Dear Community Members,
April has arrived, and with it brings celebrations of warmer weather, green surroundings and new beginnings. National Hope Day is celebrated on the first Wednesday of the month; this year, April 3rd signifies a day to reflect on the notion of hope. Hope is an important emotion to consider, as its impact on individuals’ lives is powerful, and its inspiration on the world stage can lead to perseverance through difficult times, pursuance of dreams, and strength necessary for resilience to move through challenges and setbacks.
Over the holiday weekend, my husband and I traveled to Austin, Texas, to spend time with our daughter. The bluebonnets were covering the hills, and, as we spent time walking around Lady Bird Lake, I was reminded of the Lady Bird Johnson quote, “Where flowers bloom, so does hope.” As the flowers begin to blossom in Belmond, I know it is a sign that hope is present.
In our school district, we desire to become the best place to work and belong. We continually strive to create a space where people feel valued at work and know that they matter. We have hope in this, and hope provides an expectation that we are well on our way to attaining this goal. Hope suggests optimism, and the possibility of promise. On April 1st, Willow Sweeney once again engaged us in learning anchored in the Top 20 tenets we aspire to bring to life each day. As a reminder, the BK Community School District embraces the following:
We support and celebrate one another. We seek opportunities for improvement.
We seek solutions. We own our mistakes. We respect the absent.
As we learn more with and from one another regarding what these mean to us and how we will make them ever present in our actions, we will clearly communicate them to our students, families, and community. We look forward to the next steps in our journey. Willow left us with a ideas for moving down this path and asked that we consider the following:
Resume the Good. Embrace the Change. Provide Clear Expectations. Keep Relationships First. Lead with Empathy.
Collaborating to clarify meanings, providing direction, creating accountability systems, celebrating our current state, and looking to the future are in the forefront of our hearts and minds. I am thankful for the inspiring people that are committed to bringing these ideas for action.
Likewise, I am grateful for community partners that support our staff in various ways. Green Belt Bank & Trust provided donuts, coffee, milk and water to start our day!
Another strong community partnership is held with our local police department and associated county support teams. Last week, our principals and building and grounds director accompanied me to our Wright County Safety Meeting where we discussed a collaborative professional learning opportunity for next fall.
The Eagle Grove, Clarion-Goldfield-Dows, and Belmond-Klemme Community School Districts, in partnership with the Wright County Sheriff’s Department will be engaging in safety training hosted by the I Love U Guys Foundation which is a premier organization providing training and events related to reunification planning and exercises, crisis command centers, standard response protocols, and other school and community safety measures.
Additionally, our time together focused on professional training opportunities around topics such as Narcan Administration, Stop the Bleed, and Generation RX which are available for our staff. Each school district is engaging in safety drills with their local police departments and the county sheriff’s department.
One last safety learning opportunity for our community is the viewing of GRIDSHOCK which is a tool for educating students, staff and families regarding sex trafficking in Iowa. The United Methodist Church in Belmond will be hosting a viewing of GRIDSHOCK on Tuesday, April 9th at 7:00 PM.
Our School Improvement Advisory Committee, which has also highlighted safety measures, met for the final time this year. Our primary focus of this meeting was bullying and harassment and sharing a 2024-2025 school calendar update. Below, you will find the minutes of our meeting:
School Improvement Advisory Committee (SIAC)
Record of Meeting Minutes
Date: March 25, 2024
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Belmond-Klemme Jr.-Sr. High School
SIAC Facilitators: Justin Meyer, Erin Slifer, Mark Young, Sarah Nelson, Kaitlyn Peterson, Christine Schultz, and Chris Bergman
A meeting of the School Improvement Advisory Committee of the Belmond-Klemme Community School District was held on March 25, 2024 at the Belmond-Klemme Jr.-Sr. High School, starting at 6:00 p.m.
The following SIAC members were present: Griffin Paulsen, Lillyanna Aguilera, Ella Negrete, Callum Sifert, Tate Goeman, John Sifert, Shannon Wadsley, Sarah Nelson, Joel Pals, Raelyn Thilges, Justin Meyer, Anna Buseman, Barry Huedepohl, Michelle Murphy for Gary Berkland (school board), Mark Young, CKay Jensen, Craig Johnson, Patty Reed, and Chris Bergman.
