vallivue review winter/spring 2014vallivueweb.vallivue.org/.../spring2014/spring2014.pdf ·...

During the weeks of April 1 to May 16 the State of Idaho and Vallivue School District will participate in the Field Test of the Smarter Bal-anced assessments (SBAT) in third through eighth grades and eleventh. The Field Test is a practice run that allows teachers and students to gain experience with computerized assess-ments aligned to the Common Core before they are implemented next year. Additionally, the Smarter Balanced Assessment is a key to imple-menting the Idaho Core Standards and prepar-ing students for success in college and careers.

Why is Vallivue School District participating in the Smarter Balanced Field Test? The purpose of the Field Test is to ensure that the assessments are accurate and fair for all students. More than 20,000 assessment questions and performance tasks will be evaluated to determine which work well and which need to be improved. The Field Test also provides participating teachers and schools a chance to practice assessment ad-ministration procedures, and students the op-portunity to experience the new assessments. We expect to meet some challenges. However, Smarter Balanced will use information from the Field Test to improve the assessments and plan for their roll-out in the 2014-15 school year.

Idaho has played a leading role in the devel-opment of the assessments. Educators have participated in the process by reviewing and testing thousands of assessment items and per-formance tasks.

The Smarter Balanced Assessment System will replace the Idaho Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) and provide an academic checkup by measuring students’ real-world skills such as critical thinking and problem solving. The first operational assessments in Idaho will be given in the spring of 2015.

Since this year is a Field Test, no student results will be provided to the students, the teachers, or the school district. After the 2015 Smarter Bal-anced Assessment, Individual Student Reports will be available, and score reports will provide a wealth of information on student performance in the following areas: English in reading, writ-ing, listening, and research; and mathematics in

concepts and procedures, problem solving and modeling/data analysis, and communicating reasoning.

The Smarter Balanced Assessment will include three parts; Non-Performance Assessment, Classroom Activity, and Performance Assess-ment. The assessments are untimed, but testing for each subject area is expected to take 2.5 to 4 hours to complete. Schools will administer the tests over multiple days.

Vallivue has provided district training for ad-ministrators, teachers, test coordinators and test administrators. Teachers are working to prepare students for the upcoming assessment by teach-ing the Idaho Core Standards. In addition, they are also completing practice assessment items with students so they are acquainted with the test format as well as the electronic tools that will be used during the test session.

How can parents and students become more familiar with the Smarter Balanced Assessment? Online Practice and Training tests give parents and students the opportunity to experience sam-ple test questions and the test software platform. The Practice and Training Tests are available at http://www.smarterbalanced.org/practice-test/.

Vallivue is finding success in all schools across the district with the ongoing efforts to imple-ment the Idaho Core Standards and carry on our mission to better prepare students for the future through education.

Gearing Up:Field Testing and Implementation of Idaho Core Standards Help Students Get Ahead of the Curve

Vallivue REVIEWWinter/Spring 2014

Biannual Newsletter of the Vallivue School District

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2 Vallivue Review Winter/Spring 2014

Thank you to the parents and patrons of the Vallivue School District for their tremendous support of the recent sup-plemental levy! The levy assists in fund-ing the essential programs that allow Vallivue students to receive an outstand-ing education and to be very well pre-pared for college. Additional academic rigor in grades K through 12, the AVID program at the middle and high school levels, and Advanced Placement classes at the high school level would be difficult to sustain without funding from the levy. Nor would the district be ahead of sched-ule in the implementation of the Idaho Core Standards (ICS). Eight years ago, the school district began raising expec-tations for all students with the goal in mind of preparing all students to gradu-ate ready for college and a career, and those efforts are now paying dividends.

The new ICS are strongly aligned with those sentiments. Based on evidence of the skills and knowledge needed for col-lege and career readiness, the ICS expect students to engage deeply in a wide va-riety of informational and literary texts in English Language Arts/Literacy and to be able to both know and do math-ematics by solving a range of problems and engaging in key practices. The Val-livue School District has been working on those same aspects of ICS for the past eight years by building awareness, revis-ing curricula, and providing effective professional development opportunities for administrators and teachers.

A Message from the Superintendent

Even though the district had already been moving in the same direction as the ICS before the standards received public attention, we know that full implementa-tion will not be easy. Principals and teach-ers must have access to the essential pro-fessional development they need to make the transition to the rigorous standards. For our elementary and middle school principals especially, they will need our support and the resources for providing professional development to teachers, shifts in curricula, and the chance to pro-vide input into new assessment protocols and procedures of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC). As with most aspects of education, the in-depth understanding and leadership of princi-pals is essential to the success of the com-mon core in all schools.

Presented are just a few of the key com-ponents that will keep all of us in Vallivue very busy as we begin to put into practice those things that will place our students on the pathway to college and career readiness. Now, more than ever, we look forward to working with our parents and patrons as we continue to cultivate qual-ity and implement higher expectations for all in the Vallivue School District.

Pat Charlton, PhD

Superintendent of Schools

Dear Vallivue Parents and Members of Our Community, With all the discussion

about new standards and as-sessments, parents and pa-trons should know that stu-dent safety is still the number one priority for Vallivue schools. Meeting monthly, the District Safety Committee discusses and plans emergen-cy procedures for each build-ing in the district so that if the need arises, administrators and staff know their role in several emergency situations.

At each school an emer-gency response team made up of staff anticipates what is re-quired in situations that may necessitate a lockdown or an evacuation with relocation to another site. The district office, maintenance depart-ment, and nurses are also part of emergency response plan-ning with staff being assigned different support roles.

Schools are required by dis-trict policy to conduct at least one fire drill evacuation per month and to practice no less than two lockdowns during the year. Part of the district emergency response plan is to ensure parents are alerted if there is an emergency. Using phone numbers from Infinite Campus, the District Office is able to send out a phone mes-sage to parents quickly.

