Superintendent Update
It's a Great Day in the School District of Beloit
November 7, 2021
Message from our Superintendent Dr. Dan Keyser
Dear School District of Beloit Families,
As you now know, we made the difficult decision to close our school buildings and to keep our students and staff home last Friday. I understand how frustrating it must have been for you to receive the message at 5:30 am of our school buildings being closed. I am sorry for the disruption this has caused you and your family.
I am writing to provide some additional information that, due to security concerns, I was not able to share last week.
Last week, our local police, working with other authorities, became aware of a planned event by a group whose past behavior, actions, and language could have created an unsafe situation for our students and staff. The safety and well-being of our students and staff are our first and most important priority. Therefore, with input, collaboration, and by the recommendation of the City of Beloit Police Department, we made the decision to close our schools for the day. I appreciated your cooperation and understanding especially during this difficult time.
In a recent Beloit Daily News article, they published comments made by Beloit City Manager Lori Curtis Luther and me. My comments included, “I am asking that everyone unify and come together so that we can focus on what is truly important; the education and well-being of our children in our community. I want to thank the City of Beloit and the City of Beloit Police Department for their continued support of our District.”
Our City Manager Lori Curtis Luther shared these comments, “There is no place in Beloit for hate groups. Fear tactics and racially charged hate speech are not reflective of who we are as Beloiters. I support the joint decision to exercise an abundance of caution and close schools to ensure the safety and well-being of students and staff.”
As we open our schools on Monday, we will do so assuring you that our students and staff are safe. Our staff is looking forward to welcoming all our students back into our school buildings on Monday. Our Principals, leadership teams, teachers, and staff are committed to ensuring our students have a safe, caring, and engaging learning environment every day. We will work toward getting back to our joy.
I will conclude by repeating something that I have shared many times over the last several weeks. The School District of Beloit has zero-tolerance for hate speech, violence, or threats made against our staff and District. As we continue cooperating with the City of Beloit Police Department as they investigate threats made against our staff and District, we stand together as a District and community against all forms of hate and racism.
If you have any follow-up questions, please reach out to your child’s or teen’s school.
Honoring Our Veterans
The School District of Beloit is grateful to the men and women in our District who have served our country. We are grateful for their service and bravery, and the sacrifices they have made. We celebrate them with appreciation and thankfulness.
Thank you Ronal Bartow, Anthony Bosco, Ashley Burroughs, Sam Carter, Carie Champany-Johns, Belinda Davies, Jim Driscoll, Monte K. Eldert, Adam Ferger, Bill Greymont, Kerry Kline, James Krajeck, Teresa LaMar, Mary McNulty, Carl Newton Jr., Angie Ray, Barry Upshaw, Kurt Wald, and Glenn Wilfong.
Get to Know Our Amazing Staff 🌟
Each Newsletter I will highlight a few of our amazing staff members. This week, meet Eric Weier and Kelley Grorud.
Meet Eric Weier - Director of Special Education and Student Services
With our District for a little more than a year, Eric shared that he loves the people he works with in Pupil Services and across the District. He finds that everyone is collaborative and are working together for our students. He enjoys the fact that he “gets to help build systems and programs that support the diverse learning needs of our students and community.” Eric continued that he “gets the privilege of facilitating the inclusion of all learners within our districts' learning environments, as well as protecting the rights of individuals while promoting healthy educational systems that have an emphasis on inclusion.”
Creating a positive and culturally responsive learning environment for students is very important to Eric, “I get to support dedicated educators in adapting learning environments to help create a school climate and culture that is enhanced by the involvement of all students, particularly those with exceptional learning needs.”
Meet Kelley Grorud - Director of Instructional Leadership and STEAM
Kelley has been with the District for just over two years. She appreciates that her job allows her to get to know staff and students from every school across the District, “I love that I get to work with a diverse and talented group of educators and support staff, and that I have the opportunity to create, learn, and practice new things almost every day.”
