WEM E-Newsletter

May 28, 2021

At WEM we practice BUCS PRIDE.

We are a Respectful, Responsible learning community dedicated to a

Safe and Positive learning environment for all individuals.

Greetings!

It is the last week of school, and there is so much going on! We were thrilled to be able to hold a junior high dance this year on April 30 and prom on May 1. Seniors went on their class trip on May 5. The following day was a very successful kindergarten roundup. On May 19, there was a band and choir concert, the first one in a while. Earlier this week, our 4th-grade students toured the Morristown school, where they will be attending in the fall. Wednesday this week was Night of Excellence for awards and scholarships, and, of course, graduation is today.

We kick off this e-newsletter with a school board meeting summary from Chairperson, Gary Michael. Read on to see more of what's been happening and what's coming up. The lifting of COVID restrictions has allowed us to add more summer activities.

Do you have feedback or ideas for future e-newsletter content? I invite you to contact me. Please spread the word to others you think might like to be added by forwarding this email and/or directing them to the e-newsletter subscription sign-up page on WEM's website. Thank you, and have a fabulous summer, everyone!

Margo Kulseth, MLIS

Communications Coordinator

May School Board Meeting

On May 24, 2021, at 6:00 p.m., the school board met with everyone in attendance except Jon Velishek. We approved the agenda, the Regular Meeting minutes April 26, 2021, and the May Finance Report.

Travis Bowman had done his due diligence as treasurer and reported to the board on some of the significant payments made during the past month. I remember Travis saying, “I like going through the financial reports. It really gives me insight into everything the school is doing." He is absolutely correct. I was once treasurer, and I felt the exact same way.

There were no visitor comments, which is always disappointing. I would love the community members to tell us how we are doing. Obviously, we cannot get everything right, but I hope we are doing some good things. Give us some feedback! Are the building projects looking good? Is your child getting an education up to your standards? The board members are on the board because they care, and we would love to hear from the community, good or bad.

We approved monetary and non-monetary donations on the May Donation Report. Here is what we received for donations:

Partners in Education (PIE) donated $225 to the elementary.
Casey’s General Store donated $12.80 to the District. This is a funny amount, but it is something they have set up when patrons donate funds to Casey’s locally, it comes to the school.
Nu-Check-Prep donated $1,500 for the Nu-Check-Prep Scholarship.
Deborah Kuball donated $500 for the Bob Kuball Scholarship.

In addition, get this! Travis’ Trades Fund donated $12,155 to the Travis’ Trades Scholarship! What a wonderful community effort this is, and I am certain it will benefit several young men and women who want to pursue the trade work option instead of 4-year college degrees.

We heard the May K-12 Joint Principals’ Report by Bobbie Jo Bastian, Elementary Principal / Jennifer Wilson, 7-12 Principal and the Community Education & Activities Director Report by Jeff Boran, and the Superintendent report by Joel Whitehurst.

Some report highlights include Bill Dappen, former boss of Travis Van Houdt, donated materials and labor for a patio and bench. It is sitting right outside the high school entrance if you want to check it out. Very nicely done!

The WEM School District has been recognized as a PBIS Exemplary District. PBIS stands for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports! PBIS seeks to reduce or eliminate poor behavior school-wide through the encouragement of positive behaviors. We instilled this methodology called “BucsPride” into the district several years ago, and it is certainly making a difference. Thank you to the teams in both building sites for their hard work on PBIS / BucsPride!

Another good news item that I heard in the report was that we hope to have 50 or more new kindergarten students in the district next year. Couple that with a 2021 graduation class of around 46, and it means we just might increase enrollment next year!

The first music department concert was held since December 2019 on May 19. What a wonderful thing this was to finally hear high school music in person. The band and choir knocked it out of the park! Special thanks to Mrs. Kreinbring, Choir Director, and Mr. Larson, Band Director for their hard work.

Board Committee Reports: The Committee designated to work on the search for a new superintendent in anticipation of Mr. Whitehurst retiring met and reported to the board on the process. This committee is comprised of Gary Michael, June Rezac, and Jay Schneider. The board needs to decide what the position will look like moving forward, decide on hiring an organization to assist in the search, and review the position description prior to August.

