Planning for the registration of next year’s 4-Year-Old Kindergarten and Kindergarten classes has begun. Surveys sent home inquiring about eligible students for next year’s class was used to compile a list of eligible children.
4K Registration for both Northwestern Elementary School and Iron River Elementary School will be held on Wednesday, March 18, 2015 at Northwestern Elementary School from 5:00-7:00 p.m. in the cafeteria. Please call the Northwestern Elementary School if you will be unable to attend or if you did not receive any information in the mail.
Parents will be notified by mail concerning the details of Kindergarten Registration, which has been scheduled for the week of March 2, 2015 at Northwestern Elementary School and Iron River Elementary
School. Registration may be conducted at either building; however, the child will be enrolled at the school within the attendance area of the family home.
To attend 4K next year, a child must have a birth date of September 1, 2011, or earlier. Likewise, a child must have a birth date of September 1, 2010, or earlier to attend Kindergarten. A birth record must be presented in order to enroll. Wisconsin law requires proof of immunizations:
4-year-old Kindergarten
four immunizations against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (DTP) three immunizations against polio
three immunizations against Hepatitis B
one immunization against mumps, measles, and rubella (MMR)
one immunization against varicella (chicken pox) vaccine. (Unless the child has already had the disease. The date the child experienced the disease is required.)
5-year-old Kindergarten
four immunizations against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (DTP) four immunizations against polio
three immunizations against Hepatitis B
two immunization against mumps, measles, and rubella (MMR)
two immunizations against varicella (chicken pox) vaccine. (Unless the child has already had the disease. The date the child experienced the disease is required.)
Immunizations must be completed before the child can attend school. Immunization requirements can be waived for personal conviction, medical, or religious reasons.
An open house will take place for kindergarten and a screening for 4K classes will begin in the fall. At that time, im-munization records may be brought up to date.
To ensure your child is on the list or if you have any questions regarding requirements for kindergarten or 4K, call the office of the Elementary Supervisor at Northwestern Elementary School, 715-364-8465, ext. 1300.
2015-16 Kindergarten & 4K Registration
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S c h o o l D i s t r i c t o f M a p l eVolume 39, No. 3
March 2015
Timing of Bond Refinancing Nets a
$2.5 Million Savings to District Taxpayers
In 2007 the District sold $33 million of General Obligation Bonds (G.O. Bonds) after referendum approval for con-struction and renovation at Northwestern High School, Iron River Elementary School and Northwestern Middle School. Also included were a new Transportation Maintenance facility and a complete forcemain wastewater system and pipeline to the Village of Poplar’s wastewater facility.
Typically G.O. bonds are able to be refinanced one time at the midpoint of the amortization schedule also known as the “call date”, which for this issue (known as the 2007A Bonds) is April 2017. However in advance of the call date a refinancing can be accomplished through an “advanced refunding” where new bonds are sold through competitive bidding and the proceeds held in escrow to pay off the bondholders of the original sale at the call date. The District continues to make the payments under the pre-call date schedule until April 2017 and then begins paying on the new schedule for the remainder of the amortization period to the new bondholders. No extension of the original time to pay off the bonds is made.
ac-Because effective educators are directly linked to student achievement, every student deserves an effective classroom teacher and an effective principal leading their school.
The purpose of the Wisconsin Educator Effectiveness System is to improve student learning by supporting the continuous improvement of edu-cator practice through a performance-based evaluation.
The DPI Educator Effectiveness Team implements and improves the Wisconsin Educator Effectiveness System to ensure that educators re-ceive quality data to identify and inform individual areas of: 1) strength; 2) needed improvement; and 3) ongoing support for professional growth.
Beginning in 2014-15, Wisconsin created a new system for evaluating the performance of teachers and principals. The Wisconsin Educator Effectiveness System aims to provide students with highly qualified and effective educators who focus on student learning. The system drives continuous improvement in practices used by teachers and principals—improvement that begins during initial training and continues over the course of each educator’s career—resulting in elevated student learning.
Fair, Valid, Reliable
The Wisconsin Educator Effectiveness System couples performance (50% of the overall rating) with student outcomes (also 50% of the overall rating). The performance rating uses standards-based rubrics, which are based on the work of respected authorities at the national level (Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium, Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium). The student outcomes rating uses multiple measures, including performance on state or district assessments, improvement in scores over time, student or school outcomes, read-ing scores at the elementary and middle level, and graduation rates at the secondary level.
