PKM HIGHLIGHTS
April 27-May 1, 2020
Dear Bill, Darin, Michele, Todd & Pat
Update on Meal Distribution
As we celebrate School Lunch Hero Day, we want to acknowledge our BCS Child Nutrition Staff and Tracy Heck, Executive Director for Child Nutrition for their continuous high-quality service. Their unwavering dedication to our COVID-19 emergency feeding has been exceptional. Due to this hard work, over 143,000 meals have been served to our students with 23,500 meals served this past Monday! We hope everyone will thank them for their leadership, service and caring attitude about our children, staff and our community. Here are some very kind words received from a parent about our School Lunch Heroes:
My family would like to celebrate School Lunch Hero Day, but we aren't sure how to do it. Could we provide a gift card for lunch for the School Lunch Heroes? Coffee and Donuts?
We’d very much like to do something for them because we are so grateful for their hard work and dedication every day. We are especially grateful and humbled by their service now, when they are caring for and feeding our most vulnerable students.
How can we shower them with our love and appreciation?
SPECIAL EDUCATION REVIEW TEAM MEETINGS
A few weeks ago, the Office of District and School Advancement (ODSA) conducted a debrief with our principals who had been a part of the Special Education Review in February. Since last week, all nine school principals hosted Zoom meetings with their staff to review topics discussed in the state review to bring them up to speed and make them aware of next steps. David Dilly, Rebecca Huber, Michele Tost and the school special education coordinators and I attended these meetings as part of a collaborative approach to recognize, thank and provide support in responding to questions. The discussions have been focused on the four areas that were reviewed during the WVED review team visit. The four areas include: (1) evaluation and identification of students who may require special education services; (2) allocation of resources to equitably evaluate and provide services, accommodations, and instruction for students with disabilities; (3) services are provided to students with disabilities by high-quality staff across all settings; systems are in place to assure staff are certified, trained, and monitored; and (4) ongoing monitoring processes for system accountability in delivery of our Special Education Services are in place.
The debriefs have been very positive and principals wanted to make sure that everyone has been communicated with to ensure all are in the loop and aware of next steps and how reporting to the school board and public will occur. Initial plans are already underway to address the review recommendations. Many of the recommendation are being addressed through changes with administrative procedures coupled with providing professional development for the staff this summer and fall. The Office of Special Education and the Office of Curriculum and Instruction will be working together in developing the professional development plans.
Sr. Staff Plus Pandemic Meeting-Apr. 29
·Our weekly senior staff pandemic group met on Wednesday, April 29. Once again we are appreciative of the efforts of the Child Nutrition Department as they reported to have been able to provide 23,500 plus meals to families this week. Governor Justice continues to stress the importance of our schools keeping the children of West Virginia fed during this time and has announced that schools will continue to provide meals to students through June.
Members of senior staff met with high school administrators and student leaders to discuss plans for senior recognition and graduation. The four high schools are going to continue with plans for a more personalized recognition later this summer while still adhering to social distancing guidelines. All schools are developing plans for scheduling students to stop by and collect their remaining personal items as well as return books and devices. Families may register their children for Pre-K and kindergarten on our BCS homepage. We are proud to have “virtually honored” the finalists for Teacher of the Year and will announce the winner on Monday, May 4th.
Human Resources has been busy posting for professional and service positions needed for the 2021 school year and principals are using online platforms to interview prospective candidates. A virtual recruitment fair is planned for May 13-14. Also, this week, committees are meeting to make plans for an online version of summer school as well as a group of stakeholders to create a re-entry plan for next school year that will include procedures for a safe and healthy return. The technology department has worked with Comcast to be able to post teaching videos on channel 18.
On May 1, we want to send a special thank you to our School Lunch Heroes. Thank you for all you do! During the week of May 4-8, please honor our teachers for their hard work and dedication during Teacher Appreciation Week. In addition, let’s give a special heartfelt thank you to all of our school nurses, for National School Nurse Day, May 6th. You are all invaluable!
