Month: January 2022

Action Items

For All Administrators (Action)

New Staff Intranet Launching Soon/Staff Newsletter Launching Today/Review of District Forms and Departmental Pages

from Communications

Due to new and ongoing issues with the old intranet system, we are launching a temporary (but more user-friendly and accessible) staff intranet for everyone’s use. The general look of the new, temporary site will be seen for the first time today, as it is where we will start housing a new all-staff newsletter, which also goes out today. The new, temporary intranet will also have a section titled “Administrators’ Corner,” with links to this newsletter’s homepage, admin-only form links, and more.

Before we launch this temporary intranet, however, we need a lot of old data updated or even removed.  To start, there is a page that housed a number of all-purpose forms and manuals; if your department handles any of these forms (or used to), please visit this link and send any changes needed to forms or links directly to Mike Keener as soon as you can, as it will help speed along the live launch of this new intranet page. Additionally, let him know about any other content on either the live site (or old intranet) that needs to be edited for inclusion on the new site.

KSDE Data Quality Certification Training (Required)

from DERA

Administrators: Please use the following links to sign up for KSDE’s KESA-required DQC training.

KSDE is hosting a KESA-required DQC training for department/building teams who upload, enter, coordinate, or validate student data coordinate. Participants consist of principals, superintendent, counselors, registrars, SPED staff, TIS staff, Free and Reduced Lunch staff, Migrant staff, and other district staff who contribute to state reports such as those submitted via KSDE web applications (see list below). Attendees learn how data submitted to KSDE is used by the State and Federal governments, and how it impacts our school and district funding. The training offers insights on creating a culture of quality data through accurate data entry and submission, auditing, and data handling practices.

This all-day training is KESA required and offered Tuesday 02/22/2022 and again on Thursday 02/24/2022 from 9am-4pm at Central Office (Rm 131-133). Please attend one of these trainings by signing up via Frontline using the links below and share this sign-up with your data team.

Tuesday (02/22) Link
Thursday (02/24) Link

KSDE Applications:
AMOSS – Academic Measures of Student Success
Annual Statistical Report(18E)
Auditor File Exchange
Categorical Aid Personnel System
Designation of School Attendance Officers
Direct Certification
Directory Updates
Driver Education Reimbursement
Dropout/Graduation Summary Report
Early Childhood Foundations For School Success
EDCS
FILLER
Form 16 – Accreditation Licensure Waiver
Foster Care Application
IHE Portals
Interlocal Agreements (D0600’s only)
Juvenile Detention Center – Final
K-PAC Report
Kansas Education Systems Accreditation (KESA)
Kansas Grants Management System (KGMS)
Kansas Grants Reporting System (KGRS)
Kansas Integrated Accountability System (KIAS)
Kansas Teacher of the Year
KCC Management System
KEEP2
KIDS Assignment System
KIDS Collection
KLAS – Use only for Forms 2, 3a, 8, or 20
KN-CLAIM
LCP System
Lea Forms
License Application – Use for all other license applications
Mentor Programs
Migrant Web
Neglected or Delinquent
Outcomes Part B
Outcomes Post School
Pathways
Principal’s Building Report (PBR)
School Safety Hotline
Special Education MIS Collection System
SPEDPro
Star Recognition
State Forms
Student Record Exchange
Superintendent’s Organization Report (SO66)
Virtual School and Programs

New District Letterhead

from Communications

Please use this letterhead template for district communications.

Annual Inventory Reporting

from Risk Management

A new year is upon us and so is the annual inventory counts for your respective buildings, departments/offices and classrooms. Attached you will find a template to help guide you with the inventory accountability process.

We DO NOT need every pencil, paper clip and staple, as those are considered supplies.
We DO need all the electronics, furniture and equipment to be accounted for.
This includes but is not limited to: Couches, Desks, Dry-Erase Boards, Cabinets, iPad charging carts, radios, TV’s computers, electronic learning devices, heavy machinery etc.

If there are any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact Dennis Martine.

Inventory Instructions PDF
Inventory Template XLSX

For Elementary Administrators (Action)

Elementary SS Review/Revision Cadre

from Curriculum & Instruction

The Curriculum Department is seeking a variety of classroom, SPED, and ESL teachers to represent K-5 grade levels in work around the KS HGSS (History, Government, and Social Studies) GVC resource review. We will engage in a cadre that will come together to examine and revise inquiry units and review sources for bias. There will be a limited number of educators selected to participate in this cadre. If you meet the criteria below and are available and enthusiastic about engaging in this work, please submit your interest via this application form. Applications are due by February 11. Cadre members will receive extra duty pay for their time. Please forward the application to teachers who might be interested in serving on this cadre.

Criteria:
Contributes and shares expertise and new ideas with colleagues to enhance student learning in formal and informal ways
Analytical individuals that can filter through information efficiently
Ability to support PLCs with standards-based planning using IDM resources
Solid understanding of and experience teaching the KS HGSS standards
Solid understanding of KCK Model of Instruction
Ability to collaborate and communicate effectively with others
Comfortable using Google docs
Availability to attend meetings 4:30-6:30 on Tuesdays (March-May)

For Title I Principals (Action)

Parents Right-To-Know Letters for Long-Term Substitutes in Title I Buildings

from Federal Programs

A reminder that Federal Program guidelines require buildings receiving Title I funds to notify parents any time their child receives instruction for four weeks or more without a highly qualified teacher in the classroom. Templates (English and Spanish versions) for these individual classroom situations are located in the Elementary/Middle Title I Schools – Required Documents 21-22 folder in the Federal Programs shared drive or on the KCK Principal Handbook Title I resource page.

If you are starting the 2nd semester with a long-term substitute in any of your classrooms, you will need to provide a letter to your families. Please provide Bridgette DeSmet with a signed copy on your school letterhead to retain for the 2122 SY compliance report.

As these situations occur during the remainder of 2122 SY, please use these Parents-Right-To-Know templates to inform families of long-term substitutes and provide a signed copy to Bridgette DeSmet. Thanks for your help and let us know if there are questions.

Parents’ Right to Know PDF

Informational Items

For All Administrators (Informational Item)

Interpreters for FA

from Student Services

Family Advocacy is rapidly approaching, and we are pleased to announce that we will continue to provide interpreter support during FA scheduled for February 16th and 18th. Teachers will again have access to live interpretation on their laptops during FA when they need it using the information attached. Based on feedback, we added a new component: adding a third person to a video call using Propio One. This new feature will allow teachers to add parents to video calls (similar to zoom) using the Propio One live video interpreting services (instructions attached). We continue to provide interpretation services via over-the-phone for those who prefer it.

If your school still needs to schedule an in-person interpreter for FA days, we do have a limited number of interpreters available. Please encourage your staff to use Propio One, but If an in-person interpreter is necessary, please have teachers fill out the FA interpreter request and we will do our best to support. We will accept requests until Friday, February  11.

If you or anyone in your team has questions or needs additional information, please email Language.Support@kckps.org, contact Naomi Tolentino (913-279-2247).

FA Interpreter Request – FA

Propio One Instructions

Propio One Tutorial

Propio One PDF

2022 Provider Contacts

from Human Resources

Click here to view a revised list of providers.

HR Staff Update

from Human Resources

Effective 1/26/22, Syler Colaco joined the Human Resources Team as the HR Advisor for Investigations replacing Magdalena Mumphrey. Many of you already know Syler as he was most recently a KCKPSPD​ Sergeant and employed with the district since 11/14/2014. Syler’s work with investigations encompasses years of experience with Police Department and Fire Department investigations. We are thrilled to have him join the HR team! Syler can be reached at 913-627-2557.

District Cell Phone Upgrade

from TIS
T-Mobile will be in Central Office from January 31st to February 4th from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm to upgrade district issued cell phones. To make the upgrade process smooth please follow the directions on the two attached documents provided by T-Mobile.

Below is the deployment schedule:

Date	Department	Room
January 31st	Shop/Maintenance Office	131-133
February 1st	Police Department/TIS	East Wing Conservatory (3rd floor)
February 2nd	Central Office Staff	East Wing Conservatory (3rd floor)
February 3rd	All Administrators	East Wing Conservatory (3rd floor)
February 4th	Everyone who has not upgraded	East Wing Conservatory (3rd floor)

Porting Day (Word Document)
Deployment Preparation (Word Document)

Strikeout COVID Vaccine Events Coming Soon

from Communications and Marketing

Administrators, please share this info with staff and students:

Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools is partnering with the Wyandotte County Health Department and the Kansas City Royals to Strikeout Covid for those ages 5 to 11 for  upcoming vaccine events.