This combination of components provides a framework for evaluation which is fair, valid, and reliable across the state.
Child Developmental Screening
We welcome your participation in the School District of Maple’s Child Developmental Screening. Developmental screenings are used to look at overall development and will focus on the areas of self-help, communication, motor, social, and learning skills. It is intended to highlight a child’s strengths and/or weaknesses and identify children who may need further testing. Vision and hearing will also be screened.
Your child will be encouraged to participate in specific tasks and in play and parental/guardian input is a large part of the screening process, as well. It will take approximately 30 minutes for each child. Upon completion of the screening, children are invited to enjoy a snack and play. Numerous free handouts will be available for parents regarding child development.
The School District of Maple is required by law to screen all children. On-site screenings are encouraged as they facilitate child and parent participation and provide opportunities for immediate feedback, parent education, and a positive school experience for the child. If you know of any child within the ages of 2 ½ - 4 ½ (those NOT yet eligible for Kindergarten by September 1, 2015), please encourage their parent(s) and/or guardian(s) to call the school to set up a screening date and time.
The screening will take place for children living in the School District of Maple at Northwestern Elementary School on Wednesday, March 18, 2015 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (prior to 4K Registration) and on Thursday, March 26, 2015 from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. Please call Northwestern Elementary School at 715-364-8465, ext. 1304, in advance to schedule an appointment.
If you want your child screened and this date does not work for you, please call LuAnn Alsleben at 715-364-8465 ext. 1319. Feel free to call with any questions or concerns. We look forward to meeting with you and your preschool child.
Families of preschoolers in the School District of Maple have the opportunity to complete an application for the 2015-16 school year at the Brule Head Start Center, Family Forum, Inc. The Brule Head Start Center has two classrooms that are staffed by fully licensed and trained staff. The morning class consists of a mix of three and four-year- olds. The afternoon is a 4K site for the School District of Maple. Children between the ages of 3-4 as of September 1, 2015 participate in learning centers five days a week. Homemade nutritious meals and snacks are served family style to teach children table manners, how to set a table and how to clean up afterwards. Personal hygiene is taught by en-couraging hand washing before and after meals and bathroom breaks, and tooth brushing after each meal. Fully equipped buses provide transportation with five point safety seats for each child. Brule Head Start provides door-to-door transportation to and from a child's home or childcare setting.
Interested families should call the Brule Head Start at 715-372-8060 or Family Forum's main Office at 1-800-392-4473.
The Brule Head Start Center will be having a week of Open Houses April 13-17, 2015 from 9:00-3:00 each day. The community is invited to come and visit the Center.
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ACT High School Assessment Information
What are the Common Core State Standards?
Developed voluntarily and cooperatively by 48 states, two territories, and the District of Columbia, the Common Core State Standards offer schools, teachers, students and parents clear, understandable, and consistent standards in English language arts and mathematics. The CCSS defines the knowledge and skills students should take away from their K-12 schooling to be successfully prepared for postsecondary and career opportunities. More than 40 states have adopted the Common Core State Standards.
What are the ACT High School Assessments?
ACT®, Inc. has provided testing services for more than 50 years and their assessments have evolved over the years to reflect the nation's view of education to embrace lifelong learning and prepare students to be college and career ready after high school graduation. The Wiscon-sin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) is entering into a partnership with ACT®, Inc. to comprehensively assess WisconWiscon-sin high school students:
9th grade students took the ACT Aspire™ Early High School assessment in the Fall and will retake the ACT Aspire Early High School assessment this Spring.
10th grade students will take the ACT Aspire™ Early High School assessment this Spring.
11th grade students will take The ACT® Plus Writing and the ACT® WorkKeys® Assessment System this Spring.
The ACT Aspire™ Early High School - ACT Aspire assesses student readiness in English, mathematics, reading, science, and writing. The ACT® Plus Writing - The ACT Plus Writing consists of four multiple-choice tests:
English Mathematics Reading Science; and
a 30-minute essay test that measures student writing skills.
ACT® WorkKeys® - ACT WorkKeys is an applied skills assessment system, which consists of 3 tests: Applied Mathematics
Locating Information, and Reading for Information.
How are the test results used?