UPDATE ON CAMERAS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION CLASSROOMS
During Legislation, SB 614 modified the funding language from last year’s SB 632 to provide the requested flexibility in the use of Safe Schools appropriations to purchase cameras for self-contained, Special Education classrooms. Please be aware the procurement, installation, and operation of the cameras is no longer contingent on legislative appropriation and it is expected that cameras are to be in place prior to the start of the 2020-2021 school year.
Berkeley County Schools has started and is currently in the process of the installation of cameras in the classroom. The Office of Special Education (OSE) is leading this process in collaboration with the Office of Technology. In February, classrooms were identified by the OSE and wiring infrastructure began. As of this week, only nine schools remain to have the wiring infrastructure completed and it is estimated that by late May all schools will have this plan in place. It is estimated that the camera installation will be complete by mid-June.
The Office of Special Education has formed a Principal Committee in reference to the cameras in the classroom and they are currently coming up with FAQs surrounding the installations of cameras. Also, HR and OSE have a legal training on this subject for the Principals scheduled for this summer.
PRE-K PROGRAM DATA REVIEW
Michelle Martin, Dave Banks and I met to brainstorm the future vision and mission of Berkeley County Schools Pre-K program. Recognizing the number of Pre-K students doubling in the last ten years to over 1150 with 69 programs located at all levels in the school system and ¾ of these students entering BCS Kindergarten classrooms each year, it is now time to shift focus to the next phase of additional academic skills for Pre-K students.
As the Pre-K program works to ensure each child has the skills to be college and career ready, the need for additional collaboration for the transition between Pre-K and Kindergarten will be a goal for the 2020-2021 school year. Using the current Pre-K County Committee, which consist of stakeholders from the community, Pre-K and K classroom teachers, health care, DHHR, childcare, Birth to Three, school administration, special education staff, parents and BCS instructional department staff, the members will work together to form and set the expectations for that transition plan and program. This involves collaboration on the current state assessment, ELRS at both levels, bridging the gap in contents standards, developing professional staff training for high expectations in the areas of social and emotional development, math and language skills and addressing the annual desk audit (ADA), for students receiving special education services.
The committee will also begin researching, developing and piloting a BCS comprehensive summative assessment for exiting Pre-K students to identify achievements and skill gaps between the Pre-K and K content standards. This is a very exciting realignment of the Pre-K/ K collaboration and the committee is looking forward to the achievements of our youngest Berkeley County citizens.
Service and Professional Staff Conference Calls
Our weekly meeting with service and professional representatives was held that included - Jana Woofter, Mallory Painter, Justin Mauck, Jessica Salfia, Georgiana Lang, Debbie Sloat, Ricky Mason and Mark Weisenburg along with the Human Resources team of Dr. Justin Schooley, Karen Hensell and Lewis Mullenax. The goal of this meeting is to update membership on the status of the school closing as well as hear any questions/concerns from their members. It was conveyed that the custodial staff is eager to return to the buildings and aid in the process for students/staff to return computers and remove personal items for the summer in a protected/sanitary method. The last date for 200-day employees was confirmed as June 1st. The transportation department is working on a schedule/plan for bus turn-in that will comply with health department regulations in regards to social distancing. Discussion of the addition/update of Channel 18 as a method for teachers to provide video instruction to students was shared. The group stated they were appreciative of the weekly updates and the ability to update their membership. Additionally, it was communicated that they liked the new hiring process for upper level positions and the involvement of employees in the process. Our next weekly meeting is scheduled for May 6th at 12pm.
Business Education Partnership Leadership Academy GRAND FINALE
Teacher of the Year Finalists
The finalists were invited to a zoom meeting on Tuesday where it was revealed that they were among the five finalists. Each participated in a zoom personal interview on Wednesday.
Marcy Alwin - Hedgesville Middle
Lurah Cochran - Hedgesville High
Michael Knepper - Musselman High
Janet Lohr - Musselman Middle
Linda Payne - Tomahawk Intermediate
There were 49 teachers nominated and 22 completed applications. This is a tough process given the incredible amount of talent in our school district. Thank you to all of you for being nominated and selected by your peers.
