This month, Bremerton School District joins communities nationwide celebrating School Board Recognition Month. This is the 25th year of this annual observance, which was initiated by the National School Boards Association.

Thank you to our dedicated School Board Directors for their tireless service to our students and the Bremerton Community!

Photo: Superintendent Aaron Leavell presented certificates of appreciation to School Board Directors John Hurley, Alyson Rotter, Dr. Karen Bolton, Carolynn Perkins, Jonee Dubos, and student representative Gabriel O’Rourke-Dela Cruz at at the January board meeting.

Compiled by Ioanna Cossack, Board Secretary

The Board had an opportunity to thank Mr. Tony Boddie and the Class of 1979 (see photo, right). Each year, Mr. Boddie leads a Golf Tournament for the Class, and in recent years, these funds have been donated to different schools to be used for sports programs, school activities or to help fulfill other needs for students or buildings. Mr. Boddie often volunteers and has been seen often at the sidelines with Coach T. The Board also heard from fall sports coaches, who helped recognize many student athletes (see photo, center below) for their work on the field as well as those teams and individuals who were honored by the W.I.A.A. for their scholastic achievement.

Student Representative to the Board Gabriel O’Rourke-Dela Cruz provided a brief report on upcoming activities at the high school as they return from winter break, and invited the Board to the upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. Assembly. He shared that the ASB’s “Winter Wishes” program was more successful than they had imagined, and gifts were provided to approximately 180 students. He wanted to thank Briana Faxon and the AVID mentors for their large donation as well as many other staff and community members that donated gifts or dollars.

The Board and Superintendent shared highlights from their attendance at the Washington State School Directors Association (WSSDA) conference in November. Directors Bolton and Perkins will participate at Senator Randall’s Town Hall Meeting on Education at Tacoma Community College, Gig Harbor campus, on January 11th, 2-3:30 pm.

Building Visits: The Board discussed that with two new directors, they are interested in putting a schedule together to visit all of the buildings/schools in the near future.

Capital Levy; Safety and Security: Dr. Leavell shared that interviews were held today with several architects to help accomplish security improvements at each of our school buildings and district office. He explained that once the architect and project manager are in place, they will begin work slowly in May before school is out and then more aggressively during the summer to complete the work before school reopens.

BHS Teacher Janice Wagner presented a proposal to take potentially 18 students to Italy during the spring of 2021. The proposal was approved.

Policy Updates: Look for an update to Policy 5404, Family, Medical and Maternity Leave, in February. Human Resources Supervisor Denise Kennedy took a major revision to the Board for first reading. The revised policy should be adopted at the upcoming February 6th meeting.

Along with that, the Board also approved Policy 3116, Students in Out-of-Home (Foster) Care, for first reading. Special Services Director Linda Sullivan-Dudzic will also bring this back to the Board in February for adoption.

The Board is reading Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain (Zaretta Hammond) and they then review and discuss the chapters they’ve read at book studies held near the end of their regular meetings. This meeting they covered chapters 1 and 2, and will read chapters 3 and 4 for their February 6th meeting.

You can find these reports, other attachments, and more information on the agenda/BoardDocs site

• HR guidance for staff on delayed starts/closures.
• General information for our families is available on the website year-round at www.BremertonSchools.org/snow.
• Opt out of delayed start/closure calls here (staff with no kids enrolled in BSD only)
  
• Information on updating your communication preferences via Skyward Family Access for staff with students enrolled in the District.
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Just a reminder! Any BSD staff member applying for a grant must receive pre-approval from their administrator for grants under $500, and from the District Leadership Team for grants over $500. This includes requests submitted to DonorsChoose.org.

We've clarified the guidelines and have replaced the cumbersome paper pre-approval form with a quick and easy Google Form. Check it out at: https://www.bremertonschools.org/grants. You can find a link to this page and the Grant Pre-Approval Google Form under the "Staff" tab on the website, in the "Staff Directory" under Grants.

September- Kindness

October- Creativity

November- Gratitude

December- Cooperation

January - Honesty

February- Empathy

March- Perseverance

April- Respect

May -Courage

June- Responsibility

You can download monthly character trait posters from BSD Teach (click on "SEL & Conduct" and then "SERVE & Character Traits of the Month.")

To sign-up to volunteer, contact Joyce.Cowdery@BremertonSchools.org or 360-620-7291.

Help support our BHS FCCLA at the Barnes & Noble Fair at the Kitsap Mall store on January 25th from 10:00-2:00. There will be several activities on site for younger kids also. A percentage of your Barnes & Noble purchases will benefit our FCCLA to attend the state meeting in Wenatchee this March.

There is now a folder of lessons in the Nearpod District Library about Martin Luther King, Jr. There are lessons targeted for all grade levels, and for multiple content areas. Direct link: https://nearpod.com/libraries/23320/folder/890650

Determining Student School Supply Needs for the Next School Year

A Capstone Project by Jaclyn Marvin

Hello, my name is Jaclyn Marvin and I am a student at Olympic College working towards a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership and Technical Management. For my capstone project, I am planning on collecting school supplies for next year’s Back to School Fair.

I am working on collecting some data to help me narrow my focus so that students needs are more effectively met next year. I hope you'll consider taking my brief survey as it will really help me with my project, and ensure we are providing the resources our students need the most.

Thank you for your support! Please take my brief survey! Thank you!

Congratulations to our BHS Cheer competition team who competed at Kentwood High School on Saturday. They placed second, qualified for State and received the highest qualifying score BHS Cheer has ever gotten! They will compete at the WIAA State competition on February 7th and 8th. Go Knights!!

Join Pacific Education Institute for a six-hour introduction to FieldSTEM and Schoolyard Field Investigations for K-3 educators. FieldSTEM is an integrated framework that facilitates career-connected, locally-relevant, field-based learning. In this primer, participants will learn how simple field investigations can be incorporated into current science units to provide students with contextually—relevant science skills and practices.

Details are in the attachment below.

Here is the link to register: https://schoolyard_k3.eventbrite.com

Special Olympics of Washington is looking for volunteers to help out their 2020 Bremerton Basketball Sub-Regionals on Saturday, January 25th at Mountain View Middle School and the East Bremerton Community Gym. Register here.

It is time for the 2020 Law Day Essay Contest, sponsored by the Kitsap County Bar Association!

Once again, the ABA has chosen an exciting topic, “Your Vote, Your Voice, Our Democracy: The 19th Amendment at 100.” Consistent with America’s history of continually expanding the right to vote, we are proposing three Constitutional Amendments that attempt to do just that.

Six cash prizes are awarded, three each in two grade categories:

First Place – $350

Second Place – $250

Third Place – $150

Each year we have seen a growing number of teachers who assign the Law Day Essay as a classroom assignment. The students and teachers all report an enriching educational experience. The essay topics are being sent three months prior to the due date to allow you sufficient time to incorporate the Contest into your curriculum. Additionally, many winners mention the Essay Contest in their college applications.

All essays must be received by April 17, 2020 at 4:30. Most students submit their essays by email, but snail mail is permitted.

Click below for the the rules and essay topics.

Tom Weaver

tomweaverlaw.onmicrosoft.com

Kitsap Bar Association

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Website: www.bremertonschools.org
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Twitter: @BremertonSD

BSD Staff Updates Newsletter 2019-20 / Issue #10 distributed 1/22/2020