Policies concerning harass-ment and bullying are also managed by the District Safety Committee. Up-to-date train-ing for staff to provide inter-vention when students are be-ing bullied and to respond to a student who is asking for help is a critical element in the pre-vention of bullying. Adminis-trators are required to investi-gate issues of harassment and bullying. Board members and staff want all students to feel safe. Intimidation that creates a hostile atmosphere will not be tolerated in our schools.

At the schools, safety walk-throughs are conducted on a rotating basis by a subcommit-tee of the District Safety Com-mittee, reviewing four schools per year. Walkthroughs in-clude inspecting the exterior grounds such as playground equipment, playground sur-faces, fencing, and checking around the building exterior. Also inspected are building electrical, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. Classroom inspections fo-cus on items such as properly working intercom systems and emergency lights. Fire protec-tion is reviewed; rooms are checked to make sure fire ex-tinguishers are current, and emergency evacuation routes are posted.

Building custodians and district maintenance staff are diligent in keeping our schools and grounds not only looking good but kept safe for students and staff. School safety will al-ways be in the forefront of dis-trict operations.

Priority One is Safety

Winter/Spring 2014 Vallivue Review 3

▲ Exceeding Expectations - Better Lesson Master Teachers

In January, the fate of Vallivue’s new high school’s name, mascot, and colors was sealed in district history after a detailed discus-sion at the school board meeting. Vallivue High School Principal Dick Brulotte has overseen a lengthy voting process that involved the students and patrons, which narrowed down the few choices presented to the board.

“The decision on the mascot was pretty easy,” School Board Chair Carolyn Hamann said. Given the proximity of the Nampa museum and the sym-bolism of the World War II icon, Warhawks as mas-cot easily became the most popular choice with the board. The Warhawk, the nick-name for the Curtiss P-40 fighter plane used in World War II by Allied forces, was integral to the success of the Allies. The Warhawk Museum in Nampa has a vintage Warhawk on site; the staff is excited about the mascot choice. Known for agility and toughness, the Warhawk is an iconic symbol, representing the greatest generation, which will continue to be recognized by present and future generations.

The name of the new high school was narrowed down to four options: Ridgevue, Rockridge, Rock-vue, and Sagevue. Vice-Chair Jeff Forsberg suggested Ridgevue as the best choice, as the phonetic flow with Warhawk was most comfortable. The board felt maintaining the alternative spelling of the word ‘view’ helps identify the school with the district. Adopting the name of Ridgevue received votes of support from all the board members.

The colors selected are burnt orange, black and white. No high school in Idaho has burnt orange as a color. The design of the mascot will be completed before the opening of the school in 2016. Vallivue Falcons and Ridgevue Warhawks, two strong sym-bols of achievement and pursuit, will soon share the district’s realm. Go Falcons! Welcome Warhawks!

Amelia Jamison, a math teacher at Vallivue High School, and Julia Withers, an English language arts teacher at Vallivue Middle School, are participating in the Better Lesson Master Teacher Project funded by educational grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foun-dation and the National Education Association.

Mrs. Jamison and Mrs. Withers went through a rigorous application pro-cess. From over a thousand applicants, only 140 top-notch teachers were se-lected nationwide. Four of the Better Lesson’s Master Teachers are in Idaho, and the Vallivue School District is beaming with pride as the home to two of them!

Mrs. Jamison and Mrs. Withers are working dili-gently to develop and pub-lish Idaho Core-aligned lessons to the Better Les-son website. There, the les-sons are available for teach-ers around the nation to download and use for free. The goal of Better Lesson Master Teacher Project is to provide all teachers with

access to high-quality lesson plans aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

Each day, Mrs. Jamison and Mrs. Withers write up their lessons in narrative form and create an informational video. They also include any resources they have created, which consists of student worksheets, handouts, and teacher presentations. All of the lesson components are then submitted to their Bet-ter Lesson coaches who re-view the lesson objectives and curriculum materials to make sure they are challeng-ing, engaging, and aligned to the Common Core State Standards.

After review and revision, the lessons are published to the website cc.betterlesson.com for teachers across the nation to utilize in their teaching practice. Along with publication, Mrs. Jamison and Mrs. Withers are filmed in their classrooms teaching and working with students. The Master Teachers are also interviewed on camera about their teaching practices. Five professionally-produced vid-eos will be included on the

Better Lesson site along with the lessons from each teacher.

Mrs. Jamison says she has “immersed” herself in the Idaho Core Standards to en-rich her classroom strategies and student interactions in her practice. She now adds the word “why” to her ques-tioning as often as she can to foster a deeper level of under-standing for her students.

Mrs. Withers has enjoyed the opportunity to reflect on her daily practices. The feed-back she receives from her coach has been invaluable for her teaching and, ultimately, her students at Vallivue Mid-dle School.

The Better Lesson Master Teacher Project is showcas-ing Vallivue educators in a national spotlight. The teach-ers are distinguished educa-tors dedicated to developing and providing relevant and rigorous curriculum and in-struction that is of the high-est quality. In the words of Vallivue Superintendent Dr. Charlton, “We are proud to have you here in Vallivue.”

Mastering “the Core” Vallivue Educators Construct and Share Lessons Nationwide Through the Better Lesson Master Teacher Project

A New ‘Vue’

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Name, Mascot and Colors Revealed for District’s Second High School


Walking through the fifth grade hallway at Birch reveals the American Revolution unfolding right before your eyes. The walls are lined with colorful drawings of patriots from this period of our country’s history. Fifth grade students spent much of this past quarter exploring and learning about the various people who played vital roles in America becoming an independent nation.

This knowledge was acquired not only during social studies classes, but threaded its way throughout the curriculum during reading and language arts as well. In read-ing, students embarked on a unit titled “Making a New Nation.” Reading instruc-tion, supporting the social studies lessons, gave students the opportunity to learn about the people, places, and events that were in-strumental to the founding of our nation.

