This week BSD welcomed new educators to Baraboo and held a new educator orientation, often called Camp Thunderbird. The schedule for the week was packed with a variety of activities and training. Some of the highlights included a welcome breakfast and a tour of our district and the greater Baraboo community to see all that it has to offer.  

BSD is committed to supporting our new educators and building a culture of belonging which is why five days are dedicated to team building, training, and learning as the District focuses work on building the Beloved Community. The support new educators receive will be ongoing, embedded in daily practice, based on best practices, and will provide them with ample opportunities for experimentation and reflection. 

Another critical component of the new educator program that occurs throughout the first year in the BSD is mentoring. A trained building mentor is assigned to mentor each new educator to help further connect them to their school community. 

Throughout the week the new educators focused the majority of their time on learning BSD’s curriculum components specific to their focus areas, so in turn the staff are confident in their ability to provide high-quality learning experiences this year that support every student, every day in every way.

School Perceptions Survey Results Released

Last fall and spring students, staff, and parents/guardians had the opportunity to participate in the School Perceptions Student Life Survey. School Perceptions is an independent education research firm with more than 20 years of experience in conducting surveys across all domains of education nationwide. The survey is designed to measure student, staff, and parent engagement at school. It will provide our district with answers to important questions, such as:

• What practices and policies help our students learn, and what barriers are in the way?
• Do students feel supported?
• What could be done to increase student involvement, both in and out of the classroom?

The survey results are designed to provide the education leaders with a snapshot of the survey results ranging from one to five. “It’s not uncommon for students, and not as uncommon for staff as well to decrease from the fall to spring” Dr. Rob DeMeuse from School Perceptions. In his presentation, Dr. DeMeuse informed the Baraboo School District Board of Education that scores decreased an average of three-tenths of a point. 

District staff will review and use this information throughout the school year to help inform work. A few areas of promise include: Student responses to 

• Student's sense of connection and active involvement in school-related activities is strong as indicated by the Connection Index score. 
• The Informed and Included Index scores increased from Fall 2022 to Spring 2023 as parents felt more informed about their child’s progress and what is happening at school and they felt more included, welcomed, and part of the school community. 

• The staff survey indicates some positive changes with our school’s student discipline practices and policies shown by a 24.5% increase in the score. We are headed in the right direction, and we need to provide staff support to continue this good work.

The next survey will occur in Spring of 2024. This will be the third sampling of the survey and will help our district to see where there may be trends and continued opportunities for improvement.

Summer Kid Stop Circus Adventure

Earlier this month Summer BSD Kid Stop students and staff had a field trip to Bello's Circus Extreme. They even got to take part in some of the show!

Tech Services & Buildings and Grounds Summer Collaboration

Summertime is a time of year when the BSD Tech Services and Buildings & Grounds departments kick things into warp speed to be sure all building technology is ready and leveraged to its fullest potential during the school year. Mr. Matt Pelland, Director of IT, said, “Every summer is big, but this one was huge for us.” This summer the team installed interactive educational LED panels in elementary buildings and swapped out outdated projector systems and SMART boards. They also rewired one wing in Baraboo High School to support an updated public announcement system and clocks which will provide better communication continuity and security throughout the building. The team has been working swiftly and diligently to ensure that all staff and students in BSD have the technology necessary to support their teaching and learning experiences.

4K Registration Reminder

The first day of 4K is just around the corner! Do you have your student registered for the 2023-24 school year? 

The Baraboo Early Learning Cooperative, more commonly known as BELC, is a 4-year-old Kindergarten program offered by BSD in partnership with various community childcare providers. Learn more and register your student today!

Link:https://www.baraboo.k12.wi.us/o/belc

Registration Update

Parents and guardians can log into the Parent Portal to complete the registration process for their student(s) for the 2023-24 school year. Click on “More” on the left and then “Online Registration” to get started. If you need help remembering your login information or assistance creating an account please contact the District Registrar at 608-355-3955 or email registrar@barabooschools.net. 

4K Baraboo Early Learning Cooperative (BELC) families please be sure to complete the 4K registration form. 

Before you begin, please gather the following information on hand to help make your registration process quick and easy:

Household information - address and phone numbers

Parent/Guardian information - work and cell phone number, email addresses

Student information - demographic and health/medication information

Emergency contact - phone numbers 

Know someone new to the community? Please encourage them to visit the District’s website to learn more about registering new students. Link: https://bit.ly/3Os6h4B.  

We look forward to seeing your student(s) next school year!

First Day of School Details

• To help reduce the anxiety that can often be experienced with attending the first day of school, the first day of school for the 2023-2024 School Year will be different for 6th-12th-grade students than in past years. 

Baraboo High School

• 9th-grade students and new 10th-12th-grade students to BHS report Friday, September 1, 2023. More information will be sent by Baraboo High School. 
• Returning 10th-12th grade students report Tuesday, September 5, 2023, and do not need to attend Friday, September 1, 2023. 

Jack Young Middle School

• 6th-grade students and new 7th and 8th-grade students to JYMS report Friday, September 1, 2023. Further details will be shared by Jack Young Middle School. 
• Returning 7th and 8th-grade students report Tuesday, September 5, 2023, and do not need to attend Friday, September 1, 2023. 
• 6th-grade orientation will take place Thursday, August 17, 2023, from 8-11:30 am at JYMS. Additional details and RSVP notes are available in the Thunderbird Thursday and on the JYMS calendar. 

All Elementary Buildings

• All kindergarten-5th grade students report Friday, September 1, 2023, for their first day of school.

Baraboo Early Learning Cooperative 4K and Early Childhood Program 

• All 4K and Early Childhood students report on Thursday, September 7, 2023, for their first day of school.

2023 Homecoming Celebrations

Homecoming is early compared to recent years and will take place the week of September 10, 2023. The week of school spirit and Thunderbird pride will include the following events:

Sunday, September 10, 2023

Powder Buff Volleyball 5:00 - BHS Gym 

Powder Puff Football 6:30 - BHS Flambeau Field 

Friday, September 15

Homecoming Parade 3:30 - Downtown Baraboo

Football game vs. La Crosse Logan 7:00 - BHS Flambeau Field

Please join us in the fun!