A message from Superintendent Chris King - BVSD Update
One of the milestones of the 2006 BVSD bond projects was reached Wednesday, April 29. Our third largest of over 50 capital renovation projects, the renovation and expansion of Louisville Middle School, saw students and faculty move into the new space that was completed ahead of schedule and under budget.
Louisville Middle School Principal, Adam Fels, said that after five intense days filled with: unloading, unpacking, building furniture, installing switches and technology and countless other tasks, LMS students will be attending classes in the newly constructed part of the school Wednesday morning.
Adam credits meeting the challenges of moving 15 staff members, putting stickers on thousands of pieces of furniture, hauling away tons of stuff, running to hardware stores, and clean up in time to run a morning of staff development Tuesday as the result of LMS staff, parents, and community volunteers pulling together to make it happen.
He noted that he even had five U.S. marines pitching in. Thanks and congratulations to BVSD voters, LMS staff and parents, our bond construction management team and, most of all, the Louisville community for making this a reality. LMS will host a community “sneak peek” on Friday afternoon, May 15.
In 1998, BVSD hired a new director of curriculum for reading and literacy who immediately made her mark of excellence upon our district. In moving to BVSD from Montana, Dr. Judy Skupa would take the curriculum and professional development of an already high-achieving school district to new levels of excellence.
Judy’s educational leadership continued in 2005 when she became assistant superintendent of learning services for our district. Just a few of her key professional accomplishments in this position include:
- Providing leadership and vision in the development, implementation, and evaluation of standards, curriculum, instruction, assessment, and grading for all curricular areas.
- Leading BVSD efforts toward continuous improvement, closing the achievement gap, and promoting equity through Tools of Inquiry for Equitable Schools (TIES), a district developed data-based inquiry model.
- Overseeing the District Improvement Plan as required by the Colorado Department of Education.
Judy has recently accepted the position of Assistant Superintendent of Learning Services for the Thompson Valley School District beginning with the 2009-2010 school year. Congratulations Dr. Judy Skupa on 11 years of exceptional service to BVSD students. |
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Phase 1 Project close-outs
Since January, the Bond Program has processed close-outs for seven construction projects—Crest View Elementary, Centaurus High School, Manhattan Middle School, Lafayette Elementary, High School Athletics, Nederland Middle/Senior Athletics and Summit Middle School. Close-out is the final phase of construction and the official end of the project.
Every month we are seeing students and staff moving into new spaces. Over Spring Break, Southern Hills moved into its new science classroom wing. Construction of the gym and music wing at that school will be complete this month. Also this month, the administrative remodel at High Peaks/BCSIS will be complete. This week, students and staff at Louisville Middle School will start classes in the new 43,000 square foot addition. The school will host a “Sneak Peek” event on May 15. Everyone is invited to attend. Earlier this month Manhattan Middle School for Arts and Academics celebrated the completion of their project with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and ice cream social.
Phase 2 Kick Off continues to progress
In March, the phase 2a projects began holding design advisory team meetings. These groups are well into the design phase and most DATs will wrap up their work by June. The architects will continue design work over the summer and into the fall. Some of these projects will break ground as soon as October.
IT Update
The wide area fiber optic network is 98 percent complete. It will be finished in May, approximately four months ahead of schedule! By the end of this week 14 schools will be connected to the new network. We are connecting approximately one school per week and anticipate having all schools connected by the end of the calendar year. Many of the high schools and middle schools will be connected this summer.
The implementation of the video distribution system has begun. The system will be deployed at many schools this summer. Once the system is deployed, schools will utilize the new fiber optic network to access the central video library.
For more information about what is happening in the Bond Program, check out our website. |
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School is Winding Down and Crayons to Calculators is Gearing Up!
Created in 2005 by Impact on Education, Crayons to Calculators is a partnership among six non-profit organizations, BVSD and St. Vrain Valley Schools to help students in the two districts begin school with the supplies they need to succeed. Last year, thanks to sponsorships by Boulder Rotary Club and Western Disposal – as well as contributions from over 1,000 other organizations and individuals – Crayons to Calculators was able to provide backpacks of school supplies to 4,812 students!
