Thursday, October 17, 2019
Friday, October 11, 2019
October 18th, Professional Day
FOR ALL EDUCATORS
Please use the 2019-20 Professional Development document for additional information!
On behalf of the Teaching and Learning team, we are excited to learn alongside you and have done our best to provide the conditions in which we can all learn.
“I NEVER TEACH MY PUPILS. I ONLY ATTEMPT TO PROVIDE THE CONDITIONS IN WHICH THEY CAN LEARN.”—ALBERT EINSTEIN
Please use the 2019-20 Professional Development document for additional information!
On behalf of the Teaching and Learning team, we are excited to learn alongside you and have done our best to provide the conditions in which we can all learn.
“I NEVER TEACH MY PUPILS. I ONLY ATTEMPT TO PROVIDE THE CONDITIONS IN WHICH THEY CAN LEARN.”—ALBERT EINSTEIN
Celebrate Our Staff!
FOR ALL STAFF
We would like to give a 
for their creative approach to Family Night! Each house provided a welcoming environment for families to engage in a variety of activities focused on gaining more information about life at Silverbrook.
In a school system, one of our biggest partners are the parents of the students we serve. During August and September, staff across the district took time to build relationships with families to better serve our students. Thank you all for going the extra mile to meet the needs of our students.
for their creative approach to Family Night! Each house provided a welcoming environment for families to engage in a variety of activities focused on gaining more information about life at Silverbrook.
Wellness Center Activities
FOR ALL STAFF
The Wellness Center is bustling with activity! Not only has it opened up to all staff working at least 20 hours per week, but they also have a number of exciting upcoming wellness education opportunities coming up, such as:
Check out the Wellness Center Google Calendar at this link anytime to see what fun and healthy activities are coming up!
The Wellness Center is bustling with activity! Not only has it opened up to all staff working at least 20 hours per week, but they also have a number of exciting upcoming wellness education opportunities coming up, such as:
- Drumming Exercise Classes on 10/15 & 10/22
- Medication Classes on 10/16 & 10/23
- Acupuncture 101 on 10/17 - Click here to learn more and sign up
- Plus Flu Shot Clinics coming to your school soon!
Check out the Wellness Center Google Calendar at this link anytime to see what fun and healthy activities are coming up!
Thursday, October 10, 2019
Thursday, October 3, 2019
HR Tidbits
- FOR SUPPORT STAFF. In the past, you have received your assignment letter in the summer and then another letter indicating your pay rate later in the fall after the board-approved wage increases. Moving forward, support staff members will now receive these two pieces of information in a single letter once the board approves of wages for the school year.
- MEDICARE PART D CREDITABLE COVERAGE NOTICE. To comply with state and federal employment laws, the Medicare Part D Creditable Coverage Notice has been uploaded to the Employee Notices section of the HR Intranet.
Celebrate Our Staff!
FOR ALL STAFF
October is a month to celebrate a number of different employees in our district!
October is a month to celebrate a number of different employees in our district!
- October 2 was National Custodian Day. Thank you to everyone in our Facilities Department for the work they do to keep our schools clean and in good working order. Every day our custodians deal with truly unpredictable situations. Thank you to all of them for being ready to serve our staff and students at a moment's notice!
- October 3 is National "Techie" Day so thank that person in your school who is your go-to for random tech-related help. Everybody has at least one person like that in their lives! Plus an extra thank you to our Technology Department for the work they do to put amazing tools in the hands of our staff and students.
- October is National Principal's Month and October 16 is National Boss's Day. Take a moment to tell your supervisor thank you for a way he or she has gone above and beyond for you!
Order a T-Shirt to Support Jodi Kleibel Scholarship Fund
FOR ALL STAFF
"Be Kind, It’s That Simple." Those were the words of Jodi Kleibel, a West Bend School District kindergarten teacher who lost her battle with leukemia on September 4. T-shirts are available for sale in honor of Jodi with all proceeds going to The Jodi Kleibel Scholarship Fund. Call the McLane school office for more information or stop in to purchase a t-shirt for $15.