Disqualifiers for getting the vaccine:

• Sick now with any new fever, cough, chills, body aches, sore throat, fatigue, congestion, headache, shortness of breath, diarrhea, vomiting, loss of taste or smell
• Positive covid-19 test in the past 10 days
• Living with anyone who is positive currently.

Gloria Willis Middle School – Wednesday, February 2, 2022

A COVID-19 vaccine event will also be held at Gloria Willis Middle School on Wednesday, February 2, 2022. The event runs from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Those youth receiving the vaccine will get a free meal on site and be able to pick up other great giveaways.

The Wyandotte County Health Department will be on hand to administer the Pfizer vaccine for those ages 5 to 11. A parent/guardian must be present at the event. No vaccines for those over 11 or booster shots will be offered. Masks are required at the event.

Central Middle School – Thursday, February 10, 2022

A COVID-19 vaccine event will also be held at Central Middle School on Thursday, February 10, 2022. The event runs from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Electronic Reporting Forms for Injuries and Incidents

From Communications & Marketing

Just a quick reminder that many of the forms you need when it comes to incidents are now electronic.

Student injury forms have now been included to the list.

To find the reporting form for students go to this link: https://form.jotform.com/212366215525047

To make the reporting of workman’s compensation accidents less time consuming, the Supervisors Accident Report is now an electronic form.

Regardless of severity, immediate supervisors & directors are required to report all work-related injuries within 48 hours to Risk Management.

To do so, please use the following link: https://form.jotform.com/212304621025035

The Incident Report helps document any incident involving non employees.

This includes our students, visitors, parents and guardians.

The incident form is to be filled out for a number of situations including: a child is missing, if a student is injured in a way that could require medical attention in the future, police have to be called during an incident,  there is a fight,  or even to report property damage.

An example of a fight that needs to be recorded- a fight that breaks out that others are around and it may have been recorded. A fight that someone may not realize they are injured immediately but could later on in the day. Fights that do NOT need to be recorded: two kids on the playground hit each other in the arm over a ball.

There may be other incidents that could also require use of this form.

If you have questions about whether an incident falls into this category, please reach out to your IIO.

Here is a link to the Incident Report form:  https://kckps.org/incident-report/

For Building Principals

Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Week and Day

from Student Services

RAK Week is February 13th-19th and RAK Day is Thursday, February 17th.
We encourage you to participate in RAK Week/Day this February within your school communities. Even the smallest act of kindness can change a life! To sign up, access lesson plans, activities, and tools kits please visit the Random Acts of Kindness website.

For EC and Elementary Administrators

Canvas and Instructional Technology Support

from Curriculum & Instruction
In an effort to be available to support staff on the use of the Canvas, Wendy Elkins is hosting open, drop-in office hours (via zoom) in Jan. and February. These times occur on most Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can find the exact times and the zoom links on the mobile minutes. If you or your staff needs more personal assistance, you can schedule a time with Wendy Elkins using this Calendly Link.

Action Items

For All Administrators (Action)

Time and Effort Sheets for Retention Bonus in December 15, 2021 Pay Period

from Federal Programs

Any classified staff member employed during the 2020/2021 school year and also employed through December 15, 2021 received a retention bonus in their 12/15/21 paycheck. (Most certified staff received their retention bonus earlier in the school year.) The district used ESSER (Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief) federal funding to pay for this round of retention bonuses. The federal government requires any staff member paid from federal funds to sign a Time and Effort sheet.

An email will go out the week of 1/18/2022 – to inform staff they may be asked to sign a Time and Effort sheet.

Between 1/18/2022 and 1/31/2022 – Federal Programs will deliver to each department/building leader a folder containing the following: Cover sheet listing all department/building classified staff; Directions for completing and returning signed documents to Federal Programs; Personalized Time and Effort sheets for classified staff in department/building.

Between 1/31/2022 and 2/28/2022 – Department/building supervisors and staff sign Time and Effort sheets.

Once all Time and Effort sheets for department/building are signed by supervisor and each employee, return to Federal Programs using one of the following methods: Hand-deliver to Melissa Cantu in Federal Programs at Central Office; Call or email Melissa Cantu in Federal Programs at 913-627-2476 to arrange for a pick up from Federal Programs team member.

New District Letterhead

from Communications

Please use this letterhead template for district communications.

Annual Inventory Reporting

from Risk Management

A new year is upon us and so is the annual inventory counts for your respective buildings, departments/offices and classrooms. Attached you will find a template to help guide you with the inventory accountability process.

We DO NOT need every pencil, paper clip and staple, as those are considered supplies.
We DO need all the electronics, furniture and equipment to be accounted for.
This includes but is not limited to: Couches, Desks, Dry-Erase Boards, Cabinets, iPad charging carts, radios, TV’s computers, electronic learning devices, heavy machinery etc.

If there are any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact Dennis Martine.

Inventory Instructions PDF
Inventory Template XLSX

For Elementary Administrators (Action)

NGSS Elementary Amplify Science Program Status Survey/Deadline 1/28/22

from Curriculum & Instruction

In an effort to support and advance science instruction and the implementation of Amplify Science, the Science Core Leadership Team would like to gather information on the status of science instruction in the district. We have extended the deadline to 1/28/22 for all K-5 science teachers to be able to fill out this NGSS Elementary Amplify Science Program Status Survey. This is an anonymous, 27-question survey with the majority of questions being quick multiple-choice options. It should only take about 15 minutes to complete. We appreciate you encouraging your teachers to fill out this survey and finding creative ways to give your teachers time to complete it. The team will use this information to better customize support for the implementation of Amplify Science. If you have any questions, please contact Cheryl Beyer.

For All  Principals (Action)

Annual Family School Surveys for KESA, Title I, School Improvement Plans, District Strategic Plan

from Federal Programs

We’re PUSHING OUT our annual family survey between 2/1/22 and 2/28/22 to gather data on YOUR SCHOOL’s culture, climate, equity & inclusion, and instructional programs. Surveys are for ALL SCHOOLS. DATA will be used for KESA, Title I, School Improvement Plans, and the District Strategic Plan. It’s important for all schools to have strong participation rates in order for the responses to be a valid data source.

Surveys will be made available through the following measures:
-Principals should provide structured opportunities/computer stations at Family Advocacy conferences so parents can complete surveys on site.
-Principals should send out survey links in their School Newsletters, encouraging parents to provide important feedback about their schools.
-Classroom or department teachers should send out survey links in their weekly/daily posts for parents.
-Survey links will be posted on the district website.
-The Communications Department will send out the survey link to all families through Flyer Connect and Bright Arrow messages.

Please note there is ONE link for 9 languages and a SEPARATE LINK for the Karen translation.)

A PDF that includes a short message (9 different translations) inviting families to complete the survey, followed by the survey link, is located in the Federal Programs shared drive. A copy of the Survey is also in the folder.

For Title I Principals (Action)

Parents Right-To-Know Letters for Long-Term Substitutes in Title I Buildings

from Federal Programs

A reminder that Federal Program guidelines require buildings receiving Title I funds to notify parents any time their child receives instruction for four weeks or more without a highly qualified teacher in the classroom. Templates (English and Spanish versions) for these individual classroom situations are located in the Elementary/Middle Title I Schools – Required Documents 21-22 folder in the Federal Programs shared drive or on the KCK Principal Handbook Title I resource page.

If you are starting the 2nd semester with a long-term substitute in any of your classrooms, you will need to provide a letter to your families. Please provide Bridgette DeSmet with a signed copy on your school letterhead to retain for the 2122 SY compliance report.

As these situations occur during the remainder of 2122 SY, please use these Parents-Right-To-Know templates to inform families of long-term substitutes and provide a signed copy to Bridgette DeSmet. Thanks for your help and let us know if there are questions.

Parents’ Right to Know PDF

Informational Items

For All Administrators (Informational Item)

District Cell Phone Upgrade

from TIS
T-Mobile will be in Central Office from January 31st to February 4th from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm to upgrade district issued cell phones. To make the upgrade process smooth please follow the directions on the two attached documents provided by T-Mobile.

