Leadership - Oconomowoc Area School District

OASDLeadershipPatricia Neudecker, PhDSuperintendent of SchoolsWhat does it take to educate a child for a rapidlychanging world? Who decides what a child is to knowand be able to do in order to be a contributing citizenin a global environment? What will this year’s freshmenneed in the next four years to be college andcareer ready? And even more thought provoking,what will this year’s kindergartners need for a successfulfuture?It will take the commitment and dedication of all ofus to deliver the promises of a public education system.Our schools promise the opportunity of an educationto every child. That is unmatched anywhere inthe world. Our public schools are pillars for our democraticsociety and an educated public is critical ifour nation is to grow and flourish.As superintendent, I am committed and dedicated tomaking our schools the very best for our students…and I look forward to working with every family andcommunity member to make that happen!Dr. Neudecker ‐AASA PresidentOconomowoc AreaSchool District Superintendent,Dr. PatriciaE. Neudecker, was installedas the 2011/12President of theAmerican Associationof School Administratorsat the AASA summergovernance meeting in Washington, D.C.on July 14.AASA is the professional organization for morethan 13,000 education leaders in the UnitedStates and the world. Its mission is to supportand develop effective school system leaderswho are dedicated to the highest quality publiceducation for all children.Administrative ContactsPhoneE‐mailPatricia Neudecker, PhD, Superintendent of Schools (262) 560‐2111 pat.neudecker@oasd.k12.wi.usMike Barry, Assist. Superintendent /Business Services (262) 560‐2139 mike.barry@oasd.k12.wi.usPam Casey, Administrator of Human Resources (262) 560‐2152 pam.casey@oasd.k12.wi.usLisa Dawes, Director of Student Services (262) 560‐2156 Lisa.dawes@oasd.k12.wi.usDani Herro, Administrator of Instructional Technology 262) 560‐2128 dani.herro@oasd.k12.wi.usDerick Kiger, Director of Research/ Technology /Assessment (262) 560‐2118 derick.kiger@oasd.k12.wi.usStephanie Leonard‐Witte, Director of Instructional Services (262) 560‐2121 stephanie.witte@oasd.k12.wi.usMatt Newman, Manager of Buildings and Grounds (262) 560‐2131 matt.newman@oasd.k12.wi.usJustin Reynolds, Manager of Networks 262) 560‐2126 Justin.reynolds@oasd.k12.wi.usChristine Slowinski, Coordinator of Public Information (262) 560‐2137 chris.slowinski@oasd.k12.wi.us36

OASD LeadershipInstructional ServicesStephanie Leonard‐Witte, DirectorThe Oconomowoc Area School District is committed toproviding all children the high quality, engaging learningexperiences necessary for success in the 21st century.Elementary, intermediate and high school staffmembers worked together to design and implementnew curricula and instructional materials for studentsin the content areas of English Language Arts, Reading,Mathematics (7‐12), and Instructional Technology duringthe 2010‐11 school year.Elementary staff implemented the newly revised writingcurriculum and materials in our 4K‐4th grade classroomsthrough a writers’ workshop format in collaborationwith the Columbia Teachers’ College Readers’/Writers’ Project. All fourth grade students learned howto create podcasts using wikis and blogs related toWisconsin History and third grade students utilizedGlogster to create interactive media presentations. Inour fourth year of implementation in 2010‐11, InterventionSpecialists at OASD elementary schools providedan opportunity for students to be supported withearly math and reading interventions.The intermediate sites, Nature Hill and Silver Lake, implementedthe updated writing curriculum and materialsin our 5th‐8th grade classrooms through a writers’workshop format in collaboration with the ColumbiaTeachers’ College Readers’/Writers’ Project. Studentsused digital media and state‐of the‐art equipment tocreate videos, podcasts, blogs, Google Earth tours, andparticipate in teacher‐guided virtual projects integratedwith the curriculum. The 7th and 8th grademath teachers implemented new math materials andaligned the 7‐8 math curriculum with the CommonCore Standards.The International Baccalaureate Middle Years applicationB was submitted to the International BaccalaureateOrganization for final approval on behalf of grades6‐10 and a site visit with IBO staff took place in thespring, which is the final step for authorization as affiliatedIB MYP partner schools.The International Baccalaureate Program continued itsexpansion with the addition of Mandarin Chinese II atOconomowoc High School.37High school staff continued to develop relationshipswith area businesses and colleges/universities to providea multitude of transcripted credit opportunities.Newly revised curricula and instructional materialsfor all English Language Arts courses were implementedin grades 9‐12 to bring our teaching andlearning into alignment with the Common Core Standards.FleXConnect offers high school students hybrid andvirtual course options. New in 2011, students useBlackboard, a virtual classroom called Elluminate,and Google Apps to collaborate and learn using richdigital tools offering pace, place and multi‐modallearning with video, audio, animation and text. Currently,students may opt to take Physical Education,Health, U.S. History or American Literature virtually.Plans for course and grade‐level expansion optionsare underway.During the 2011‐12 school year staff and studentswill experience the newly revised 4K‐12 reading curriculum.Approximately 200 staff members participatedin a Homegrown Institute provided in Augustby professional developers from the Columbia Teachers’College Readers’/Writers’ project. Significantprofessional development will be provided throughoutthe school year for all teachers of literacy to implementthe new curriculum. All staff will continue toresearch and implement literacy and math interventionsat the elementary, intermediate and highschools to provide early intervention services for studentsin need of support to help all children meetand exceed learning expectations. Students in seventhgrade will have the opportunity to select a thirdWorld Language, Mandarin Chinese, in addition toGerman and Spanish.Representatives from grades 4K‐12 will begin reviewingand revising the 4K‐6 math curricula for implementationin the 2012‐13 school years; and the InstructionalTechnology team will lay the foundationfor virtual learning opportunities in the 2011‐12school year and beyond. A 4K‐12 RtI committee willbe formed to finalize the work of Curriculum and Instructionin partnership with Special Education withrespect to tiered interventions for all learners.