"Be Kind, It’s That Simple." Those were the words of Jodi Kleibel, a West Bend School District kindergarten teacher who lost her battle with leukemia on September 4. T-shirts are available for sale in honor of Jodi with all proceeds going to The Jodi Kleibel Scholarship Fund. Call the McLane school office for more information or stop in to purchase a t-shirt for $15.
Process for Maintenance Work Order Requests
FOR ALL STAFF
The best way your needs can be met from the facilities department is by submitting a work request when needed. Use this website: https://westbend.oncfi.com/archibus.
The best way your needs can be met from the facilities department is by submitting a work request when needed. Use this website: https://westbend.oncfi.com/archibus.
- The standard for determining when to submit work requests should be anything that takes 15 minutes or longer to complete. Items such as burned-out light bulbs, special cleaning requests over holidays, tables and desk height adjustments, etc. should be requested by submitting a maintenance service request ticket.
- Requests for toilet paper, paper towels, emergency clean-ups, etc. should not be submitted in a work request. These requests should be reported directly to the custodian at your building.
Vote for East/West Homecoming Game to be Fox6 Game of Week
FOR ALL STAFF
Every vote counts! Vote now to help make the West Bend East vs West Bend West football game tomorrow the Fox6 Game of the Week! They will send a reporter to attend the game and report on the fun Homecoming festivities and help showcase our high schools. Vote now and tell all your friends and family to vote.
Every vote counts! Vote now to help make the West Bend East vs West Bend West football game tomorrow the Fox6 Game of the Week! They will send a reporter to attend the game and report on the fun Homecoming festivities and help showcase our high schools. Vote now and tell all your friends and family to vote.
Pharmacy Update
FOR EMPLOYEES ELIGIBLE FOR HEALTH INSURANCE
At the August Board meeting, it was shared that our contract with Express Scripts, the district’s pharmaceutical carrier, was up for renewal. To ensure that our employees and the district are getting the best possible value, we have taken bids from other pharmacy carriers for our business. This year the market for pharmacy carriers is highly competitive, which is good news for you! The competitive options presented will help us to keep insurance rate increases low for employees while many of our neighboring districts are experiencing substantial increases.
As we have embarked on the process of investigating our pharmacy options, there were a number of non-negotiables we have maintained. They include:
At the August Board meeting, it was shared that our contract with Express Scripts, the district’s pharmaceutical carrier, was up for renewal. To ensure that our employees and the district are getting the best possible value, we have taken bids from other pharmacy carriers for our business. This year the market for pharmacy carriers is highly competitive, which is good news for you! The competitive options presented will help us to keep insurance rate increases low for employees while many of our neighboring districts are experiencing substantial increases.
As we have embarked on the process of investigating our pharmacy options, there were a number of non-negotiables we have maintained. They include:
- The tiered system of employee drug costs ($10/ $30/$45) will not change
- Employees must have continued access to all of the same level of care and drug options
- Our employees should have access to the best and most complete information about drug costs and the variety of drug options available to them for various situations so they can make informed decisions
- Employees must enjoy the same easy and quick access to medication that they have enjoyed in the past
Wellness Clinic Officially Opens to More Staff!
FOR EMPLOYEES WHO WORK 20 HOURS OR MORE WEEKLY
Effective today, the wellness clinic will be available to any staff member who works at least 20 hours per week (excluding coaches, lifeguards, and limited-term employees).
Employees who fall into an eligible category and work 20 or more hours per week can utilize the clinic even if they are not on the district's health insurance plan. Please note the following:
Effective today, the wellness clinic will be available to any staff member who works at least 20 hours per week (excluding coaches, lifeguards, and limited-term employees).
Employees who fall into an eligible category and work 20 or more hours per week can utilize the clinic even if they are not on the district's health insurance plan. Please note the following:
- Only the employee will be able to utilize the clinic. The clinic will not be available to family members unless the family is on the district’s health insurance plan.
- Only employees on the district's health insurance plan will be able to receive medications directly from the clinic.
