relek – Page 6

IAA Featured in Documentary on Netflix

April 29, 2019 By relek

The Creative Brain Sheds Light on the Creative Process and its Impact on Society

Burlingtonians watching documentaries on Netflix are in for a treat. The Creative Brain, which was added to the video-streaming service earlier this month, explores creativity and encourages everyone to be more creative. Burlington School District’s Integrated Arts Academy and its model of education are highlighted in the movie, positing that if creativity has proven outcomes, incorporating it into our system of education can develop a more creative, healthy, and thriving community.

“It was a very fulfilling experience talking about the work we do daily at IAA in this way,” said IAA Principal Bobby Riley, who was interviewed for the documentary.

“Creativity is an amazing thing, it empowers children to learn and our world to evolve,” said Fourth Grade teacher Aurie Thibault who both sat down for an interview and allowed his class to be filmed in the documentary. “I am blessed to get the opportunity to teach through an artistic and creative lens every day, have a job I love, and work with so many amazing children and educators at the IAA. The Creative Brain captured all the things I love about my job and teaching through the arts.”

IAA was chosen to be in the documentary as a result of working neuroscientist Dr. David Eagleman and composer Anthony Brandt in 2017 when they were co-authoring a book, The Runaway Species. Brandt had learned about IAA in 2015 after reading a Mindshift article.

“He reached out and gave us a call and Judy Klima, our Arts Integration Coach, and I spoke with him. They ended up including three pages on IAA in the book. Then in 2016, the BBC and Blink Films got in touch with us about filming for a documentary based on the book and they came and shot the footage in the fall of 2017.”

Riley noted that since the release, people from 14 countries and from many parts of the United States have reached out to inquire about the work being done at IAA and to learn more about the arts integration model.

The Creative Brain will be shown at BHS on May 30th at 6:00 PM as part of IAA’s Ten Year Magnet Celebration and Partner Thank You event. It is also available now on Netflix. For more information on the movie, visit https://creativebrainmovie.com/.

BSD Community Health and Wellness Fair April 16

March 26, 2019 By relek

Please join the District Equity and Access Leadership Team (DEALT) for a Community Health and Wellness Fair at BHS on Tuesday, April 16th from 5-8 pm. All are welcome!

Nearly 50 health and wellness organizations in the greater Burlington area will be in attendance with information on health topics, community resources, games, activities, and prizes. Several brief presentations will be available for those who are interested in learning more about maintaining healthy lifestyles and supporting those of family, friends, and partners.

A free community meal will be provided for all attendees with vegetarian and gluten-free options available.

Please join us in partnership with our community health and wellness organizations in supporting a healthy community!

Confirmed Speakers:

BSD Staff and Administration

Burlington City Arts

Howard Center School Services

Laura Ellis

Opiate Policy Coordinator

Confirmed Exhibitors (More coming every day!):

Affiliates in OB/GYN

Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Vermont

Burlington Parks and Recreation Department

Burlington Partnership for a Healthy Community – ParentIN

Burlington Police Department – Opiate Policy Manager

Burlington School District Expanded Learning Opportunities

Burlington School Food Project

Champlain Housing Trust

Champlain Valley Head Start (CVOEO)

Child Care Resource VT

Children’s Integrative Services

City Market

Community Health Centers of Burlington

Dept for Children and Families

Financial Futures Program

HOPE works

Jaren Green Therapeutics

KidSafe Collaborative

King Street Center

Laughing River Yoga

Make A Wish Vermont

Marko Chiropractic

NAMI Vermont

Peace and Justice Center

Planned Parenthood of Northern New England

Prevent Child Abuse Vermont

RiseVT

Sara Holbrook Center

Sangha Studio

Spectrum Youth and Family Services

Steps to end Domestic Violence

Team Impact

The Janet S. Munt Family Room

United Way/Help Me Grow

UVM Health Network Home Health and Hospice

UVM Medical Center Child Passenger Safety

UVM Medical Center Health Assistance Program

UVM Medical Center Injury Prevention

Vermont 211

Vermont Community Acupuncture

Vermont Family Network

Vermont Health Connect

Vermont Legal Aid

Wellness Environment UVM

Thank You, Burlington! Voters Approve School Budget

March 5, 2019 By relek

On March 5th, Burlington residents once again voted to support students and schools. The Burlington School District’s proposed 2019-2020 budget request passed with nearly 70% of the vote on Town Meeting Day.

