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December 1 - Monday class schedule (elementary only)
December 1 - January 27 - District ACCESS for ELL students
December 13 - School Board Meeting (7 pm)
December 23 - 31 - No School; Winter Break; District offices closed
January 3 - Classes resume
January 17 - No School; Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 18 - Monday class schedule (elementary only)
January 21 - End of first semester
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The Payroll Department has set up easy prompts through Skyward's Employee Access for staff members to request their W-2 form electronically. If no preference is made by December 31, 2021, paper copies will be sent. Work will begin in January 2022 to issue the W-2s. The Accounts Payable Department is focusing their efforts on processing vendor payments earlier than usual due to the holiday break. They are also preparing the issuance of IRS 1099 forms for the non-employee vendor's tax purposes. And finally, two RFPs are being secured by the Technology and Purchasing Departments: one for the Data Warehouse; another for the District Website. |
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The Human Resources Department's first Employee Engagement survey is active on the Culture Amp platform. All employees have the opportunity to give their input. The Employee Engagement Committee will meet to discuss actionable items based on survey results. Results will be shared district-wide in January 2022. |
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Last month we updated our learning community about the work being done in our District Multi-Level System of Support (MLSS) Team. The individuals have identified short-term and long-term goals. In the short-term, the team is focused on ways in which to intervene on student learning needs in the areas of math and reading. Moving forward, the team will begin to unpack the long-term identified objectives. This includes elements such as stakeholder understanding of the system, common language, key practices to support strong universal instruction, and assessment systems to more effectively monitor student growth and impact of instructional practices. As this work evolves, our Core Principles of Teaching and Learning will assist in ensuring that all students receive a quality experience during their time in the Wauwatosa School District.
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The Winter/Spring Activity Guide has been launched. This season, the guide is full of the classic activities our community loves and expects, as well as new ones that the Recreation Department is excited to bring to the community. The guide - and additional information - can be found at www.tosarec.com.
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Superintendent Dr. Demond Means sang "Silent Night" with the Wauwatosa East Choir at its recent Winter Concert. Students and staff were all impressed with his outstanding vocals! Also pictured are Jordan Stein, Jennifer Lato, Colleen Jaskulski, Molly Pagryzinski, Jessica Bratcher and Mike Hayden. Not pictured, but singing, are Adam Seffan and Jeff Krubsack. |
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The holiday season is a time for family and reflection about the things that bring us joy. In Wauwatosa, we're thankful to have community members who are willing to share their talents and selflessly dedicate their time to our students! Please read two stories below: |
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You may know the Haydens as the powerhouse couple who drives orchestra education at the Wauwatosa School District's eastside secondary schools. But Roosevelt Elementary School students Harper (2nd grade) and Frances (SK) Hayden know the pair as Mom and Dad.
The couple met in graduate school, and after a year of dating, Michael moved to Wisconsin to be closer to Lauren. The pair purchased their first home in Wauwatosa, the same city that Lauren called home for years (she's a proud Roosevelt Elementary School alum). Not long after moving to the area, Michael fell in love with the community and wanted to find a way to share his passion for music with those around him.
In the summer of 2016, Michael secured a position teaching orchestra at both Longfellow Middle School and Wauwatosa East High School. When Lauren joined the Longfellow orchestra staff in 2017, the Haydens found great success in building cohesion between the programs at the two schools.
"For us, [working together] has been a great way to be part of our own children's school lives and give back to our neighbors and our community," Mr. Hayden says. "And the fact that [Lauren and I] get to do that together is amazing."
But the best part of the job, according to Mr. Hayden, is immersing himself in the community and having a real, transformative impact on kids. As he stated with pride, "There are probably other communities like this that exist... but this is MY community."
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Volleyball is a passion in the Lahmann household. Jerry Lahmann (far left) coaches junior varsity boys volleyball at Wauwatosa West and his son, Mitch (far right), is the assistant varsity coach. The family matriarch, Pam Lahmann (middle left), coaches junior varsity girls volleyball at Wauwatosa West. Both Lahmann children, Jenna (middle right) and Mitch, played volleyball in high school at Wauwatosa West until they graduated in 2012 and 2011, respectively.
But volleyball isn't the only thing the Lahmann family is passionate about. They also are deeply committed to their Wauwatosa community.
In 1987, Jerry and Pam moved to Wauwatosa. After retiring from teaching and coaching in the Waukesha School District in the 2010s, Jerry began serving as a girls varsity volleyball coach in Wauwatosa. He then took a part-time job as a physical education teacher at Longfellow Middle School. Pam followed shortly thereafter, securing a job at Roosevelt Elementary School as a physical education teacher in 2013.
Throughout her career in the Wauwatosa School District, Pam has enjoyed working with the students at Roosevelt because they have an infectious love of life, excitement, and enthusiasm. The relationships she has with her elementary students are different than the ones she has with her older athletes, who are incredibly dedicated to the sport of volleyball and wonderful to coach!
