BSD Staff Updates
February 11, 2020
Board Highlights - February 6, 2020
POLICY NEWS! Revised Policy 3116, Students in Out of Home Care, has been adopted on second read. This policy is attached here for review by staff. If you need clarification or have other questions, please start with your administrator to get your answers. Policy 3116
The Board has an opportunity to recognize Technology and a few staff and students who helped with the rollout of the 1:1 Chromebook Distribution project in the fall. Dr. Leavell thanked Steve Bartlett and Kati Carthum on behalf of the entire Technology Department for their hard work in handing out 1,000s of Chromebooks to our students. Kati and Steve began the evening by giving certificates of appreciation to key folks at the schools, Cindy McClain (BHS), and Ed Simmons (MVMS), along with students Connor Bales (BHS) and James Spivey (MVMS), as well as their office coordinator, Cindi Probst.
Principal Teneka Morley-Short came to recognize the Board and surprised them by inviting them to join one of the five houses established at Crownhill at the start of this school year. Each of the directors is now an official member of Quantum, Conisi, Foveo, Artis, or the Fiducia House (see photo above).
Student Representative to the Board Gabriel O’Rourke-Dela Cruz shared that 26 Choir students will be going to the State Competition in April. Large Mixed Ensemble, Small Men’s (trio), Small Women’s (duo) and Soprano (last year’s Board representative Isabella Meyer) all took First Place at Regionals and five will be there as alternates as well in Baritone, Bass, Soprano, and Mixed Small. Congratulations! Knight Sounds and the Small Men’s (trio) will be performing the National Anthem separately at each of the two Board meetings in March. The Cheer team also did well again this year and will be going to State this week-end. Gabriel also announced that the BHS ASB applied for and received a $250 grant from the WE Volunteer Group (The Allstate Foundation) to assist with their community service project this spring. Director Rotter urged her fellow directors and Dr. Leavell to come together as a team and participate in the high school’s upcoming Dodgeball Tournament fundraiser at BHS. :-)
Elections are on February 11th – Dr. Leavell invited the Board to come out to watch the results together, a tradition that began many years ago. Superintendent Leavell and a couple of our directors will attend the WASA/WSSDA/WASBO Legislative Conference and Day on the Hill this coming week-end. Other news everyone was excited about is that West Sound Tech has received design and construction funding for the modernization or replacement of their facilities, and the planning process will begin this coming week.
The Board passed Resolution 2019/2020-12 (see below) proclaiming the week of February 3-7, 2020 as School Counseling Recognition Week. The theme this year is “School Counselors: Helping Build Better Humans,” and we hope to help focus public attention on the unique contribution of school counselors within U.S. school systems.
The Board is reading Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain (Zaretta Hammond) and then reviews and discusses the chapters they’ve read at book studies held near the end of their regular meetings. This meeting they reviewed chapters 2 and 3. The next book study (part 2) will be at the first meeting in March.
Upcoming Events:
· View Ridge’s Aladdin Kids, BHS, February 10 and 11, 6:00 pm
· Elections, February 11
· STEM Night, Naval Avenue, February 19, 5-6:30 pm
· WA State Science & Engineering Fair, BHS, March 27-28
You can find these reports, other attachments, and more information on the agenda/BoardDocs site
National School Counseling Week
Last week (Feb. 3-7) was National School Counseling Week. The week, sponsored by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), highlights the unique contribution of school counselors within U.S. school systems and the tremendous impact they can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career. Take a moment to thank your local school counselor(s).
School counselors help students in more ways than many people realize. Learn more about the role of this necessary profession: http://bit.ly/SCRole.
We appreciate our school counselors and interventionists!
Congrats Katie Exum - Google Innovative Educator
(Photo): Katie was recognized for her achievement by Dr. Aaron Leavell and the Bremerton School Board at the February 6 meeting.
Congratulations, Grace Raiford!
Bremerton High School teacher Grace Raiford was selected as one of Leadership Kitsap’s 20 Under 40 Honorees for 2020 and was honored at an event last month.
Grace Raiford, Camp Director, Central Stage Theatre. A lifelong Kitsap County resident who participated in the local theatre arts community from a young age, Grace now serves as Camp Director of Central Stage Theatre, tasked with running the summer youth programs. Her career with the theatre started in 2013 as a choreographer. Since taking on the summer youth programs in 2015, she has tripled the size of the program to 180 students and has doubled the revenue of Camp CSTOCK.
