District E-Newsletter         September 2017
Dear Families -

It was a great joy to welcome you all back to school for the 2017-2018 school year — my 13th with the Wauwatosa School District! I personally enjoyed visiting classrooms and taking in the awe and wonder of students' faces as they returned to the classroom. 

We kicked off the year with our staff a few days prior, during our Opening Day ceremony, where we set the stage for our focus on equity and how we will work to make learning more powerful for ALL of our students this year - a goal that we continually strive toward. We also celebrated our Distinguished Service Award winners in front of our entire District staff on Opening Day.  

Additionally, our Facilities Advisory Committee has continued to make progress in its work on behalf of the community to analyze the results of the facilities study and the needs of our aging facilities, as we work to develop a Master Facilities Plan. The Committee is working to prioritize the needs identified in the study, establish criteria for a model school, understand modern learning environments, and we’re now getting closer to narrowing down potential solutions. As a result, we’d like to share what we’ve all learned over the past eight months of meeting as a committee, the work we’ve done, and where we need your help.

In our commitment to collect broad community input, we’ll be hosting several community workshops this fall about the current state of our facilities and the Facilities Advisory Committee work. More information will be coming in the near future about dates and times so be on the lookout.

If you’d like to follow along with the Committee’s process and progress, you can do so by clicking on the Community Tab at the top of our homepage at www.wauwatosaschools.org . Have a question? We strongly encourage all residents to attend one of the future workshops. You can also drop us an email at facilitiesinfo@wauwatosa.k12.wi.us .

Sincerely, 

Phil Ertl
Superintendent
Wauwatosa School District Events
East vs. West Football Game
Friday, Sept. 8, 7 p.m.
Hart Park Field
School Board Meeting
Monday, Sept. 11, 7 p.m.
Fisher Administration Building
Conference RM C

West High School Homecoming Football Game
Friday, Sept. 29, 7 p.m.
R.A.C.E. Team Meeting
Thursday, Sept. 21, 6-7 p.m.
Eisenhower Elementary School
School Board Meeting
Monday, Sept. 25, 7 p.m.
Fisher Administration Building
Conference RM C

EFW Bowling Fundraiser
Saturday, Sept. 30, 4:30-9 p.m.
*Registration ends Sept. 22.
Your Educational Community News
Update on text messaging communication tool
We have completed implementation of our upgraded communication tool, Blackboard Communicator , which will allow parents to receive text messages from the District, your child’s school, or your child’s teacher. In our parent survey conducted this spring, parents told us they wanted text messages as an option for receiving information and ranked text messages as the second most preferred method of communication, behind email. 
How it will work: Text messages will be one-way, and will be most utilized for important reminders, school closures, and emergency notification, in addition to our email system.
How it will appear: Text messages from us will show up as from the short code 60680. You will NOT see “Wauwatosa School District” or the name of a school as the sender in a text message.
What you need to do: To receive text messages, you need to have a mobile phone entered in your contact information in PowerSchool through your school. To ensure you will receive our text messages, you may need to unblock the short code (60680) used. Instructions on how to do so can be found by clicking below.
Staff recognized with Distinguished Service awards during Opening Day
The Wauwatosa School Board honored 13 District staff members this year as recipients of the Distinguished Service Award. Award winners were nominated by staff members, parents, and students for exemplary service and dedication to the District, and were recognized in front of our entire District staff during our Opening Day on Wednesday, August 30. Congratulations to: Meegan Archambo, Educational Library Aide at Eisenhower & Wilson; Elizabeth Daily, Orchestra Teacher at McKinley and Washington; Kelly Frederick Mizer, East Art Teacher and Art Content Team Leader; Andrea Garrity, Math Teacher at East; Kathi Glodoski, Academic Lab Teacher at Longfellow; Jeffrey Hansher, Fifth Grade Teacher at Jefferson; Brian Hoffman, Counselor at West; Counseling Department Chairman, 
Anne Janssen, Administrative Assistant at Lincoln; John Kellerman, Associate Principal at Whitman; Diana Mader, Grades 2/3 WSTEM; Tom Norstrem, English Teacher at West and Department Chair; Nicole Welter, 5 th Grade Teacher at Madison; Mary Westphal, 7 th Grade Social Studies Teacher at Longfellow.

