Toddcast² - The Blue Valley Schools Superintendent's Podcast

In this episode, we dive into Blue Valley’s 2020-2025 Strategic Plan, examining the district's progress and impact.    We'll highlight advancements in student support, including mental health first aid training and social-emotional learning initiatives. The discussion also covers the district's commitment to staff wellbeing, professional learning and achievements in literacy and math.    Hear from Deputy Superintendent Dr. Katie Collier, Director of Human Resources – Recruitment & Retention Dr. Kelly Wessel and Executive Director of Operations Jake Slobodnik as they reflect on the collaborative efforts of staff, the community and the Board of Education.

Our #BVUnmuted series continues with a focus with an update on the district's personal electronic device policy. Blue Valley Superintendent Dr. Tonya Merrigan is joined by Blue Valley North Principal Dr. Tyson Ostroski, Executive Director of School Administration Scott Roberts and Blue Valley North Social Studies Teacher Jeff Breedlove.#BVTogether

Our #BVUnmuted series continues with a focus with an update on the approved 2023 Bond. Blue Valley Superintendent Dr. Tonya Merrigan is joined by Executive Director of Operations Jake Slobodnik, Director of Safety and Security Dan Carney, and Senior Coordinator of Digital Resources Liz Chopp.#BVTogether

Our #BVUnmuted series continues with a focus on the impact of our teachers in the Blue Valley Schools. Blue Valley Superintendent Dr. Tonya Merrigan is joined by three Blue Valley Schools students, Caroline, Arianna and Maverick to discuss the positive impact that our teachers have on their students.

Our #BVUnmuted series continues with a focus on the Blue Valley legislative priorities. Blue Valley Superintendent Dr. Tonya Merrigan is joined by School Board President Gina Knapp, Vice President Jan Kessinger, and Chief Financial Officer Jeremy McFadden to discuss these priorities in the upcoming legislative session.#BVTogether

Our #BVUnmuted series continues with a focus on school attendance. Blue Valley Superintendent Dr. Tonya Merrigan is joined by principals Leah Vomhof, Stacey Sperry and Dr. Cory Cox to discuss the why attendance matters.#BVTogether

Our #BVUnmuted series continues with a focus on school safety, understanding threats and their consequences. Dr. Katie Collier, deputy superintendent for learning, is joined by Interim Chief Simon Happer (Overland Park Police Department) and Dan Carney (Director of Safety & Security) to discuss how Blue Valley ensures a safe and secure environment for our students and staff.Remember that if you see something, report it! Don’t repost it.

Join Blue Valley Chief Communications Officer Kristi McNerlin and Deputy Superintendent Dr. Katie Collier as we follow up on an earlier discussion about plan and collaboration time in our elementary schools.#BVTogether

Our #BVUnmuted podcast series continues with a focus on mental health support across our district and community.

Our #BVUnmuted podcast series continues with a focus on plan and collaboration time at the elementary school level.  February Host & GuestsAmy Farthing  (Executive Director of School Admin, K-5)Dr. Katie Collier (Deputy Superintendent)Shelly Krull (3rd Grade Teacher, Aspen Grove Elem.)Kathleen Cigich (Principal at Lakewood Elem. and BV Parent)The district will be seeking feedback on this topic from elementary staff and families with elementary students in the 2024-25 school year.#BVTogether #ChampionsOfLearning

Our #BVUnmuted podcast series continues with a focus on updated graduation requirements across the district!

Join host Dr. Tonya Merrigan as our #BVUnmuted series continues with a focus on academic success in Blue Valley!Guests Kelly Ott and Adam Wade from Academic Services discuss what success looks like in classrooms at the elementary, middle and high school levels.#ChampionsOfLearning

Join host Amy Farthing as we discuss the kindergarten experience for students, teachers and families in Blue Valley!Guests:Christy Taylor, Indian Valley Elementary teacher with close to 40 years experience teaching kindergartenHannah Battleson, IVE parent of a current kindergarten student and former educatorAyla Battleson, current IVE kindergartener in Mrs. Taylor's classListen in as Amy, Christy, Hannah and Ayla talk about the exciting parts of kindergarten, challenges and helpful tips for parents with incoming students!#BVTogether

