Link2Learn: - Chetek-Weyerhaeuser School District

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A community PUBLICATION FROM YOUR SCHOOL
Spring 2014
Chetek-Weyerhaeuser Area School District
P.O. Box 6, Chetek, WI 54728
715-924-2226
www.cwasd.k12.wi.us
Board Members: Carri Traczyk, president; Ken Jost, vice president; Janene Haselhuhn, treasurer; Natalie Springer, clerk; Earl Grover, David Bonczyk and Barb Reisner, members.
IMPORTANT
DATES
2014 CWHS Valedictorian and Salutatorian named
April
8 – Roselawn Spring Concert 7 p.m.
12 – Spring Business Expo at C-W
High School/Middle School gym
15 – Roselawn Hand-In-Hand Night
18–21 – HOLIDAY BREAK
28 – HS/MS Parent/Teacher
Conferences
April 30 / May 2 – Drama Club’s
performance of “The Secret
Case of Sherlock Holmes”
May
1 – Dancing Sue Family Folk
Dance Night
5 – 5th Grade Band Night
at Roselawn
10 – High School Prom
16 – High School Spring Concert 7 p.m.
24 – Graduation Ceremony 7 p.m.
29 – Middle School Spring
Concert 7 p.m.
31 – Link2Learn Showcase Night
June
6 – Last Day of School for students
Check out our school website for all
sporting events: www.cwasd.k12.wi.us
The Look Photography
Link2Learn:
enrollment to begin
The Link2Learn Virtual
Charter School of the ChetekWeyerhaeuser Area School District
is accepting open enrollment
applications for the 2014-2015
school year. Students residing
outside the City of Chetek may
enroll from now until April 30.
Students residing within the City of
Chetek may enroll with Link2Learn
Emma Bunton Photography
as early as June 1, 2014 and no later
than August 1, 2014.
Link2Learn made some
changes this year, which
included becoming a
Google Apps for Education
school. The change has
allowed us to do parentteacher conferences over
Google Hangout while
students shared portfolios on their
Google Drive. We also began
satellite testing this year to serve
our students in the Milwaukee area,
and it was delivered flawlessly. Finally,
Link2Learn has contracted with the
Chetek-Weyerhaeuser High School
is proud to announce the valedictorian and salutatorian for the graduating
class of 2014.
The 2014 CWHS valedictorian is
Jacob Schofield. He is the son of Ed
and Jennifer Schofield and has taken
part in football, basketball, baseball,
Future Business Leaders of America
and National Honor Society. Schofield intends to attend the University
of Minnesota-Duluth and major in
engineering.
Salutatorian Sarah Elsner is the
daughter of Hans and Pamela Elsner.
During her high school career she’s
been involved in FBLA, student council, National Honor Society, forensics, cross country and track. Elsner
plans to attend UW-Madison next
fall to study political science and/or
economics.
Graduation will take place Saturday,
May 24, at 7 p.m.
Wisconsin eSchool Network for middle
and high school online courses. The
Wisconsin eSchool Network offers
hundreds of online, self-paced
courses taught by high-quality
Wisconsin licensed teachers from
all over the state.
Link2Learn’s second annual
Showcase Event will take place
Saturday, May 31, at 1 p.m. in the
Chetek-Weyerhaeuser Middle School
Gym. This event is for all Link2Learn
students and showcases what they’ve
learned throughout the year. We are
eager to witness
(continued on page 2)
the talent found
“Big enough for opportunities, small enough to care”
Visit us on the web at www.cwasd.k12.wi.us
2
Link2Learn:
enrollment
(from front page)
in our charter
school. Please
come check out the vocal, dance, and
instrumental stylings of some of our
virtual school’s students!
For more information about
Link2Learn please contact Cali
Kohlmeyer, Link2Learn Virtual Charter
School Coordinator PreK-12 Office,
located in the Chetek-Weyerhaeuser
High School. She can be reached by
emailing [email protected]
or calling 715-924-3136 ext. 2137.
