USD 232 School Improvement News
March 2019
News with Purpose
- MakerSpace
- Kindergarten Round-Up
- Kindergarten Readiness- ASQ3
- Canvas
- Energy Savings
MakerSpace at Mize Elementary
The focus on STEAM in elementary schools continues through programs like MakerSpace. Please enjoy the overview of the development of Maker-instruction for teachers and staff at Mize Elementary, led by Principal Gerri Balthazor.
The vision for the Mize MakerSpace began during the 2016-17 school year with a grant from the Mize PTO. The grant provided the initial funding and parents donated items to make the vision a reality for students. The goals for the space were to provide an opportunity for students to create, collaborate, and build upon skills essential for the 21st Century.
Since that time, students have enjoyed the discovery of new ideas through the use of the MakerSpace. They have enhanced their critical thinking skills, as they have become designers, innovators, engineers, and technical wizards. They have made connections to the real world and explored options as they bring projects and other innovative ideas to life!
During the 2017-18 school year, a technology space was added to the initial space. It houses a green screen, robots, 3-D printer, and various other technological tools to enhance student learning. The building’s daily announcements are recorded, in this space, and shared for all to watch each morning. It has become a wonderful addition to the Maker Space where the possibilities are endless and all can learn!
Kindergarten Round-Up
Each spring, the seven USD 232 elementary schools host exciting events known as "Kindergarten Round Up". This is a date when teachers and principals get to meet families that will bring fresh new faces, our kindergarten classes, in the upcoming school year.
A significant amount of preparation and planning goes into the event, which varies by school. Some buildings ask parents to bring incoming students, while others make it an informational evening for parents only. No matter the format, it's a huge night of first-steps into the world of education for our kinders who will be welcomed in August.
Parents have the opportunity to begin the enrollment process, ask questions, and meet the principal. Parents also learn about Before/After School Care and Extended Care offered through a partnership with Johnson County Parks and Recreation Department. By Kansas statute, children must be the age of five (5) on or before August 31 to be eligible for Kindergarten enrollment.
Belmont Elementary- Thurs., March 28 from 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Belmont Kindergarten Roundup
Clear Creek Elementary- Tues., March 26 from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Clear Creek Kindergarten Roundup
Horizon Elementary- Mon., March 4 from 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Horizon Kindergarten Roundup
Mize Elementary- Tues., March 26 from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Mize Kindergarten Roundup
Prairie Ridge Elementary- Thurs., March 28 from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Prairie Ridge Kindergarten Roundup
Riverview Elementary- Thurs., March 7 from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Riverview Kindergarten Roundup
Starside Elementary- Wed., March 27 from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Starside Kindergarten Roundup
Kindergarten Readiness
The Kansas State Board of Education announced a new vision for education, which gives direction for a student-focused system and resources for individual success. The State Board identified Kindergarten Readiness as one of five Outcome Areas to measure progress, and expects every school district in Kansas to utilize a developmentally appropriate snapshot tool. The goal of Kindergarten Readiness is to ensure that each student enters Kindergarten at age five socially, emotionally, and academically prepared for success.
The Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Version 3 (ASQ-3) and the Ages and Stages: Social-Emotional, Second Edition (ASQ:SE-2) are screening tools from the Kansas State Department of Education that provide a quick check of a child’s development. These questionnaires, which take 10-15 minutes to answer, ask questions of parents about their child's behaviors and social-emotional growth. The information supplied helps reveal the child’s strengths, uncover any areas of concern, and determine if there are community resources or services that may be useful for the child or family. More information can be found at http://agesandstages.com/ks/.
Energy Savings
The 2018-2019 school year has been a challenging conservation event for USD 232 with a hot, dry summer and a colder-than-normal winter. Despite these factors, we have managed to reduce on our energy usage. We attribute savings to quick response regarding equipment repairs, implementing energy saving upgrades of equipment, continuous management of HVAC runtime, and steady conservation efforts in buildings.
As the district is well into the seventh year of the energy program, I am happy to report we have reduced our utility usage by 29%. In the future, we will continue to look for new strategies to curve electrical demand charges, while keeping a level of comfort established by program guidelines and research new technology, that will have a quick cost turn-around. In addition, we will continue to ask for staff support to foster a conservation culture for USD 232.
Staff support is measured by shutdown percentages and the number of doors that are closed during the school day. The 2019 semester break shutdown percentage for elementary schools totaled 96%, middle schools at 97%, high schools at 87% and all other buildings 100%. Total shutdown for our district was 94%. While opening and closing doors, keep in mind that hot air flows to cold, and the colder halls will draw heat from classrooms when the door is propped open. The graph below is an extreme example of what room temperature does when an outside door is opened. The outside door in this example was opened two different times while the room was trying to reach set point.
Thank you for all your efforts to conserve our energy dollars.
Dwight Stoppel
Energy Manager, USD 232
Canvas
The Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) was selected by our LMS Committee during the 2018-2019 school year. Canvas has many benefits including clean, user-friendly, content-focused design, an excellent platform for cultivating interconnected, digital teaching and learning opportunities, and frequent feature and tool updates.
We have partnered with the Canvas Change Management Team to provide high-level, dedicated support as we focus our efforts to transition a majority, if not all, of our courses by the end of the 2019-2020 school year. Staff will be provided resources to help transition their courses. In the meantime, please visit the Canvas Information Website to learn more about the tools and adoption process and to take advantage of training that is available.
Click https://community.canvaslms.com/welcome to peruse the Canvas Welcome pages.
*Teachers, the final day of Blackboard availability is May 31, 2019. All items contained within that system should be removed by that date.
Up Next in the April Edition
- KESA OVT Results
- ELA Adoption
- Summer Flex PD
- Parent Perception Survey
- Nutrition
Bringing Awareness to Our Communities and Stakeholders
- District Programs- Early Childhood-to-Postsecondary
- Student and Staff Highlights
- Academic and Extracurricular Events of Interest
- Updates in Standards, Curriculum, Technology, and Assessments
- Relationships with Internal and External Stakeholders
- Relevance in Innovative Learning and Leadership
USD 232 School Improvement News
Email: mhite@usd232.org
Website: http://www.usd232.org/
Location: 35200 West 91st Street, De Soto, KS, USA
Phone: 913-667-6200