Crayons to Calculators will deliver backpacks of supplies to BVSD schools the week before school begins. To receive backpacks, schools must:
- Get your estimate of backpacks needed to Laurie Hanson, Impact on Education Program Manager by Friday, May 8; and
- Commit to have your school open and staffed to distribute the backpacks to students in need on Friday, August 14 and Monday, August 17.
In the next few weeks, Impact on Education will distribute fliers (electronic and paper) to schools asking parents to help fill an extra backpack when they are shopping for school supplies for their own child this summer and getting the word out to area companies. We began the Crayons to Calculators Corporate Challenge in 2007 as a fun way to involve businesses and other organizations. Last year, 31 businesses participated, donating over 850 backpacks!
Impact on Education is an independent non-profit dedicated to creating opportunities for “at risk” students, increasing student interest and achievement in science, technology & math and motivating and rewarding excellent teachers in the Boulder Valley School District. The organization manages the Crayons to Calculators school supply program in partnership with I Have a Dream, FISH of Broomfield, Extras for Education, Sister Carmen Community Center and Foothills United Way. For more information, contact Laurie Hanson at 303-524-3865 x 4 or go to the Crayons to Calculators website.
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BVSD Benefits Open Enrollment
Benefits Open Enrollment for Health and Dental insurance will be starting soon. This Open Enrollment period is your opportunity to change plans or add or drop dependents. Plan and rate options have not been finalized, but here is some information to give you an idea of where we are heading. Final plan designs and rates will be published as soon as we can. You will not need to do anything during Open Enrollment unless you want to change plans or add or drop dependents. All changes in enrollment, plan design and rates will be effective July 1, 2009.
We are planning to have three health care plan options: Kaiser HMO, Great-West Basic PPO, and Great-West Standard PPO. None of the plans will have an employee contribution for employee only coverage in 2009-2010. Rates for dependents will increase on the Great-West Standard Plan; rates for dependents on Kaiser and the Great-West Basic plan will be the same or slightly decrease. The dental plan design and rates will stay the same.
We are not planning benefit changes with Kaiser. There will be some adjustments to the Great-West Plans. For example, generic prescriptions will be $5 (decrease from $10) for a 30 day supply. There will no longer be a limited vision benefit on the Great-West Standard Plan; in its place the district will offer a voluntary vision plan in the fall. Lab, x-ray, and high tech radiology will be covered at 80% after deductible on the Standard Plan; preventative lab and x-ray will be covered at 100%. There will be some other minor changes. This is not final.
Employees currently covered by Kaiser will stay enrolled in Kaiser unless you make a change during Open Enrollment; employees covered in either the Great-West Standard or Premium Plan will be enrolled in the Great-West Standard Plan unless you make a change; employees currently in the Great-West Basic Plan will stay enrolled in that plan unless you make a change.
Open Enrollment will continue through June 1, and we have the following information sessions scheduled.
- May 11 - 4:30 p.m. - Aspen Room, Education Center
- May 18 - 10:00 a.m. - Black Diamond Room, Education Center
- May 20 - 4:30 p.m. - Aspen Room, Education Center
- May 21 from 1:00 - 5:30 p.m. - Crescent Room, Education Center
(during the BVSD blood drive) Also, from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. on May 21, we will have a Kaiser physician answering any questions you have about what it means to be a Kaiser patient.
- May 27 - 4:30 p.m. - Aspen Room, Education Center
- May 28 - 4:30 p.m. - Crescent Room, Education Center
In addition, Kaiser is having an Open House at the Baseline Medical Office (580 Mohawk Dr., Boulder, CO 80303) on May 13 from 4 -7 p.m.
We will send more information as it becomes available and will post information on the website. Beginning May 11, please feel free to email or phone Susana Aguirre at 303-447-5022, Bob Jamieson at 303-447-5188, or Beth Collins at 303-245-5936 if you have specific questions.
Employees working at least a .5 FTE position are eligible for benefits. If you do not know whether or not you are eligible for benefits, please contact Susana Aguirre at 303-447-5022.
Avoid Back Injuries
The U.S. National Athletic Trainers' Association offers these helpful tips to avoid back injuries:
- Identify and correct body stresses such as poor posture, improper lifting techniques, and weak or tight muscles. Carry lighter loads, strengthen your back, and use luggage carts for heavy packages and suitcases.
- Increase muscle mobility by stretching and with activities like yoga and swimming.
- Increase overall strength by exercises that involve the whole body.
