Committee Work Update: Previously posted in the HERD

I want to take a moment to let each of you know what a pleasure it has been to join the Elkhorn Area School District team. The start of the school year has flown by, and I feel we are off to a great start. The positive nature of the staff and willingness to explore future possibilities, try new things, and refine current practice has been outstanding. We live in a time in education when many forces are converging…. Whether it be political, society, or self imposed, it is a lot to do. I know that we will be able to accomplish all that is at hand, we have the right staff, with the right attitude to accomplish all that is and will be required of us.

As I walked through several of the buildings last week I had the opportunity to catch people while working in their Response To Intervention (RTI) groups. Wow! I walked away very impressed with what was going on. Whether it was in larger groups, small groups, or in some cases one on one, students were engaged in meaningful, rigorous, personalized activities, and their learning was being checked for understanding. I witnessed numerous textbook examples of how RTI should be delivered. These efforts will have a tremendous impact on our students achievement and skill development! Keep up the great work!

As you know we have several committees representing the district and beginning to work on the top identified needs of the district. Below is a very brief update of each committee’s efforts to this point.

1 to 1: This committee is working on developing a plan to implement a 1 to 1 computing program for our students. The group began to identify what would need to occur in order to have a successful program and implementation. I believe this initiative can have a significant impact on student learning and personalizing our education for each of our students. The following are some short video clips that were shared with the group to help develop a common understanding: 21st Century Learner, Why one to One?, What can it look like?, What can it look like part 2 The following is an article that we also read with the purpose of identifying what must be done in order to have a successful program. Findings from one to one studies

Virtual School: This committee began exploration into what are possibilities of a EASD virtual school or program. Over 30 of our students that are open enrolled out are enrolled in virtual schools at a loss of just over $200,000 in revenue a year. Many of these enrolled in the past two years. The following video is approximately 20 minutes, but gives great insight into the potential power of tapping into virtual learning, and shows that we can get access at no cost in some cases. What we are Learning From Online Education Our next steps are to meet with a virtual school expert in order to gather recommendations.

STEM Committee: This committee also met and began exploring additional opportunities related to STEM education. The committee members will attended a STEM conference in Milwaukee this past Tuesday and are beginning to gather additional ideas and potential resources.

Facilities Committee: Met this past week and began to identify a potential timeline to follow in order to address facility needs related to space, usage, and safety. The potential target date for a referendum could be the general election next fall, November, 4th 2014. This is is very much a preliminary discussion and no decisions have been made.

Bullying and Harassment Committee: The committee held its initial meeting and has begun to explore the best manner in which to establish a uniform district approach in addressing bullying and harassment.

when there is a correct answer Exercise in creative thinking

Teamwork, 21st Century Prep, and Game Based Learning at its Best!

I am very pround of the great work Mr. Hartley and his students are doing in their 7/8 computer class. The current project has exposed them to excellent collaborative learning opportunities, 21st century preperation and development of skills, as well as maintaining a very high level of student engagement thanks to the use of Game Based Learning.

Be sure to take a moment to visit their blog, website, twitter feed, and instagram to learn more!

Wheatland Minecraft Inc.: What's The Whole Overview Of What We're Doing?: MinecraftEDU-Wheatland Center School Some people may be confused because they really don't have any idea of what we're doing. We...

Job Change Announcement to the Wheatland Community

January 15, 2013

Dear Wheatland Community:

At this time, it is with mixed emotions, that I must inform you that I am resigning my position as superintendent of the Wheatland J1 School District effective June 30^th 2013. I have accepted an offer to serve as superintendent of the Elkhorn School District starting July 1^st 2013.

I want to thank students, parents, community members, staff and the school board, for all of the support and friendship you have provided my family and me. From the moment, we moved to Wheatland we felt welcomed and appreciated. During the past three years, the friendships that have been made and the work that has been accomplished has made my time in Wheatland a highlight in my life that I will not forget. This work has been the result of all stakeholders coming together for a unified purpose. I know that this will continue and Wheatland will continue to be a leader at the state and national level in K-8 education and the development of our countries future innovators.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my tenure as an employee of Wheatland School District, and I look forward to continuing our efforts during the next few months. The school board will assure that the transition to the next school leader is smooth and seamless and I have offered to assist in anyway. I have also agreed to serve as a consultant/adviser to the district in the future if needed. I leave Wheatland with nothing but positive feelings and experiences and I look forward to maintaining my relationship with the district in a different capacity.

Sincerely,

Jason Tadlock

Our Visit With Sandy Jacoby and Education Matters

I love talk radio and always had a secret fantasy of someday being a talk radio host. So I found the experience quite enjoyable and an honor to be asked to join Mrs. Jacoby to discuss the great work going on at Wheatland.

Below is copy of a press release regarding our recent discussion with Sandy Jacoby, host of Education Matters WGTD 91.1 FM.

