Business Office
Staffing allocations for the 2021-2022 school year will be the same as they were in 2020-2021 because we do not currently have an accurate student count from September 20th. If there has been a major change in your student numbers, please bring the information for consideration to your budget meeting. We plan on beginning the budget meetings in the near future.
Curriculum & Instruction
ATTN: Elementary and Middle School Principals
RE: Wyandotte County Spelling Bee
For a second year, KCKPS will be hosting the Wyandotte County Spelling Bee. Building winners from 18 of our KCKPS schools will be participating this year. This event will be virtual. Please consider joining us to support our students. Each participant is a finalist in their building level competition and they are now competing for an opportunity to compete at the state level.
Wyandotte County Spelling Bee
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81947325242?pwd=NEEzejhROW9ieVpVcGl1Y0l6UHZrQT09
Saturday, February 6, 2021 at 9:30 am
The link provided is the public link for audience members. We welcome any district members who would like to join and support our spellers. Feel free to share this with your staff. Do not share this ZOOM link publicly on social media.
If you have questions about this event, please contact Tracy Cooper at tracy.cooper@kckps.org
ATTN: K-5 Administrators
RE: Eureka Math in Sync Updates
On the evening of Thursday, January 28th, 2021, Great Minds released new features that will positively impact the student and teacher experience with Great Minds in Sync.
Key Updates:
- New in-browser PDF annotation option for students.
- Students can draw, create shapes, and type text directly on the PDF in their browser, without having to download and upload the completed file.
- Progress is automatically saved approximately every minute.
- See video highlighting the new experience for Students and Families.
- See video highlighting the new experience for Teachers.
- Important Note: at the time of release, we anticipate that autosave support will be unavailable for the Spanish PDF versions and therefore these Students should complete their assignment in a single session. We expect to resolve this issue in an upcoming release in mid-late February.
- Multiple teachers can now have access to class assignments.
- Any teacher associated with a class will now be able to create, review, close, and delete assignments for that class.
- If a Primary teacher is removed from a class and a new Primary teacher is added to the class, the new teacher will see all historical assignments for that class.
- Teachers can filter their assignment list by curriculum and class.
- All teachers rostered to a class (including all co-teachers) can create, review, close, and delete the assignments for that class.
- Teachers can view which students have completed the assignment, download any files that were submitted as a part of the assignment, and close the assignment.
- Important Note: at the time of release, Great Minds anticipates that filter selections will not be saved when a Teacher navigates away from the assignments page. Therefore it is recommended that Teachers right-click and open assignments in a new tab in order to preserve filter selections. Great Minds expects to add support for saving filter selections in an upcoming release in mid-February.
If you have questions or need support regarding the updates, please contact Marica Rhone (marica.rhone@kckps.org).
ATTN: K-5 Administrators
RE: Eureka Math Learning Lab Series
Great Minds is hosting a 3-week Eureka Math Learning Lab series focused on teaching Eureka Math in today’s challenging asynchronous and synchronous environment
- Sessions are offered on consecutive Tuesdays
- You do not need to participate in all sessions. Only register for what works for you.
- Detailed descriptions of session content and supplementary material are attached
- There is NO COST for this series.
The labs are open to leadership and teaching teams.
RSVP by registering via the appropriate Zoom link
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Understanding the Purpose of the Fluency Component |
February 16, Tuesday
3:30-4:00 CST https://greatminds.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJckcuqqrzkvHNfOfHDd0zPdzapYGlgyoTfh Materials for the session: Print hardcopy of Sprint (see this link) https://assets.eureka.greatminds.org/images/math_documents/g5_m3_a_01_sprint_v1_3_0.pdf |
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Understanding Differentiation
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February 23, Tuesday 3:30-4:00 CST https://greatminds.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUrce-urzsrHdOGVRJlULM6Lw2-WJCZ8redPrerequisite: Professional Development Session #3 – “Preparation and Customization of a Lesson” |
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The Importance of Math Discourse and its Role in the Student Debrief
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March 2, Tuesday 3:30-4:00 CSThttps://greatminds.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEod-yvrjsjHtzHnQbC21HlEetkhc-h5ssRPrerequisite: Access to Eureka Math in Sync (please reach out to marica.rhone@kckps.org if you need access). |
If you have questions, please contact Marica Rhone (marica.rhone@kckps.org).
Equity and Inclusion
https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/black-history-month-teaching-beyond-slavery
https://brownmamas.com/teach-african-history-culture-kids/
Remember this month the Office of Equity and Inclusion is going to challenge you as a leader to reflect each week on the Black trailblazers in your life. How has this person impacted your life? Write a letter of appreciation to this person and send it to them, be sure to tell them the impact that they have had on you. Feel free to share your thoughts here about this experience with the Office of Equity and Inclusion.
