Winneconne Weekly

5 Things to Know about the April 4 Referendum

With election day less than a week away, we hope that you will have all the information to make an informed decision as you head to your local polling place to vote- EVERY VOTE MATTERS. As you know, we have a question on the April 4 ballot asking voters to authorize a $28.3 million facilities referendum.

Here are 5 key things to know about the referendum:

1. Community-Driven Solution

After voters did not support a $47.8 million referendum in 2022, we reached out to all residents through a community-wide survey to obtain feedback on when we should address our facilities and what should be prioritized. The survey results indicated that 57% of respondents support a $28.3 million solution that will renovate the middle school within its existing footprint for grades 6-8 and replace and reconfigure the high school parking lot. This addresses the District’s most pressing infrastructure needs.

2. Referendum Question (What is included in this referendum?)

• Renovations at Winneconne Middle School to revitalize and add another 50 years of life to the building
• Replace panel wall system with permanent walls to create better building flow and efficiency
• Renovate kitchen, commons, and library
• Transition computer labs into large-group collaboration rooms
• Replace finishes which have exceeded their useful life
• Improve the learning environment for all students in grades 6-8
• Infrastructure Improvements for aging building systems at the middle school
• Upgrade all building systems (HVAC, electrical, plumbing, fire alarm, and bell)
• Replace flooring, ceilings, and doors (as needed)
• Address Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) non-compliance
• Replacement and reconfiguration of the high school parking lot to improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety

3. The Investment

Our needs cannot be addressed within the annual operating budget. Therefore, the District must ask taxpayers permission to borrow the $28,300,000 to cover the cost of the proposed referendum project. If approved, the 2023 referendum would increase the debt portion of the school district mill rate by $0.29 per $1,000 of property value.

4. Every Vote Counts!

Your feedback was instrumental in shaping the referendum plan. Now, every resident of the District has the opportunity to share your voice and your opinion on the April 4 ballot. We know this time of year can very busy for families—there are voting options and resources available to ease your voting experience.

Myvote.wi.gov, is a great resource to learn more about your voting options; verify registration status, get step-by-step voting information and much more!

Ways to Vote:

• In-person on Election Day, Tuesday, April 4. Polls are open from 7 AM-8 PM.
• Your assigned polling place is based on where you live. Visit myvote.wi.gov, enter your street address and details will be provided. Or call your municipal clerk.
• Request an absentee ballot.
• Online request can be made at myvote.wi.gov until 5 PM on Thursday, March 30.
• Mail-in request must be received no later than 5 PM on Thursday, March 30.
• Your complete absentee ballot must be delivered no later than 8 PM on April 4. The US Postal Service recommends you mail your absentee ballot one week before Election Day to ensure it arrives in time.
• In-person absentee voting. Any voter can request an absentee ballot for any reason.
• You may vote early in person starting. Dates and hours for in-person early voting vary, contact your municipal clerk to confirm availability. Here are WCSD municipal contacts.

We encourage everyone to share your voice and exercise your right to vote.

5. Referendum Project Timeline

If the referendum is successful on April 4, the District will work with our design and construction partners to begin the design process and advance preliminary concepts into construction-ready blueprints.

This is a complex project, therefore we have planned ahead and worked with our construction partner to create a preliminary phasing plan as to how we can renovate space while keeping the school an operational learning facility. The phasing plan takes into account:

• Safety first: Safety is our #1 priority.
• Construction will be strategically phased to minimize impacts to learning environments.
• Students in grades six and seven will remain in the building.
• 8th grade students will be relocated to space in the high school for the 2024-25 school year. (8th grade students regularly utilize elective spaces at the high school currently.)
• Engaging students in the process will provide opportunities to learn more about design and construction.

Below is a preliminary timeline for design and construction.

We are already accomplishing great things—just imagine what we could do with an improved middle school! Take the time on April 4 to exercise your right to vote.

If you have questions or comments about the proposed referendum, please contact District Administrator Peg Larson at (920) 582-5802 ext. 3141 or larsonm@w-csd.org, or visit the Winneconne Referendum website.

Click on the image below to read the full story on the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction website regarding Winneconne Alumni Jack Stanek, and his success after graduation that he credits to the education he received in his CTE coursework.

Click below to see our Summer School Enrichment programs and offerings. This booklet includes the course descriptions, location, times, and registration instructions for our 2023 Summer School Program, including Summer Youth Sport Camps, ES and MS Enrichment Classes, Math and ELA re-teach/support, Guidance and School Transition Activities, Band Lessons, and High School for credit classes. Preview it now to plan your summer courses.

K-5 Students recommended for math and ELA re-teach/support will be notified by their teachers in March and April. In most cases students taking math and ELA re-teach / support courses will not be able to take enrichment offerings.

NOTE Registration will open April 10th at 8am. No early requests will be honored.

NEW THIS YEAR: There is no charge for summer school; however there may be a supply/material cost for some classes/camps. You should see online payment instructions following registration. All fees must be paid online and are due no later than June 2, 2023 to ensure your spot in the course.