Additionally, Grace is an English teacher at Bremerton High School and an adviser for the Associated Student Body leadership team. She helped create a Communications in Business class, a Career and Technical Education (CTE) class combined with an English class to give seniors the opportunity to practice real world writing skills such as resumes, business proposals, and interview skills. She was voted Teacher of the Year by the senior class in both 2016 and 2019. Learn more at: https://leadershipkitsap.org/20-under-40/
Read the January issue of our Community E-news newsletter
The Semancik Foundation needs your HELP!
The Semancik Foundation needs your HELP! We are looking for donations for our LIVE and SILENT auctions. The Crab Feed is March 7 at 5PM until 9PM. ALL money raised goes to support Bremerton High School college scholarships. Your donations are tax deductible as we are a registered 501C3! Anything you can do would be a big help. ANYTHING. Send me an email with your item, ryan.nickels@bremertonschools.org so we can arrange pick up.
There are a limited number of crab feed tickets left. Prices are $50 a ticket. You can buy tickets at www.semancik.org or contact Teri Ainslie at Mt. View Middle School.
Free PD Resource for all staff members - how to access Hoonuit!
Check out this video for directions on how to access it. Questions? Just ask Kati Carthum.
Math Blast/STEM Night 2020 was a success!
600 attended Math Blast STEM
10 NEW community partners
40 USS Carl Vincent Sailors volunteers
30 students volunteers
More than 30 stations with math/ STEM activities
Here are a few comments received from volunteers and participants:
- We had a BLAST!
- I loved seeing all of the children and their families doing math while not knowing they were doing math!
- We look forward to this event every year.
- Love it, love it, love it.
- It is so great to allow kids to play with these critical STEM concepts and this is such a fantastic way to do it!
- Nice to see the community partnerships and families interaction
Check out the Math Blast/STEM Night photos and video below, along with an article written by the Navy about their involvement in Math Blast.
Band & Orchestra Fundraiser
To All District Employees!
On Saturday, March 14th the Bremerton Band & Orchestra is pleased to host our 2nd Annual Mattress Fundraising event. This event has been VERY successful for schools all over the country for over 15 years now and we are very excited to bring it to Bremerton High School. Nationally over $40 million dollars have been raised through this event and locally right here in Western Washington groups have earned over $1,300,000 in the past 6 years! Groups like Mount Si Choir, Tahoma Robotics, and Bothell Football have made roughly $50,000 in just 5 days!
In conjunction to this event the Bremerton Band & Orchestra has arranged for a special discount as a way to thank all the staff who support our community and our students. With this email, attached flyer, or the coupon below, you and/or a family member will receive $100 off the purchase of any mattress or 10% off any accessory only purchase (pillows, standard bed frames, mattress protectors, and even adjustable bed frames).
This may seem crazy but statistics prove it works; 10% of the population buys a new mattress every year! If it happens to be your year for a new mattress, now is the time to buy. There will be 30 different styles on display; these are all top quality, NEW, name brand mattresses (like Simmons and Beautyrest), and there will be a team of experts on hand to answer any questions you may have. Shop from us at Bremerton High School just like you would any store. Prices, before this special offer, are already discounted compared to standard retail, so this is a tremendous savings to you and your family if you’re in need of a new mattress.
When: One day only - Saturday, March 14th
Where: Bremerton High School
Time: 10:00am – 5:00pm
This is a no pressure sale, just stop in and take a look. Everything you can get from another mattress retailer you'll find available through our event.
- Need home delivery? It's available.
- Need an old mattress hauled away? It's available.
- Need to finance a purchase? That's available too and there’s even free layaway!
- Whatever your needs, we’ve got you covered!
Watch this short Youtube video to see what this event will really look like.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtWPNME9W2w, go to the Facebook event at http://bit.ly/Beds4Bremerton2, check out the website www.cfsbeds.com, or take a look at the attached FAQs for answers to commonly asked questions!
Thank you,
Bremerton Band & Orchestra
PTSA Awards
Grants for Washington State K-12 Public School Teachers!
Applications are now being accepted for the “Ellison Education Grants”. Grants are for K-12 public school teachers in Washington State. The Ellison foundation has awarded 40 grants and over $168,000 to Washington State teachers in the past three years.