Diploma+
Congratulations to the following schools for reaching the first Connector goal of 25% of their staff sharing a live session with their students.
Claude Huyke – Colleen Dudley
Frances Willard – Dr. Cesar Alvarez
John Fiske – Dr. Joe Graham
JFK – Dr. Bob Wilcox
Lindbergh – Dr. Brooke Brutto
McKinley – Valerie Castillo
Noble Prentis – Rhonda Gavel
Quindaro – Shannon Shelton
Silver City – Zaneta Boles
Welborn – Collette Chaney
West Park – Dr. Angela Wright
Seven of these buildings were already over 40% on Jan. 22. Way to Go!!!
The next Connector goal is 50% of the staff hosting live sessions with students by February 26.
Feedback from the teachers has been overwhelming positive, with 92% of the teachers say YES they will host another session. Another 93% of them gave the session a 4/5 or 5/5.
If your building needs any support reach out the Renee Freers or join her zoom office hours this Wed., Feb. 10th from 8:00-10:00 am.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88252990880?pwd=QkV2Qy8rR3grd2lUbTUwelE1R2l5Zz09
Meeting ID: 882 5299 0880
Passcode: 2B8v0w
Federal Programs
ALL SCHOOLS
Subject: School Improvement Plans Submitted to KSDE, May 2021
Many conversations, coaching sessions and planning sheets indicate GREAT School Improvement Planning is occurring at EVERY building. This is exciting and fabulous!
In order to make sure these AMAZING EFFORTS are captured and shared with KSDE, we need to adjust course by entering ALL of this documentation into KansaStar, rather than a separate Google Doc or Planning sheet. This isn’t just about compliance, but COHERENCE!
Here are the benefits –
- A written plan provides clarity to all stakeholders – One plan, One effort;
- A written plan helps keep people grounded and focused on things that are important;
- A written plan will clarify the most important priorities;
- A written plan is an essential communication tool;
- A written plan keeps a team from spending time on tasks that won’t get them closer to their goal.
At the end of this year, each of you will SUBMIT your SIP in KansaStar to KSDE. Your submitted SIP will impact our District KESA accreditation, as well as our ability to access additional funding set aside for CSI and TSI schools.
Here’s HOW to GET STARTED: DO THIS, Not That!
Contact Lisa Walker or Kacie Olson if you need some 1:1 KansaStar/SIP assistance for you, your team, or your process manager. We’re happy to help!
Subject: KCKPS Elementary Principals Present at National ESEA Conference
KUDOS to three of our phenomenal KCKPS principals who are scheduled to facilitate sessions at the National ESEA Conference! Dr. Heather Calvert will present a session called “Data Cycles: A Method for Effective Data Analysis” and Katie Egidy and Collete Chaney will co-facilitate a session called “Get Lit Now: The Tools!” Be sure to get these on your calendars so we can SHOW UP as they SHOW OUT!
TITLE I SCHOOLS ONLY
Subject: NearPod Approved Now for Title I Funding
After further review of the NearPod resource, we are going to classify it as an “online interactive platform” and not a content specific curriculum resource that must meet the evidence-based practices lists. If you purchased NearPod earlier using general funds, please reach out to Bridgette DeSmet so a journal transfer can occur to the Title funding stream.
Health Services
Immunization Compliance and Health Assessments
As we approach the return of in-person students to our buildings, it is important to remember that there are certain state requirements for school attendance. These include being current on their immunizations (all ages) and having provided proof of a health assessment (physical) for students under 9.
Board policy JGCB Inoculations states that “all students enrolling in any district school shall provide the building principal with proof of immunization of certain diseases or furnish documents to satisfy statutory requirements.” Also see Kansas statute K.S.A. 72-6262. Health tests and inoculations.
Students who have not met the state requirements for school attendance, at the discretion of the Superintendent, may be subject to exclusion. Parents should make every effort to provide the required documentation by the first day of in-person attendance. Parents will have 30 days to either submit proof of compliance or provide the date of an appointment when they become compliant or begin a catch-up schedule. Failure to keep this appointment or provide proof of immunization compliance may result in exclusion from in-person learning. It will be the responsibility of the school nurse to continue attempts to obtain documentation prior to the 1st day of attendance and throughout the 30-day grace period. The principal will be kept informed of any students who are approaching the exclusion deadline.