Below is the deployment schedule:

Date	Department	Room
January 31st	Shop/Maintenance Office	131-133
February 1st	Police Department/TIS	East Wing Conservatory (3rd floor)
February 2nd	Central Office Staff	East Wing Conservatory (3rd floor)
February 3rd	All Administrators	East Wing Conservatory (3rd floor)
February 4th	Everyone who has not upgraded	East Wing Conservatory (3rd floor)

Porting Day (Word Document)
Deployment Preparation (Word Document)

New Hire Orientation (revised)

from HR – Talent Development
After engaging in our new format for NHO, it was necessary to make a few adjustments. One of the biggest adjustments is that starting January 26, all HOURLY new hires will report by 8am. All SALARIED new hires will report by 12:30pm. There are also some time adjustments, so please review that document. Also attached is a doc entitled Supervisor/Principal Guidelines. These are some suggestions on what you can do for building/department specific orientation training. Contact Sherrie Piedimonte for questions either by email or by phone at 913.235.8902.

Enough is Enough Virtual Community Forums Coming Soon

from Communications and Marketing

Since being established in 2020, the Enough is Enough program was built to inform the community on issues facing our students and address topics such as- homicide, suicide, mental health, and many more.

On January 27^th, we will be offering a virtual session for our families, staff, and community members to address some of the top issues facing our county, our school district, and our students.

Those adults wanting to join on January 27^th can do so by using this link.

We hope to see you there.

Strikeout COVID Vaccine Events Coming Soon

from Communications and Marketing

Administrators, please share this info with staff and students:

Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools is partnering with the Wyandotte County Health Department and the Kansas City Royals to Strikeout Covid for those ages 5 to 11 for  upcoming vaccine events.

Disqualifiers for getting the vaccine:

• Sick now with any new fever, cough, chills, body aches, sore throat, fatigue, congestion, headache, shortness of breath, diarrhea, vomiting, loss of taste or smell
• Positive covid-19 test in the past 10 days
• Living with anyone who is positive currently.

Gloria Willis Middle School – Wednesday, February 2, 2022

A COVID-19 vaccine event will also be held at Gloria Willis Middle School on Wednesday, February 2, 2022. The event runs from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Those youth receiving the vaccine will get a free meal on site and be able to pick up other great giveaways.

The Wyandotte County Health Department will be on hand to administer the Pfizer vaccine for those ages 5 to 11. A parent/guardian must be present at the event. No vaccines for those over 11 or booster shots will be offered. Masks are required at the event.

Central Middle School – Thursday, February 10, 2022

A COVID-19 vaccine event will also be held at Central Middle School on Thursday, February 10, 2022. The event runs from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Electronic Reporting Forms for Injuries and Incidents

From Communications & Marketing

Just a quick reminder that many of the forms you need when it comes to incidents are now electronic.

Student injury forms have now been included to the list.

To find the reporting form for students go to this link: https://form.jotform.com/212366215525047

To make the reporting of workman’s compensation accidents less time consuming, the Supervisors Accident Report is now an electronic form.

Regardless of severity, immediate supervisors & directors are required to report all work-related injuries within 48 hours to Risk Management.

To do so, please use the following link: https://form.jotform.com/212304621025035

The Incident Report helps document any incident involving non employees.

This includes our students, visitors, parents and guardians.

The incident form is to be filled out for a number of situations including: a child is missing, if a student is injured in a way that could require medical attention in the future, police have to be called during an incident,  there is a fight,  or even to report property damage.

An example of a fight that needs to be recorded- a fight that breaks out that others are around and it may have been recorded. A fight that someone may not realize they are injured immediately but could later on in the day. Fights that do NOT need to be recorded: two kids on the playground hit each other in the arm over a ball.

There may be other incidents that could also require use of this form.

If you have questions about whether an incident falls into this category, please reach out to your IIO.

Here is a link to the Incident Report form:  https://kckps.org/incident-report/

For Building Principals

Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Week and Day

from Student Services

RAK Week is February 13th-19th and RAK Day is Thursday, February 17th.
We encourage you to participate in RAK Week/Day this February within your school communities. Even the smallest act of kindness can change a life! To sign up, access lesson plans, activities, and tools kits please visit the Random Acts of Kindness website.

For EC and Elementary Administrators

LETRS Training Rescheduled for Feb 2, 2022

from Professional Workforce Development

The department directors and elementary IIOs met with the very difficult task of trying to reschedule the LETRS training that was cancelled Jan 19, due to reasons related to COVID.

As you already know, numerous Wednesdays have been devoted to the LETRS training during the second semester and we are utilizing all the Voyager Sopris staff developers to train our staff. The only day we did not already have LETRS training scheduled, and the first day Voyager Sopris had trainers available, is Wednesday Feb 2. Unfortunately, this is a DCI/ESOL/SpEd Wednesday. We know this impacts all of the hard work our district-level teams have put in to make these days a success. Please know, we did not make this decision lightly, but we need to reschedule the LETRS training on Wednesday, Feb 2. This will impact all elementary schools. The other schools in the district will continue with the DCI ​and/or ESOL & SpEd PD as planned.

Wednesday, February 2, 2022

9:00 Elementary Schools

• 1.1 LETRS PD Session (Facilitated by certified LETRS trainers)

• Rescheduled from 1/19/2022

8:30 Elementary Schools

• Unit 2 LETRS Asynchronous Learning  (2 hrs. for online learning and independent reading)

• Rescheduled from 1/19/2022

Thank you again for all your leadership and for grace as we navigate ​these difficult decisions in 2022. The 21-22 KCKPS District PD Calendar and the 21-22 District Content PD – Locations/Links document have been updated to reflect the changes. (Please see the Elementary Curriculum tab for LETRS training links.)

Canvas and Instructional Technology Support

from Curriculum & Instruction
In an effort to be available to support staff on the use of the Canvas, Wendy Elkins is hosting open, drop-in office hours (via zoom) in Jan. and February. These times occur on most Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can find the exact times and the zoom links on the mobile minutes. If you or your staff needs more personal assistance, you can schedule a time with Wendy Elkins using this Calendly Link.

Action Items

For All Administrators (Action)

BrightArrow Training Available

from Communications & Marketing

Greetings Principals and Teachers,

Do you have new staff members that need to learn how to use BrightArrow’s interface? Perhaps you are looking for a refresher course? BrightArrow is now offering monthly webinars for users!

Learn how to use BrightArrow’s mass notification system by covering the basics of creating and sending messages, reading reports, providing a recommended approach for weather announcements and the ins and outs of navigating the interface. These sessions are great for those users who need a refresher on how to use BrightArrow, or for those new to the system. The best part is that it is FREE!

Please follow this link to sign up for our first new user webinar held on January 26, 2022 at 12:00PM Central time: 
Register for BrightArrow User Training

Please check that users attending this session are able to log into BrightArrow.

We are pleased to provide these trainings where you can learn and ask all questions about BrightArrow’s system. We look forward to meeting you online!

Change in Mass Notification Systems

from Communications & Marketing

We want to provide you with a preview of changes coming to our mass notification systems. More details, support, and training will be provided in March and April as we make this transition to one platform. We will work collaboratively as a district to inform parents and make the transition as easy as possible for everyone.

As you are aware, we implemented the Flyer Connect two-way communication application last year to enhance our communication efforts and increase engagement among our diverse group of parents within the school district.

To streamline our applications and platforms and be financially prudent, we will cease using the Flyer Connect two-way system at the end of this school year. We will use BrightChat – the two-way communication portion of our BrightArrow application. Teachers and buildings should continue using Flyer Connect and BrightArrow in the manner they are accustomed to at this time.

Based on feedback from parents and staff, we will be limiting the number of staff who send building-wide messages through BrightArrow and BrightChat.

Early Childhood & Elementary – Building Principal + 2 additional staff members

Middle Schools – Building Principal + 3 additional staff members

High Schools – Building Principal + 4 additional staff members

https://forms.gle/NhojZpzYBGUxE6s48

You must be the principal & be logged into your m.account to complete the form. All other staff members with building wide access to BrightArrow and BrightChat will be removed March 1^st. If you have a special need at your building to submit more staff members than the form allows,, please discuss with your IIO and Edwin Birch.

