Washington D.C. Trip

On Tuesday, September, 16, 2014 I began an advocacy trip to Washington D.C.  This trip was with three other superintendents, two special education directors and the MASA executive director.  We were able to meet with all of our state legislators and the United States Department of Education.  Our group discussed a variety of educational topics with these folks in an effort to improve current legislation. 

The following topics were emphasized:

1. Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).  Many of you know this as the former No Child Left Behind (NCLB).  Our message was to simply reauthorize it in the near future so that states and local districts can move forward with accountability practices.  Right now the state of Minnesota is under a waiver granted by the United States Department of Education.
2. Reauthorization of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).  Again, our message was to reauthorize in the near future.  We are looking for alignment between ESEA and IDEA.  There is also a piece of IDEA we'd like to see adjust which is known as Maintenance of Effort (MOE).  We are simply looking for flexibility.
3.  Carl Perkins Grant - We receive some federal dollars for Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses in our high school.  The federal government continues to add hoops to jump through in order to secure those funds.  We have asked that they streamline accountability measures so that our focus can be on the classroom as opposed to administrative paperwork.
4. Title I & II - Right now through Title allocations we are required to set aside equitable funds for non-public schools.  For our district that is between $17,000 and $19,000 annually.  The loss of those dollars presents a challenge for us to meet the needs of all our learners.  We would like some reform in this area so that we can continue to serve all children of our district while still providing us with the necessary resources to accommodate the learners in our building.
5. Title III - As our state grows more diverse, we need support to meet the needs of our english language learners.  State demographers predict that the Mankato area will experience a 150% increase in diverse populations over the next 20 years.  We need to be adequately prepared for this change in demographics.  Therefore, the promise of Title III funding for EL populations is extremely necessary.

Obviously the federal government is focused on other topics but we wanted to be sure they were aware of the challenges we encounter in public education.  This was an excellent trip to advocate for our school community.  If you would like to visit more about this, please do not hesitate to contact me. 

How is Curriculum Adopted?

The Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton School Board adopted a curriculum review process during the 2012-2013 school year.  This adoption was an effort to ensure our teachers are provided with the most recent, research-based, curriculum to deliver instruction to our students. 

Our school district's curriculum review cycle looks like the following:

Year One (Review/Selection)	Year Two (Implementation)	Year Three (Evaluation)
Task: Form curriculum committee Who: Curriculum Director & Principals When: October	Task: Professional development (as needed) to implement new curriculum Who: Faculty When: August	Task: Survey Staff Members Impacted Who: Faculty When: October
Task: Review/share current practice and relevant data Who: Committee Members When: November	Task: Board report Who: Committee members When: December-January	Task: Board report Who: Committee members When: October
Task: Standards & Best Practice Research Who: Committee members When: November	Task: Order additional materials/schedule development as needed Who: Committee members When: February	Task: Review and evaluate overall program Who: Committee members When: April-May
Task: Selection of Resources Who: Committee Members When: February/March
Task: Board Report Who: Committee members When: April/May

School Year	Review/Selection	Implementation	Evaluation
2014-2015	Media Technology/FACS	Math/Business	Reading/Language Arts
2015-2016	Art/Music/Foreign Language	Media Technology/FACS	Math/Business
2016-2017	Social Studies/Vocational Education	Art/Music/Foreign Language	Media Technology/FACS
2017-2018	Reading/Language Arts	Social Studies/Vocational Education	Art/Music/Foreign Language
2018-2019	Math/Business	Reading/Language Arts	Social Studies/Vocational Education

Last school year we implemented new math and reading curricula.  This school year, we are implementing a new science curriculum.  We will review Media Technology and Family and Consumer Science curricula this year with the hope of implementation in 2015-2016.  We are pleased with our process and the guarantee that our teachers are provided with effective resources to educate our students.

When new curriculum is adopted, our teachers are charged with the responsibility of ensuring they master the content and develop highly effective delivery methods.  Teachers work diligently to master each new curriculum and deliver it with integrity.  We are proud of the work they do throughout each adoption process!

Off to Washington D.C.!

This week I was approached by the Minnesota Association of School Administrators to attend a federal advocacy campaign in Washington D.C. from September 16th to the 19th.  It is a true honor to accept this invitation and I look forward to representing rural Minnesota in Washington D.C. as well as our District.

When one thinks of federal advocacy each should consider what role the federal government plays in education.  Although the states hold authority over the educational priorities, the federal government does play a critical role.  Some of the items the federal government has interest in are the following:

1. Special Education - In 1975 Congress enacted the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) to ensure that children with disabilities have the opportunity to receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE), just like other children.
2. Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) - In 1965 Lyndon B. Johnson passed this bill to fight the war on poverty.  Programs assimilated with ESEA are Title I and Rural Education.
3. Free and Reduced Lunch Program (FRP) - This law allows families an opportunity to purchase lunches at a reduced price or receive them for free based on income.
4. Others - Although the three above are the most prevalent, there are some other programs of importance.

All in all, the state government and local population are the majority when it comes to supporting education.  However, the federal government does provide a portion of our funding.  It is my goal to ensure rural Minnesota is represented well in Washington D.C.  It is my hope that our advocacy efforts will have a positive impact on our learning organization.

While in Washington D.C., I will do my best to post information on Facebook, Twitter and our District Blog.  Stay tuned...

Annual Notifications

The Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton School District must provide a variety of annual notices to our families.  Please read below for specific information:

2014-2015 ANNUAL NOTIFICATION

DISTRICT-WIDE ASBESTOS UPDATE

We are pleased to inform you that the District has continued to respond to the asbestos in schools issue in a cautious and proactive manner. The District will continue with its original asbestos operations and maintenance program, including periodic surveillance required by the Asbestos Hazards and Emergency Response Act (AHERA).