- Do aerobic exercise like walking, swimming, and running for at least 20 minutes three times a week.
- Practice good posture, including while sitting for long periods of time.
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Justice High School takes top honors at Jobs for America's Graduates 2nd Annual Career Development Conference
Justice High won the overall highest number of points as well as winning the greatest number of events at Jobs for America’s Graduates 2nd Annual Career Development Conference.
Established in 1980, Jobs for America's Graduates is a national non-profit organization that helps at-risk youth obtain the skills necessary to transition successfully into quality jobs and, ultimately, promising careers. With affiliate programs in 30 states, JAG has helped more than 500,000 young people find post-graduation success on the job, in postsecondary training and in the military. The Colorado JAG Program was launched in 2006. This is the first full school year that the JAG program has been a part of Justice High, and it is the only school in the Boulder Valley School District that has the program.
Jobs for America's Graduates-Colorado (JAG) hosted its 2nd annual Career Development Conference, featuring a career skills competition for high school students participating in the elective program. At the day-long educational event, students from four Colorado JAG high schools, including West, Fort Lupton, Jefferson, and Justice High in Boulder participated in several competitive events.
The events represented employability skills learned throughout the school year in the JAG classroom. Competitive events included Resumes, Cover Letters, Interviews, Public Speaking, Communications, Decision-Making, Career Marketplace and Best Design for Program Cover.
Although this was the first year that the students from Justice High School competed in the conference, they certainly rose to the occasion. In the early entry competitions, Emily Hempsted won for best program cover, Richelle Freeman won first place for her cover letter, and Clara Jimenez won second place for her resume. Nancy Cano won first place for public speaking, and moved everyone in the crowd as she told her story at the awards banquet. First place in the Decision-Making competition went to Garret Anders, Krista Molner, and Clara Jimenez. Nancy Cano and Ali Fernandez shined in their presentation of the JHS Career Association Marketplace and won first place. In the end, the overall highest number of points and winner of greatest number of events was awarded to Justice High School, and their career specialist Dafna Gozani could not have been prouder.
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 At our April 21st meeting with Superintendent Chris King, the Teacher Advisory Council worked on the following items:
- DRA 2: TAC is communicating to the BVSD administration what we are hearing from an overwhelming number of elementary teachers: DRA 2 takes too long, and the enormous amount of time it takes seriously reduces time for teaching in our classrooms. Teachers are not given any extra time to administer the test or grade the results, and there is no compensation for the additional hours this assessment requires. TAC believes this is inappropriate and unacceptable, and we are trying to impress upon the curriculum leaders at the Ed Center that changes need to be made with regard to the current DRA 2 requirements. Please keep track of how long it takes you to administer the assessment and grade each student. Then, share this information with an AR or a TAC representative. The more of us who stand up to share our stories, the better chance we will have of making changes to the DRA 2 requirements.
- Principal Feedback: TAC is asking for a standardized, district-wide tool that will give teachers an opportunity to offer constructive feedback to our building principals regarding the following key administrator attributes:
• Instructional Leadership
• Staff Meeting Facilitation
• Collaboration and Shared Decision Making
- RTI: We are hearing from teachers that the specifics of RTI expectations are unclear. TAC is asking for clarity regarding accountability expectations, management of RTI forms, paper work (and time to complete it!), as well as a method for Classroom and Special Ed. teachers to evaluate the effectiveness of our buildings’ RTI systems.
Please keep us informed of any non-negotiated contract issues that arise in your buildings. TAC is your direct link to BVSD administrators.
IT Update
Keeping track of the closing of the DIMC booking operation? Find the latest information you need to know here. |
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 Goodbye Goldenrod
Kudos!
Many thanks to Elizabeth Koether from Manhattan Middle School for pointing out that the BVSD was stocking goldenrod paper and recommending its removal. Many thanks go out to the BVSD warehouse staff and Matt Stewart for taking immediate action to remove most of our existing supplies of goldenrod, and committing to no longer stocking goldenrod paper.
Did you know?
Goldenrod, brightly colored and fluorescent paper are not recyclable because color is dyed throughout every fiber of the paper, making it difficult, if not impossible to remove during the recycling process. Even worse, these colors act as contaminates if recycled with recyclable colors (e.g. white and light colors). An analogy would be washing a load full of whites with one red sweater. If these colors end up in the recycling facility, they can jeopardize thousands of pounds of otherwise recyclable and ultimately reusable paper. (Eco-cycle)
What can you do?
