Commencement 2012

On Sunday May 27 the PdC School District held graduation exercises. Some random pictures from the ceremony:

Certification of Candidates Address:

Congratulations; that is going to be the word of the day for all of you who are graduating. This also extends especially to the parents (who got you this far) and to the family members and friends that are here today to share the in the happiness of this occasion.

A couple of things from the last few days have brought to mind my message for you today. Last week I attended graduation ceremonies at UW Madison and I saw a whole new crop of civil engineers advance into the world. Some of these engineers will spend a lifetime designing and building bridges. Also, I am sure many of you saw the news release that on today the Golden Gate Bridge across the San Francisco Bay turns 75 years old. These two converging thoughts about bridges have been translated into this discourse.

First a bridge needs a good base if it is to last a lifetime, it needs a good solid foundation. By graduating, you have given yourselves that foundational base; you have the opportunity now to move on to college or to further training in the military or in your career – whatever direction you are headed; this education recorded on your transcript can never be taken away. However, as most of you know, a high school education today is only a start on the path toward higher learning or work skills. Take this base, build upon it, and become lifelong learners.

The second metaphor is the old saying; do not burn your bridges. This saying has an etymology that goes back to wooden bridge days when armies would burn the bridge structures after crossing to cut off their opponents. The modern use of the term is to remind people to be careful to act politely and appropriately when leaving a situation; as you never know when you may need to come back to that person later for help, a recommendation, or who knows what. You need to build, and open, as many relationship bridges as possible. Even today as technology continues to change communications and the work world, remember that relationships still matter.

(pick up diploma cover)

This diploma signifies something accomplished, and also leads to more responsibility. As you come up here and go across this metaphorical bridge to receive your diploma, and later at graduation parties, and well into your life, remember that with each step forward comes greater responsibility. Please think about all your actions, and attempt to make the best choices. Life is simply a series of choices, choose very well.

I will close my message with what I have been saying to my children for all of their lives; Have Fun, But, Be Good!

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Now for what you are here for:

The Constitution and the Statues of the State of Wisconsin, give our Board of Education and Administration the power to grant diplomas to pupils who successfully complete the academic requirements of the Prairie du Chien Area Public School District.

Today, I am very pleased to report to our community, that all of the young men and women before you, robed in Maroon and Black, have met or exceeded these requirements. Therefore, I hereby certify that these 95 candidates are to be awarded a high school diploma.

Build good bridges and congratulations!

Mathematics Education Videos - DPI release

Wisconsin’s alignment of Teaching Channel videos to new mathematics standards is so useful it’s being recommended on the national level.

For each of the eight skills of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematical Practice, the creators of DPI’sMathematical Literacy website found at least one video to help teachers visualize how to address it in their classrooms.

Wisconsin’s site was created by Diana Kasbaum, the DPI’smathematics education consultant, along with Jackie Herrmann and Becky Walker of the Appleton Area School District and Jeff Ziegler of the Madison Metropolitan School District. The Council for Chief State School Officersrecommended the site in a nationwide email to help educators implement the Common Core.

The website simultaneously addresses the Common Core State Standards requirement of Disciplinary Literacy—the idea that students need subject area educators to teach them ways to read, write, think, listen, and speak that are specific to those fields. In mathematics, a team of Wisconsin educators found that the Mathematical Practice standards effectively address disciplinary literacy as well.

DPI update on ESEA Accountability Waiver

Dear District Administrators:

As the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) begins to rollout the new statewide accountability system, there are  few updates and reminders I want to pass along.

Wisconsin Accountability Reports:

• Preliminary school report cards will be electronically available via secure access to districts by June 22. While initially planned for release to districts two weeks earlier, this additional time is necessary for the inclusion of more detailed data and modifications to the accountability index. The school report cards will serve as our 2011-12 accountability reports.
• The preliminary report cards will be calculated using the new WKCE proficiency cut scores, which are based on the national NAEP assessment proficiency level. This will result in changes to percentages of students in each performance category. To aid in understanding this change, reports will include retroactive application of NAEPized cuts to allow schools to view trends of performance over previous years. Information will be provided with the report cards to help interpret this change.
• These preliminary reports can be accessed via the Secure Access File Exchange (SAFE). ...
•  More resources will be forthcoming regarding accessing and interpreting the school report cards.
•  The schedule for seeking input and making adjustments to the report card is as follows:

o   June – secure, preliminary release of draft report cards to districts

o   July/August – DPI will gather feedback on the readability of the report cards, use of the accountability index, and presentation of the data via focus groups, and a survey that will accompany the preliminary report cards.

o   September – incorporation of improvements to the report card and accountability index

o   Fall 2012 – public release of individual school report cards

Title I Accountability:

• Districts with one or more schools identified as Title I Focus or Title I Priority schools will be notified by phone by June 1.
• Notification letters will be mailed the week of June 4. Notification will include data sheets explaining the process of determining status as Focus or Priority schools.
• Districts will be provided with opportunities to schedule phone conferences in the following weeks to answer questions about support, requirements, and identification processes.