With the implementation of the District’s Asbestos Management Plan, the following activities have been completed in the past year or are planned for the upcoming year:

RESPONSE ACTIONS COMPLETED	RESPONSE ACTIONS SCHEDULED
Kitchen Renovation Asbestos Removal	Periodic Surveillance
-Summer 2014	- March 2015
Periodic Surveillance
-March 2014
-September 2014

Please be assured that the District’s ongoing efforts related to the management and control of asbestos containing materials are geared towards providing a safe and healthy environment for students, employees, and other occupants.

If there are any questions, interested persons should contact the District Office at (507) 234-5181.

Indoor Air Quality Notification

2014-2015 School Year

The JWP School District would like to take this opportunity to inform parents and employees of the District’s commitment to achieving and maintaining a healthy Indoor Air Quality environment for all students, staff and other building occupants.

The District has implemented an Indoor Air Quality Management Plan. This involves performing annual building walkthroughs, IAQ investigations for problem areas, ventilation checklists for mechanical equipment, staff IAQ checklists, and the development of policies related to Indoor Air Quality. The District utilizes the EPA’s “Indoor Air Quality – Tools For Schools” guide to help accomplish these tasks.

If you have any questions or concerns about indoor air quality, please contact the District Office at (507) 234-5181.

Pesticide Notification

General Notice for Parents or Guardians

2014 – 2015 School Year

JWP Public Schools may use pest control materials during the school year.

Should the need occur this school year, we may use an insecticide to clean up the area.  The district may use chemicals for weed control and turf management.  The determination will be made about the dates and chemicals to be used in conjunction with a licensed applicator during the growing season.  Notification will be posted on the district website and at the building one week prior to application.

Parents of students may request to receive at their expense, prior notification of any application of a pest control material and schedule, should such an application be deemed necessary.

Please contact the District Office to request notification at (507) 234-5181.

How Postings Happen on our Social Media

Recently, a follower of our Facebook site posed a question regarding how certain items get posted to Facebook while others do not.  I felt that was a great question and could use an explanation for our faithful followers.

District administrators have access to our Facebook account and can post items of interest at any particular time.  Many times some of the postings you see on Facebook and Twitter come directly from our staff members (coaches, paraprofessionals, teachers, etc...).  We do our very best to post each item that is shared but from time to time we miss things.  It is obviously our goal to post every outstanding happening in the District but it is inevitable that we will miss things. 

Should you be aware of something that should be posted and is not, please e-mail a district administrator and one of us will try to post for you.  We appreciate your understanding and support!

Bill Adams - adamsb@jwp.k12.mn.us
Jeremy Erler - jerler@jwp.k12.mn.us
Kevin Babcock - kbabcock@jwp.k12.mn.us
Jeff Adams - jadams@jwp.k12.mn.us

First Days of School

The Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton School District has experienced a great start to the 2014-2015 school year.  We had over 600 students report to school on Tuesday, September 2, 2014.  Students went over classroom rules, behavior expectations, syllabi, and many other items during their first day.  Every year the first day of school brings along a fun story to tell people.  This year's story is as follows:

A kindergartener was confused about how to get home after school.  After questioning, this student assured us that they rode the bus to school.  We were confident the student rode the bus to school and more than likely rode the bus home.  The student was asked if they remembered what bus they rode to school and the student replied with a confident 'yes'.  When asked which bus, the student replied, "the yellow one."  As you might imagine, that description did not narrow the field down.  Kindergarteners are always exciting!

This week has been extremely warm in the building and we are thankful today is going to be much cooler.  On Thursday the 4th I took a walk around the building checking on various rooms for temperature readings.  Many of the classrooms I walked in were uncomfortably warm.  Our students and teachers deserve great kudos for making the absolute best of a not so great situation. 

Thank you to all families for sharing your children with us!  We are fortunate and honored to serve them.

Have a great weekend!

Construction Update

As you all know, construction is well underway at the school.  We are experiencing forward progress on a daily basis which is a good thing.  With any construction there are always barriers to overcome.  We have experienced several barriers but I am happy to report that our construction management company has done an exceptional job ensuring each barrier was met with resiliency and effectiveness. 

In terms of the schedule of the project, we are still right on track.  The classrooms, dishwasher room, restrooms, concession stand, and parts of the kitchen will be completed by mid October.  The full kitchen and cafeteria should be completed by the end of November.  The administrative offices are scheduled to be done by the end of December or beginning of January.  All dates are subject to change pending weather and other circumstances.  With that said, we are pleased with the overall project and timeline.

Below is a video that has some photographs of the work being completed.  I will try to outline some of the photos below.

Photo 1 = Removal of the Curtailment Fuel Tank
Photo 2 = Demolition of the Administrative Offices
Photo 3 = Demolition of the Administrative Offices
Photo 4 = Demolition of the Administrative Offices
Photo 5 = Demolition of the Administrative Offices
Photo 6 = Demolition of the Administrative Offices
Photo 7 = Demolition of the Former Concession Stand
Photo 8 = Demolition of the Administrative Offices
Photo 9 = Demolition of the Administrative Offices
Photo 10 = Demolition of the Administrative Offices
Photo 11 = Demolition of the Administrative Offices
Photo 12 = Demolition of the Cafeteria (Correct Drainage Issues)
Photo 13 = Demolition of the Cafeteria (Correct Drainage Issues)
Photo 14 = New Flooring
Photo 15 = New Flooring
Photo 16 = Footings for Addition
Photo 17 = Footings for Addition
Photo 18 = Footings for Addition

I hope you enjoyed the video.  If you have any questions, please contact me directly.

adamsb@jwp.k12.mn.us
507.234.5181