January 31, 2021

   

KUDOS!!!  

• BIG shout out and thank you to Jon Nelson for assisting with administrative coverage at both BHS and Karcher!  Really appreciated your assistance and support when Annie, Ryan, and Emily were attending the Assistant Principal Conference.  
• Kudos to Stephanie Rummler and Patti Tenhagen for their time putting together the snow cone incentive for students to use their KCBs!  
• Thank you to the 6-8 Building Leadership Team for your ongoing conversations and intentionality behind your thoughts and ideas as we work to flush out the ins and outs for the 6-8 building!  
• We will continue to meet weekly from 12-1 until we have everything flushed out!  
• Kudos for a great parent/teacher conference night!  We had a lot of positive comments from parents - calling every student's family was a great idea and well received!  

Article 

HERE’S WHY DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES LEAD TO THE BEST IDEAS

BY RONNA DETRICK

You’ve probably heard it before — seek input, be inclusive, welcome perspectives, collaborate with others. But why? Where does this premise come from and why is this type of inclusion beneficial for individuals, teams, or organizations?

In a recent company meeting, we discussed the effectiveness of different learning strategies. The topic got me thinking about the similarities and differences that exist from person to person, learning or otherwise. We briefly discussed strength finders, MBTI, and other tests that help people understand themselves and others better.

Although I believe these assessments are merely tools of understanding and not a diagnosis, it made me think about the diversity of thought and how our individual traits tie into the bigger picture of an organization.

Imagine, for example, an organization made up of only ESTJ personality types (extroverted, sensing, thinking, and judging). An organization like this would be missing out on the valuable perspectives of introverts, intuitives, feelers, and perceivers, and any other combination of the eight different traits. This would inevitably limit your product or service by limiting your ability to provide a solution that has been approached and devised from “all angles.” Decisions and your overall business are limited when perspectives are limited.

Our model uses the term “beach ball” to describe how perspectives occur within organizations. Each person, from every level within the organization’s hierarchy, has their own color stripe on the beach ball. Of course, it takes all the individual stripes coming together collectively to make up the beach ball. The beach ball analogy comes from the idea that no single person holds the whole truth, but rather a mere sliver or “stripe” of it. And every stripe counts.

An article from Scientific America titled “How Diversity Makes Us Smarter” states that “decades of research by organizational scientists, psychologists, sociologists, economists, and demographers show that socially diverse groups (that is, those with a diversity of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation) are more innovative than homogeneous groups.”

Although the focus should be geared toward diversity of thought regardless of a social group, this finding illustrates that when individuals from different walks of life come together and share unique viewpoints, positive results increase.

Without diversity of thought, innovation is thwarted, initiatives may stall, and you alone cannot save your organization. You need to approach issues with a number of perspectives to be able to see the whole truth.

Barriers to Creating More Inclusion

While seeking input sounds easy enough, many organizations struggle to follow through. Here are some of the barriers that often arise.

We’re afraid our own perspective won’t be good enough.

Your perspective is valid and it matters, but it is limited by your own experience. There’s no way around this fact, and it’s true for everyone. Our egos would like us to believe that we have all the answers, or that our way is the best way, and we want to be perceived by others as competent. But there are other people to consider, including the people who your product or service will impact. It’s bigger than just you.

What we have to accept is that someone else in the room may have a better idea, and that’s ok.

We invite the wrong people to the table.

What occurs too often is that leaders will invite a select few to the critical conversations, and these “favorites” may not be the only people you need to speak with. Consider who the decision will impact, and set hierarchies aside — seek input from various levels, and actively take these alternative perspectives into account when finalizing a decision.

Deep cultural problems have yet to be addressed.

Perhaps in your organization, being inclusive isn’t the norm. Would it be unusual to host a meeting where the intention is to share perspectives? Are there silos between teams and departments? Do leaders fail to give and ask for feedback? If so, you could be facing some deep cultural issues that need some serious adjustment.

The most effective, long-term solution is leadership training, and you can get started today in shifting your organization’s current mindset by seeking input from someone on a current decision you’re facing, especially someone you may not typically involve in the process. Explain the situation fully, and ask them what they think about it.

The rewards of overcoming the barriers and creating more inclusion are worth it.