OASD LeadershipStudent ServicesLisa Dawes, DirectorThe Student Services Department is comprised of special educationteachers, therapy specialists, paraprofessionals, school counselors,school psychologists, school social workers, and a district school healthcoordinator. We serve children and their families from early childhoodthrough grade 12. Our team is dedicated to excellence in its service toall children and families of our District.We have a dedicated, knowledgeable, and professional staff which ischild and family focused in their approach to service delivery. We developand evaluate our programs to ensure that we offer innovative,comprehensive services. Transition services, assistive technology, collaboratingwith community resources, and accountability to achievementgoals are integral to programming efforts.We continue to expand inventory and student access to assistive technologyresources within the district. We created a website link forstaff to access information related to assistive technology resources.Schools have engaged in preliminary training to implement elementaryand secondary programs using Positive Behavior Interventions andSupports (PBIS) to support school wide behavioral goals. Implementationis targeted for selected schools during the 2011/2012 school year.Site administrators, Curriculum and Instruction, and Student Serviceshave been working toward an operational Response to Interventioninstructional delivery model. This model will assist struggling learnersand meet the requirements of new special education eligibility criteriain the area of a Specific Learning Disability. Work groups will continuethroughout the 2011/12 school year.An external audit of the special education service model and currentpractices was conducted with anticipation of a comprehensive reportand recommendations for strategic improvement.Instructional supports and alignment with best practice in the field ofspecial education include provision of building support for 4K/EC studentsthrough expanded services from site based special educators,and models of intervention, support, and staff training for studentswith autism.In Speech and Language, iPadsare used for articulation, languagelessons, skill reinforcement,and fluency. For example,using Apps like Toontastic studentscreate their own cartoonwhile working on story elementlike characters, setting, problemand resolution.The iPad works great to providesensory breaks for students withautism or other sensory disordersto help them regulate themselvesthroughout their day.We continue our work toward training and implementation of the fourcomponents of a comprehensive counseling model which include; curriculumaligned to standards, individual student planning, responsiveservices and systems support.38

OASD LeadershipBusiness ServicesMichael Barry, Assistant SuperintendentThe primary responsibilities of the Business Office include accounting and financial reporting,facilities, insurance and risk management, payroll, audit and budget, and financialplanning, among others. A detailed financial report is given in the next section of thisdocument.Buildings and GroundsMatt Newman, ManagerThe Buildings and Grounds Department includes custodial operations and building maintenance.Our first responsibility is the health, safety and welfare of the 5,000 persons wholearn, work and visit OASD schools each day. Services associated with the physical environment,include; general maintenance, custodial, grounds, athletic set ups, plumbing,painting, electrical, HVAC, carpentry, flooring, deliveries, fire safety, general buildingsafety, signage, parking lot maintenance, roofing, building envelope and energy management.The Buildings and Grounds Department maintains: Over 1 million square feet of buildings on 418 acres of land Eight active school sites, a vacant Middle School facility as well as a schoolfarm and a nature center Athletic fields including soccer,football, baseball, softball, tennisand trackBuilding and Grounds assures thatall facilities are safe, clean andproperly maintained for studentlearning. The Department also focuseson capital planning, cost savinginitiatives and community use ofschool facilities. Capital improvementsare prioritized annually andrecommended to the Business Office.39