Chris Anderson
Boesl Portrait Design
CWHS Class of 2014
• Planning to enlist in the United States Marine Corps. after having
family history with the military—citing as his reason for joining
the Armed Forces
• Hopes to make a career in the military—intends to train and study
technical/mechanical engineering
“C-W has really taught me how to do things I never thought I would
know—especially within the Tech Ed Department. I work with new
things all the time. I’ve gained hands-on skills with things you
wouldn’t normally know how to do—but after watching others,
you learn to do it.”
Hand in Hand
Night celebrated
at Roselawn
Math is the name of the game as
Roselawn Elementary school prepares
to host their annual Hand in Hand
Night for students and their families.
The event will take place Tuesday,
April 15, beginning at 5 p.m. This
year’s Hand in Hand night brings
families together to enjoy math games
and activities. The goal is to spark
students’ excitement towards math
and to show them ways in which math
can be used in everyday life.
Along with the various activities,
dinner will be available. There
are also several prizes, including
many grade-level specific prizes,
that will be up for grabs. Students
are encouraged to come with their
families or another familiar adult and
enjoy a fun evening together.
For further information about the
event, contact Barb Derousseau at
715-924-2226, x 2091.
Lt. Col. York Psanen
CHS Class of 1993
• Graduated from U.S. Air Force Academy (BS in Electrical Engineering);
James Madison University (Masters in Computer Science/Information with Security Concentration); and University of Colorado
(Masters in Counseling and Leadership)
• Currently has a career in developmental engineering with the U.S.
Air Force—assigned to the Pentagon in Washington D.C. providing
Air Force oversight for an $80 million portfolio of projects upgrading
test capabilities at test ranges located throughout the U.S.
“Graduating from CHS provided a solid foundation in math, science and aerospace concepts and enabled my selection for the U.S.
Air Force Academy. My Chetek foundation has influenced a career
of service to my country as I approach 17 years in the U.S. Air
Force. I am proud of my small town roots and heritage and have
shared those values with people across the United States.”
Our new website is active!
We’re also a part of social media! See page 9 for more details and useful information on the changes we’ve made!
Visit us on the web at www.cwasd.k12.wi.us
3
ACT required of all Juniors beginning in 2014-15
In an effort to ensure students
are prepared for life beyond high
school, every junior in Wisconsin
will be required to take the ACT
college entrance exam beginning in
the 2014-2015 school year.
The plan, which began with state
superintendent Tony Evers and Governor Scott Walker, was approved
last spring by the state legislature and
will be implemented in the upcoming
school year. The hope is that now juniors all across Wisconsin will have a
consistent measurement of academic
progress to ensure they have the necessary skills and knowledge expected
to be successful after high school.
“Previously it was thought that the
ACT was only for students planning
on attending a four-year college,” explains CWHS principal Larry Zeman.
“The State’s definition of college and
career readiness is that all students
should reach certain benchmarks on
the ACT. There was previously no
required standardized assessment for
juniors. With the addition of the ACT
for all students late in their junior
year, it will be yet another measuring
stick for schools and students.”
The ACT will also replace the
Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts
Examination in math, reading and
language arts, adding to the measures
used in the state’s new school report
card accountability system. As such,
Zeman explains that CWHS will further examine its curriculum to make
sure all students will have access to
what will be covered on the ACT.
The new requirements will likely
change how many students approach their junior year—especially
students who may not have considered taking the ACT in the past.
To help prepare, Zeman notes that
students should continue to select
courses carefully when decided on
what classes to take.
“Students should continue to take
challenging courses in the areas of
reading, math, English and science,”
said Zeman. “There are also multiple
online test preparation resources
and we offer ACT test preparation
sessions in the fall and the spring of
the school year.”
While the ACT requirement may
be an adjustment for many juniors,
Zeman does point out that the
requirement will make it easier for
students to have access to the test.
Since all high schools will be required
to be testing sites, it will be more
convenient and familiar for students
as they take the exam. The exam at
Chetek-Weyerhaeuser High School
will take place March 3, 2015, with
the makeup date of March 17.
For additional information about
the ACT, contact the high school office at (715) 924-2226 ext. 2001.
Videoconferencing with RCEI: by Mike Steiner
Getting students in touch with working professionals has many benefits,
including helping students identify
possible career paths. In today’s technological world, we no longer have
to limit our students’ experiences to
careers found in our local economies.
