Monday, September 10, 2012

PdC Public Schools Narrative

The Chamber of Commerce is updating their website. The following is a rough draft of a potential narrative that will be under the PdC Public Schools link. The main target audience is people from out of the area who may be looking at PdC as a potential home. The secondary audience is our local citizens.

Please review and let me know what I missed or is not factual. I plan to get this to the Chamber toward the end of this week.

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Prairie du Chien (PdC) Area Public Schools are recognized statewide, and increasingly nationwide, as being leaders in educational innovation, technology, and student academic achievement gains. The professional instructional staff, and support para-professionals, serve the children of the community as caring role models and create a vigorous and challenging year-round learning environment within a culture of very high expectations.

The PdC Public schools offer a comprehensive educational program that is both rigorous and relevant. The overall educational goals are to develop and enhance our young people's creativity and entrepreneurship within a college or career ready preparatory program. The school district is constantly exploring ways to improve or offer better service to the community such as a full day four year old kindergarten is offered to parents who desire that mode, while continuing to also offer the half day format.

Across the PdC Public School curriculum, the core academic skills are covered in a basal format that has high expectations for all children, interventions are present to help children that need more help, and challenging coursework is in place for those students who have already mastered grade level information. In addition PdC Public Schools present students with encore opportunities for wellness, recreation, performing and visual arts, additional literacy, and other academic enrichments. Specific after school programming is available at all levels of the school. On top of that, PdC Public has a full summer school schedule that features 45 days of rigorous academic programming in a more relaxed and enriching setting – this even includes a breakfast, lunch, and swimming instruction!

PdC Public has instruction that is literally world class. For example, PdC Public has international education from Kindergarten to graduation. PdC Public offers dual Global Language series in both Spanish Language and Cultures and Chinese Language and Cultures featuring three Guest Teachers from China. At the PdC Public High School there are currently 14 different Advanced Placement (AP) classes offered across various disciplines. For the 2013-2014 school year, 4 additional AP offerings are planned to be added to the already vast array of college level offerings.

The PdC Public Schools are recognized as nationwide leaders in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). To start, STEM is embedded in elementary lessons. In the middle grades, of 5 to 8, PdC Public Schools offers GameIT Computer Programming and Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Gateway to Technology programs in addition to challenging Math and Science curriculums. As a capstone, about two thirds of the Bluff View grade 8 students take the accelerated high school level Integrated Math 1. PdC Public High School students have access to an unmatched program of STEM offerings including PLTW programs in both Engineering and Biomedical. An example of the high level that PdC Public students achieve is that a full array of mathematics is offered including AP Statistics and both AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC.

To highlight the PdC Public Schools commitment to excellence; the PdC Public High School is a silver rated school by U.S. News, all three Bluff View Intermediate Public School sub groups are awarded as Schools of Recognition by the State of Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, and the district was awarded with the What Parent's Want Award.

On top of the entire umbrella of academic offerings, PdC Public Schools offer a full array of co-curricular sports and activities across the grades; from sports/recreation activities for the little kids all the way up to competitive WIAA sports in the high school. PdC Public Schools are small enough to allow full participation, such as a no-cut policy on all activities, but large enough to offer a wide variety of choices including sports of Girls’ Cross-country, Football, Girls’ Golf, Boys’ Soccer, Cheer Squads, Volleyball, Boys’ Cross-country, Dance, Girls’ Basketball, Boys’ Basketball, Wrestling, Boys’ Track and Field, Baseball, Boys’ Golf, Softball, Girls’ Track and Field, and Girls’ Soccer. Two recently added popular activities are Archery, and Summer Swim team.

In the performing arts, PdC Public has full music programs across all grades with extra programming available throughout. Both the Bands and the Choirs are high quality. The PdC music students regularly perform with guest artists and concerts feature these guests; two of the latest being the Monroe Crossing who are "The Midwest's Premier Bluegrass and Gospel Quintet" and Xianghua Han from Beijing China. PdC Public choir groups have performed at the Carnegie Hall. The Drama Department produces high quality musicals and plays that are great learning platforms for the students and superb entertainment for the whole community.

Lastly, PdC Public Schools have tremendous community support. Beyond the supportive structure of state and local funding, the giving to the school by individuals and businesses is very generous and greatly appreciated. Visit www.pdc.k12.wi.us for more information on the Prairie du Chien Area Public Schools.

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