Date: 6/1/2009
To: Michael Green, Superintendent
From: Cari Thomson
RE: WMS Summary of Teaching and Learning -may
May has quickly come and gone and WMS is on the final stretch!
Debby Hunt attended a Writing Assessment Leadership Team (WALT) for the state in Minneapolis this month. The week long training provide her with some valuable insights and strategies to share with the building (expenses paid by the state). WMS 8th graders will be taking the 7th grade WCAP pilot in the fall and this allows another WMS English teacher to attend a WALT conference as well.
Art fest was a huge success! Michael Smith id a great job with students and spent a lot of time helping organize, set up and take down. The pew bench displayed at art fest will eventually be on display in front of the superintendent's office. Way to go Mr. Smith.
We are still finalizing out master schedule but WMS students will have more elective choices this year as we go to a six period day. Some electives are being run on quarters and others on semesters. All intervention classes (math academy, reading academy, and success) will operate on 9 week rotations so we can expand the level of intervention based on assessment data.
Students are excited about taking wood shop and metals. These introductory classes will allow students to experience a variety of CTE classes and hopefully boost numbers at WHS in the upcoming years. Additionally, Joan Swett will be doing WMS publications in conjunction with WHS publications (Michael Smith, the current teacher will be teaching photography at WHS). This is exciting as WMS students will also be able to participate in DECA and FFA.
WIS highly capable students will be taught by Tim and Char Brown 6th period at WMS. Students will need to choose between the Highly Capable program and WIS band, as they will be offered at the same time. Students have a choice between a semester of Lego Robotics, a semester of science (resulting in the regional science fair), or a year of both. The class is called Science and Engineering. Currently, qualifying 5th and 6th graders are eligible.