- Employees not on the district's health plan can still have prescriptions written, but will be sent to an area pharmacy of the employee's choice. The employee’s personal medical insurance plan will be responsible for the cost of those prescriptions.
- There will be no charge to employees utilizing the clinic.
Optional Benefit Meetings
FOR EMPLOYEES ELIGIBLE FOR DISTRICT BENEFITS
Open enrollment for district benefits will take place in November. We want to ensure that you understand your benefit options. The HR department will be available at each school to answer any benefit questions you may have prior to completing your open enrollment elections. The schedule for our visits is:
Green Tree - Tuesday, October 8 - 7:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Jackson - Tuesday, October 15 - 7:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.
McLane - Tuesday, October 22 - 7:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.
Decorah - Wednesday, October 23 - 7:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.
Silverbrook - Tuesday, October 29 - 7:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.
Fair Park - Wednesday, October 30 - 7:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.
Badger - Tuesday, November 5 - 7:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.
Rolfs - Wednesday, November 6 - 7:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. (Meetings will be held at the ESC)
High Schools - Tuesday, November 12 - 7:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.
If you are unable to meet while HR is at one of your scheduled sites, there will be an additional meeting on Monday, November 4 from 4:00-6:00 p.m at the ESC.
To sign up for a meeting time please click the link below:
BENEFIT MEETING SIGN UP
Open enrollment for district benefits will take place in November. We want to ensure that you understand your benefit options. The HR department will be available at each school to answer any benefit questions you may have prior to completing your open enrollment elections. The schedule for our visits is:
Green Tree - Tuesday, October 8 - 7:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Jackson - Tuesday, October 15 - 7:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.
McLane - Tuesday, October 22 - 7:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.
Decorah - Wednesday, October 23 - 7:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.
Silverbrook - Tuesday, October 29 - 7:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.
Fair Park - Wednesday, October 30 - 7:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.
Badger - Tuesday, November 5 - 7:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.
Rolfs - Wednesday, November 6 - 7:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. (Meetings will be held at the ESC)
High Schools - Tuesday, November 12 - 7:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.
If you are unable to meet while HR is at one of your scheduled sites, there will be an additional meeting on Monday, November 4 from 4:00-6:00 p.m at the ESC.
To sign up for a meeting time please click the link below:
BENEFIT MEETING SIGN UP
Wellness Updates
FOR EMPLOYEES WHO WORK MORE THAN 20 HOURS WEEKLY
- Thank you to staff that participated in the Wellness Center’s summer challenge: Walk Your Way To Weight Loss! Way to take the initiative to keep yourself moving over the summer months. The winners of this challenge have been notified.
- To view upcoming events that the clinic has scheduled, please visit the Wellness Center page on the Staff Intranet. On the right-hand side of the page, there is now a calendar outlining the wellness events taking place throughout the district. You can also add that calendar to your own Google calendar options by following this link.
- FOR EMPLOYEES ON THE DISTRICT HEALTH PLAN: Need help understanding the HRA letter you received after the August blood screening? This video will help you interpret the letter and understand how many HRA visits you need to make to receive your full wellness dollars.
Flu Shots at Your School
FOR ALL STAFF
The Wellness Center staff will again be visiting each school with walk-in flu shot clinics. Please see the attached flyer for the date and time the clinics will be taking place at your site. Employees on the district’s health plan receive their flu shots for free. Employees not on the district health plan can receive a flu shot for $20. Please bring cash or a check made payable to the West Bend School District at the time of your flu shot.
October is Cyber-Security Month
FOR ALL STAFF
Technology staff is often asked about the actions we take to keep all of our systems and data safe in today’s ever-changing technology environment. While the technology department has a variety of different systems, firewalls, and security alerting and controls in place to keep our environment safe, research shows that users of these systems are just as important in keeping online systems and data safe. School data and systems are often targeted because of the large amounts of information schools are required to keep on their students.
To help keep our systems and data safe, please remember the following guidelines when working with district technology, online systems, and data:
Technology staff is often asked about the actions we take to keep all of our systems and data safe in today’s ever-changing technology environment. While the technology department has a variety of different systems, firewalls, and security alerting and controls in place to keep our environment safe, research shows that users of these systems are just as important in keeping online systems and data safe. School data and systems are often targeted because of the large amounts of information schools are required to keep on their students.
