November 23, 2021 | Vol. 46 Mequon-Thiensville School District Newsletter |
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Quarantine Requirement Update |
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Yesterday, MTSD shared a message with district families regarding recently, updated guidance from the Washington Ozaukee Public Health Department (WOPHD) indicating that quarantine is no longer required for students who are identified as a close contact to a positive case of COVID-19, as long as both students were wearing a face covering. With direction from the Board of Education via Board Policy 8450 (approved August 2021), we continue to consider the recommendations of public health experts in conjunction with our own internal data in our management of the pandemic.
The MTSD district health team will continue to conduct contact tracing when an individual participating in on-campus activities tests positive for COVID-19, and will send an email notification to those individuals who were determined to be a close contact. Additionally, a phone call will be placed to the parent/guardian of a child required to quarantine, per the MTSD COVID-19 Mitigation Levels.
We encourage families to continue practicing sound mitigation strategies, including the proper use of face coverings, consistent hand washing and respiratory etiquette, and using special care when gathering with others during the upcoming holiday season. Thank you for your continued partnership as we remain adaptive and responsive to changing health guidance.
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Please Note: Adjusted COVID-19 Testing Site Hours
MTSD’s COVID-19 testing location at Homestead High School will be closed Wednesday, November 24 - Friday, November 26, but will resume normal hours from 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. on Monday, November 29
Interested in receiving a COVID-19 vaccine or booster? Scroll further down the newsletter for information on area vaccine clinics.
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To our families at Donges Bay, Oriole Lane, Wilson, Lake Shore, Steffen, and Homestead: Please share your perspective with us by participating in our annual climate and culture survey. Results from this survey will help your child’s school and the district enhance the educational experience for all students and families while monitoring progress toward strategic plan goals. The survey covers these seven themes:
- Student Relationships
- Learning Environment
- Safety & Well-Being
- Physical Environments
- Contracted Services
- Family Engagement
- Overall District Quality
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The MTSD strategic plan, which is updated every three to five years, is a critical tool in guiding our school district’s mission, vision, and strategic direction, unifying efforts across our organization. The MTSD Board of Education launched a comprehensive strategic planning process in fall 2017 with an end goal to establish our 2018-2021 strategic plan. Following a comprehensive updating process, the 2021-2024 Strategic Plan was approved by the Board of Education and released in April 2021.
The 2021-2024 Strategic Plan affirms the school district’s focus to our mission, vision, guiding principles, and commitment to educational equity. Additionally, the plan includes revised strategic goals and correlating objectives which represent the observations and insights of stakeholders across our school community.
Annually, at a public Board meeting, the Superintendent presents a progress report on the current and expected performance of the District based on defined metrics in the strategic plan. Metrics include key performance indicators (KPIs) for each goal area and action items as outlined in the Strategic Plan Action Plan. Besides the annual update for the Board of Education, through the implementation of the action plan, numerous initiatives and updates are provided throughout the year in the form of school board reports, community updates, etc. For reporting purposes, the strategic plan action plan is organized by three trimesters:
- July 1 - October 31;
- November 1 - February 28; and
- March 1 - June 30.
Most notably, the District also provides an update on the progress of the strategic plan via its Annual Quality Report which is distributed to all community citizens each July.
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ESSER III Plan Discussion & Update |
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At a working meeting of the Board of Education on Monday, November 22, the District Director team presented MTSD’s ESSER III Funding Plan for discussion by the Board and district stakeholders. This plan is required of all K-12 districts that are receiving emergency relief funds to address the impact that COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on elementary and secondary schools across the nation.
A school district’s plan must include how it will maintain the health and safety of students, educators, and other school and LEA staff, and the extent to which it has adopted policies or practices and a description of any such policies or practices on each of the CDC's safety recommendations. Funds may be used to support our response to the COVID-19 pandemic and are intended to help sustain the safe operation of schools and address the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on our students.
Components of MTSD’s ESSER III Funding Plan are very closely aligned with the District’s 2021-2024 Strategic Plan, Academic Recovery Plan, and 2021-2022 Operating Plan with a focus on addressing unfinished learning.
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2020-2021 DPI Report Card Results |
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The Mequon-Thiensville School District Significantly Exceeds Expectations on the 2020-2021 District Report Cards issued in November 2021 by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI). Report cards for the 2019-2020 school year were not issued last year due to the statewide school closure in March 2020. The district's ranked score is the 6th highest score among 364 K-12 public school districts in the state. MTSD has significantly exceeded expectations all seven years the District Report Cards have been produced.