2016-17 Strategic Objective in Action: Promote strong relationships with staff, administration, the community, and Board.
Elementary math teachers work together on new math resources
As part of our implementation plan for our new elementary math curricular resources, all elementary math teachers will participate in on-going professional development specific to the resources over the next few years. On August 30 th , they met for a half day of work and learning related to the units they are teaching, as well as to learn about the top takeaways from the week-long Wisconsin State Math Initiative conference. 

2016-2021 Strategic Objective in Action: Building and retaining highly effective teachers and staff to improve instruction and learning.
Reminder: Family Success Sessions planned for new elementary math resources
Don’t forget to sign up for one of our Elementary Math Family Success Sessions!

Parents and guardians of all JK-5 elementary students are encouraged to attend one of three sessions designed to set your child up for success with our new board-approved math curricular resources this year. Each will be one hour long and will include: 

* Brief overview of the Elementary Math Review and Adoption process
* Introduction to new resources for JK and SK-5.
* What students will learn.
* How students will learn.
* How families can help at home.
* Homework details.
* Workshop exploring a game and a problem that students will experience, along with tools students will use in class.

Special Education staff will also be on hand to help families navigate the changes for students who have special learning needs. 

Please note, these sessions do not apply to Montessori, WSTEM or USTEM families as the math curriculums are different.

Click HERE for dates, times, location, and to RSVP. **If the number of registrations exceeds our room capacity, the location may change. Please watch for any such notifications. **

Missed the original email announcement from the District? You can read that HERE .
A message from the School Board president
This year, as part of our strategic plan, your school board is focusing on "excellence" and on "equity." Excellence is the outcome we want for all of our children. Equity is the path to get every child there. As a dad to three kids, I know every child is a little different. So let's give each child what he or she needs to be successful. When all of our children feel valued, included, supported, safe and engaged, there's nothing that will stop them. 

If you have big ideas to improve equity and excellence in our schools, please share them. Start with your teacher or building administrator. But feel free to email me too:  rollansh@wauwatosa.k12.wi.us

On behalf of the Wauwatosa School Board, have a great start to the school year!
The Trendiest Tosa Tidbits
Students make presentation to the School Board about studying abroad
Students from both of our high schools had the opportunity to present to the Wauwatosa School Board during its August 28th meeting. Students presented about the German American Partnership Program and what they learned during their travels to Germany this summer.
You can check out some of the fantastic pictures they included in their presentation via the link below.

In case you missed it: Wauwatosa high school student starts junior year on Capitol Hill
Layne Donovan’s junior year of high school is sure to be an unforgettable one.
 
The Wauwatosa East High School student will spend the first half of her junior year working on the Senate floor in Washington D.C. as a U.S. Senate Page.

Wauwatosa student journalists featured on PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Lab site
Wauwatosa West High School students were featured on the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Lab Website recently, along with student journalists from around the country, for their work covering the solar eclipse!
First day of school
Mascots, a red carpet, photo booths, and a scooter-riding superintendent on a mission to visit each of our schools. It was an eventful first day of school and we hope you enjoyed the excitement as much as we did. Thank you to everyone who shared your First Day photos with us via email and by tagging us on social media! Below are just a few of those highlights. Click on the button to view the whole album.
Brothers Aiden and Lucas ready to get the year started!
Kristie headed to 1st grade.
Kobe started 2nd grade.
Get Connected
Community Activities
Are you looking for a family-friendly activity or activity for your child to engage in outside of school? Check out our Community Flyers page for some options.

Tosa Schools - Moving Forward Together
12121 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa, WI 53226 (414) 773-1000