February 2025 District Newsletter

✨ Click the play button below to view a video message from Dr. Foeckler:

Greetings Families,

We are beyond the halfway point of the 2024-2025 school year, and I want to again thank you for your ongoing support of students, staff, and the district. Our school community has a tradition of providing encouragement through engaging in activities and events, staying informed, and reinforcing our commitment to provide an Exceptional Place to Learn, Work, and Engage. While maintaining that standard, we also aim to find creative solutions to meet the needs of students, staff, and the community.

We see our Middle School's commitment to continuous improvement in the area of social emotional learning as they focus on the values of Tradition and Innovation. By leveraging tools like Character Strong, the DESSA assessment, and small group instruction, our Middle School teams strive to meet students where they are and help encourage growth in the area of social emotional learning (SEL). I want to thank Mr. Dillner and Ms. Meyer at the Middle School for sharing innovative ways that students are supported in their social emotional learning throughout the school day.

As we move forward in the second half of the school year, we remain committed to fostering an environment where students feel supported, engaged, and empowered to grow. Your partnership is invaluable in ensuring that our schools continue to be places of learning, collaboration, and innovation. Thank you for being an integral part of our school community—we appreciate your continued involvement and dedication. Together, we will keep building on our strong traditions while embracing new opportunities to support our students' success.

Your Partner in Education,

Jamie

The District is conducting a long term facilities planning process. On September 18, 2024, the School Board approved a Facilities Charter, a document that will guide the facilities planning process. The Charter was created based on input from the Board, as well as the Facilities Subcommittee. Stay engaged and up to date throughout the process that could have a major impact on the future of the District!

The Facilities Advisory Committee, chaired by community members Nahid Afsari and Nicole Miskel, includes nearly twenty school community members, including family members, recreation participants, staff, and students, as well as board members, administrators, and outside consultants. The committee will learn about District needs related to facilities plan development with the goal of providing a recommended plan to the Board of Education.

Recent areas of learning for the group included:

• Building Safety & Security
• High School Current Conditions - Building Tour
• Learning Environments with a Focus on the Middle and High Schools
• Middle School Current Conditions - Building Tour

Interested in following the work of the committee? Reach out to any committee member to learn more!

When: 7:00pm on February 28, March 1, 7, and 8; and 2:00pm on March 2nd
Where: Whitefish Bay High School Auditorium
Tickets: $20 for Adults, $15 for Senior Citizens, & $10 for Students

Tickets Available at WFBHSTHEATER.COM

ABBA's hits tell the hilarious story of a young woman's search for her birth father. This sunny and funny tale unfolds on a Greek island paradise. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter's quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother's past back to the island they last visited 20 years ago.

The story-telling magic of ABBA's timeless songs propels this enchanting tale of love, laughter and friendship, creating an unforgettable show. A large cast, non-stop laughs and explosive dance numbers combine to make Mamma Mia! a guaranteed smash hit for any theater. A mother. A daughter. Three possible dads. And a trip down the aisle you'll never forget! Over 60 million people worldwide have fallen in love with the characters, the story and the music that make Mamma Mia! the ultimate feel-good show! Come join us for a night of live theater that will leave you dancing in the aisles!

The High School Report will take place on February 12, 2025.

Come hear about each one of our school’s continuous improvement efforts at each of the Annual School Reports. All School Reports will take place at the High School LMC at 7PM.

Each of our schools has developed and refined a school improvement plan aimed at ensuring an aligned and collective commitment around all students' learning and growing in a supportive and caring environment.

Safety in the Whitefish Bay School District is a priority. The District seeks to provide a safe and positive learning environment for all students and staff. Each school year we continue to assess and refine our safety protocols and practices across a number of domains to continue improvement in this area.

Students, parents, school staff, or community members can submit a school safety concern or threat via the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of School Safety (OSS) Speak Up, Speak Out (SUSO) Resource Center, a 24/7 threat reporting system. Speak Up, Speak Out allows students and community members to confidentially report tips on potential harm or criminal activities directed at school students, school employees, and schools.

Read more about Speak Up Speak Out.

The School District of Whitefish Bay is hiring a Long-Term Building Substitute Teacher at Whitefish Bay High School! This position will cover classes in regular education and special education in grades nine through twelve with responsibilities that include following provided lesson plans and managing supervision and attendance duties. The daily assignment may be as a substitute in a teacher role or a paraprofessional role.

The successful candidate should be flexible, student-centered, and interested in developing new skills and knowledge.

If you are interested in learning more about this amazing opportunity to serve the students, staff members, families, and community members of Whitefish Bay, please contact Amy Levek, Principal at Whitefish Bay High School, at (414) 963-3873 or amy.levek@wfbschools.com. Ready to apply? Click here to submit your application!

The School Board and School District invite you to attend School Board Meetings. Board meetings begin at 7PM in the High School Library Media Center, unless noted otherwise.

• February 12 -- Regular Business Meeting with the High School Report
• February 26 -- Committee Meetings

Subject to change. Please view BoardDocs for up to date meeting notices and agendas.

On January 8th, the Richards School Team of Mr. Chad Nelson, Ms. Katie Petersen, Dr. Sam Purdy, Ms. Grace Looker, along with students Petra, Alek, Clayton, Christian, and Maya presented the Richards School Report. Highlights included school goals related to academics and SEL with a focus on executive functioning, professional learning, and school celebrations.

Thank you, Richards Team!

Curious about what is discussed at School Board Meetings? Linked below, you'll find key takeaways from the most recent School Board Meetings. Additional information can be found in BoardDocs.

• January 8 Board Meeting Takeaways
• January 29 Board Meeting Takeaways

Classroom buddies at Cumberland worked together create snowmen drawings and share some favorite books. See more photos.

Judges, athletes, advocates, and more filled the Great Hall at Richards for the annual 4th grade Wax Museum! Students presented biographies of historical figures, in character! See more photos.

Four students represented Whitefish Bay Middle School at the WCDA All-State Choirs event, accompanied by Ms. Hammond. Members of the All-State Choirs get the opportunity to work with some of the nation’s finest conductors, and their experience culminates in a public performance. Congratulations on a spectacular performance! See more photos.

As part of the Computer Concepts course at the High School, students participated in the Microsoft Office Specialist Industry Certification program.

The program is designed by Microsoft to assess their software skills, and is meant for people who are professionals in the industry. Participants are challenged through project based assessments in programs at two levels: Associate and Expert.

Both Mr. Stone and Ms. Jansen guided students as they trained for the Microsoft Excel program. Fifty-nine students received Associate level certificates and thirty-five students received expert level certification. Congratulations! See more photos.

Activities Newsletters are shared throughout the school year on the High School's website. Check back frequently to stay up to date with athletics and activities! Read More.

Do you have good news to share with the school district? We would love to hear from you.

Email: districtnews@wfbschools.com
Website: https://www.wfbschools.com/
Location: 1200 East Fairmount Avenue
Phone: 414-963-3921
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WFBSchools/