District Office Newsletter
New Year Edition
Dear Shorewood Families and Caregivers,
I hope that you and your family enjoyed a restful and fun summer break. As we head into the 2024-2025 school year, I want to extend my gratitude for your continued support and partnership with our schools. This newsletter provides some important updates and reminders for you.
Over the summer, we have been working on important projects that will be central to goals we have set for this year. We are excited to initiate a visioning and strategic planning process, preparing to launch our K-8 English Language arts curriculum, and taking steps to work with new data management tools that will help us implement Act 20 requirements. These are just a few of the initiatives you will be hearing more about as the school year gets underway.
Thanks to the generosity of our community and the efforts of the SEED Foundation, more than 9,000 new books for classroom libraries have been delivered, and work is ongoing in every building and on every campus to ensure we are ready for the first day of school. We are ready to welcome staff back to school on August 26, and have a full schedule of professional development, training, and team-building opportunities planned to support them as we begin, what I know will be, a year full of growth and accomplishment for students.
Principals will be in touch soon with additional information for you. Until then, if you have any questions or concerns about the start of school or a student need, please contact your child’s school. We can’t wait to see students on September 3!
Kind regards,
Laurie Burgos, Ph.D.
Superintendent
K-8 Language Arts Curriculum Update
We are looking forward to implementing a new K-8 English and Language Arts (ELA) curriculum, EL Education, for the 2024-25 school year. This comprehensive program will provide a consistent and enriching experience in reading, writing, speaking, and listening across our elementary schools and the Intermediate School. EL Education is a nationally recognized organization dedicated to partnering with K-12 educators to foster equitable outcomes and nurture lifelong learners. The curriculum is based on the latest research in the science of reading and development, ensuring that learners build strong foundational skills in the early grades and continue to develop their comprehension and writing abilities as they progress.
EL Education aligns with our district’s commitment to diversity and equity, offering inclusive opportunities for all learners. The new curriculum emphasizes student thinking, voice, and high-quality work. Learners will engage with grade-level texts and tasks designed to challenge and grow their abilities, participate in meaningful discussions, and develop ownership of their written work. The curriculum’s content-based literacy instruction helps learners become effective readers, writers, thinkers, and speakers. The SEED Foundation has provided support for purchasing materials ensuring that classrooms will be equipped with high-quality texts and resources.
Additionally, the EL Education curriculum aligns with Wisconsin’s Act 20 requirements, ensuring that every learner receives the support needed to develop strong reading skills. Act 20, which includes screening and progress monitoring of early literacy skills will require a collaborative approach between families and educators to support learners' literacy development. Professional development and support for teachers will be ongoing this year ensuring that we achieve equitable literacy outcomes for all learners.
As we approach the beginning of the school year we are taking steps to increase student safety, engagement and policy compliance. Based on feedback from staff, students, families and data collected, two areas of focus are around student use of Google Chat and access to YouTube.
Beginning this school year, Google Chat will be restricted for students in grades 7-8 bringing those grades into alignment with current restrictions for students in grades K-6. Additionally, we are updating our policy and procedures around access to YouTube for students in grades K-8. Beginning this school year, access to YouTube will be blocked for students in grades K-8 to conform with YouTube’s Terms of Service which only allows access for users over the age of 13. Moving forward we will apply the same policy to other websites that limit student access based on age as defined by the Terms of Service.
As a reminder, student use of technology in any grade level is subject to Shorewood’s Acceptable Use Policy. Teachers will discuss these changes with students as part of their Back to School presentations. The restrictions will be applied to any district-issued device and access will be limited both at school and at home.
When to Keep Your Child Home From School
As we gear up for the new school year, we want to remind you of the importance of keeping our children healthy and safe. As the school district nurse, I would like to remind you about the guidelines around when to keep your child home from school. It is crucial to keep children home if:
they have an illness that significantly impacts their ability to learn
a fever of 100.5 or higher
vomiting
have diarrhea
untreated live head lice
if they have confirmed communicable diseases that require exclusion from school
For more information, please refer to the DHS Communicable Disease chart and the Shorewood Head Lice Protocol
Immunization Requirements for School-Aged Students
There are new DHS Immunization Requirements for school-aged students. These requirements, updated to improve the overall health and safety of our students, educators, and staff, bring significant benefits. They align with the current nationwide vaccine recommendations and will go into effect immediately for school-age children at the start of the 2024-2025 school year.
