WUSD Teaching & Learning

Dear Friends & Colleagues of WUSD,

As we arrive to the start of November, we celebrate the successes of these first months of school in Whitewater. These months have offered students and staff of the district learning opportunities, new collaborations, and launched the year with renewed enthusiasm.

For staff, the beginning-of-year centered on:

• Professional Learning Communities and next steps with data
• Literacy shifts from a balanced-literacy approach to a structured literacy approach that aligns with the science of reading
• Universal screeners to target specific skill areas for growth
• Best practices for instruction and differentiation in the diverse classroom

Students enter our doors each day with gusto on their learning pathways across all content areas. All students 4K-12 are engaging in structured literacy routines including practices in practicing phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, led and supported by Literacy Coaches, Instructional Coaches, and Administrators at each site.

We are proud of the work of our students and teachers in these first months and celebrate the successful launch of this academic year. We look forward to the continuous learning months ahead!

Sincerely,

Terilyn

A Professional Learning Community (PLC) is an ongoing process in which educators work collaboratively in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve. PLCs operate under the assumption that the key to improved learning for students is continuous job-embedded learning for educators. This article examines the elements of the PLC process:

• A Focus on Learning
• A Collaborative Culture With a Focus on Learning for All
• Collective Inquiry Into Best Practice and Current Reality
• Action Orientation: Learning by Doing
• A Commitment to Continuous Improvement
• Results Orientation

At WUSD, we aim to learn and understand how PLCs work in order to develop a culture of PLC and effective practices to align with the elements of the PLC process.

Please click the buttons below to view the first semester professional development calendars for certified and support staff:

The 23-24 school year marks the second year of implementation of the Bridges Mathematics curriculum for students in grades 4K-5. Through a focus on continuous improvement and understanding led by the Bridges Leads, staff and students are digging deeper into the curriculum and assessments and solidifying the routines and enjoying and engaging in math.

Who are the Bridges Leads?

• Dena Schimming, Grade K
• Kristin Egnoski, Grade 1
• Lacy Gomez, Grade 2
• Jill Whitney, Grade 3
• Danielle Dillon, Grade 4
• Kristen Lippens, Grade 5

What Do Bridges Leads Do?

Bridges leads are practicing educators who have taken on a teacher leadership role for mathematics. The Bridges Leads worked with the pilot of the program and aided with the preparations for the initial launch of the Bridges Math curriculum last year. In Year 2, Bridges Leads work alongside one another and with the support of a Bridges consultant to train and coach in the details of the Bridges program. The Leads take their learning and expertise with the curriculum to the classroom teachers in each grade level band to engage and support in continuous learning and reliable application of the Bridges Math curriculum.

Bridges Leads

• Provide onboarding and ongoing training to new teachers individually and in small groups, including supporting during assessment times

• Communicate and clarify Bridges expectations for implementation and assessment to grade level teams

• Lead unit planning at the grade level, revise curriculum scope and sequence as needed

• Facilitate grade-level collaborative Bridges Math meetings held monthly virtually or in person to ensure common and reliable practice

• Identify and share tools and resources with staff within the Bridges curriculum and external resources

A huge THANK YOU to our Bridges Leads for their continued learning, planning, and support of the Bridges curriculum to ensure its success for our students and teachers!

Whitewater High School staff launched the building of their Professional Learning Community this year, supported by late-start days. On these days, WHS staff engage in data discussions, professional learning, and collaborations around student assessment and instruction.

As the CERT assessment took place last month, student data will be accessible for staff to interact with and utilize to inform next steps for supporting the success of all learners at Whitewater High School.

Whitewater Middle School staff are also engaging in data discussions following the completion of the iReady universal assessment diagnostic this month. In the second year of the implementation of iReady at WMS, staff are working in PLC to engage with the data to inform instruction, intervention, and supports for 6-8 learners!

Following a middle school science pilot last year, WMS is implementing the OpenSciEd curriculum for science in grades 6-8 in the 23-24 school year. The OpenSciEd Instructional Model uses a storyline approach– a logical sequence of lessons that are motivated by students' questions that arise from students' interactions with phenomena.

WMS science teachers are enthusiastically digging in to this curriculum and experiencing the shift that OpenSciEd promotes, reimagining the experience of science education to ensure that all students can excel in and outside of the classroom. In OpenSciEd classrooms, teachers are learning facilitators rather than lecturers. In this way, students engage actively in their own learning and skill-building.

Learn more about OpenSciEd for middle school HERE.

Please contact me with any questions, comments, or just to check in!

Email: trobles@wwusd.org
Website: https://www.wwusd.org/
Location: 419 South Elizabeth Street, Whitewater, WI, USA
Phone: 262-472-8711 608-561-8477