Determining Facilities Priorities

August 11, 2011

On June 27^th the Board of Education was presented with recommendations from the Facilities Task Force.  The Task Force, under the lead of Todd Olig, Kris August, and Fritz Heathman spent many meetings sifting through data that was compiled from a month long facilities study conducted by Epstein Uhen (EUA) of Milwaukee.  Many facilities needs were identified from each of the four buildings and the committee prioritized the needs to be presented to the Board of Education.  Due to the magnitude of needs, the committee also spent a considerable amount of time studying the scope of each project and researching ways to cut costs.   

In July, the EUA consultants met with the Board to discuss the next steps in the facilities study process.  The Task Force had presented their priorities and now it is back to the Board to determine the plan for tackling the facilities needs across the district.

I thank the Task Force for their diligent effort in defining each building project and determining how each can be accomplished either by “in house” staff or by outside contractors. This was a task of magnitude that will not be taken for granted.  The goal of being fiscally responsible was met through the work of the Facilities Task Force.

 During the next couple of weeks, the Board of Education will be meeting with Eppstein Uhen and members of the Task Force to tour the buildings and get acclimated with each of the building priorities. I commend the Board for committing to develop a deeper understanding of the Task Force’s recommendation as they move forward in making future decisions for our facilities.

The Kiel Board of Education is also committed to being fiscally responsible with all decisions and is following through with this commitment by gaining a full understanding of the scope of each facility priority recommended by the Task Force.  This collaborative effort by the Board and the community members of the Task Force will be advantageous as we continue to tackle the needs for the Kiel School District.

Comments can be posted on the district website by clicking on the Kieledoscope blog icon at kiel.k12.wi.us    

      

Technology

Kieleidoscope
July 14, 2011

The key to sustaining a 21st century district is for the adults to become efficient 21st century learners. Once we pair high-quality teaching with a meaningful understanding of today's tools for networked learning, we will be prepared to support our networked kids.

I often hear about the issues with Facebook or other technology related tools. I believe that there is nothing to fear regarding social media and education if students have been taught how to use it appropriately. In fact, social media is changing the way students and parents connect. With the use of technology we as parents can view grades, assignments, and attendance on a daily basis. In the past, the face to face parent teacher conference was the only means of communication outside of telephoning the teacher or principal. But in today's social media world students and their parents can connect directly with the school, meet students and faculty, learn about the issues affecting the campus, do homework assignments and create a one-to-one connection to the school.

Consider these statistics about students ages 12–17 from a 2007 report by the Pew Internet and American Life project:

• 59 percent share artistic creations online by creating videos, making Web pages, maintaining blogs, or remixing online content.


• 55 percent have created profiles on social networking sites like Facebook, and 47 percent have posted images on interactive photo-sharing sites.

In my opinion, these are the kinds of skills our students must develop? Don't today's 12-year-olds need to recognize that future co-workers are just as likely to live on the other side of the world as on the other side of town? The young adults who are truly prepared for the 21st century will have experience using computers to learn with—rather than simply about—the world? Ironically, even our youngest students often have more knowledge about the logistics of electronic networking than we as adults do.

Despite what they will tell you, we know that there is not a lot of thoughtful learning going on among teenagers blasting their way through their iPods, or skimming through a sample of typical Facebook pages, but think of the power of using these tools educationally. To put it simply, our students have no trouble connecting, but no one has taught them about the power of these connections. Although tweens and teens may be comfortable using digital tools to build networks, few are using those networks to pursue meaningful personal growth. Our challenge as educators is to learn about the benefits of technology as a communication tool and to teach our youth the appropriate means to learn about and with others.

I would like to expand my use of electronic communication this year by developing a Blog for the community to provide feedback about my articles or any information regarding the Kiel School District. Readers can access my Blog in two ways: You can go directly to the link by typing in kielschoolnews.blogspot.com or going to the district website at www.kiel.k12.wi.us click and on community connection.

I would be happy to hear from you on any other topics of information you would like to see written in the Kieleidoscope articles. I want to hear from you so that I can respond to your input, improve communication and learn about the needs of the community. I believe technology is a powerful tool for learning. I want to lead the way and model. Please help me by logging in and providing me your comments.

If you have any questions or are having difficulty posting to the Blog, please call us at 894-2266.

I look forward to hearing from you.