January 5, 2015

Find Out How to Watch Daniel Pink

If you did not reserve a ticket for Daniel Pink, you can still come and be part of the conversation. The event will be webcast in three locations.

Watch the webcast:

1) Carey School, Carey

2) Community Campus, Hailey

3) Community Library, Ketchum

Seating for the webcast is first-come, first-served. Spanish interpretation for the webcast is available at the Community Campus. Childcare at the Community Campus is also available by reservation. Use this form to make a reservation for childcare.

Be Part Of Our Future

What do our children need to know and be able to do to be successful adults? What are the future impacts that they will have to address as they become the adults and leaders of our community and world?

Be Part of Our Future and help develop the next BCSD Strategic Plan.

Three easy ways to participate in the Strategic Plan Process:

COME to the community meetings: brainstorm, identify goals, help find solutions
TAKE the surveys to prioritize the information from the community meetings
STAY tuned to blaineschools.org, subscribe to the BCSD Weekly Update, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter to upcoming events.

Come to the Strategic Plan

Community Meetings

January

Wednesday, January 21, 5:30-8:00 p.m.

Drop-in during Student Led Conferences

Carey School, Carey

Thursday, January 22, 12:00-1:00 p.m.

YMCA, Ketchum

Thursday, January 22, 6:00-7:30 p.m.

Community Campus, Hailey*

At these meetings you will be invited to brainstorm responses to a number of questions. The information from these meetings will go into a community survey where everyone is invited to prioritize the ideas from the brainstorming. Don't miss your chance to contribute YOUR ideas at this important meeting.

Click here for meeting schedule in February and May.

*Spanish interpretation and childcare available.

Strategic Plan Steering Committee

According to the Strategic Plan Proposal approved by the Board of Trustees, "The Steering Committee will develop consensus on the mission and
vision statements, shared beliefs and values, goals, and strategies from the data available on district and student outcomes, including those in the superintendent's State of the District Report, as well as all qualitative and/or quantitative data collected from a series of community, staff, and student meetings. The drafts will be presented to the Board of Trustees for final approval or revisions and approval."

Superintendent Dr. GwenCarol Holmes was responsible for appointing staff members and the Board of Trustees was responsible for appointing parents and community members to the Strategic Plan Steering Committee.

The following people are on the Strategic Plan Steering Committee:

Staff and Board Appointees:

Superintendent Dr. GwenCarol Holmes

Board Chair Shawn Bennion

Board Trustee Liz Schwerdtle

Director of Student Services Debi Gutknecht

Director of Buildings and Grounds Howard Royal

Hemingway Elementary Principal Don Haisley

Carey School Principal John Peck

BCEA Co-President and WRHS Teacher Maritt Wolfrom

WRMS Athletic Director Jonah Torseth

Alturas DI Teacher Adan Sanchez

Parent and Community Members Appointed by Board of Trustees:
Wesley Deklotz
Kristin Anderson
Daryl Fauth

Penny Thayer
Hallie Kelly Star
Lyman Drake
Carole Freund
Mike Burchmore

WRHS Parents: Take Your Advance Ed Survey

Wood River High School goes through the re-accreditation process every five years. According to Advance-Ed, accreditation is a "rigorous, on-site external review of schools and school systems to ensure that all learners realize their full potential." Principal Pete Jurovich writes, "We need parents to be actively involved in our school improvement process. We appreciate your time and effort by completing the Accreditation survey. Please be assured that your responses to this survey will be anonymous. Your honest opinion is appreciated. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter."

Please complete the AdvancEd Accreditation Survey at here.

Students Build Machines in Physical Science Class

Physical science students at Wood River High School built mouse-trap cars as a culminating project studying Work and Simple Machines. Science teacher Matt Phillips wrote, "Students studied and collected data based on many of the simple machines people use in their everyday lives - inclined planes, pulleys, levers, etc. Mouse trap cars are built with a mouse trap, paint can stirring sticks, old CD/DVD's and ball-point pens. Students then collected data to determine what length lever arm allowed the car to travel the farthest."

21st Century skills included: collaboration and teamwork, creativity and imagination, critical thinking, problem solving, flexibility and adaptibility, global and cultural awareness, information literacy, leadership and oral and written communication skills.

Students also learned how to ask scientific questions and define engineering problems, develop and use models, plan and carry out investigations and analyze and interpret data. As a highlight - the best cars from each class are competing to see which can go the farthest. So far the longest distance is 119 feet. Watch one of the cars in action in the video below.

Multi Cultural Experiences in English Class

The eighth grade students at Carey School are currently engaged in a unit of study in Mrs. William's English class that focuses on culture and belonging. They have read memoirs written by immigrants, research studies, and watched a short documentary to help reinforce that theme. They've also been writing about what the word 'home' means to them.

In December they received their first pen pal letters from students in the Twin Falls School District who have immigrated from another country. By reading their letters, they found out that their pen pals are from many different countries: Nepal, Afghanistan, Iraq, Thailand, Mexico, and Myanmar just to name a few. The class plans to continue writing letters over the course of the trimester and is looking forward to meeting their pen pals sometime before the end of the school year. The goal is to help our students become more civically engaged, culturally responsive, and globally aware.

Student Spotlight

Meet Michael Niedrich in the Weekly Sun Student Spotlight. To read the article go here.

Each week, Jonathan Kane will be profiling a local high-school student. If you know someone you'd like to see featured, e-mailbrennan@theweeklysun.com.

Tech Classes for Parents - Free!

All classes take place at the Technology Department Building, Technology Department, 719 3rd Avenue South, Hailey (next to the Senior Connection).
Phone: (208) 578-5410.

All Classes are from 6:00-7:00 p.m.

Creating Safe Online Environments in Your Home - Thursday, January 8 - As a parent, when your children are online there is always a degree of concern about safety. Let's talk about ways to keep yourself and your children safe while online and at your home.

Password Management - Tuesday, January 13 - How many passwords do you have? Where do you store them? What if there was a way to remember your passwords in your head? Without writing them down? If you are intrigued, then come to this workshop to achieve password freedom.

Click here for more classes.

Take a Spanish Class - Free!

Practice your spanish. Help native Spanish speakers gain confidence in their English skills, and at the same time learn Spanish! Find out more:

Alturas Elementary - Thursday, January 8th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Refreshments and Child Care Provided. Informational Meeting. Find out more. Classes will start January 2015.

ISAT 2.0

Beginning this year, Smarter Balanced assessments will replace existing tests in English and math. Idaho is calling this the "ISAT 2.0." The new test offers significant improvements over tests of the past, including writing at every grade, new question types, and performance tasks that ask students to demonstrate an array of research, writing and problem solving skills.

Here is what one student had to say about the field test for the new test, the ISAT 2.0, last school year.

Look for weekly ISAT 2.0 Tips in the BCSD Weekly Update.

Sun Valley Center for the Arts Survey

The Sun Valley Center for the arts invites you to take 5 minutes to complete this brief survey about arts, culture and entertainment in our community. Please click here to take the survey.

Issue: 141