District Office Newsletter

Dear Shorewood Community,

Throughout the month of February, the Shorewood School District (SSD) has proudly celebrated Black History Month. We recognize the rich histories and cultures across the African diaspora, celebrate the contributions and triumphs of Black Americans, confront the hard truths of our nation’s past, and commit to addressing the hidden biases, overt prejudices, and systemic racism that persist in present-day society.

When given the opportunity, Shorewood students model ways for us to promote togetherness and find a deeper sense of connection and belonging. Last week’s 8th annual Youth Rising Up Black History program exemplified this. Featuring performances from SHS students and staff as well as nationally renowned spoken word artists, messages of joy, strength, struggle, resilience, and hope energized the Barb Gensler Auditorium like never before. We appreciate all of the hard work in preparation for this event!

While Black History Month officially comes to a close at the end of February, we will continue working to cultivate empathy, respect, and a deeper understanding among staff and students of all races, ethnicities, religions, and backgrounds in SSD.

One of our priorities this year has been to increase opportunities for family and community engagement throughout the District. This spring, you will have the opportunity to provide us with meaningful feedback by responding to the annual School Perceptions survey. We have made some adjustments to streamline the survey. The data you share serves as feedback for our leadership team as well as accountability metrics for our school growth plans and Board of Education monitoring reports. Watch for more information about School Perceptions in future school newsletters. We appreciate your partnership and thank you for your ongoing support.

Sincerely,

Laurie

In January we completed our winter rounds of FastBridge screening in K-8th grade. The FastBridge Universal Screening Assessment is an evidence-based, valid, and reliable test that allows staff to identify students who are on track in the academic areas of reading and math, as well as students who may need supplemental instruction to allow for growth. You can learn more about FastBridge at the following link: FastBridge Parent Information. Families have access to FastBridge scores via their Parent Portal in Infinite Campus.

The Wisconsin Student Assessment System (WSAS) is a comprehensive statewide program designed to provide information about what students know in core academic areas aligned to standards. The WSAS includes the Forward Exam, Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM), PreACT, and ACT. More information about the WSAS can be found here. Students in grades 3-8 will be participating in the Forward Exam/DLM during the month of April. 9th and 10th grade students will take the PreACT on April 3rd and 4th. 11th grade students will take the ACT on March 12th. Each school will be sending out specific testing information to families in their School Bulletins. Families should encourage their student to take these assessments seriously and do their best. The results will be used to help staff make instructional decisions regarding curriculum and supports to best meet students’ needs.

In January, kindergarten-8th grade teachers met to establish priorities to consider in adopting a new K-8 English Language Arts curriculum for the 2024-25 school year aligned to our Vision for Reading. This work aligns to the recently passed Wisconsin Act 20 bill. The bill is designed to help improve reading and literacy outcomes for students and requires district to adopt materials aligned to research-based practices. We anticipate bringing a recommendation for curriculum adoption to the Board in early May and then plan ahead for professional learning and support for teachers in implementing the new curriculum. The Act 20 bill has a number of requirements related to curriculum, assessment, and interventions for students who are identified as having significant reading needs. Many of these systems are already in place in Shorewood, as we screen students for reading needs throughout the year, use a strong Phonics program in grades K-3, and provide intervention for students who are not making expected progress. We anticipate building on these systems as the state works with the Department of Public Instruction to provide guidance and support in meeting Act 20 requirements and will continue to update families with any major changes to our programming.

Inclusion can mean something different to every individual. Generally when we are talking about inclusion in our schools, we are referring to meaningful participation and engagement in the regular education classroom. Why is it important? Everyone deserves to feel like they belong and are included. This is true regardless of race, gender, ability, neurology or any other factor.

In Shorewood, we not only value inclusion, but celebrate diversity which is something that is unique to our school and community culture! Each of us brings a unique perspective and adds to the diversity of our environments. We are working in our school district to plan for how we can put practices and supports in place that are good for all learners rather than just looking at specific accommodations or supports that a student labeled with a disability might need in order to meaningfully participate across our school settings.

