District Source
February 2023 | SPAPSD Staff Update
In This Newsletter
- School Board Meeting Highlights
- 4K Enrollment Begins February 20
- District Art Show Celebrates Student Artists
- 96.7 Teacher of the Month - Luke Adsit
- Graduation Survey
- Nominate a Teacher for the Golden Apple Awards
- #PointProud Around the District
- Thank you School Counselors
- Money for Meals Cover $12,000 of Unpaid Balances
- Sixth Grade Students Pitch Innovative Soda Flavors to Local Business
- Closing the Gender Gap in AP Computer Science
- Learn More about Point of Discovery School
- SPASH College and Career Fair
- We're Hiring - Get a $100 Referral Bonus
- EAP Frontline | February Newsletter
Achieve Goals with the EAP's Help
- Read the Mirror - SPASH's Student Newspaper
🍎 School Board Meeting Highlight
The Stevens Point Area Public School District School Board held its Regular School Board Meeting on Monday, February 13, 2023.
Minutes from the January 9, 2023, Regular Meeting, schedule of monthly bills, and employment recommendations were approved as presented.
Business Services
The Budget Evaluation Decision Model process was shared with the board to outline an analytical approach involving data collection and sampling to create an effective multi-year budget evaluation process.
Educational Services
The Point of Discovery School (PoDS) contract was approved for a five year time period pending approval from the PoDS Governance Crew.
School Board members approved a recommendation for an aligned math track for the 2023-24 academic year as presented.
Following the resignation of two committee members, an updated list of Human Growth and Development Advisory Committee members was approved by the board.
General
The Board accepted the resignation of Mr. Michael Wade and adopted the following process and timeline to fill the vacant seat.
- 4/5/23 Applications made available to the public
- 4/19/23 Deadline for applications to be submitted to Bliss
- 4/24/23 Special Board meeting to conduct interviews and select candidate
- 4/24/23 Selected candidate takes oath and is seated at Special School Board Reorganization meeting
Mr. Wade also served as the Board Treasurer and Chair of the Business Services/Human Resources Committee. Board members appointed Jeff Ebel to serve in these positions until the Board Organization Meeting on April 24, 2023.
The Educational Services Committee is held the 1st Monday of the month at 6:00 p.m. with the Business Services/HR Committee to follow at 7:00 p.m.
The next regular meeting of the School Board will take place on March 13, 2023, 6:30 p.m.
🎨 District Art Show Celebrates Student Artists
Students, staff, families and community members attended Student Art Show/Open House at the Bliss Educational Services Center on January 26. The open house featured over 400 pieces of student artwork including drawings, paintings, sculpture, and mixed media by district art students grades K-12. “Seeing families celebrate the accomplishments of these student artists is truly special,” stated District Art Coordinator, Noach Calhoun. “Each year, we are impressed by the creativity, ingenuity and talent these artists display.”
The art will remain on display at the Bliss Educational Services Center, 1900 Polk Street, Stevens Point, through the end of March and can be viewed Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
🏆 96.7 Teacher of the Month
Congratulations to SPASH Choir Teacher Luke Adsit for winning the Hot 96.7/Team Schierl Company’s Teacher of the Month Award. Luke was nominated for this award by one of his students and was surprised during class with the award. Luke won a few prizes including a gift card and is also eligible to win the Hot 96.7 Teacher of the Year Award which will be awarded at the end of the school year.
🎓 Graduation Survey
One of the many traditions at SPASH has been hosting the Commencement Ceremony the Sunday of Memorial Weekend. As we continually evaluate events and programs to ensure they are meeting the needs of our students and community the question has been raised to move our graduation ceremonies to the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend. No changes would be made this year, however based on the feedback from staff, parents and the community, we may implement the change for 2024. Please share your feedback in the survey below!
👋 #PointProud Around the District
🍌 The WI School Breakfast Challenge is in full swing! Superintendent Hirsbrunner joined SPASH students this morning for a Valentine's Day breakfast.
📖 Mrs. Busse hosted community, staff, famous authors and law enforcement to share their love of reading for World Read Aloud Day.
🏆 We continue to receive photos from the 1972 SPASH female athletes who, after 50 years, finally received recognition for their achievements in the sports they played - and it will never get old.
🖌️Members of the freshly returned SPASH Panthers Key Club volunteered to help the Central Wisconsin Children's Museum (CWCM) with a fresh coat of paint in several of their exhibits!
