April '25 Newsletter

POG COMPETENCY OF THE MONTH

Students demonstrate flexibility when presented with various situations and work effectively in a changing world.

Scott Reeves, Assistant Superintendent, Teaching & Learning

April’s Portrait of a Graduate Competency of Adaptability is certainly putting our skills to the test. With so many moving parts at the federal and state levels, and even here within our own district, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by all that’s going on rather than concentrating on the daily tasks at hand. I’d invite you all to take a deep breath, and focus on what you can control, which is the wonderful experience you provide children every day! Let them fuel and fill your hearts and spirits. The outside noise will take care of itself, and in the end, I always hold to the belief that we are Adaptable, and we’ll be okay.

I hope each of you were able to review the letter I sent you regarding the new laws that took effect on April 9. Policies and Guidelines have been adjusted to comply with the new laws, but they’ve not yet been updated on our website. For reference, here is the link to the legal update letter.

Effective Legislation Letter

We plan on enacting the required Parents Bill of Rights policy in June. We will prepare over the summer guidance information for staff on our process for complying with the statute.

For those of you who have heard the District’s Financial Presentation, the Ohio House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to approve their version of the budget bill, which is different in many places from what Governor DeWine submitted. We anticipate that at the end of the month the Senate will begin working on their version. We will keep you updated.

MTSS work continues across the PK-12 Learning environment! We are digging into Preschool data and talking about what communication strategies we should be using with all of our youngest learners. In Elementary, we are wrapping up our fourth cycle of intervention and preparing to dig into Social Emotional and Behavioral supports for year 2 of MTSS implementation. Our work in Secondary has wrapped up our Frameworks and are scheduling students, using criteria from the framework, into our Tier 2 Academic Success Period and Tier 3 Success Center Period available to students who qualify using this data set.

We are very excited to have MTSS Coaches at our Elementary and Secondary Buildings beginning in the 25-26 school year, to support this important work moving forward. It has been a lot of work identifying how to use existing resources to provide more support for students and teachers through MTSS. We have a lot more work to do, but we are so excited to see the alignment of PK-12 come together.

If you missed the March PK-12 MTSS Newsletter click here to check it out!

Nick McIlwain, Director of Alternative Education & Assessments

Thank you to all of the staff members that were adaptable this year and tried out the new readiness assessments to prepare our students for the upcoming OST’s. Best of luck to all of our students and staff as the testing season gets into full swing with the OST’s in April.

Tami Santa, Executive Director, Student Services

Jessie Martin, Director, Student Well-Being

Ja'Niece McAlpine, Director, Student Support and Success

Megan Orlowski, TOSA, Educational Equity

Rachel Pinto, District Nurse Coordinator

Clinics & Health Services

Field trips offer valuable learning experiences, but they also require careful planning to support student health. Please remember, nurses MUST receive field trip student rosters via email at least 3 weeks before school day trips and at least 4 weeks before overnight trips or trips with 50+ students to ensure student health needs are met. All field/district-sponsored trips require a WCS chaperone trained in administering medication. It’s important to work with your school nurse, review any chronic conditions in your roster - such as asthma, allergies, diabetes, or seizure disorders - and ensure that emergency medications and supplies (inhalers, EpiPens, glucose tabs, etc.) from the clinic are packed and easily accessible. Know which students may need support managing their condition and review their action plans, if needed. Build in time for breaks and check-ins, especially for those who may need to monitor their health during the day. With thoughtful preparation and adaptability, we can help make field trips safe, healthy, and enjoyable for everyone.

Student Well Being

Adaptability is a key social-emotional skill that helps students thrive in a world of constant change. By teaching and modeling adaptability, we empower students to face challenges with resilience, adjust to new situations, and develop a growth mindset.

Here are a few ways to support student SEL through adaptability:

• Normalize change by discussing it openly and positively in the classroom.
• Encourage flexible thinking through problem-solving activities and open-ended questions.
• Model adaptability by showing calm, thoughtful responses when plans shift or challenges arise.
• Celebrate small wins when students adjust well to new routines or unexpected situations.

Helping students grow their adaptability doesn’t just prepare them for today - it equips them for the future.

Student Support and Success

Widen Your Interpretation Aperture: According to Zaretta Hammond and Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain (2015),

“We all operate from a set of cultural frames of reference. The challenge is that if we routinely interpret other people’s actions solely through our personal cultural frames, we run the risk of misinterpreting their actions or intentions.”

When we reflect on our ability as educators to “adapt” we often solely focus on situational adaptation related to work tasks. Adaptability is a broad spectrum of demonstrating flexibility when presented with various situations that impact our students, including adapting our ways of interpreting information, addressing students, interacting with and making decisions which are all based on our foundational cultural assumptions rooted in our norms of reference.

Cheryl Relford, Executive Director of Elementary Schools

Kate Thoma, Director of Elementary Curriculum & Instruction

Elementary Schools

The end of the school year is such an exciting and nerve wracking time. We get to see all of our hard work come together while we prepare for the next school year at the same time. With all the things happening in the world, our students are counting on us to remain committed to the consistent environment we provide for them every day. Thank you for your continued effort and adaptability with all the end of the year assessments and activities.