All students in grades 9-11 will be given these assessments except for approximately 1% of students with significant cognitive disabilities who will be tested with an alternate assessment. This system of assessments will allow teachers to measure a student’s growth throughout high school. DPI will also use The ACT® Plus Writing for the high school accountability measure in order to determine the extent to which schools and districts across the state meet proficiency standards.
What type of scores will be provided?
ACT Aspire™ Early High School scores are reported on a 3 digit scale. These scores will predict future ACT scores and WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate attainment.
ACT scores range from 1 to 36 for each of the subtests and one overall score called a test composite. In most situations scores earned on the ACT can be used by students for college enrollment, scholarships, and NCAA eligibility requirements. Many UW System colleges require ACT scores for college entrance.
By taking the WorkKeys assessment, students can earn National Career Readiness Certificates (NCRC) that are recognized nationally by businesses and industries. This certificate is used by some employers to make sure prospective employees have the skills necessary for the job they are applying for. Students will demonstrate their skills in the areas of Applied Mathematics, Locating Information, and Reading for Information.
Score reports will be available 4-6 weeks after each assessment is given. Where can I find sample or practice test questions?
Practice tests and sample test questions are available from ACT. Actual test items are not released.
ACT Aspire™ Early High School sample items available at: http://www.discoveractaspire.org/assess ments.html and http:// actaspire.avocet.pearson.com/act aspire/home#5055
The ACT® Plus Writing practice tests available at: http://www.actstudent.org/sampletest/
The 2014-15 building construction house in progress.
Building Construction House
ACT High School Assessment Information, Continued
What learning standards do the ACT High School Assessments measure?
ACT and DPI work together to ensure that the ACT assessments measure what students have learned through our Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Wisconsin students are taught with the rigor and complexity as required by the Common Core and will be well prepared to be successful with the ACT assessments.
Information courtesy of www.dpi.state.wi.us
Bus Drivers and Mechanics Honored
School District of Maple bus drivers, mechanics, and substitute, special needs and early childhood drivers were honored during “School Bus Driver/Mechanic Recognition Week.”
Breakfast was provided on February 11, 2015 at Twin Gables. They were recognized for their dedicated service to the School District of Maple throughout the year. The safe transportation of our students remains our number one priority. A big “thank you” to each of them! Students at Northwestern High School are hard at work again this year building a new house. The house features spray foam insula-tion along with solid six panel pine doors, solid maple cabinets, and upgraded LP Smartside siding.
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Governor Walker’s 2015-17 budget proposal has been released and contains provisions that will have long-lasting effects on the School Dis-trict of Maple. The DisDis-trict has been very fortunate to have a community that has supported the construction and maintenance of our educa-tional facilities and our school buildings are up-to-date and structurally sound. However, the possibility of cutting programs and services may become a reality.
Recent headlines from Madison indicate our legislature is focused on the topic of school accountability. The School District of Maple accepts the responsibility to closely examine our policies, procedures, and practices to ensure that we are being as efficient and productive as possible. The proposed Governor’s budget may also greatly limit our ability to attract and maintain the best available staff possible.
In his February 3, 2015 address, the Governor indicated that school revenues remained essentially flat, although his budget plan actually im-poses a $150 ($127 million statewide) cut in the per-pupil special categorical aid in the first year of the biennium. The proposal to cut $150 per student will reduce our revenue by $200,000.00. Additionally, the Governor’s proposal includes removing a 1,000-student cap on private school vouchers. These vouchers, as proposed, would be funded from public school dollars.
The Board of Education and Administration is reaching out to urge you, as a parent/guardian, and as a supporter of quality education to contact your local legislators to let them know how you feel about the impact of the proposed budget on the School District of Maple. We believe an increase of at least $200 per student (equates to a 2% increase) is both a reasonable and a responsible way to provide the best quality educa-tion to our students and the best return on investment for School District of Maple taxpayers.
Senator Janet Bewley Madison Office: Room 126 South State Capitol Madison, WI 53707
Telephone: (608) 266-3510 Email: [email protected] Voting Address:
60995 Pike River Road Mason, WI 54856
Badger Exam 3-8:
Wisconsin’s Smarter Balanced Assessment
The Badger Exam 3-8 is Wisconsin's Smarter Balanced Assessment. In 2010, Wisconsin elected to join the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, one of the two national consortia that were formed to help establish a series of “next generation assessments” to measure stu-dents’ career and college readiness.