Kelley notes that the collaboration among the Teaching Learning and Equity team, teachers, coaches, and administrators within the school buildings, allow for a positive learning experience for our students. “We work really hard to continue to evolve and update curricula and other academic programming so that it is rigorous and relevant for students. We study how students are learning and look for ways to continuously improve our practices. We want all of our students to find something that excites them and inspires them to become lifelong learners.”
Additionally, Kelley shared that the District continues to work hard to find the best resources and use grants to support student learning, “we are beginning to update our websites so that families can learn more about district curriculum and instruction, and how they can continue to support learning at home. I am so blessed to have become a part of the Beloit community, and feel proud of the work we are doing.”
In The News 📰 📻 📺
We appreciate the reporting by state and national news media who continue to share the good things happening in our District.
Please check out our News Tab to read and listen to the most recent interviews that took place this past week, including Robin Stuht's interview with Spectrum News 1, Dr. Keyser's interview with Wisconsin Public Radio, Monica Krysztopa and Emily Pelz's interview with WCLO, and several District news releases.
We post a new blog every Wednesday on our Facebook and LinkedIn pages.
Ms. Tara Tinder
Ms. Tara Tinder, Executive Director at the Stateline Community Foundation, was a guest blogger! Read her blog about all the great Scholarship Opportunities available to our students.
Bilingual Home School Liaisons
November is National Homeless Youth Awareness Month
In the School District of Beloit, we have identified 347 children and youth experiencing homelessness this school year. We continue to provide wrap around services for these children to ensure for their well-being. Robin Stuht, our homeless Liaison, is reaching out to see if you are able to help our homeless students, too. Please consider donating $20 gift cards to Aldi or Walmart, or $10 fast food cards to provide these homeless students with a meal. Your donations will make a difference in helping our children and youth have their basic needs met during their hardship of experiencing homelessness.
Cards may be dropped off to Robin Stuht at the Beloit Learning Academy, 1033 Woodward Avenue, Beloit, WI 53511. Please email Robin for any follow-up questions.
Early Dismissal - 1st and 3rd Wednesday ⏱
Early dismissal will occur on the first and third Wednesday of each month. Our upcoming early dismissal Wednesdays are: November 17th, December 1st, and December 15th
Early Dismissal Times
- Elementary 1:30 pm
- Intermediate 2:15 pm
- BMHS 2:30 pm
- BLA 2:30 pm
Todos Unidos Event
Community Hub
Access our Community Hub webpage to learn more about all the family-friendly and educational events and opportunities in our community.
We update this site weekly.
School Newsletters
Each week our schools send out an electronic newsletter with lots of great information and updates. These weekly newsletters are sent out through email and/or text. They are also available on each school website under the tab "Our School". If you are not receiving your school's newsletter, please reach out to your school secretary to update your Skyward contact information!
We have linked each school's newsletter for your reference:
Converse, Gaston, Hackett, Merrill, Robinson, Todd
Free COVID-19 on-site testing at SDB
We provide On-Site Covid Testing Monday through Friday.
We are collaborating with the Wisconsin Department of Health Service, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, and Summit Clinical Labs to provide this testing.
On behalf of the Board of Education and the School District of Beloit we stand against all forms of systemic and institutional racism. Now more than ever it is necessary for our community’s institutions and organizations to commit to be anti-racist. We are proud of the diversity within the School District of Beloit and we acknowledge the challenges and adversity that so many of our families of color are facing. We are always committed to supporting our students, families, and staff. We are here for you and we are stronger together. #BeloitProud
Mission: Committed to excellence and strengthened and enriched by diversity, we prepare each student to compete, contribute, and thrive as an admirable person in a rapidly changing world by engaging students in a wide variety of high quality, relevant programs in partnership with families, schools, and the stateline community.
Vision: Preparing and inspiring each student to succeed in life and contribute to an ever-changing world.
(608) 361-4000