Good afternoon,
I’m traveling this weekend and sending this update from the road.
Draft science standards are still out for review. Today, I had an opportunity to celebrate with winners of the the Ag in the Classroom bookmark contest. Ten winners were selected from over one-thousand entries. Ag in the Classroom was one entity that provided input on the science standards. This summer, teachers from across the state will work to strengthen AIC curricular resources that are aligned with science and other standards. These and other resources will be of great value to teachers once new standards are adopted.
End of year culminating events are beginning to take place. I had the honor of keynoting Wyoming History Day for the second year. If you are interested in having me spotlight end of year celebrations or graduation, please contact Rita or I and to check calendars.
Finally, a guest column I penned about suicide prevention will likely begin to appear in newspapers this weekend. In short, it is a call to action for communities and individuals, not just schools, to work to prevent suicide and address the causes that lead to suicide. Statistically, we may be experiencing a statewide suicide “cluster” with a rate of youth suicide that is twice the national average. I will be working to roll out a few other components in partnership with community advocacy groups also. My main message is that suicide and causes leading to suicide need to be addressed through the efforts and collaboration of many in the community.
Memos to be released Monday, April 18:
- Memo 2016-066: McKinney-Vento Changes in ESSA
- Memo 2016-067: WDE103 & 401 Training & Info
- Memo 2016-068: STAR Conference Registration
- Memo 2016-069: WIDA Professional Development Survey
- Memo 2016-070: Review of WDE950 Confidential Student Reports
Jillian