“Thank you, Burlington, for continually supporting the needs of students and staff in Burlington School District,” said Superintendent Yaw Obeng. “I am pleased that our efforts of prudent financial management over the past four years have led us to a place where our District is fiscally stable enough to allow us to add back programming and staff in a strategic and data-driven approach. The additions and reductions proposed in this year’s budget are another step in the right direction towards reducing disparities in our system, closing the very real achievement gap, and raising the bar for all of our students.”

This is the 5th straight year that voters have approved the District’s proposed budget on Town Meeting Day. In addition to providing budget support, the Burlington community has also recently voted in favor of a 10-year capital plan bond as well as a new high school re-envisioning bond during that time frame.

2nd Annual Beyond Black History Month, March 22

February 25, 2019 By relek

Save the date and plan to join us!

Continuing the spirit of inclusive curriculum, and recognizing that Black History does not end when March begins, BSD’s Diversity, Equity, and Access Leadership Team is proud to announce our 2nd Annual Beyond Black History Month will take place on March 22nd from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at BHS. This inclusive, District-wide event once again aims to continue – not conclude – the community’s momentum in expanding dialogues, shifting perspectives, and boldly addressing present-day injustices.

Join our students and staff for an evening of conversation, education, and reflection, featuring student-led discussions, performances, and presentations. Community partners will be on hand to offer resources related to diversity, inclusion, and community.

Childcare and dinner will be provided, more details to come. JOIN US!

Learn more or RSVP on our Facebook page.

MLK Day, A Half-day in BSD: Note from Superintendent Obeng

January 11, 2019 By relek

Greetings BSD Community,

“Each year, on the third Monday in January, the MLK Day of Service is observed as a ‘day on, not a day off.’ MLK Day of Service is intended to empower individuals, strengthen communities, bridge barriers, create solutions to social problems, and move us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a ‘Beloved Community.’ ” -The Corporation for National and Community Service

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a profound figure in American and world history; BSD believes this day should be reflected as so.

In my time here schools have been closed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Initially, I was pleased that this day was recognized in BSD and in the community. However, over the past three years, I have made a conscious effort to ask students how they recognized the day. While some of our students engage in celebrations or service in the community, my experience has been one in which I have mostly been met with answers like: “I stayed home and played video games.” or “Why did we have the day off?”.

Last year when developing the new school calendars, the senior leadership team and I had many conversations about the impact, from an educational standpoint, of MLK Day. I expressed to our team that I feel we are not doing enough in BSD to recognize this day, the individual, or the meaning of service as expressed by Dr. King, and was met with great support.

Together, we decided that for the first time in many years we will have a half-day of school on MLK Day to ensure every student is exposed to content relating to the significance of the person and the day.

Our vision for this day is that students are first brought together to intentionally focus on the importance of Dr. King, racial equality, service, and love; and ideally, students are leading some of these conversations and driving the curriculum where appropriate. (Talk to your local school administrator to learn more.)

After spending this time together, we want to encourage our students and staff to go into the community and implement the day’s teachings. We hope our community will consider serving, learning more, or celebrating with others throughout the community at events like the CEDO-led Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration at ECHO (featuring BSD students again this year).

In addition to this celebration at ECHO, there are numerous volunteer efforts in our community, including those listed in the resources below. I encourage our teachers and staff to share these resources (and any others you know of) with students, friends, and neighbors. And for those who are able to do so, I hope these resources or this conversation allows you to find a way to plug in.

