SHARING THE BELLINGHAM PROMISE Progress Our Priorities...

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ProgressOur Priorities for

2016-17

SHARING THE BELLINGHAM PROMISE

2 • BELLINGHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS

A Message from Dr. Greg Baker Superintendent of Schools

The Bellingham Promise is our district strategic plan developed in 2012 with input from staff, family, student and community stakeholders. Within this document you will find our work priorities organized by our key strategies. We are excited to share our important initiatives from all corners of Bellingham Public Schools.

core beliefs

mission

visionWe, as a community, make a collective commitment to Bellingham’s children. We will

empower every child to discover and develop a passion, contribute to their community, and achieve a fulfilling and productive life.

We collectively commit that our students are cared for and respected, and that they will graduate

from our schools prepared for success in the global community. All students will be exceptional in their own way, with strong character, a passion for

learning, and ready for the widest range of educational and vocational options to support a diversity of life choices.

• all children should be loved,

• the whole child is important,

• every child can learn at high levels,

• early learning and development are critical,

• learning is lifelong and essential to a high quality of life,

• compassion and service build community,

• teaching children to do their best involves self-reflection and reaching higher,

We believe:• diversity enhances

a strong and healthy community, and

• together we achieve more than alone.

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outcomes

key strategies

Great Teaching with Strong

SupportStudent,

Family, andCommunity

Engagement

High quality instruction occurs in every classroom, every

day, resulting in high levels of learning. This is supported by purposeful and ongoing

professional development of all staff and effective leadership throughout the organization.

Innovationand

Flexibility

EarlyChildhoodEducation

We invest in a strong early childhood (prenatal to third

grade) program because of its powerful long-term

return for our students and community.

We provide an equitable distribution of resources and services to ensure

excellence for all.

Authentic partnerships are essential in order to deliver

upon our promise. We actively seek input from and work

together with all stakeholders to cultivate both existing and

new partnerships.

A OneSchoolhouse

Approach

At all levels, but with particular attention to our middle and high schools, we promote innovation

and flexibility to ensure we are meeting the needs of all

students.

We develop students and graduates who are:

We will accomplish this through:

• readers and writers,• scientists and

mathematicians,• historians and global

thinkers,• artists, performers and

trades people,• multilingual readers

and speakers,• skilled users of

technology and information,

• leaders, collaborators and team players,

• dependable and responsible workers,

• confident individuals who continuously challenge themselves,

• respectful and compassionate humans,

• honest and ethical citizens who act with integrity,

• healthy, active individuals,

• critical thinkers and problem solvers,

• effective communicators,

• innovators and creators, and

• well-rounded community members engaged with the broader world.

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4 • BELLINGHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS4 • BELLINGHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Great Teaching with Strong Support

cross our system, we focus on ensuring high quality instruction for all our students by purposefully

supporting teachers to advance their learning. We’re committed to offering meaningful professional development for all our staff and leadership development in our Aspiring Administrators program. We are taking significant strides to support the team teaching model at the middle school level by adding more teachers and reducing class sizes. We are also continuing to lower class size at the elementary level with strong focus on primary grades. This year, key initiatives include planning for a new high school schedule and adopting instructional strategies to integrate technology, in preparation for the 1:1 initiative approved by voters in our last technology levy.

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Plan for the new 2017-18 high school schedule by developing a shared vision for an innovative high school course and elective program that is exciting, compelling and engaging for students.

Invest in special education teachers and specialists to support all schools and programs, including Life Skills and BRIDGES, and strengthen inclusion support for students on the autism spectrum.

Continue to make strides in lowering class size by adding teachers while valuing specialists who provide music, physical education, library/media, counseling and more.

Continue to implement a new system of differentiated professional development for teachers that connects major teaching and learning initiatives, including technology integration; the teacher and principal evaluation system; common, rigorous learning standards; and differentiated instruction for all students, including identified students in highly capable, English language learners and special education programs. Continue to support the professional development and implementation of the math curriculum for PreK-12.

Enhance professional development opportunities for all staff, including classified staff.

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Provide consistent, reliable access to technology-based teaching and learning resources through investments in new and upgraded instructional technologies; training in technology integration for the first cohort of staff in the 1:1 initiative (Kulshan, Options and Squalicum); and strong support from the Educational Technology team.

Increase students’ attendance at school by providing high quality instruction every day in every classroom, eliminating barriers and standardizing absence reporting procedures.

Continue to improve our standards-based reporting system at elementary and middle schools. Staff are focusing on progress reports to families to provide clear, direct, routine feedback to parents and students on progress toward standards in key content areas.

Review curriculum and make recommendations through committee work to support the student outcomes of scientists, historians and global thinkers, readers and writers, and healthy, active individuals.