Elementary Curriculum & Instruction

It’s here! K-2 teachers are currently implementing Module 0 lessons. Please share your feedback, questions, and ideas with your building coach or by emailing Kate Thoma, as you experience Wit and Wisdom with your students. Several teachers have asked about the materials Wit and Wisdom indicate are needed for instruction. Many of these items are found in surplus in our buildings. If at any point you need something to support your instruction with Wit and Wisdom, reach out to your coach! If the item(s) isn’t available, we will order it for you.

We’ve had very positive feedback to our second summer offering of Responsive Classroom training. If you’ve been placed on the waitlist, you will be notified by Friday, April 18th via email. We will continue to offer in house Responsive Classroom training opportunities at all of our WE Days in the 25-26 school year.

Kindergarten teachers! Just a reminder that our Kinder Spring DIBELs score serves as our Dyslexia Screener requirement. If a student scores “Well Below” they will get a Tier Two Screener. The student report and an accompanying letter from the district will be mailed to their home address in late May. A copy of the letter can be found here. Please reach out to Kate if you have any questions.

Anne Baldwin, Executive Director, Secondary Schools

Dr. Jennifer Knapp, Director, Secondary Curriculum & Instruction

Matt Misener, Director, Career and College Pathways

Becca Yanni, Coordinator, Related Arts and Extra Curricular Programs

Secondary Schools

As we begin to reflect on the past school year and plan forward to 25-26, it is evident that significant progress has been made in the development of our district’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework, including important framework development across our secondary team! This work represents a key step in strengthening our commitment to ensuring all students receive the academic, behavioral, and social-emotional support they need to thrive.

The Middle School and High School frameworks were designed to address the unique needs of students, with attention to flexible scheduling, progress monitoring, and specific interventions. The framework ensures that support is embedded in the daily experience of students, while also providing opportunities for targeted interventions. Additionally, these frameworks support the design of our building master schedules which continue to be a work in progress as we work together to understand all of the resources available and student needs that will need Academic Success and Success Center support. Check out the Middle and High School frameworks below:

• MS Framework
• HS Framework

Secondary Curriculum & Instruction

What is a secondary staff member’s role in supporting the MTSS Framework next year (2025–2026)?

Looking ahead to the 2025–2026 school year, secondary staff members will continue to have a vital role in implementing our MTSS framework within their classrooms and departments. Classroom instructors will continue to strengthen high-quality Tier 1 instruction, participate in data team meetings, identify students in need of additional support, and collaborate on intervention strategies. Check out this DRAFT reference guide for staff for additional details (which includes a section on MTSS mythbusters!).

To ensure success in implementation, ongoing training and support will be provided throughout the year. This professional learning will be tailored to meet the needs of teachers in all content areas, reinforcing best practices in Universal Design for Learning (UDL), data analysis, and interventions and progress monitoring.

As we move forward, your entire WCS support team remains committed to a collaborative and supportive implementation of our MTSS framework that empowers staff and improves outcomes for all students.

Career and College Pathways

Thank you to all of our educators and administrators who supported students with building, modifying, and updating their Ohio Graduation Plans. Course selection is a large part of this planning and the expertise you bring to our students helped them to select courses that are not only the right fit for them academically, but are also tied to their post-secondary goals. A large shout out to our awesome secondary school counseling team - together they met 1:1 with 4,476 students in grade 8 - 11 to review their plans.

FREE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES! Delaware Area Career Center will be offering 4 FREE Professional Learning & Development opportunities this summer for educators in our partner districts and DACC. These opportunities are to support the implementation of a more career-focused approach to education. Professional Development expenses will be covered as part of Career Awareness and Exploration Funds. This information can also be found on the DACC Professional Development webpage.

Related Arts and Extra Curricular Programs

CHECK OUT OUR YOUTH CAMP OPPORTUNITIES AT ALL OF OUR HIGH SCHOOLS!

Guerdie Glass, Executive Director, Specialized Learning Programs

Adam Flugge, Director, Special Education

Suzanne Kile, Director, Preschool Services

Jennifer Winters, Coordinator, Office of English Learners

Valarie Jasinski, Coordinator, Gifted Education

Elizabeth Jelkin, Civil Rights Coordinator

Adaptability is an important skill that involves gracefully navigating challenges and new situations. For students, this means being open to modifying their thinking, actions, and learning approaches when they encounter unexpected difficulties. For educators and staff, it entails being flexible in their teaching styles and approach to create an environment where students feel comfortable exploring new ideas and learning from their mistakes. It can be beneficial for teachers to incorporate real-world problem-solving skills to inspire students to think creatively and to encourage them to reflect on their responses to change. This approach can help students develop the ability to think quickly and adapt to various situations they may face. Additionally, providing students with coping skills and strategies for adapting to change can support them in managing their feelings and thinking more flexibly during transitions. It is also valuable for teachers to model adaptability by openly sharing their own experiences and discussing how they have navigated challenges. Celebrating the lessons learned from mistakes is essential in helping students appreciate the value of flexibility and embrace change.