Wauwatosa West Updates

Thank you to the families that have participated in the conferences so far this year. We have one remaining date for the Fall conferences

On the evening of November 2 we will host an in-person, live format. Those conferences will not be scheduled.

We are working to make the conferences more productive for families. A strong partnership with parents is foundational to student learning. To help you prepare to get the most out of the limited time please consider some of the questions below as you meet with teachers. At West we are working to elevate your voice and be sure that your needs are met and your questions answered when you leave the conferences.

Following the last session we will gather and reflect on input and refine our conference plans to meet the needs of families as effectively as possible.

We are excited to see students engaged in reading, analysis and collaboration at any point during the school day. Mr. Bold was thrilled to see all three on display in Ms. Esenberg's AP Language course as students worked together to prepare for their summative Rhetorical Analysis Essay. You can see the students hard at work in the photos below. The lesson is a model of the power of collaborative learning.

Tardiness continues to be a significant problem at Wauwatosa West. It is not uncommon that nearly 10% of our students are late to first hour alone. This is a barrier to the success of our students and our school. We will continue to work toward a multi-prong approach with our students.

1. We will continue to communicate the importance of timeliness and the expectation with our students.

2. We are developing a positive incentive for attendance and timeliness for the month of November that will be communicated soon.

3. We will use the consequences below to enforce our expectations with students. Please help us by re-enforcing the importance of timeliness with your child.

We are proud to partner with the Educational Theatre Association, Music Theatre International and Disney Theatrical Group to produce this pilot production. We are grateful to have received this honor, thanks to our talented students and dedicated staff. We are equally proud of our supportive community. All tickets are sold out for the entire run; our students will perform for a packed house.

We’re ready to take Wauwatosa by (snow)storm! See you in Arendelle! #tosawesttheatre #varsitytheatre #tosawest #tosaproud #UsofFrozen #loveisanopendoor

Enjoy this feature on CBS58 to hear more about our upcoming production.

The PTA is excited to announce a new spirit wear fundraiser now open for orders!! ALL NEW items

available for order, including Under Armour, Nike, Adidas merchandise, plus flannel pajama pants,

winter hats, and a stadium blanket. Name customization also available on most items, for additional $5

fee.

This is an online store only, for a limited time only. Over 80 items to choose from!! Orders accepted only

through October 30th at midnight, so SHOP NOW at this link! Items will be delivered in time for holiday gift giving.

Pick up orders at Tosa West, date TBD, watch announcements for pick up details.

This fundraiser will help support the Wauwatosa West PTA with things like scholarships, teacher appreciation week, graduation reception, and much more. Happy shopping, Trojans!

We are fortunate to have exceptional student leaders at West that would be great candidates for the Senate Scholar Program.

The Senate Scholar Program is an intensive week-long educational program offered by the Wisconsin State Senate. Admission to the program is highly competitive and is limited to 33 academically exceptional high school juniors and seniors from around Wisconsin. Each Senate Scholar receives a hands-on, up-close view of the Legislature’s role in our democracy.

Senate Scholars gain experience in such diverse areas as policy development, constituent relations, and processing legislation by working with Senators, legislative staff and University of Wisconsin faculty. Interested students should click here to learn more and submit an application. Applications are due by November 17, 2023.

Students at West are fortunate to have a wide range of opportunities to take a college level course in high school. Many see this all the way through to the exam at the end of the term. As seen in the table below we see more students accepting that challenge every year. By choosing to take an AP exam at the conclusion of a course, students could potentially earn college credit depending on the score they receive and their university of choice. If a student elects not to take an AP exam, this will have no bearing on their final grade for their AP class. AP (Advanced Placement) exams are completely voluntary and are not required. That said, students are encouraged to embrace the challenge of the exam to better prepare them for college if they choose to pursue that route.

Wauwatosa is one of only a few districts that require an AP experience. All sophomores are required to take AP Human Geography. While we don't expect all students to proceed to college after graduation it is our goal to make that option available by engaging and supporting all students in rigorous coursework. New this year, the Wauwatosa School District will pay for the exam for any student in AP Human Geography that chooses to register for the exam. I am proud to work in a school that committed to removing barriers to success.

The deadline for registering for the AP exams is approaching. Brand new this year, the Wauwatosa School District has decided to use Total Registration for all AP exam registration and payments. By using this site, schools will no longer require a paper registration form to be collected.

Exam registration will be completed online and will begin today, September 27, 2023. Friday November 3, 2023 is the deadline to make either the $40 per exam deposit payment or full payment. All final AP payments will be due by the Friday, March 1, 2024 deadline. More detailed information has been sent directly to students that are presently enrolled in AP courses.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Mr. Bret Harttert at hartterbr@wauwatosa.k12.wi.us after October 9, 2023

The Division of Academic Performance will be reviewing 1-12 World Language programming in order to help us to realize progress toward Strategic Objective 1.1- Review curriculum, instructional resources, programming, and assessments to ensure alignment with the academic goal statement. As named previously, a formal audit will be conducted to help us understand and elevate the current state of the World Language curriculum in the Wauwatosa School District. This audit is being conducted by Donna Clementi, Ph.D. and you can view her

To deepen our auditor’s understanding of World Language in the Wauwatosa School District, it is important for her to hear from our families.

If you could please complete the linked survey below by Monday, November 6th, our auditor would greatly appreciate your perspective. Your feedback will be confidential and synthesized only by Dr. Donna Clementi.

World Language Survey

Thank you again for your time and voice in this review process. Linked here is additional information on the Wauwatosa School District 7-Year Curriculum Cycle.

This week, the Tosa 2075 Task Force reviewed a variety of potential scenarios related to increasing revenue and/or reducing expenses to close our budget shortfall. Messages were sent from Superintendent Demond Means to members of the Washington and Jefferson communities on Tuesday, October 24, and a message was sent to the full district community on Wednesday, October 25. These messages, along with materials reviewed by Task Force members to-date, can be found on the Tosa 2075 Task Force web page. Members of the community are strongly encouraged to stay up-to-date on the Task Force’s activities by reviewing materials, meeting agendas and recaps on this web page. The Task Force will meet again on Tuesday, November 14, 2023.

Please join members of the Division of Pupil + Family Supports at the Wauwatosa East theater on Wednesday, November 8 at 6:30 p.m. for an informational presentation to get to know the Mental Health Specialists at the secondary schools and learn more about how they support students. The event will conclude with a presentation about school anxiety and refusal by Rogers Behavioral Health Clinicians. View this flyer for more information.

On Sunday, November 12 from 4-6 p.m., learn about four teens’ experiences with mental health and other challenges at a TED Talk-style presentation that also features resources and a dessert buffet. Click here to view the event flyer or RSVP at www.wishuknew.org.