Advance the implementation of committee recommendations in the areas of visual and performing arts, world language and multi-tiered systems of support for teachers to differentiate instruction.

Support outstanding leadership in our schools and develop future leaders through the Aspiring Administrators Program, including principals, assistant principals, deans, and teacher leaders.

Increase elementary school office staff support.

PRIORITIESIMPORTANTOTHER

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Early Childhood Education

nvestment in a strong early childhood program is a top priority. Through voter support, Bellingham has been providing full-time kindergarten for all students since

2010. In 2015, we expanded our Promise K program that grants educational opportunities to students who don’t have access to high quality early learning. We also expanded our GRADS teen parenting program to Sehome High School.

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Increase early childhood support staff for kindergarten and continue Promise K early entrance kindergarten opportunities for children who are age 5 or younger, who are not currently enrolled in a preschool or kindergarten, and who need early learning support. This provides a jumpstart on closing the opportunity gap between students entering our school system.

Provide outstanding support, training and development for teachers of preschool through grade three to enhance high quality instructional alignment.

Provide increased coordination of early childhood programs and support for teachers and administrators through our

early childhood teacher on special assignment (TOSA).

Increase partnerships with early learning providers to promote aligned instructional practices. Advisory groups, including higher education representatives and community partners, have recommended next steps for expanding preschool and GRADS, our program for teen parents and their babies.

Purchase developmentally appropriate materials for first grade to enhance learning for all students using play as an instructional strategy and to build child development.

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Continue our work as a state leader in early learning by supporting kindergarten and physical education teachers instruction with WaKIDS data collection, and by providing professional development for specialists and administrators.

Develop effective support models for students entering kindergarten to meet higher standards. For example, keep kindergarten class size ratios the lowest and add more adults in classrooms at the beginning of the school year.

Offer parent education opportunities through partnerships with the Whatcom Early Learning Alliance (WELA), Whatcom Community College and Bellingham Technical College.

Implement consistent assessment of student progress in early grades, including use of the Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS). In addition, we continue to gather data on the class of 2024, our first group of full-time kindergarten students to help with our instructional focus.

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Student, Family and Community Engagement

ellingham Public Schools is always growing partnerships and expanding communications with our families, stakeholders and community members. Our many

committees and advisory groups give recommendations for program enhancements. Our school board meets with community groups to gain their insight on The Bellingham Promise in our schools. We launched our Family Partnership Program in 2014 to support homeschooling families. We strive to be open and authentic in our partnerships with families, staff, students and the community to deliver on our promise.

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Engage community partners and communicate with families about new start and end times for fall 2017 and any necessary adjustments to the early dismissal and bus schedules.

Grow a coordinated volunteer program to support our schools thanks to funding from the Bellingham Public Schools Foundation for a volunteer coordinator staff position.

Update our wellness policy and build an integrated approach

to the health and wellness of students and staff through the leadership of our wellness director, jointly funded by the Whatcom Community Foundation.

Improve our food services program to support the vision: We encourage a lifetime of healthy eating by serving students nourishing, delicious, whole foods in a welcoming environment.

Continue to engage our community about funding and budget process, including learning about our school bus levy.

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Increase elementary and middle school parent understanding of standards-based reporting and implementation of learning standards at all levels.

Launch new school and district websites to improve access to information for our families and community.

Enrich communications with families to meet a variety of informational needs about their child’s learning and the school system, using personal outreach and effective use of technology.

Support all students and families in feeling welcome, comfortable and valued, including our Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ+) community.

Continue to communicate with families and community regarding the rationale and benefits for student learning of the school year calendar structure.

Continue to grow the Family Partnership Program with the goal of enriching the learning of children whose families are their primary educators through homeschooling.

Support the school board in sharing their community linkage outreach work and the impact of policy governance.

Continue to progress on implementing restorative practices, or repairing harm caused by behavioral issues, and decrease the number of out-of-school suspensions. Create more positive school cultures and climates through programs, such as Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS).

Strengthen Family Resource Center connections with families, social and health services and behavioral and emotional support through our strong partnerships with community organizations.

Continue a Collective Impact by partnering with Western Washington University to bring organizations from different sectors together to solve specific social issues. With the support of the United Way, we are focusing on eliminating financial barriers for low-income students to participate in after-school activities and enrichment opportunities.



One Schoolhouse

ne Schoolhouse describes how we approach our work in Bellingham Public Schools to ensure all

children will be cared for and respected. We’ve made strides to eliminate opportunity gaps for children by expanding Project Free Education. School supplies are now provided at all levels. Progress continues on our bond projects with the rebuild of Happy Valley Elementary School completed in August 2016 as well as a new cafeteria and gym at Parkview Elementary School. With our One Schoolhouse approach, we ensure that children in all schools have an equitable and exemplary educational experience.