🐯 Washington Elementary 2nd graders created and sent handmade Valentines for Veterans. Thank you, students, for showing your kindness and appreciation to our veterans!
🎺 Band musicians from Ben Franklin Junior High School, P.J. Jacobs Junior High School, and Point of Discovery School participated in the Wisconsin Valley Honors Band for an intense day of rehearsals followed by an outstanding evening performance.
🍎 Thank you to all our school counselors for the many ways you impact students!
🙌 'Money for Meals' Covers $12,000 of Unpaid Balances
The Stevens Point Area Public School District’s ‘Money for Meals’ program has been a success! The program, inspired by local residents on social media, received a total of $6,113 as of January 15, 2023. Donations from the Money for Meals program, combined with donations received before its creation, covered over $12,000 of unpaid student meal balances incurred during the fall semester.
A special thank you to all of you who donated, including Daniel Keck, Alice Lasinski, Marge Coker-Nelson, David Worth, Bernadette Stoltz, Shirley Christianson, Beverly Scott, Gale Kirby, Rosalie Simone, Susan Crotteau, Power of 5, Chris Ebert and Friends, Debra Lutz in memory of Sondra Hammon, Anne Burroughs, Jacalyn Cisewski, Cynthia Lutz, Clussmans & Goreski Families, Diane Petrovic-Rice, Midwest Chefs, Rachel Beard, John and Carol Gardner, Jason White, Joseph Roppe, Amanda Friese, Aaron Redman, John and Kathleen Weisbrod, Maria Pazdra, Chris Pelo, David Habeck, Jenna Hammen, Lindsey Fahrner, Theresa Dobbe, Jagadish Uriti, and those who chose to remain anonymous.
Spring semester and the second disbursement of donations received in the months ahead will go out in June. Individuals or organizations can support the "Money for Meals" campaign by making a donation through the District's website, www.PointSchools.net.
🤩 Sixth Grade Students Pitch Innovative Soda Flavors to Local Business
Working on their persuasive writing skills, 6th grade students at McKinley Center Elementary had the opportunity to pitch their own soda flavor ideas to the Stevens Point Brewery’s head soda maker in charge of development and innovation. The students worked in teams to come up with unique and creative flavor combinations, as part of the writing unit.
As Mrs. Schraufnagel, a 6th grade teacher at McKinley, was creating her lessons for her upcoming persuasive writing unit, she thought that maybe she could get the brewery involved in her plans. Her husband, Mr. Schraufnagel, head soda maker at the Stevens Point Brewery, became intrigued by this idea. He saw this as an opportunity to bring student’s ideas into the real world.
After students completed their projects, the essays were shared with the innovation team from the brewery. This team thought it was a great opportunity to see the sixth graders point of view of soda flavors. Their suggestions of flavors ranged from classic favorites like grape, to more unique options like strawberry fresas con crema soda. But, in the end, there could only be one winner. And the winning flavor, as chosen by the judges, was none other than "Jack Frost Blue Raspberry."
The team behind Jack Frost Blue Raspberry, Chloe Meadows and Olivia Yang, impressed the judges with their detailed creative flavor combination and conviction that the flavor would be successful in their demographic. The team had surveyed their classmates and found that blue raspberry was a popular flavor among their peers. They then paired it with the wintery name "Jack Frost" to appeal to a wide audience.
The Stevens Point Brewery was so impressed that they are working to develop a small batch of the flavor for the class to sample as a reward for their hard work and ingenuity. The students were thrilled to have their flavor chosen and all are excited to try the final product.
This experience was not only educational for the students, but it also showed the importance of thinking outside the box and taking risks. The 6th graders of McKinley Center Elementary have proven that age is just a number and that anyone can come up with the next big thing in the beverage industry and we are incredibly thankful to Mr. Schraufnagel and his team for supporting and encouraging their entrepreneurial spirit!
We can't wait to see what they come up with next.
👩💻 Closing the Gender Gap in AP Computer Science
SPASH AP Computer Science class was recognized as a finalist for the 2022 AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award. The class had an impressive 45% female-student ratio. The CollegeBoard stated, "We applaud the good work your school is doing to help close the gender gap in computer science." Shout out to Computer Science instructor, Kate Kaster, for her positive impact in narrowing the gender gap in CTE!