Students in the Red Cedar Environmental Institute are using videoconferencing to connect with people around
the world to get students out of Chetek
without leaving the classroom.
Paleontologists Dr. Chris Widga
and Dr. Katy Smith, from Illinois and
Georgia respectively, have worked with
students on a mammoth and mastodon
project coordinated by the Milwaukee
Public Museum. Students have been investigating a mastodon that was discovered near LaCrosse in the early 1900’s,
and have been able to discuss what they
are learning with the paleontologists.
“It was fun to learn so much we
didn’t know about bones and Earth’s
history right here in our state,” said
seventh grader Danielle Dutcher.
Botanists Neil Luebke, of Milwaukee,
and Dr. Eric Grims, of Illinois, have also
worked with students to help them understand how the environment the mastodon was living in can be determined
from pollen found in lake sediments.
“I like doing the videoconferences,”
Riley Koepl remarked. “It was interesting to talk to the botanist and learn how
they can get so much information from
something microscopic.”
Oceanographer Sylvia Earle met with
students via videoconference from San
Francisco to explain the finer points of
ocean exploration. She gave students a
tour of a company that is building nextgeneration submarines to continue the
advancement of underwater science.
“I think that the video chat with Sylvia
Earle was super cool especially since
she has been one of my all-time favorite
people since second grade,” RCEI
eighth-grade student Hannah Kolenda
said. “I also think it is amazing that my
class and I got to talk to such a knowledgeable and kind person. One of my
favorite things about the conference
was that she pointed out the urgency
of protecting oceans and that without
them we would not survive. It makes
me think of how amazing it is that
we know so little about something we
depend on so dearly.”
Award-winning artist Wendy Christensen took students inside her art
studio to show them how she combines science, history and art in the
creation of display pieces for the
Milwaukee Public Museum. Students
were given a behind-the-scenes look
at the creation of King Tut’s horses
and chariot.
“Meeting the artist was absolutely
amazing,” said student Abby Billon.
“We got to draw a horse right along
with her.”
Senator Ron Johnson discussed politics with students earlier this year. It was
a great way to make the importance of
our governing structure meaningful to
students. Students asked questions from
how to become a senator to what his
stance was on funding public education.
“I liked it a lot because the information
I learned came directly from him,” RCEI
student Chloe Steiner said.
Students also recently connected
with Pelle Peterson, one of the designers of Lego Mindstorms, from the
Lego headquarters in Denmark to discuss design and engineering. Students
were quite excited about this opportunity. How often do you get to talk to a
Lego designer?
Videoconferencing is a great opportunity for students, but it does require
a lot of flexibility. Differences in time
zones and the availability of hosts usually
make it impossible to fit into a normal
school bell schedule. There is no doubt,
however, that these opportunities have
lasting effects on students and take their
educational experience far beyond the
typical classroom.
4
Postcards give students worldly view
It’s always a little exciting when one gets
a postcard from a unique place or a trip;
they’re full of great photos and a variety
of fun facts and information. Recently,
second graders of Roselawn Elementary
have taken the joy of postcards to a new
level as they learn about landforms and
geography in social studies class.
Over the past couple of months, second grade students have collected postcards. The goal: collect 200 postcards
representing all 50 states. Nearly 500
postcards were collected by the end of
the project from all 50 states and many
other countries around the world.
As postcards arrived, students would
share them with one another and identify
them on classroom maps.
“This goes along with our social studies
unit on learning about the United States,
the seven continents, and many countries in our world,” explained teacher
Jenica Paulson. “We also talked about
the different types of weather that each
of these places might have. Each time we
got postcards the kids were able to share
them with the class and then we would
find them on the map. We would see
how close or far they were from Wisconsin. We would compare the weather here
and the weather there and discuss how
they might be different or the same as we
see in our state.”
The students themselves get very
excited when learning about the different
countries and looked forward to getting
mail on top of learning.
“I liked it because we got to learn more
about different places in the world,” said
student Ashley Robert.
“I got a lot of postcards,” added Alexis
Clark. “It was really fun. I learned that
lots of people know other people from
different places.”