ADVANCE TEAM PLANNING MEETING
This week an informal group comprised of a cross section of school and central office leaders to forecast and plan for the future given the current circumstances with the Covid-19 Pandemic and how we will need to be prepared as a school district for summer school and the start of the upcoming school year. The purpose of the advance teamwork idea is to begin to think through a variety of “What if . . .” scenarios that many other school districts and organization are planning for in the short- and long-term. Beginning to think about these possible scenarios and make tentative plans that alert the whole organization will help all of us be better prepared and provide greater continuity of services that will offer consistency and most importantly build and create confidence.
The agenda for the meeting focused on two main areas – summer school and the start of the new school year in August. In regard to each area the group looked at four categories: (1)educational access; (2) teaching and learning; (3) mental health and;(4)structures for all students in the short-term (three months), mid-range(return to school) and long-term (twelve months) for the purposes of developing an outline to beginning laying out future plans. Guiding this discussion where several overarching essential questions: How should we plan for the next 3, 6 and 12 months?; What are the knowns and unknowns?; How do we ensure continuous equity in planning, deployment, monitoring and evaluating?; and what questions are we not asking that we should be?
The initial outgrowth of the meeting generated more ideas and areas that we need to think and plan. Topics that were generated and discussed included: how do we create a feedback loop, connect and communicate with staff and families to involve them in our planning to gain their input; how do we define, operationalize and deliver remote and distance learning if we continue in the current situation this summer and next school year; and how will we address attendance and families that may not want their children to return to school when it reopens? This is just a sample of the discussion that we had during our meeting. The most significant discussion though centered around mental health and equity for students, families and staff. The group felt that these two topics needed to be overarching pieces with our planning. We recognized in our discussion that all of us are being touched in some way by the current pandemic and our role and responsibility will be to create support systems for our children, families and staff and make sure these supports are equitable and distributed in such a way that address the individual needs in our school community.
The next step is for this information to be shared with principal and departments to first raise awareness and then begin preliminary planning for summer school, summer professional learning and contingency plans for the start of school in August. More to come on this topic as we continue to plan and think through the various “What if . . .” scenarios and options.
ASPIRING LEADERS INTERVIEW AND RESUME CRITIQUE
The final session of the Berkeley County Schools Leadership Series was held on April 30, 2020, via Zoom. Participants, prior to the meeting, were assigned mentors who volunteered to critique aspiring leaders’ resumes, conduct a mock interview, and provide feedback on the aforementioned items.
Aspiring leaders then shared – during breakout sessions in Zoom – their perceptions of what went well, what surprised them, and their greatest takeaway from the overall experience.
Participants verbalized a variety of thoughts about their experience during the leadership series, which included enlightening, broadened, growth, strategic, and a whole plethora of positive expressions.
A special thank you is extended to the individuals who agreed to serve as a mentor to the aspiring leaders during the resume critique and mock interview portion of the leadership series, which includes:
Andrew Omerzo, Assistant Principal
Kelly Duranko, Coordinator
Antoinette Funk, Principal
Krista Ematrudo, Assistant Principal
Barbara Ferguson, Principal
Leah Hite, Assistant Principal
Beth McCoy, Principal
Nicole Krause, Principal
Betty Anne Powell, Director
Penny Cave, Assistant Director
Cari Aliveto Rosen, Assistant Principal
Dr. Ron Branch, Principal
Elice Gregory, Director
Robyn Lopez, Executive Director
Holly Kleppner, Principal
Ryan Ott, Principal
Ian Hillman, Assistant Principal
Trent Sherman, Principal
Dr. Patrick Murphy
GRADUATION UPDATE & PLANNING
Distribution of Graduation Materials
o Spring Mills HS Tuesday, May 5
o Hedgesville HS Wednesday, May 6
o Martinsburg HS Thursday, May 7
o Musselman HS Friday, May 8
o Each school will be sending out specific instructions for pick-up and times.
May Graduation Celebrations
o The high schools will be doing special graduation celebrations on their original graduation dates.