If you’d like to learn more about inclusion and how it benefits all learners, we invite you to participate in an upcoming Parents United event with a special guest, Dr. Shelley Moore. This is an evening event on March 12, held via Zoom, and is a great opportunity to hear from a dynamic speaker who specializes in how to include all individuals across not only our school environments, but our community. Register using this link. We hope to see you there!

February was a busy and bustling month in the district. We had the amazing Black History Program that allowed for students to showcase their talents, while also allowing our audience members to engage in a show that left everyone wanting more. This year, our Black History Program theme was, “An Introspective Moment with YRU: A Deeper Dive into OUR Community’s Mind,” which aimed to encourage active reflection on personal experiences within the community and beyond. The program also had an incredibly talented guest speaker, Kwabena Nixon, a renowned poet from the Chicago area. Kwabena, along with other renowned poets, participated in the program, met with staff and students, and engaged in a talk back session with audience members.

Join us as we work together with Habitat for Humanity, Shorewood Moving Forward. The District is hosting a Housing, Race, and Equity Workshop at the Shorewood Village Center on Tuesday, February 27 at 5:30 PM. The two hour interactive discussion will help give a better understanding of how history impacts our housing patterns in the village as well as the surrounding Milwaukee area.

In our school district we believe that diversity strengthens our community. As we continue to commit to our strategic priority of recruiting, developing, and retaining a diverse workforce, we focus on supporting our staff of color. During the first outing our staff went to The House of RAD, right in our own backyard! The staff participated in an art project with an anchor press. The sense of community and joy inspired the staff to continue to build lifelong friendships and relationships with one another, while also thinking of ways we can continue to connect with our learners.

As we continue our ongoing commitment to have “Courageous Conversations,” we are thinking about how our students can feel connected and have a better sense of belonging in our community. Our school leadership team continues to come up with tangible ways to create connection in our classrooms and beyond. The conversations will be engaging, impactful and lead to some really great ideas about what our next steps should look like. We will also continue to brainstorm different learning strategies around creating inclusive learning environments in our classrooms.

Back in January, we started a four-part School Budgets series that provides community members with information about key aspects of District budgeting: revenue sources, expenses, and the use of financial forecasting. Through this series, our goal was to foster a shared understanding of our financial resources and how they are employed in support of student growth. If you missed parts 1-3, you can find the presentations on the District website, under 2024-2025 Budget Development Process. If you can, please join us for Part 4: Connecting with the Community, on March 1st. The link to register is below.

Part 1: Revenue Streams; January 12, 8:30-9:30am

Part 2: Decoding Expenses; January 26, 8:30-9:30am

Part 3: Forecasting the Future; February 9, 8:30-9:30am

Part 4: Connecting with the Community; March 1, 8:30-9:30am

To RSVP (required) for one or more sessions, please click HERE. Location details will be provided one week prior to the event and based on projected attendance.

We've also added an evening event on March 18 at 6pm. This session will give the community a general overview of the budget development, financial information, and touch on enrollment and important upcoming dates to make note of.

Spring in the air = Seasonal Allergies

We do not provide allergy medications or eye drops to students. If you would like to bring medication for your student, please complete a medication form and bring the unexpired medication to the health office in the original container.

If you think your student has seasonal allergies, consider a daily over-the-counter allergy medication. Please avoid using Benadryl as this medication can make students very sleepy.

If you are unsure which medication to use, please talk to your child’s provider to see what is the safest option for your child. If you have any further questions please contact your school’s health office team.

Recently, there has been an increase in cases of pink eye. It is essential to know when to stay home if you or your child have red, itchy, watery eyes, discharge, and sensitivity to light. It is also essential to inform the health office if your child has been confirmed to have pink eye. By doing so, the health office can take necessary measures to prevent the spread of the infection and keep the school environment safe for everyone. Remember to always practice good hygiene, such as washing your hands frequently and avoiding touching your eyes, to prevent the spread of pink eye.

Please note: Students with significant secretions, students who cannot avoid touching their eye(s), or students whose education is impacted by the irritation/pain caused by pink eye will be sent home.

More information about all infectious diseases can be found here:

https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publications/p4/p44397.pdf

If your child has a life-threatening allergy and has been prescribed an epinephrine auto-injector (EpiPen, Auvi-Q), please ensure this medication is with your child at school. The school supplied epinephrine auto-injectors are limited to 2 auto-injectors for each school. This means that school supplied epinephrine auto-injectors cannot be sent out on all field trips, especially towards the end of the school year when many classes are going on trips each day.