Pam's favorite part about working in the same district as her family members is sharing the dual teacher/community member perspective and having conversations about things happening in the district. Of course, having the same days off and vacation schedule is also a plus! Pam also fondly recalls the time that Jerry served as a substitute teacher alongside her at Roosevelt.
This month, the Lahmanns will enjoy a bit of downtime, because now that the high school volleyball season is over, the family has just a short time of rest before they start coaching club boys volleyball for Spike Milwaukee!
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Celebrate Adult School Crossing Guard Week |
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The week of January 10-14 is Adult School Crossing Guard Week. It offers a great opportunity for us to highlight and celebrate the tremendous work of our crossing guards as they keep students safe before and after school each day.
Now is an especially challenging time of the year for our crossing guards, as they need to battle the elements and cold temperatures during the winter season. If you have a chance, please be sure to thank your local crossing guard for their efforts!
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Day Trips, Winter Stay-In Camp Now Available from Tosa Recreation Department |
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The Wauwatosa Recreation Department is offering a number of day trips to give students something to do when school is not in session. Upcoming trips include Kalahari Water Park in the Wisconsin Dells, Sunburst Tubing & Bowling, and Sky Zone Trampoline Park & Springs Waterpark.
Tosa Rec’s Winter Stay-In Camps are happening December 27-30 this year! The experience gives students the opportunity to do arts and crafts, play games, swim, watch movies, and take part in special activities.
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High School Tech Ed Courses Aim to Fill Skills Gap |
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This article originally appeared in the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s CTE Success Stories.
Craig Griffie, the technical education teacher at Wauwatosa East, gives students the assignment to build a freestanding bathroom in the school’s shop that is taken apart at the end of the project. Each trade is taught by Griffie alongside local tradespeople in the order of construction, from the cinderblock foundation on up.
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Wilson Elementary and Wauwatosa STEM Students Make a Big Impact During Day of Service |
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Wilson Elementary and Wauwatosa STEM students showed up big time for a service learning day in early December!
Junior kindergarten students prepared sandwiches for Guest House of Milwaukee, while first graders made 25 no-sew fleece tie blankets for the Ronald McDonald House. Second graders cleaned bikes that they collected to donate to the nonprofit DreamBikes, while third graders put together 204 care packages for the USO to go to Fort McCoy!
Fourth-grade students made 250 sandwiches for the Guest House and put together 50 hygiene kits for Running Rebels. And, fifth graders completed a workshop with Good Friend on autism awareness and made gifts for the women at the Carmelite Ministry, which neighbors the school.
What an impressive effort by all our students at Wilson and Wauwatosa STEM!
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Students Learn Masonry Skills Thanks to Generous Donation |
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In November, County Materials Corporation helped our high school Pre-apprenticeship Program students learn masonry skills by donating concrete block!
It has been a great experience for students to build valuable real-world skills they can use post-graduation.
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High School Students Excel at SkillsUSA Competition |
Wauwatosa East and West High School students took part in the SkillsUSA competition at Watertown High School in early December. The Tosa East engineering team took third, while students placed individually in welding sculptures and woodworking.
In all, 35 schools and 350 students participated across numerous categories at the event. It was a great experience for our students!
SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. The nonprofit organization serves middle school, high school, and college/postsecondary students preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations.
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MLK Spoken Word Entries Accepted Through
January 3, 2022
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The 25th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration will again feature a Spoken Word Contest, sponsored by Northwestern Mutual Foundation and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Youth, ages 5-18, are encouraged to write an original poem or a spoken word piece based on the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. quote: "Our goal is to create a beloved community, and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives."
This year, youth may also choose to write a piece that relates to the work we do to promote healthy communities including work with health, education, equity/racism, and food insecurity.
Each piece should be no longer than two minutes when spoken aloud. Entries will be grouped into the following three age categories:
- Ages 5-9 years old
- Ages 10-13 years old
- Ages 14-18 years old
The top three finalists in each age category will present their piece in front of a panel of judges virtually. Two finalists in each age category will be selected based on how well the piece captures the theme, and the presentation of the piece when spoken aloud. The top two finalists in each age category will present their pieces virtually to the judges.
First-place winners in each age category, plus two guests, will be invited to attend the 25th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration, hosted by the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee, on Monday, January 17, 2022, where they will be recognized for their winning entries.
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Enter Tosa's All-City Read 2022 Writing Contest |
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Enter Tosa’s All-City Read’s 2022 writing contest for the chance to win a cash prize! Every year, Wauwatosa School District students enter wonderfully written essays and earn accolades (and money!) from the judges. The winning essays are posted on the All-City Read website. For examples of past winning essays, go to the All-City Read’s Archive page at www.tosasallcityread.com/archive and download the summary page for any of the books you’re interested in. Essays can be submitted anytime before midnight on February 18.
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Wauwatosa School District | 12121 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa, WI 53226
Ph: (414) 773-1000 | www.wauwatosaschools.org
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