A message from Superintendent Chris King - BVSD Update
This past weekend, Boulder Valley School District celebrated as commencement ceremonies took place for 11 of our 12 high schools. New Vista graduating seniors will commence Saturday, May 30. Each graduation was or will be attended by a school board member and a member of my cabinet or me.

In this way, BVSD leadership congratulates each of our 2,118 members of the BVSD Class of 2009. These students make up the newest group of BVSD “New Century Graduates.”

A BVSD New Century Graduate is an individual who “has the knowledge, skills and personal characteristics that will make this world a safer, more thoughtful and more inclusive place in which to live.”

Our Class of 2009, larger by six than the Class of 2008, contains 38 National Merit Scholar finalists who have, as of last Thursday morning, been accepted into 504 colleges and universities in 41 states, as well as in the District of Columbia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

Most BVSD graduates will go straight to college, however, other graduates have decided to travel, join the military or enter the workforce. Along with all BVSD staff, I know that the board joins me in congratulating an exceptional group of young people that I am confident will improve the world they live in as they pursue their uniquely individual future paths.

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Tough times call for smart measures
Impact on Education replaces Classroom Mini-Grants with Innovation Awards
It’s no secret that our economy tanked last fall. As a result, Impact on Education has seen donations and event attendance decline by 30 percent. Rather than drastically cut investments in our programs that support students and teachers, we looked hard at our processes and are pleased to announce an exciting change. Effective this fall, we will morph our Classroom Mini-Grants into Innovation Awards and will meld the application process with that of our Impact Awards. While the details need to be worked out, this change allows us to 1) maintain overall funding for teacher awards, 2) increase amounts provided and visibility of Innovation Award recipients and 3) reduce staff workload. With only three staff members at Impact on Education, it is critical that we allocate more time to fundraising and donor relationship management to raise money that supports our programs. 

Next month, Impact on Education Program Manager Laurie Hanson will convene focus groups to provide input on the Innovation Awards program process and application. Interested participants can contact her here.

Founded in 1983, Impact on Education is dedicated to educational excellence, equity and innovation in BVSD focusing on creating opportunities for “at risk” students from low-income families; increasing student interest and achievement in science, technology and math; and encouraging and rewarding excellent teachers. Since its inception, Impact on Education has invested over $11 million to benefit 450,000 students and 3,000 teachers.  For more information, visit Impact's website.

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The following letter from Ann Cooper is going out to all parents and guardians of BVSD students this week:

Dear BVSD Parents and Guardians,

The district has made a commitment to changing the paradigm of food quality and access in the district through a process that began a year ago with the feasibility study that Lunch Lessons LLC performed and presented to the Board of Education and Superintendent last October. The results of that work brought me back into the district in January to begin working with the Nutrition Services Department engaging in the strategic change laid out in the feasibility study with the goal of bringing healthy, whole food choices every day to every child in the school district.

On Tuesday May 26, 2009, the Board approved my appointment as Interim Director of Nutrition Services. I am excited to join the Nutrition Services team in the coming year and begin accomplishing the first steps of significant system change in how meals are prepared and served. Food access and equitable choices for all children is a cornerstone of this program, and we will be working individually with every school in the district to help create the best possible environment for feeding our children.

System change on this scale is a large task and will not be accomplished overnight; this is a multi-year project. However, some key changes that your students will experience in year one of this program change timeline will be as follows:

• Fresh fruits and vegetables will be served every day and will be regionally sourced when possible;
• Bulk hormone and antibiotic-free milk will be served in all schools;
• Full salad bars will be available in every school including grains, vegetable and animal based proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables;
• Locally produced whole grain bread and bakery products will be used when feasible;
• Highly processed ingredients like high fructose corn syrup and added trans-fats will be eliminated;
• Professional development and sanitation training will be provided for all Nutrition Services staff;
• A fully revised procurement system will be implemented with a priority for local vendors;
• Highly processed foods will be eliminated as much as possible (for example: roast chicken will replace chicken nuggets);
• Breakfast will be offered in every school;
• The reimbursable meal will be the focus of Nutrition Services; a la carte items will be eliminated in elementary schools and reduced to select beverages and side salads at middle schools;
• New healthier a la carte items will be offered in high schools;
• Refined sugar and flour will be used minimally.

I look forward to working with the district and our community to bring the best possible food to all of our students in the coming months. For more information about the School Food Project, please visit our website. Please feel free to contact me with comments and suggestions, so that together we can truly positively impact the lives of all of our children.

Thank you so much and I look forward to the coming year. 
~ Ann Cooper

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The Maintenance Safety Committee developed safety slogans to be used as reminders to co-workers to work safely. The committee then solicited the help of students in graphic arts to design posters based on the slogans. The students did a fantastic job in their designs and the committee could not have been more pleased!
Click on a poster to see even more designs!

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Sustainability Management System (SMS)
We have been working hard to create a Sustainability Management System (SMS) for BVSD. The SMS is a comprehensive approach for identifying and coordinating existing efforts, establishing baselines, defining sustainability for BVSD and creating plans to integrate sustainability into our operations and curriculum. The SMS will be used as a roadmap for future years and will be updated annually.