Inhalers are not supplied by the school district. If your child has asthma, please be sure to send their inhalers to school, especially if your child will be going on a field trip (this includes walking field trips). If a child is experiencing asthma-like symptoms and the child’s inhaler is not with them, emergency services will be contacted immediately.

Shorewood Jr. Greyhounds, 5th grade team, had the opportunity to play a basketball game against The All Saints Crusaders at Fiserv Forum while the Bucks were out of town. Each game is roughly a half hour and the schools have to sell a minimum of 25 tickets to qualify to play. It's a great experience for the young team to play on the same court as the Milwaukee Bucks!

The SIS Math team did very well at their competition earlier this month. Four of the ten competing Shorewood students completed in Team Round and have qualified for state! The state MathCounts Competition will be held in Fond Du Lac in March. The students that will be representing Shorewood are Coleman Krouse, Robert Swenson, Sarvesh Vinod Kumar, and Kate Thiel. Congratulations to these students for their accomplishments and best of luck to you at state!

The Shorewood Drama Department put on a spectacular production of Pippin! The story follows the famed son of the infamous Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne. The musical had a modern circus twist equipped with aerial silks. Thank you to Adam Schaefer, the drama department and the student performers for all your hard work and talent. The show was a success with over 1300 people in attendance over the weekend.

At Atwater Elementary School, the students participated in the all school PTO sponsored fun run! The fun run is the school's fundraising effort to continue expanding their field trip fund! The PTO exceeded their goal, and raised $32,317! The event was hosted by a DJ company that came with lights and a tunnel for the kids to run through. The students and the adults had a great time! Thank you to all the families and adults who helped make this a successful event!

The kindergarten and third grade classes at Lake Bluff hosted all-school crew this month with the focus being on kindness! The students went through the ABC's of kindness and had some really great ideas: advocate for other people, eat pizza with someone, invite someone to a party, and raise money for a charity, just to name a few. They also read a book about kindness rocks and talked about how the rocks will be incorporated into Lake Bluff. Keep an eye out inside and around the school for rocks with kind messages on them. When you read the message on the rock, put it in a new place for a friend to read and find.

Attending a sporting event or after school activity? We want to see your photos! There is a lot that happens in the SSD community, and we enjoy using photos of our students in newsletters and communication. You can email your photos to mcampbell@shorewood.k12.wi.us

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8th Annual Black History Showcase

Annette Koerten talks about Mardi Gras Celebrations

Future Forecaster from Atwater Elementary

Shorewood Students Address Social Justice Issues

Please make note of these District wide dates. Please see your specific school for more specific information.

February

2/27: Habitat for Humanity-Housing, Race, Equity Workshop (5:30 pm to 7:30 pm)

2/27: School Board Meeting (8 pm)

2/28: SHS Blood Drive (8 am to 1 pm)

2/28: SHS Guide to College Application Process (6-7 pm)

March

3/1: Budget Engagement Series #4 (8:30-9:30 am)

3/1: SEED Urban Craftsman Party

3/6: ATW/LB 4K ONLY-No School

3/7-8: ATW/LB 4K-6 grade-No School

3/7: ATW/LB Conferences (12:30-8 pm)

3/7-9: SHS Drama presents Importance of Being Earnest; (March 7-8 at 7 pm and March 9 at 2 pm)

3/8: ATW/LB Conferences (8-11:30 am)

3/12: SHS ACT Testing (Juniors) SHS No School Grades 9, 10, 12

3/12: School Board Meeting (7 pm)

3/12: Parents United Event-Via Zoom (6-7:30 pm)

3/13: Band-O-Rama (7 pm)

3/14: SIS/SHS Choir Concert (7 pm)

3/18: Community Budget Information Session (6-7 pm)

3/19: District Orchestra Festival (7pm)

3/22: ATW/LB/SIS- Half Day; No PM 4K (12-3:25 pm)

3/25-29: NO SCHOOL-SPRING BREAK-ALL SCHOOLS