Integrated learning in multiple subject areas allowed students to deeply investigate the driving forces that led to the American Revolution and explore the history behind well-known documents such as the Consti-tution and the Declaration of Independence.

As a culminating activity for this unit, stu-dents selected a person from the American Revolution they were interested in learning more about. The assignment was to create a life size drawing of the person they were researching as well as writing an obituary for this person. Students were required to use the library and the internet for research. The obituary exercise provided a creative writing activity where students cited facts about their character but allowed them to also record the fun anecdotal notes they had learned during their research.

The acquisition of knowledge across the curriculum is an example of how one assign-ment can address various Idaho Core Stan-dards for reading, writing, social studies, speaking, and listening. The purpose of this assignment was to give students the oppor-tunity to demonstrate understanding of the subjects they were studying and share the finished product with their classmates and school. All of the students in the school had an opportunity to view the posters. Class-mates listened intently as each student read the obituary he or she had written for the historical figure that was selected.

Teachers report that this assignment was very engaging for students. It allowed stu-dents to demonstrate mastery of the subject. Students loved learning the various stories behind people such as John Hancock, Phillis Wheatley, Benedict Arnold, John Adams and many more who contributed to this im-portant time of our nation’s history.

Bringing History to Life

◄ Patriotic Display of Learning - Birch fifth grade students proudly present their culminating American Revolution projects.

Angry Birds, Cut the Rope, and Hill Climb are all fun game “apps” available on an iPad, and almost any student at Desert Springs could show you how to play them. However, they would rather demonstrate how they are using iPads in class every day and present what they are learning to showcase educational activi-ties that are directly aligned to the Idaho Core Standards.

With Idaho Core Standards being at the center of discussion, and iPads being such a new learning tool, Desert Springs teachers and students were excited to host a couple of different groups in the month of January to show how increased educational expecta-tions and new classroom technology can go hand in hand.

On January 23, the Caldwell Community Leaders, consisting of a broad range of business leaders and representatives, visited Des-ert Springs to get a firsthand look at how teachers and students are using iPads to address Idaho Core Standards. These community members visited six different classrooms, each one focused on a different Core standard and iPad application. In each classroom, students could clearly explain what they were trying to accom-plish or demonstrate.

On January 26, a local television crew from KIVI “Six on Your Side” visited to talk with students and teachers about the new stan-dards. While the initial goal for their visit was to discuss the stan-dards, they were also able to see, film, and talk with teachers and students who were engaged with the iPads. Students were able to demonstrate their understanding of mathematics standard 4.NF.1 (extend understanding of fraction equivalence and ordering) by using the app Educreations to explain and demonstrate equivalent fractions to their classmates. The students taught and taped their own lessons, much like one would see on Khan Academy.

If you missed seeing the television broadcast or would like to see student iPad use in action, please go to www.vallivue.org and click on the “Vallivue Staff and Students Talk about Idaho Com-mon Core” link.

Learning Core

◄ Fully Engaged Students use iPads to solve complex math problems in the classroom.

Fifth Grade Students at Birch Elementary Explore the Founding of Our Nation

Desert Springs Students Showcase the Relationship Between Technology and Idaho Core

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Educators at Central Canyon El-ementary have enjoyed great suc-cess implementing 21st century ap-proaches to support student learning and achievement. The Idaho Core Standards grant teachers the ability to incorporate several new and effective practices in the classroom.

The American Revolution Wax Mu-seum project is a terrific example of how core-aligned creative assessments have been incorporated into the cur-riculum. Using a teacher-created ru-bric, advanced fourth grade students revised and edited their peers’ histori-cal presentations using such standards as production and distribution of writ-ing. The standard of integration of knowledge and ideas was also applied as students used two or more sources to write their reports and monologues for the presentations.

“The Idaho Core Standards have changed the classroom climate in many ways,” states Tara Daniel, ad-vanced fourth grade teacher. “My students receive so many more high quality learning opportunities. The results are exciting.”

The popular children’s book Flat Stanley, by Jeff Brown, provided a won-derful springboard for hands-on and highly-engaged learning for students

▲ Collaborative Encounters East Canyon students work together to discuss their reading assignment and develop deeper levels of understanding.

Central Canyon Students Reap Benefits of Idaho Core

▲ Historical Dialogue Presentions at the Wax Museum provide Central Canyon students with the opportunity to reflect upon and share their learning.

Shifting Focus Switching to the Idaho Core

State standards has created a shift in focus at East Canyon. The premise of the change is to create college and career ready students.

The Idaho State Depart-ment of Education (IDSE) has identified major shifts in in-struction. One shift increases students’ use of rich literary and non-fiction text across the curriculum. Students are also tasked with citing sources in reading, writing and speaking. Finally, students will increase their collaboration with peers to build knowledge as well as increase the use of technology as an instructional tool.

in Sara Ross’ first grade class. The students were very eager to practice and develop skills in narrative and letter writing con-nected to litera-ture. Students also worked in small groups as they participated in collab-orative conversations. Flat Stanley, the two-dimensional story character, has visited such faraway places as Alaska and Germany, providing geography and cultural studies as well.

Technology enhances student learn-ing throughout Central Canyon as the new standards are applied. Second grade students are able to solve word problems related to various denomi-nations of money. They practice sort-ing money and identifying appropriate money symbols with iPads. “I am really enjoying the hands-on learning that

Revolutionary Teachingoccurs with Idaho Core,” states Jenny Mitchell, second grade teacher. “My classroom feels like a learning lab. Our kids are like sponges, they are soaking up so much information.”

Several teachers have attended pro-fessional development classes pre-sented by Lee Peskey. The consen-sus is that tools presented, including the “Stop Light” and “Two Column Notes” graphic organizers are invalu-able. Students are able to produce clear and coherent writing using these innovative organizational tools. These educational opportunities help teach-ers grow professionally and students reap the benefits.