“I liked it because I got postcards
without knowing they were coming, from
lots of people I didn’t even know!” commented Callee Nelson.
Clearly, the project was an enjoyable
experience for all around, and even
some of the teachers seemed to be
in awe at the amount –and places—
they’ve received mail.
“They are so excited and ask every day,
‘Do we have more mail?’” says teacher
Kate Lindberg. “In addition to United
States postcards, we have also received
mail from other countries such as Italy,
Ireland, Scotland, England, Austria,
Germany, Belgium, Australia, Sweden,
South Africa, Canada, Spain, Mexico,
Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and many islands
in the Caribbean. Wow!!”
It’s safe to say this may be the first
year of this project, but it’s not likely to
be the last!
Visit us on the web at www.cwasd.k12.wi.us
Upcoming Music Department Dates
Tuesday, April 8
Friday, April 11 Friday, April 25 Saturday, May 3 Friday, May 16 Saturday, May 24 Monday, May 26 Thursday, May 29 Roselawn Spring Concert (Grades K, 2 and 4)
Shell Lake MS Honors Choir (Selected Middle School students)
UW Madison Varsity Band Concert (CWHS Band)
State Solo and Ensemble Festival at UW-Eau Claire
High School Spring Concert
Graduation*
Memorial Day Ceremony*
Middle School Spring Concert
*Bold events are required for all high school band students grades 9–11. Middle school band students are encouraged to participate in the Memorial Day Ceremony either by playing an instrument or carrying the banner/flags.
Dancing Sue returns
for folk music fun
Dancing Sue (as she is fondly
called) is back due to an overwhelming response from students,
staff and families.
Sue Hulsether teaches dances and
songs from American folk traditions,
with a passion for creating positive
human connections. Under the spell
of her energetic flair, clear instruction, warmth and engaging humor,
groups seamlessly find themselves
on their feet and eager to join in.
With over 10 years of experience
teaching elementary classroom
music, Hulsether’s calm confidence
manages groups large and small, of
all dance abilities and ages.
“When I mention her upcoming
return in class the students get the
wiggles and cheer!” says elementary music teacher Dolly Neby.
“Dancing Sue makes everyone
feel welcome while leading us in
the age old traditions of American dance. Her interactions with
students is free flowing giving kids
the opportunity to feel at ease trying new dances that are out-of-the
box from our everyday interactions
yet tied deeply to our heritage. She
builds community, confidence and
a sense of celebration.”
All students of Roselawn Elementary will be learning dances
in American Folk style April
29–May 1 sharing in two classes
with Hulsether at the lead. The
dances are first learned in class.
Then, on May 1, Roselawn families are invited to celebrate a big
‘ol May Day Family Folk Dance at
6:30 p.m. in the Roselawn gym,
complete with live folk musicians
from the Twin Cities.
5
March was
Music
In Our
Schools
Month
Did you know…
• Middle school and
high school students
who participated in band
scored significantly higher
than their non-band
peers in standardized
tests. University studies
conducted in Georgia and
Texas found significant
correlations between
the number of years
of instrumental music
instruction and academic
achievement in math,
science and language arts.
• The very best
engineers and technical
designers in the Silicon
Valley industry are,
nearly without exception,
practicing musicians.
• Arts-engaged high
school students enrolled
in four-year colleges at
higher rates than students
with low levels of arts
engagement.
• Young adults with
significant arts exposure
in high school engaged in
more regular civic and/or
community volunteering
(one to five times a year)
than did the general
population.
ho
2014
w
6
S
V ari e t y
Visit us on the web at www.cwasd.k12.wi.us
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8
Drama Club prepares for
Spring production of Sherlock
The entertaining talents of ChetekWeyerhaeuser High School Drama
Club students will be on display as
they present “The Secret Case of
Sherlock Holmes.”
Written by Craig Sodaro, the play
tells the story of upstart detectives
Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.
Their first case with a young H.G.
Wells leads them on a ride to modern
times thanks to Wells’ time machine.
