Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The Port Washington-Saukville School Board met early Wednesday morning to decide on the partial lay-off of a German language teacher as enrollment in the program is down — but plans for more language opportunities are on the horizon.
Based on shifting student interests in the programs offered at local schools, the Port Washington-Saukville School Board approved a partial layoff of a German language teacher during an early morning meeting on Wednesday. "In balancing our budget and because of student enrollment, we are looking at a partial layoff," Superintendent Michael Weber said during the 5:15 a.m. special board meeting. "There will be no other layoffs in the district." The layoff will affect German Teacher Beth Brinkman, and her hours will drop to 60 percent of full-time employment. The approval allows for administrative staff to increase her employment to 72 percent if student enrollment levels change. "The changes of that layoff percentage going down is pretty …
Monday, May 13, 2013
The number of suspensions statewide have dropped consecutively for five years; find out what the low is now, and check out some local data.
A total of 47 students were suspended from Port Washington High School in the 2011-12 school year, a number that fits right in with statewide averages. The high school's suspensions equals 5.4 percent of the number of kids enrolled at the school; statewide, 5.21 percent of students were suspended at least once during the year. This is the lowest percentage since data was kept beginning in 1998-99, and the figure has dropped five consecutive years. The number dwindles with younger ages: 31 students were suspended at Thomas Jefferson Middle School, which is 4 percent of kids enrolled there. Though suspensions are less common at the elementary level — they do happen. Dunwiddie Elementary had a total of three students suspended. Lincoln …
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Patch's searchable database allows users to find the number of students suspended in 2011-12 at an individual school within districts in the Milwaukee area.
Schools across Wisconsin report statistics on suspensions and expulsions to the Department of Public Instruction, which in turn compiles them and publishes data by school and grade level. In 2011-12, 5.21 percent of students statewide were suspended at least once during the year. It’s the lowest percentage since data was kept beginning in 1998-99, and the figure has dropped five consecutive years. Patch’s searchable database includes suspensions by school and grade in 2011-12 for Cooperative Educational Service Agency (CESA) 1, which covers most of southeast Wisconsin, including Racine Unified School District.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Investigation finds that vast majority of students and faculty at University of Wisconsin campuses — including Milwaukee — are not signed up for program that provides public safety updates.
On March 5, University of Wisconsin-Madison junior Eric Cardinal was working the late shift at a Shell station near campus when he read a text alert from the university warning of a suspected shooter on the loose: “Police looking for Male/Black wearing red & black flannel shirt headed west out of University Houses.” Then Cardinal saw a man in his store duck, as a police car rolled through the parking lot. “That’s when I assumed he was one of the suspects they were looking for,” Cardinal said. In the wake of campus shootings the past five years, police throughout the nation are using text alerts to deliver warnings and advice to students in emergency situations. The concise messages from the Safety Awareness For Everyone system are …
The plan will give middle and high school students the technology in time for the 2013-14 school year.
When middle and high school students return to classes next fall, things will be operating a little bit differently. That's because of a recent decision by the Port Washington-Saukville School Board to purchase Chromebook laptops and Apple iPads for all students 5th through 12th grade, according to an Ozaukee Press article. Fifth- through 7th-graders will received iPads while 8th- through 12th-graders will receive Chromebooks. The technology plan will cost $1 million, and students will be able to take the products home with them — allowing for 24/7 learning, Superintendent Michael Weber said, according to the article. The addition will call for a roughly $50 increase in fees for students in those grades, though exactly how that will be …
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Controversies over the $648 million reserve fund and the $600,000 Palermo's Pizza deal are bedeviling University of Wisconsin leaders.
It’s hard not to feel a bit sorry for Rebecca Blank, incoming chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Sure, the acting U.S. commerce secretary, set to start in July, will make $500,000 a year — plus benefits and perks, including a university residence and car, money for travel and entertainment, and an unpaid academic appointment for her husband. But she’ll be stepping into a host of controversies, drawing flak from all directions. As one UW-Madison student quipped, “Blank is not starting off with a blank slate.” There’ll be ongoing fallout from some legislators’ volcanic eruptions over revelations that the UW System has a $648 million reserve fund. Though this is in line with other state systems, Wisconsin politicians are “…
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Patch's searchable database allows users to find scores by school, by grade or by district for 2010 through 2012.
More than 430,000 public school students took the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations in November 2012. Drops in reading and math scores took place throughout the state this year as Wisconsin raised the benchmark scores needed for students to reach the proficient or advanced performance levels. The new college and career readiness proficiency levels are based on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Use Patch’s searchable database to search scores for the last three years, and see how those higher standards impacted schools’ success.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
The Lakeshore Lacrosse club team's season is underway. Hear from two players and follow the team's season.
Common are the nights when parents might find themselves at basketball, soccer or football games — but when it comes to sports, local students aren't limited to such traditional options. Port Washington High School senior Dakota Kwasny is among the students who took his skills to a less common sport: Kwasny is a Lakeshore Lacrosse player, and said he believes the sport actually combines aspects of basketball, soccer and hockey. "It's a very northeast game — and it's just spreading across the country recently," he said. "It's kind of exploding across the country. It's gotten really big south —and it's starting to work its way west." The Lakeshore Lacrosse team is a part of a club sport and recruits players from the following high schools: …
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Port Washington Plan Commission members approved a design for a new entrance hoping to enhance security at Lincoln Elementary School despite a debate questioning whether laminate glass was sufficient.
A new entryway is planned for Lincoln Elementary School, but some city officials are questioning whether more serious steps needed to be taken as part of the design. The Port Washington Plan Commission approved the design concept that requires visitors to identify themselves to receptionists before being buzzed in to enter, according to the Ozaukee Press. The receptionist window would be made of laminate glass, but some commission members questioned whether bulletproof class would be better. Officials have been reviewing security procedures since tragedy shook an elementary school in the Newtown, CT, elementary school in December. As the first step in increasing security measures at the schools, officials added a buzzer that parents and …
Monday, April 29, 2013
Despite changes in benchmarks for Wisconsin statewide reading and math tests, Port Washington-Saukville students continue to perform significantly higher than the statewide norms.
Use Patch's interactive database to see the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations scores in Port Washington-Saukville and other area districts for the last three years. Students in the Port Washington-Saukville School District saw lower scores in statewide math and reading tests this year, but those changes are almost entirely due to tough new standards that kicked in this year. In Port Washington-Saukville, 48 percent of the students who took the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations (WKCE) in November 2012 scored at proficient or advanced in reading. That's compared to 91.3 percent who hit that mark in 2011. The 2012-13 results were released last week. In math, 57.3 percent of the Port Washington-Saukville students were …
MDS
2:00 pm on Saturday, May 18, 2013
I suppose all of the wars were free, or paid for by bake sales? more ›