By LAURA HAMMACK, guest columnist
I recently attended a conference where a superintendent from another school district shared a strategy to assist with school/community engagement. This superintendent shared that he holds monthly community conversations focused on a topic related to the schools. There’s nothing fancy about the strategy. Simply, the superintendent was trying to increase community awareness about topics related to the local school district. I loved the idea and am going to give it a try.
I’d like to invite the community — students, parents, and community members — once a month to our collaborative learning space at Brown County High School called The Goldberg Room for topical community conversations. Meetings will start at 6 p.m. and I will “teach” about the topic being discussed for about 45 minutes. Following the presentation, we will open up a community conversation regarding the topic where I will answer any questions and engage in dialogue about the topic. I commit to always dismiss the meeting by 7:30 p.m. I promise to respect your time.
I have framed out the school year by the following topics and have established the meeting dates. If you can’t make a meeting, I intend to post the presentation materials online for your review. You don’t have to attend every meeting. You can attend a meeting for which you have an interest in the topic and you can skip any meetings that aren’t of interest to you. However, if you attend all meetings, you will get a certificate with a gold star. (I’ll always be a sixth-grade teacher at heart.)
I’m calling these meetings Community Conversations and invite you to get the meeting dates on your calendar now:
Aug. 23: School safety. During this meeting I will update the community on the district certification process for active shooter training that is being implemented across the district, called ALICE. Additionally, I will share updates on the capital improvements that have taken place across the summer to increase security in our buildings, and will review the development process for our school safety plan.
Sept. 27: School finance. During this meeting I will walk the community through a lesson on School Finance 101. From the changes being made in the budgeting process at the state level to our own procedures for fiscal responsibility, I will offer a comprehensive picture of the budgeting process for our school district. Additionally, I will update meeting participants on the status of the current financial condition for Brown County Schools.
Oct. 25: Technology/eLearning. Beginning in school year 2018-2019, our district will be 1:1 with electronic devices for all students in grades K to 12. Now that all students will have access to their own Chromebook device, this will have direct application on the experience of our students in the classroom. This session will offer insight into the learning management system that students use, called Canvas, and will also discuss options that we have for eLearning Days.
Nov. 29: College and career readiness. Our work with the team from the Regional Opportunity Initiative Inc. has been extraordinary. We have learned so much about post-secondary opportunities in key industry sectors in the Indiana Uplands region for our graduates. This session will focus on sharing about these critical findings as well as outlining the new graduation pathways that have been approved by the state of Indiana. There are a lot of changes taking place regarding requirements for graduation, and this session will dive deeply into the details.
Dec. 13: Transportation. The timing of this meeting is intentional. During this session, we will spend time talking about transportation services when weather conditions get in the way of safe transportation. I will talk through our decision-making process for canceling or delaying school and will outline the steps we take in order to ensure that it is safe to return to school after a closure. I will also share information about bus purchasing, routing, contracting and safety.
Jan. 24: Student support services. This session will walk participants through the variety of support services that are available for students in need. We will talk about new curriculum and programming for social and emotional learning, substance use, social media and bullying. There has been a lot of legislation within the last few years regarding student support services, and this session will outline the responsibilities of the school district for the applicable laws. We will also outline the various grant programs that are funding student support initiatives across the district.
Feb. 28: Food service. Participants in this meeting will learn all about the requirements for food service delivery for all students in Brown County Schools. We will walk through the mandated guidelines for menu development and will share the systems and processes in place in the cafés across Brown County Schools. Meeting participants will also get to sample some of our favorite breakfast and lunch menu items.
March 14: Assessment. The school year 2018-2019 presents a lot of change in the required assessments that are given to students across Brown County Schools. The new ILEARN assessment will be given at the end of April/early May. This session will walk meeting participants through ILEARN and will also outline the other required assessments that are administered over the school year, including graduation qualifying exams.
April 25: STEM. During this meeting, we will be presenting the concept of STEM instruction to the meeting participants. We will introduce our student-led business at Brown County High School, called Eagle Manufacturing. Additionally, meeting participants will learn more about project-based/inquiry-based STEM learning through Project Lead the Way courses and cross-curricular units of study. Meeting participants will also get the opportunity to tour modern collaborative learning spaces at Brown County High School.
May 21: Annual Report to the Community. During this session, I will be introducing the community of Brown County Schools to the concept of an annual report. During this presentation, I will share key data points that have been tracked measuring success across Brown County Schools. This report will highlight success stories from the previous school year and will also indicate areas for growth in the following school year. I look forward to this being an annual tradition for many years to come. Additionally, individuals who have participated in each community conversation will be recognized for their attendance during this session,
I am excited about this project and hope that you will consider participating. There is no registration process. I will be sure to post reminders on my social media platforms and we will also post this information on our website. ‘Looking forward to learning and growing together as one school community.
Laura Hammack is superintendent of Brown County schools. She can be reached at 812-988-6601 or [email protected].
