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Great Teaching with Strong Support

Our priorities for staff learning this year revolve around a focus on instructional strategies that support the inclusion of all students and a focus on supporting positive student conduct.�� District-wide committees focused on these two areas continue to inform offerings in meaningful professional development for all staff.

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Top 5 Priorities

• Staff identified continued development of inclusive instructional strategies as a top priority for professional learning this year. District-wide and building based professional development focusing on universal design for learning (UDL), sheltered instruction for students learning English as a second language (SIOP) and guided language acquisition strategies (GLAD) are examples of three key efforts in professional learning, mainly taught by our own staff who are qualified trainers in these programs that feature inclusive instructional strategies.
• Support professional learning of regulation strategies to help de-escalate potential student conduct challenges, which supports recommendations coming out of the Joint Committee on Student Conduct.
• Continue to explore the recommendations for dual language education from the district-wide task force. Members of the task force will meet and lead the exploration of potential implementation of the proposal in at least one neighborhood elementary school, engaging with the school community, staff and leadership at the site to determine whether and how to move forward with implementation.
• We continue our commitment to supporting building-based collaboration and co-planning of professional learning. An early August 2023 school leadership team retreat enabled all 23 schools plus the Family Partnership Program to establish a professional learning focus connected to the district-wide firm goals of inclusionary instructional practices and student conduct efforts. Newly added collaboration blocks on early release Thursdays at all levels provide an additional time resource for grade level teams, content area groups, and other collaborative groups to meet and learn together.
• Following implementation in the elementary schools, we are supporting the expansion of iReady��assessments��into the middle schools.��Administrators received training late last spring, and teachers are engaging in professional learning regarding��the use of these assessments in reading and math.��For the first time, our schools will have one, common, standards-aligned interim assessment to measure reading and math growth and proficiency for grades K-8.

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Other Important Priorities

• Training and development of middle school teaching staff focused on the implementation of Newsela, a new curriculum support. Newsela utilizes authentic, real world content enabling teachers to create engaging lessons that meet students where they are, that are aligned to standards, and published at five reading levels, making content accessible to every learner.
• As a school district, we continue to view the International Baccalaureate Primary Years’ Program as a key lever for hitting Promise Outcomes at elementary. The integration of science and social studies in units of inquiry at elementary schools is a focus for this school year.
• We are implementing two 30 minute music and two 30-minute physical education (PE) classes for all elementary students this year. Following a successful pilot of this approach, which replaced a model where some grade levels only experienced one class in PE or one class in music each week.

Early Childhood Education

Our commitment to early childhood education continues. Through voter support, Bellingham has been��providing��full-time kindergarten for all students since 2011. In 2015, we expanded our Promise Kindergarten (Promise K) program that provides a quality early learning experience to pre-K students who��don’t otherwise have access to preschool opportunities. In 2022, we extended the Promise K experience to be a full year of learning. The GRADS parenting program continues in our high schools for students. We support Title One-funded preschools at Alderwood and Cordata elementary schools.

Top 5 Priorities

• Continue to grow our full-year Promise K program to serve a greater number of students. Enrollments increased significantly last year, and we continue to work with families and community partners to identify and promote this early learning experience for eligible four-year-olds in our community.
• Support the roll up of last year’s fully inclusive Promise K class into Kindergarten that includes both typically developing five-year-olds and those with disabilities.
• Align student assessment tools so that all K-2 teachers have access to more robust data to support instructional decision making.
• Revise the Kindergarten screening tool to better align with curricular and state resources and allow teachers to know strengths and areas for growth in each student.
• Continue our focus on teacher training to support developmentally appropriate inclusionary instructional practices in our early childhood education classrooms.

Other Important Priorities

• Plan for and open a new Early Childhood Center to offer child care for staff and others at the new District Office.
• Support an inclusive practices teacher on special assignment (TOSA) to provide additional support for teachers of early learners.
• Continue to deepen our partnerships with community early learning providers through regular and timely communication and face-to-face meetings.

One Schoolhouse Approach

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Our One Schoolhouse Approach describes how we visualize our work to ensure all students and families will be cared for and respected. We focus our efforts on reducing barriers for our families and opening access for all to fully engage in the school experience. One of our top initiatives has been һ����app Free Education; we provide all school supplies for families and reduce costs in countless other areas as well. This includes elimination of course fees, testing fees, reduced athletic and activity costs, field trip expenses and more.

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Top 5 Priorities

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1. Continue to support and refine һ����app Free Education to reduce financial barriers for students and staff while seeking alternative funding sources like grants.
2. Work on capital projects thanks to community support of our facilities bonds. һ����apps include designing a new space for Community Transitions, improving Bellingham and Squalicum tennis courts, opening the new District Office, which includes dedicated space for community partners, and opening a new Silver Beach Elementary School playground
3. Expand health services to support students and families thanks to funding from grants and the Whatcom County Health Department, including mental health specialists and administration and opening a school-based health care center at Options.
4. Continue developing coordinated PK-12 athletic, enrichment and activities for all students, with the goal of offering accessible, healthy, robust choices for children in our community to be active and engaged.
5. Continue to make progress on and share out the district’s Climate Action Plan, developed by our district’s sustainability task force to build resiliency addressing the climate crisis.

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Other Important Priorities

• Share facts about the two school district replacement levies on the February ballot and how funds are used to help invest in staff, support key programs and promote students’ equitable access to arts, music, activities/athletics, technology and much more.
• Purchase online and electronic curriculum, testing, educational resources and connection resources.
• Strengthen support to PTA’s / parent groups and other enrichment partners through the Bellingham Public Schools Foundation and our volunteer coordinator partnership
• Continue outdoor school opportunities with the help of grant funding. Examples include Mountain School and Snow Goose.

