Coming Up
Save the Date
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September 1- National College Colors Day/Spirit Day
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September 4- No School Labor Day
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September 8 - Movie Night
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September 16- Buffs/Rams Spirit Night @ DJs Watering Hole
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September 22- Student Photo Day
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September 29- Jog-a-Thon
The story of the bell...
The iconic bell in front of Louisville Elementary School has become a hallmark of many first and last day of school photos, but did you know the history of the bell dates back over 140 years?
The Louisville History Museum strongly believes the bell dates back to 1881, which is the year that the Louisville Grade School at Spruce and Jefferson opened. This is now the site of Memory Square Park. The bell can be seen in the school's bell tower in historic photos that are from before 1903, which is the year that the school was remodeled and enlarged. This makes the bell one of the oldest artifacts from Louisville's history, as Louisville was founded in 1878 and incorporated in 1882. The bell was manufactured by Goulds Mfg. Co. of Seneca Falls, NY. It is 33 inches in diameter and weighs approximately 700 pounds. When Louisville Elementary School opened its doors in 1964, the bell was relocated to the front of the building. Now the community can enjoy this piece of Louisville history each time they visit Louisville Elementary School!
Read more about the history of the Louisville Grade School, the famous bell, and the construction of Louisville Elementary School by reading the Fall 2021 edition of the Louisville Historian.
District and School News
Aligning with a trend for school districts across the nation, the Boulder Valley School District has been in declining enrollment since 2018 and anticipates a gradual decline in enrollment in future years. This drop follows a declining overall birth rate and a growing tendency for families to delay having children. In BVSD, the high cost of housing coupled with limited housing stock inhibits the ability of families with young children to live in our district. COVID-related enrollment loss accelerated the anticipated decline dramatically.
While, Boulder Valley School District Policy KI-R - Visitor Management Procedures requires all employees to wear their IDs at all times and for visitors to be clearly identified, students have traditionally been encouraged, but not required, to visibly wear their ID badges. This year, Boulder High School decided to go a step further.
The Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) was recently awarded $832,150 from the Colorado 2023 School Access for Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant Program. The grant amount will fund the installation of technology to boost signals for two-way radio communications as well as the purchase of two-way radios for members of the Safety, Security and Emergency Services team.
New Lockdown and Secure activation buttons installed in schools this summer, are designed to be easier for staff to see and activate when needed and reduce accidental triggers. Together with the buttons, new pre-recorded audio plays during the event and provides clear instructions on necessary actions.
Before the start of the 2023-24 school year, BVSD’s Communications department worked on improving crisis communication protocols by transforming their Standard Response Protocol (SRP) alert messaging procedures into a more concise and swift process.
“BVSD’s 11 school safety advocates are extensively trained to handle acute incidences in our schools such as threats of violence, sexual assault, bullying, student misconduct, and more, but they also invested in students’ well-being and advocate for their success personally and academically,” BVSD’s Safety, Security, and Emergency Preparedness Manager Carissa Jaquish explained in a recent update to the Board of Education.