If you have questions about our communication platforms & plan, please contact Edwin Birch:

Edwin.Birch@kckps.org
Executive Director of Communications and Marketing
Central Office
913-304-2981

A preview video of the BrightChat platform can be found at https://brightarrow.com/solutions/education/brightchat/

KN95 Masks Available for Staff Use

from Purchasing

KN95 masks have been donated to the District by Wyandotte County Health Department, and can be ordered from the Storeroom through BusinessPLUS by your treasurer or administrative assistant.  There is no cost for the masks.

Product ID: 93289  5 per Package

These masks are For Staff/Adult Use Only, and are not to be used by students.

Please contact Wayne Correll if you have any questions.

Classified Professional Development Poster

from HR – Talent Development
Posters that advertise our classified professional development has probably already arrived at your school/department. (If they haven’t arrived yet, they will be there soon.). Please post it in a place where classified employee can view it. If you have questions or need additional posters, contact Sherrie Piedimonte. Thanks so much for your support of our classified staff!!

Time and Effort Sheets for Retention Bonus in December 15, 2021 Pay Period

from Federal Programs

Any classified staff member employed during the 2020/2021 school year and also employed through December 15, 2021 received a retention bonus in their 12/15/21 paycheck. (Most certified staff received their retention bonus earlier in the school year.) The district used ESSER (Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief) federal funding to pay for this round of retention bonuses. The federal government requires any staff member paid from federal funds to sign a Time and Effort sheet.

An email will go out the week of 1/18/2022 – to inform staff they may be asked to sign a Time and Effort sheet.

Between 1/18/2022 and 1/31/2022 – Federal Programs will deliver to each department/building leader a folder containing the following: Cover sheet listing all department/building classified staff; Directions for completing and returning signed documents to Federal Programs; Personalized Time and Effort sheets for classified staff in department/building.

Between 1/31/2022 and 2/28/2022 – Department/building supervisors and staff sign Time and Effort sheets.

Once all Time and Effort sheets for department/building are signed by supervisor and each employee, return to Federal Programs using one of the following methods: Hand-deliver to Melissa Cantu in Federal Programs at Central Office; Call or email Melissa Cantu in Federal Programs at 913-627-2476 to arrange for a pick up from Federal Programs team member.

New District Letterhead

from Communications

Please use this letterhead template for district communications.

Annual Inventory Reporting

from Risk Management

A new year is upon us and so is the annual inventory counts for your respective buildings, departments/offices and classrooms. Attached you will find a template to help guide you with the inventory accountability process.

We DO NOT need every pencil, paper clip and staple, as those are considered supplies.
We DO need all the electronics, furniture and equipment to be accounted for.
This includes but is not limited to: Couches, Desks, Dry-Erase Boards, Cabinets, iPad charging carts, radios, TV’s computers, electronic learning devices, heavy machinery etc.

If there are any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact Dennis Martine.

Inventory Instructions PDF
Inventory Template XLSX

For Elementary Administrators (Action)

NGSS Elementary Amplify Science Program Status Survey/Deadline 1/28/22

from Curriculum & Instruction

In an effort to support and advance science instruction and the implementation of Amplify Science, the Science Core Leadership Team would like to gather information on the status of science instruction in the district. We have extended the deadline to 1/28/22 for all K-5 science teachers to be able to fill out this NGSS Elementary Amplify Science Program Status Survey. This is an anonymous, 27-question survey with the majority of questions being quick multiple-choice options. It should only take about 15 minutes to complete. We appreciate you encouraging your teachers to fill out this survey and finding creative ways to give your teachers time to complete it. The team will use this information to better customize support for the implementation of Amplify Science. If you have any questions, please contact Cheryl Beyer.

For Secondary Administrators (Action)

Edgenuity Account Clean-Up and UPDATES

from Curriculum and Instruction

Reminder that you should be completing the Mid-Year Account management in Edgenuity. Please refer to the handbook for procedures. Please note that there have been some changes to these processes. Updated sections are labeled in the table of contents and any procedural changes that were added on 1/12/22 have been highlighted in yellow within the handbook.

KCKPS will begin using Clever as the sign-on process for Edgenuity later this spring. To support this transition, it is important that the updated guidelines for student account creation and for account management (clean-up) are followed. Once the transition to utilizing Clever as our SSO has occurred, student and staff Edgenuity accounts will no longer need to be manually created. We will provide more information once we are approaching the launch.

This has been emailed to coordinators on 1/13/22. Contact Wendy Elkins or Suzie Legg if you have questions.

Informational Items

For All Administrators (Informational Item)

KCKPS Mobile Minute

from Curriculum and Instruction
Click here for the latest edition of the KCKPS Mobile Minute. Within this edition, you will find information on drop-in office Canvas office hours, where to find the status of different software, K-5 Canvas Math Modules, and much more! You can also go to this Google Site to view the mobile minutes. Please share with your staff. If you have any questions, please contact Wendy Elkins or Julie Leach.

NEA-KCK Benefit Opportunity

from NEA-KCK

Hello NEA-KCK Members!

LAST CALL FOR CAL-CAS HOLIDAY GIVEAWAY! Since Holiday Break was so busy, Gabby has decided to EXTEND THE CONTEST to February 4th at Midnight. California Casualty wants to help you put money back in your pocket! Not only do we help save members money, but we offer Exclusive Educator Only benefits! They are offering a $25 Gift Card for anyone that gets a quote!

Once you receive the quote, your name will go into a drawing for an ADDITIONAL – $25 E-Gift Card – of your choice! That’s a total of $50 just for simply getting a quote! All you have to do is visit www.readyforquote.com/gabby or scan QR code and you will be on your way to savings! You must get the quote in order to be included in the drawing.

Deadline Extended: LAST CALL, for the contest is FEBRUARY 4th at MIDNIGHT.

We appreciate all that you do for your students and the community!

Gabby Soles (833.989.3600)

New Hire Orientation (revised)

from HR – Talent Development
After engaging in our new format for NHO, it was necessary to make a few adjustments. One of the biggest adjustments is that starting January 26, all HOURLY new hires will report by 8am. All SALARIED new hires will report by 12:30pm. There are also some time adjustments, so please review that document. Also attached is a doc entitled Supervisor/Principal Guidelines. These are some suggestions on what you can do for building/department specific orientation training. Contact Sherrie Piedimonte for questions either by email or by phone at 913.235.8902.

Enough is Enough Virtual Community Forum Coming Soon

from Communications and Marketing

Since being established in 2020, the Enough is Enough program was built to inform the community on issues facing our students and address topics such as- homicide, suicide, mental health, and many more.

On January 27^th, we will be offering a virtual session for our families, staff, and community members to address some of the top issues facing our county, our school district, and our students.

Those adults wanting to join on January 27^th can do so by using this link.

We hope to see you there.

HR FAQ

from Human Resources
A reminder that we have an HR FAQ on our website. Please see this link.

Strikeout COVID Vaccine Event Coming Soon

from Communications and Marketing

Administrators, please share this info with staff and students:

Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools is partnering with the Wyandotte County Health Department and the Kansas City Royals to Strikeout Covid for those ages 5 to 11 for an upcoming vaccine event.

Disqualifiers for getting the vaccine:

• Sick now with any new fever, cough, chills, body aches, sore throat, fatigue, congestion, headache, shortness of breath, diarrhea, vomiting, loss of taste or smell
• Positive covid-19 test in the past 10 days
• Living with anyone who is positive currently.

Gloria Willis Middle School – Wednesday, February 2, 2022

A COVID-19 vaccine event will also be held at Gloria Willis Middle School on Wednesday, February 2, 2022. Both events run from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Those youth receiving the vaccine will get a free meal on site and be able to pick up other great giveaways.

The Wyandotte County Health Department will be on hand to administer the Pfizer vaccine for those ages 5 to 11. A parent/guardian must be present at the event. No vaccines for those over 11 or booster shots will be offered. Masks are required at the event.

Electronic Reporting Forms for Injuries and Incidents

From Communications & Marketing

Just a quick reminder that many of the forms you need when it comes to incidents are now electronic.

Student injury forms have now been included to the list.

To find the reporting form for students go to this link: https://form.jotform.com/212366215525047

To make the reporting of workman’s compensation accidents less time consuming, the Supervisors Accident Report is now an electronic form.