If you want to form an inclusive environment where other perspectives are welcomed, the focus should be on getting curious and expanding your thinking.

Here are some actions to overcome barriers and ignite a more inclusive culture:

1. Host a Beach Ball meeting.

Start by identifying an issue in need of resolution and invite key influencers to the meeting. Before the meeting, provide them with the issue at hand, why it matters, the ideal outcome, and what help you would like from the group.

When you need to make a decision or move a project forward, multiple heads are always better than one.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat in a Beach Ball meeting and thought holy cow, I never thought of that! And the action steps we take following one of these meetings is always more informed and beneficial for the organization as a whole.

2. Abandon “right and wrong.”

Sure, there are times when objectivity is needed, and data doesn’t lie. But when it comes to our approach toward the perspectives of others, especially when subjectivity plays a role, it’s important to be open by avoiding the labels of “right” or “wrong” when we invite others ideas to the table. Instead, reframe right and wrong to what “will work” or “won’t work” for the matter at hand. Consider the following question: Based on all of the perspectives that have been shared, what’s ultimately the best decision for the organization?

3. Practice inclusion without illusion.

Don’t just implement inclusion initiatives for the sake of best practices. Do so out of genuine curiosity and interest. Check in with yourself regarding your approach—if you don’t believe another’s input to be valid or worth hearing, chances are, they’ll be able to pick up on it and see that you’re brushing their perspective under the rug. Remind yourself that every stripe has value (regardless of organizational level) and listen with an open mind.

An added benefit to inviting diverse perspectives is that on an individual level, we feel appreciated and heard. Knowing that your own stripe is being considered, regardless of the outcome, is a good feeling.

Leaders need to leverage the strengths that vary from person to person as well as our unique contexts, preferences, and life experiences. And contributors, bring all of who you are to the conversation because your unique experience of the world is valid. Every perspective matters. We’re all moving in a direction toward a common goal in our organizations, and when everyone contributes their perspective to this goal, we can get there more efficiently, more effectively, and more successfully.

Information/Reminders

• Elective Teachers:  
• Friendly reminder to make sure all of the new course proposals are in  THIS folder no later than 3:00 on Monday, February 1.  
• It is VITAL that you put each of the new course proposals in the folder by tomorrow, Monday.  If they are not in the folder we will not be able to offer them.  
• The courses will be presented to the board on Monday, February 8 along with some additional updates and information pertaining to the 6-8 building.  
• 2020-2021 Budgets
• We are approaching that time of year where your 2020-2021 budgets should be accounted for.  As an administrative team we will be meeting on Tuesday, February 2 to talk through how the budgets for the 2021-2022 will work - working to streamline our process K-12!
• Bwell: Bio-metric Screening 
• This link is a 15 minute video explaining how Bwell works!  It is similar to former programs used in the past with challenges to gain points, etc. 
•  link to the Portal Demonstration Video
• It pays to participate! Completing the biometric screening earns points in the Measure Up portal challenge. Employees who meet the eligibility criteria, will receive an additional HSA contribution in 2022. 
• The Bwell Biometric Screening will be taking place on February 11 and 12.  
• Click HERE to schedule your appointment.  

• Friday, February 12 - 8:00-4:00 Inservice Day 
• ALL staff (certified & non-certified) are asked to be in the virtual attendance from 8:00-11:30.  Non-certified staff, you have hours for the 12th on your return to work notices but they were subject to change.  Therefore, wanting you to know the hours shifted a bit!  
• 8:00-8:30  Welcome from Dr. Plank, Longevity Awards 
• 8:30-11:30  Reggie Jackson Presentation 
• 11:30-12:30 Lunch on your own. 
• 12:30-2:00  Teacher work time.  
• This time for 7-8 teachers will be to purge and organize materials that are currently in old Karcher.  
• 2:30-4:00
• Building Level Time with our 2021-2022 6-8 grade team!  
• We have shifted/switched the building level time and teacher work time so that we can be in the new building for a portion of our building level time! 
• February is Black History Month!  
• Black History Art/Essay Contest!!! 
• The due date for grades 7-12 will be February 19th by 3:00  so that both A and B Day students have the same amount of in-person days!   

