FOR ALL STAFF
As you know, we were unable to hold the annual Employee Recognition Dinner in May due to COVID-19. We had many staff members take the time to submit video clips in recognition of our retirees and 25-year veteran staff members. Normally these would be shown at the annual dinner and we did not want the pandemic to stop us from celebrating our colleagues! You are invited to check out the recognition videos at these links:
Monday, June 8, 2020
Celebrating Employee Milestones
FOR ALL STAFF
Join us in recognizing these WBSD employees for their years of service to our students, staff, and families.
Celebrating five years in the district: Ronald Hedrick-West High School and Jonathan Huehner- High School Maintenance.
Celebrating 15 years in the district: Karen Zainer-Technology Department and Pam Jung-School Nutrition
Join us in recognizing these WBSD employees for their years of service to our students, staff, and families.
Celebrating five years in the district: Ronald Hedrick-West High School and Jonathan Huehner- High School Maintenance.
Celebrating 15 years in the district: Karen Zainer-Technology Department and Pam Jung-School Nutrition
Transforming Educational Delivery
FOR ALL STAFF
From March 16, 2020 until the end of the school year all district staff worked to transform the education of our students and our communication with families and the community. Whether handing out Chromebooks, meals, library books, Internet hotspots, cleaning our facilities, or collecting/distributing belongings, staff worked in unexpected ways. Turning face-to-face education into emergency distance learning was truly a collaborative effort. Teachers and support staff worked tirelessly to reach every student. On behalf of the Curriculum and Instruction Department: thank you! The work you did in these circumstances was outstanding. We will come back in fall and be prepared to provide an education for our students that meets our vision of Excellence For All regardless of the format.
FOR ALL TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS: Feedback Critical for Fall Planning
A portion of the day on June 5 was spent in grade level, department, and site-based teams sharing lessons learned and providing feedback on the distance learning experience to the district. I have had the opportunity to hear some of the feedback, details on the conversations that were held, and more on some of the themes. Thank you for really taking the time to discuss and share. The results of this collaboration are going to be discussed in depth with the district leadership team at our June meeting. If the preview that I have received on the work done on June 5 is any indication, the impact on the district moving forward will be profound.
Laura Jackson
Assistant Superintendent
Free/Reduced Meal Program & Title 1 Grant Funding
FOR ALL STAFF
The school district has started an awareness campaign of the free and reduced meal program to help more families who may need assistance and to possibly gain additional Title 1 grant funds for the schools.
As you may know, the number of families accessing the free meals for students from our school nutrition department during the school closure increased each week. More than 1,000 bags of food were distributed in one week in May.
We feel there is a need in the community for the assistance the free and reduced program can provide. In addition, if more families are aware of this assistance they may be eligible for and then may receive, our schools will be eligible for additional Title 1 funding.
Please contact me if you have any questions at nkunkler@wbsd-schools.org.
The school district has started an awareness campaign of the free and reduced meal program to help more families who may need assistance and to possibly gain additional Title 1 grant funds for the schools.
As you may know, the number of families accessing the free meals for students from our school nutrition department during the school closure increased each week. More than 1,000 bags of food were distributed in one week in May.
We feel there is a need in the community for the assistance the free and reduced program can provide. In addition, if more families are aware of this assistance they may be eligible for and then may receive, our schools will be eligible for additional Title 1 funding.
Please contact me if you have any questions at nkunkler@wbsd-schools.org.
Updates on Technology Support, Etc.
FOR ALL STAFF
As you know, summer school will be virtual and a number of students have already requested district-owned Chromebooks to take part. The Technology Department has distributed some of the Chromebooks and will distribute them to elementary grades later in June. They will continue to provide technical support to all students enrolled in summer school.
In addition, the school district will have a Chromebook ratio of 1:1 for grades 2-12 in the fall. The administration continues to plan supports for our students no matter the educational environment we may see in the 2020-2021 school year.
We are also planning on additional supports for students as they transition into new environments (i.e. grades levels and educational environments) so they are better able to navigate our digital tools for the best possible experience and success.
As you know, summer school will be virtual and a number of students have already requested district-owned Chromebooks to take part. The Technology Department has distributed some of the Chromebooks and will distribute them to elementary grades later in June. They will continue to provide technical support to all students enrolled in summer school.
In addition, the school district will have a Chromebook ratio of 1:1 for grades 2-12 in the fall. The administration continues to plan supports for our students no matter the educational environment we may see in the 2020-2021 school year.
We are also planning on additional supports for students as they transition into new environments (i.e. grades levels and educational environments) so they are better able to navigate our digital tools for the best possible experience and success.
Assessment Update Part One
FOR HS Teaching Staff
As you all know, our Spring State Assessments were cancelled. With this cancellation, some juniors did not get an opportunity to complete the ACT assessment. As a result, those students who have not completed the assessment have been offered a voucher so they can complete it free of charge. If there are any questions, please contact Tyler Wood at twood@wbsd-schools.org or Michelle Marschel at mmarschel@wbsd-schools.org.