The implementation of Idaho Core Standards and ongoing professional development opportunities are prov-ing to be beneficial for teachers in their practice as well as for the stu-dents who think critically to solve problems and rise to the educational challenges of the 21st century.

Some of East Canyon’s teachers have been involved with the Idaho Core Teachers Network this year. Led by the IDSE, the program is designed to develop teachers as leaders who can assist other educators with implementation of the Idaho Core State Standards. These teachers have had exten-sive training in how to create units to include the instruc-tional shifts. They culminated their training with providing professional development to staff members and other dis-trict groups.

One teacher has taken the new Idaho Core knowledge and has transferred it to the

classroom. The second grade students in this class are work-ing to develop their close read-ing skills. Close reading means reading to uncover the layers of meaning that lead to a deeper understanding of the text. The teacher leads students through the first reading of a text while the students create their own vocabulary list based on un-familiar words. Past practices included the teacher provid-ing a list of vocabulary words to students and teaching those words explicitly. Now the own-ership of the learning shifts from teacher to student.

The students are not only reading from their reading

books, but also pairing their story selection with a related article, video, or text. This ad-dresses the key shift of gain-ing knowledge and academic language through rich literary and non-fiction text. Students build their content knowledge, but also analyze and synthe-size similarities and differenc-es across the texts.

Shifting our focus to close reading, including a variety of texts, handing the learning to the students, and provid-ing multiple access points to grade level content are some examples of how East Canyon is working to create career and college ready students.

East Canyon Teachers Take Proactive Approach to Idaho Core State Standards


Rivervue Academy, Vallivue’s smallest school, is beaming bright this year — basking in the glow of its “Five Star” rating and new accredi-tation status as an Idaho Alterna-tive Secondary Program. The school utilizes cutting edge technology, in-novative curriculum and a unique parent communication approach to inspire seventh- through ninth-grade students to academic success.

Rivervue has cultivated an envi-ronment for student growth while implementing the new Idaho Core Standards. In earning the Five-Star recognition, it has been celebrated for excellence as a top-performing school (less than 5%, statewide, are honored with this ranking).

Four years ago, Rivervue was start-ed as a middle school focused on meeting the needs of our district’s

Learning is beginning to take on a new look at Lakevue Elementary. With the implementation of the Idaho Core Standards, teachers are skillfully guiding students to learn as they utilize the proj-ect-based model of instruction. Take a peek inside a Lakevue classroom to see the exciting changes!

The project-based learning model of instruction is a new and dynamic approach to educating stu-dents that establishes a culture of inquiry, deeper

“at-risk” students. It has since incor-porated ninth-grade students and became a fully accredited school, providing credits for higher grade students. By spanning both middle and high school grades, the term “Academy” was added to the school’s name. There are only eight alterna-tive schools in the state that target middle level students. This new ac-creditation offers extra funding to support a 12 to 1 student/teacher ratio, allowing teachers, along with instructional assistants, to focus on individualized education goals.

Rivervue students must meet “at risk” qualifications to be accepted, but this is not based on behavior problems. The school specializes in differentiated instruction and multi-level support to assist kids who have struggled academically or who face

embrace the freedom to explore, create, analyze, and justify their thinking, motivating them to dig deeper into the content and ask more thoughtful questions. This process takes time for students to master and requires a lot of scaffolding from teach-ers. However, the process and the outcome results in a much stronger foundation of learning.

Building teamwork is a vital aspect of project-based learning that helps students become col-laborative team members. In English Language Arts students were given the task of determining personality traits of characters within a particular story. Students worked together in teams, having rich conversations, justifying their point of view regarding characterization. Some of the conversa-tions heard by teachers were groups “agreeing to disagree” and students deeply engaged in dialogue while citing evidence from the story to prove or disprove their thoughts. These types of activities foster the respect for others and their ideas, skills required for working within a team.

The goal as educators is to assist students in be-ing independent thinkers, great collaborators, and inventive problem solvers. All of these exciting changes of project-based learning will ideally stim-ulate students to become better prepared for their journey in education.

involvement and teamwork. These skills allow stu-dents to connect classroom learning with real-life experiences while students invest in their own learning. A culture of inquiry is constructed as the students are encouraged to ask questions and take charge of their own learning. This is in stark contrast to the traditional style instruction with the teacher standing in front of the room asking the questions and “directing” learning during of the lesson.

In developing their knowledge of fractions, third graders were given the task of designing a “Fraction Avenue.” Students took charge of their own learn-ing in creating a street full of fractions. The students were given the parameters to develop their street using various shapes and fractions. For example: a quarter of the houses on your street have to have blue roofs. The teacher steps aside and becomes a resource while students work as a team to build their understanding of fractions. “Fraction Avenue” is just one of many engaging project-based learning activi-ties that students are taking part in.

Lakevue third graders were given the opportunity to build their inquiry skills by developing and teach-ing their own mini-lesson on a new core standard. Students take ownership of their learning and build a deeper understanding of the standard. This “go-ing deeper” is a very rewarding process as students

Lakevue Students Embrace Project-Based Learning

Teaming Up toBuild Knowledge

Rivervue “Stars”Shine Brightly


▲ Entrepreneurial Spirit West Canyon students work on designing a T-shirt company to apply knowledge of place value.

I like sharing my strategies, because it might help someone else understand it better, and I learn more by watching them, too.

“” – Porter Y. 2nd grade student

Students at West Canyon Elementary are gearing up for a successful future. With the implementa-tion of the Idaho Core Standards, teachers and stu-dents in all grade levels are raising the learning bar in the classroom. We recognize that mastery of the new Idaho Core Standards will take time, but our students are off to a running start. The use of tech-nology, reading challenging texts, and demonstrat-ing critical thinking skills are becoming a part of the students’ everyday routine.