This Week:  

• Wednesday, February 3 
• 6-8 BLT Meeting from 12:00-1:00 via Zoom!
• Thursday, February 4 
• 6-8 Social Studies review of a resource by Discovery Education starting at 3:30 via Zoom.  HERE is the link for the Zoom!  
• This is just for our social studies teachers :) 

Pictures from this week!!!

Students in 7th grade math with Scott Staude and Briana Harris working to become bargain shoppers by applying what they know about unit rates!  

Students in 8th grade ELA with Kurt Rummler and Alyssa Riggs collaborating in small groups about what surprised them the most (character wise) within their book club books!  

January 24, 2021

   

KUDOS

• Thanks again to our Burlington Connected crew (Stephanie Rummler, Mike Jones, Jenny Geyso, Donna Sturdevant, Patti Tenhagen, Katherine Botsford, Barb Berezowitz, Kailee Smith, Jon Nelson, Pam Dennert, and Jennifer Pelnar) for your behind the scenes work to get things up and running for our pilot virtual option to start tomorrow, January 25 with students!  
• When contacting families about this option they were BEYOND thankful for this opportunity for their student!  In the current climate with unknowns and personal stories/needs within families it is awesome to see everyones commitment and compassion to assist with supporting all of our students!  
• Thank you to Kim Moss, Stacey Steeples, and Nicole DeLassus as they are working behind the scenes on setting everything scheduling related up for the 2021-2022 school year.  Setting this all up is not a simple clone as it has been in the past with little tweaks here and there.  This is more intensive as we are adding a grade level, adjusting from quarters to trimesters, adding new courses, new staff, all new room numbers, new bell schedule, etc.  
• Our goal is for students to be selecting their elective requests mid-February where we will know how many sections of each elective we need to offer based on student requests by March 1.  Again... this is our goal!  

Videos This Week!

Blind Spots: Challenge Assumptions

Bias in American Schools

Information/Reminders

• 2020-2021 Budgets
• We are approaching that time of year where your 2020-2021 budgets should be accounted for as to what your funds were slotted for.  As an administrative team we will be meeting on February 2 to talk through how the budgets for the 2021-2022 will work - working to streamline our process K-12!
• Potential Return to 5 Days per Week 
• Thank you all for your feedback, questions, and solutions you came up with during team time to assist with ensuring we have thought of everything IF we end up needing to transition all students being in-person 5 days per week.  
• Again... at this time we have no plans for this... we simply want to be ready in the event we have to move in this direction.  
• Bwell: Bio-metric Screening 
• This link is a 15 minute video explaining how Bwell works!  It is similar to former programs used in the past with challenges to gain points, etc. 
•  link to the Portal Demonstration Video
• It pays to participate! Completing the biometric screening earns points in the Measure Up portal challenge. Employees who meet the eligibility criteria, will receive an additional HSA contribution in 2022. 
• The Bwell Biometric Screening will be taking place on February 11 and 12.  
• Click HERE to schedule your appointment.  
• The times and locations are:  
• Thursday, February 11
• Dyer Intermediate School (Cafeteria)
• 2:30pm – 5:30pm 
• Friday, February 12
• Burlington High School (Commons)
• 6:30am – 2:00pm 
• The screening will be non-fasting and include measurements of: Total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, blood pressure, glucose, and height/weight for BMI. The test requires a finger stick, which takes just a few drops of blood. You will receive immediate results with information about next steps to take. Look for sign-up details coming soon.
• Our goal as a company is to have 75% of insured BASD employees participate in the onsite biometric screening.
• Friday, February 12 - 8:00-4:00 Inservice Day 
• ALL staff (certified & non-certified) are asked to be in the virtual attendance from 8:00-11:30.  Non-certified staff, you have hours for the 12th on your return to work notices but they were subject to change.  Therefore, wanting you to know the hours shifted a bit!  
• 8:00-8:30
• Welcome from Dr. Plank
• Longevity Awards 
• 8:30-11:30 
• Reggie Jackson Presentation 
• 11:30-12:30 
• Lunch 
• 12:30-2:30 
• Grade Level Meetings 
• Please use this time for Essential Skills.  Knowing we will be going to the Standards Gradebook do you have the below ready?  
• Essentials and subskills listed on your "Essential Skills at a Glance" are correct and updated.  
• If you have adjustments highlight them in a color and send them to Kim to adjust in Skyward!  
• Rubrics are continuously evolving and being adjusted.  
• Common Formatives have been made.
• Common Summatives... 
• 2:30-4:00 
• 6-8 Building Level Time.  
• We will most likely be starting in the gym at Karcher. Part of our time will be a game of sorts in the NEW 6-8 building!  
• We needed to flip our building level time and grade level time due to wanting to get in the new building and being able to after 2:30!  

