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Principal - Tim Buss

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Principal Blog - Tim Buss

2/11/2013

Prop S

Dear Ballwin Parents:

I want to make sure you are aware that on April 2, Rockwood voters will consider PROP S, a $38.4 million no-tax rate increase bond issue on the ballot.

This proposed bond issue was recommended by our Picture Rockwood Facilitating Team. I know many of you attended these workshops last semester. What’s important to remember is that many priorities for our students were identified during this community engagement process. PROP S provides funding for some of them, including:

Safety: Provide for safety modifications, such as security cameras, door-locking systems and check-in centers at school entrances.

Technology: Update computers and networks so students are prepared for 21st century learning required by today’s and tomorrow’s workforce.

School Improvements: Repair and renovate existing schools to maintain the district’s investment in facilities and buildings.

Please note that PROP S is a no-tax rate increase bond issue, which means that passage would not require an increase to the district’s current debt service tax rate. A four-sevenths (57.14 percent) majority is necessary for passage on April 2.

I encourage you to become informed about all the projects provided by this proposed bond issue. Many of the projects are district-wide in focus, such as technology network upgrades that will help us prepare for upcoming state testing mandates, interior door locks for our classrooms, and visitor check-in centers to provide line-of-sight access to anyone approaching our school.

Remember: You can find more information about PROP S online at www.rockwood.k12.mo.us/propS We invite our families to join us on Facebook. Take the time to Like · Comment · Share the information about our students and schools.

Thank you,

Tim Buss

Posted at 9:26 AM by Timothy Buss | Category: Mr. Buss' Blog | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

1/24/2013

Wendy's Night

Ballwin Elementary fifth grade students and their families were invited along with the staff to celebrate the grand opening of the new Wendy's. At the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony a donation of $500 was made to the school and all guests were treated to a free dinner! It was crowded but a good time was had by all. A special thanks to Samone Cammon for organizing the event. We appreciate your hospitality and welcome Wendy's to the community, Thank you!

Posted at 11:35 AM by Timothy Buss | Category: Mr. Buss' Blog | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

11/30/2012

Picture Rockwood

Hello Ballwin Families, I hope all is well.

Since September, more than 400 Rockwood parents and school community members have attended Picture Rockwood workshops to study the challenges our district is facing and develop a plan for the future of our schools. As your principal, I sincerely appreciate those who have taken the time to become informed and to participate in this important process.

At their last workshop, participants came to consensus on two pictures: an Apple picture and an Orange picture that represent the potential future of our Rockwood schools. Take a moment to view these pictures and learn about the assumptions (reductions, revenue and capital improvements) and descriptions (class sizes, staffing, curriculum, programs and services for students, etc) of each picture.

After reviewing the two potential pictures, it is important for you to share your feedback. You can do this in a variety of ways.

Submit your feedback online when you visit Picture Rockwood: Phase 2 Feedback and click on the “Share Your Feedback” link.
Download the feedback form and return it to our school office.
Email your answers to the questions to the citizen-led Facilitating Team at picturerockwood@rockwood.k12.mo.us.
Fax your answers to the questions to (636) 458-7326.

The citizen co-chairs and Facilitating Team will review all comments prior to making final recommendations on pictures to the Board of Education next month. All feedback must be received by Dec. 14.

Thank you for your continued support of this important process. We are sharing the details of these pictures with every member of the community, and we’re asking you to tell us how they can be improved. It is important that our school community has a voice in the future of our school.

Tim Buss

Principal

Ballwin Elementary

Posted at 2:50 PM by Timothy Buss | Category: Mr. Buss' Blog | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

11/20/2012

Thanksgiving

It’s that time of the year when we pay special attention to the things that we are thankful for. I’m thankful for family, friends, and the time that I have to spend with them. I am thankful to have a job that I love and a community like Ballwin to serve. I’m thankful for students that bring a smile to my face with the innocent things that they say and do. Kids are so funny! Like one of our second graders who wrote…

”I have many things to be thankful for. One of them is pigs. That might sound strange, but have you ever stopped to think about it? If we didn’t have pigs then we wouldn’t have bacon. I think pigs are important because bacon is the best food in the world.”

We have so many things to be thankful for that we so often take for granted, our service men and women, firefighters, the police department, and great teachers to name a few. What are you thankful for? Family, friends, pigs? Add a comment and I will post it for you! Happy Thanksgiving! Tim.

Posted at 8:00 AM by Timothy Buss | Category: Mr. Buss' Blog | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (7)

10/22/2012

Picture Rockwood

Dear Ballwin Families,

Top Six Things You Need to Know About Rockwood

I hope you’ve taken the time to attend the Picture Rockwood workshops. This community engagement process is providing parents and patrons the opportunity to take an active role in determining what our school district will look like in the future.

I’d like to share some key facts about the school district. When I share these facts with parents and patrons they are surprised, especially considering the high quality education we offer our students.

Fact 1 – Class sizes: Rockwood classrooms have an average of 19 students to one teacher (19:1). The district’s teacher-to-student ratio ranks 18^th out of 22 St. Louis County school districts. The district is in a four-way tie for 18^th place as all other school districts have lower ratios, with the exception of Riverview Gardens with a 21:1 ratio.

Fact 2 – Curriculum: Budget cuts have stalled the implementation of curriculum revisions. This hampers district efforts to prepare students for college and careers, and the new assessments mandated by the state beginning in 2014‐2015.

Fact 3 – Technology: Education continues to shift to online resources. The district needs infrastructure to support students who would be able to bring their own technology devices to school to support their learning.

