Spartan Community,
It has been an extraordinary privilege to serve as your superintendent for the past fifteen months. I have enjoyed the opportunity to meet and converse with hundreds of community partners, faith groups, business owners, city leaders, school employees, parents, and students during my first year. As a result, I have been able to learn a great deal about our school district and the Bixby community. I have heard from you, and observed first-hand, many areas in which our district excels, both inside and outside of the classroom. I have also received candid feedback and suggestions about improvements that may be necessary to ensure we remain a strong, viable, and exceptional school district for our students and families, now and into the future.
During this school year, we will continue to seek your input as we develop a strategic plan to help guide our improvement efforts over the next five years. Having a well-defined plan - developed by school and community members working together - will help focus the District’s efforts on the strategic priorities we identify together as most critical. The plan will also provide direction for how the district will address future growth, develop and implement capital improvement plans, maximize resources, and innovate processes to meet the ever-changing needs of our students.
As the initial step of our Strategic Planning process, we have scheduled several community forums over the next two months to gather your input. These listening sessions will allow us to gain your perspective on important topics such as teaching and learning, school climate and culture, technology, student support, finances, and facilities. Additionally, over the next few months we want to capture your vision for the current and next generation of Bixby children and collaborate to better define our shared expectations and commitments.
To facilitate your participation, the sessions have been scheduled at various sites throughout the district. However, you are welcome to attend any of the sessions based on your individual schedules.
The dates and locations which have been scheduled so far are (all meetings are scheduled for 6:00 pm):
September 25- Northeast Elem/Intermediate (Media Center)
October 2 - North Elem/Intermediate (at NI Cafeteria)
October 9 - Bixby Middle School (Media Center)
October 23 - Bixby High School (Media Center)
October 30 - Central Elem/Intermediate (at CI Media Center)
I encourage everyone to consider taking part in a community listening session. We will also be creating an online survey for you to provide your input if you are unable to attend one of the sessions. This survey will be available in the first week of October and will remain open all month. We will send additional information about the survey and a link later this month. Paper copies of the survey will also be available at all school sites and in the District Office for those without computer access.
Everyone with a stake in the future of Bixby Schools is asked to participate in this process. Your input is important and valued. Feedback gathered during the listening sessions and from the community survey will assist our planning groups in developing our vision and establishing strategic priorities for the next five years.
Bixby is already a terrific school district. And, we can be even better. Our foundation is strong and I’m confident that by working together we can achieve amazing things over the next few years. Thank you in advance for your participation.
It’s ALWAYS a great day to be a Spartan!