They end up at the Freudly Institute
where they meet Marilyn Monroe,
George Washington, Tarzan, Emily Dickinson, Count Dracula, Lizzie
Borden and Queen Victoria—or at least
individuals who think they are these
famous characters. They are actually
individuals at the institute who suffer
from grandiose delusions, which is why
Holmes and Watson fit right in. When
the body of an unknown victim is found
on the grounds of the facility, Holmes
sets out to uncover the clues while
proving he is the real Sherlock Holmes.
The show stars seniors Brandon Westholm as Holmes, Roger Mulderink as
Watson and Jennifer Snyder as Dr. Sydney Freudly. The show runs Wednesday,
April 30 and Friday, May 2 with performances beginning at 7 p.m. Admission
is $5 for adults, $3 for students.
“The Secret Case of Sherlock Holmes” is produced by special arrangement with Pioneer Drama Service, Inc.,
Englewood, Colorado.
New entrance procedures
at CWMS/HS coming soon
New entrance procedures will be in place
beginning as early as this spring at ChetekWeyerhaeuser Area Schools to increase
security. The new efforts aim to keep the
buildings safe and secure while maintaining
a friendly and welcoming environment.
In the past, both the doors to the middle
school/district offices and to the high
school office were open to the public.
Beginning this spring, however, visitors will
no longer be able to come through what
was the middle school and district office
entry. Visitors to the building will need
to enter through the doors at the main
entrance (what was the previously the high
school office entrance) and all traffic will be
funneled through that office. From there,
doors to the remainder of the building will
be locked, and visitors must sign in and
receive a visitor’s badge at the main office.
The school’s office receptionist will have
electronic control of the doors in the high
school/middle school lobby area. Once
visitors receive their badge and sign in,
they can then move on to their destination. The doors to the gym/commons
area will also be locked, and students must
enter through the main entrance. Dur-
ing athletic and other evening events, the
commons-area doors will be opened, but
gates will be in place throughout the rest
of the building.
At Roselawn, like at the high school/
middle school, all visitors must sign in
with the front office. All doors are locked
beginning each day at 8:15 a.m. The
front office will have to open the main
door electronically for visitors to enter the
building. The doors will remain locked until
3:20 p.m. when students leave the building. Doors will be locked again at 4:30
p.m. for the night.
“Our number one priority is the safety
of the students,” says superintendent Mark
Johnson. “We want to continue providing
an environment in which the community
can enjoy the many talents of our students
and the various events that occur at the
school, but we also want to be proactive
in ensuring the safety of students and staff.
Controlling the entrances into the building
will allow us to do that.”
Signs will also be in place to help
school visitors with the new changes.
Those with questions may contact the
district office at 715-924-2226.
Blue Hills Shooting Stars
introducing youth to the sport of shooting
It’s hard not to live in northwestern Wisconsin and not be
exposed to hunting or shooting
and guns. It’s a part of life to
which many have grown accustomed. Those traditions are
what have sparked a new club
within the Chetek-Weyerhaeuser
Area School District, The Blue
Hills Shooting Stars.
The Blue Hills Shooting Stars
is a shooting sports team of
7th-12th grade students that
shoots at the Blue Hills Sportsman’s Club located near Canton.
Sponsored by the Scholastic
Shooting Sports Foundation, the team participates in
Scholastic Clay Target
programs and exists
to introduce youths
to the shooting
sports. Their
aim is to
facilitate
youths’ continued
involvement in
providing, promoting and perpetuating
opportunities to safely
and enjoyably participate
and compete in high-quality,
team-based shooting activities.
“I have enjoyed shooting since
I was a kid and thought how
neat would it be to be able to
give kids the opportunity that I
never had--that being a nationally sponsored program ran by
adults with a desire to see the
shooting sports grow and show
kids how much fun it really is,”
says coach and Chetek resident
Chuck Harrison. “The beauty of
this sport is there are NO bench
sitters as everyone competes.
Even more so this is a sport that
can be and usually is enjoyed for
a lifetime and all family members
can be involved.”
The club includes students from
three area high schools: ChetekWeyerhaeuser, Cameron and
Barron. A preseason practice
was held in March, and com-
Visit us on the web at www.cwasd.k12.wi.us
petition is expected to begin in
April. Once they begin, students
will have virtual shoots with
other league schools. Students
come to the local ranges, scores
are tallied and posted, and when
the scores from other schools
are also posted, a winner is
determined.
