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School District Newsletter
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"State of the Schools" Presentation
This December, we invite you to attend a “State of the Schools” presentation. It’s designed to help you understand where we’ve been and where we’re headed as a school community. We will be discussing a variety of topics:
- Who are we?
- How are we working to increase student achievement?
- How are we supporting the social/emotional health of our students and families?
- What’s on the fiscal horizon?
- What’s next for our school facilities?
Presentations will be held on
Monday, December 3, 2018
and
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
.
Click here
to learn more!
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WAWM School District
Property Tax Levy Drops for Now
This tax season, the school mill rate is dropping $1.45 per $1,000 of equalized property value for residents in the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District. The reduction from $10.99 to $9.54 is based on the property tax levy of $41,769,015 approved by the WAWM School Board on Monday, October 22, 2018.
The reduction reflects a change in circumstances from last year. In 2017, the District received proceeds from a lawsuit settlement and the sale of Roosevelt School, therefore increasing revenue. As enrollment, revenue, expenditures, and equalized property values in the community are all factors in the calculation, state aid funding was reduced by $5.8 million.
Read more...
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Students at Walker Elementary Report an Outbreak of Self-Control
This fall, a video aired at Walker Elementary School, had classmates learning that an “
outbreak of self-control
” was running rampant in their building. Performed by a group of students, the special news report cleverly ignited the idea that “everyone was doing it!”
According to Deeper Learning Coach, Stacey Lange, “Over the summer, our Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) team, read The Formative Five: Fostering Grit, Empathy, and Other Success Skills Every Student Needs by Thomas R. Hoerr. A focus on ‘self-control’ is the first of the five skills that can help students be successful in school.”
Read more...
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Frank Lloyd Wright Intermediate School Students Honor Veterans
On Thursday, November 8, 2018, a group of military veterans were honored at Frank Lloyd Wright Intermediate School with a special presentation and luncheon. The service learning project was organized by sixth through eighth grade students that are part of team “
Wright for the Community”
at the school.
“We began at 10:00 a.m. with a Color Guard presentation followed by a formal recognition ceremony. After the ceremony, the students hosted a luncheon for the veterans,” explained teacher, Carrie Clark. “During lunch, students were able to see the memorabilia and picture albums brought in by our veteran guests. Most importantly, they had time to visit with veterans and hear stories about military service.”
Since the start of the year, the team had been working in committees to help make the day a success.
Read more...
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West Allis Central Students
Talk “Bulldog” at West Milwaukee Intermediate
As part of the All Aboard! Eighth grade transition program to high school, a team of West Allis Central High School Bulldogs headed to West Milwaukee Intermediate School to share information about what to expect in the coming year.
“
Our group of high school students met with 8th graders for a presentation in a “question and answer" format. We talk about what it means to be a Bulldog so that students really know about the things that are important to them. Afterwards, the high school students eat lunch with the intermediate school students. Now, there’s a familiar face students will see at the high school,” says Angela Gerloski, the Central Social Studies teacher that coordinates the All Aboard! program.
Read more...
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Attention All 8th Graders!
Attend High School Preview Night
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
High School Grade Preview Night is an opportunity for 8th grade students and their parents to learn more about the academic, elective and extra-curricular offerings at high school.
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School Holiday Concerts Make Season Merry and Bright
The vocal chords are warmed up, the instruments are tuned, and WAWM School District’s talented students are ready for their performances. Hundreds of band, orchestra, and choir students at all grade levels present special concerts throughout November and December at their schools.
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West Allis-West Milwaukee School District Report Card Shows Improvement
The West Allis-West Milwaukee School District saw an overall score increase of 4.1 on the State of Wisconsin District Report Card moving from 68.1 on the 2016-2017 to 72.2 on the 2017-2018 scorecard.
The increase is largely attributed to adding points in District Growth (representing improvement over time in reading and math) and closing gaps (representing improvement for students in subgroups such as students with disabilities, economic disadvantages and limited English proficiency).
The District maintained its rating of “Meets Expectations.”