Exciting things are happening school-wide in the area of language arts. Sammy M., a fifth grade stu-dent, said, “We work hard and extend our thinking, but it’s really fun!” Fifth grade students used iPads to make infomercials about the thirteen colonies by demonstrating knowledge of key concepts and vocabulary.

Some teachers are helping students gain com-fort using interactive technology, by using Padlet, a free iPad app, to take the concept/question board

to a deeper level. Students record their thoughts and questions about the topic they are studying and can instantly see the thoughts of their peers, allowing in-teractive discussions to occur.

Our primary students are getting an early start in preparing to master the new standards. Students are challenged to stretch abilities with activities such as conducting research and citing sources of infor-mation used, to interacting with and responding to informational text. Students are becoming prepared for success as they progress through and beyond el-ementary school.

School-wide, teachers are rewriting reading com-prehension test questions with focused efforts to promote deeper levels of thinking. Students are be-ing taught to answer using “scholarly language” and to write academic sentences.

Higher-level thinking and real-world application of knowledge and skills have become an integral part of math instruction throughout the entire school.

Getting to the Core of Learning

“Stars” continuedpersonal/social challenges. Parent involvement is essential and encouraged through strategies such as: signed weekly progress reports, staff case man-agement contacts, all-school family meals, paren-tal transportation for additional tutoring, and an active Parent Advisory Committee.

This year there has been a major effort by the staff to team up for professional development. They participate weekly in Step Up to Writing collaboration and have attended Idaho Leads and Idaho Core seminars as well as other conferences.

Students are frequently asked to write about their mathematical thinking and explain the strategy they chose for solving a problem. The second grade students recently applied their knowledge of place value and computation skills to create their own mock tee-shirt factories.

The learning bar is not only being raised in the regular classrooms, but in the special classes that students attend as well. In the library, lessons are being updated to include more student research skills building. In the computer lab, more time is being spent teaching necessary keyboarding skills while giving the students practice in interpreting and paraphrasing text.

Core-adopted best practices for teachers have been fully adopted by the staff.

Each student at Rivervue Academy has access to Chromebook laptops in every class. Teachers can give immediate feedback on work through shared documents on Google Drive making “old school” technology like e-mail almost obsolete. Teachers share examples of student writing projects to en-courage one another and guide future instruction. Math instruction is augmented through innovative curriculum such as Khan Academy online.

None of this happens without the passion-ate leadership of our Principal, Mary Ann Vande Brake. She recruits zany instructors like former Vallivue District Teacher of the Year and music rapper, Joey Palmer, to lead the English Depart-ment. White water river guide instructors, back country motorcycle riders, reformed IT nerds, log-gers and veterans in Spanish instruction make up the teaching team. It’s a tight knit staff. As Audra McAuliffe, our school’s current Teacher of the Year exclaims, “Rivervue rocks!”

West Canyon Elementary Off to Running Start in Mastering the Idaho Core Standards

In addition to helping students master the Idaho Core Standards, teachers throughout the school are also building good study skills in their students. Most students are required to keep an organized binder that contains learning resources, agendas, and homework. Students learn to utilize the bind-ers appropriately to facilitate their own learning. Some of our fifth grade teachers have received AVID training, a program that helps prepare stu-dents for college and their future careers.

While change can be difficult at times, the teach-ers, staff and students at West Canyon are embrac-ing it with open arms and facing the challenges positively, knowing that students will be better prepared for college or trade schools and ready for a successful future!


How do we learn history? Do we learn history by being told about events that happened and when, or do we discover it? The art of historical discovery is happening at Vallivue High School.

As the Social Studies Department at VHS be-gan its quest for Idaho Core Standards alignment three years ago, the goal was to increase the rigor in what students were reading and to create more opportunities for students to collaborate and write about history and government. Students have gone from writing notes and dates, to developing deeper understanding of social studies through activities such as analyzing sources on the causes

VHS Social Studies Department Strives to Empower Studentsof the Revolutionary War, investigating govern-ments from other nations and even to exploring the global impacts of World War One. With the unique two-history course requirement at VHS, teachers and students are able to take the time to engage in rich conversations and develop connections to our nation’s history.

The core tool being used by the social studies team is the Document Based Question. Students engage in AVID Critical Reading exercises and synthesizing the meaning behind the documents that were writ-ten, images that were created, and charts that were drawn. Students compare documents to see com-mon themes, ideologies, and effects.

After completing a Critical Read of the poem “The Hangman” and then viewing a video clip on the Holocaust, a student reflected,

I like activities we do in history, [for example] the “Hangman” activity the class did. It gave me a bet-ter understanding of the mentality of the Germans that worked in the concentration camps. If we hadn’t have done that activity, I probably wouldn’t have ever gotten a full understanding of why the Germans did what they did.

Document Based Questions do not just entail the comparison of events, but introduce concepts that intrigue students prompting them to think about historical influence today.

▲ Students engage in lively discussion during a Socratic Seminar in Mrs. Harris’ AP U.S. HIstory class.

Before Common Core and AVID, students might have just read the document and talked about it, but now they are being taught higher level skills for analysis and synthesis, skills that colleges are de-manding today. A History 2 student commented:

The one thing in a History 2 class that could be simply overlooked is the Great Depression — the nitty-gritty of it, like the cyclical effect of how in-dustries fell. We all stood up and were assigned an industry, and as one fell, we saw how other groups were taken down as preceding industries fell. This engraved the real dramatic effects of how many people were affected by the Depression in my mind.

Students are writing and engaging in rich con-versations about their reactions and their opinions, and hypothesizing outcomes while learning the history of America. Rich conversations make his-tory come alive to students. These conversations take the form of whole class discussions, Socratic Seminars, Philosophical Chairs and debates.