Recognizing the day in this fashion reflects the BSD Vision: “Cultivating caring, creative and courageous people. Join the journey!”

Thank you for listening and for being engaged.

– Superintendent Obeng

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Additional Resources:
United Way (Volunteer opportunities)

Corporation for National and Community Service (Volunteer opportunities)

GBMRC 2019 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Remembrance (Community event)

2nd Conversations on Race at IAA

December 17, 2018 By relek

Join us Wednesday, January 9th, from 6-8pm, in the IAA cafeteria for the second in a monthly series of conversations about race in our IAA community.

If you need childcare, please contact Rachel Jolly at jollyrachel@gmail.com or 802-363-2634.

Climate Survey Results Show Strengths and Areas for Improvement in BSD

October 25, 2018 By relek

District to work with staff and community on next steps.

Find all survey results here.

In 2017, Burlington School District (BSD) embarked on a community-led strategic plan planning process. Part of that work revealed the need to conduct a District-wide Climate Survey to better understand how the district and individual schools engage with students, families, and staff. BSD spent the spring of 2018 conducting climate surveys, with more than 2,000 staff, students, and parents participating. The results of the survey, available on the District’s website, point to areas of strength and areas where growth is needed. http://www.bsdvt.org/climate-survey/

Superintendent Obeng noted that the District is in the process of presenting the data to each school, leaders throughout the district, the school board, central office, parents and the community. After each group has a chance to analyze and reflect on the information, the District will begin working together with stakeholders to set aspirational goals for improving the District’s learning and working environments.

“Acknowledging the data is the first step in building environmental coherence, and now that we have this quantitative data, we are working hard combine it with what we know from our qualitative efforts, and to dissect and learn from it,” said Superintendent Yaw Obeng. The Superintendent noted that the full reports for the District and each school are available on the website and that each report has a significant amount of information.

“It’s going to take some time to unpack all of the data, but on the surface, we are seeing that a few things are obvious. For example, the data suggests staff and parents believe that differences are respected in our district. This is very important to us because of the diversity we have and our desire to address the inequities of our district. Understanding and valuing one another’s differences helps us to improve student learning. However, parents and teachers seem to agree that the district has not been equitable in how it distributes resources across the district, and many do not believe the district feels like a positive community.”

Obeng noted that central office has already begun to support some restorative work currently underway on the District level. “As a result of our preliminary review, the leadership team has been working to incorporate a theme of building healthy relationships into the 2018-19 school year, starting with a districtwide in-service day focused on building healthy relationships among staff on August 24th. In addition, the entire year’s districtwide professional development opportunities have been dedicated to Restorative Practices.”

Obeng also noted that the District is taking a deeper look at why stakeholders feel resources are not allocated in an equitable fashion. “This is important for us to understand, especially as we enter this year’s budget process. I know we did a better job this year than in the past of holding public input sessions and trying to spread the word, particularly to sectors of our community that have gone unreached in the past. We are considering these improvements and trying to make our outreach even better going forward.”

Obeng encouraged stakeholders to review the data and begin thinking about and identifying ways to help improve BSD’s climate and culture. The District is planning to make an official presentation to the board at the November board meeting.

###

Burlington School District (BSD) is a pre-k-12 public school system of about 4,000 students in Burlington, VT. BSD’s mission is to graduate students who: value different cultures, engage with the community, communicate effectively, think creatively, skillfully solve problems, and achieve at their highest academic, intellectual, and personal potential.

Update on EPA Testing at IAA

August 22, 2018 By relek

Dear BSD Community,

I’m writing with information about an investigation conducted by the State of Vermont and the Environmental Protection Agency into chemicals that may have entered the soil and air in the area of Elmwood Avenue in Burlington’s Old North End neighborhood, including the Integrated Arts Academy.

The Burlington School District is pleased to report that EPA test findings at Integrated Arts Academy show levels which pose no threat to students, staff or faculty present in or around the building.