“Over the past four years, we’ve faced significant financial challenges and through it all, we’ve remained focused on learning. We’re especially proud of our growth in the challenging area of closing gaps - we want to ensure that
all children
are college and career ready when they graduate from our schools,” adds Superintendent, Dr. Marty Lexmond.
Read more...
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Career and Technical Education:
Students Visit Pieper Electric
In October, 25 students from West Allis Central, West Allis Nathan Hale, and James E. Dottke High traveled to New Berlin to meet with employees at Pieper Electric to learn about electrical contracting.
Accompanied by school counselors, Mrs. Gahl-Sweeney, Mr. Rice, and Mr. Jankowski, and Coordinator of Career and Technical Education, Mr. Carr, the students participated in two thought-provoking presentations pertaining to a variety of career opportunities within the Pieper organization.
The company president, several human resources executives, and various tradespersons shared their real-world experiences in the industry. Students also toured the facility and members of the Pieper team shared aspects of their work experiences.
Read more...
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High School Students
Participate in College Summit for Males of Color at Concordia University
Students from Nathan Hale High School, West Allis Central, Riverside, and Kingdom Prep Lutheran School participated in an all-day College Summit for Males of Color at Concordia University. The students rotated through sessions to learn strategies for success. The event included a panel discussion with current college students that talked about life on campus and answered questions about their own experiences.
The program also included a keynote speaker that talked to the boys about the characteristics needed to be a student athlete (e.g., maintaining good grades and building positive relationships). The experience provided students with the opportunity to visit the college and meet leaders, professors, and coaches.
The event was sponsored by the CUW Black Student Union and Concordia's School of Education. More than 100 students attended from the three districts represented.
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Mercy Mats at
Pershing Elementary School
Pershing Elementary School’s student Service Learning Club lead by staff members Liz Arkin, Adrienne Spangenberg, Deb Groth, Tyson Dragolovich, and Michele Pipal took on a project this fall to help homeless people in our local community. They worked with the West Allis Health Department to collect plastic bags for the production of Mercy Mats.
The initial goal that was set by the Service Learning Club was to collect 1,400 plastic bags. After three weeks of promoting the project and collecting bags, Pershing students collected over 16,000 plastic bags which will be used to make approximately 23 Mercy Mats.
Mercy Mats are made entirely from recycled plastic bags. They provide a cushion for a person to sleep on, can keep them warm and dry, can be easily washed, and are safe from parasites that live in cloth type blankets.
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Wilson Elementary School
Space Gamers Lego Robotics Team Advances to Sectionals
The Wilson Space Gamers Lego Robotics Team (under the direction of coaches, Brendan Kelly and Lisa Erickson) took first place at the Riverside High School Regional Lego Robotics tournament. The team took home the “Champions Award” (Top Award) and also scored the most points in the robot game.
The team will advance to the Sectional tournament in Mukwonago on December 8, 2018.
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*Photo coming Wednesday*
Staff at Madison Elementary School
Wear Donated T-shirts to Celebrate Colleges and Career Choices
Every Wednesday, the staff at Madison Elementary School is
wearing
the importance of college and career readiness. “We realized many of our parents have t-shirts or sweatshirts with their college emblem or business logo on them. So we asked parents to donate them,” Principal, Breanne Willms explains, “It’s a simple way for us to expose students to the wide variety of colleges and career choices represented in our school community. Students like seeing their teachers in a shirt from dad’s work or mom’s college. It’s fun to talk about what the future holds!”
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West Allis Central High School AVID Students Visit UW-Oshkosh
Forty students that are part of the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program visited UW-Oshkosh to experience a “day in the life” of a Titan student. According to AVID teacher, Teresa Wright, “The event was centered on understanding what to expect at college.”
The day kicked-off with a tour of the beautiful Oshkosh campus. Stops on the tour included classroom buildings lecture halls, and a dorm room (which was “shockingly” small to the students). Students also visited the field house and main dining hall, where a college-level buffet lunch was served.
“Part of AVID is to help students see first-hand that hard work pays off,” explains Wright. “We want our students to see colleges and make the connection. It’s part of the support our students need to make their dreams a reality.”
Read more...
