Dear Community Members,
Because I embrace the Top 20, I am owning my mistakes. With all the emotion and urgency to get this safety and security message to staff and the community, I sent a draft with typos and errors.
Thank you for understanding my focus on collaboration and content, for allowing me to share my errors, and for providing me grace for modeling this Top 20 tenet.
In my August welcome back message to staff, I emphasized the important gift of having a heart for others. Knowing that the year would bring “jagged edges and imperfection,” creating a safe and caring environment was at the top of my list. I appreciate being able to reiterate that we all make mistakes. Being honest, picking ourselves up, and moving forward is most important. It’s how we grow. -Chris
Thank you so much to all who participated in donating baked goods for our staff prior to winter break. As partners in learning, your strong demonstration of care was much appreciated by our staff.
Likewise, the district would like to extend care and support regarding an isolated school shooting in Perry, Iowa. Local, county, and state law enforcement are diligent in their support for our school districts. Especially at these times, we are appreciative of their collaboration and service to us all. We are keeping the students, staff, and families of the Perry community in our thoughts. In our own district, we continue to hold safety and security as top priorities by reviewing our emergency procedures and being visible on our campuses.
If needed, below, you will find links to resources from School Administrators of Iowa which are available to our staff, families, and community:
- ●“Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Families and Teachers” - National Association of School Psychologists
- ● “Managing Strong Emotional Reactions to Traumatic Events: Tips for Families and Teachers” - National Association of School Psychologists
- ● What to say to kids when the news is scary - NPR
- ● Talking with children about difficult things in the news - Fred Rogers Institute
- ● Parent Guidelines for Helping Youth After the Recent Shooting - The National Child Traumatic Stress Network
- ● Coping in the Aftermath of a Shooting - American Counseling Association
- ● An Age-by-Age Guide to Talking to Children About Mass Shootings - The New York Times
As with safety and security, collaboration and collective action matter to the culture of a school district. Therefore, the TOP 20, referenced in my last community newsletter, continues to be a
foundational driver for our work with students and one another. As a district, we want B-K to be the best place to work, so we aspire to the following each day:
We support and celebrate one another. We seek opportunities for improvement.
We seek solutions. We own our mistakes. We respect the absent.
In order to best represent district happenings and share them with you, I sought input from a teacher leader who helped craft this message:
Our Teacher Leadership Compensation (TLC) is composed of K-12 teachers and administrators dedicated to assessing, analyzing and providing the following for our staff: Improved Workplace Culture, Increased Student Engagement and Learning, and Continued Community Relations.
In regards to an Improved Workplace Culture, the TLC team created and strives for our cultural mission of “We want B-K to be the best place to work.” To help achieve this goal, the team helps implement staff development and collaborative opportunities regarding implementation of Top 20 work. At the heart of this work is the idea that teachers are humans who teach other humans. Therefore, teaching is an inexact science. In addition, staff relationships are strengthened through our TLC potlucks and K-12 get-togethers where teachers are given time to connect.
To help increase student engagement and learning, our TLC team has led the implementation of Teacher Clarity work throughout the K-12 level. The basis of this work is: (1) teachers take time to prioritize what is truly important for students to know, understand, and/or be able to do within their teaching, (2) students are provided clarity on what they are to be learning and what successful learning looks like within all their classes, and (3) assessment and feedback are given to provide students clarity on how they are progressing with their learning. This work is a holistic approach to education that can serve to help all our students (students identified for Talented and Gifted Services (TAG), English Learners, students with special needs, and every other learner within our district).
As far as community relations, the TLC team collaborates and analyzes ways in which to involve community partnerships within our school building. The communities of Belmond, Klemme, Rowan, Goodell, and all that surround us have so many willing partners ready to donate their time and expertise to support and teach our students (inside or outside the walls of our buildings). Our TLC team is dedicated to fostering and supporting such community relationships.
All in all, there are so many great things happening at B-K, and the TLC team, as well as all staff members, want to continue to develop, publicize, and commit to the future of these great initiatives. As a result, we will continue to have B-K be the best place to work as well as take student engagement and learning to the next level.
Each year, on the BKCSD school calendar, there are identified days and early dismissals utilized for professional development to fill teachers’, paraeducators’, and other staff’s toolboxes. In order to best serve your child each day, learning must occur.
At our next School Improvement Advisory Committee (SIAC) meeting, we will be seeking feedback and perspective regarding the calendar for next year. In order to collectively create a calendar reflective of a students-first mindset, this collected information will be shared at staff and school board meetings. More to come…
Take care,
Chris