We discussed the Update Regarding the Latest Governor's Order and its impact upon the District Including Graduation. Social distancing is encouraged at graduation, but masks are not required, and it is open to the public. We do not anticipate a packed gym.

We approved the Resolution Calling Special Election to Fill School Board Vacancy. We currently have one person that has filed. I encourage others to file. Please feel free to call me with any questions you may have if you are considering running in the special election.

We approved the 2021-22 calendar change: Grades 5 and 6 will have entrance conferences on September 7, 2021. September 8 will be the first day of school for these grades.

Regarding personnel, we approved letters of resignation, all effective at the end of the 2020-21 school year:

Joshua Cluever, Mathematics Teacher
Blake Boran, Physical Education and Health Teacher
Brooke Nattress, Physical Education/Health/DAPE
Grace Roeker, Paraprofessional

We approved the Communication Coordinator's Contract with an hourly rate increase to $21.35/hour (3.5% package increase) and the School Age Child Care Coordinator's 2020-2023 contract as follows:

2020-2021 3.45% increase - $15.00/hour

2021-2022 5.0% increase - $15.75/hour

2022-2023 4.50% increase - $16.46/hour

We approved the following hires:

Rebecca Lang, Speech Language Pathologist Assistant - BS/Step 6, $38,075
Sam Gavin, Social Studies Teacher - BS/Step 2, $33,744
Bridgette Reuvers-Slinger, Guidance Counselor - MS/Step 8, $46,950
Haley Schaaf, Physical Education/Health Teacher - BS/Step 2, $33, 744
Shanelle Froehle, Elementary Music Teacher - BS/Step 3, $34,291
Shawna Peterson Brown, 2021-22 School Psychologist. $475/Day, up to 44 Days
Elizabeth Kinsey Hawley, 2021-22 School Psychology Intern. $24.98/Hour, up to 15 Hours Per Week
Dan Lemcke, Summer Tech - $33.43/hour up to 25 hours/week (ESSR II Funds)
Tiffany Schmidtke, Preschool Paraprofessional - $13.28/hour

We approved the following non-tenured teacher contracts:

Kelsey Schiefelbein, BS/Step 3, $34,291
Kaitlin Vetsch, BS/Step 3, $34,291
Katherine Brown, BS/Step 3, $34,291
Austin Nagel, BS/Step 3, $34,291
Mary White, BS/Step 7, $39,524
Carrie Brown, BS/Step 5, $37,111

We approved the following Summer School Age Care workers:

Adult Supervisors, $11/hour - Susan Bliss, Vicki Gregor, Stephanie James, Isabel Weller, Akalie Molitor, Tori VanRyn
High School Student Workers, $8.50/hour - Tanna VanRyn

The meeting was adjourned.

Gary Michael, Chairperson

507-330-0500, sba.email@yahoo.com

Note: WEM School Board meetings can be viewed live via Zoom video conferencing, and the recordings for past meetings are available on the website. The agendas and accompanying documents are also available online.

View the May School Board meeting recording. There was no work session in May.

Upcoming Meetings:

June 10, 2021, 6:00 p.m. Work Session (Tentative)

June 28, 2021, 6:00 p.m. Regular Meeting

WEM Wins PBIS Exemplar School Award

As referenced in the board meeting summary, Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Public School has been recognized as a PBIS Exemplary District. Additionally, WEM Junior HIgh and Elementary schools were both recognized individually as PBIS Exemplar Schools. This is a huge achievement and a great source of "BucsPride!" A virtual ceremony will be held during the PBIS Summer Institute on June 17 from 10:35-11:25 a.m.

Learn more about PBIS Minnesota on their website.

Van Houdt Memorial / Band & Choir Concert

Thank you to Bill Dappen for donating the labor and materials for a patio and bench in front of the high school in memorial of Travis Van Houdt, a WEM senior who died in an automobile accident in December 2020. Thank you also to Mr. Cooley's Natural Resources class for helping with the memorial. The bench is in the shape of the letter "T" for Travis. What a beautiful and meaningful addition to our school grounds.