Introductions and Purpose
Mrs. Bergman welcomed the diverse stakeholder team, introduced the planning and facilitation team, and set the purpose of the meeting as follows: sharing current B-K Bright Spots, focusing on the B-K Mission and Vision, discussing and sharing insights regarding bullying and harassment, sharing calendar options, overviewing safety and security measures, and providing answers to the focus questions from the initial meeting.
B-K Bright Spots
With the prompt…what we are grateful for, proud of, excited about, etc., stakeholder small groups discussed and shared celebrations regarding current happenings in the B-K school district and community.
Educational Needs
Counselors Sarah Nelson and Kaitlyn Peterson highlighted the differences between rude, mean and bullying behavior in the following manner:
When someone says or does something unintentionally hurtful, and it happens once, that is RUDE.
When someone says or does something intentionally hurtful, and it happens once, that is MEAN.
When someone says or does something intentionally hurtful, and it continues to happen repeatedly even when you have told them to stop or show them you are upset, that is BULLYING.
Our committee discussed the continued need to teach these definitions and share them with families in order to address them appropriately. Likewise, the committee shared insights regarding ways to prevent and address these behaviors at the lowest level in order to avoid bullying situations.
The district policy team reviews overarching board policies that further define bullying and harassment, as well as the processes for addressing such situations as well as the consequences that follow.
Beyond this topic, the counselors shared specific ways our school counselors deliver the bullying/harassment prevention programming, including: classroom lessons (communication skills, conflict-resolution skills, decision-making skills, acceptance of differences, recognition of early warning signs, appropriate use of technology and social media, bystander training), fostering positive staff and student relationships, and mental health awareness training.
Additionally, the counselors shared delivery of bullying/harassment intervention, including: conflict mediation,de-escalation techniques, collaboration with administrators and staff, safety planning, and individual skill development (anger management, empathy, and self-advocacy).
At the elementary, classroom, small group, and individual instruction is guided by American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Standards and covers topics such as impulse control, healthy coping skills, growth mindset, personal space, exploring emotions, friendship skills, and conflict resolution. Lessons are presented to grades K-3 in each classroom every 2-3 weeks.
At the middle level, bi-weekly social-emotional learning (SEL) lessons (grades 4-6) and daily lessons in exploratory class (grade 7) include topics such as healthy coping and self-regulation skills, respect and conflict resolution, mental health awareness, and academic and career readiness skills.
Similarly, Bronco Pride occurs biweekly and focuses on academic and career readiness skills such as collaboration, time management, goal setting, responsible decision making, and problem solving.
Individual counseling and crisis response occurs when students are referred by self, families, staff, and behavioral data.
In the 8th Grade Careers course, students develop an ICAP and learn from guest speakers.
Annual Planning Meetings with students 9th-12th include conversations focused on the following: “If you were graduating today, what would you do tomorrow?” Determining end goal and backwards planning regarding concurrent enrollment opportunities, course load and timing, as well as ACT testing and scholarship applications are current focus areas.
Our student representatives were integral in providing ideas for addressing rude, mean and bullying behaviors and highlighted being intentional and consistent to provide safe ways to share incidents, promote self-advocacy, identify boundaries, problem-solve next steps, build student-staff relationships, support victims, prevent retaliation, support
offenders with learning, and communicate strategies for dealing with such behaviors to students and parents. It was shared that bullying behaviors also occur outside of school and/or on social media and integrate into the school day which impacts learning. A need to focus on proactive prevention was shared by committee members.
Calendar
The bill regarding moving the start date for schools did not survive the 2nd funnel week. Although this legislation is unlikely to be added to any pending/future legislation, the calendar hearing and board recommendation will take place at the April 18th meeting; most likely, the August 23rd start date calendar will be the recommendation.
Focus Questions Answers
The facilitation team addressed new teacher mentoring, professional opportunities for current staff, male/female academic performance, growing students already proficient with the standards expected at their grade level, closing learning gaps, and enrollment in college preparatory courses.
Closing Remarks
As this committee is new this year, conversation led to the idea of continuity moving forward. Mrs. Bergman wrapped up the meeting by seeking the committee members’ desire to serve in this leadership capacity next year. Then, after the 2024-2025 school year, SIAC members will rotate. An interest survey will be sent to current team members; new team members will be added as needed.
When and where is our next meeting?
Fall 2024, Location TBD
Meeting Adjourned: 7:55 p.m
Enjoy the rest of April, as May will be here soon, and our year together will soon be coming to a close.
Take care,
Chris
BKCSD Interim Superi