“We’ve had an excellent turnout of kids with something over
30 signing up for the club,” adds
Harrison. “The kids’ enthusiasm is outstanding and is a real
treat for the coaches and others
involved with the program. That
in itself tells us it’s going to be a
big success.”
Beyond competition,
students will also learn
tips to improve their
shooting skills, including proper
stance and aiming enhancement. Adult volunteers work with the
athletes and coach
them on their techniques.
These adults must be insured,
registered with the Scholastic
Shooting Sports Foundation,
complete a background check
and complete special training.
With their help, the goal is to
teach students the safe and
responsible handling and use
of firearms, provide a supportive team-based environment to
facilitate life lessons and skills
and emphasize positive character traits and citizenship, and
introduce young shooters to a
lifetime sport.
“We teach the safe and responsible handling of firearms and
teach life lessons and skills that
they can and will use their entire
life,” explains Harrison. “We the
coaches--and even more so the
kids--can’t wait for the snow to
be gone so we can get going on
some actual hands-on shooting
and training. It’s been a VERY
long winter for us all!”
9
Our new website is now active!
The Chetek-Weyerhaeuser Area School District has transitioned to a new and improved
website design! The new design has a more modern feel and will be updated frequently with
pictures, news and announcements from CWASD. With that, a new Facebook page has
been established to increase our visibility on social media to provide community members,
parents and students with real-time updates to everything happening in the district. Take a
look at the updates and let us know what you think!
Annual
Give Back
Day being
planned
Plans are in the works for
Chetek-Weyerhaeuser Area
School District’s Annual
Give Back Day, the yearly
service day when students
and staff help out their
communities.
This is the sixth year that
the district has organized
the Give Back Day, which
will take place Wednesday,
May 7. In past years, high
school students have used
the day to assist with various service projects around
the community. This year,
for the first time, middle
school students will also be
involved in the day.
“It is such a great day,
and it continues to grow,”
says high school teacher
Denise Michaelsen. “The
hardest part about it is just
trying to meet the needs
of everyone!”
Whether it is just getting
some extra time with friends,
donning the brightly colored
shirts in honor of their work,
or—of course—just helping
out around the area, students have made Give Back
Day a popular tradition.
“It has just become a part
of our schedule, and it’s
what we plan on doing each
year,” says high school Principal Larry Zeman. “If we
decided not to do it, I think
we’d have a lot of disappointed kids.”
More information on Give
Back Day, will be available
on the district’s website,
www.cwasd.k12.wi.us. Anyone with questions can contact the high school office at
715-924-3137.
10
Roselawn students get excited
about learning writing skills
It was a day of storytelling, writing, inspiration and fun for students
at Roselawn Elementary recently as
they hosted a special guest—author
Katie McKy.
Sponsored by the Roselawn PTO,
McKy often speaks at schools and
works with students using her passion for storytelling and her love
of writing to encourage children to
write. She spent part of the morning delivering a school-wide presentation, before breaking off through-
out the day with the various grade
levels to present writing workshops.
During the energetic workshops
students learned what makes a
good story through various activities, including acting, prop use, and
physical movement, before working
on their own to create and write
stories themselves.
Roselawn students continue to write
their camping stories they started with
McKy and still quote her about what it
takes to be a great writer.
Summer
Food Service
Program at
CWASD
CWASD is pleased to sponsor the Summer Food Service
Program again this summer. Free breakfast and free lunch
will be available for children 18 years of age and under regardless of income.
This meal site is open to any child even if the child is not
enrolled in summer school or the CWASD. There is no need
to sign up or apply for this program. Just come and enjoy the
nutritious meals offered.
Free meals will be served Monday through Thursday from
June 10–August 21. No meals will be served on Fridays or July
28–31. Roselawn Elementary School will be serving breakfast
from 7:30–8:30 a.m. and lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Middle/High School will be serving breakfast from 9:30–10
a.m. and lunch from 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
“Come join us for breakfast and lunch this summer,” states
Jessica Deringer, CWASD Food Service Director. “This is a great
opportunity for children to enjoy nutritious meals throughout the
summer. Remind your children that free breakfast and free lunch
are available at the school sites throughout the summer.”
