Friday, October 15, 2021

Action Items

For All Administrators (Action)

Public Information Updates

From Communications and Marketing

In order to keep information for the public as up to date as possible, please go to the pages below and review them to make sure everything about your department is up to date:

https://kckps.org/directories/central-office-directory/ (if applicable to your dept.)

https://kckps.org/directories/directory-for-other-buildings-in-kckps/ (if applicable to your dept.)

https://kckps.org/about-us/departments/ (find your department and review your related pages)

If there are changes to be made, or if everything is up to date, we need to know regardless. Respond either way to michael.keener@kckps.org no later than Tuesday, October 19, at 5 p.m. with your public information status.

ALSO NOTE: Any recent update requests from departments prior to this request for information are being dealt with currently; this is specifically for any other non-addressed, but needed updates.

Bullying Prevention Site Action Plans

From Student Services

Bullying Prevention Site Action Plans are due to the Office of Student Services by October 29th, 2021. Within the Bullying Prevention Site Action Plan Folder, you will find a plan labeled with your building name. On the right hand column, you enter your building’s specific information for each section. When completing your action plan, think what protective factors do we have in place to reduce bullying? How do we include all members of our community in this? How do we consistently respond to alleged instances of bullying?

Please also include any supporting documentation, which can be linked in your document. If you have questions or would like to walk through your document with someone from Student Services, please contact Tracie Chauvin.

Bullying Prevention Month and Unity Day

From Student Services

October is Bullying Prevention Month! To recognize this, we will again be celebrating Unity Day 2021 on Wednesday, October 20th, 2021 by wearing orange across the district. Lesson and activity ideas have been shared with counselors. Parent information and flyers can be found here.

Follow @SELKCKPS for resources and tips on preventing bullying in our KCKPS schools.

For Building Administrators (Action Item)

Mentor Program

from Professional Development

By this point in the KCKPS Mentor Program, we would anticipate our New Teachers will have completed at least one Module within their Canvas course and are working towards completing the first Observation Cycle with their Mentor. Our first-year teachers must complete three Modules and two Observation Cycles by Dec 15. Our Second-year teachers must complete two Modules and one Observation Cycle by Dec 15.

As you are meeting with your first- and second-year teachers during their evaluation conference, please ask them about what they have learned in the New Teacher Mentoring Canvas course. Throughout the course, we have made intentional connections to our Focused Model of Instruction, as well as direct ties to iObservation. The information they are learning directly connects with their evaluation in iObservation.

During your meetings with New Teachers, how might you help them plan backwards from Dec 15 to ensure they meet the requirements of the mentor program for the first semester?

Please look over the documents linked below for more information about the Mentor Program.

• Mentor Program Canvas Course (Graphic Organizer)

• Mentor Program – Observation Cycle (Graphic Organizer)

• KCKPS Mentor Program 2021-22 – Update (Oct 12, 2021)

• First-Year Teachers – Mentor Program At-A-Glance: 50 Hours (Updated)

• Second-Year Teachers – Mentor Program At-A-Glance: 30 Hours (Updated)

Thank you for all the EXTRA work, time, energy, and effort you are putting into supporting our New Teachers!

Mandatory & Refresher IC Trainings for School Secretaries

from TIS

TIS is conducting various mandatory and refresher trainings between October 11 and November 19th. Please work with your building staff to ensure they have registered. Email notices were sent to current staff on 10/5/2021. These trainings are essential to the integrity of our district data and effect how your building functions. Staff will need to be relieved from all other duties during this time and have a quiet, undisturbed space to participate with a computer, working camera, and microphone.

Staff who do not attend the mandatory trainings will lose rights to functions in Infinite Campus and not be able to perform their duties in your building.

Sign ups are available here.  You must be logged into your m.kckps.org account.

Questions can be sent to Michelle Gould or Kimberly Kirschenbaum.