Social studies at VHS are empowered to take ownership of what they have learned and gain the ability to introduce new questions and ideas to help other students see value. Students have a greater depth of knowledge and appreciation of history, not a simple survey of people, places and dates. This depth of information will benefit stu-dents for a lifetime as they venture into adulthood and civic responsibility. Idaho Core Standards are embraced in the VHS Social Studies Department not as just standards, but as the practice for making social studies rigorous and more relevant.

Rich, Relevant and Rigorous

“”

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For the second year, Vallivue High School made The Washington Post’s list of America’s Most Challenging High Schools.

Of roughly 22,000 public high schools, only 9% managed to meet the standards and make it to the list. Those standards, based on the num-ber of seniors who take Advance Placement (AP) exams, identify schools that have been successful in persuading average students to take college-level courses and tests.

Nine schools in Idaho were identi-fied, including four in Boise. Of all the schools qualifying, Vallivue reflects the highest percentage of students from families that qualify for lunch subsidies, almost twice as high as the average of local schools on the list.

Vallivue anticipates about half of all students graduating will attend a 4-year college. The district’s vision is to graduate all of its students with the necessary skills to successfully com-plete college and/or career education.

Vallivue High School Makes Washington Post ListPrograms such as AP and Dual Credit provide focus and direction toward the college path. These courses offer students a chance to experience the rigorous challenges of heavy reading lists and difficult examinations typical of a college class.

Seven years ago, VHS had six stu-dents who took six AP exams in the one AP course that was offered. In 2012 there were 195 students who took 333 exams in 13 AP courses. This year, 498 exams are scheduled to be

taken by students enrolled in the 15 courses the high school now has in the curriculum.

This upward trend in challenging coursework and student participa-tion stands a testament to the aca-demic rigor at Vallivue High School. Recognition by a national newspaper such as The Washington Post is a sig-nificant honor to receive, and a nod toward recognizing the accomplish-ments to which the dedicated stu-dents of Vallivue are capable.


Vallivue Academy has taken great strides to in-tegrate the Idaho Core Standards across the cur-riculum. Academy teachers in math and language arts attended the Idaho Leads conference and Ida-ho Core Standards (ICS) classes. Teachers learned best practice strategies for integration and have a deeper understanding of how the standards raise the bar for all students.

Examples of how Idaho Core Standards are be-ing implemented at Vallivue Academy abound. One example is the Advisory/Orientation class for new students. The focus is to help students gain an understanding of Academy policies and proce-dures and to prepare students in literacy as they move into upper level English classes and Senior Seminar. Students are introduced to new rigor in Common Core standards-based curriculum.

Academic conversation is being practiced in the Advisory/Orientation class according to the new standards. It is recommended that grading rubrics now use the language of the Idaho Core Standards to acquaint students with the language arts vo-cabulary which will be used on the SBAC test. A conversation measure may require students to use supporting evidence, integrate multiple sources of information, respond thoughtfully, and propel conversations.

In Advisory, the “text” to which students must respond for their academic conversation is pre-sented via video. Videos include interesting topics such as music, origami, and memory. The high-est quality conversation is achieved when students can refer to the text in their answer, are able to connect their comment to another text they previ-ously read or viewed, and their comments prompt other students to respond. This assessment strat-egy is very effective. It raises the academic bar and encourages a higher level of engagement in the process of discussion. It also requires that students improve communication skills by speaking in formal language using topic-specific vocabulary. Many students enjoy this academic conversation and have responded positively to this new and dif-ferent measure of communication skills.

Idaho Core Standards also places emphasis on depth of knowledge and on inferential thinking with regard to non-fiction material; it is recommended that students “close read” material up to three times and use evidence based responding. In Advisory, the class will read short non-fiction excerpts about a va-riety of topics. Students learn how to correctly inter-pret multiple choice questions and how to select or reject answers. Students respond using ICS language such as, “There is no evidence in the text to support that choice.”

In English classes, teachers are incorporating high-er level skills in the area of analysis, critical thinking, application, research, and synthesis. Students are en-gaging in higher level vocabulary as well. They are using these concepts to help them earn dual credit at the College of Western Idaho (CWI).

An emphasis on number sense and solutions to word problems dominates the daily curriculum in math classes. Students write their responses for word problems and explain their process and answers.

Senior Seminar class focuses on the career readi-ness component of the Idaho Core Standards. Stu-dents create a portfolio which includes sections entitled student information, citizen, career infor-mation, college prep, and senior project. Senior Seminar is the capstone course that gives students real life application. By completing their portfolios, students are prepared to enter the work force or con-tinue their post-secondary education.

Vallivue Academy teachers are working diligently to effectively implement Idaho Core Standards and our students are responding positively to the rigor of the enhanced curriculum.

Vallivue Academy Raising the Bar on Learning

Students at Sage Valley Middle School are learning how to be critical thinkers and writers and, at the same time, musicians and perform-ers. Sage Valley students are becoming produc-tive citizens and members of our community.

The Idaho Core Standards have assisted teach-ers in making the leap from telling students to asking students. This means that teachers are no longer the ones giving all of the answers at the front of the classroom. Instead, teachers guide students in developing skills to find and defend the answers they arrive at in their own learning. Students are able to articulate their opinions and cite evidence to support it. They are learning how to think about their thinking.

Recently, thirteen teachers from Sage Valley joined several others throughout the district to attend an AVID Critical Reading training. This course equipped teachers with skills and strate-gies they will use to teach students how to read their text, or any other document, critically to find meaning and support claims. Teachers re-turned to their classrooms eager to implement the new instructional strategies they learned. The training is an example of the continued commitment the district has toward AVID and the integration of new teaching strategies to in-crease student achievement. The staff at Sage Valley has the same commitment. The training our teachers engage in benefits all students and increases their ability to be successful.

We are thankful for the parents and their on-going support and encouragement given to our students. The middle school years can be dif-ficult and tough to navigate for students. With strong support from parents and caring adults, our students are able to attain goals and experi-ence success. Thank you for allowing us to be part of the journey.