Changes to the Report Card Scoring System
As part of the state accountability system, the DPI produces report cards for every publicly funded school and district in Wisconsin. The current school report card is primarily based on last year’s performance during the 2020-21 school year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, DPI encourages caution when interpreting scores and ratings on the 2020-21 report cards. New in 2021, the following adjustments were made to the scoring system used in creating the report cards:
- Adjustment to the Overall Score Rating
- Achievement data is based on data from 2017-18, 2018-19, and 2020-21 school years
- Closing Gaps now referred to as Target Group Outcomes (focusing on a single target group of students, composed of students in the bottom 25% based on the prior year's test results, which were from the 2018-2019 school year)
- No deductions for not meeting dropout and absenteeism specific rates
Notable Highlights
- All MTSD schools’ Priority Area Score for Achievement was in the top 10% of schools in our state.
- Donges Bay was in the top 2.3 for achievement, 6% for growth, 2.6% for Target Group Outcomes, and top 4.2% for On-Track to Graduation
- Homestead High School was in the top 5.1% of schools for Growth
- The MTSD On-Track to Graduation score was in the top 3.7% of school districts in the state.
Great job MTSD!
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Inclement Weather Procedures |
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Winter weather will be here soon, so let’s get ready!
If it is decided that school should be closed, the school district will contact families and staff members via automated phone message, text message, and email. You may expect to receive a call, text, or email between 5-6 a.m. In addition, we will post the school closure information on our website and social media, and notify local television and radio stations as soon as a decision is reached.
To make sure your desired channels of communication (phone, text, email) are selected, parents/caregivers should check their Contact Preferences in Infinite Campus. During a school closure due to inclement weather, all email, text, or voice messages would be deployed as Emergency messages. Login to your Infinite Campus portal to select or deselect and save your desired forms of Emergency communication. More about Infinite Campus.
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The Mequon-Thiensville Board of Education held three hybrid meetings this month:
Monday, November 8 Working Meeting
- Review of 2022-2023 curriculum proposals at Homestead High School, which included Sports Performance Training - Physical Education/Health, Human Body Systems - Science and Engineering, and PLTW Aerospace Engineering - Engineering
Monday, November 15 Business Meeting
- Superintendent's Report, Referendum Project report, Pandemic Plan report
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Public comment was heard. Common themes included gratitude for MTSD Board and staff members, concern over lack of live performance opportunity for elementary/middle band, orchestra, and choir, importance of continuing COVID-19 mitigation efforts, the challenged materials review result at Homestead (re: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian).
- Approval of curriculum proposals reviewed at the Nov. 8 meeting
- Approval to adopt procedures for considering an appeal to the challenged materials result
- Approval of Board Member Akram Khan to represent the MTSD School Board as the Delegate at the WASB State Education Convention on Wednesday, January 19, 2022.
- Discussion items: Strategic Plan Update and ESSER III Funding Plan were tabled for a future meeting (Monday, November 22) in the interest of time.
Monday, November 22 Working Meeting.
- ESSER III Plan presented by District directors, followed by discussion and feedback on the plan.
- Strategic Plan Update provided by Dr. Joynt and Dr. Clark, followed by discussion on the update.
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Great news! All persons 5 years of age and older are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccination series. Please view the information for vaccine opportunities in the Mequon-Thiensville area. Click the image below to access a PDF with direct links. |
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Support for Students & Families |
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Connections within our school community extend far beyond the borders of Mequon and Thiensville. As we prepare to give thanks this week, let us also acknowledge those among us who may have recently experienced grief, loss, or tragedy. Please take note of the following resources that may be helpful when supporting children in understanding difficult or traumatic events:
School counselors and social emotional coaches remain available at all of our schools to assist those students who may need additional support, at any time.
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Like many organizations both locally and nationally, the Mequon-Thiensville School District and some of our contracted services providers are experiencing challenges related to staffing shortages. Please take a moment to review the employment opportunities below and spread the word about working at MTSD! |
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Become a Building Substitute for MTSD!
A building substitute will be assigned to work within a school building each day. Assignments may include providing assistance as a paraprofessional or traveling to another school building if there is no vacancy for a classroom teacher position on any given day. The daily rate for this position is $135.00 per full-day assignment.
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M-T Rec. Dept. Winter/Spring Booklet |
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The Winter/Spring Recreation Department book is now live on the Rec. Dept. website and will hit mailboxes in Mequon-Thiensville in just a couple of short weeks! Keep an eye out for great programming opportunities!
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NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break
Wednesday, November 25 - Monday, November 29
Board of Education - Working Meeting
Monday, December 6 - 7:00 p.m.
Range Line Conference Room
Board of Education - Regular Business Meeting
Monday, December 20 - 7:00 p.m.
Range Line Conference Room
NO SCHOOL - Winter Break
Thursday, December 23 - Friday, December 31
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Mequon-Thiensville School District | 262-238-8500 | 5000 W. Mequon Road, Mequon, WI www.mtsd.k12.wi.us |
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