Regardless of severity, immediate supervisors & directors are required to report all work-related injuries within 48 hours to Risk Management.

To do so, please use the following link: https://form.jotform.com/212304621025035

The Incident Report helps document any incident involving non employees.

This includes our students, visitors, parents and guardians.

The incident form is to be filled out for a number of situations including: a child is missing, if a student is injured in a way that could require medical attention in the future, police have to be called during an incident,  there is a fight,  or even to report property damage.

An example of a fight that needs to be recorded- a fight that breaks out that others are around and it may have been recorded. A fight that someone may not realize they are injured immediately but could later on in the day. Fights that do NOT need to be recorded: two kids on the playground hit each other in the arm over a ball.

There may be other incidents that could also require use of this form.

If you have questions about whether an incident falls into this category, please reach out to your IIO.

Here is a link to the Incident Report form:  https://kckps.org/incident-report/

For Building Principals

Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Week and Day

from Student Services

RAK Week is February 13th-19th and RAK Day is Thursday, February 17th.
We encourage you to participate in RAK Week/Day this February within your school communities. Even the smallest act of kindness can change a life! To sign up, access lesson plans, activities, and tools kits please visit the Random Acts of Kindness website.

For EC and Elementary Administrators

LETRS Training Rescheduled for Feb 2, 2022

from Professional Workforce Development

The department directors and elementary IIOs met with the very difficult task of trying to reschedule the LETRS training that was cancelled Jan 19, due to reasons related to COVID.

As you already know, numerous Wednesdays have been devoted to the LETRS training during the second semester and we are utilizing all the Voyager Sopris staff developers to train our staff. The only day we did not already have LETRS training scheduled, and the first day Voyager Sopris had trainers available, is Wednesday Feb 2. Unfortunately, this is a DCI/ESOL/SpEd Wednesday. We know this impacts all of the hard work our district-level teams have put in to make these days a success. Please know, we did not make this decision lightly, but we need to reschedule the LETRS training on Wednesday, Feb 2. This will impact all elementary schools. The other schools in the district will continue with the DCI ​and/or ESOL & SpEd PD as planned.

Wednesday, February 2, 2022

9:00 Elementary Schools

• 1.1 LETRS PD Session (Facilitated by certified LETRS trainers)

• Rescheduled from 1/19/2022

8:30 Elementary Schools

• Unit 2 LETRS Asynchronous Learning  (2 hrs. for online learning and independent reading)

• Rescheduled from 1/19/2022

Thank you again for all your leadership and for grace as we navigate ​these difficult decisions in 2022. The 21-22 KCKPS District PD Calendar and the 21-22 District Content PD – Locations/Links document have been updated to reflect the changes. (Please see the Elementary Curriculum tab for LETRS training links.)

Connector Tools and Calendars

from Diploma+
Connector Support is never far away:
Below are resources I have created for you and your teachers. Please review this information, print a copy of the goal dates and post it for teachers to see. Please also email them these links so they can reference these guides with any questions you may have. As always, Brittany and I are always eager to help.
Connector Goal Dates
Date Collection One Pager
Connector One Pager
FA Diploma+ Calendar for Career Day Connector video use

Canvas and Instructional Technology Support

from Curriculum & Instruction
In an effort to be available to support staff on the use of the Canvas, Wendy Elkins is hosting open, drop-in office hours (via zoom) in Jan. and February. These times occur on most Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can find the exact times and the zoom links on the mobile minutes. If you or your staff needs more personal assistance, you can schedule a time with Wendy Elkins using this Calendly Link.

Action Items

For All Administrators (Action)

New District Letterhead

from Communications

Please use this letterhead template for district communications.

Annual Inventory Reporting

from Risk Management

A new year is upon us and so is the annual inventory counts for your respective buildings, departments/offices and classrooms. Attached you will find a template to help guide you with the inventory accountability process.

We DO NOT need every pencil, paper clip and staple, as those are considered supplies.
We DO need all the electronics, furniture and equipment to be accounted for.
This includes but is not limited to: Couches, Desks, Dry-Erase Boards, Cabinets, iPad charging carts, radios, TV’s computers, electronic learning devices, heavy machinery etc.

If there are any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact Dennis Martine.

Inventory Instructions PDF
Inventory Template XLSX

For Building Principals (Action)

Quarter 2 Grade Adjustment Window

from Infinite Campus Support
The grade adjustment window for Quarter 2 is open. The end time has been adjusted from January 14th to January 18th to ensure 10 school days of time for this task.
Unposted grades result in blank spaces on printed grade cards and in the parent portal. For middle and high school students unposted grades result in no credit posting to the transcript. Please review this expectation with your staff and ensure your building has a process for principals to check grades for each teacher before the end of the day, Tuesday, January 18th. This linked file has directions for reports that can help you with this.
If a teacher is struggling with the mechanics of posting grades please connect them with a staff member in your building first – often a teacher with similar courses or Instructional Coach. Most issues are specific to the way teachers have entered their assignments and marked or unmarked various options.
If the teacher and building support cannot resolve the problem send email to Infinite Campus support. Screenshots are always helpful.

Infinite Campus Parent Portals

from Student Services
All parents/guardians will need Infinite Campus Parent Portals in order to complete registration forms, submit updated information, approve student course requests, and other tasks beginning this spring. Building staff who know and have relationships with parents are a key part of this process. Please review this document and plan with your staff before district level announcements go out starting the week of January 24th.

School Improvement Plan (SIP) SMARTIE Goals Updated By Friday, 1/21/22

from Federal Programs

THANKS for your deep thinking and robust engagement in the November/December SIP Workshops! WOW – the dialogue was powerful and changes in SIPs are reflecting our deeper understanding of the SIP Impact Cycle and how that work is captured and monitored in KansaSTAR!

SMARTIE Goals should be updated in KansaSTAR by Friday, 1/21/22. As you revise, keep in mind the following:

-Revise Smart Goals to SMARTIE Goals by including data measurements for subgroups.
-Include goals for ALL the data you’re tracking (Attendance, Academics, Behavior, Academics, SEL, Graduation, Postsecondary, etc.).
-Break up content areas into separate goals to track and measure progress, celebrate successes.
-Move away from “will score proficient on the KAP in spring 2021-22” to “will demonstrate grade level expectations by spring of 2021-22” and use the specific assessments in the Performance Measures section for each goal. This approach helps to triangulate data rather than measuring success of a goal to a single assessment.
-Move away from “40%” or “50% of students will score” language to percentages that align to MTSS Tier I Goals and reflect HIGH expectations for ALL students. Move those lower percentages over to the Performance Measures section for each goal to benchmark annual progress. This approach keeps expectations HIGH, but provides a continuum to monitor progress as we increase the rigor of instruction and expand interventions, ultimately resulting in the number of students meeting grade level expectations.

Please refer to the KCK Principal Handbook School Improvement Planning resource page or call/email Lisa Walker for support!

SMARTIE Goals Worksheet PDF

For Secondary Administrators (Action)

Edgenuity Account Clean-Up and UPDATES

from Curriculum and Instruction

Reminder that you should be completing the Mid-Year Account management in Edgenuity. Please refer to the handbook for procedures. Please note that there have been some changes to these processes. Updated sections are labeled in the table of contents and any procedural changes that were added on 1/12/22 have been highlighted in yellow within the handbook.

KCKPS will begin using Clever as the sign-on process for Edgenuity later this spring. To support this transition, it is important that the updated guidelines for student account creation and for account management (clean-up) are followed. Once the transition to utilizing Clever as our SSO has occurred, student and staff Edgenuity accounts will no longer need to be manually created. We will provide more information once we are approaching the launch.

This has been emailed to coordinators on 1/13/22. Contact Wendy Elkins or Suzie Legg if you have questions.

Informational Items

For All Administrators (Informational Item)

Enough is Enough Virtual Community Forums Coming Soon

from Communications and Marketing

Since being established in 2020, the Enough is Enough program was built to inform the community on issues facing our students and address topics such as- homicide, suicide, mental health, and many more.

We know our students have a lot to deal with both in the classroom and at home, and that is why we are asking our middle and high school students to join us on Thursday, January 20^th for our virtual community forum to discuss these issues, ways to solve them, and resources available to each of them. The event will run from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and offer breakout rooms so students can further discuss issues going on.

Students are asked to use this link to sign up for the virtual event.

