School Highlights: Points of Pride:
District gathers feedback on proposed busing plan
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| Parents, community members and school staff provide feedback on Superintendent Brooks' proposed plan to end busing for desegregation. Photo by Susan Arensman |
Parents, community members and district staff attended the first three community meetings to hear Superintendent Winston Brooks’ proposed plan to end busing for desegregation. The meetings were to inform parents of the options available to them if the Board of Education approves the plan.
Those who attended the meetings also broke out into small groups to share feedback. Attendees shared what they liked about the proposed plan, their concerns about the proposed plan and ideas to make the plan better. The feedback provided at all the meetings will be summarized and presented to the Board of Education on January 28.
“I am pleased that so many people have shown up to share their opinion,” Superintendent Brooks said. “It reinforces to me and to the Board that people really do care about education.”
The remaining community meetings are all at 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday. January 15 – Wilbur Middle School, 340 N. Tyler
Tuesday, January 22 – Brooks Middle School - 3802 E. 27th North
Some of the highlights of the Superintendent’s proposal include:
· Busing for desegregation purposes will be discontinued effective with the 2008-09 school year.
· Commencing with the 2008-09 school year, all students will be allowed to attend their neighborhood school. This includes neighborhood magnet schools, but excludes pure magnet schools.
· Secondary students who reside in the original AAA area will be assigned to schools based on address until capacity issues have been addressed in the original AAA area. Secondary students who reside in the peripheral AAA area will be assigned to attend schools based on geographic boundary areas that will be established for that area.
· Students who were bused for desegregation in the 2007-08 school year will be given priority magnet placement for the 2008-09 year.
· Priority magnet placement will be given to students in the AAA area, subject to space availability, beginning in the 2009-10 year. This will continue until capacity issues have been addressed in the area.
· Gordon Parks Academy will be a neighborhood K-8 magnet school, and half of the seats in the school will be guaranteed to students in the designated neighborhood. Gordon Parks Academy neighborhood students still must apply through the magnet lottery process due to capacity concerns.
· Students bused for desegregation purposes, either forced or voluntary, will have the option to continue attending the school in which they were enrolled in 2007-08, as well as the feeder pattern for that school, through the duration of their education in the Wichita Public Schools.
More information on Superintendent Brooks’ proposed plan, parents’ options and other information can be found by clicking here.
The BOE will discuss the proposal again and welcome public comment during its January 14 and 28 meeting. The Board plans to vote on the final plan on January 28.
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BOE hears update to the Facility Master Plan
The Board of Education heard another update to the district’s Facilities Master Plan on January 7. Back in December, the Board instructed the Community Steering Team to come up with possible funding sources to address facility needs. The Board also wanted the committee to consider Superintendent Winston Brooks’ proposal to eliminate busing for desegregation as they look at the improvement needs.
Chief Operations Officer Martin Libhart and Kenton Cox of Schaefer, Johnson, Cox, Frey Architecture presented the Community Steering Team’s facility priorities. The report included possible improvements made to Mueller, Spaght and Isely if busing for desegregation is eliminated and more students return to their neighborhood schools. The report looked at other ways some of the needs could be funded, such as through capital funding or FEMA grants and the cost on a $100,000 home if the Board approved a bond issue. The updated report listed total needs as $468 to $532 million, but with other funding sources, the total cost of a possible bond range from $342 to $378 million. Click here to see the report.
“Our kids deserve this,” said Superintendent Winston Brooks. “If we could do this, we’d finally be getting to a point where we’d be caught up. It will be leveling the playing field for our students.”
The Steering Team identified their facility improvement priorities:
· Address overcrowding and population growth
· Improve athletic and physical education facilities
· Upgrade fine arts facilities
· Add space for programs like pre-kindergarten, special education and ESOL
· Provide FEMA shelters and improve safety around buildings, including bus loading zones and parking lots
· General building upgrades to bring all schools to the same standards
· Add classrooms to lower the district’s average class size to 18-20 students in elementary schools and 22 students in core classes in middle and high schools
· Provide separate cafeterias and multi-purpose rooms for elementary schools with 400 or more students
· Upgrade or expand libraries at 15-20 schools
· Replace inefficient single-pane windows
The Board will discuss the Facilities Master Plan and welcome public comment during its January 14 and 28 meetings. A project list for each school will be presented during the January 28 meeting. The Board will take final action during its February 11 meeting.
