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DISTRICT NEWS
February 2021
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2021 NCWIT Aspirations in Computing
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DISTRICT MISSION: The mission of the Cedarburg School District is to provide an exemplary education that challenges students in a nurturing environment to develop into lifelong learners, to become responsible adults, and to achieve their goals and dreams.
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Grounded in Our Mission, Vision, and Beliefs
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As I listen to other school systems struggle to find the best re-entry point to bring their students back to in-person learning, I cannot be more thankful and appreciative of our teachers, parents, and students for embracing our in-person and virtual models from the start of this school year. Having the in-person opportunity affords us the best pathway to measuring the effectiveness of our mitigation measures as we plan for the spring and the start of next school year. Certainly, Covid has dominated our attention over the last 12+ months, but we must not forget the work on our district goals continues.
It’s this time of the year that we begin to focus on our goal progress and begin to foreshadow our work for next year. Over the years, we have strived to provide a quality educational experience for all students. One can see the roots of this thinking in our strategic components. Our internal work on improving the quality of our students’ experiences has evolved and continues to evolve. As we forecast our work in the coming months and years, we must focus on being more intentional with our work on access, equity, and inclusion for all. The cascading of our work over the years is providing us with a logical launching pad to further that target. We look forward to our continued work on improving the quality of our instructional programming for all students. I’m excited for our collective work through this second semester and into the coming years.
Todd Bugnacki, Superintendent
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CHS 2021 NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Award Recipients
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12th Grade
Ellie Ertl (National Winner), Julia Going (Regional Winner), Tessa Luzney (Regional Honorable Mention), Samantha Piwoni (Regional Honorable Mention), Halle Throndson (Regional Winner)
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11th & 10th Grade
Anna Arnett (Regional Winner), Quinn Henninger (Regional Honorable Mention), Kayla Suhr (Regional Winner), Hannah Zietlow (Regional Honorable Mention), Erin Bogenschutz (Regional Rising Star), Tori Bogenschutz (Regional Rising Star)
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9th Grade
Jasmin Kraus (Regional Rising Star), Lauren Lanning (Regional Rising Star), Jennifer Spencer (Regional Honorable Mention), Katherine Spencer (Regional Rising Star), Mary Stroebel (Regional Rising Star), Katina Zimmerschied (Regional Honorable Mention)
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Cedarburg High School is excited to announce 17 students have been selected to receive the 2021 NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing (AiC) by the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT). Selected from more than 4,200 applicants throughout the nation, this award recognizes 9th-12th grade students for their outstanding aptitude and aspirations in technology and computing as demonstrated by their computing experience, computing-related activities, leadership experience, tenacity in the face of barriers to access, and plans for post-secondary education.
NCWIT’s multi-tiered award structure recognizes students at the National and Regional Levels ranging from Winner, Honorable Mention, Rising Star, and Certificate of Distinction. This year, CHS had 17 recipients this year, the most in the State of Wisconsin for a second year in a row! In addition, for the first time in our school’s history, we have an NCWIT National Award Winner, Ellie Ertl. Ellie was one of 400 young women from across the country chosen for national recognition.
CHS teacher Mike Cullen said, “We are so proud of these girls and their contributions. They are outstanding role models and will be tomorrow’s innovators.” “With their leadership and support, we hope to continue to expand access to Computer Science programming opportunities to every student in our district”, added CHS teacher Stacy Lesmeister.
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February is Black History Month, paying tribute to the generations of African Americans. Watch for stories throughout the month on our social media showcasing the various ways our schools are celebrating the history and accomplishments of African Americans. Here are just a few snippets from around the District.
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In the halls of CHS stands a 30-foot-high mural. It is the 2019 work of, now CHS seniors, Annika Prickett and Josh Bothe. The mural, “A Work in Progress”, was designed and painted by the two students and truly pays tribute to some great American heroes. The piece focuses on five main symbols. Rosa Parks, who represents the power of a single action sparking a movement; the Statue of Liberty, which represents America's promise of liberty and justice for all; Martin Luther King Jr. in a group of protestors at Selma; the Supreme Court building; and finally, Ruby Bridges.
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Elementary students study African American biographies, incorporate videos and honor the month with literature during interactive read aloud. They discuss each individual's contributions, character and admirable traits for each person and experiences that got him/her to where s/he was. Black history is discussed all year in 5th grade, not just in February.
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In addition to month long school-wide read alouds, this week Webster's teachers identified a "Person of Influence" that is inspirational in their content area and supports creating equity for all people. The school will highlight one African American each day throughout the month of February.
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This past week, AP Government and Politics students studied voting and elections in our country. Students analyzed laws and amendments that expanded voting rights for African-Americans along with other groups. They also analyzed how African-Americans were discriminated against in the past when attempting to vote. To illustrate this point, students completed a historical literacy test that was used to discriminate against African-Americans who were trying to register to vote. It was an insightful experience and learning opportunity for our students to better understand the history of discriminatory practices in our country.
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National School Counseling Week
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February 1-5 is National School Counseling Week!
Counselors play a huge part in the lives of our CSD students and families. We are so lucky to have such amazing counselors here in the Cedarburg School District, and this week and every week, we hope you'll help us make them feel extra special. #WeAreCSD
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As reported in an earlier newsletter, this year’s school year calendar has three snow days built-in. Last week was the first snow day of the 20-21 school year! As we progress through winter it is likely that we may have to use the remaining two snow days. Should we exceed three snow days, the District may need to make amendments to the instructional calendar. We are exploring the most reasonable means to accomplish this. Given the access that students have to technology and our Canvas Learning Management System platform, it seems plausible that a “virtual day” is the best option to make up instructional minutes. We are working out the details on what that would look like. For now, enjoy the snow and the fact we still have two traditional snow days to use!