Critical updates include requiring the meningococcal (MenACWY-containing) vaccine for 7th graders and requiring a booster dose for eligible students entering 12th grade.
Additionally, the parent report of chickenpox disease is no longer acceptable for exemption from the varicella (chickenpox) vaccine requirement. Children must now have a diagnosis of chickenpox from a qualified healthcare provider to be exempt from this requirement. It is important to note that the existing exemption options for medical, religious, or personal conviction reasons are still available, and seasonal flu vaccination or COVID-19 vaccination is not required, although they are strongly recommended. More information on flu and COVID clinics with the North Shore Health Department will be sent out in September.
It is essential to stay informed about these updates and ensure that your child is up to date with the required immunizations. Please refer to the full text and the School Immunization Requirements for more detailed information about the changes in the immunization requirements.
If your child takes medication at school, please carefully read and complete this form.
All vaccination records and medication forms can be sent to the Health Office Aid at your child's school. See contacts below.
Sherelle Hughes - Atwater Elementary
Tracy Yothsackda - Lake Bluff Elementary
Jeyshka Nuñez - Shorewood Intermediate
Cortney Erxleban - Shorewood High
We deeply appreciate your attention to these important matters, and we want to express our gratitude for your cooperation in keeping our school community healthy and safe. Your role as caregivers is integral to our collective efforts, and we thank you for your commitment.
Welcome Erin Cross, Director of Recreation and Community Services
Please join us in welcoming Ms. Erin Cross to the Shorewood School District as the new Director of Recreation and Community Services. Ms. Cross holds a Bachelor's degree in Recreation Management from UW-La Crosse and comes to Shorewood with more than two decades of experience in recreation programming and services. Erin brings a passion for customer service and ensuring every community member can see themselves in recreation programming an opportunities.
Shorewood School District Hires Johanna French as Interim Principal of Lake Bluff Elementary
The Shorewood School District is proud to announce Johanna French as the Interim Principal of Lake Bluff Elementary School. For the past 15 years, Johanna has had the privilege of teaching first and second grade at Lake Bluff Elementary and is honored to serve the Lake Bluff Community in her new role. During her time at Lake Bluff as a teacher, she has serve on various committees and leadership teams, building relationships with her colleagues. Johanna pursued a master's degree in Educational Leadership at Cardinal Stritch University, gaining the skills and understanding needed to collaborate with colleagues and families in order to work toward creating a more equitable educational environment in which all learners thrive. Johanna brings with her experience, enthusiasm and fresh perspectives for the community.
Lake Bluff Elementary School Hires Rebecca Benedict as New Dean of Students
Shorewood School District Hires Sarah Weidner as SIS Dean of Students
Sarah Weidner spent time as a special education teacher at Lake Bluff Elementary before getting hired into her new role as Shorewood Intermediate School's Dean of Students. Prior to her time at Lake Bluff, Sarah served as a special education teacher in the Franklin School District. She also worked as a police officer in Racine for 11 years. Sarah brings a wealth of knowledge and a diverse background to the team. She is passionate about fostering positive relationships with students, staff, and caregivers and looks forward to contributing to our community's growth and success.
The Shorewood School District is embarking on the creation of a new, five-year strategic plan. Throughout the process, we will:
- Investigate trends in K-12 and higher education and implications for our schools
- Evaluate our educational model
- Respond to ongoing challenges with state funding for public education
- Identify options for financial sustainability
The District's path forward must respond to a changing landscape in education, emerging student needs, and planning for funding sustainability. Our visioning and strategic planning process will offer several opportunities for all members of the Shorewood community to engage and provide valuable input and feedback. Your voice is needed to determine future directions for our students and community!
We invite you to join us in shaping the future of our schools by sharing your insights and values for our students. Your input is crucial as we envision what our school system should look like in the years ahead.
A successful visioning and strategic planning process will equip our district and community with a clear roadmap, outlining specific actions to achieve and surpass our goals for the success of our schools and the students, families, and community we serve.
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