Reminders: 

• There will be no AYP determinations for the 2011-12 school year.
• Wisconsin is moving through the process of getting an ESEA waiver, with final approval expected in the summer.
• As always, if you have questions please feel free to contact us (eseawaiver@dpi.wi.gov).
• This update and the accompanying SAFE resources will be posted to the Accountability Reform webpage (http://dpi.wi.gov/oea/acct/accountability.html).

Your ongoing input is important to us.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Thompson, PhD

Deputy State Superintendent

Everyday Math Training

The first cycle of trainings on the new elementary math series are underway. The Everyday Math program is being implemented now, so it can be used in Summer School. The new series will be used in all elementary grades of 4K, K, 1, 2, 3, 4. All elementary core teachers and site administrators have unanimously agreed to the selection of the series and have signed off that they will implement with full fidelity.

Photo of the morning BAK session:

 Photo of the morning Bluff View session:

Everyday Math is published by the McGraw-Hill company. The new Math series closely matches with the Common Core. In fact, the Smarter Balance consortium of states, of which Wisconsin is aligned with, have hired CTB, another arm of McGraw-Hill, to develop and pilot the testing. The E-Suite product, which is being implemented, will be continuously updated to match with any future changes in the standards.

Tang Min Chinese Guest Teacher

Tang Min is our third Chinese Guest Teacher. She sends her "warmest greeting from ... the other end of Earth, China. You can call me Minnie. I am very excited to work in your community".  Tang Min is looking forward to "a fantastic experience".  Photo of Minnie:

Tang Min is a 'country girl' as she was born in a small town named as Jinkou, with a population of no more than 100,000. She states "most people there, like my parents, make a living on growing fruit trees and tea processing. From what I know from Google Earth about Prairie Du Chien, my home town is similar with your community - a quiet and comfortable place with a lot of trees. Therefore I am sure I can feel at home there." These are a few of Min's home area photos, including a picture of her mother:

When Tang Min was 17, she went to Wuhan, a big city which is famous for Yangtze River, Yellow Crane Tower, Guiyuan Temple, and numerous delicious food like Fry Dry Noodles with sesame paste and so on. It was here that she studied for her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees. In Wuhan city, she met her first and lifelong love, who is her husband. These are photos of Min and her husband and also one of her extended family:

After graduation, she became an English teacher. She loves teaching and gets a real "joy from studying with my students as a leader". Tang Min describes herself as "an independent and energetic person, who loves this profession a lot". In her spare time, she likes reading, travelling and photography. She looks forward to "using the camera to capture the beautiful scenery and treasurable moments". 

We look forward to the arrival of Tang Min (Minnie) and the other two Chinese Teachers in August.

Zhang Yuanyuan Chinese Guest Teacher

Our second Guest Teacher is Zhang Yuanyuan. This is an artistic photo of Yuanyuan:

Zhang Yuanyuan is from Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province in China. She feels that "it’s my great pleasure to have this opportunity to work with American colleagues and students". Yuanyuan is excited, and looks forward to her arrival on August 3. 

This is a photo of  Zhang Yuanyuan visiting the Great Wall:

Zhang Yuanyuan works in Jinan Xiaoxinzhuang Primary School, which is a very good, "famous", school in the district. She has been an English teacher for 8 years. She has taught students in kindergarten through 12 years old. 

Photo of Zhang Yuanyuan with her English students in class in China:

She wants to make it plain that even though she teaches English and her command of the language is proficient, she needs to improve her English skill. As she puts it "I just feel quite a lot to learn". Zhang Yuanyuan views coming to PdC as an opportunity for her career and as "a milestone in my life". She cannot wait to get to work here in PdC.

Zhang Yuanyuan is married and has one child. Her husband is Dean of a Cerebral Palsy children rehabilitation center. Yuanyuan's family photo:

Zhang Yuanyuan's parents-in-law take care of her daughter, as she is only 2 years old. Her family is very supportive and are proud of her being a guest teacher at PdC. Photo of Yuanyuan with her lovely daughter:

Zhang Yuanyuan vows to "work hard in our school and community, and I will build good relationships with colleagues , students and parents. Please believe me!" 

Graduation inside

Due to the heat index, graduation ceremonies will be moved to the High School gymnasium