OASD LeadershipHuman ResourcesPam Casey, AdministratorThe Human Resources Department (HR) is committed to hiring and retaining high quality staff to helpraise student achievement, manage resources and build relationships. We are also committed to providinghigh quality services and programs for staff. The District hired 36 certified staff, and 31 supportstaff from among a pool of over 1,500 applicants for the 2010‐11 school year.During the 2010‐11 school year we held numerous Wellness Activities. Among the most successfulwere the Top of Mind Program, Family Bike Ride and the Indoor Track Walkers at OHS. We look forwardto a new and improved Wellness Program this year with the partnership of Humana, the District’snew insurance carrier.The HR Department implemented a digital record‐keeping system duringthe 2010‐11 school year. The system will replace all paper personnelfiles.Public InformationChristine Slowinski, CoordinatorInformation about the Oconomowoc Area School District (OASD) is sought out by various publics formany different reasons. The District stays current with the communication needs of these publics –particularly those of parents and the community. Messages are sent electronically to individuals orcommunicated one‐on‐one at community engagement events. General information is distributed viathe District’s website, Facebook or Twitter accounts or through articles, photos and commentaries appearingin local media. Although these points of contact are varied, the focus is the same: to promotethe District for the innovative, challenging and high‐quality educational experience it offers students,preparing them for success in the 21st century.Community EngagementThis year, the District was part of five community engagement opportunities: Business After Hours atthe Oconomowoc Arts Center; a hybrid bus celebration at Oconomowoc Transport; the annual RealtorBreakfast held in the Little Theater at Oconomowoc High School; an Earth Day Resource Fair at theField House; and a special breakfast for community retirees at Silver Lake Intermediate School. Theseevents help the District listen closely to input from our publics.Social NetworksThe District is now on Facebook and Twitter. The Facebook account, in particular, has shown a lot ofinterest from parents, the media and local businesses. Those sites will continue to receive attentionand be updated regularly during the school year.40

OASD LeadershipResearch Technology AssessmentDr. Derick Kiger, DirectorThe Research Technology and Assessment (RTA)Department supports the District mission by providingstudent information, student assessment, andnetwork services. The Department’s primary responsibilitiesinclude applied research and evaluationin support of school improvement, large‐scalestudent assessment, information systems, and networkresources including internet and website, computers,and other technologies. The RTA staff contributesto policy development, long‐range planning,and staff training events related to its organizationalfunctions.The Oconomowoc Area School District values thecollection, analysis and use of data in pursuit of itsmission. The RTA Department supports this organizationalvalue by executing an annual research andevaluation agenda approved by the Superintendent.Annual projects include stakeholder surveys,test score analysis, program evaluation, and districtperformance reports.The RTA Department is also responsible for studentinformation systems and a growing network thatsupports more than 1,500 computers, laptops, andother technologies. Work continues on the District’sWide Area Network (WAN) as stakeholder demandsare testing its limits. The ultimate goal is to establishand maintain 1‐10Gbps connection speeds forall Oconomowoc sites. Such a robust WAN will facilitateonline instruction, distance learning, virtualfield trips, video streaming, server consolidation andvirtualization, etc.The number of Oconomowoc students taking largescaleachievement tests has increased steadily. Thenext generation of the Wisconsin Student AssessmentSystem will require even more testing as formativeassessments will be required. The mode ofassessment will transition to computer‐based testing.On‐demand access to computers and internetresources will be necessary.41Oconomowoc Among Top 10U.S. School Districts in DigitalTechnologyTop school districts have been announcedin the seventh annual Digital School DistrictsSurvey by e.Republic’s Center for Digital Educationand the National School Boards Association(NSBA). The purpose of the survey is torecognize exemplary school boards and districts’use of technology to govern the district,communicate with students, parents and thecommunity and to improve district operations.Oconomowoc Area School District wasranked second nationally for mid‐sized populationsof 2,500 to 15,000 students.Cathilea Robinett, executive vice president ofthe Center for Digital Education, said, “One ofthe most critical areas of effective schoolleadership for America’s school boards todayinvolves the wise use of technology to providebetter communication, support student learning,and track district results. The 2010 surveyresponses reflect how boards and districts areembracing digital technologies in their goalsand strategic plans, resulting in improvedservices, skill sets and use of digital content intheir curriculum and classrooms. Congratulationsto this year’s winners!”“With rising expectations and shrinking resources,these districts have utilized technologyto effectively serve their students, educators,and community members,” said NSBA’sExecutive Director Anne L. Bryant. “Schoolboards across the country should look tothese districts for ideas about using technologyto make their work as a board moretransparent and their district operations moreefficient.”