As you all know, our Spring State Assessments were cancelled. With this cancellation, some juniors did not get an opportunity to complete the ACT assessment. As a result, those students who have not completed the assessment have been offered a voucher so they can complete it free of charge. If there are any questions, please contact Tyler Wood at twood@wbsd-schools.org or Michelle Marschel at mmarschel@wbsd-schools.org.
Assessment Update Part Two
FOR ALL TEACHING STAFF
Fall 2020
Given the school closure at the end of the 19-20 school year, our assessment plan for next year will look a bit different. Once we know more information about what fall will look like, we will develop our district wide assessment calendar. Based on the instructional format and needs of the student, our typical assessments may be adjusted to meet the needs of all students. They will also be mindful of how staff uses any and all assessment along with classroom information to design instruction to best meet the needs of students.
Progress Monitoring
One area of assessment that will be impacted is progress monitoring for students in intervention or special education. As planned, math interventionists continue with their use of FASTBridge. The implementation plan has been revised to have literacy interventionists trained and implementing FASTBridge for the 20-21 school year. Given the impact of the school closure with IEPs and re-evaluation, the special education team will be trained in FASTBridge at a later date with implementation planned for fall 21-22.
Assessment Web-page
Fall 2020
Given the school closure at the end of the 19-20 school year, our assessment plan for next year will look a bit different. Once we know more information about what fall will look like, we will develop our district wide assessment calendar. Based on the instructional format and needs of the student, our typical assessments may be adjusted to meet the needs of all students. They will also be mindful of how staff uses any and all assessment along with classroom information to design instruction to best meet the needs of students.
Progress Monitoring
One area of assessment that will be impacted is progress monitoring for students in intervention or special education. As planned, math interventionists continue with their use of FASTBridge. The implementation plan has been revised to have literacy interventionists trained and implementing FASTBridge for the 20-21 school year. Given the impact of the school closure with IEPs and re-evaluation, the special education team will be trained in FASTBridge at a later date with implementation planned for fall 21-22.
Assessment Web-page
This summer an assessment web-page will be developed. This page, as part of the Curriculum and Instruction section of the West Bend School District’s website, will have information for staff and parents. Stay tuned for more details!
WRS Statements
FOR ALL STAFF
The COVID-19 closure has caused some delays in WRS's ability to get 2020 Annual Statement of Benefits mailed out. They plan to send those to employee homes around June 12 and they apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
The COVID-19 closure has caused some delays in WRS's ability to get 2020 Annual Statement of Benefits mailed out. They plan to send those to employee homes around June 12 and they apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
Positions Available in the District
FOR ALL STAFF
The district registrar, a 12-month full-time clerical position has been posted on WECAN.
To view the job and apply, please visit the Vacancy List and click on the Vacancy ID - 85533. To apply for an open position, you must sign in with your e-mail address and password or create a new account in WECAN. You can access WECAN from the vacancy list by clicking on the APPLY button or WECAN Logo in the top left corner and entering your log in credentials.
The district registrar, a 12-month full-time clerical position has been posted on WECAN.
To view the job and apply, please visit the Vacancy List and click on the Vacancy ID - 85533. To apply for an open position, you must sign in with your e-mail address and password or create a new account in WECAN. You can access WECAN from the vacancy list by clicking on the APPLY button or WECAN Logo in the top left corner and entering your log in credentials.
The Conclusion & Commencement of Fiscal Years
FOR ALL STAFF
A message from Andy Sarnow: A sincere thank you to all staff for your flexibility and understanding this year as it was indeed interesting with ordering items, tracking time, getting everybody compensated, determining refunds for activities, and wrapping up things that didn’t happen like field trips.
Many planned purchases didn’t occur. We will do whatever we can to both understand our financial picture and prioritize needs and address what’s necessary for our students’ services and programs once everything is figured out at the state level
In the meantime, we’ll all take some deep breaths, grab some sunshine, and be patient while waiting for the political steps that will drive our revenues for the next school year. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to reach out so we can assist!
Until we cross paths again this fall, please take care.
A message from Andy Sarnow: A sincere thank you to all staff for your flexibility and understanding this year as it was indeed interesting with ordering items, tracking time, getting everybody compensated, determining refunds for activities, and wrapping up things that didn’t happen like field trips.
Many planned purchases didn’t occur. We will do whatever we can to both understand our financial picture and prioritize needs and address what’s necessary for our students’ services and programs once everything is figured out at the state level
In the meantime, we’ll all take some deep breaths, grab some sunshine, and be patient while waiting for the political steps that will drive our revenues for the next school year. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to reach out so we can assist!
Until we cross paths again this fall, please take care.
Gordie Boucher Offers Free Vehicle Checks
FOR ALL STAFF TO CHECK OUT
Gordie Boucher dealerships are offering free “the works” packages for vehicles to “front-line and essential” workers. As you will see on the informational flyer, Gordie Boucher has listed “teachers,” but other staff may want to contact them to determine if they are eligible. Please review the informational flyer for instructions on accessing this free service.
Gordie Boucher dealerships are offering free “the works” packages for vehicles to “front-line and essential” workers. As you will see on the informational flyer, Gordie Boucher has listed “teachers,” but other staff may want to contact them to determine if they are eligible. Please review the informational flyer for instructions on accessing this free service.
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