September 2021 Newsletter

New Look for a New Year You may have noticed that we have a new logo and new district colors.   Along with the launch of our new school year, we are formally launching our new look. Our look is designed to better represent our forward thinking, innovative approach to teaching and learning, and our commitment to connecting all of our communities and students we serve. The orange represents the City of West Allis. The blue represents the Village of West Milwaukee. And the bridge represents New Berlin, Greenfield and the 1,000 students and families we serve through open enrollment. Please help us spread the word about the exciting things we are doing in our schools every day! #WAWMproud

Franklin Collaboration Space Last April, Franklin staff were presented with a driving question: How can we make Franklin a great place to come home to? Staff were challenged to complete this project using a Project Based Learning design. On August 26, 2021, the students involved in the summer work presented the space to a small group of parents and staff. Students will continue their journey of Project-Based Learning as a way to transfer their skills and mindsets into authentic projects that will enrich the lives of others. Click here to learn more about the transformation!

Community Building and Collaboration As educators, we must provide students with purposeful, authentic learning experiences in an environment that is equitable for all. For us, when students are in schools where they are valued and know they belong, and they are empowered to learn things that interest them, they work harder. That is our theory of action and why we do this incredibly important work. The photos below highlight one of our Deeper Learning Competencies: Collaboration. Our students collaborate everyday as part of their learning experiences. Community building and making sure students feel that they belong are two essential pieces of the first weeks of school.

1st CREW Cup Challenge at Dottke! Students prepared presentations on diversity, acceptance & togetherness.

Longfellow Elementary ice breaker and community builder. One shoe in a circle. Student retrieves it and tells one thing they did while wearing the shoe.

Frank Lloyd Wright Intermediate family bonding with an outdoor scavenger hunt during science. 6th graders working with 8th graders, then leading the 7th graders.

Team building at West Milwaukee Intermediate School in the 6th Grade Community Classroom with Mrs. Ruis, Mrs. Paprocki, and Ms. McConahay!

Classroom community building in action for 9th graders at Hale. Students created hexagons with their interests. In small groups, they made connections with one another. The class came together to create one EPIC web of community connections.

What is Deeper Learning? A new school year gives us an opportunity to revisit what makes us unique at our West Allis-West Milwaukee School District. Our focus on deeper learning through equity is something that is deeply important to us at WAWM. Here is a brief overview of what Deeper Learning is and why it matters. We all know that effective teaching and learning focuses on the mastery of reading, writing and math. Yet, we also know our students need far more than what is measured on standardized tests to achieve their goals. As educators, we must provide students with purposeful, authentic learning experiences in an environment that is equitable for all. For us, when students are in schools where they are valued and know they belong, and they are empowered to learn things that interest them, they work harder. That is our theory of action and why we do this incredibly important work.

Community Survey Information Sessions This is an exciting time for our district and we wanted to extend an invitation for you to join us for an Informational Session regarding our Facility Master Plan and the community-wide survey. The overall goal of the Long-range Facility Master Plan is to reduce operating costs, ensure our aging buildings last for years to come, and provide our teachers and students with safe, modern spaces for hands-on learning. Feedback gathered through the community-wide survey will assist our Board in making decisions related to which facility projects to pursue further and what level of financial support to seek from the community through a future facilities referendum. To learn more about the Long-range Facility Master Plan and the Community Survey, we invite you to attend one of the following Community Information Sessions.  Wednesday, September 22, 2021 | 6:00 pm | West Allis Central Cafeteria Monday, October 4, 2021 | 6:00 pm | West Milwaukee Auditorium

Celebrating Books Featuring Our Leaders We wanted to highlight two authors in our leadership community here at WAWM. This September, our very own Director of Leadership and Learning published a chapter in Because of a Teacher titled “The Power of a Caring Teacher Can Be Felt for a Lifetime” about her dad and the experience of being raised by a great educator.  Last September, Greg and Gary Goelz, joined forces to write their book entitled, “What’s In Your CORE? An Educator’s Guide to Plugging Into Purpose and Perspective”. Read more...

Enrollment Center Find more enrollment information HERE. West Allis-West Milwaukee School District Administration Office 1205 S. 70th Street - West Allis, WI 53214 5th Floor Monday through Friday: 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Skyward Student Information System 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). It also allows for increased communication with teachers. It is very important that parents maintain accurate telephone numbers and email addresses on Skyward.

wawmsd.org 414-604-3000

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