CALENDAR DEVELOPMENT MEETING

MEETING REMINDER

There is a Calendar Development Meeting scheduled on March 20, 2013 at 5:30 PM in the District Board Room. All stakeholders are invited.

STRATEGIC PLANNING: Mega Issues Reviewed

Mega issues are issues of strategic importance, which represent choices the school district will need to make in defining the ultimate direction of its long-range plan. These issues represent potential impediments to achievement of the Envisioned Future, and form a basis for dialogue about the choices facing the school district. These questions can serve as an ongoing "menu" of strategic issues that, using a knowledge-based approach in gathering insights relative to St. Ignatius Public Schools’ strategic position and directional choices for each of the issues, can be used by the Board to create regular opportunities for strategic dialogue about the future issues facing the school district.

Note: The mega-issue questions are not necessarily arranged in priority order. 

v Mega-Issue Questions for consideration by the District:

• How can we effectively engage the support of the community to enhance parental support of the educational system and subsequently improve student outcomes?

• How can we broaden the awareness to all employees of the District the importance of delivering a consistent, high quality education to the students regardless of background or capabilities?

• What can we do to encourage and support at-risk students to become fully engaged in (completing) their educational program?

• How do we instill the value of education?

• What can we do to decrease the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs (ATODs)?

• As a district, what do we need to do to stay in front of the continued advancements in technology and science as it pertains to the culture of our students?

• How do we adjust with the possible sequestering of federal funding?

• MEGA ISSUES: Reviewed and updated on February 26, 2013.

Knowledge-Based Decision Making Questions

The Board should prioritize the above-referenced mega issues and decide which of these issues require immediate attention on the part of the Board.  Once the identified mega-issues are prioritized, the Board will set aside time at scheduled meetings to analyze a particular mega issue. At such meetings, the Board's primary focus will be on the mega-issue at hand.  All other business (routine or otherwise) will be conducted at the end of the meeting once the dialogue and deliberation on the mega-issue has been concluded for that meeting.  When analyzing mega issues, the Board will utilize a knowledge-based decision making process.  This will keep the focus of the Board on relevant factors to consider as it develops strategies to overcome particular impediments/barriers that may impact the Board's strategic direction.  The Board will analyze mega-issues by answering the following questions:

1.              What do we know about the wants, needs and preferences of our constituents that are relevant to this decision?

2.              What do we know about the current realities and evolving dynamics facing our constituents/community that is relevant to this decision?

3.              What do we know about the capacity/strategic position of our school district that is relevant to this decision?

4.              What are the ethical implications of our choices? 

Mont CAS MISSION POSSIBLE

MISSION: ARE YOU READY?

March Madness is more than just college basketball. Many public schools are getting ready to take state assessments. These assessments are critical in determining adequate progress by students, schools and states. TODAY, our students begin the 2013 journey with the MontCAS. We would like to invite everyone to support them so they can do their very best.

The video is a Dr Seuss parody with a twist on TESTING. It is intended to inform our constituents and students about the test while encouraging and challenging our students to do their very best!

"What I Love About Mission"

During our District-wide Top Dawg Assembly on Friday, February 1, I shared a video that I put together asking students "What do you love about our school?" I was very impressed by their responses and would like to share them with the greater community.

GREAT SCHOOL 

GREAT COMMUNITY

Tournament Time

Congratulations Varsity Basketball Teams, you are going to the tournament! The Bulldogs beat Ronan 56 to 51 and the Lady Bulldogs came out on top as well (see score below). Both teams will be competing in the conference and divisional tournaments. GOOD LUCK BULLDOGS!

Student Safety Montana Fox News

In light of the security changes in our Emergency & Crisis Response Planning, Montana Fox News broadcast the following coverage of our recent security system updates.

SCHOOL-WIDE LOCKDOWN

Today the district-wide lockdown alarm was activated at 1:32 PM. Students and staff followed the procedure and were locked down for approximately 23 minutes as the local police department and the county law enforcement cleared the building. Once the building was cleared and deemed safe, the lockdown was removed at 1:55 PM.

Our students and staff executed the lockdown with precision. Everyone is safe. The alarm system indicated that the west doors of the elementary were propped open, thus indicating a possible security breach. This system did what it was designed to do. Thank you for your cooperation and patients. Please know that keeping our students and staff safe is our priority.

Special thanks to the St. Ignatius Police Department, the Lake County Sheriffs Office and CSKT Tribal Police for their prompt response.  

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call.