USDA is an equal opportunity employer and provider.
Visit us on the web at www.cwasd.k12.wi.us
Continuing Education Offered by WITC
11
Classes running through Chetek-Weyerhaeuser High School, 1001 Knapp St., Chetek
Lisa Ippolite, Director | P.O. Box 6, Chetek, WI 54728 | 715-924-3137 ext 2011 | [email protected]
Class Name and Course Number
Building A Willow Trellis #24863
Create a willow trellis or experiment with other outdoor, garden or patio furniture. Learn
about types of trellises, bending techniques, and construction. Please bring work gloves,
pruning shears (if you have them) and a $10 material fee payable to the instructor.
Date
Time
Day
04/24/14
6–8 p.m. Thursday
Course Fee $12.25
Senior Fee $8.12
04/10/14
6–9 p.m. Thursday
Course Fee $20.50
Senior Fee $12.25
Instructor: Sydney Tanner | Chetek-Weyerhaeuser HS Woodshop
Going Crackers #24842
Discover how to make several varieties of homemade crackers. You will never go back to
store bought again! Please bring a $10 material fee payable to the instructor, some takehome containers, and an apron!
Instructor: Sydney Tanner | Chetek-Weyerhaeuser Foods Room
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Fee
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School board agrees to list former Weyerhaeuser school
After four years and several attempts
to repurpose the former Weyerhaeuser
school building, the Chetek-Weyerhaeuser Area School District Board
of Education recently voted to list the
property with a real estate agent.
The building will be listed with Charles
Feather, an agent with Coldwell Banker,
at an asking price of $479,000. This
price would include all buildings along with
the entire site. At the same time, Feather
would also search for a buyer for the
nine garage bays and warehouse with the
agreement that the buyer of the school
would have first right to purchase them.
In addition to his work with the former Weyerhaeuser school, Feather has
reviewed five closed, two pending and two
on-the-market schools within a seven-county radius. Feather noted that he would
focus prospective efforts for the building on
specific users, including an extended living
facility, a call center, an incubator center
for start-up businesses, assembly or light
manufacturing, religious organizations and/
or non-profit organizations. According to
Feather’s recommendation, the marketing
time would be 7-14 months.
The hope is that Feather, with his commercial real estate knowledge and connections, will generate additional interest
in the building so that it can be a source
of economic development in the region.
CWASD Superintendent Mark Johnson has
previously stated that the district will request
a business plan from potential buyers to ensure the intent for the property would bring
economic development for/to the area.
Since the consolidation of the Weyer-
haeuser and Chetek school districts in
2010, school administrators and facility committee members have worked
to create a solution for the building’s
use. After local efforts were exhausted,
the district enlisted the help of Barron
County Economic Development Coordinator David Armstrong. They have
worked with local industries and other
education facilities, amongst others, to
come up with a viable option, but to no
avail—leading to Monday night’s decision
to list the property.
12
Legislative action continues to reshape education
Mark Johnson, superintendent
The latest legislative session in Wisconsin has demonstrated that our legislators have not lost sight of attempting to reshape education in Wisconsin.
With the regular session of legislature
winding down, the pressure on schools
from Madison has not let up. While
several bills have passed, there were
others that were proposed but did not
gain traction in the legislature. I would
like to take the opportunity to provide a brief summary of some of the
legislative proposals and provide some
insight as to how and why it impacts
our school district.
Of those initiatives that did not
make it through to the governor,
the most important was the bill that
sought to eliminate the Common
Core State Standards. The Common Core State Standards (Math and
English) were previously adopted in
Wisconsin in 2010. The CCSS were
an effort by states to define a common core of knowledge and skills
that students should develop in K-12
education, regardless of the state
they live in, so they will graduate high
school prepared for college or careers.
The standards were drafted by experts
and teachers from across the country
and are designed to ensure students
are prepared for today’s entry-level careers, freshman-level college courses,
and workforce training programs.