School Board Meeting Agendas are available via THIS LINK the Thursday or Friday prior to each board meeting. Board meetings begin at 6:30 PM. You may attend in person - WMS in the large group lecture or watch virtually at https://www.youtube.com/winneconne

Upcoming meeting date: Only one meeting in March.

April 3, 2023

The Board of Education has heard that our community members/families would like to sit down and chat with a few board members - have a casual conversation about school/community issues.

All are welcome to attend. The meetings are as follows:

Wednesdays, 6:30-7:30PM MS Library-

• April 26, 2023
  

At this time there is no formal agenda - just conversation. However, if at a meeting people would like to learn more about a topic, we can certainly be ready to share at a future meeting.

There are several zoom meetings that will be available to learn more about Curriculum Topics. The meetings are recorded and are approximately 30 minutes in length. Each meeting begins at 5:30. Here is the link to the zoom meetings: https://zoom.us/j/9570118312 . You may contact Mrs. Mischler with any questions following each meeting.

• Monday, November 7th - Target-Based Grading Survey - this was our first virtual meeting. The video recording is just over 26 minutes.

Recorded Video from Nov. 7th

• Monday, December 5th - FAQs Target-Based Grading

Recorded Video from Dec. 5th

• Monday, February 6th - Personal Finance Class for Jrs & Srs

Recorded Video from Feb. 6th

• Monday, March 6th - Youth Apprenticeships for Jrs & Srs

Recorded Video from March 6th

• Monday, May 1st - TBD

Families will be notified of school closures through our Skylert messaging system. We will also provide information to our local TV stations.

If WCSD were to close due to a snow day or other emergency situation, we have built in one “free” day in our 2022-23 School Calendar . In other words, if we have only one snow day or emergency day, that day is “no school” day. If there were to be a second school closure day or more, students will learn at home either virtually or using work that has been given to the students.

Some General Expectations for Families/Students who are working from home:

• If your child attends daycare or goes to a caregiver, please alert them to the below expectations. If they have questions, please reach out to Peggy Larson (920) 582-5802 ext 3141 larsonm@w-csd.org

• Grades 4K-2: Work will be sent home in the take-home folder and will also be accessible via See Saw. If families have access to SeeSaw, you are encouraged to have your child(ren) attend the optional check-ins.

• Grades 3-5: Work will be sent home with students and will also be accessible via Google Classroom. If families have access to Google Classroom, students are encouraged to attend the optional check-ins.

• Grades 6-12: Students will use Google Classroom to view expectations. As a general guideline MS and HS students should expect to be working on each subject area for 20-30 minutes - either assigned work, research, practice work, an activity…etc…Students are expected to be working on school during school hours as teachers in grades 6-12 may run a live session during their regularly scheduled class time.

Attendance info for ES:

• Teachers will report attendance at the end of the day or first thing the following morning.

• If there are circumstances preventing your child(ren) from participating in virtual learning, please contact your building's attendance line.

Attendance info for MS:

• Core teachers will have all of their grade level students sign in by 9AM.

• If a student does not sign in, the student will be marked absent.

• If there are circumstances preventing your child(ren) from participating in virtual learning, please contact your building's attendance line.

Attendance info for HS:

• HS students will need to log into each and every Google Classroom class in order to find out how each teacher will take attendance, as it may not be the same for every teacher.

• For each and every class, teachers will EITHER:

• If a student does not attend the virtual class session or complete the Google Survey by the end of the class period, the student will be marked absent. Completing the Google Survey after that class period is over will not change attendance, just like showing up for a first hour class at 1 pm won't change attendance from first hour.

• Attendance will not be taken for study halls or Focus Time.

• If there are circumstances preventing your child(ren) from participating in virtual learning, please contact your building's attendance line.

If your student has an IEP, please consult your case manager regarding the virtual service minutes schedule.

There may be times during a school closure that the internet is not available in your area. Please contact your building’s attendance line and alert them to your situation. If your child(ren) are not in attendance, and you have not contacted the office, the District will reach out to you.

School Calendar 2023-24

School Calendar 2022-23

Below is the camp flyer for the UW-Oshkosh youth basketball camps this summer. We look forward to another fun summer of basketball! Campers in grades PK-12 can sign up by mailing in the attached flyer or registering online at the link here.

Kyle Jones

Assistant Coach - Men's Basketball

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

Cell: (262) 309-3684

Web: www.uwoshkoshtitans.com

All girls in our community and their favorite fella (or other important person in their life) are invited to attend the Girl Scout annual dance on April 22nd at Winneconne Middle School.

See below flyers for more information.

Winneconne Community Schools District Office

District Administrator, Dr. Peggy Larson: larsonm@w-csd.org

Location: 233 S 3rd Ave, Winneconne, WI 54986, USA

Phone: (920) 582-5802

Fax: (920) 582-5816

Website: https://www.winneconne.k12.wi.us/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/winneconneschools/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/winneconne

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/winneconneschools/