In about a month the 2022-23 school year will begin, and in the next few weeks many high school activities will begin to resume, signifying the end of summer recess is soon to be upon us. While every summer is busy with many activities, it’s always exciting to begin a new school year!
A reminder to all recipients of this newsletter, our annual all-school registration is scheduled to take place on Thursday, August 11, 2022, and will take place at Wisconsin Dells High School from 12pm to 6pm. The registration format will be very similar to years past, and you can expect more details via our social media channels as well as via email and phone messages for parents & caregivers. We look forward to seeing you on the 11th!
As the upcoming school year approaches, there are a few items that I wish to draw to your attention in advance of the school year. One of those is regular daily attendance. Certainly, the past two school years have presented a variety of pandemic-related challenges, but overall the District was extremely steadfast in keeping in-person learning moving forward. During this time, it has further reinforced those students who have exhibited regular attendance as well as being fully engaged in learning have demonstrated continued academic growth versus those who have demonstrated poor attendance patterns. Regular attendance is expected and will be a point of emphasis for the building principals. Specifically, last year roughly 20% of our student population missed more than 20% of the school year. In many cases, the students who exhibited more than 20% absenteeism struggled academically to gain ground as their peers who did demonstrate good attendance patterns, and as such the emphasis of not attending on a regular basis but to be fully engaged when in attendance. The overall goal for each school building is to exhibit better daily attendance. For your background information, the state average hovers around a 93% daily attendance rate. To meet this goal, a student needs to exhibit 12 or fewer absences on the school year. The final item I will mention in this section of the newsletter is Lake Delton Elementary Principal, Mr. Armijo, has provided an article on the benefits of good attendance patterns. ...READ MORE
State assessment results timeline
By Brian Grove
Director of Curriculum & Instruction
As we look forward to the 2022-23 school year, please read on for an update on 2021-22 state assessment results. We appreciated the support of parents and caregivers during the state assessment season last spring! The School District of Wisconsin Dells utilizes student assessment results ...READ MORE
Why is school attendance important?
By Felipe Armijo, LDES Principal
Every missed day of school is a lost opportunity for a student to learn. Teacher effectiveness is one of the strongest indicators of student success. Yet if a student has chronic absences, that reduces the best teacher’s ability to teach and for a student to learn....READ MORE
School meal changes are coming in the 2022-2023 school year
By Greg Heller, Food Service Director
The following information is provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Along with some FAQs concerning the upcoming School Year.
Many families will see changes in school meals this fall. School nutrition professionals have worked tirelessly to get healthy food to children during COVID-19, and they will keep working hard to serve ...READ MORE
WD High School updates
By Allison Hoch, WDHS Principal
Administration Changes
I’m honored and excited to start the 2022-23 school year as the WDHS high school principal. I have worked in the district since 2007, with the last 11 years as the associate principal at WDHS. I’m proud of our district’s commitment and concentration on student success and staff ...READ MORE
Learning knows no bounds
Special education in plain language
By Dawn Sine, Director of Pupil Services
For a parent/parents of children with special needs, navigating the educational system and the special education services can be overwhelming at times. One of our goals within the Special Education Department here at the School District of Wisconsin Dells is to help a parent/parents ...READ MORE
WDMS & WDHS Standards-Based Learning: Parent FAQ
Better communication leads to greater student achievement
By Casey Whitehurst, WDMS Principal
Report cards are, by definition, tools used to communicate student performance. The point and percentage systems of traditional report cards are familiar to many of us. It is what we are comfortable with. But simple points struggle to reflect the complex thinking and learning that happens in...READ MORE
Happy Kids Network
Supporting Children and Families of the School District of Wisconsin Dells
The Happy Kids Network (HKN) is a non-profit organization that supports the children and families of the SDWD. Originally the Families-in-Transition Support Network, the organization began in 2011 and continues to evolve to meet the ever-changing needs of our community. ...READ MORE
Student Privacy and Parental Access to Information; Confidentiality of Personally Identifiable Information Obtained Through Child Find Activities; Parent & Family Member Engagement in Title I Programs; Title I Parents' Right to Know; Student Assessment; Wellness; Asbestos Management Plan.
