Toddcast² - The Blue Valley Schools Superintendent's Podcast

"We're up to 16 states that have at least one CAPS program. There's actually a program in Mumbai, India, that launched in August 2019 and is running an entrepreneurship strand of CAPS. It's meant a few nights where I've had to call them at 9pm because it's 8am out there, but it's working really well." - Corey Mohn, CAPS Executive Director As our Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) celebrates it's 10 year anniversary, Superintendent Dr. Todd White sits down with their Executive Director Corey Mohn to talk about the accomplishments they've achieved thus far and what the future looks like for the CAPS Network. 

"On a snow day, why do we sometimes allow the kids to come in during the afternoon for activities? The basic reason is sometimes those weather conditions that prevented us from being able to go to school in the morning no longer exist in the afternoon and evening." - Lane Green, Director of School Administration We're talking activities and inclement weather on this episode of Toddcast². Superintendent Dr. Todd White and Director of School Administration Lane Green answer your questions about how we're keeping students safe no matter what Mother Nature throws our way. 

"With a lot of our employees coming from outside the Johnson County area, it's always a concern for us on mornings where there might be some slick spots. Even if it might not be so slick here in the metro area, getting those support staff to work safely is always a big concern for us." - Dr. Mike Slagle, Deputy Superintendent Winter is almost here, and with it comes winter weather. In this episode of Toddcast², Superintendent Dr. Todd White talks with Deputy Superintendent Dr. Mike Slagle about how they make the call during inclement weather to either have school, have a snow day, or implement the new two-hour late start. 

"Both our students and families will be able to see how a student is doing on a specific standard... so instead of just looking at writing, we can talk about how is your student doing with organizing their thoughts, developing a main idea, or even the basic conventions such as capital letters, periods and commas. We feel this will help our students and families know what is going really well, as well as the areas where we continue to practice, work and learn." - Jennifer Luzenske, Director of Curriculum and Instruction Elementary report cards are changing and the Toddcast² is here to tell you how, when and why. Director of Curriculum and Instruction Jennifer Luzenske chats with Blue Valley Schools Superintendent Dr. Todd White about what grade levels will see changes, as well as the need for these changes in order to best serve our students and families. 

"One thing I learned is some students aren't even exhaling the vape cloud any more - they're calling it 'zeroing' it. They swallow the vapor so there's no trace of it. The dangers of that in itself is just astounding to me." - David Stubblefield, Executive Director of Administration - High School We continue the conversation around the battle against vaping in this episode of Toddcast². Blue Valley Schools Superintendent Dr. Todd White discusses the district's efforts with Executive Director of High School Administration David Stubblefield. We also review some of the harmful chemicals that are found in vapes with medical professional and BVSW science teacher Dr. Chris Jenson. 

"No matter how good our school district gets, there will always be some issues to deal with and it's something that we - as a community - can work to perfect. We can make every single child feel that they have a home within their school." - Rabiya Shoaib, student at Blue Valley Southwest. Continuing our discussion on the strategic planning process, Dr. White visited with BVSW sophomore Rabiya Shoaib to get a student's perspective on not just where the school district is performing well, but also where there are opportunities to be doing even better. 

"We already have a strategic plan and it's called 'Vision 2020.' Guess what? It's 2020 next year! So it's time for us to take a fresh look at our future and what we want to do here at Blue Valley." - Dr. Tonya Merrigan, Incoming Superintendent In our season premier of Toddcast², we talk about our journey to reimagine learning and change the world with the help of our entire Blue Valley community. This strategic planning process will ensure that our energies and resources are being invested in those things we value most - our students and their education, future and world. 

Thank you!!! Yes - you - reading this right now. Because of you, our inaugural season of the Blue Valley Schools podcast was a huge success. While discussing topics that ranged from screen time to student safety - from virtual learning to vaping - we have engaged with our community in a way that we've never done before. In our Toddcast² season finale, we take a look back at these topics, as well as a look forward at things to come. Superintendent Dr. Todd White sits down with our Executive Director of Curriculum, Instruction & Innovation, Kelly Ott. The conversation includes our efforts to implement and manage technology in order to improve instruction, while also enhancing our student's communication skills to make them ready for the future. Thanks again for an amazing school year and remember to make every day your #BVBestDay. 