§ Thursday, May 21 Musselman HS
§ Tuesday, May 26 Martinsburg HS
§ Wednesday, May 27 Hedgesville HS
§ Thursday, May 28 Spring Mills HS
o The original May Graduation date will be a drive-through graduation celebrations at the high schools and will keep health, wellness and safety of everyone as a priority.
o Each school will be forwarding specific instructions to their students and families on how the drive-through graduation celebrations will proceed.
Traditional Graduation Ceremonies Alternate Dates in the Summer
o Our high schools want to hold traditional graduation ceremonies so that their seniors can be recognized for their accomplishments and be able to celebrate with families, friends and fellow seniors when it can be done safely.
o These are the alternate dates that are proposed.
Alternative Dates I- June 22-25
· Monday, June 22 Musselman HS
· Tuesday, June 23 Martinsburg HS
· Wednesday, June 24 Hedgesville HS
· Thursday, June 25 Spring Mills HS
Alternative Dates II- July 20-23
· Monday, July 20 Musselman HS
· Tuesday, July 21 Martinsburg HS
· Wednesday, July 22 Hedgesvillle HS
· Thursday, July 23 Spring Mills HS
Alternative Dates III- August 3-6
· Monday, August 3 Musselman HS
· Tuesday, August 4 Martinsburg HS
· Wednesday, August 5 Hedgesville HS
· Thursday, August 6 Spring Mills HS
§ Graduation ceremonies will be held in stadiums to help with social distancing.
§ Limited tickets will be given to students to help with social distancing.
§ Graduation ceremonies will be Live Streamed for family and friends that cannot attend to watch.
§ Schools can use stadium video boards to display graduation information and pictures.
§ Seniors that cannot attend graduation ceremonies due to other commitments (military, college, vacations, etc.) will be recognized during the graduation ceremonies.
Thought for the Week:
This week wrapped up with the final meeting of the Aspiring Leaders seminar lead by Dr. Veronique Walker and 25 future leader participants. I believe this is significant and symbolic for our organization and preparing for the next generation of leaders. As you look at successful organizations, they plan for change and make investments in people and the future of the organization. The Aspiring Leaders seminar is one piece of that planning and investment. Current leadership also play a part in that planning and investment. Dr. Walker and I want to thank many of our principals and Sr. Staff who played a part in supporting the recent seminar. Most importantly the participants echoed comments expressing some of the most valuable parts of the learning experiences was hearing from principals and other leaders in the district share their experiences and leadership philosophy. As we wrapped up the final meeting one of the participants shared how he now had a better understanding of the expectations for leadership in Berkeley County Schools, learned how the process for applying and interviewing for career opportunities and most importantly felt better prepared to present himself as a viable candidate for a leadership position. As I often say, knowing the rules of the game and how the game is played will allow me to be a better player and contributor to the mission of the team. Finally, this group met several times via Zoom and was able to adapt very effectively and successfully to the changing learning environment. A quality to note for what will be needed for future leaders to be comfortable and creative in continuing with a growth mindset for themselves, their students and staff. Thank you again to Dr. Walker, the 25 participants and all who contributed to the inaugural leadership seminar.
PKM Calendar for upcoming week: May 4-8, 2020
Mon.May 4th
Staff Meeting
Routine & Review Meetings
Board Meeting
Tues., May 5th
Routine Meeting-JS
Wed., May 6th
Sr Staff Pandemic Meeting
Routine Meeting-DD
Service/Prof Rep Meeting
CEFP Meetings
Thurs., May 7th
Fri., May 8th
PKM Highlights
Meal Count to date - 143,130
Week of March 16: 10,266
March 23rd: 31,354
April 1st: 34,810
April 13th: 20,510
April 20th: 22,670
April 27th: 23,520
Please view the following attachments and Pat's Picks:
WVDE Graduation Taskforce
Patrick K. Murphy, Ed.D., Superintendent
Email: patrick.murphy@k12.wv.us
Phone: 304-582-0880
Twitter: @PKMSupt