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One Schoolhouse

Take next steps to ensure an excellent education for all students without charging families. Staff are working to fund all costs of education with a focus on reducing school supply fees and other costs for students and families, and ensuring equitable access for high school students to pre-college assessments (PSAT/PACT)

Engage students, families and community in facilities planning related to approved bond projects:

• Celebrate the opening of the new Happy Valley Elementary School and the new cafeteria, kitchen and music classroom/stage at Parkview Elementary School;

• Begin construction of the new Options High School; • Begin construction for a new Sehome High School, and a central kitchen to be completed by August 2019;

• Build and open new athletic fields at Squalicum High School by fall 2016 and at Bellingham High School by fall 2017.

Review school attendance areas (PreK-12) and school-based educational programs to help balance enrollment, equity and diversity as we look toward future years, and engage families, staff and community partners in the process to make adjustments.

Expand Breakfast in the Classroom (BIC) at our Title I elementary schools and recess before lunch for all.

Research, evaluate and implement safety enhancement options, including access control, video, perimeter strengthening and emergency notification systems.

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Grow Project Connect, a program that provides students in need with home computers and Internet access for research and school work free of charge.

Continue implementation of Playworks at elementary schools to develop healthy and positive social skills.

Build and adopt a sustainable budget in support of our Priorities for Progress.

Build fair and equitable compensation models for all staff.

Build a comprehensive preK-12 counseling program.

Develop a system of equity and opportunity for all with before- and after-school activities and athletics.

Build partnerships, financial support and grant funding through the Bellingham Public Schools Foundation to help all students.

Partner with Western Washington University’s Woodring College of Education, Vista, Washington Reading Corps, Community in Schools and Futures Northwest, to use grant funding for AmeriCorps college access coordinators. They will support Alderwood, Cordata, Shuksan and Squalicum to develop, expand and enhance in-school and after-school academic support and enrichment programs that focus on helping K-12 students learn about and prepare for college.

Continue to strengthen our fine arts programs beginning with the expansion of the fifth grade music program including strings.

Refine and strengthen the process for staffing and funding schools and programs equitably.


One Schoolhouse


Innovation and Flexibility

ur collective commitment is that each child will be exceptional in a unique way, with an array of

educational and vocational options to support a diversity of life choices. A child’s post-secondary pathway may involve study at a four-year university, a two-year community college, a technical certification, or a start-up venture, among a myriad of others. To prepare our students for post-secondary options, we have implemented a technology replacement schedule to ensure students and staff have access to effective learning tools. We continue to support and integrate effective programs, such as International Baccalaureate (IB) and Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID).

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Plan for 1:1 student access to technology program, supported by our technology levy, and support staff with professional development to adopt instruction and increase student engagement.

Partner with staff, students and families to prepare for 1:1 programs launching at Squalicum and Options high schools and Kulshan Middle School in fall 2017 as part of the first cohort.

Continue a technology equipment replacement schedule to ensure students and staff have access to effective tools to teach and learn.

Continue upgrades to our network infrastructure to prepare for new and emerging software and assessment requirements. To ensure or students have up-to-date and reliable digital learning resources, we are continuing to replace technology annually as we prepare for our new 1:1 student technology program.

Continue to address high school rigor and student engagement through increased access to college-credit courses.

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Increase opportunities for high school students to earn course credit based on competency rather than seat time, such as world language credits for multilingual students.

Improve Career and Technical Education (CTE) options and coordination for students.

Expand Bellingham Virtual Learning (BVL) for online learning and continue partnerships with the Graduation Alliance and Bellingham Technical College engagement programs.

Continue International Baccalaureate (IB) authorization at Alderwood, Birchwood and Carl Cozier elementary schools and Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) at Bellingham High School.

Continue Promise Academy, a summer program for students transitioning from third grade to fourth grade needing extra support in literacy.

Refresh and renew classroom multimedia interactive technologies.

Continue providing free copies of Microsoft Office for students and families through the district’s Office 365 subscription.

Improve outdoor educational experiences for students by visioning and planning a future bond-supported construction project at the Gordon Carter Conservation Site, which is land that the district owns near Lake Whatcom.

Continue innovative practices for resource conservation by working with students, staff and utility providers to reduce our use of electricity, natural gas, water and other resources.

Enhance custodial and utility/grounds support to schools, continue to replace major building systems, undertake energy efficiency projects, as well as roofing, painting and flooring projects.

Provide a SafeSchools online training system for staff and add registration for staff professional development to our Human Resources system.



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SHARING THE BELLINGHAM PROMISE Progress Our Priorities...

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