Human Resources
Power Hour
We will be having our next zoom session February 11, 2020 from 9:30am – 10:30am. During this time any questions that Building Administrators or IIO’s may have they can ask our HR Staff. Also, from an HR Standpoint, we will share any announcements or updates we may have. We also have notes available from our last meeting on Thursday, January 28th here.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82283481476?pwd=U1V2b3BGSTZlc1ZSbmR2M2J0LzNGZz09
Meeting ID: 822 8348 1476
Passcode: qR19G0
Evaluations
This is just a reminder that the following evaluations are due February 15, 2021:
*Administrator Evaluation Year
*Teacher – Year 3
*Teacher – Evaluation Year
*Teacher – Off Cycle Evaluation
Please make sure that you get these completed in both iObservation and in TalentEd. If you have any issues please reach out to Jared Alexander for iObservation and DeAndre Tuggle for TalentEd.
IIOs
K-5 Elementary Building Principals, we are looking at the district building’s current Kindergarten Round-up practices to streamline the process across the system. Please complete the survey below—due February 10th.
Link: https://forms.gle/ptWKLJJLEauXcBa66
Student Services
- 4 video modules (approx. 3 hours run time)
- 3 handouts
- 1 Learning Check/Evaluation (which appears after each modules/handout has been “launched).
Trauma Sensitive Tuesday – please share with all staff
We have another great TST coming your way on Tuesday, February 9th from 12-1pm. This TST will feature information, tips, and resources on returning to physical school after a collective trauma.
Crowdcast: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/tst292021
Frontline: https://www.mylearningplan.com/LearningPlan/ActivityProfile.asp?I=3723977
Administrative SIT Overview 2/4/2021
Thank you so much for your time at yesterday’s principals meeting. Your time, attention, and feedback is appreciated as we continue to work to support you and your communities around the problem solving process and student improvement teams.
PDF of the presentation: SIT Overview Principal’s Meeting 2/4/2021
Folder with SIT resources, training videos/PDFs, etc: SIT Building Coordinator Resource Folder
International SEL Day- March 26th
Studies show that SEL improves well-being and academic outcomes, builds positive school climate, and provides children with the necessary skills to excel in today’s workforce. This is an opportunity to spread the word about the importance and impact of social emotional learning. Sign up to join here: https://selday.org/sign-up/?source=kckps
RAK Week is February 14th-20th and RAK Day is February 17th
From our RedCard KC partner: Kindness is an essential value of the RED CARD anti-bullying campaign. As a result, we would like to take this opportunity to challenge our community, our school partners and our own employees to BE KIND KC! Even the smallest act of kindness can change a life! To sign up, access lesson plans, activities, and tools kits please visit: https://www.randomactsofkindness.org. RED CARD will also be sharing Random Acts of Kindness content on both the Sporting KC and Children’s Mercy social media channels during the week. We are bringing the challenge to each of our employees, at both organizations, as well. #bekindKC and #RedCardKC
Optional Edgenuity Info Sessions
Edgenuity has added a social emotional content suite for grades 6-12, information on which be found here. KCKPS currently utilizes the Edgenuity platform for credit recovery in our high schools. We are exploring options for utilizing the SEL content Edgenuity is offering and would like to offer two optional informational and feedback sessions for building Principals, Dean of Students, Recovery Room/ISS monitors, counselors, and social workers on March 2nd at 9:30am and 3:30pm. During these sessions, ideas for implementation will be presented as well as opportunities to view SEL course content. Each of the optional info sessions will cover the same information. Zoom information is below.
Join Edgenuity Info session:
https://zoom.us/j/3121611730?pwd=T1Fiekh1NjZ0RmZkQ28vTzBhMk9IZz09&from=addon
Meeting ID: 312 161 1730
Passcode: DS6fu5
Greeting High School Counselors and Administrators,
I hope this email finds you all doing well. We have now completed the 1st semester of the school year. We all have had challenges and obstacles facing us during this new normal; nevertheless, we have pushed through and are completing our obligations to the best of our abilities.
Here is a copy of the 2021 Hardship Graduation Application. It is very much the same as last year’s application. Please keep in mind that after the student has finished his/her rough draft of the Statement of Extenuating Circumstances, they MUST have it edited by a school staff member such as a teacher, counselor, dean, etc. The staff member editor must print and sign the Statement of Extenuating Circumstances rubric, which is included in the packet.
Due to the many tasks each of us are faced with, great consideration was given to omit some items from the application. The student’s service department determined that all items are essential for the review committee. Although no items were omitted, the deadline has been extended.
The applications packets are due by Friday, March 12th. Completed application packets can be emailed to laderrick.collins@kckps.org.
If there is any help needed in the process, please feel free to reach out to the student’s service department.