Bellingham Public Schools is always growing partnerships and expanding communications with our families, stakeholders and community members to enhance student success. Our committees and advisory groups give recommendations for program enhancements. Our school board holds community linkages and student roundtables several times a year to gain insight into our schools. The Family Partnership Program, which supports homeschooling families, continues to grow. The family engagement team connects with families at our Family Resource Centers (FRCs), which are located at Shuksan Middle School and Carl Cozier Elementary School. The centers link families with a number of resources, including translation and interpretation services, food banks, technology, homeless support and more. We strive to be open and authentic in our partnerships with families, staff, students and the community to deliver on The Promise.

Student, Family and Community Engagement:

1. Partner with the Boys and Girls Club and provide after-school bus service for students from four of our schools in an effort to support students’ mental and physical health.
2. Continue to invest in our family engagement specialist to further develop a program or platform for parents and guardians to access classes and trainings similar to what our staff learns in professional development and students learn during the school day, e.g. social-emotional learning, positive discipline.
3. Support unhoused families and/or those at risk of losing housing in partnership by assigning a family liaison to each school and in support with the city of Bellingham and United Way of Whatcom County.
4. Continue to engage with our historically marginalized families and provide leadership opportunities so they have the knowledge, empowerment, and tools they need to know that they are part of the decision-making.
5. Expand technology classes for parents to increase digital and technical access and proficiency for our families and students at home.

Other priorities

• Continue to promote use of the new two-way communications tool ParentSquare and its translation features for efficient and important messages from the district and schools
• Continue to provide office space to local partners to invest in collaborative working relationships to support families in need of community resources, including dedicated space at the new District Office.
• In collaboration with the World Relief of Whatcom County, welcome new refugee families into our district and offer support and assistance to help get them settled and enrolled in our schools as soon as possible.
• Provide training to all school staff about families and students experiencing homelessness so our entire system is ready to identify the students, provide the appropriate support and have the knowledge of resources available.
• Continue and grow family-focused districtwide events, including the Latino Summit, Block Party, and Winter Blast festival.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

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Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) concepts and practices continue to both uplift and challenge our socialized ways of thinking, learning, and teaching. We rise to the challenges with ambitious energy, inspired by successes among great teachers and learners, and with strong supports for an ever-changing community. By taking a moment to reflect on data and listen to our learners, we will be able to develop and support a culturally-responsive staff, centering the experiences and voices of our learners. Learning alongside them, we support the development of individual, team, and schoolwide growth, relationships, and leadership, demonstrating that we value the knowledge and wisdom that families and communities bring to our collective learning environments.

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• Develop and initiate a comprehensive EDI integration plan, including collaborative efforts within the district and community support for school-based teams so they can provide supports for culturally responsive and anti-racist teaching and learning.
• Continue building employee resource groups focused on increasing retention and recruitment for staff who more accurately represent the makeup of our school district’s student population. Expand the support for affinity groups for students at the school level as well as how we incorporate students and student voice into leadership teams. Fund an EDI Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) to contribute to a centralized support system for school teams’ professional learning plans that focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• Increase Since Time Immemorial implementation and strengthen relationships with local Tribal educators and leaders.
• Engage district leadership team and a variety of school staff in professional learning about leading for equity and inclusion.

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Other Priorities:

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• Continue development of culturally responsive teaching strategies with continued available trainings for SIOP and GLAD instructional strategies and center ethnic studies pedagogy into K-12 practices.
• Support LGBTQ+ youth by developing capacity in our schools and across our district by expanding clubs, staff training for best practices, highly trained support staff and connections to community partnerships.
• Work to diversify staff by continuing to participate in Northwest Educational Service District (ESD) 189 two-year planning grant called THE LEADER initiative.

Innovation and Flexibility

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We support the diverse needs and learning styles of our students through our key strategy of being innovative and flexible. In our district, we believe all students will be exceptional in their own way. We offer an array of educational and vocational options to support a diversity of life choices. A child’s post-secondary pathway may involve studying at a four-year university or a two-year community college, pursuing a technical certification, or heading directly into the workforce, among many other paths. To prepare our students, we support a technology-rich learning environment to ensure students and staff have access to relevant and effective learning tools, content and curriculum. We continue to support and integrate effective programs, such as International Baccalaureate (IB) and Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID).

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Top 5 Priorities

1. Implement the Climate Action Plan designed by a robust community process to help our district be more sustainable.
2. Grow our mental and behavioral health supports for students and build toward a pilot school-based health center to open at Options high school in January 2024. Both efforts are possible thanks to student input and advocacy and broad community support.
3. Develop creative ideas with community partners to serve our students, including moving Community Transitions program into a new location thanks to a generous partnership with WECU; move toward building a long-term home for CT on the Whatcom Community College Campus; and collaborate with City of Bellingham to find win-wins in planning the location of a future Carl Cozier Elementary on/adjacent to the Civic Field complex.
4. Grow our Career & Technical Education (CTE) offerings, including middle school plant science in our garden spaces and construction management at the high school level.
5. Provide free student meals for all students at 13 of our schools in the 2023-24 school year through the .

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Other Important Priorities

• Increase ridership in our Transportation Program by adjusting routes and stops so more students have a convenient opportunity to ride our school buses.
• Continue to advance student safety resources through expanded building security controls, digital tools, safety programs and technologies.