Paperless Board Meetings & Other Explorations with Technology

Congratulations to the OA & BCIG School Boards for committing to try a paperless Board Meeting next Monday. After experimenting with PDF versions of board packets for the past two months, we are now ready to try eliminating the distribution of printed copies. Board Members will use school iPads during the February 13 meeting to access an online version of their materials.

And just a reminder, you can follow all of this live as we broadcast video of the meeting at oabcig.org. Thanks to both boards for taking this step.

Speaking of iPads, we also want to extend thanks to a group of students that recently piloted the use of iPads in our middle school and high school classrooms. We know that many districts are experiencing great success with 1-to-1 technology for their students, and we hope that feedback from students and teachers can help us be better informed as we develop a plan to move forward. The key is to be sure that technology supports the learning process, not overshadows the learning process. If you have thoughts on connected devices for every student, or have information about implementation in other districts, contact any administrator. We’d love to hear from you.

December 12 Joint Regular Meeting

ODEBOLT-ARTHUR & BATTLE CREEK-IDA GROVE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS

Regular Board Meeting Agenda

Conference Room – Odebolt

December 12, 2011

7:45 p.m.

Tentative Agenda:

I. Call to Order

II. Approve Agenda

III. Welcome Visitors

A. Public Comments to the Board

IV. Consent Agenda

A. Minutes

B. Bills

C. Financial Reports

D. Resignations

E. Contract Approvals

F. Out of State/Overnight Trips

V. Board Reports

A. Superintendent Report

B. Administrator Reports

C. Director Reports

VI. Dialogue/Action Items

A. First Reading—Board Policy Series 100 revisions

B. Approval of 2011-12 Board Goals

C. Approval of IASB District #4 Director Ballot

D. Modified Allowable Growth Application

E. Consideration of Early Retirement Resolutions

F. Approval of Citizen’s Advisory Committee Membership

G. Discussion of Sale of BCIG Intermediate Building (BCIG)

H. Superintendent Evaluation Process

VII. Discussion/Correspondence Items

A. Correspondence Items

B. Other Items

VIII.       Confirm Date and Time of Next Meeting

IX.           Adjourn

Upcoming Dates

The holiday season is an exciting and very busy time. You can find a full listing of school activities at http://mail.bc-ig.k12.ia.us/districtcalendar/. In addition, the OA and BCIG School Boards have the following scheduled dates:

• Monday, 12/5 ~ 6:30 p.m. ~ Conference Room, Odebolt ~ Joint Work Session – Goal Setting
• Wednesday, 12/7 ~ 6:00 p.m. ~ Central Office, Ida Grove ~ BCIG Work Session – Financial Planning with Piper Jaffrey
• Monday, 12/12 ~ 7:45 ~ Conference Room, Odebolt ~ Regular Joint Board Meeting

Live web streaming is scheduled to begin with the 12/12 meeting.

Joint Regular Board Meeting

Odebolt-Arthur & Battle Creek-Ida Grove Community Schools

Regular Board Meeting Agenda

Central Office – Ida Grove

November 14, 2011

6:30 p.m.

I. Call to Order

II. Approve Agenda

III. Welcome Visitors

A. Public Comments to the Board

IV. Consent Agenda

A. Minutes

B. Bills

C. Financial Reports

D. Resignations

E. Contract Approvals

F. Our of State/Overnight Trips

V. Board Reports

A. Superintendent Report

B. Administrator Reports

C. Director Reports

VI. Dialogue/Action Items

A. Sharing of Service Contract for Transitional Alliance Program ITAP) Contract with Galva-Holstein (BCIG)

B. Consideration of Deluxe Driving Academy Driver Education Agreement/Contract (BCIG)

C. Review of Early Retirement Resolutions

D. Consideration of New Board Policy 210.9 – Videotaping School Board Meetings

E. Appoint Board Representatives to the Negotiations Committee

F. Approval of SBRC Request for Increased Enrollment & Open Enrollment Our

G. Approval of PPEL/Capital Projects Expenditures

H. Disposition of Obsolete Equipment (803.1) (BCIG)

I. Consideration of Renovations/Addition to Elementary Building (BCIG)

J. Review of Board Policy 210.2 – Regular Board Meetings (BCIG)

VII. Discussion/Correspondence Items

A. Correspondence Items

B. Other Items

VIII. Confirm Date and Time of Next Meeting

IX. Adjourn

Iowa Youth Survey

Every other year Iowa students in grades 6, 8, and 11 participate in the Iowa Youth Survey. Students answer questions about their attitudes and experiences regarding alcohol and other drug use and violence, and their perceptions of their peer, family, school, and neighborhood/community environments. While student answers are confidential and don’t necessarily help to identify individual growth or concerns, we wanted to share the following conclusions from the most recent OABCIG results.

1. 96% of all of our students believe that hard work now will lead to a successful life.
2. 100% of our high school students understand that the use of tobacco is a risk to their health.
3. There continues to be a concern that our students report higher binge drinking than the state average, as well as drinking in general (33% of OABCIG compared to 24% for the state average). Binge drinking is defined as 5 or more alcoholic drinks within a few hours (12% of OABCIG students surveyed binge drink 3-5 times a month compared to 6% for the state).
4. Results indicate that the mental health, including thoughts of suicide and hopelessness, of our students is a concern. A high percentage of high school students surveyed report a feeling of hopelessness for extended periods.
5. Volunteerism has increased within our student body, especially in the elementary levels.

Partnerships between school, family, and community play an important role in the development of our youth. If you would like more information about details of the full report, please contact any administrator.

Start a Positive Chain Reaction!

If you have done so yet, mark your calendars for Sept. 7, 7:00 p.m., high school gym. Rachel’s Challenge is a program you don’t want to miss. Out of the tragedy at Columbine High School in 1999, comes the powerful message of Rachel Scott’s mission in life. We need Rachel’s wisdom and outlook each and everyday. To see more about this program, you can visit http://www.rachelschallenge.org/.

Just the Facts Please

Important decisions are just around the corner for OABCIG. Thank you so much to each of you who has made the effort to contact me directly when you’ve heard something that concerned you. Remember the game of “telephone?” It’s always best to check the facts directly. We all should be well informed when we place our vote on September 13.

SchoolReach

Instant access to information is important to all of us. We will again be using the SchoolReach system to provide instant information about school closures or other items of interest.

Communication and Being Involved

Communication

Increasing communication is always a goal. Several of our staff members are beginning to use Twitter as a way to expand their access to educational ideas and materials. If you use this great tool, you can join some of those conversations at #oabcig.

A Way to Be Involved

Now that school board elections occur only once every two years, our opportunities to vote have decreased. Please remember to be involved in this important process on September 13. This is a great opportunity to have a voice in the future of both districts. Four board elector seats are on the ballot in each district.

Also on the ballot will be the important question of whether or not our two districts should become formally reorganized into one district. If you have any questions about the differences between our current whole grade sharing agreement and reorganization, please call any of our attendance centers. We would be glad to visit with you.

Annual Report to our Community

Each fall, school districts across Iowa report the achievement of their students to our communities in an Annual Progress Report (APR). The OA & BCIG APR will be posted at www.oabcig.org.

Bus Safety

Each year everyone who drives a school bus is required to attend a training session to get reminders and updates, especially regarding safety. Please join us in this effort to promote safety by talking with your student about the importance of following bus rules ~ especially the importance of staying in their seat while the bus is in motion. Safety is our top priority.