Are your students using words like warrant, claim and evidence?

Is your up and coming mathematician more familiar with math vocabulary?

Have you witnessed a difference in your child’s writing?

Leaps and Bounds


Robotics competitions are a quickly growing event in the state of Idaho. Students use a variety of STEM (Science, Tech-nology, Engineering, and Math) skills to work together, de-signing, testing, programming and competing in local and re-gional tournaments. Throughout the course of a year, students develop creativity, learn how to keep an Engineering Note-book, practice interviewing skills to describe their robot to a panel of judges, and learn how to communicate as a team. They practice technical writing skills and learn how to incorporate logical strategies in tournament competitions. Although Val-livue High School is a new player to this field, we qualified two teams for the state robotics tournament this past year.

The Vallivue High School robotics program started very successfully in the 2012-2013 school year when VEX robots were incorporated into the Advanced Physics Topics - Intro to Engineering course. After the robotics component of class was completed, four students worked after school for six weeks and competed in the state tournament.

This year, the after-school robotics program has expanded to ten students, competing as two teams in three tournaments. With nine rookies and one returning member, the teams ex-perienced great success placing second and third at different tournaments. One of our teams made it to the final round of the state competition and earned second place!

The program helps prepare students to meet the challenges they will face after high school and be better prepared for a technological society. Through the application of hands-on, inquiry-based STEM instruction in robotics, students gain a deeper understanding of concepts and stronger skills.

For older Special Education students with disabilities, participating in the “18-21” pro-gram, also called the Adult Transitional Pro-gram, helps to prepare them for the transition to life after school. Taught by Penny Wilkin-son, students in the program increase their confidence and self reliance in carrying out important life skills needed to be productive citizens through a variety of authentic learn-ing experiences. On and off campus activities provide students with opportunities to inter-act with age-appropriate peers while address-ing individual transition goals which include vocational, social, and personal safety skills.

Twice a week students take a bus to their home base away from the high school in downtown Caldwell. The students take care of cleaning the building then walk to various locations in the community for additional vo-cational and daily life skill experiences. Sev-eral students are currently gaining volunteer work experience at places around the com-munity, such as Simply Styling, Bon Appetit, Honks 99 Cent Store, Pet Haven Thrift Store, and Smith’s Laundromat, just to name a few.

Students gain awareness by being involved in the community and by becoming familiar with various public services in the area. Ear-lier this year students met and toured the po-lice station and a local fire station in Caldwell. Engaging experiences foster independence in their own lives as they learn who to contact and what to do in case of an emergency.

The ultimate goal of the program is for each student to participate in relevant, real-world learning that will lead them to become more self sufficient young adults. A great example of this occurred during the holiday season when students were able to purchase their

Collaborative

own greeting cards. They were coached on how to address their cards as well as how to budget for the stamps, write the messages, and mail their greetings. Students were very successful and learned valuable life lessons.

Through a wide range of experiences stu-dents in the “18-21” program develop skills and walk away with the tools to be more successful as they transition into life after high school much like past students who have been successful in attaining employ-ment and live a more independent life.

Vallivue Middle School and Sage Valley Middle School are hosting an Art Show and Jazz Night at Karcher Mall on Thursday May 15th from 4:00 pm until 8:30 pm. A storefront gallery will be filled with a tasteful array of visual and performing art. Please stop by to view over 400 fantastic works created by our talented Vallivue School District middle school students while enjoying music played by the award winning jazz bands.

Achieving Independence

Finding Rhythm in Art and Jazz

Ad“Venture”

Adult Transitional Program Prepares Students for Life

Through Authentic Learning


Vallivue School District #139 telephone visit us online at 5207 South Montana . Caldwell, ID 83607 208-454-0445 www.vallivue.org

Best in Show ▲Front row: Brookelyn Thomas, Brenda Maggard, Patti Wiseman Adams, Angie CashBack row: Audra McAuliffe, Levi Cavenar, Bruce Johnson, Donna Schneider,

Julie Doser, Jennifer Hopkins

Lakevue Elementary did a dang fine job hosting the 2013-2014 Vallivue Teacher of the Year Round Up. Each school selected their finest to receive accolades at this year’s shindig. The Wild West theme prevailed as young ranch hands scattered programs to all and assisted in handing out plaques to the honorees. The 2014 Teacher of the Year

candidates received an extra nod from the Batt Family Fund

of the Vallivue Education Founda-tion with a nice wad o’ dough to celebrate the tribute. From this ornery but hardworking herd the District Teacher of the Year was culled. Vallivue Middle School’s Bruce Johnson made the cut for his well-known history of making a difference in the lives of his students and athletes.

The Round Up included western-themed individual Wanted Posters that highlighted the wonderful attri-butes of the “wrangler” teacher can-didates from each school. Jennifer Hopkins Birch ElementaryJennifer is wanted for her ambition and dedication to the teaching profession. She has been known to collaborate with teach-ers all over the world and apply effective teaching strategies in her classroom. She is considered armed with knowledge and could be dangerous to students with her ability to engage learners. Brookelyn Thomas Central Canyon Elementary Brooklyn is wanted for her positive attitude and willingness to help in every aspect of the school. She smiles at passing students and staff in the hallways. She is consid-ered armed with knowledge and could be dangerous to students with her positive attitude and steadfast dedication to the students.Angie Cash Desert Springs ElementaryAngie is wanted for creating lessons that is relevant for all of her students. She uses technology to engage all learners, and is known to attend students’ extracurricular activities. She is considered armed with knowledge and could be dangerous to stu-dents who are not engaged in lively class-room discussions.

