Glendale-River Hills
Parent & Guardian Newsletter November 2020
Farewell Message from Mr. Smalley
Dear Glendale Families,
As this is my last newsletter to families before my official last day on November 16, 2020, I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to all of the Glendale families and the entire community for being so supportive of your Glendale schools since I started as the Superintendent way back in 2006. Back then, our schools were struggling financially as well as in need of repair. Fast forward almost 15 years and our schools are the pride of the community and financially speaking our district is in great condition thanks to the $7.9 million 5 year referendum passed in April of 2019.
The support our parents and community have given me personally is also very appreciated. I have always made a point to our staff that family has to come first. The Glendale families and community have always supported that fact. I have been proud to call the Glendale Schools my home for the past 18 years and will continue to do anything in my power to support you through this time of change.
Thank you and God Bless each and every member of our schools and community!
With much appreciation and pride,
Larry Smalley
Updates from Dr. Moeser
As mentioned in a previous newsletter, Dr. Elliott Moeser is taking the lead as our interim superintendent for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year. Please continue the normal communication chain by going directly to classroom teachers with questions and concerns, followed by building level administrators for additional support.
Here is the school district contact information for Dr. Moeser, in the event it is needed for questions and concerns that can't be resolved at the building level.
Dr. Elliott Moeser
elliott.moeser@glendale.k12.wi.us
(414) 351-7170 ext. 2103
Dr. Moeser will continue to place information in the monthly newsletters to keep everyone updated with district-level news. Please see the 2 updates from Dr. Moeser below:
School Board Update:
The Glendale-River Hills School District School Board will begin operating with School Board committees starting in late October/November. The use of committees is being adopted in an effort to gain more insights and expertise on specific topics and issues; to increase School Board ownership regarding policy issues; to give parents, community members, staff and faculty greater access to School Board members; to provide an avenue of improved communications; and to have meetings held at convenient times for the community, staff, and faculty.
There will be six (6) School Board committees. The six committees and committee members are as follows:
Policy – Ms. Vukovic and Ms. Seem
Curriculum – Ms. Krychowiak and Ms. Bailey
Finance and Personnel – Mr. Franklin and Ms. Seem
Shared Services – Mr. Franklin and Ms. Vukovic
Communications – Ms. Bailey and Ms. Seem
Building and Grounds – Ms. Vukovic and Ms. Krychowiak
The first two School Board committee meetings will be the Policy Committee meeting and the Finance and Personnel Committee meeting, which were held on October 28. The Curriculum Committee and Communications Committees met on Monday, November 2nd. These meetings will continue to be open meetings and will be virtual.
Superintendent Search:
The Glendale-River Hills School Board has authorized sending out a Request for Proposals (RFPs) for Superintendent Search Firms to apply to conduct a search for a new Superintendent for the School District. The RFPs are due by November 9, 2020. The School Board anticipates selecting a Search Firm by mid-December.
The RFP is posted on the District’s website. It has also been sent out to seven (7) specific search firms. Proposals will also be accepted from other firms who wish to apply. It is anticipated that a new Superintendent will be selected and named by mid-March, 2021.
Virtual Learning Plus Survey Results October 2020
Between Oct. 6th and Oct.19th, the Glendale River Hills School District (GDRH) administered three brief online surveys (one each to families, staff, and students) to seek feedback related to the virtual plus learning model. The brief surveys were designed to gauge stakeholder perceptions on how the Virtual Plus can be improved and the next steps in planning for the transition back into our schools during the continuing COVID pandemic. The surveys had a response rate of 370 family respondents and 430 student respondents. Among students, there was an underrepresentation in the K4-3rd grade student population.
While the survey captured a relatively average response rate from both families, and students, non-respondents may have unique needs not represented in the response group. Further, all data collected in this survey must be viewed as a “snapshot” in time of stakeholder perceptions. The rapidly changing environment in which the world currently operates likely truncates the timeline in which the data remains an accurate reflection of current stakeholder perceptions. Finally, the survey data are one source of information and must be combined with all other streams of available information to best inform decision-making moving forward.
Highlights focused on the instructional model included that families reported high rates of satisfaction with the current learning model.
Students on the other hand had a desire to return to school or a blended model. Almost half of the students surveyed (47%) preferred to learn at school while 34% preferred a blended approach. A small percentage of students preferred virtual learning as the mode of instruction. When looking at the ease of use of technology within the instructional model of virtual plus we had a high satisfaction level from both families and students.
The surveys included opportunities for feedback around academic and social emotional needs of students in virtual plus. Based on survey results the majority of students are finding the coursework manageable and the majority of students are getting the help they need.
A high percentage of students (84.3%) stated that they have an adult they can go to for help at school and an even higher percentage (90.8%) of students feel connected to adults at school. While 56% of families are confident with their child’s relationship with adults at school right now which is lower than the student's perceptions. Caregiver concerns around social-emotional needs are high with 80.9% of caregivers stating concern about their students' social-emotional well-being. We also have a small percentage of students who feel connected with their peers at school.
We have many positives from the surveys with additional areas to improve on. There are several actions the district is taking to support students and families. Some current initiatives include: peer to peer engagement activities at each school, new student clubs, SEL team support and programming, staff collaboration around student engagement/feedback, and continued disaggregation of the data to inform additional actions for improvement.
Survey Data Graphs
November & December Dates @ a Glance!
It's hard to believe it's November already. To help plan for the upcoming holiday breaks, please note the days where there is no school for students and staff over the next 2 months:
NOVEMBER NO SCHOOL:
Wednesday, November 25
Thursday, November 26
Friday, November 27
DECEMBER NO SCHOOL:
Monday, December 21-Friday, January 1st
School Resumes on Monday, January 4th
Dear Parents & Guardians:
The COVID-19 Data Updates to the School Board will occur on Wednesday, November 4th & Wednesday, November 18th this month via ZOOM. Here is the link to the meeting on November 4th (tomorrow). In case you can't make it this week, there is a brief overview of the most recent data shown in the graphic below.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89363948412?pwd=eHhoaU1ZQWJpNDVUSlgxVlZNQlZsQT09
Masks in the district!
Thanks!
Our Responsibility
As a district, we are committed to providing a quality education for ALL students.
Our commitment is to EVERY kid, EVERY day, Whatever it takes!
Glendale-River Hills School District
Email: larry.smalley@glendale.k12.wi.us
Website: www.glendale.k12.wi.us
Location: 2600 West Mill Road, Glendale, WI, USA
Phone: 414-351-7170