More information on the Facilities Master Plan update process can be found on the district’s website.
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Parents can attend Choices mini fairs
The Wichita Public Schools is holding three daytime mini fairs for parents who may not have the opportunity to attend the Choices Fair on February 26 at Century II. The mini fairs will be held at the following locations:
Friday, January 18 – 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., Midtown Community Resource Center, 1150 N. Broadway
Friday, January 25 – 10:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m., Little Early Childhood Center, 1613 Piatt
Monday, February 4 – 4 – 6 p.m., Boys and Girls Club, 2400 N. Opportunity Drive
The mini fairs allow parents to get information on the different magnet schools, alternative schools and special programs.
The 2008-2009 magnet school application forms are available on the district’s website, all school offices and the Magnet Admissions Office in the Alvin Morris Administrative Center, 201 N. Water. The application deadline for elementary and middle magnet schools is March 26. Application deadline for Northeast Magnet High School is February 28. School visitations for the magnet schools will be February 27 – 29.
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ParentLink coming to schools
Starting January 22 for elementary schools and February 4 for secondary schools, all Wichita schools will begin using ParentLink, a new service that allows schools to connect with parents and keep them informed. Parents will be reached through phone calls and by e-mail automatically. Parents will receive up-to-the-minute information, including attendance notification of unexcused absences, building-wide announcements and event reminders, and emergency announcements.
ParentLink is automatic, so parents don’t need to sign up for the service. The only requirement is for parents to keep their phone numbers and contact information up-to-date with the school office. ParentLink is driven by eSIS, the district’s student information database.
Parents with any questions, or who need to update their contact information, should contact their school office.
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Colvin and Jardine students receive free shoes
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| A Colvin student tightly holds onto the box containing his new shoes. Photo by Josh Bolen |
Every student at Colvin and Jardine received a brand-new pair of shoes from Boeing. Boeing employees, representatives from Communities in Schools and Payless Shoe Source handed out the shoes just before winter break.
The hallways at Colvin and the cafeteria at Jardine were filled with students trying on their new shoes to make sure they were the perfect fit. The students’ feet were measured and students picked out their own shoe style back in November.
“This is such a wonderful thing for our kids,” said Judy Rapp, Jardine principal. “Our partnership with Boeing is just terrific. Whenever we need anything, they are always here to help our students.”
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| A Jardine student holds up his new pair of shoes. Photo by Susan Arensman |
At Colvin, a student proudly said, “I’ve got army shoes.”
“They’re camouflage,” his best friend corrected.
Boeing has adopted Colvin and Jardine, and two schools outside the district, and provided support for the past couple of years.
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Zero Hero visits Seltzer Elementary
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| Zero Hero meets with Seltzer Elementary students every ten school days. Photo by Josh Bolen |
Every ten days, Seltzer Elementary gets a special treat. They get a visit from Zero Hero, a masked hero who shows them the importance of the number zero in math. Zero Hero is actually Keith Wilson, principal at Curtis Middle School. He does special activities and gives the students treats or trinkets that are shaped like a zero.
Zero Hero made his eighth visit on December 19. To mark the special day, the students made banners for him, sang him a song and gave him small, round bracelets.
Megan Bailey, a student at Seltzer, calls herself Zero Hero’s biggest fan.
“I love him very much,” she said.
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Woodland to celebrate 100 years on January 25
Woodland Health and Wellness Magnet will celebrate its 100th anniversary on January 25, 2008. The school plans to have an open house, chili feed and student entertainment beginning at 6 p.m. The school will also create a time capsule.
Woodland is also planning classroom activities that tie in to the 100 year celebration. The students will have lessons and play games from 100 years ago.
For more information or to donate memorabilia for the event, contact the school at 973-0100.
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Employee Health Fair begins January 19
The district's Health Fair has been scheduled for four Saturdays, two in January and two in February. Blood tests will be offered for free for benefited employees, spouses and retirees who participate in the district's self-funded health plan. Employees not on the health plan may participate for a $35 fee.
The Health Fair will include a blood draw which checks for HDL and LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose. Employees are asked not to eat anything after midnight the day before. There will also be body composition testing, wellness vendors and activities for children.
Employees who wish to attend the health fair will be assigned by their home zip code.