This Week!  

• Monday, January 25 
• Burlington Connected Starts!  
• iTime Rotations Start - focused on math/reading needs utilizing our Winter iReady data!  
• Staff Meeting starting at 2:40-3:00 in the BHS auditorium.  
• K-5 Essential Skills staff participating in presentations for a new Social Studies adoption.  
• Wednesday, January 27 
• Burlington Connected check-in at 10:30 
• BLT Meeting 12:00-1:00 
• Special Education Department Meeting @ 2:00
• Thursday/Friday, January 28-29 
• Annie will be attending the Assistant Principal Conference 
• Therefore, Jon Nelson will be assisting as admin help at both BHS and Karcher!  
• Thursday, January 28 
• Parent/Teacher Conferences from 4:00-6:00 
• This is invite only and/or requests only.  

Picture from this past week!  

These pictures are from 3rd grade at Karcher.  This is Alice Gordon bringing students together for a mini lesson and then using formative data to develop strategy groups to work through fractions.  Wells Schmidt is in these pictures (Jack Schmidt's son!)  

These pictures are also 3rd grade with Jessica Hardt.  Students were working on opinion writing - focused on hooking the reader to want to read about their opinion they came up with while also developing reasons to support their opinion.   Students who completed their opinion writing were able to choose books from their classroom library and read independently.  

Pictures from inside the new building!  

The wall that is straight back from this picture is the wall that will have a HUGE graphic all over it - starting right under the windows to the floor on the lower level.  (BLT... this is the wall we will be talking about a bit!) Science classrooms and LMC are on the left, Fitness on the right with locker rooms/bathrooms on the right lower level.  

These are examples of how the lower level stained concrete will look in the main areas - commons and hallways!

These are 3rd graders at Lyons with Katherine Meyers.  Alice Gordon and I went out to Lyons to observe another 3rd grade teacher utilizing the Bridges curriculum.  

Students in Patti Tenhagen's 7th grade math class working collaboratively to figure out unit rates of real world items.  Example, if 10 oz of strawberries cost $2.50 then how much would 1 ounce cost?  

Students in 7th grade science with Barb Berezowitz and Andrea Hancock making models of the cell cycle. 

January 16, 2021

   

KUDOS!  

• Thank you to all staff who were willing to allow the 8th graders to come into your classrooms and spaces for the Underground Railroad simulation with Stephanie Rummler!  It was great to see the students so engaged and to see your support throughout!  
• Thank you to our 6-8 BLT team for your open conversations and collaboration when it comes to planning for our systems, culture, and environment within the new 6-8 building!  
• One large decision the team decided on was to keep grade level wings:  6th, 7th, 8th.  The 6th graders will be the wing on the upper level closest to the office area.  7th will also be on the upper level above 8th grade.  8th grade, therefore, will be the academic wing on the lower level!  
• Kudos to Eric Sulik, Ryan Hoffman, Jon Nelson, Hans Block, and Jennifer Pelnar for your assistance with determining additional equipment needs within STEM, Art, and Wellness/Fitness Center for the new 6-8 spaces!  

Article:  In lieu of an article this week I thought it would be fitting to read and reflect on some quotes as Monday, January 18th is Dr. Martin Luther King Day.  As we continue to check and find our blindspots, notice our biases, and work to not cast judgement on others our students need us.  They need us to speak up and out, to acknowledge when words or actions can be hurtful to others.  As we begin this week which of these quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King speaks to you?  

