Bristol Board of Education
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In this month’s Board communication, we’d like to provide a brief synopsis of the Bristol School Board’s commitment to professional development. In the spirit of the school’s motto “Growing, Learning, Succeeding”, the Board has realized the importance of leading by example and therefore has made professional development a staple in its body of work. Beyond the work we have been doing associated with the development and implementation of the Policy Governance model (John Carver), the Board has also made a concerted commitment to various development activities and experiences; many of which are integrated throughout the Board’s annual goals. Amongst them, are the monthly community linkage meetings. This is when the Board meets with various stakeholder groups (i.e. staff, parents, students, businesses, civic organizations and clubs, legislators, Westosha Central etc…). These community conversations allow the Board to make valuable connections and hear different perspectives about the role of the school and what skills sets Bristol graduates should have. These meetings have various formats; some are merely informal discussions, while others are more of a workshop in which an article or other activity might be the focus of the conversation. We are looking forward to meeting with some of our local businesses this month.
In addition to the community conversations, the Board regularly conducts book studies. While many of our previous books have been on the topic of the Policy Governance model, we are currently reading
“Is Everyone on the Boat”
(Johnson & Metler). This book examines the various leadership styles that often exist within an organization, understanding their respective strengths and weaknesses, and how to get them to work together towards a common goal. It is our hope these book studies provide us with insight to allow us to grow as individuals and ultimately help foster a high functioning Board. Lastly, some of our Board members have attended the Wisconsin State Education Convention and participate in the numerous sessions and workshops offered with topics ranging from school finance to best practices in education. This year’s convention takes place January 23-25 2019. These are just a few of the professional development activities and experiences the Board has participated in. We are proud of our commitment to continuous improvement as a Board and an organization.
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District Administrator
Michael Juech
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Associate Principal:
Teaching & Learning
Sarah Lindh
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As the Thanksgiving holiday is upon us, the end of the first trimester is also quickly approaching. November 30th will mark the end of our first grading period. As we transition to trimesters this year at Bristol, we wanted to take the opportunity to share with you some of the reasons trimesters are good for learning and growing.
Trimesters provide more time at the beginning of the year for students to acclimate to school, new homerooms and routines, and build relationships before the assessment period for the first report card.
Fewer marking periods (three v. four) allow more time for teaching and learning between reporting periods.
Trimesters provide more flexibility for teachers to pace curriculum and ensure student mastery of instruction with a greater focus on student learning and growth between grading periods.
Trimesters provide more time for students to learn and demonstrate proficiency.
At the November board meeting, I shared Forward Exam data and our School Performance Report Card. Each spring, Wisconsin students in grades third through eighth grade participate in the English Language Arts and Mathematics Forward Exam. Additionally students in fourth and eighth grade take the Science and Social Studies Forward Exam. This state assessment tests for proficiency of the state standards at each grade level and students can score Advanced, Proficient, Basic, or Below Basic in each subject area. Our students here at Bristol, continue to perform above the state average in all subject areas. While we have a lot to celebrate with our student achievement on the Forward Exam, we would like to point out and celebrate our 8th grade Social Studies proficiency score of 92.2 percent. This is an amazing accomplishment to those students and their social studies teachers over the years.
Bristol School continues to maintain an Exceeds Expectations score on the School Performance Report Card that was released last week with a score of 76.5. As we continue to reflect upon how Bristol School is performing, it is important to celebrate our success and look for areas of improvement. The School Performance Report Card scores each school in four priority areas (Student Achievement, School Growth, Closing Gaps and On-Track and Postsecondary Readiness). Each of these areas has a different weight for schools across the state based upon social-economic status. Closing Gaps is an area of growth for the Bristol School District as we look to grow and improve. The Closing Gaps area focuses on how students in subgroups, such as English Language Learners, Students with Disabilities, and Socioeconomic Status perform compared to peers. The goal is for all students within a district to perform at the same level of performance regardless of subgroups they may be in. We continue to work on closing gaps here at Bristol through inclusion of all students in the regular education to expose all students to curriculum, as well as supporting students by meeting them where they are at while ensuring access to a strong universal curriculum.
While Forward Exam provides summative data on how our students are performing, it is important to look at local formative data that will drive instruction. This school year, we are working to analyze the data that we collect and how we utilize the data to adjust instruction to meet all kids, including advanced learners. Some of these data sources include running records (F & P Reading Fluency and Comprehension Assessment), qualitative spelling inventories, classroom and grade level assessments, and AIMSweb progress monitoring. As we continue to evaluate our data sources at Bristol, as well as other ways to assess the whole student, we will determine if additional or different types of data are needed to drive our teaching and learning.
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Director of Special Education & Pupil Services
Jessica Meristil
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Red Ribbon Week is an ideal way for people and communities across America to unite and take a stand against substance abuse. Bristol School came together throughout the week of October 15-19, 2018 to demonstrate our commitment to a drug-free lifestyle.
This year’s slogan was:
Being drug free, I like that about me!
Each day, students and staff members participated in themed dress-up days to show their support. On Friday, October 19 the entire school community gathered for an assembly which included student presentations, games, and a Flash Mob performed by Bristol School staff. A big thank you to the Red Ribbon Week committee for making this week a success!
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Our children are watching. Even when children seem have their faces glued to their devices, they are watching and listening more than we think, which is why it is so important that the adults in their lives model appropriate digital behavior and set positive examples for children to follow.
Your time, attention, and personal experiences are wonderful gifts to share with your children to help build strong relationships they can count on when they face challenges as they grow. Together, families can partner with teachers and others to reinforce healthy digital habits and digital citizenship both at home and at school.
- Have the conversation. You know, the one about responsible online behavior at home. Each family is unique but all likely share one goal-keeping children safe.
- This is not a “one and done” digital conversation. New devices, technologies, media, and services are introduced into children’s lives at an astonishing rate. Revisit this as children grow and technologies develop.
- Set developmentally appropriate expectations based on your child’s maturity level.
- Expectations don’t have to be negative or a long list of don’ts. There are many opportunities for positive expectations as well.
- Discuss digital expectations when other children visit your home as well as when your child is a guest in others' homes.
- Let children role play situations so they have an opportunity to pose their own digital questions and practice responses aloud.
Additional resources:
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