INTEGRATED NEWS Boulder Community School of Integrated Studies March 10, 2006 LEAD TEACHER REPORT Dear Families, Staff Development The BCSIS Goals and Accountability Committee met this week to review our progress toward our 2005/2006 goals and school improvement strategies. We used the faculty's Staff Development Calendar to assess our progress. Of course, with three months left of the year, we have more staff development activities coming up. As we examined the list of staff development activities in which the teachers have participated, both as a group and individually, we were struck by the variety, creativity, and quality of the activities. We thought you parents would appreciate hearing some of them as well. Remember that many of these workshops or training activities were made possible by your generous and important donations: * Workshop with Rosie Waters (the Director of Imagination Makers) on using drama and tableaux to motivate and improve student writing. * Whole-faculty investigation of a variety of writing curriculum programs in order to develop a standardized resource pool for teachers to use in the classrooms. * Workshop with Kathryn Daniels (a district behavior specialist) on strategies for building inclusive, functional, and positive classroom cultures. * Developing, implementing, and analyzing an in-house survey for the 3rd to 5th graders on topics such as safety at school, adults at school, and bullying. * Workshop with Kara Priest (a local Boulder artist) on using Mandala Art to motivate and improve student writing. * Weekly meeting between classroom teachers and Special Education teachers to develop "differentiation" strategies and plans for the classroom in order to meet all children's education needs, regardless of their skills and knowledge level. * A day with Jeffe's Art Studio (a local Boulder artist) to develop arts and craft activities that will deepen and strengthen students' writing abilities. * Scheduling a Parent Evening with Lisa Cech (a district behavior and social specialist) on Bullying and Relational Aggression. * Working as a faculty to investigate, choose, and implement a whole-school, standardized anti-bullying program. * Use samples of student writing and rubrics from both six-traits and Ralph Fletcher's writing programs to analyze our student population's unique strengths and challenges. * Workshop with Deb Pickering (an expert in the field of classroom instructional strategies) to work on developing flexible, creative, and differentiated classrooms that will support all learners. * Individual teachers have used their parent donation funds for: doll making workshop, Rachel Kessler's Passageways training, Yoga and Children seminar, Mosaics to Write, Culture Dolls, training on Inclusive Classrooms, and finishing up a Master's Degree in Educational Psychology from CU Denver (congratulations Erin!). This list is just a sample of the exciting staff development activities going on for our school. Thanks for your generosity and helping hand in making this a possibility! Ed Council Meeting Sheri Williams, Director of Elementary Education, visited our Ed Council meeting on Wednesday. She shared some new possibilities for leadership at BCSIS that the district is considering. If you are interested in this topic, please read the Ed Council Minutes on page 2 of this newsletter. It's important to remember that nothing is set in stone at this point. All discussion about leadership changes at BCSIS are at a brainstorming phase at this time. Ed Council Representatives will host a conversation about these issues next Monday and Wednesday, March 13 and 15, from 3 to 3:30pm if you are interested in discussing this topic further. Phil Katsampes and Sabine Smead BCSIS GOALS AND ACCOUNTABILITY COMMITTEE OPENING Have you ever wondered what the BCSIS school improvement goals are and why the Staff Development Days are useful? Join the BCSIS Goals and Accountability Committee and help direct the school's improvement plans. We need one or two more parents, preferably with a child in the primary grades. We meet for approximately one hour a month. Please talk to Phil if you are interested. MARK YOUR CALENDAR March 13 (Mon) Roots & Shoots meets March 20 (Mon) Roots & Shoots meets March 27-31 (Mon-Fri) Spring Break no school April 3-4 (Mon-Tues) Parent/teacher conferences - no school April 7-20 BCSIS Spring Plant Sale orders will be accepted April 10 (Mon) Roots & Shoots meets April 11 (Tues) 6:30 p.m. BVSD Board Meeting addresses BCSIS Capital Improvements and Destratification April 24 (Mon) Roots & Shoots meets May 1 (Mon) Roots & Shoots meets May 3-5 (Wed-Fri) Pick Up Plant Sale Orders in the gym! May 11 (Thurs) 4:30-6:30pm. BCSIS 10th Anniversary Celebration at Rocky Mountain Theatre for Kids May 12 (Fri) Community Service Day May 15 (Mon) Roots & Shoots meets NOTES FROM THE ED COUNCIL Sheri Williams visits BCSIS Ed Council Sheri Williams joined the Ed Council to discuss possibilities for future governance at BCSIS. She indicated that our school may move away from the current Shared Leadership Model, and instead have a full-time principal. This change would happen either next year or the year after. Having a principal would not change the school's bylaws in a way that affects the day-to-day look and feel of the school, said Sheri Williams, BVSD Director of Elementary Education. Teachers and parents would continue to take an active role in decision-making. However, the current model does not meet the need for an administrator on-site who is liable for actions at the school. "Frankly, it’s me who’s on the line," Williams said. "I’ve been kept well-informed and the leaders are wonderful, but it cannot continue long term." BCSIS may be the last teacher-governed school in the state, she noted. Teacher leadership asks too much of those who do not receive corresponding pay for the hours, level of commitment, and training required, she said. The change is contingent upon the school board approving a budget item for a full-time principal this spring. Ed council parent representatives will talk informally about the matter with interested parents from 3 to 3:30 p.m. Monday, March 13, and Wednesday, March 15, in the Open Space. Building improvements The Council asked BCSIS parents to speak out for capital improvements, specifically regarding the need for more space in a building which exceeds its capacity by 150 students, and for improved traffic flow at pick-up. The place to do this is the Tuesday, April 11, school board meeting. To sign up in advance, call 303-447-5114. You may also sign up between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. the night of the meeting. Another good way to provide input is to fill out the Capital Needs Survey online at www.bvsd.org. During the next three months, the district plans to formulate a bond issue for the November ballot, said Michelle Wemple, council member. Destratification proposal The district’s proposal to address segregation is undergoing daily modification and will be on the school board agenda April 11 as a study item. Again, parents are asked to bring concerns to that meeting. BCSIS and High Peaks elementary schools figure predominately in the district rollout of the plan. The proposal includes possible geographic boundaries and gives preference in open enrollment to free and reduced lunch students. Fundraising note Sunday’s annual Bacaro restaurant gala dinner event and silent auction brought in $6,000. DISTRICT ACCOUNTABILITY COMMITTEE UPDATE BCSIS has a new DAC rep! Sandy Crowell, parent of a kindergartener and a third grader, has graciously agreed to be our rep for this school year. She will be reporting at our Ed Council meetings and we will post her report in the Ed Council minutes. Thank you Sandy! What is the District Accountability Committee? The DAC consists of one person representing School Improvement Teams (SITs--for BCSIS it’s our Ed Council) from each BVSD school, and a Principal representative from each of the Elementary and Secondary schools. Each member serves a two-year term. District staff and Board liaisons attend and support DAC, but are not voting members. The duties of the DAC are: * Perform annual school accreditation review * Serve on school accreditation site review committees * Review budget recommendations to the Board of Education (BOE) * Other tasks as directed by the BOE * Review improvement plans, make recommendations and report school progress to the BOE * Make recommendations relative to the prioritization of district expenditures. Learn more by visiting: www.bvsd.org/accreditation/dAccountabilityCommittee.asp. <>