"I know that this is a gift... there are not many people who get an opportunity to work along side someone for a whole year knowing that you'll eventually take that position over... I absolutely cherish and appreciate that." - Dr. Tonya Merrigan, Incoming Blue Valley Superintendent In Dr. Merrigan's words, she bleeds Blue Valley blue. Since joining the district in 1999, Tonya has served in many different capacities, from school counselor to Deputy Superintendent. Soon, in the 2020-21 school year, she will embrace her newest role as Superintendent of Blue Valley Schools. In this episode of Toddcast², Dr. Merrigan joins Dr. White as we learn about her previous achievements, as well as what she hopes to help Blue Valley achieve in the future. 

"It's so easy to use that toddlers can pick it up. You may have an older child in your house who is using a vape device. Perhaps a younger kid, five or six years old, finds it in a drawer. We've seen an astronomical increase through poison centers and emergency rooms across the United States of nicotine overdoses in children of the age seven and under." - Dr. Chris Jenson, medical doctor and BVSW science teacher You may have heard how prevalent vaping is amongst our children. You may have heard how dangerous it is to their health and development. In this episode of the Toddcast², you'll hear from BVSW principal Scott Roberts and BVSW science teacher Dr. Chris Jenson about what Blue Valley Schools is doing about it. 

“We need to open up and work on those relationships between adults and students in the building, so that students will come to us when they’re feeling bad… whatever it might be, that they have someone they can go to who they trust in the building.” - Dan Carney, Executive Director of Safety and Security Blue Valley Schools is committed to promoting and fostering a safe environment in and around all of our schools. In our sixth episode of Toddcast², we speak with Executive Director of Safety and Security Dan Carney about the physical security measures at our schools, as well as the social and emotional aspect of keeping our students safe. 

We have a special third episode in our series on mental health. In this podcast, Superintendent Dr. Todd White is invited to join the BV Father’s Club as they discuss how to promote mental health awareness in our schools and the community. We’ll hear from club co-founder Brad Holdhusen and Netsmart COO Tom Herzog, along with Blue Valley High students Lauren Huck and Colin Wood.

"Open the dialogue - not just in school, but with families too. It's important that moms and dads have the same discussion with their kids (about mental health.) It needs to be open to where kids can tell their families what's wrong." - Rory Swenson, student at Blue Valley North. Our fourth episode of Toddcast² continues the conversation on mental health and suicide prevention. Our guest Rory Swenson, a junior at Blue Valley North High School, talks with host Dr. Todd White, Blue Valley Schools Superintendent, about the importance of productive dialogue when addressing mental health and teen suicide. We also discuss Rory's involvement in #ZeroReasonsWhy - a student-led campaign to prevent teen suicide and remove the stigma associated with mental health. 

“The worst thing we can do is not talk about it. When we do funerals at the church when there’s a suicide, I always ask the parents ‘Would you please let me talk about this? Can we be honest with the kids? You’re going to have a thousand kids at this funeral and I promise you there’s 50 of them thinking about the same thing. If we don’t talk about it, they’re going to keep thinking about it. Help me make a case for them for why there is hope. Let’s bring something good out of this tragedy.’” - Adam Hamilton, Senior Pastor at Church of the Resurrection In our third episode of Toddcast², we speak into the conversation on mental health and suicide prevention. Our guest Adam Hamilton, Senior Pastor at Church of the Resurrection, talks with our host, Blue Valley Schools Superintendent Dr. Todd White, about the importance of productive dialogue when addressing mental health and teen suicide. We also discuss #ZeroReasonsWhy - a student-led campaign to prevent teen suicide and remove the stigma associated with mental

"We're trying to blend the old world and new world while making sure we don't lose that human piece of learning... the 'I'm still the teacher here to build relationships with my kids.'" - Diana Tate, ABM Principal. In episode two of "Toddcast²", we continue our discussion on blended learning with Aubry Bend Middle School principal Diana Tate. Diana chats with Blue Valley Schools Superintendent Dr. Todd White about how blended learning looks in the classroom, as well as the advantages and obstacles of having a device for every student. 

"Blended learning is not all about technology - it's all about learning and students. It's about using the tools when they're needed and putting the tools away when they're not needed." ​- Brad Moser, Director of Blended Learning  In our inaugural episode of Toddcast² , Superintendent Dr. Todd White chats with Brad Moser, our Director of Blended Learning. The conversation includes an explanation of blended learning, how it enhances the learning of our students and staff, and what we're doing to keep our students safe while they use these devices at school and at home.