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Shout out to our facilities team! With the amount of snowfall in Cedarburg in the past few weeks, snow removal efforts at our schools involve many crew members from Buildings & Grounds. Our Cedarburg Schools District crew is simply the best!
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Staff Professional Development
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At its core, professional learning is a critical key component to improving educator practice and providing new perspectives on an ever-changing profession. While some content has remained consistent throughout time, instructional design, educational policy, and classroom digital tools and structures have been in constant motion. District-wide staff professional learning is designed to build the common knowledge base of all teachers in the district. At Cedarburg, this learning takes place during in-service and early release days.
During professional learning days, the content teachers have received or will continue to receive has been a balance of content specific to their school/department/grade OR that may be common across schools. Here is an example of some of the training teachers have had:
- Digital tools to support learners both In-Person and Virtual
- Instructional learning platforms - Dreambox 5K-5; 5K-8 Lexia, 6-8 IXL
- Strategic data analysis and goal setting for students
Note: Early Release Days have been set aside specifically for teachers to focus on the students they serve and to collaborate with other teachers, plan, strategize on content development related to supporting learners in both In-Person and Virtual environments and the overall pacing of the curriculum.
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In addition, our custodian crews already received training this past fall on the best cleaning and sanitizing practices in schools. The training gave our crew an opportunity to learn from industry leaders, improve our practices and enforce consistent sanitizing and cleaning protocols across the District.
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CSD Staff Vaccination Update
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Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) reported that Wisconsin is currently vaccinating Phase I populations. At the Cedarburg School District, approximately 57% of Phase 1A employees (school health personnel, district nurse, school psychologists, school counselors, etc.) have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. All other school personnel (teachers, district administrators, support staff, etc.) are tentatively scheduled to start receiving the COVID-19 vaccine on March 1, 2021. This start date is dependent upon when and how many doses of the vaccine will be distributed to the state of Wisconsin. The vaccine distribution process continues to be one that we are monitoring closely and it is our hope that we can get all of our staff vaccinated as quickly as possible in coordination with WOPHD.
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REDgen's MISSION: To advocate for youth mental health and well-being.
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As a partner of the school district, REDgen's "Roots of Resilience" theme this month is Relationships and Diffusing Anger, dive deeper into Connection, a key component in developing and strengthening resiliency. To learn more and view upcoming events, click on REDgen's February newsletter.
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Under the guidance of our Scientist in Residence, Rachel Race, elementary students are utilizing their School Forest to learn through play, hands-on building, and observations to explore Wisconsin winters through PBIS Celebration activities. Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports or PBIS is a multi-tiered school-wide framework that establishes a social culture to improve social, emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes for all students.
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Students learned about why animals camouflage and predator/prey interactions and then played a game where they had to camouflage themselves in the woods!
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What animals live in Wisconsin during the winter? How do they build their homes? Working in small groups, students built a natural "critter" home from what they found around them.
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Students explored what birds live in Wisconsin. They made natural bird birders with pine cones and took a hike through the woods birding; leaving behind their bird feeders for the hungry birds.
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CSD Employment Opportunities
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We hope you consider joining our team!
For more information and to see all vacancies, including substitute teaching positions, please visit the employment page of our website.
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Speed Test Information Needed
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Cedarburg community members your assistance is needed to collect data on internet connection speeds across Wisconsin. This is entirely optional, if you are interested please read on for information on how you can be of assistance.
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The Wisconsin Department of Instruction (DPI) is asking for help gathering information about each home’s internet connection speed. DPI is collaborating with Measurement Lab (M-Lab) to collect data on internet connection speeds across Wisconsin. DPI will use M-Lab’s internet speed test data to create detailed reports and to provide maps of internet speeds across the state. These reports can help the Governor’s Task Force on Broadband Access and other broadband task groups target initiatives to improve internet speeds and performance. For more information on the Wisconsin DPI's broadband speed test please visit the WI DPI broadband test website which includes a FAQ section.
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Directions:
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Access the test at this link: Measurement Lab
- Agree to the Data Policy - this policy will help answer questions including what data is collected and how it is used, and more.
- Select Begin.
- Consider running the test at various times throughout the day for example: when multiple users are streaming, when no one else is using the internet, at different times during the day this will help to give the best data.
- You can take the test many times a day!
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CHS Distinguished Alumni Nominations
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The strengthening of a network of alumni accelerates opportunities to enhance the collective impact on our entire Cedarburg School District family. In recognizing an alumnus or alumna each year, we establish a tradition that honors CHS graduates who have gone on to distinguished careers and service in various fields making major contributions; achieving noteworthy accomplishments that separate themselves from others. The Cedarburg School District is proud to honor the graduates of CHS and is now open to accept nominations for the 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award. Note: Nominations submitted last year will still be considered this coming year and do not need to be resubmitted.
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Enjoying The Fun That Snow Brings!
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Early Release Day
February 5 (CHS 12:45PM, WMS 12:50PM & Elem. 1:45PM)
No School - Teacher Professional Dev't
February 19
CHS Quarter 3 Ends
March 5
Early Release Day
March 12 (CHS 12:45PM, WMS 12:50PM & Elem. 1:45PM)
Elementary and Middle Quarter 3 Ends
March 25
No School - Teacher Professional Dev't/Records Day
March 26
No School - Spring Break
March 29 - April 4
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Cedarburg School District
W68 N611 Evergreen Blvd.
Cedarburg, WI 53012
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