Common Core focuses on developing
the critical-thinking, problem-solving,
and analytical skills students will need
to be successful. Forty-five states,
the District of Columbia, four territories, and the Department of Defense
Education Activity (DoDEA) have
voluntarily adopted the standards and
are moving forward with them. The
High/Middle School IMC
Open After School
In a continued effort to provide students with a place to work, the
high school/middle school instructional media center will be open after
school until 4 p.m. during the school week. There will not be structured
homework help, but the IMC and its resources will be available for
students as a quiet location to do homework and research.
The additional IMC hours were put in place after the district learned they
will be unable to offer the Community Learning Center (CLC) program for
the 2013-2014 school year. The CLC program was CWASD’s after-school
program, which offered students
an opportunity to do homework,
experience technology, listen to
guest speakers, or learn about fitness
and healthy lifestyles. The grant
which supported this program was
not received this year.
At this time, there will not be
any additional formal after-school
activities at Roselawn or at the
middle and high schools. More
information will be provided should
this change.
fact that this initiative to eliminate the
standards was defeated is important
for school districts. Most schools have
spent an enormous amount of time,
effort and money in the implementation of the Common Core. The
removal of the Common Core would
have left school districts without a
foundation in which to develop their
programming; it would have also left
school districts in a position of not
knowing the accountability measures
they would be measured by.
Some other notable measures that
would have affected our district, had
they gained approval, included a bill
that would have forgiven student
loans of teachers in rural districts and
another bill that would have provided
more funding for special education for
all school districts.
While some bills did not pass on
to the governor for signature, some
certainly did. In terms of accountability, one notable bill was proposed
and passed during this past legislative
session. After several years of requests
from the public schools and public
school advocates, for the first time, private, taxpayer-funded voucher schools
will now be held to the same accountability measures as public schools. This
is the first, yet small step, to helping
to ensure that taxpayer- funded public
and private schools are compared on
a fair and level playing field. When
the new school report cards come out
in the fall, taxpayer-funded private
schools will now be held to the same
standards as public schools. While this
may be viewed as a small victory for
public schools, there is much more that
needs to be done to provide parents
and students appropriate, comparable
data for their school-choice decisions.
Personally speaking, I appreciate the
fact that some of our legislators value
the importance of holding taxpayerfunded schools accountable for their
educational programming.
The other major legislative action
to affect our district is Assembly Bill
(AB 749). AB 749 would alleviate the
pressure of holding 180 days of school.
Essentially, AB 749 would still require a
Design and printing of this publication were provided by The
Chetek Alert
minimum number of “minutes/hours”
of instruction but allow local districts the
flexibility of determining how to reach
those required minutes/hours with fewer than 180 days. Under current law,
school districts must hold school for at
least 180 days during the school term.
In addition, each school district must
maintain minimum required hours of
instruction (1,137 hours for middle and
high school; 1,050 hours for elementary school; and 437 hours for kindergarten). AB 749 eliminates the 180-day
requirement and retains the minimum
instructional time requirement.
If enacted, AB 749 will allow local
school boards and administrators to
direct limited district resources to most
effectively meet the instructional needs
of their students. Locally elected board
members, school administrators and
instructional staff are better positioned
to identify student needs and allocate
resources to meet those needs than are
lawmakers in Madison. Increasingly,
schools are being held accountable to
student outcomes. Placing restrictions
on how schools can operate reduces
local control and flexibility. Also, given
the challenging weather issues we have
faced this year in Wisconsin, this legislation allows school districts the flexibility
to respond to local conditions as they
deem best fit their needs.
AB 749 also can have a positive
financial impact on districts. It would
allow districts the flexibility to achieve
significant cost savings in the areas of
energy, transportation, utilities and food
service—savings that could be reinvested into improving student achievement. The bill will also allow districts the
flexibility to explore innovative school
calendars and instructional strategies.
Although not as active as in the
past on educational topics and issues,
the lawmakers have again left their
mark on how we operate in education. Fortunately for education, many
of these initiatives will have a positive
impact on public education as we
move forward. I look forward to progressing with CCSS and having some
flexibility in how we are able to shape
our school year in the future.