Donna Schneider East Canyon ElementaryDonna is wanted for creating individual-ized lessons to meet her students’ needs. She has been known to use creativity when planning. She is considered armed with knowledge and could be dangerous to stu-dents with her kindness and humor.Brenda Maggard Lakevue ElementaryBrenda is wanted for her use of technology in the classroom. She has been known to engage students with her science journals. She is considered armed with knowledge and could be dangerous to students with her team work and dedication to teaching. Julie Doser West Canyon ElementaryJulie is wanted for her ability to connect with her students and their families. She has been known to build strong relation-ships with the community and her stu-dents. She is considered armed with knowledge and could be dangerous to stu-dents with her dedication and innovative ways to reach all her students. Patti Wiseman Adams Sage Valley Middle SchoolPatti is wanted for inspiring children to learn, using creative teaching strategies in the classroom, and meeting all stu-dents’ needs. She is considered armed with knowledge and could be dangerous to students who are not meeting their full potential.

Bruce Johnson Vallivue Middle SchoolBruce is wanted for his dedication to teaching for 30 years. He has been known to coach students in athletic programs. He is considered armed with knowledge and could be dangerous to students with his abil-ity to provide strong intervention and support helping students reach grade level and above in their aca-demic performance.Audra McAuliffe Rivervue AcademyAudra is wanted for her ability to connect and motivate her students. She has been known to attend con-ferences and apply new learning in her classroom. She is considered armed with knowledge and could be dangerous to students with her humor and ability to help stu-dents make better choices.Levi Cavenar Vallivue High SchoolLevi is wanted for creating individu-alized lessons to meet his students’ needs and his high expectations for all students. He has been known to be very involved in school activities, including snow club every Saturday during the winter. He is considered armed with knowledge and could be dangerous to students due to his extreme dedication to learning.

Vallivue Teacher Year Roundupof the

This is the time of year when high school se-niors are faced with all types of decisions. Their very well-trav-eled route through the school’s corridors is quickly coming to an end and other educa-

tional pathways start forming in their minds. For many, college or post-high school educational plans are becom-ing reality — dreaming evolves into planning, which re-quires initiative and action.

One of the best acts a senior can do before the full punch of graduation hits is getting applications for schol-arships completed and submitted. Many scholarships are out there, and the high school’s Career Center is the per-fect place for students to start learning more. Ms. Laurie Wood works with students daily. She outlines what schol-arships are available, advises on time frames, and places applications into the hands of the curious and qualified.

The Vallivue Education Foundation (VEF) is an excel-lent source for scholarships. This year, the VEF is offer-ing, through family, memorial, professional, and per-sonal sources, up to 24 scholarships, hoping to disperse almost $20,000 this spring. Each scholarship is unique, with qualifiers such as: being involved in FFA; pursuing an education in medicine; or seeking vocational training. In other words, there could be a scholarship out there to support just about anyone’s journey. Not all require top grades, although some do; not all require a financial need, and some are awarded without an application process.

Every year these scholarships are available, and you can learn more about them by visiting the Career Center website or the VEF website both found on Vallivue.org. Scholarship winners are announced at the annual Aca-demic Awards event in May. The VEF is proud to be part of the support behind the Class of 2014 and is excited to be able to continue to support many future Vallivue se-niors as they start down a fresh path. Learn more online by visiting vallivue.org and following the links to VEF or the VHS Career Center.

Academics and athletics are inseparable in Vallivue Schools. Students who participate in sports are held to a standard that strives to place schooling first, sports second. Student athletes are required to maintain a mini-mum 2.0 cumulative GPA and receive passing scores on ISAT tests to participate. Behavior, ap-pearance, and attendance also play a determining role in par-ticipating in extra-curricular ac-tivities.

Financial support for academ-ic and athletic success is awarded annually. Several of our seniors received notice that they have been invited to represent colleges and universities throughout the region in sports. So far this year, athletic scholarships have been awarded to the student athletes pictured.

Congratulations and best of luck to the athletes who will have Vallivue’s standards of sports-manship as their foundation in their college sport endeavors.

The Idaho Partnerships Con-ference on Human Services hon-ored nominees from around the state for valuing people with dis-abilities as important contribu-tors to their communities at the Commitment to Communities Award Ceremony. The Building Bridges Award recognizes top candidates who understand the value of inclusiveness in a com-

Gabby Barker Texas Tech Golf

Mariah Dean Northwest

Nazarene University Soccer

Kylee Lopez College of Idaho Volleyball

Maddi Osburn Boise State

Volleyball

Ali Longoria College of Idaho Soccer

Brenna Elhart Treasure Valley CC Softball

Crystal Hillestad Walla Walla CC

Volleyball

Doug Radloff Morningside

College Football

Athletic Scholarships Awarded

Founded in 1987, the VEF’s mission is to enhance the educational and extra-curricular activities in all Vallivue schools. The Foundation provides an opportunity to support students through tax-deductible contributions. The VEF is a non-profit organization governed by a volunteer board of directors composed of Vallivue patrons, staff members, and a school board trustee. Scholarships are an impor-tant part of the VEF’s directive, but the Foundation also seeks to provide funds for students in many ways. New eye glasses, competi-tion registration fees, and other nominal expenses can be covered by the VEF through each school’s account, or from other accounts that help the students. The only fund raising event the VEF holds is the annual Fund Run held in November. All funds raised during this event go toward school accounts or select scholarships.

munity and work to enhance the individual perspectives and contributions of all community members. Barbara Hayhurst, a special education teacher at Lakevue Elementary, was the 2013 recipient of the Building Bridges Award.

Barbara has been a dedicated teacher for 30 years. She cur-rently works with children with significant developmental dis-abilities. Barb has created a Buddy Program where typical peers spend their recesses with their friends with disabilities.

This program has grown and now it is common to see bud-dies and others playing on the playground with all of the chil-dren in their class. The Buddy program is a great program that builds an understanding of inclusiveness at an early age.

Barb sets high standards for her students spending a great deal of time in preparation. She stands out in the educa-tional community and encour-ages other special education teachers to open doors and cre-ate their own programs.

Barbara Hayhurst Receives Building Bridges Award


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