Then, on January 27^th, we will be offering a virtual session for our families, staff, and community members to address some of the top issues facing our county, our school district, and our students.

Those adults wanting to join on January 27^th can do so by using this link.

We hope to see you there.

Posted January 5, 2021

New Hire Orientation

from Human Resources – Talent Development
Here is a link to is the document that went out earlier this week. Corrections and modifications have been made, so please take a few minutes to read it carefully. I want to also let you know that we have now experienced the first new orientation process. While I think this is a very good change, we learned some things regarding the times on the schedule. I will send out the revised schedule next week. Thank you for your patience and support as we continue to improve our new hire orientation experience.

HR FAQ

from Human Resources
A reminder that we have an HR FAQ on our website. Please see this link.

Student-Centered Coaching Training for ICs

from Curriculum & Instruction

Julie Steele will be providing Student-Centered Coaching Professional Learning for all EC-12 Instructional Coaches on Tuesday, January 18th from 9am-2pm via Zoom. Instructional Coaches are already aware of this training via the District Professional Learning Calendar. Administrators DO NOT need to attend, but we wanted to make you aware of the structure and content of the day which can be found on this agenda.

Assessment Updates & Mandatory District Training

from DERA

Greetings Building Admins! With the start of the school year, DERA has several updates to share with you regarding assessments for Q3 & Q4. Please share these assessment updates with your teams; test coordinators have already been notified.

• FastBridge winter screening window is currently open (01/03-28 for EC; 01/10-28 for K-12).
• Per KSDE, 12th graders will be assessed in FastTrack Reading for both Winter & Spring. Reminder: 6-11th grade students who score below benchmark in aReading should be routed through TASN’s decision tree “FASTBridge 6th-12th Individual Decision-Making Flowchart”. Please consult the district’s companion guide “Clarifications: FASTBridge 6th-12th Reading” for further information.
• 01/04 the state released a new KITE School Cluster report to support the interpretation of the KAP Interims. They also developed grade-specific ELA/Math cluster maps as a companion.
• Virtual learning students are to be screened (FastBridge) and tested (KELPA, KAP interim/summative, ACT) at their assigned home buildings. Please make sure you connect with these students to make arrangements for successful assessment (i.e., needs regarding transportation, meals, accommodations, etc.). Reach 500 students will be tested at Central Office.
• KAP Summatives are scheduled for March 21- April 29. Please make arrangements to follow the expected testing schedule to ensure high participation, minimize fatigue, and aid in state/self-monitoring: Week 1 (03/21-25): Test Coordinators finalize user profiles and student rosters, Week 2 (03/28-04/01): Testing for ELA Week 3, (04/04-08): Testing for Math, Week 4 (04/11-15): Testing for Science, Week 5 & 6 (04/18-29): Makeups for students (Quarantine/Absent/etc.)
• KAP Summative test administrators need to complete the District’s 2022 Test Security & Ethics training before March. This training will be uploaded to Frontline. We will keep you posted on its release date.

Finally, any KCKPS staff involved in the KansasCAN web application reports need to save the date of February 22nd (Central Office staff) or February 24 (Building Admin teams), for full-day (8:30a-4p) mandatory Data Quality Certification training. The state will be providing training in 131-133 those days. This is a KESA requirement. Sign-ups will be released shortly.

Strikeout COVID Vaccine Event Coming Soon

from Communications and Marketing

Administrators, please share this info with staff and students:

Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools is partnering with the Wyandotte County Health Department and the Kansas City Royals to Strikeout Covid for those ages 5 to 11 for an upcoming vaccine event.

Disqualifiers for getting the vaccine:

• Sick now with any new fever, cough, chills, body aches, sore throat, fatigue, congestion, headache, shortness of breath, diarrhea, vomiting, loss of taste or smell
• Positive covid-19 test in the past 10 days
• Living with anyone who is positive currently.

Gloria Willis Middle School – Wednesday, February 2, 2022

A COVID-19 vaccine event will also be held at Gloria Willis Middle School on Wednesday, February 2, 2022. Both events run from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Those youth receiving the vaccine will get a free meal on site and be able to pick up other great giveaways.

The Wyandotte County Health Department will be on hand to administer the Pfizer vaccine for those ages 5 to 11. A parent/guardian must be present at the event. No vaccines for those over 11 or booster shots will be offered. Masks are required at the event.

Standard Daily Meals & Incidental Expenses Rate Increased

from Purchasing

Beginning January 1st, the Standard Daily Meals and Incidental Expenses (M&IE) Rate increased from $39 to $59 per day. The new rate will only apply to travel that occurs after January 1, 2022. Accompanying this message is a guide that provides information about the new rate, with examples of how to calculate for overnight and same day travel.

Questions should be directed to Wayne Correll by email, or you can call (913) 279-2270.

Electronic Reporting Forms for Injuries and Incidents

From Communications & Marketing

Just a quick reminder that many of the forms you need when it comes to incidents are now electronic.

Student injury forms have now been included to the list.

To find the reporting form for students go to this link: https://form.jotform.com/212366215525047

To make the reporting of workman’s compensation accidents less time consuming, the Supervisors Accident Report is now an electronic form.

Regardless of severity, immediate supervisors & directors are required to report all work-related injuries within 48 hours to Risk Management.

To do so, please use the following link: https://form.jotform.com/212304621025035

The Incident Report helps document any incident involving non employees.

This includes our students, visitors, parents and guardians.

The incident form is to be filled out for a number of situations including: a child is missing, if a student is injured in a way that could require medical attention in the future, police have to be called during an incident,  there is a fight,  or even to report property damage.

An example of a fight that needs to be recorded- a fight that breaks out that others are around and it may have been recorded. A fight that someone may not realize they are injured immediately but could later on in the day. Fights that do NOT need to be recorded: two kids on the playground hit each other in the arm over a ball.

There may be other incidents that could also require use of this form.

If you have questions about whether an incident falls into this category, please reach out to your IIO.

Here is a link to the Incident Report form:  https://kckps.org/incident-report/

For Building Principals

Physical Education Opt-out Form – Human Sexuality Unit

from IARC

In the past, our PE Department used an opt-in format when delivering the human sexuality and AIDS portion of our curriculum. Starting this semester, we will utilize on opt-out format. Parents who do not want their child to participate must complete the district opt-out form and return to the PE teacher. Teachers will receive details and forms this week.

Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Week and Day

from Student Services

RAK Week is February 13th-19th and RAK Day is Thursday, February 17th.
We encourage you to participate in RAK Week/Day this February within your school communities. Even the smallest act of kindness can change a life! To sign up, access lesson plans, activities, and tools kits please visit the Random Acts of Kindness website.

For EC and Elementary Administrators

Connector Goals for Spring

from Diploma+

The Connector goals begin again. Below are the target goals for the spring semester.

30% Feb. 2
50% March 2
75%. March 30
90%. April 20
100% May 18

The goal is for each regular K-5 elementary teacher and every elementary counselor to share one live session with their students during the spring semester.

Please share this information with you teachers and counselors and reach out to Renee Freers if you need any assistance.

Canvas and Instructional Technology Support

from Curriculum & Instruction
In an effort to be available to support staff on the use of the Canvas, Wendy Elkins is hosting open, drop-in office hours (via zoom) in Jan. and February. These times occur on most Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can find the exact times and the zoom links on the mobile minutes. If you or your staff needs more personal assistance, you can schedule a time with Wendy Elkins using this Calendly Link.

For Secondary Administrators

Edgenuity SEL Content

from Student Services

Middle and High School Administrators, this is a reminder that your ISS/STS monitors, counselors, and social workers all have access to the Edgenuity Purpose Prep (SEL) content suite to be used for interventions with students. Our ISS/STS monitors, counselors, and social workers all received training from Edgenuity in September 2021 on how to access and utilize this platform. If you would like more information or support with utilizing this resource please contact Tracie Chauvin.

The recording the training can be found here for your reference.
Passcode: 07uK2U+m

Intervention on Purpose Content Suite Word Document

Action Items

For All Administrators (Action)

Orientation Directions

from Human Resources
Please read carefully this Word document.

New District Letterhead

from Communications

Please use this letterhead template for district communications.

Annual Inventory Reporting

from Risk Management

A new year is upon us and so is the annual inventory counts for your respective buildings, departments/offices and classrooms. Attached you will find a template to help guide you with the inventory accountability process.

