School Highlights: Points of Pride:
Parents and community provide input on budget
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| Parents, students and community members share what they value during the Board Night Out. Photo by Susan Arensman |
Around 1,000 people came to share their input on the district's budget process during Board Night Out meetings on March 1 at Southeast and West High Schools. Parents, students, employees and community members listened to Board of Education members explain the district's budget. The Wichita Public Schools is anticipating cutting at least $25 million dollars from next year’s budget, on top of the $25 million that was cut from its budget in 2009.
Attendees divided into several small groups to share what programs and services they value. The feedback from both meetings will be compiled and shared with the Board of Education during its March 8 meeting.
"I am glad that so many people came out to have their voices be heard," said Barb Fuller, Board of Education President.
"This process is not going to be easy. We value everything we offer, and everything we do is good for kids, but we're going to have to make some tough decisions," she said.
"People are very passionate about their schools. I'm glad that they came to provide us their input," said Superintendent John Allison. "With the cuts that we're going to have to make, everything is on the table. We can't cut nickels and dimes anymore."
Schools are currently gathering feedback from their site councils about what parents and other involved stakeholders value as far as programs and services the district offers. The schools are provided a list of key services and programs and parents are asked to select what they value the most. The purpose of the exercise is to gather input, not to develop a cut list. Click here to see the value-ranking lists for elementary, middle and high schools. A similar exercise is being posed to all non-attendance centers concerning the services they provide to the district.
Superintendent Allison is also going to form a Community Stakeholder Committee made up of teachers, district employees, central office staff and business and community members to gather feedback on the district budget, look at the value rankings and to share ideas.
The feedback from parents and the community will be used to help shape decisions as the BOE develops the 2010-2011 budget.
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Mueller students have out-of-this-world experience
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| Mueller students watch International Space Station astronauts Soichi Noguchi, Jeffrey Williams and Timothy Creamer on the screen of the Cyberdome Theater at Exploration Place. |
Students at Mueller Aerospace and Engineering Discovery Magnet had the opportunity to ask questions of three astronauts aboard the International Space Station on March 2. Mueller was one of six schools in the U.S. selected to interview the astronauts. Students asked astronauts Jeffrey Williams, Timothy Creamer and Soichi Noguchi questions about life in outer space through a special downlink at Exploration Place.
The students asked questions including: what was their favorite part about being an astronaut, what it was like to live in zero-gravity; how do they sleep; can they bring cans of soup in space; and if you do a back flip, is it considered exercise.
“It was fun hearing them answer my question about what it was like to go up in a rocket,” said Kaylon Goudeau, fifth-grade student at Mueller. “Also learning about how they go to the bathroom in space.”
“I learned that they can’t bring things like crackers on board because they make too many crumbs that go everywhere,” said Cayenne Stringos, third-grade student.
“Because of our magnet theme, many of our students are interested in aviation and space exploration. The downlink allowed our students a chance to watch and interact with astronauts while they are working. This
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| Jordan Berseth, fifth-grade student at Mueller, watches the astronauts respond to their questions. |
was a fabulous opportunity,” said Anne Clemens, principal at Mueller.
The students came up with 200 questions to ask the astronauts and had an online vote that allowed parents and community members to choose the questions. The 20 questions that received the most votes were asked by the students.
To prepare for the event, Mueller teachers worked with professors at Wichita State University to develop age-appropriate experiments, similar to the ones being performed on the space station. Wichita State University is a partner with Mueller and helps develop lessons that enhance the school’s aviation and engineering magnet focus.
After talking with the astronauts, the students spent time at different science booths run by Exploration Place, the Kansas Cosmosphere and by students in WSU’s College of Education.
Mueller is the second school in Wichita to talk to a crew aboard the International Space Station. Anderson Elementary was the first school to participate in January 2008.
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Rasmussen named Middleton, OH Superintendent
Greg Rasmussen, Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Schools, has been named Superintendent for Middleton City Schools in Middleton, Ohio. Rasmussen's last day in the Wichita Public Schools is March 9. Assistant Superintendent Alicia Thompson will directly supervise the elementary schools currently supervised by Rasmussen.
"While I am glad Greg has this opportunity to become Superintendent of Middleton, I am sorry to see him leave," said Superintendent John Allison. "He has been an asset to our district and has done great work to ensure the that the students in the Wichita Public Schools receive a high-quality education."
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Students participate in Read Across America
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| Students at Price-Harris performed a play based on the Dr. Seuss book, The Sneeches, for students in Airdie, Alberta, Canada. Photo by Susan Arensman |
Schools celebrated the joy of books and the birthday of children's author Dr. Seuss with Read Across America activities. Students enjoyed guest readers and other activities centered on books.