Join host Dr. Tonya Merrigan as she talks with Susan Tideman (Executive Director) and Lisa Austin (Communications Manager) from the Blue Valley Educational Foundation.Hear about some of BVEF's upcoming events, exciting fundraisers and learn how you can make an impact on our schools, staff members and community.#BVTogether

"One of the things that I hope people are hearing is how much planning and thought goes in to decisions around inclement weather... safety is really what we're looking at. We know it's an inconvenience if we have to cancel school, but if it's not safe to come to school because of the weather, we're going to cancel every single time." - Dr. Tonya Merrigan, Superintendent You might have heard the saying "If you don't like the weather in Kansas, wait a few minutes." The unpredictability of the KC climate can keep us here at Blue Valley up at night - literally. No matter when the snow starts falling, our grounds crews and custodians are hard at work plowing parking lots and shoveling sidewalks. In this episode of BV unmuted, Superintendent Dr. Tonya Merrigan and Executive Director of Operations Jake Slobodnik break down the planning process for how the school district prepares for inclement weather. 

"It's amazing the number of cyber attacks that come in from outside. We've weathered those very well and it's because we have great systems and up-to-date equipment... Bond funds allow us to refresh this technology, ensure a high level of access for our kids, and maintain our network systems so it's a safe experience." - Kelly Ott, Director of Curriculum, Instruction and InnovationTechnology is everywhere. And here at Blue Valley Schools, keeping our technology safe and accessible is a priority. In this episode of BV unmuted, Chief Communications Officer Kristi McNerlin joins Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Innovation Kelly Ott to explain how Bond 2023 funds can allow us to update student and staff technology to ensure a safe learning environment for all. 

"We try to make all our security measures work together - put them together like a puzzle - so they offer the best protection for our students and staff." -  Dan Carney, Director of Safety and Security There is no single safety measure that will keep Blue Valley safe. But there are many layers of security that, when used effectively, can continue to reduce the risk of injury and violence. This episode about Bond 2023 deals with safety, as Chief Communications Officer Kristi McNerlin talks with Director of Safety and Security Dan Carney about this "security puzzle" and how the efforts to reduce risk never stop. 

"I think most people are surprised when they hear that the average age of Blue Valley buildings is 29 years... If you have owned a home, you've probably had to replace a roof or an air conditioner... This bond helps us do that." Jake Slobodnik, Executive Director of Operations As Blue Valley grows and our buildings age, we need to find ways to build new schools and fix existing facilities. Bond 2023 is a chance to make this happen. In this episode, Chief Communications Officer Kristi McNerlin breaks down the bond with Deputy Superintendent Kyle Hayden, Executive Director of Finance Jeremy McFadden and Executive Director of Operations Jake Slobodnik. They talk about how school bonds work and how students and staff will benefit from new and refurbished facilities. 

"When you walk in to Leawood Elementary, you're going to see so many familiar faces because it's our parents who have stepped up and are in here helping us day after day." - Jenny Hayes, principal at Leawood ElementaryIt's one thing to build a school building, but it's an entirely different task to build a school community and culture. In our first BV Unmuted podcast of the 2022-23 school year, Superintendent Dr. Tonya Merrigan asks three of our rockstar principals - Leawood Elementary's Jenny Hayes, Oxford Middle's Courtney Domoney, and Blue Valley Southwest's Dr. Tyler Alexander - what they and their staff do to build a positive school culture and how parents and the community can help get involved. 

"I'm looking forward to meeting my new teachers and classmates... and I'm also looking forward to my elective classes and joining clubs in middle school." - Amber Gao, 5th grade student For many students, the end of the school year is also the end of an era. Our 5th grade and 8th grade kiddos will be moving up to middle school and high school, while our 12th graders will be moving on to new adventures outside of the district. In our final episode of the BV unmuted 2021-22 season, Superintendent Dr. Tonya Merrigan chats with 5th grader Amber Gao, 8th grader Sami Sandler, and 12th grader Matt Lancaster about these transitions and asks what advice they have for students who will be starting classes at the schools they are leaving.