Friday, May 17, 2013
Each week, Brookfield Patch is featuring teachers from the Elmbrook School District. This week, we catch up with two teachers from Burleigh Elementary School.
What’s the best part of teaching in the Elmbrook School District: There are many wonderful aspects to teaching in the Elmbrook School District. Above others, I would say the motivation shared by educators and families to do what is best for children really stands out. Why I wanted to be a teacher: After attending what was Wisconsin Hills Elementary School, I realized the difference my second grade teacher made in my life. From then on I knew working in education was what I wanted to do. If I wasn’t a teacher, I’d be: That is a hard question. I have always had the desire to work in an educational setting. If I had taken a different path I might have become the director of a summer camp or a photographer traveling around the world and …
Monday, May 13, 2013
A current principal of a Fox Point-Bayside school has been chosen for the position.
Daniel Westfahl, currently principal at Stormonth Elementary School in the Fox Point-Bayside School District, has been chosen as the new Brookfield Elementary School principal. Elmbrook received 68 applications for the position after Lynn Raines resigned. Eight candidates were initially screened and three finalists were selected by the interview team. "Dan brings a wealth of elementary teaching and curriculum and instruction experiences with him to Elmbrook," wrote Elmbrook officials in a memo to the school board. "The Stormonth community is very sad to see Dan leave, as he has been a respected leader for the school." The Elmbrook School Board will vote on a two-year contract for Westfahl on Tuesday that will include a yearly salary of $…
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Public school districts throughout the state will share $30.1 million in library aid to purchase materials for school libraries.
Elmbrook School District received $285,630 in library aid from Common School Fund, the only state funding specifically designated for the purchase of materials for school libraries. Public school districts throughout the state will share $30.1 million in library aid. Aid is based on the number of children between the ages of 4 and 20 living in each school district. This year’s school library aid payment was $24.71 per child for 1,218,203 children counted in the 2011-12 school census. School library state funding is down by $2.4 million from last year because the census total was down by 6,486 children as well. Districts must use Common School Fund library aid by June 30 for the purchase of books, media materials, or computer equipment that…
Monday, April 29, 2013
Seniors who meet set criteria at Brookfield Central and Brookfield East high schools may receive special privileges to leave campus during the school day, if approved by the Elmbrook School Board.
Seniors at Brookfield Central and Brookfield East high schools may be able to register for special privileges to have the possibility to leave the high schools during the day instead of staying on campus for study hall. The senior options privilege is planned to go before the Elmbrook School Board on May 14 – just in time for the privileges to be posted in the student handbook for next school year. “Central and East have spent time collaborating on this,” said Superintendent Mark Hanson. School board members are considering the options, but they want further questions answered. Board President Thomas Gehl is especially interested impact to school staff in the administration of the special privileges and the ability for parents to revoke …
Despite changes in benchmarks for Wisconsin statewide reading and math tests, Elmbrook students continue to perform significantly higher than the statewide norms.
Use Patch's interactive database to see the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations scores in Elmbrook and other area districts for the last three years. Students in the Elmbrook School District saw lower scores in statewide math and reading tests this year, but those changes are almost entirely due to tough new standards that kicked in this year. In Elmbrook, 55 percent of the students who took the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations (WKCE) in November 2012 scored at proficient or advanced in reading. That's compared to 92.7 percent who hit that mark in 2011. The 2012-13 results were released last week. In math, 74.6 percent of the Elmbrook students were proficient or better this year, compared to 92.6 percent last year. …
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
The district is close to hiring a Brookfield Elementary principal and continues to screen for the new Brookfield East principal.
The Elmbrook School District is searching high and low for new principals for Brookfield Elementary and Brookfield East High School. The district is close to hiring a principal at Brookfield Elementary and continues through the screening process for the Brookfield East principal, reported Brookfield Now. Brookfield Elementary Principal Lynn Raines resigned in March to spend more time her family. Brookfield East High School Principal Dan Pavletich is being promoted to human resources director for the Elmbrook School District, effective July 1. Pavletich, who is in his third year as principal of East High School, has worked in the district since 1996. Ten candidates are usually called in for screening interviews. Finalist will be invited …
Monday, April 22, 2013
The weekly Friday conference yields no consideration from justices, who have the Elmbrook School District v. Doe on their plate again this coming Friday.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday once again did not consider the Elmbrook School District’s appeal of a lower court decision that the district violated the Constitution by holding graduation ceremonies at Elmbrook Church. The Supreme Court had been scheduled to conference on the case on March 22 and 29, and then April 12 and 19. It has been distributed again for this Friday’s regular conference. Each Monday morning, the court issues an “orders list” indicating which cases have been disposed of based on the previous Friday’s conference. The school district is challenging the July federal appellate court decision that found the district had violated the First Amendment when it held previous commencements at Elmbrook Church amid religious …
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Milk provider switch was necessary after Golden Guernsey closed suddenly in Waukesha in January.
A coalition of 13 area school districts, including Elmbrook School District, will receive milk from Prairie Farms Dairy, a change that was necessary for next school year after Golden Guernsey shut down in early January in Waukesha. The decision was made based on several criteria, including a blind-taste test, price, service, package appearance and offerings of a variety of flavors, package sizes and formulations, according to a news release from the Southeast Wisconsin School Nutrition Cooperative. Milk consumption decreased by more than 5,000 cartons in Menomonee Falls School District from January 2012 to 2013. The students complained about taste, and preferred juice instead, according to a release from the district. Falls switched from …
Monday, April 15, 2013
The Elmbrook School District is appealing a ruling that prohibits it from holding graduation at Elmbrook Church.
The U.S. Supreme Court has not yet decided whether to accept the Elmbrook School District’s appeal of a lower court decision the district violated the constituion by holding graduation ceremonies at Elmbrook Church. The Supreme Court has been scheduled to conference on the case three times in March and April, including Friday. A blog published by the law firm of Foley & Lardner indicated that the court could decide Monday whether to hear the case, but nothing was listed on Monday's Supreme Court orders. The high court's docket also does not list the Supreme Court’s next steps in the case. The school district is challenging the July federal appellate court decision that found the district had violated the First Amendment when it held …
Dan Pavletich and his staff have helped give students a note taking style that they say leads to critical thinking and better equipping students for the future.
The transition from high school to college has always challenged students. That’s why Principal Dan Pavletich and the faculty at Brookfield East incorporated the Cornell note-taking strategy six years ago into their daily curriculum. “We as a staff tried to think of a way to get students to think more critically about the topics we were teaching,” Pavletich said. That’s when they agreed on the Cornell note taking idea. “There have been countless studies done showing that there are benefits in using this system,” Pavletich said. Cornell note taking — developed by Cornell University professor in the 1950s — is a three-part process. The students divide their paper into three separate portions (see photograph). Within the first section, …
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Andrea
7:04 pm on Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Its time to treat our seniors as young adults and set the expectation that they can manage their free time. That is my first thought. Second thought: What if a 3.0 is the best a student can do and they have no unexcused absenses and no discipline issues. I have a struggling reader and I resent the fact that you would set 3.25 as the criteria. My kid works harder than most an often ends up with a … more ›