City/Schools Collaboration, Special Meeting, Writing Assessments and More

SUPERINTENDENT’S OFFICE

City/School Collaboration Meeting

On April 9th, Liz and I attended a meeting with various city officials, Waukee Superintendent Mr. Dave Wilkerson, and Gretchen Tegeler. This meeting was an attempt to begin/continue a collaborative relationship between West Des Moines city and the schools. We discussed how to get businesses connected with our schools and students in order to begin internships. We will also explored possibilities around sharing operational services. Finally, we are meeting to increase our communication around facility projects and discuss getting internet access to all residents. I felt the meeting was very positive and there was a willingness to move forward with meetings and collaborative efforts.

 

Administrative Positions

The following email was sent on Thursday, April 10th, to all current administrators:

 

On Tuesday we announced the decision to recommend Carol Seid and Kerry Ketcham for their current roles. Now it is time to start the process for the other open administrative positions: Director of Human Resources, Fairmeadows Principal, and Assistant Principal Indian Hills Junior High. If you are interested in one of these positions, please email me a letter of interest indicating your interest in a specific position by 5 p.m. on Friday, April 18th.

 

After the closing date on April 18th, I will review the applicants and then move forward with the next step in the process. This could include interviews if multiple people are interested in the same position.

 

Junior Achievement Presentation

On Thursday, April 10th, I presented “Current Trends in Education” to the Junior Achievement Board. The PowerPoint of the presentation I made is available here:

• http://ow.ly/vLTPG

 

BOARD SECRETARY/COMMUNICATIONS

REMINDER! Special Meeting Thursday

There will be a special Board meeting on Thursday, April 17th at 12 p.m. noon in the Phenix Room on the second floor of the LRC.

 

School Community Network Meets Tomorrow

Approximately seven times a year, the district’s School Community Network meets to talk about a variety of topics related to the district. The group’s next meeting is Tuesday, April 14. Made up of parents, teachers and administrators from across the district, the group provides an opportunity for a face-to-face exchange of ideas and information. Its members also help us share information about district with the community.

• To learn more and see the latest agenda visit: http://ow.ly/vLIsH

 

Phenix Parent Meeting Held

Phenix Early Childhood Center held a Phenix Transition meeting for families on Tuesday, April 8th. There were approximately 40 parents/guardians in attendance. Dr. Lisa Remy, Paul Bobek, Carol Seid, Elaine Watkins-Miller, Drea Bocook, Mary Jane Stites, Robin Pickard and Doug Neppl were all in attendance to provide information and answer questions. Topics covered included the placement process, transportation, district curriculum, class sizes, transition open houses for students and parents, child care and more.

 

School Newsletters

• Clive: http://www.wdmcs.org/schools/clive/newsletters/
• Crestview: http://schools.wdmcs.org/crestview/newsletter.htm Updated!
• Crossroads: http://www.wdmcs.org/schools/crossroads-park/newsletters/ Updated!
• Fairmeadows: http://www.wdmcs.org/schools/fairmeadows/newsletters/
• Hillside: http://schools.wdmcs.org/hillside/newsletter.htm
• Jordan Creek: http://www.wdmcs.org/schools/jordancreek/newsletters/ Updated!
• Phenix: http://www.wdmcs.org/schools/phenix/newsletters/
• Western Hills: http://www.wdmcs.org/schools/western-hills/newsletters/
• Westridge: http://www.wdmcs.org/schools/westridge/newsletter/
• Indian Hills: http://schools.wdmcs.org/indian_hills/newsletter.htm Updated!
• Stilwell: http://schools.wdmcs.org/stilwell/newsletter.htm Updated!
• Valley Southwoods: http://schools.wdmcs.org/southwoods/newsletter.htm
• Valley: http://schools.wdmcs.org/valley/newsletter.htm

 

Past Board Members List

Ever wonder who was on the School Board in 1975? How about 1985? The School Community Relations Office is gathering the full list of School Board members back to 1975 and will be placing this information on our website as part of the district’s history.

 

Check Your Calendar! Upcoming Board Meetings

• April 17: Special Meeting (12 p.m. noon), Learning Resource Center
• April 28, 2014: Workshop (5:15 p.m.) & Regular Meeting (7 p.m.), Crossroads Park Elementary
• May 12, 2014: Workshop (5:15 p.m.) & Regular Meeting (7 p.m.), Learning Resource Center
• June 9, 2014: Regular Meeting (7 p.m.), Learning Resource Center
• June 23, 2014: Regular Meeting (7 p.m.), Learning Resource Center

 

BUSINESS OFFICE/FACILITIES

No report.

 

 

HUMAN RESOURCES

Teacher Leader Positions Selected

We have been working to post the Teacher Leader positions that have FTE responsibilities outside the classroom. These include instructional coach, mentor coordinator, professional development/curriculum facilitator, multi-tiered system of supports facilitator, and learning supports and family engagement coordinator positions. Review councils/interview teams have been scheduled and most interviews for these positions have been held.

 

We continue to work with Teaching and Learning Services, Superintendency and the leadership of WDMEA throughout this process.

 

 

TEACHING & LEARNING SERVICES (TLS)

Technology News

• Planned Summer Work: A building-by-building list of known outages and planned summer technology work. http://wdmtech.wordpress.com/2014/03/31/planned-summer-work/
• Feb. 21st Google PD Feedback: Checkout the feedback from the February 21st Google Professional Development day. http://wdmtech.wordpress.com/2014/03/27/feb-21st-google-day/
• What caused the internet issues a few weeks ago? The details on what happened when our internet connection was attacked several weeks ago. http://wdmtech.wordpress.com/2014/03/26/the-internet-attacks/

 

Iowa Writing Assessments

Teachers in grades nine, eight, six and four participated in scoring Iowa Writing Assessments over the month of April. The students took the assessments in February and March. Teachers spent part of the morning looking at the rubric and practicing scoring assessments. The remainder of the day was utilized to score all the writings. Scoring of the writing assessments is an opportunity for teachers to reflect on the teaching of writing and determine strengths and areas for growth in writing in our district.