Information/Reminders

• Elective Teachers:  
• In preparation for the 6-8 course selections we need to present all of the new course offerings/proposals to the board for approval.  The set date for the presentation is February 8, therefore, all approval forms need to be shared and sent to me by Monday, February 1 so that I can put them together.  
• HERE is the document you need to complete for each course that is new.  If the course has all the same content within it that has been taught in the past it does not need to go to the board.  
• This document is intentionally "view only".  Simply make a copy, title your new course Google Document like below:  
• New 6-8 Course (Course Name) 
• The plan is also to update the board at this time in regards to 6-8 scheduling in general.  
• Monday, January 18 - K-5 District Essential Skills 
• Just keeping you in the loop!  Our K-5 team will be looking through our Social Studies Essential Skills in preparation for the following week where they will be hearing from two different curriculum companies to start the process of a social studies K-5 adoption.  
• Wednesday, January 20 - Burlington Connected Staff
• Staff teaching a section we will be having a Zoom meeting this Wednesday from 10:30-11:00 to ensure everyone is on the same page, answer any questions, etc!  
• HERE is the schedule & information shared with families for Burlington Connected.  
• HERE is what our staff are using to organize things for the start so that all of their emails, Google Classroom Links, etc are all in one place for students who are participating.  
• Wednesday, January 20 - BLT 6-8 Planning from 12:00-1:00 
• We will be meeting via Zoom again to continue our discussions about systemic and cultural decisions when it comes to how the 6-8 students and staff will function within the new building.  
• The zoom link and invite has already been shared with BLT members!

Looking ahead:  

• Thursday, January 28 - Parent/Teacher Conferences from 4:00-6:00
• BLT asked that conferences shift from 3:30 start to 4:00 start like we usually do.  Therefore, conferences on the 28th will be from 4:00-6:00.  I sent an invite to everyone already along with a document to track who you are having attend conferences.  Please make sure you are working on scheduling these starting this week!  
• Friday, February 12 - 8:00-4:00 Inservice Day 
• ALL staff (certified & non-certified) are asked to be in attendance from 8:00-11:30.  Non-certified staff, you have hours for the 12th on your return to work notices but they were subject to change.  Therefore, wanting you to know the hours shifted a bit!  
• Certified staff your work day is 8:00-4:00!  
• More details as to what will be taking place when will come in the upcoming weeks!

Pictures from this past week! 

Scott Staude working, at one of the new whiteboard tables that will be in all academic classrooms, with a student to check his understanding of scale factor.  

Briana Harris also taking advantage of the whiteboard table to check for understanding of the difference between finding the perimeter versus the area of a given space.  

Students in Mike Jones's and Amanda Thate's 8th grade math class working together on a pixel graphic by combining like terms.  

Students in Sue Whittaker's 8th grade math class taking a formative assessment on two subskills.  Notice the intentional use of the two rubrics at the top of the formative assessment to show success criteria to students and for ease of assessing for the teacher.  

8th grade band students collaborating and providing feedback to each other while Dustan Eckmann was working one on one to provide feedback to other students playing in the practice rooms.  

8th graders in science class with Donna Sturdevant and Vicky Leuck working to determine the speed of waves by using the wavelength and frequency.  

Images taken this week of the new 6-8 building!  The first one is the ceiling in the commons area - they are currently painting the beams in the space black.  

Stairs on both sides of the commons area are in!

Glass has been installed in the 3D printing room!

Tile work has been taking place within all the bathrooms and wall areas where bubblers will be throughout!

Cabinetry being installed in one of the special education/intervention offices for an academic wing.

Glass is in within certain areas of the LMC!

Check out this staff lounge!  It is HUGE!!!  There will be a lot of potlucks and staff culture building happening in this space!

Garage doors are fairly hidden when they are up as they go behind the dropped ceiling!

Commons view again!  

Staff work room in the main office area!  The first picture shows the staff mailboxes, microwaves, fridge, space, etc.  

Large cabinets along the wall in the main office area leading into the work room space!

New door from the Life Skills room into the Sensory Room!

View from within a Flex room in an academic pod.  Flex rooms are the medium sized classrooms.

What all classroom doors look like.

Interior of an academic space flowing into another academic space.  

Visibility from the classroom into the shared hallway space!

16 foot sliding glass door that also serves as a huge whiteboard!

Stained concrete samples... 

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