Please note! We will have an opportunity for input on the draft SMS in early June.  Please contact Joe Sleeper for information on how to comment on the draft.  Please take this opportunity to review our work and provide feedback.  Also note, that we are creating a living document, which will be updated annually as we track our progress.

Thank you!!  To everyone who has been involved with the SMS process, and especially to the following people for their involvement on the advisory committee: John Bollinger, Beth Collins, Mike Cuskelly, Briggs Gamblin, Tim Guiterman (Governor’s Energy Office), Steve Hoban, David Jackson, Bob Jamieson, Ann Livingston (Boulder County), David Martin, Sam Messier, Allison Metz, Sharon Meyer, Dave Newport (CU-Boulder), Don Orr, Bay Roberts (parent and community representative), Joe Sleeper, Judy Skupa, Bill Sutter, Leslie Stafford, David Swanson, Dave Williamson and Bob Young.

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Under New Management
Ann Cooper, Interim Director Nutrition Services, effective July 1, 2009
Marc Rodriguez, Principal, Columbine Elementary, effective July 27, 2009

Other Board Approvals

• The board approved a resolution that makes BVSD the third of four major organizations in the Boulder area teaming up to advance the cause of environmental sustainability. The City of Boulder and Boulder County have already adopted their sustainability resolutions and the University of Colorado at Boulder is expected to formally adopt its resolution later this summer. These four organizations are committing to prioritize collaborative efforts in the following areas:
  - Creation of a workforce available for green jobs through career and technical education training, and teaching and internship opportunities;
  - Greenhouse gas emissions reductions and climate change adaptation planning, including unified carbon tracking and reporting;
  - Identification of large-scale renewable energy opportunities; 
  - Pursuance of initiatives in furtherance of zero waste goals; and 
  - Exploration of joint funding opportunities to further implementation of all of the above.
  The resolutions are largely identical, all committing to creating a framework and expectations for future collaborations. Each organization's resolution contains a unique substantive commitment to further environmental sustainability.
• The service agreement between Boulder Valley School District and Boulder County Public Health through the Boulder County Prevention and Intervention (BCPIP) Program was approved by the board. The BCPIP provides prevention and intervention (P/I) services at the following BVSD schools: Angevine Middle School, Louisville Middle School, Centaurus High School, Nederland Middle/Senior High School, Monarch High School and Monarch K-8.
  The services provided include: mental health (e.g. including danger to self or others) and substance abuse assessments; brief, solution-focused counseling; school/community trauma response; referral and follow-up to community agencies and coordination of community-based services offered on-site at schools; consultation and action planning with school staff for prevention and intervention efforts; peer counseling and mediation programs; psycho-educational support groups; youth leadership/development empowerment program support services; classroom presentations; and in-service training for faculty and staff.
• The board awarded the contract for the construction of athletic field lights at Fairview High School to Carlton Electrical. Golden Triangle Construction will manage the project in conjunction with their current 2006 Bond work at Fairview High.
• The board approved the Award of Bid for the partial reroofing project at Angevine Middle School to D & D Roofing with a total bid of $278,297.
• The board approved the Award of Bid for the partial reroofing project at Mesa Elementary School to Alpine Roofing with a total bid of $129,896.
• The board approved Resolution 09-08 to non-renew the contracts of licensed probationary employees.
  Resolution 09-09 for reappointing specified building administrators for the 2009/2010 contract year was approved by the board.

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LAST CALL for Superintendent's Honor roll nominees!
We still have an opening or two for our June 23rd meeting's honor roll recipients. Do YOU know someone who deserves this honor? If so, please send your nomination to Communications. Just tell us who you think ought to be honored and why.

Hats Off! Congratulations to this week's Superintendent's Honor Roll recipients:
During the May 26 board meeing, two students were honored who had been nominated by the BVSD Parent Engagement Network (PEN) for their exceptional degree of community engagement:

Megan Valentine is a freshman at Centaurus High School. She is a member of Colie's Closet, secretary for the Second Wind Fund Board, and has served on the Louisville Youth Advisory Board.  Megan also qualified for nationals in debate as a freshman. She has also had a leadership role with the HOLD ON event that Colie's Closet recently sponsored which raised $3,000 to support Second Wind Fund of Boulder.

Ben Gazaway is a junior at Monarch High School. He is also a member of Colie's Closet peer educators and on Second Wind Fund Board.  Besides being an outstanding student and member of Drumline, Ben is also working towards his Eagle Scout.  His Eagle project includes a collaborative event that he did with the Monarch PEN team and his leadership role in the HOLD ON event that Colie's Closet sponsored to raise money for the Second Wind Fund.

Thank you, Ben and Megan for your commitment to improving the life of your respective communities.

Congrats!
Congratulations to Susan Rowley for being elected to serve as treasurer for the Colorado Association of School Nurses.

Congratulations also to BVSD recipients of Communications Excellence Awards from CoSPRA (the Colorado School Public Relations Association). BVSD won two awards, one for its fall 2008 annual report and a second for the Thrive Parent Handbook. CoSPRA Vice-President Matt Ruggles presented the district with plaques during the May 26 board meeting. Marsha Moritz accepted the award for Thrive on behalf of Fran Raudenbush and the rest of the Superintendent’s Advisory Committee. Allison Metz (designer) and Maela Moore (content editor) accepted the award for the annual report.

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