Announcements and Updates:
Volunteers Needed: October 19th from 9:00 - 5:00
Join us for Elkhorn's Annual Oktoberfest Celebration! Over 100 crafters and vendors showcasing handcrafted items, antiques, produce and plants, home party consultants and more… car show, games, pumpkin decorating, food vendors, live entertainment … not to mention Beer and Wine Tasting. If anyone is interested in volunteering, please contact Chris Clapper.
HOST Families are needed for our foreign exchange student Carmen from Spain. We are eagerly looking for a placement for December - March and March - June. If you are interested, or you know of a potential family, please reach out to John Henderson.
END POLIO Day - Our club will be raising funds by working at the Elkhorn Culver’s on the evening of October 23rd from 5:00 - 8:00. A portion of the profits from sales will be donated to Rotary’s “End Polio” campaign.
Stir it Up - Mark your calendar for November 3.
Tickets were distributed at the meeting. Ticket money needs to be handed in at our meetings, not at the event. There will be 5 musical groups performing this year including: Badger Jazz Band, Faith Christian School Band, Whitewater Jazz Band - as well as the Elkhorn Area High School Jazz Band and Chorale group. Volunteer sign up was starting today. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, so please sell your tickets and mark your calendar.
Rotary Club Leadership Development Workshop
Members please continue attending: Pine Hills Country Club in Sheboygan, WI on Oct 17th from 5:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Rotary Program Summary 10/2/19
Topic: The State of the School District
Presenter: Jason Tadlock
Jason Tadlock, Elkhorn Area School District Superintendent, provided highlights in his “state of the district” presentation for our club members. The annual report was shared and members had an opportunity to look at comparables with districts of like size in our state. While not our neighbors, these districts are demographically like EASD. It was noted that EASD is in the bottom 2% of spending per student in the state, and top 10% of student achievement in the state. At the present time 563 students open enroll into the Elkhorn School district, with only 152 students leaving the district. Due to this net gain of students, we are able to maintain our budget with lower per student costs. When asked about the tax level, Jason shared that in determining the levy for taxes, the state will look at the property value in our county. At the present time we are aided approximately 45% from the state, and 55% from the community.
Jason Tadlock highlighted many of the key initiatives in the district including the OPtions Virtual Charter School and the Alternative High School Program. Such programs have advocated for alternative pathways for students to receive both an associate degree and a high school diploma simultaneously. At this time, there are 12 different associate programs accessible to students at this time in collaboration with Gateway.
The EASD continues to provide excellent access to technology for our K-12 students. Tadlock emphasized that the one/one computing program, as well as STEM opportunities are outstanding. The EASD has earned PLTW national distinguished district awards, and staff at both the middle school and high school have also received recognition at the national level for their work with PLTW as well.
Maintaining the district’s beautiful facilities, increasing family engagement in all of the schools, and providing safe schools for students to attend are continuing priorities in the district too. The district has received various safety grants which have been utilized for upgraded classroom door locks, the Raptor system which screens visitors to the buildings, the WAVE system which notifies law enforcement directly if there is an active crisis situation, and AMHT (Mental Health and Trauma) training for staff. The Olweus program continues to provide anti-bullying awareness and self advocacy skill development for our students in grades K-12 as part of our safety programming.
Jason Tadlock also discussed the upcoming release of the State Report Cards for the district. Student achievement, district academic growth, and closing gaps are just some of the criteria that goes into the report card calculation. It is important to note, however, that the formula for rating each school, as well as district, is not consistent. Therefore for report cards cannot be compared, as critical factors are weighted differently in each situation. A new reporting tool that the district has started to use is the Redefining Readiness report. In closing, Jason Tadlock shared the 2018-19 “Redefining Ready” data with the club and highlighted many of the factors that go into the success of students as they transition to post secondary education and the workplace.
If Rotary Club members are interested in learning more about the newly founded Elkhorn Area School District Education Foundation, they can visit www.easdef.org. This foundation is a nonprofit, independent organization connecting the community and EASD schools to inspire and enhance the educational experience of the students. At the present time it is raising funds to provide learning opportunities and support for students, teachers, and staff by awarding grants for innovative projects. The school district looks forward to fostering ongoing supportive relationships with its alumi and the community.
ROTARY END POLIO DAY AT CULVER'S IS ON WEDNESDAY, OCT. 23RD FROM 5-8PM!
