EEA Student & Parent News
January 2021
Dear Families,
Welcome to 2021!
I know we are all hoping this year will be better than 2020 and that is my wish for all of you. Though, I do believe that many good things came of 2020 in addition to the struggles. For one, we all seem to have a higher awareness of how important connection with each other is. There's a reason we built our school with such a heavy focus on relationships! Another positive is that many of our students have realized that they actually NEED school. They missed it and we sure missed them!
Our capabilities reach far beyond what we thought they did. Look at how much change each of us endured in the last year. So many of us had to drastically change how we do things at work, at home, and in life in general. And WE DID IT! That doesn't mean it was easy, but we must be kind to ourselves in acknowledging the success and not just focusing on the struggle. And while I know we are all concerned about the kids' academics, I believe that when we look back on this past year, one of the things that will stand out is whether or not we used it to teach them how to deal with adversity. We are living in historic times. Please know that yes, we are concerned about their academics, but more importantly, we are concerned about the non-academic things we are teaching them in these times - things like how to treat someone who disagrees with you, how to handle change, and how to "show up" when you can't just use your physical presence.
Thank you for working with us in 2020 to help your child create success in the midst of huge changes! Thank you for your honesty when your child or someone at home isn't feeling well. That helps us all stay safe. Thank you for letting us know when you need something porch dropped. That helps us serve you the way we want to - as part of our school family. Thank you for continuing to work with us to troubleshoot any issues that arise with your child. We are excited that we have safely brought back so many students on a rotation. It is working well and we are grateful to see so many of them!
Please let us know what you need from us in the coming year. Together we will make it a great one!
Dr. Young
Important Dates:
- Friday, January 15th - End of Quarter2/1st Semester
- Monday, January 18th - No Classes
- Wednesday, January 27th - Picture Day (Cohort B/HUB)
Meet your EEA Staff
Important Semester 2 Updates
Beginning on Friday, January 22, all EEA students will be enrolled in a virtual Friday morning class. We have done these for years and they are designed to offer our students the opportunity to earn non-APEX credit. Until now, our students have been expected to work independently on APEX on Friday mornings. Some have thought it is a day off, but that is not the intent of EEA or the Wausau School District Board. High school students will be choosing their class soon and middle schoolers will be in Social Studies with Mrs.Kleiber.
You will also be receiving information soon from the district about attendance. It is the expectation that students are in attendance either in person or virtually through the whole week. Beginning in Semester 2, the district expectation is that students are showing up (either in person on their scheduled days or virtually). If they are not then they may be brought forth to meet with an on-site truancy committee. From there a plan will be developed and consequences will be decided, which could include municipal citations.
We do not want any of our students in that position and would prefer if students show up. When students are joining a google meet, it is the district expectation that their cameras are on and they are present. We want them to have access to learning, and they need to show up for that to happen. Showing up does not mean they log in to the meet and then do not participate at all. We know how tech-savvy they are and that they can handle these expectations.
Please let us know if you have any questions!
Updated Covid-19 Quarantine Guidelines
Winter Fast Bridge Assessments
In January, EEA students will be completing winter FastBridge assessments to measure their progress in reading, math, and language skills. Students typically experience the most growth between the fall and winter assessments, so it is essential that they keep current in school.
As the Bureau of Labor Statistics chart shows, education (and especially reading and math skills) is one of the strongest predictors of success as adults. The best thing you can do as a parents/guardians to prepare your teens for independence as adults is to make sure they attend school regularly, stay current in their progress, and then have them set aside at least 20 minutes each day to read.
Enrich Excel Achieve Learning Academy
Email: azarnke@wausauschools.org
Website: http://eea.wausauschools.org/
Location: 2607 North 18th Street, Wausau, WI, USA
Phone: 715-261-0636
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EEALearningAcademy
Twitter: @ourschool