To help keep our systems and data safe, please remember the following guidelines when working with district technology, online systems, and data:
- Do not share your passwords with anyone else and do not post/write them down near your computer or your desk or your computer as someone can easily find your post-it note, sheet of paper, or saved Google/Microsoft document. Please know that technology staff will NOT ask you for your password.
- Use strong passwords that include upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters and are 12 characters long at a minimum.
- Do not include personal information and common words in your passwords.
- Be diligent in watching for phishing email scams where users are trying to get information from you such as usernames, passwords, banking information, social security numbers, etc. If you are ever unsure, please submit the information to us through a technology ticket.
- Be aware of who you are sharing Google documents with. Staff Google accounts are all letters such as tweather@wbsd-schools.org and student accounts include three numbers such as hardejoh000@wbsd-schools.org.
- When any Personally Identifiable Information (PII) such as student names, address, testing data, special education status, etc. is in a Google doc the information should only be shared with specific people and not shared with whole sites and/or with anyone with the link. Anyone with the link also includes students.
- Staff should not be inputting student information or having students input information into online systems that are not set up by the district. If you have questions on this please reach out. The district is in the process of revising this process and more information will be shared in the future.
October 18th Professional Day
FOR ALL TEACHING STAFF
October 18 will be here before you know it! Here is a preview of what the day will look like:
- K-8 regular education staff will begin the day at Badger Middle School. The majority of the staff will focus on the PCL model while others will spend two hours focused on the next steps for their department’s curriculum work.
- K-8 special education staff will use this time to focus on progress monitoring and using eduCLIMBER to enter progress monitoring information.
- 9-12 staff will begin their day with a school-wide data summit. The rest of the day the staff will learn more about eduCLIMBER and work collaboratively as a department.
More details for the day will be shared with you one week prior!
STAR Results in Skyward
FOR ALL TEACHING STAFF
This week student performance results for the STAR assessment will be added to Skyward Family Access. Next week, families will receive a message prompting them to view their child’s results.
Friday, September 20, 2019
Wellness Center Staffing Update
FOR STAFF WHO USE THE WELLNESS CENTER CLINIC
Earlier this month the Wellness Center’s physician assistant, Bekki Scheel, delivered a baby boy! While Bekki is enjoying time with her new baby, we have secured a temporary fill-in provider to cover during her leave. Shelley Butler is now working in the WBSD Wellness Center every Monday-Thursday. Click here to read Shelley’s full bio. Renee Wenzlaff, who has worked as a fill-in provider with the district previously, will cover the clinic hours on Fridays from 7-10 a.m.
Earlier this month the Wellness Center’s physician assistant, Bekki Scheel, delivered a baby boy! While Bekki is enjoying time with her new baby, we have secured a temporary fill-in provider to cover during her leave. Shelley Butler is now working in the WBSD Wellness Center every Monday-Thursday. Click here to read Shelley’s full bio. Renee Wenzlaff, who has worked as a fill-in provider with the district previously, will cover the clinic hours on Fridays from 7-10 a.m.
Thursday, September 19, 2019
HR Building Hours
FOR ALL STAFF
The HR department will once again hold building hours in the 2019-2020 school year. HR will be visiting a school each Tuesday morning beginning September 24. Click here to see when HR will be visiting your location. Any staff member is welcome to drop in during building hours and have any HR-related questions answered. Our goal is to provide you with easy access to the information you need.
For future reference, the building hour schedule can be found on the HR Intranet page, under the “Contact HR” section.
The HR department will once again hold building hours in the 2019-2020 school year. HR will be visiting a school each Tuesday morning beginning September 24. Click here to see when HR will be visiting your location. Any staff member is welcome to drop in during building hours and have any HR-related questions answered. Our goal is to provide you with easy access to the information you need.
For future reference, the building hour schedule can be found on the HR Intranet page, under the “Contact HR” section.
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