Jessica Bucklin for I35 School Board, At Large Seat

11/05/2024

Not that anyone needs a reminder but it’s voting day! Show up and make your voice heard. We have learned change doesn’t happen with the silent 🇺🇸

08/30/2024

At our Monday meeting we discussed the new mandates from Iowa regarding attendance at school. Please find the information below. We will be updating our policy to be in compliance. Please reach out with any questions

Recently updates were made to the statewide attendance standards governing K-12 students. In accordance with those updates, the attendance policies related to unexcused absences for the I-35 CSD are being updated as well. In this issue of Informed, read about some key highlights regarding I-35 CSD's policy.

Interested in learning more?
View the article on our website for additional information (https://www.roadrunnerpride.org/article/1735544) or check out the flyer from the Department of Education (https://5il.co/2uynp) which discusses attendance in great detail.

We hope everyone has had a great start to the year and we're looking forward to a successful 2024-2025!

08/22/2024

Happy day before school!! I haven’t posted on here in quite a while, but it was quite a busy year. I hope everyone is excited for the new school year. We are starting this year with a new superintendent, Chad Grandon. If you haven’t had a chance to meet him, please do. He’s a very friendly and personable individual who is excited to take on this school year and be part of the I35 Schools.

And in case you missed the last meetings, I am excited to let you know that I was able to present and get approved that classwork/homework will be graded in the secondary school this year! It will be 80/20 (80%tests and 20% classwork) for the final class grade. And classwork should be graded and entered every two weeks so parents can keep an eye on student progress and help as needed. This is a great step toward supporting the teachers, getting our kids engaged in class by doing the homework (“bodies of evidence”), and getting away from the strict SRG. We still have a ways to go but this is good progress. Thank you again to those you have come to me and had great conversations and support me. Here’s to another year and progress! 💙❤️💙❤️

11/11/2023

I believe I’ve collected most of my signs. If you still have one and want me to come by and pick it up, please just reach out. Thank you again for all your support. 💙❤️

11/09/2023

I want to apologize that this post has taken me so long to make. But it was busy yesterday as I teach, and then had one activity after another for my kids in the evening, and to be honest, I was still processing everything from Tuesday night.

First and foremost thank you to those who pushed me to run and who supported me through this journey. No way I would’ve done this or accomplished this without you. Thank you to my husband Rich and our kids, your patience and support the past few months were nothing short of amazing.

Thank you to the community of I 35 for being willing to have some great conversations through all this, it was such a pleasure to meet new people and put names to faces. My husband and I moved to this community just over 10 years ago because we saw something special here. And you continue to prove my hunch correct, we absolutely love the I 35 community and are proud to be Roadrunners. 

Thank you to the previous board members who volunteered eight years of their life and served the community. I am very excited to serve next to Dan, Nathan, Melissa, and Monica.  I see a bright future for the I35 community!

I am truly honored that you have entrusted me with this large responsibility to serve on the board. I will always have an open door policy, so please never hesitate to reach out. I can wait to serve for and with you all. ❤️💙❤️💙

11/08/2023

To those that took the time to vote today, thank you! I am humbled by so many who entrusted me to be your voice on the School Board. I am so excited to serve with two great new members, Dan and Nathan. I thank those that have served. We did it Roadrunners! Thank you again, I am going to get a much needed nights sleep, collect my thoughts, and post tomorrow. God Bless❤️💙❤️💙

11/08/2023

48 minutes left! Vote vote vote! Your voice matters💙❤️🇺🇸

11/07/2023

It’s just after 5, which means you still have almost 3 hours to vote!! Can’t get away from the kids? Take them with or I will come sit with them. This is SO important 💙❤️🇺🇸

11/07/2023

Happy voting day. I just wanted to talk one last time on SBG. I realize how important this is but was reiterated after conferences last night. SBG allows for inflated grades, so it may appear your child is doing great but in reality they are not retaining or learning the information. If you noticed, a 1 for our grading is considered “below standard and has a long way to go to meet the standard”. This translates to a D. The grading scale has a D- as a .01 to a .66 even though the lowest number a teacher can give is a 1. So you could literally do the minimum and possibly still receive a passing grade of a D-? As a teacher, typically little to no effort is an F. I want my students to work hard, not just pass them on to the next grade or standard. Sadly, teachers hands are tied with this and don’t have a choice. SBG boxes our kids and education, everyone is different and we need to adapt to those differences and teach to the child. Teachers need to be free to create curriculum they know will help our kids. They, after all, went to school and made their passion their job.

I have spoken with several students who have graduated from a school who used SBG. They were angry and felt their school let them down. One noted she felt “dumber then most the kids in my college classes” and another noted “I had to reteach myself how to study because there was not late work, home work was actually expected to be done for a grade, and no retakes on tests.” They felt unprepared for the adult world because of this grading system. I also spoke with a teacher who left a large school that used this system. She noted it was stressful, she felt she was doing the kids a disservice, and a third of those who went to college from her school ended up dropping out because they couldn’t adapt to a system outside SBG. Next level education is hard, we need kids prepared to study, to do their work, and push themselves to be better. SBG works in the elementary because you are dealing with basic, not advanced concepts. By high school we need to be helping the kids to be ready for the world outside those four walls, whether it’s school or work. We can teach a standard, and obviously should, but make sure we are not limiting ourselves or the kids.

I could go on and on. I am here now and after today for conversations and information. Please exercise your right to vote. Do it for our kids and their future.❤️💙❤️💙🇺🇸

11/07/2023

Good morning I35 community. It’s the day, time to VOTE! Please go practice your constitutional right that was fought so hard for many to have today. Let your voice be heard! I would be humbled to have your vote today. Together we can do great things. 💙❤️💙❤️🇺🇸

11/07/2023

Sorry all, late post. Been a day full teaching then running home for conferences for the kiddos. I then spent much of the evening chatting with community members and teachers. I was reminded in these conversations exactly why I’m running for school board and put myself out there knowing how ugly politics can be. All the love and support I received today left me speechless but recharged. Thank you everyone who reached out. I will finish my points on SBG in the morning. Have a good nights rest.💙❤️💙❤️

11/06/2023

Don’t worry, I will be posting later more on SBG, but right now I want to remind you TOMORROW, November 7, is voting day! You still have time to look at the candidates and ask questions. I’m available and would love to here from you.❤️💙🇺🇸