When selecting paper, choose paper made from post-consumer recycled content, and choose colors that can be recycled. Also, avoid the large yellow/orange envelopes, which are the goldenrod color, and cannot be recycled.
Congratulations!
To Summit Middle School, Community Montessori and Louisville Elementary School for winning Eco-cycle’s 2009 “Zero Waste Award for Green Star Schools” and for recently joining the growing list of green star schools in our district. For more information about the green star program, go to our greenBVSD website.
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Board Approvals
- The board approved the award of contract for construction services for the Bond Program's Arapahoe Campus School project to W.O. Danielson Construction Company for $5,273,964.
- Subject to the completion of the punch list items to the satisfaction of the Architect and the district’s Project Manager, the board accepts the Bond Program projects for Centaurus High School and Manhattan Middle School additions and renovations.
- Final acceptance for the Parking Lot and Traffic Area Improvements at Platt Middle School was approved by the board. In July 2008, the district executed a construction agreement with Adolfson & Peterson for the traffic area and parking lot improvements at Nevin Platt Middle School. The total cost of this construction was $540,574, and the County of Boulder has agreed to reimburse the district for that portion of work attributable to the County in the amount of $198,380.
The district also agreed to split the cost (50 percent) with the County to pay for the traffic signal improvements in front of the school in the full amount of $22,585.07. The net reimbursement from the County will be $198,380 minus the $11,292.53 (their 50 percent share). This additional cost will be covered with 2008-09 Capital Reserve funds.
- Contemporary Marketing by David Kurtz (Boone and Kurtz, 2008) for use in the Principles of Marketing class was approved by the board.
- Latin for the New Millennium, Volumes I and II by Minkova and Tunberg (Bolchazy/Carducci Publishers, 2008) were approved for Latin I and II by the board.
- The board approved the revised version of the Columbine Elementary - Guidelines for the Superintendent.
The following parameters were offered by the board to the Superintendent to help guide the work of the visioning committee. These parameters will be used to determine the acceptability of any proposal brought forward for school board approval by the Superintendent.
1. Columbine Elementary will be a measurably excellent neighborhood school with a program that serves the educational needs of all students who live in its catchment/attendance area. This includes students who are currently enrolled at the school, as well as students who live in the attendance area but currently open enroll out of their neighborhood school.
2. The program proposed for Columbine Elementary should be designed to help further the board’s goals of de-stratification of Boulder Valley Schools and reduction of the achievement gap.
3. It is ultimately the responsibility of the Superintendent and the professionals on his staff to determine the best program and pedagogy to meet the needs defined by the visioning committee and the goals of the board, and to address the areas of improvement identified in the CDE Audit.
Three grants were approved:
- Deputy Superintendent –Lafayette Schools Change – Rose Community Foundation - 09
- GRANT: Institutional Equity - Indian Education - US Department of Education - 09
- GRANT: Operations - Readiness and Emergency Management (REMS) - US Department of Education – 09
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Hats Off! Congratulations to this week's Superintendent's Honor Roll recipients:
Five Boulder Valley School District teachers were recognized at the April 28 board meeting for being Impact on Education’s 2009 Impact Award winners. As Impact completes this year’s celebration of its 25th anniversary, it is a good time to note some important facts about this organization that I consider invaluable to our district’s success.
As the primary community partner for BVSD, Impact on Education invested more than $980,000 in BVSD schools, teachers, and students during the 2007-2008 school year. Impact funded substantial programs in three areas: creating opportunities for “at-risk” students; increasing student learning and interest in science and technology; and motivating and rewarding teacher excellence.
The 2009 Impact Award winners: Bear Creek Elementary Teacher Librarian Laurie Brockway, Arapahoe Campus ESL Teacher Devorah Dettloff, Crest View Elementary Special Education Teacher Jeri Eurich, Gold Hill Elementary K-2 Teacher Sue Kidder, and Douglass Elementary Third Grade Teacher Bill Smith.
Each of these exceptional teachers was honored by over 200 civic, educational, and business leaders at the 17th annual Impact Awards Dinner on April 16. Thank you to each of you for your unique and extraordinary contribution to the education of your students.
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