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High School Students Volunteer for 2018 CAAD Halloween in the Park
On October 20, 2018 youth members of the high school Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) Chapter, volunteered for the Community Alliance Against Drugs (CAAD) Halloween in the Park event held at Greenfield Park. Student volunteers helped decorate, worked at the food stands, and ran games for the families who attended the family friendly event. Hundreds of children in costumes stopped at the West Allis West Milwaukee Community Coalition booth to play games and trick or treat while parents were reminded to keep their children safe by locking up medicines that can be easily confused with candy.
Youth coordinator Karen Zigman said, “In addition to properly storing medications, parents were encouraged to drop off expired or unused medications at the West Allis Police Department, 11301 W. Lincoln Avenue. The drop box is located in the lobby and may be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days per week.”
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News & Notes - November
Each month, “News and Notes” recognizes the many contributions and achievements of staff, students, and members of our school community. The West Allis-West Milwaukee School District is the 12th largest district in the state of Wisconsin. Over 8,250 students attend our schools and over 1,000 employees work here.
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West Allis Central High School Students
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage
On Friday, November 2, 2018, members of the Latin Pride and Spanish National Honor Society at West Allis Central High School celebrated Hispanic Heritage with a Potluck Dinner and Hispanic Heritage-Día de los Muertos showcase.
The exhibit also included information about influential individuals and Dia de los Muertos art form. Students wore traditional Hispanic clothing and demonstrated their Bachata dance moves. Throughout the day, classes visited the school commons to tour the showcase. Jefferson Elementary students of Ms. Bahl and Mr. Irwin also toured the displays and participated in the celebration by breaking a piñata.
“The students did a great job preparing for this event. They are proud of their culture and they want others to learn from them,” adds Azevedo.
Read more...
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Take Advantage of the Benefits!
Submitting a Meal Application* and Sharing Information Consent can allow us to determine if your child is eligible for these benefits...
Free or reduced lunch!
Waived or reduced school fees!
If approved, parents receive a Letter of Eligibility that can be used to waive or reduce school fees for Half-day 4-year old Kindergarten/Early Childhood ($40), Full-day 4-year old Kindergarten, 5-year old Kindergarten, Grades 1-5 ($80), Grades 6-8 ($95), Grades 9-12 ($105).
Other fee reductions!
The Letter of Eligibility can also be used for a variety of savings such as Advanced Placement Exam fees ($94 each), College Application Fees (e.g., UW-System $50.00; UW-Madison $60.00; MATC/WCTC/Technical College $30.00) or fees for WAWM Recreation and Community Services enrichment classes.
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FREE DENTAL CARE
During the school year, FREE dental services will be available to students in the WAWM School District.
DentaMed Healthcare will provide dental screenings and restorative dental care to any student, regardless of whether the student is uninsured or insured by another organization. Using a state-of-the-art mobile dental unit, Dentamed Healthcare will provide:
- Dental Screening
- Dental Cleaning
- Dental Restoration
Learn more about how to sign up
here
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Access Skyward to Monitor
Your Child’s Progress!
Skyward is the tool that helps parents view student schedules, attendance, and grade reports while logged in on any personal device! We ask that parents access Skyward to track their child’s progress in school (we only print paper records upon request).
Skyward enables parents to make fee payments and manage lunch money accounts. It also allows for increased communication with teachers. It is very important that parents maintain accurate telephone numbers and email addresses on Skyward.
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Enrollment and Address Changes
Has your address changed? Visit our Enrollment Center
!
West Allis-West Milwaukee School District Administration Building
1205 South 70th Street -
5th Floor
Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Proof of Residency is required.
Click here
for more information.
Questions? Contact the Enrollment Center
NUEVOS CAMBIOS DE INSCRIPCIÓN Y DIRECCIÓN
Centro de Inscripción Edificio de Administración del Distrito Escolar West Allis-West Milwaukee
1205 Sur en la calle 70th
- 5to Piso
De Lunes a Viernes: de 7:30 a.m. a 4:30 p.m.
¿Preguntas? Póngase en contacto con West Allis-West Milwaukee Enrollment Center por correo electrónico
enrollment@wawmsd.org
o por teléfono (414) 604-3014.
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