Blue Valley has always been committed to sharing exciting news and information with families about new and ongoing initiatives and offering a look into what students are learning in the classroom. The district remains committed to those efforts and will continue to do so in a new and innovative way through a new resource called The Learning Connection. 

The Learning Connection will be a resource for all families, from those with children entering early learning to those with graduating seniors. The resource allows Blue Valley to engage with the community on a regular basis and serve as an additional platform to expand families’ knowledge about the district’s learning and teaching initiatives and operations. 

“As 2022 rolls around, we are thinking of new beginnings and this is the time where we are really thinking about how we are connecting and how we are communicating with our community,” said Kelly Ott, Blue Valley’s Executive Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Innovation.

Blue Valley’s Communications and Academic Services departments will collaborate on content and work to share topics that will be valuable to families while also listening to determine what families are curious to know more about. 

“The Learning Connection is an exciting new initiative for us and one we believe will positively impact our families’ abilities to further connect with us and understand what’s occurring during their children’s school day. Academic Services has been a great partner in getting The Learning Connection off the ground and we are all dedicated to highlighting the great work occurring behind the scenes and at the forefront of our teaching,” said Kristi McNerlin, Blue Valley’s Chief Communications Officer. 

Plans are being made to provide more information to families through behind-the-scenes glimpses into the learning environment, deeper dives on specific topics and increased transparency around strategic efforts to improve student learning. 

“Our goal is to connect with families on new levels around teaching and learning,” Ott said. “Teaching and learning is the core of what we do and we want to be able to provide information either on the front side of an initiative or while something is going on.”

The Learning Connection, Ott said, will provide families with a deeper understanding of what goes on within classrooms across the district and increase partnerships with families. 

“One thing I’m most excited about is pulling the curtain back on a few things — What is a day in the life of a student like at Blue Valley?” Ott said. “What does it mean to provide high-quality instruction? Why do we make some of the decisions we make?”

The Blue Valley community can look forward to learning more about various topics in the coming months including blended learning, internet safety and digital citizenship, career-ready programs, curriculum and instruction, assessments and achievement and social-emotional learning. 

The Learning Connection will provide families with a greater understanding of their children’s school experiences and a better idea of how to support learning at home. 

“Education is a partnership,” Ott said. “When we can provide information and give our families things to do, ideas, strategies to support learning with their students or even just a better understanding of what’s going on, I think everybody wins.”

Dr. Katie Collier, Blue Valley’s Deputy Superintendent of Learning, said the district’s families are in tune with the events and learning occurring at their students' particular schools. 

The Learning Connection provides a wide lens that captures the bigger picture and provides context about what’s happening across all school levels. 

“At the end of the day, it’s about creating a deeper depth of knowledge about our practices across our school district,” Collier said. 

The Learning Connection will have its own landing page on Blue Valley’s district website. The community can access content at bluevalleyk12.org/learningconnection. Families with content ideas can submit them to bvinfo@bluevalleyk12.org. 

Keep an eye on Blue Valley’s social media accounts and podcast BV Unmuted for additional Learning Connection content.