For EC-5 Administrators (Action)

EC-5 Canvas Site Training Sign Up

from Curriculum and Instruction

This is for EC-5 schools only. Wendy Elkins has provided multiple sign-up opportunities to come to your school for the entire day and collaborate with teachers and administrators on how to use Canvas. Sign-ups begin on Nov. 2 and run until Dec. 17th. Generally, schools have been using PLCs as the time for Canvas training with outliers dropping in when they have availability. However, if you have a different format in mind, please feel free to set up the time that will work best for your building.

Use this link to schedule your site visit. You will schedule a time using Calendly, and the link is provided below. There are two days per week where the time runs from 8:30-3:30 and two days from 9:00 – 4:00. Please include the name of the school and a contact person. If you have any questions, please email Wendy Elkins.

Informational Items

For All Administrators (Informational Item)

Fall 2021 Praxis Study Sessions

from ESOL

We are excited to announce that the Department of ESOL will be offering two ESOL Praxis study sessions this year. The first will be in November. These sessions are available to any certified teacher seeking to add their ESOL endorsement to their license. This is a 5 part paid professional development with three in person and two asynchronous sessions. In person sessions are an hour and will be offered either 3:30-4:30 and 4:45-5:45.
Session dates:
November 2
November 16
November 30
Teachers may register through this link.
For more information contact Jacqueline Rodriguez.

Benefits Open Enrollment

from Human Resources

Important information regarding open enrollment. Please see attachment.

UPCOMING Association Sponsored PD

from NEA-KCK

Please share with your buildings the following Association Sponsored PD:
* Social Media & The Law Presented by Kimberly Streit Vogelsberg (KNEA Staff Attorney) and Marcus Baltzell (KNEA Director of Communications) (Virtural Event) October 28, 2021, (5:00 pm – 6:30 pm). Register here. 

Mid-TESOL Conference

from ESOL
We are excited to announce that for the second year we will be sending KCKPS staff to the Mid-TESOL virtual conference. Through our partnership with KU STEP-UP we are able to fund registration costs. We are offering this opportunity to any ESOL teacher and aide. We also want to extend this opportunity to other certified staff. Please share out to teachers that would be interested in attending. Please note all ESOL aides who sign up and attend will receive a stipend for attendance for the Saturday session.

To sign up you will:
Complete KCKPS Conference Form
Register by visiting bit.ly/MIDTESOL21

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/

Career Expo

from WyCo Unified Government

We invite KCKPS schools to sign-up for the region’s fourth Public Service Youth Career Expo which takes place Nov. 3-4, 2021. This free, virtual event will help middle and high-school students explore high-demand and rewarding career opportunities in local government. Cities and counties across the Kansas City region have joined forces to co-sponsor this high-impact event giving students the opportunity to interact with local public sector employees in 10 different public sector career areas. To date, there have been more than 2,000 registrations and we hope to have a strong representation from KCK!

Join one or many of the interactive sessions that will be available over two days. Each career area will present two times the first day and two times the second day. Four simultaneous sessions will run each hour. Each session will last 45 minutes, with a 15 minute break between each. Schedules have been reversed for the second day to give schools maximum options to attend sessions that fit their schedules. Register by October 15.

For All Principals (Informational Item)

Benefits for Substitutes

from Human Resources

Principals, if you have potential employees who would like to be hired as a building substitute or long-term substitute, the Recruitment team would like to have their names, emails or phone numbers to provide updated information on how to get a substitute license. Additionally, substitutes who are willing to become full-time and work daily at one building until the end of the school year in May 2022, may qualify for district benefits such as medical, dental, vision, and other voluntary benefits. Just think, they can be assigned to your building every day. If you need more information, contact Cynthia Fulks at Cynthia.fulks@kckps.org or Aaron Watkins at  Aaron.Watkins@kcksp.org.

For Elementary Principals (Informational Item)

Connection Goal Reached

from Diploma+
Joe Graham and his team at John Fiske have already met the first Connector goal and blown right by it with 55% of his staff holding live Connector sessions with their students. Way to Go Joe!!

We know the principals’ support makes all of the difference. Please remind your staff about the goal to hold 1 live Connector session before winter break.