Fact 4 – Staffing: Rockwood ranks 13th out of 22 St. Louis County school districts for its average teacher compensation. The district ranks near the bottom, 17th out of 22 area school districts, for its average compensation for principals and administrators. Recruiting and retaining high quality staff can be a challenge given our financial constraints.

Fact 5 – Bond Issues: For more than a decade, Rockwood has relied on bond issues to fund school building maintenance, renovations and technology.

Fact 6 – Finances: The current operating budget does not adequately fund curriculum revisions, building and technology maintenance, and competitive salaries and benefits. Rockwood is facing a $6.6 million deficit in the operating budget next year, and we’re looking at ways to trim the budget even further. This is on top of the $22 million we’ve already cut from the budget since 2008.

These facts, along with others, were presented in the State-of-the-District presentation at the first Picture Rockwood Workshop.

In the second series of workshops, participants reviewed eight different pictures to address budget cuts and sources of revenue. You can review the pictures presented by the citizen-led facilitating team in Workshop 2.

Now it’s your turn. Download a special invitation to attend the third workshop series that will be held on Oct. 30 and Nov. 1.

There are tough choices to be made in this Picture Rockwood workshop, and the goal of this process is to hear the many voices in our school community so we can do what’s best for students. Please give me a call if you have any questions.

Tim Buss

Principal

636-891-6575

Posted at 11:44 AM by Timothy Buss | Category: Mr. Buss' Blog | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

9/26/2012

Food Drive

Thank you to everyone for contributing to our 2012 Canned Food Drive. We were able to collect over 1300 cans of food for the Circle of Concern. 4th grade collected the most cans and will recieve our traveling shopping cart trophy. 5th grade Character Council members helped us load the Circle of Concern Van on Tuesday. Thank your teaching your children about the value of helping people in need and what it means to be a member of a caring community!

Way to go Ballwin! Sincerely, Tim.

Posted at 12:48 PM by Timothy Buss | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

9/12/2012

Hello Ballwin Families!

I hope everything is going well. The year is off to a very fast pace and it is easy to get wrapped up in things that just aren’t as important as the real reason we are here, our kids! With that in mind, I had something come across my desk today that I wanted to share with you. Did you know that Bryson Lester, a student in Miss Ryan’s second grade class, has been busy this fall competing in Triathlons? He competed in the Crestwood Kids Triathlon and came in first place in his age division. He competed in a longer Triathlon, the St. Albans Kids Triathlon, and got 7^th place in his age division. Way to go Bryson!

I would love to hear about other special things that our students do outside of school.

If your child is involved in something outside of school that you would like the community to know about but don’t want to brag, let us do it!

All you would need to do is send a picture with a short description to Mrs. Lehmann @ lehmannmichele@rockwood.k12.mo.us . She will post the picture with a caption on our video board in the cafeteria for everyone to see during lunches.

You may also forward the information to Mrs. Juch @ Juchsharon@rockwood.k12.mo.us . She will add it to our website! Help us recognize kids for the things that they do outside of school.

I look forward to hearing from you. Feel free to add a comment to the blog.

Posted at 8:26 AM by Amber Branson | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (7)

5/18/2012

Fond Farewell

Hello everyone, I hope all is well. Enclosed you will find a farewell letter from Ellen Berger, our beloved counselor of 20 years. Mrs. Berger has touched the lives of so many children in her years of service to this community. Please add a comment to this blog to help us show her how appreciated she is. If you know families that no longer have children at Ballwin, spread the word and encourage them to visit the Blog to help send Ellen off Ballwin style! Thank you, Tim.

Dear Ballwin Parents and Students,

It has been my honor and privilege to be the counselor at Ballwin Elementary for the past 20 years. Over this time I have made so many wonderful relationships with parents, students, and staff. I will be retiring at the end of this school year and will always remember the wonderful times I have had working with your children. This has been truly, a wonderful job.

Ellen Berger

Counselor, Ballwin Elementary

Posted at 9:23 AM by Timothy Buss | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (12)

4/5/2012

"Stick With It"

Hello Ballwin Families!

I hope all is well. Last Thursday, 3/29, we had an all school assembly to try and help our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students get excited about taking the MAP test. The MAP test is a fairly long test and students need stamina and perseverance to be able to "stick with it" and do their best. We had fun focusing on the theme "Stick With It" and students took turns taping the principal's to the poles in the gym. We are trying to find a balance of stressing the importance of the test without stressing out your children. Please encourage them to do their best! We would love to hear your feedback about what is happening at home. Are your kids worried about the Map? Have they mentioned it at all? Thanks for taking the time to give us feedback, Tim.

Posted at 7:00 AM by Timothy Buss | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (5)

2/9/2012

Science/Safety Night

Hello Ballwin Families, I hope all is well.

Last Thursday night, 2/2/12, Ballwin Elementary and Woerther Elementary combined their efforts and resources to hold a science/safety night for our students. I would like to thank Mrs. Jane Levy, Principal at Woerther Elementary, for inviting our school to be a part of such a great program. Special thanks to Rebecca Bullington, Woerther’s PTO, and Partner’s in Education for coordinating everything. I thought the night was fantastic! We had presenters from Monsanto, Children's Hospital, Ballwin Police, Rockwood Robotics Club, Washington University, County Police, NCADA, and many more. I have attached a few pictures that Stacy Dugan-Wilcox took that night. Thank you Stacy for the great photos! If you went to the Science/Safety Night I hope your children enjoyed it. I would love to hear your feedback! Please take the time to add a comment.

Thanks, Tim.