BV Unmuted

"We don't need to be perfect. Every moment isn't going to be Instagram-able. What is it that we can do so that when our head hits the pillow at the end of the day, we as parents can say 'Hey - that was hard, but we did it.' " - Tracy Foster, Co-Founder of START

In this episode of BV unmuted, Superintendent Dr. Tonya Merrigan invites our District Coordinator of Student Support Services Tara Walrod, along with START co-founders Krista Boan and Tracy Foster, to talk about helping our kids manage their screen time in a year when their devices are more important than ever before. The goal is to help all students have healthy habits when learning on their devices, while also feeling safe, sane, and seen during this unprecedented school year.
 
For more information on START, visit https://www.westartnow.org 

For a transcript of this episode, click here 

Cultivating lifelong learners prepared to navigate their future with purpose. 

"Trust your gut. We are facing so many changes and there are so many different ways that our kids are under stress. If you, as a parent, just have that sense that something doesn't feel quite right, please reach out to us." - Karen Mulligan, Social Worker Manager

The challenges of this upcoming school year are unprecedented - and while that may feel like an understatement, it is simply accurate. In this episode of BV Unmuted, Superintendent Dr. Tonya Merrigan visits with District Coordinator of Student Support Services Tara Walrod, Social Worker Manager Karen Mulligan, and School Psychologist Emily Demo. The panel talks about how staff can build relationships with students whether they are learning in-person or online, as well as how to help parents recognize the signs of stress in their children and when to get them help. 

For a transcript of this episode, click here

Cultivating lifelong learners prepared to navigate their future with purpose. 

"This is a pandemic. I've never been a superintendent before, but I've certainly never been a superintendent in a pandemic. I've never been an educator in a pandemic. It's going to take all of us - working together - to ensure that we have a safe, sound and sincere quality of education for our Blue Valley students." - Dr. Tonya Merrigan, Blue Valley Schools Superintendent

In our inaugural episode of BV unmuted, Superintendent Dr. Tonya Merrigan joins a team of Blue Valley educators on the front lines of making sure our students can return to learn. Deputy Superintendent Katie Collier shares our strategies to provide safe and secure in-person learning for students in our school buildings. Director of Facilities and Operations Jake Slobodnik explains the tireless efforts to ensure clean classrooms and facilities for all students and staff. And our Executive Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Innovation Kelly Ott dives in to the vast details of our virtual learning option for students who plan on going to school online.

While we make every effort to address the concerns of our entire Blue Valley community, we understand that many people may still have questions about the 2020-21 school year. Feel free to call the Back to School hotline at 913-239-4045 from 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday with questions not addressed on the district’s Back to School website, www.bluevalleyk12.org/backtoschool

For a transcript of this episode, click here 

Cultivating lifelong learners prepared to navigate their future with purpose. 

"If we're going to be ready for students in August, we need to get back to some semblance of normal - but the new normal is going to look very different." - Dr. Tonya Merrigan, Incoming Superintendent 

For our team here at Blue Valley Schools, it feels like a lifetime since we shared our last podcast with you and, in some ways, it has been. Some things will be the same after the COVID-19 pandemic passes and some things will change. But one thing that will never waver is our commitment to the health and wellbeing of our students and staff. 

In this episode of Toddcast², Superintendent Dr. Todd White talks with Incoming Superintendent Dr. Tonya Merrigan, BVSW Science Teacher Chris Jenson, M.D., and District Nurse Coordinator Tara Asher, RN, about our progress during the pandemic. The conversation includes our process for closing out the current school year, our work we have planned for this summer, and reopening our schools and buildings for the 2020-21 school year. 

Cultivating lifelong learners prepared to navigate their future with purpose. 

"I have parents tell me that their children are coming home and teaching them about what is happening in the classroom... the parents can see the progress the children are making and that we are establishing a love of reading for them." - Alaina Talley, reading specialist at Heartland Elementary 

In this episode of Toddcast², we continue our conversation about literacy in the classroom. Reading specialist Alaina Talley and second grade teacher Julie McInerney share their strategies for supporting students with dyslexia and how staff are using their literacy training to help all students succeed. 

Cultivating lifelong learners prepared to navigate their future with purpose. 

"Students leaving our system, prepared for the world in which they will live and be citizens, is largely based on being literate - being able to read and meet the demands of whatever the future holds for them." - Jennifer Luzenske, Director of Curriculum and Instruction 

From the building blocks of reading and writing, to the integration of content and discipline, literacy is at the heart of learning. In this episode of Toddcast², Superintendent Dr. Todd White visits with Director of Curriculum and Instruction Jennifer Luzenske about the structured literacy approach here at Blue Valley Schools. Topics include everything from literacy fluency and comprehension for students, specialized training for staff, and even the addition of a Dyslexia Coordinator to make sure we are addressing the needs of all students. 

Cultivating lifelong learners prepared to navigate their future with purpose. 

"The careers that are available to students who have an associates degree have doubled over the last several years. At the same time, in the last 20 years, the cost of going to college has risen at a rate that is 19 times higher than the annual family living wage." - Katie Bonnema, Director of Career-Ready Programs. 

Blue Valley strives to provide learners with the knowledge and skills they need to be prepared for college and careers. In this latest episode of Toddcast², Superintendent Dr. Todd White speaks with Director of Career-Ready Programs Katie Bonemma about current and future opportunities students will have to learn real-world skills and practical knowledge with a career focus. 

Cultivating lifelong learners prepared to navigate their future with purpose. 

"When we think about reimagining our spaces, we first and foremost think about what it means to be a student this day and age in Blue Valley. We often say that we're preparing our students for their tomorrows, not our yesterdays."- Katie Collier, Chief Learning Officer 

With any bond election, it's important to understand how those funds benefit our students, staff and the entire Blue Valley community. In this episode of Toddcast², Superintendent Dr. Todd White visits with Chief Learning Officer Katie Collier about how bond dollars are essential to ensuring the success and safety of our students and staff, as well as the process for submitting your mail-in ballot for this no tax rate increase bond election. 

Cultivating lifelong learners prepared to navigate their future with purpose. 

"We'll also be reinvesting in mechanical, plumbing and electrical needs - the things people don't talk about until they need it. You want that stuff to work. We don't want leaky roofs or rooms that are too hot or too cold - that's important and we're going to invest in those things." - Kyle Hayden, Chief Finance and Operations Officer 

The Blue Valley community will have an opportunity to invest in facilities, safety and technology through an upcoming bond election. In this episode of Toddcast², Superintendent Dr. Todd White speaks with Chief Finance and Operations Officer Kyle Hayden about how the dollars from this no tax rate increase bond election would help Blue Valley Schools to reinvest, reinforce and reimagine. 

Cultivating lifelong learners prepared to navigate their future with purpose. 

"We're up to 16 states that have at least one CAPS program. There's actually a program in Mumbai, India, that launched in August 2019 and is running an entrepreneurship strand of CAPS. It's meant a few nights where I've had to call them at 9pm because it's 8am out there, but it's working really well." - Corey Mohn, CAPS Executive Director 

As our Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) celebrates it's 10 year anniversary, Superintendent Dr. Todd White sits down with their Executive Director Corey Mohn to talk about the accomplishments they've achieved thus far and what the future looks like for the CAPS Network. 

Cultivating lifelong learners prepared to navigate their future with purpose.