The 7th- through 12th-grade students were finally able to perform once again at the band and choir concert on May 19. This was an extra special event because it was the first concert since December 2019 due to the restrictions of COVID-19. Congratulations and thank you to Mrs. Kreinbring, Choir Director, and Mr. Larson, Band Director, and to all the participating musicians who shared their talents.

Emergency Broadband Benefit

The Federal Communications Commission has launched a temporary program to help families and households struggling to afford Internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Emergency Broadband Benefit provides a discount of up to $50 per month toward broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers.

Eligible households can enroll through a participating broadband provider or directly with the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) using a mail-in or online application.

You can learn more about the benefit, including eligibility and enrollment information, by visiting www.fcc.gov/broadbandbenefit, or by calling 833-511-0311.

6th-Grade Football Team Undefeated

Congratulations to our 6th-grade boys' football team for an undefeated season of 6 and 0! Thank you, Coach Chad Atherton and assistant coaches Lonnie Roemhildt and Griffin Atherton. This group of kids will be fun to watch in the years to come.

Volkman Electric, Guest Instructors

This week, Dave Volkman and Richie Rients from Volkman Electric graciously volunteered their time to teach a multitude of WEM students all about locating wire, running a trencher. and all that goes with it, fitting conduit in the trench, and setting up the service panel in a storage building. They both did a great job instructing and explaining their job to the students. We couldn't have had a better day for this learning experience.

Conference Champs

Congratulations to the Buccaneer Girls' Track team (above) for winning the Gopher Conference! Congratulations also to WEM senior, Toryn Richards, who tied the school record in High Jump on May 11 clearing 5 feet, 4 inches at the Bethlehem Academy Track and Field meet (Photo below from state tournament 2019)!

End-of-the School Year Dances

The junior high school students in Morristown held a dance on April 30. They also had outdoor games and activities.

The juniors and seniors had prom on May 1. Grand March was at the high school followed by a dance, food, and games at Chankaska Creek Ranch and then back to the gym in Waterville for the after-party.

Activities and Athletics

Registration is open for WEM Summer 2021 Volleyball Camps for incoming 3rd-12th grade students. Summer is fast approaching, and before we know it, August will be here, and we will be starting another volleyball season (August 16th, practice starts for 9th-12th grade and August 23rd for 7th-8th grade). For those players who would like an opportunity to work on their volleyball skills during the summer, we are providing camps to help you improve your individual and team skills.

The camps will take place June 28 to July 1, 2021 for grades 3-8 and July 19 to 22, 2021 for grades 9-12. The cost is $60 and can be paid through PaySchools online or by mailing a check to the Community Ed Office.

2021 T-Ball Registration is open to kids 5-8 years old as of August 1, 2021. It will be held in Waterville on the west softball field Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings in June. The fee is $35. This may be paid using the Payschools link or sent into the Community Ed Office.

Drivers' Education classroom sessions and behind-the-wheel training are scheduled to start again on June 3. There are only two spots left. Each student must complete six hours of driving. Please see Jeannie in the Community Ed Office to schedule. The Community Ed Office is temporarily located in the elementary lobby in the Conference Room. Dates for fall and 2022 are not scheduled yet.

Summer School-Age Child Care (SACC) begins Tuesday, June 1. Registration is open for before- and after-school child care during the 2021/2022 school year.

DNR Firearms Safety Certification via the Official MN Hunter Safety Course is required of anyone born after December 31, 1979 to purchase a hunting license in Minnesota and to participate in the High School Clay Target League. Students must complete the online course and register for the field day. Students must also attend in-person field days. From time to time, the Waterville area has field days, which we will try to advertise; however, sites may also be found on the MN DNR site.

Swimming lessons will be available for students Monday, July 12 through Friday, July 23 at 12:00 p.m. in Le Center. The cost is $50 if registered by May 31, or $55 after.

Elementary basketball camp dates are to be determined.

Many recreation activities are just getting started with more opportunities to be announced. We are looking forward to providing more community education opportunities as things open back up, and we are nearing completion of construction. To stay up-to-date on WEM activities, consult the Community Education page and Athletics page on our website.