked
In an effort to accommodate requests from teachers and students, the Division of Information Technology has unblocked Google Docs and PBwiki for classroom use. Learn more about these websites at our website.

Return to top of page

Spring Cleaning
Spring is here – now is the time for cleaning your work area to ensure a safe working environment. To avoid tripping, please read the do’s and don’t’s listed below:

Eliminate Trip Hazards
Many fall injuries occur on level ground when people trip over unexpected objects in their path. Help eliminate trip hazards by training employees to follow these do's and don'ts.

Do:

• Keep work areas neat and tidy, putting tools, materials and other items away after use.
• Pick up items off the floor, even if you didn't put them there.
• Step over or around obstructions, not on them.
• Walk slowly and change directions slowly, especially when carrying a load.
• Watch for changes in floor level—such as a few steps or a ramp up or down.
• Report lighting problems, such as burned-out bulbs, to maintenance right away.
• Use a flashlight if you need more light leaving the facility in the dark.

Don't:

• Leave boxes, bags, tools or other materials on the floor.
• Block walkways with hand trucks, equipment or materials.
• Leave cords or cables in walkways.
• Place anything on stairs.
• Leave drawers open.

Keep your area uncluttered and yourself safe from tripping!

Return to top of page

Earth Day Events
Earth Day, April 22, is just around the corner. There are many events happening to celebrate the occasion.

This Saturday, April 18, there will be an Earth Festival at the CU Research Park from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.  Events include free, live music and family activities. There will also be food vendors and businesses and organizations showcasing sustainability. This event is in conjunction with the Annual Earth Day 5k Run/Walk, the Annual Dirt Days Adventure Challenge and the BMA’s short-track bike race. Visit their website for more information.

On Wednesday, April 22 the City & County of Denver will be hosting the “2009 Earth Day Fair” at the Civic Center Park, Greek Amphitheater from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. The fair is free and open to the public. Visit their website for more information.

For information about more events in your community, email contact BVSD's Sustainability Coordinator, Ghita Carroll.

greenBVSD Website
Check out our new website for information about BVSD’s efforts to be green, not just on earth day, but every day!

Do you have any earth-day-is-every-day champions in your school or office? If so, please email a sentence or two about what he/she is doing to Ghita Carroll, so we can highlight the good work.

Return to top of page

Board Approvals

• The school board accepted Board President Helayne Jones’ resignation and voted to make Ken Roberge the board’s new president. Jones will remain on the board. Board terms for both Roberge and Jones will end in 2011.
• A $35,000 donation from the Bear Creek PTO to Bear Creek Elementary School was approved by the board. The donation will be used to support instructional materials, field trips, speakers, professional development and equipment.
• The board approved the recommended learning materials for elementary music for 2009-10. Last fall, a list of basic learning materials for all elementary music classrooms was developed and an inventory conducted. Materials will remain available for public review until April 10.
• The board approved the recommended learning materials for elementary and secondary science for 2009-10. The Science Materials Adoption Team reviewed and evaluated learning materials following all procedures outlined in Board Policy IIAA-IIBB, Learning Materials. Materials will remain available for public review until April 20.
• The board authorized Jan Snooks, part-time Library Media Specialist at Manhattan Middle School, to sell copies of a book she has authored, Victor's Passage, to various parents and/or students, schools and departments within the district.

Six grants were approved:

• GRANT - Title IIA Recruitment and Retention - Colorado Department of Education - 09
• GRANT: Curriculum – Title II-D Power Results Ed Technology (E2T2) – Colorado Department of Education - 09
• GRANT: Curriculum and Instruction - Teaching American History - US Department of Education - 09
• GRANT: School Leadership - Teen Parenting - City of Boulder Human Services Fund - 09
• GRANT: Student Success - Even Start Supplemental - Colorado Department of Education - 09
• GRANT: Student Success - Safe Schools/Healthy Students - US Department of Education - 09
  

Return to top of page

Hats Off! Congratulations to this week's Superintendent's Honor Roll recipients:

Boulder High School Academic Decathlon State Champions successfully defended last year’s state title. With gold, silver and bronze medals weighing down their necks, Boulder High School’s Academic Decathlon team proudly accepted the state championship award on Feb. 17 in Greeley. Team members include: Ryan Bernstein, Tucker Burgin, Aisha Down, Emily Johnson, Phillip Reed, Emily Skrutskie, Alexander  Tanner, Margaret Wanek and Alexandra Young. The teacher sponsor is Alice Barron.

Boulder TEC Floriculture Team won state and brought home the silver award from the National Future Farmers of America Convention in October 2008. After winning the state title in the State Career Development Events at Colorado State University in May 2008, this team became the first team from BVSD to compete at the national level for FFA. Team members included: Alexi Bondarovich, Grayson Gutierrez, Keegan Murphy and Renee Reisbeck. Teacher sponsor is Heather Riffel.

On April 2, the Monarch High School Wrestling Team was named 5A State Academic Champions by the Colorado High School Activities Association. CHSAA recognizes a team as a state academic champion whose members compile the highest overall grade point average at their class level. Congratulations. Team members and their managers and coaches are: Stephen Aaron, Justin Butler, McLain Cowan, Brennan Duffy, Jared Ferrera, Teller Junak, Jake Monroe, Scott Podlogar, John Sawicki, Wes Snyder, Joseph Tyo, Christian Valentine, Corey Valentine and Nicholas Vaughan. Heach Coach is Ezra Paddock; Assistant Coaches are Joe Ferrera and Adam Muir; Managers are Kaylyn Ferrera and Melanie Pinto.   

Broomfield High School is synonymous with outstanding high school wrestling. Though this school has produced many individual state champions over the 50 years that it has had a wrestling program, 2009 marks the Eagles' first team state wrestling title. At one point, during the state tournament, Broomfield had won 18 consecutive matches. Team members, managers, and coaches from the 4A State Champion Broomfield High Wrestling Team are: Cody McAninch, Nick Babcock, Gabe Gomez, Josiah Graham, Jordan Gutierriez (Individual State Champion), Courtland Hacker, Jerry Huff, Connor King, Josh VanTine and Jon Zurek. Head Coach is Travis Masse; Assistant Coaches are Chas Dacker, Charlie Hacker, Craig Johnson, Mark Schmidt, Matt Schmidt, Mark VanTine and Jason Waneka; Managers are Erika Mendoza and Ashley Miknis.

The three-time 4A State Champion Broomfield High Lady Eagles Basketball Team won their third straight title in front of a crowd of 8,000. The seniors on this team have helped compile a four-year record of 106-5 setting a standard of competitive excellence that few schools in Colorado have ever or will ever experience. The members, managers and coaches of this very special team are: Alex Biegner, Kody Bradfield, Bre Burgesser, Autumn Chase, Sarah Hix, Tyana Medema, Katie Nehf, Anna Prins (Ms. Basketball, 2008 & 2009), Millie Reeves, Sophia Rhodes (3-Time All State), Chaundra Sewell (3-Time All State, 2-Time All Colorado) and Renae Waters. Head Coach is Mike Croell; Assistant Coaches are Liz Davies, Brittany Mecham, Bonnie Most-Wise, Ben Vagher and Ed Vande Hoef; Managers are Malorie Barnes and Peyton Wilpol.

Congratulations to all of our state champions!

Return to top of page