🦁 Learn More about Point of Discovery School
Point of Discovery School (PoDS) is a public charter school that serves about 140 students in grades 7-12 in the Stevens Point Area School District. While PoDS is in its 8th year, there is still a great deal of confusion about the school and its mission: Point of Discovery School is an innovative 7-12 grade public charter school designed to prepare students for a dynamic future through authentic academic experiences, character development, and community engagement.
Here are a few of the most frequently asked questions about PoDS:
How is PoDS different from other schools?
PoDS works to differentiate themselves through:
A focus on community and relationships. PoDS teachers and students know each other very well, and the small school environment creates a true community, almost family-like, feel.
An expanded definition of student achievement. In addition to a focus on rigorous academics, PoDS explicitly includes and teaches character development, post-secondary readiness skills, and high quality work as a part of everyday lessons.
Use of project-based learning. Students participate in semester-long, interdisciplinary learning expeditions that culminate in the creation of authentic projects that matter to and are shared with the community.
What is project-based learning?
Long-term projects drive the work of PoDS students. At PoDS, projects and lessons are:
Multi-dimensional in that they:
are academically rigorous
develop student character
emphasize high quality work
focus on skills necessary for post-secondary success
Authentic in that they:
take on formats from the real world rather than manufactured school formats
are connected to issues within the students’ communities
matter to an audience beyond the school walls
Relevant in that they:
relate closely to current issues and controversies
allow student voice and choice and draw on student interests
provide students with opportunities to both pursue their passions and try new things
Complex in that they:
require students to meet or exceed grade level standards
require a variety of levels of thinking, with an emphasis on high-level and critical thinking
emphasize student understanding of big picture ideas and themes
Collaborative in that they:
enable students to learn from one another
require students to share in the work and not divide the work
provide varying opportunities for student leadership
Is PoDS an alternative school?
No! PoDS is a regular public school whose student demographics mirror those of the other larger junior highs and SPASH. We have students from all educational backgrounds and abilities. Many of our students will attend four-year colleges, others are headed to technical schools, and others are headed to the military or straight to the workforce. In other words, our students are just like those at the bigger schools in the district!
How do PoDS students get elective credit?
There are some electives offered at PoDS, including music, art, Spanish, agriculture, and phy ed. Additionally, some of our core content teachers offer electives within their subject-area expertise (science, social studies, etc.). Some of our 10th-12th graders take electives at SPASH in the afternoon, while other create independent studies. Many of our 11th-12th graders take classes at Mid-State Technical College, as well.
What type of student does well at PoDS?
While students of all abilities have done well at PoDS, there seem to be two essential characteristics that lead to success:
A desire to learn in a project-based environment where the focus is on student work and creativity.
A willingness to work both independently (managing and completing projects) and collaboratively (giving feedback, participating in discussions, etc.).
Students who possess those characteristics will do incredibly well at PoDS!
To learn more about PoDS or schedule a tour, click here.
To read more about PoDS’ mission and vision, click here.
💸 We're Hiring - Get a $100 Referral Bonus
We're looking for great team members and you can help us find them. Earn a $100 referral bonus after your referral is hired by the District and has worked for 90 days.
How the Program Will Work:
1. The referred candidate applies online on WECAN (HR or Transportation personnel can assist an applicant with this)
2. The first question on WECAN is "How did you learn about this job?"
3. The referred candidate must put the name of the employee who referred them (one employee name only)
4. If the referred candidate is hired, the employee making the referral will receive a $100 bonus in their check after the referred candidate completes 90 days of service.
See a list of current certified and classified openings.
🎯 Achieve Goals with the EAP’s Help
Achieving goals naturally includes circumventing roadblocks and hurdles, but many are personal, like maintaining motivation, overcoming self-doubt, remaining unshaken by failures, staying on track, planning, time management, avoiding procrastination, and overpowering distractions. Your EAP is the perfect starting point for issues like these that hold you back. Give up the struggle and make contact. Worthwhile achievements rarely come easily, but with assessment, counseling, short-term problem-solving, or referral to the right resource you can claim the success you’re dreaming about. This article is shared from the EAP Frontline Employee Newsletter, see more here.
Check out SPASH's student newspaper, The Mirror. This month features poetry from SPASH students. You will be impressed!
Contact Us
Email: info@pointschools.net
Website: www.pointschools.net
Location: 1900 Polk Street, Stevens Point, WI, USA
Phone: 715-345-5456
Facebook: facebook.com/pointschools
Twitter: @pointschools