We DO NOT need every pencil, paper clip and staple, as those are considered supplies.
We DO need all the electronics, furniture and equipment to be accounted for.
This includes but is not limited to: Couches, Desks, Dry-Erase Boards, Cabinets, iPad charging carts, radios, TV’s computers, electronic learning devices, heavy machinery etc.

If there are any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact Dennis Martine.

Inventory Instructions PDF
Inventory Template XLSX

For Elementary Administrators

NGSS Elementary Amplify Science Program Status Survey

from Curriculum and Instruction

In an effort to support and advance science instruction and the implementation of Amplify Science, the Science Core Leadership Team would like to gather information on the status of science instruction in the district. We are requesting that all K-5 science teachers fill out this NGSS Elementary Amplify Science Program Status Survey. This is an anonymous, 27-question survey with the majority of questions being quick multiple-choice options. It should only take about 15 minutes to complete. We appreciate you encouraging your teachers to fill out this survey and finding creative ways to allow time for it. The team will use this information to better customize support for the implementation of Amplify Science. If you have any questions, please contact Cheryl Beyer.

For Building Principals (Action)

School Improvement Plan (SIP) SMARTIE Goals Updated By Friday, 1/21/22

from Federal Programs

THANKS for your deep thinking and robust engagement in the November/December SIP Workshops! WOW – the dialogue was powerful and changes in SIPs are reflecting our deeper understanding of the SIP Impact Cycle and how that work is captured and monitored in KansaSTAR!

SMARTIE Goals should be updated in KansaSTAR by Friday, 1/21/22. As you revise, keep in mind the following:

-Revise Smart Goals to SMARTIE Goals by including data measurements for subgroups.
-Include goals for ALL the data you’re tracking (Attendance, Academics, Behavior, Academics, SEL, Graduation, Postsecondary, etc.).
-Break up content areas into separate goals to track and measure progress, celebrate successes.
-Move away from “will score proficient on the KAP in spring 2021-22” to “will demonstrate grade level expectations by spring of 2021-22” and use the specific assessments in the Performance Measures section for each goal. This approach helps to triangulate data rather than measuring success of a goal to a single assessment.
-Move away from “40%” or “50% of students will score” language to percentages that align to MTSS Tier I Goals and reflect HIGH expectations for ALL students. Move those lower percentages over to the Performance Measures section for each goal to benchmark annual progress. This approach keeps expectations HIGH, but provides a continuum to monitor progress as we increase the rigor of instruction and expand interventions, ultimately resulting in the number of students meeting grade level expectations.

Please refer to the KCK Principal Handbook School Improvement Planning resource page or call/email Lisa Walker for support!

SMARTIE Goals Worksheet PDF

Informational Items

For All Administrators (Informational Item)

Assessment Updates & Mandatory District Training

from DERA

Greetings Building Admins! With the start of the school year, DERA has several updates to share with you regarding assessments for Q3 & Q4. Please share these assessment updates with your teams; test coordinators have already been notified.

• FastBridge winter screening window is currently open (01/03-28 for EC; 01/10-28 for K-12).
• Per KSDE, 12th graders will be assessed in FastTrack Reading for both Winter & Spring. Reminder: 6-11th grade students who score below benchmark in aReading should be routed through TASN’s decision tree “FASTBridge 6th-12th Individual Decision-Making Flowchart”. Please consult the district’s companion guide “Clarifications: FASTBridge 6th-12th Reading” for further information.
• 01/04 the state released a new KITE School Cluster report to support the interpretation of the KAP Interims. They also developed grade-specific ELA/Math cluster maps as a companion.
• Virtual learning students are to be screened (FastBridge) and tested (KELPA, KAP interim/summative, ACT) at their assigned home buildings. Please make sure you connect with these students to make arrangements for successful assessment (i.e., needs regarding transportation, meals, accommodations, etc.). Reach 500 students will be tested at Central Office.
• KAP Summatives are scheduled for March 21- April 29. Please make arrangements to follow the expected testing schedule to ensure high participation, minimize fatigue, and aid in state/self-monitoring: Week 1 (03/21-25): Test Coordinators finalize user profiles and student rosters, Week 2 (03/28-04/01): Testing for ELA Week 3, (04/04-08): Testing for Math, Week 4 (04/11-15): Testing for Science, Week 5 & 6 (04/18-29): Makeups for students (Quarantine/Absent/etc.)
• KAP Summative test administrators need to complete the District’s 2022 Test Security & Ethics training before March. This training will be uploaded to Frontline. We will keep you posted on its release date.

Finally, any KCKPS staff involved in the KansasCAN web application reports need to save the date of February 22nd (Central Office staff) or February 24 (Building Admin teams), for full-day (8:30a-4p) mandatory Data Quality Certification training. The state will be providing training in 131-133 those days. This is a KESA requirement. Sign-ups will be released shortly.

Clever, Canvas and Other Instructional Software Reminder

from Curriculum & Instruction

Just a friendly reminder that it takes 24-48 hours for new students to become active in all instructional software platforms (Clever, Canvas, etc). If a student’s schedule is changed, it will take 24-48 hours for that change to be reflected in any instructional software.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Julie Leach or Wendy Elkins.

**Please share with staff**

Field Trip Request

from Transportation

Please remember to submit your Field Trip request at least two weeks in advance. All Field Trip requests must be submitted with 9 am departure time and arrive back to the home school no later than 2 pm (M,T,TH,F) and 9 am to 12 pm (W only). Anything currently in the field trip system outside of the current parameters, we will try to accommodate. Transportation currently unable to honor request outside of this timeframe. If you have any field trip questions, please contact Shameka Brown at 913-627-3100.

Environmental Ed Certification Through KACEE

from NEA-KCK

A message from Kansas Association For Conservation & Environmental Education (KACEE):

We, at KACEE, are very excited to have launched our eeCourses and eeCredentials during this past Fall semester and we have our Spring semester schedule up and running and ready for folks to register. We share this information out through our website, our newsletters, and social media but an area that we would be so grateful to have your help and expertise in is sharing this out at a local, regional, or even state level.

This Spring we are offering an assortment of opportunity to for professional development, graduate credit, resources, lesson plans, activities that will help connect our students with the environment. There is opportunities for early childhood through high school teachers. Below are the dates and information about each opportunity. A flyer is also attached here.

Spring Semester 2022
KACEE eeCourses and eeCredentials

Feb 7 – Apr 15 eeDoubleCourse $100 ~ 1 graduate credit hour available (additional $85) ~ approximately 4 hrs per week ~ receive PLT, WILD, WET, WILD Aquatic, and either LEP or GUW & PLT Early Childhood
Feb 7 – Apr 15 Kansas Green School Leader eeCredential $125 ~ 1 graduate credit hour available (additional $85) ~ receive PLT, WILD, WET, WILD Aquatic, and either LEP or GUW & PLT Early Childhood
Feb 7 – Feb 25 Project Learning Tree & Project WILD eeCourse $50 ~ approximately 4 hrs per week~ receive PLT and WILD
Feb 28 – Mar 28 Project WET & Project WILD Aquatic eeCourse $50 ~ approximately 3 hrs per week ~ receive WET and WILD Aquatic
Mar 28 – Apr 15 Leopold Education Project eeCourse $50 ~ approximately 4 hrs per week ~ receive LEP
Mar 28 – Apr 15 Growing Up WILD & PLT Early Childhood eeCourse $50 ~ approximately 4 hrs per week ~ receive GUW & PLT Early Childhood

Questions? Contact Ashlyn Kite-Hartwich at akite@kacee.org phone:785-889-4384
To register or for more information click this link.

Strikeout COVID Vaccine Events Coming Soon

from Communications and Marketing

Administrators, please share this info with staff and students:

Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools is partnering with the Wyandotte County Health Department and the Kansas City Royals to Strikeout Covid for those ages 5 to 11 for three upcoming vaccine events.

Disqualifiers for getting the vaccine:

• Sick now with any new fever, cough, chills, body aches, sore throat, fatigue, congestion, headache, shortness of breath, diarrhea, vomiting, loss of taste or smell
• Positive covid-19 test in the past 10 days
• Living with anyone who is positive currently.