Press Release:

Wheatland School District Superintendent, Jason Tadlock, and Principal, Patti Clements recently sat down with Sandy Jacoby, one of the hosts of Education Matters, a Saturday morning talk show on WGTD 91.1 FM dedicated to topics related to education in Wisconsin. Ms. Jacoby had approached the Wheatland administrators and asked them to share the story of Wheatland’s recent transformation into one of the leading K-8 STEM education schools in the state, a leader in technology integration, and their focused approach on maximizing growth for every student and providing unique cutting edge educational opportunities for ALL students. Mrs. Clements stated, “I really enjoyed having the opportunity to share the stories of Wheatland and the great work the staff has done over the past few years. I am so proud of all the work our teachers have done and for the excellent support we get from our community.” Mr. Tadlock added, “I wish we had more time. So many people have done so many wonderful things to better the district. It was impossible to get it all in and I don’t want anyone to feel slighted.” Mr. Tadlock continued to say, “We failed to share that by investing in the right areas, the students and the staff, we can provide a high quality education to our students, which has had the positive return of putting the district’s finances back in order.” The program will air Saturday morning January, 19^th at 10:30 AM on 91.1 FM WGTD. If you miss the aired program, the program will be archived on WGTD’s Education Matters web page http://www.wgtd.org/Education_Matters.asp. 

Dear Parents and Guardians,

It is with a heavy heart that I prepare this communication. As all of you are probably already aware, last Friday our country suffered a terrible tragedy when a gunman entered Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut and took the lives of 26 people. As a parent of young children myself, and as a school administrator I have found this incident to be very upsetting as many of you have as well. My heart and I am sure yours as well goes out to the families and communities impacted by this event.

I have received several emails from parents with questions that one would expect after such an incident: How would my school handle such an incident? What will the school do to assure my student’s safety? Will there be a specific communication or message from the school? What do I say to my child? I hope this communication provides answers to those questions, useful information, and to the best of my ability reassurance.

First and foremost, I want everyone to keep in mind that schools are statistically the safest location for your child/student to be. Be sure to reassure your student(s) of this if the topic of school safety arises. While it is highly unlikely that we will ever be in the same situation as Sandy Hook Elementary school, we still prepare for the improbable because we recognize that it is possible. We have in place specific protocols and procedures for school shootings, threatening incidents nearby, and threatening people inside the building. They are designed to strike the balance between providing a safe environment, while maintaining a welcoming, healthy environment.

We regularly revisit our response protocols and from time to time make changes as necessary. For example, two years ago we added the automated communication system. We primarily use it for communicating semi-regular school notices, but the driving force for its implementation was to communicate to all parents in the case of emergency or school cancelations. We purposefully selected a web based application so that communication could be pushed out to parents from any location. In the case of an emergency, be sure to keep your phone/email nearby as we will use that to communicate updates, important information, and specific directions if needed. If you have not been receiving the automated phone calls or emails, please contact Carolyn Spangler in the school office 262-537-2216 EXT 3903 and she can update your profile.  

Following this most recent incident, I plan to consult with local law enforcement and seek their input as to whether or not we need to revise our current response plan. We have all seen a noted change in the method used by the Colorado shooter and now the Connecticut shooter. I would like their input as to whether or not our current plan of action is still their recommendation. I am sure this will be reviewed at the state and national level as well.  As a parent and an administrator I want to assure you that we have the best procedures in place as recommended by law enforcement and state agencies and I will strive to assure that we continue to have them in place.

Three years ago I attended a special FBI sponsored training on school shootings. What I took away from the training was that the only way you can prevent something like this from happening is to have open communication with stakeholders and stop the event before it takes place. In almost every incident there have been signs and “chatter” before it took place. If you or child ever hears anything, sees a facebook posting, a note, an email, or anything that would cause concern. Don’t sit on it. Refer it to authorities or to us at the school and we will refer it to the proper channel. We will communicate this message to all students in an age appropriate manner.

In regards to communicating with children, the school will follow the recommendations outlined by the National Association of School Psychologists. I linked a copy of the document to this post so thatyou can read it as well. Please be sure to review it as there are recommendations for what parents can do as well. In short, we as adults should model calmness and control; Reassure the children that they are safe; Remind them that trustworthy people are in charge; Let them know it is ok to feel upset; Observe their emotional state (behaviors as well as words); Keep your explanations developmentally appropriate.

I wish you all well and it is my hope and prayer that we never have to deal with such an event. I want all of you to know that the staff at Wheatland loves and cares for your children very much, and we will do everything we can to protect your children as if they are our own. Thank you for taking the time to read this message and I wish you all a very happy holidays. You will soon have extra time to spend with your children. Be sure to hold them close and let them know how much you care for them.

Sincerely,

Jason Tadlock

District Administrator

 

Wheatland Students to be Showcased at State Convention

I am very pleased to announce that Wheatland Jt 1 School District has been selected by the Project Lead the Way State Leadership Team to represent Gateway to Technology STEM education on Wednesday Januarary 23, 2013 (from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm) at the 92nd Annual State Education Convention. Wheatland is among just six other districts that were chosen from a field of nominations to be highlighted at this event. Four to five students along with their teacher Mrs. Zirbell will be display one of their current or past projects at the event.