The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium is a state-led consortium working to develop next-generation assessments that accurately measure student progress toward college- and career-readiness. Smarter Balanced is one of two multistate consortia awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Education in 2010 to develop an assessment system aligned to the College and Career Ready Standards by the 2014-15 school year.
The components of the Smarter Balanced Assessment include:
The summative assessment will be administered during the last 8 weeks of the school year (measuring students’ cumulative progress from the past school year). Smarter summative assessments are administered in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics for grades 3-8. The summative assessment will consist of two parts: a computer adaptive test, and performance tasks that will be taken on a computer but will not be computer-adaptive. The summative assessment will:
Accurately describe both student achievement and growth of student learning as part of program evaluation and school, district, and state accountability systems;
Provide valid, reliable, and fair measures of students’ progress toward, and attainment of, the knowledge and skills required to be college- and career-ready; and
Capitalize on the strengths of computer-adaptive testing—efficient and precise measurement across the full range of achieve-ment, and quick turnaround of results.
A secure, online reporting system that provides assessment results to students, parents, teachers, and administrators. The reports generated will show student achievement and progress toward mastery of the Common Core State Standards.
Governor’s Proposed 2015
-17 Budget
What Does It Mean for the School District of Maple?
Representative Beth Meyers Madison Office:
Room 409 North State Capitol P.O. Box 8953 Madison, WI 53708
Telephone: (608) 266-7690
Email: [email protected] Voting Address:
36505 Aiken Rd. Bayfield, WI 54814
Representative Nick Milroy Madison Office:
Room 126 North State Capitol P.O. Box 8953 Madison, WI 53708
Telephone: (608) 266-0640
Email: [email protected] Voting Address:
Applications For Free And
Reduced Meal Programs
The “Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program” is designed to assist qualifying families to ensure that their children receive a healthy meal at school to better enable them to learn. Funding of several federal programs is based upon the percentage of students who apply and qualify for the free and reduced programs to include: Title 1 (Supplemental Remedial Reading Program), School-to-Work and the Alcohol and Other Drug Awareness Programs.Applications are available throughout the school year at each school’s main office and at the district office, located at Northwest-ern High School. All students who qualify for free or reduced lunch are also entitled to free breakfast at their school.
All applications and information are kept strictly confidential.
Newsletter compiled and edited by Candi Stariha.
March 1, 2015 Application Deadline - Fall Youth Options
March 2 NHS Spring Concert, 7:30 p.m. – Patricia Luostari Theatre for the Performing Arts
March 9 Parent/Guardian Spring Athletic Meeting, 6:00 p.m. – Patricia Luostari Theatre for the Performing Arts March 9 No School – Elementary Conferences
March 10-13 No School – Spring Break
March 16 School Board Meeting, 5:00 p.m. – District Conference Room #2270
April 3 No School
April 6 First Day of 4th Quarter
April 7 Election Day
April 8 Blood Drive at NHS, 9:00 a.m.
April 13 School Board Meeting, 5:00 p.m. – District Conference Room #2270
April 20 Coffee House Concert, 7:30 p.m. – Patricia Luostari Theatre for the Performing Arts April 26 NHS Jazz Band Concert with Big Time Jazz Orchestra
May 1 Senior Honor Banquet
May 8 NMS Choir Pops Concert, 6:00 p.m. – Patricia Luostari Theatre for the Performing Arts NHS Choir Pops Concert, 7:30 p.m. – Patricia Luostari Theatre for the Performing Arts
May 9 Junior Prom – NHS Commons
May 11 School Board Meeting, 5:00 p.m. – District Conference Room #2270
May 15 NMS & NHS Band Pops Concert, 7:30 p.m. – Patricia Luostari Theatre for the Performing Arts May 22 Graduation, 8:00 p.m. – NHS Gymnasium
May 25 No School
June 5 Last Day of School for Students
June 9 School Board Meeting, 5:00 p.m. – District Conference Room #2270
Calendar of Events
Nominations for
Support Staff and
Teacher of the Year
Nominations are being accepted for the School District of Maple’s “Support Staff of the Year” and “Teacher of the Year” for 2015 from interested staff and community members.There are many fine employees who serve children as classroom teachers and in positions other than classroom teaching that are very important to the operation of an effective school district.