Students at Price-Harris, Spaght and Cessna Elementaries went beyond the borders by participating in Read Around the Planet. The students shared stories with classes in Texas, Michigan and Canada using video conferencing. The students read stories, performed plays and shared information about Kansas to their long-distance friends.
Read Across America is sponsored by the National Education Association.
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Caldwell students learn about good food choices
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| A Caldwell student matches a picture of food with its proper food group. Photo by Susan Arensman |
Students at Caldwell Elementary learned about the food pyramid and how to make healthy choices during a special assembly. The American Farm Bureau Woman's Committee presented "The Farmer Grows a Rainbow," to show where our food comes from and the wide variety of foods available.
During the assembly, students were given multiple pictures of different foods and had to go around the room to match the food with its proper food group. The students had fun running around the gym placing foods into paper bags. If a food was placed in the wrong food group, a student would volunteer to put it where it belonged.
"We want to make our students understand how important it is to start making good choices now," said Susan Oldfather, P.E. teacher at Caldwell. "We are taking strides to help our children change their lifestyles so they can have a longer and healthier life."
American Farm Bureau gave Oldfather teaching materials to use in her P.E. classes to reinforce the lessons of good nutrition and exercise throughout the school year.
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Excellence in Public Service nominations due March 10
If you know of a district employee who goes beyond the call of duty at work and in the community, nominate him or her for the Excellence in Public Service Award to give them a chance to win $2,500. The Wichita Public Schools, the City of Wichita and Sedgwick County participate in the award program. An employee from each sector may receive the award. The program, sponsored by the DeVore Foundation, is in its 22nd year.
The award recognizes those who demonstrate the following attributes:
• Exemplary performance that has contributed to the public interest
• Innovative problem solving skills that improved work situations
• Adherence to high ethical standards in carrying out their job responsibilities
• Community involvement through participation in civic organizations.
In addition to the $2,500 award, the employee will be recognized with a reception in his or her honor.
The nomination form is available online or in the Marketing and Communications office at 201 N. Water, Room 525. To receive a copy, call 973-4515. Nominations need to be delivered to the Marketing and Communications office by March 10. Forms can also be faxed to 973-4612 or e-mailed to SKLinder@usd259.net.
More information about the Excellence in Public Service Program, and a list of past recipients, is on the Marketing and Communications’ website.
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Employees can get help on prescription benefits
Any employee or dependent on the Wichita Public Schools' health plan, who has had any issues transferring their prescription benefits from Caremark to Medco, or any other health plan issues, are invited to attend one of two meetings. A representative from Coventry/Medco will be available to talk one on one to help resolve any issues or answer any questions.
The two meetings will be:
Monday, March 8 – 1 - 5 p.m., United Teachers of Wichita, 150 S. Ida.
Wednesday, March 10 – 7 a.m. - 12 p.m., School Service Center, 3850 N. Hydraulic
For more information, contact Risk Management by email or at 973-4581.
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Education EDGE mini-grants due March 23
Applications for the spring Education EDGE Classroom Mini-Grants are due at 4:45 p.m. on March 23. Teachers can be awarded up to $1,500 for a classroom mini-grant and teams can apply for up to $5,000. The Request for Application (RFA) package can be downloaded from the Grants & Development Services Portal site or from the district website.
Announcement of awards will be made in May for implementation in the 2010-11 school year.
For more information, or for assistance downloading the RFA, contact Grants & Development Services Office at 973-7945.
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East swim coach named Coach of the Year
Joe Hutchinson, swim coach for East High School, was named 6A Boys Swim Coach of the Year. The honor was given to him by fellow Kansas swim coaches as part of the festivities at the state championship swim meet.
Hutchinson has been the boys swim coach since the 1998-99 season and has 4 Greater Wichita Athletic League Championships, including one for the 2009-2010 season.
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Franklin students learn about health and safety
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| First grade student Robert Buchner tries on safety equipment with the help of Senior Airman William J. Pritchett. Photo courtesy Franklin |
Franklin Elementary students enjoyed fun activities during the school’s annual Health and Safety Fair. More than 22 different community health and safety agencies were represented. At each booth, students played games and picked up a variety of health and safety education materials. Students signed up for prize drawings including sports equipment, t-shirts and bicycle helmets.
Crash-test dummies Vince and Larry were there to teach students about the importance of wearing their seat belts. Sparky, the fire prevention dog, and Captain Dino, the germ-fighting dinosaur, were also on hand to share their safety messages.
Franklin’s fair was organized by Tracy Mayfield, school nurse, and Shelly Hoffman, P.E. teacher.
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