When we were alerted that the EPA wanted to test, we made it very clear that it was important that we have results to give to you before school started. On Tuesday, August 21 we received those results via email and a phone conference. On Wednesday, August 22, we received follow up documents, including further detail, and notification that we could now share those results. We are acting as quickly as possible to get this message out, and we are thrilled that teachers, staff, and students will be able to start the new school year knowing that our building is, and has been, safe.

To be sure that the levels do not change over time, the EPA has requested they be allowed to do two more rounds of precautionary testing – once after students return (when airflow patterns change), and another during the harsher conditions of winter when the school is buttoned up. The District is working with IAA leadership to accommodate this request during noninstructional times and will coordinate these times with the EPA, which has also offered cover the cost of the tests and report results to the District when they become available.

For more information, and for contact information for questions about the testing, results and health concerns, please see the complete results below, as well as a letter from the Vermont Department of Health and the Department of Environmental Conservation.

Thank you for your patience with us as we worked to provide this information in a timely fashion,

Superintendent Obeng

VT DEC and DOH Letter

School_Summa-AIR_2018.08.10

School_Summa-SubSlab_2018.08.10

Student Update Form and Free/Reduced Meal Application

August 16, 2018 By relek

It is time to prepare for the 2018-19 school year! We need to gather accurate information about each student and family in our schools. It is very important we have this information to ensure the safety of all students, fulfill state requirements, receive State and Federal funding, and communicate important messages to families.

The District requires that all student information be updated for the 2018-19 school year using our online system, PowerSchool. All families must use their PowerSchool account to update information and complete the yearly mandated forms, including: Field Trip, Media Permission, Dismissal, Health forms (and Lunch forms, if applicable). Student information can only be updated online by families; it cannot be updated by your school or the District. Please do this during the next few weeks by following the steps below.

NOTE: If student information is not updated by Tuesday, September 4th (the fourth day of school) that student will not be allowed to attend school until their update is complete. If a student without updated information comes to school on September 4th he/she will be sent home.

Here follow the instructions below to complete the Annual Student Update Form or fill out the Free and Reduced Meals Application.

Annual Student Update

Many of you already have a PowerSchool account connected to your students; you can update your student information on your own. Follow the steps below to do so.

HOW TO UPDATE YOUR INFORMATION:

To update your students’ information on your own, please follow the steps below.

Step 1. Go to the PowerSchool Parent Portal at https://psapp.bsdvt.org/public

or visit the district web page at www.bsdvt.org then click on the PowerSchool link in the upper right-hand corner.

Step 2. If you already have an account, skip to Step 3. If you don’t have an account, create one by clicking on Create Account and follow the steps. You will need an email address in order to do this. Once your account is created, log in by using your username and password that you just created.

Step 3. Connect to your students by doing one of the following steps:

a) If your student’s name is shown on the bar in the upper left corner, click on the student’s name then click the 18-19 Student Update Form and complete the information. Once you finish with this student, move on to the next student. All students must be updated one at a time.

b) If your child’s name doesn’t appear, click on Account Preferences, then click on Students. Enter your student’s name, your access ID and access password. Then select your relationship to your student through the Relationship drop down. Once your student is added to your account, click on 18-19 Student Update form and complete all information. All students must be updated one at a time.

c) Click Submit when you are finished with the update form.

d) You are now on the confirmation page. If your child attends Champlain, Edmunds Elementary or Middle School, or Burlington High School, or the Burlington Tech Center, PLEASE click on the Apply Now link to apply for free or reduced lunch.

IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE:

Come to or call your student’s school during the school day and ask for help there.
Come to our Central Office location at 150 Colchester Ave.

Free and Reduced Meals Application

The Free and Reduced Meals Application should only be filled out for students attending:
Burlington High School
Burlington Technical Center
Champlain Elementary
Edmunds Elementary
Edmunds Middle

Click here to fill out the Free and Reduced Meals Application