The Ellison Foundation will award grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 in the spring of 2020 (for use during the 2020-2021 school year). Applications must be submitted by March 21st, 2020.
To learn more about the “Ellison Education Grants” please go to the following link:
Commission on Children and Youth Advisory Board
Do you know a school student looking for a chance to represent youth in Kitsap County, gain leadership skills and participate in planning, outreach and education for other youth? High School students from the Bainbridge, Bremerton and North Kitsap school districts are needed to serve on the Kitsap County Commission on Children and Youth Advisory Board. Make your voice count! For more information, go to https://www.kitsapgov.com/hs/Pages/CCY-Advisory-Board.aspx
BOARD FUNCTION/PURPOSE
The 24 members of the Kitsap County Commission on Children and Youth Advisory Board are volunteers from throughout the county appointed by the Board of County Commissioners for three-year terms. They represent health and social services, law and justice, military, education, parks and recreation, business, youth and the general community.
The Commission also serves as an advisory board to the Kitsap County Board of Commissioners, and the Local Public Health and Safety Network.
Free community NEAR Training Opportunity: Helping All People Flourish
From OSPI: Bill to Increase School Staff is Introduced in the Legislature
OLYMPIA — January 27, 2020 — Ten years ago, the Legislature implemented a statewide formula to determine how much state funding each school serving students in grades K–12 should receive to pay for staff, materials, programming, and other items.
Last year, the Legislature tasked the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) with convening a workgroup of K–12 education stakeholders to make recommendations for updating the formula to meet current needs.
The Staffing Enrichment Workgroup recommended the Legislature increase the levels of various school staff, ensure all school staff are provided professional development on key topics like cultural responsiveness, and increase flexibility for local schools while maintaining accountability. All recommendations would be phased-in over six years.
This week, OSPI put the Workgroup’s recommendations forward in Senate Bill 6615, which is sponsored by Senator Lisa Wellman, the Chair of the Senate Early Learning and K–12 Education Committee.
“The current staffing values in the state’s funding formula are largely based on a study done in 1975,” said Chris Reykdal, Superintendent of Public Instruction. “The Legislature asked us to pull together this workgroup because they know changes to the funding formula are vital for our students, educators, and communities.”
“Educators continue to tell us that students are coming to school with more mental, emotional, and behavioral health needs than ever before,” Reykdal continued. “The Workgroup took that into consideration by asking the Legislature to prioritize their investments there first.”
The bill first asks the Legislature to provide funding for more counselors, nurses, social workers, psychologists, principals, librarians, paraeducators, family involvement coordinators, and other building support staff.
Then, the bill calls for a reduction in the number of students per classroom, aligning with Initiative 1351 passed by Washington’s voters in 2014.
Finally, the bill would require the Legislature fund additional professional learning days for all school staff until all staff are provided 10 days of learning.
About the Funding Formula
The state’s K–12 education funding formula, called the Prototypical School Funding Model (PSFM), was adopted by the Legislature in 2010 (House Bill 2776).
The PSFM is a funding allocation model. The Legislature allocates funding to schools for specified purposes in the law. However, local school districts have a large amount of flexibility with the funds to meet their local community needs.
The model is driven by student enrollment in the school. The more students there are, the more state funding the school will receive. Funds are allocated in order to fulfill student-to-staff ratios, as well as non-staff operating costs.
The ratios in the current PSFM are largely based on a legislatively-commissioned study completed in 1975.
For More Information visit: Staffing Enrichment Workgroup Recommendations
BSD Character traits 2019-20
September- Kindness
October- Creativity
November- Gratitude
December- Cooperation
January - Honesty
February- Empathy
March- Perseverance
April- Respect
May -Courage
June- ResponsibilityYou can download monthly character trait posters from BSD Teach (click on "SEL & Conduct" and then "SERVE & Character Traits of the Month.")
Helpful links/reminders for winter weather late start / snow days
- 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.
- Not getting emails/messages from the District? Need to update your contact information? Please contact HR.
Follow BSD on Social Media!
- View past issues of the Staff Updates newsletter
- Submit ideas or content for the Staff Updates newsletter to: Karen.Bevers@BremertonSchools.org
Website: www.bremertonschools.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BremertonSchools/
Twitter: @BremertonSD
BSD Staff Updates Newsletter 2019-20 / Issue #11 distributed 2/11/2020