Gloria Willis Middle School – Wednesday January  12, 2022, and Wednesday, February 2, 2022

Two days after the last Grant event, we will have another COVID-19 vaccine event on Wednesday, January 12, 2022, this time at Gloria Willis Middle School, located at 1735 N. 64th Terrace in Kansas City, Kansas. Another COVID-19 vaccine event will also be held at Gloria Willis Middle School on Wednesday, February 2, 2022. Both events run from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Those youth receiving the vaccine will get a free meal on site and be able to pick up other great giveaways.

The Wyandotte County Health Department will be on hand to administer the Pfizer vaccine for those ages 5 to 11. A parent/guardian must be present at the event. No vaccines for those over 11 or booster shots will be offered. Masks are required at the event.

Supportlinc EAP Services

from Employee Wellness

Beginning January 1, our EAP is now through Supportlinc.

SupportLinc offers confidential and professional support, including the following resources, at no cost to you or your family:

SHORT-TERM COUNSELING Through SupportLinc, all employees and benefit-eligible family members may receive up to six (6) in-person counseling sessions with a licensed clinician to address issues such as depression, stress, relationship problems, grief, substance abuse, anxiety or other emotional health concerns.

FREE LEGAL SERVICES The SupportLinc program provides free telephonic or (30-minute) face-to-face consultation with a local attorney.

EXPERT REFERRALS SupportLinc’s knowledgeable specialists provide referrals to resources that help address a wide range of issues such as child or elder care, adoption, pet care, home repair, education and housing needs.

FREE FINANCIAL SERVICES SupportLinc provides expert financial planning and consultation through our network of licensed financial counselors.

WEB PORTAL The SupportLinc web portal provides access to thousands of articles, tip sheets and videos covering a wide array of health, well-being and work-life balance topics. The site also contains child and elder care search engines, reference libraries, legal and financial resources, self-improvement programs and educational training modules.

MOBILE APP The SupportLinc eConnect® mobile app allows you to talk or chat directly with a SupportLinc counselor or schedule a time for SupportLinc to call you.

TEXT THERAPY Exchange text messages, voicenotes and resources Monday – Friday with a licensed counselor for up to six (6) weeks, through the Textcoach® mobile and desktop app.

ANIMO Animo is SupportLinc’s personalized digital resource that strengthens mental health and overall wellbeing through a dynamic series of self-directed modules. (password to access: kckps)

NAVIGATOR Take the guesswork out of your emotional fitness. Click the Navigator icon on the web portal or mobile app, complete a short survey and receive personalized guidance for accessing program support and resources.

All requests for information or assistance through the SupportLinc program are free of charge and completely confidential. You can contact SupportLinc anytime, around-the-clock, 365 days a year. To get started, call 1-888-881-5462, or log in to the SupportLinc website www.supportlinc.com or eConnect® mobile app with username kckps.

Standard Daily Meals & Incidental Expenses Rate Increased

from Purchasing

Beginning January 1st, the Standard Daily Meals and Incidental Expenses (M&IE) Rate increased from $39 to $59 per day. The new rate will only apply to travel that occurs after January 1, 2022. Accompanying this message is a guide that provides information about the new rate, with examples of how to calculate for overnight and same day travel.

Questions should be directed to Wayne Correll by email, or you can call (913) 279-2270.

EAP Letter

from Human Resources

Please see this PDF document for EAP information.

Electronic Reporting Forms for Injuries and Incidents

From Communications & Marketing

Just a quick reminder that many of the forms you need when it comes to incidents are now electronic.

Student injury forms have now been included to the list.

To find the reporting form for students go to this link: https://form.jotform.com/212366215525047

To make the reporting of workman’s compensation accidents less time consuming, the Supervisors Accident Report is now an electronic form.

Regardless of severity, immediate supervisors & directors are required to report all work-related injuries within 48 hours to Risk Management.

To do so, please use the following link: https://form.jotform.com/212304621025035

The Incident Report helps document any incident involving non employees.

This includes our students, visitors, parents and guardians.

The incident form is to be filled out for a number of situations including: a child is missing, if a student is injured in a way that could require medical attention in the future, police have to be called during an incident,  there is a fight,  or even to report property damage.

An example of a fight that needs to be recorded- a fight that breaks out that others are around and it may have been recorded. A fight that someone may not realize they are injured immediately but could later on in the day. Fights that do NOT need to be recorded: two kids on the playground hit each other in the arm over a ball.

There may be other incidents that could also require use of this form.

If you have questions about whether an incident falls into this category, please reach out to your IIO.

Here is a link to the Incident Report form:  https://kckps.org/incident-report/

For Building Principals

Physical Education Opt-out Form – Human Sexuality Unit

from IARC

In the past, our PE Department used an opt-in format when delivering the human sexuality and AIDS portion of our curriculum. Starting this semester, we will utilize on opt-out format. Parents who do not want their child to participate must complete the district opt-out form and return to the PE teacher. Teachers will receive details and forms this week.

Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Week and Day

from Student Services

RAK Week is February 13th-19th and RAK Day is Thursday, February 17th.
We encourage you to participate in RAK Week/Day this February within your school communities. Even the smallest act of kindness can change a life! To sign up, access lesson plans, activities, and tools kits please visit the Random Acts of Kindness website.

For EC and Elementary Administrators

Connector Goals for Spring

from Diploma+

The Connector goals begin again. Below are the target goals for the spring semester.

30% Feb. 2
50% March 2
75%. March 30
90%. April 20
100% May 18

The goal is for each regular K-5 elementary teacher and every elementary counselor to share one live session with their students during the spring semester.

Please share this information with you teachers and counselors and reach out to Renee Freers if you need any assistance.

Canvas and Instructional Technology Support

from Curriculum & Instruction
In an effort to be available to support staff on the use of the Canvas, Wendy Elkins is hosting open, drop-in office hours (via zoom) in Jan. and February. These times occur on most Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can find the exact times and the zoom links on the mobile minutes. If you or your staff needs more personal assistance, you can schedule a time with Wendy Elkins using this Calendly Link.

Elementary Reading Intervention Cadre

from Curriculum & Instruction
The C&I Department is seeking K-5 Reading Interventionists and/or Instructional Coaches to engage in a cadre that will review reading intervention materials for potential adoption. This cadre will be meeting for a few hours monthly during the school day. The building administrator’s approval will be required prior to cadre selections being announced. For more information about the cadre and to view the application click this link. If you have any questions, please contact Allison Rice.

LETRS Asynchronous Learning Clarification

from  Professional Workforce Development

LETRS Asynchronous Learning Clarification: During the second semester, there are a total of six Wednesday afternoons designated to complete the Unit 2 LETRS Asynchronous Learning. All LETRS Units have a total of eight “sessions” for learners to complete; this means participants will have time to complete MORE THAN ONE session per Wednesday Afternoon. For specific time estimates for each Session, within each Unit, please go back to the: LETRS-Estimated-Time-by-Unit document.

Principals, you will need to let your IDP reps know who has completed the Asynchronous Learning to receive the PD points in Frontline. For Unit 1 a total of 11 hours should now be awarded in Frontline. Then, after Unit 2 is complete in April, a total of 12 hours will be awarded in Frontline. For specific LETRS PD dates, please see the 21-22 KCKPS District PD Calendar.

All Asynchronous Learning for Unit 1 was expected to be completed by:

• Dec 8, 2021

All Asynchronous Learning for Unit 2 is expected to be completed by:

• April 20, 2022 for 9:00 Elementary Schools

• April 27, 2022 for 8:30 Elementary Schools

As a reminder, the Zoom links for the LETRS PD sessions have been added to the Early Childhood tab and the Elementary Curriculum tab of the 21-22 District Content PD – Locations/Links document. Some schools have been grouped together for the LETRS training, please use the unique Zoom link provided for your school. Training materials have also been linked within the document.

For Secondary Administrators

Edgenuity SEL Content

from Student Services

Middle and High School Administrators, this is a reminder that your ISS/STS monitors, counselors, and social workers all have access to the Edgenuity Purpose Prep (SEL) content suite to be used for interventions with students. Our ISS/STS monitors, counselors, and social workers all received training from Edgenuity in September 2021 on how to access and utilize this platform. If you would like more information or support with utilizing this resource please contact Tracie Chauvin.

The recording the training can be found here for your reference.
Passcode: 07uK2U+m

Intervention on Purpose Content Suite Word Document