Thoughtful Leadership

Have you taken time this week and seized the opportunity to make a profound difference in the achievement of your students through thoughtful leadership?  Not just a difference that happens by hope or chance, but by purposeful leadership actions on your part, that directly lead to higher levels of performance in those you lead? The need for effective and inspired leadership has never been more pressing. The opportunity to lead is ours.

Reflecting back on these first three weeks of school, how have you established your leadership platform among those you serve? Do others know what you truly value? Do you live out those values in your daily preparation, planning and actions?

It is in those quiet moments of reflection, that we learn the most about ourselves. I hope each of you are able to take some quiet moments over the weekend to reflect upon your purpose and be thankful for the great leadership responsibility given to you.

Collegial Studies Process 2015-2016

The School District of Waukesha is supporting collegial studies through Viterbo University for the 2015-2016 school year. For more information on running a collegial study go to the SDW Website.

Below is the information provided on the website:


Collegial Studies

A collegial study is a "study" of a certain topic with your fellow educators that focuses on district priorities. There is typically a collegial study "facilitator" who is the lead contact person for the study.

Collegial studies may be worth 1, 2, or 3 graduate credits (1 credit is $220.00) from Viterbo University based on the amount of work completed. The number of credits applied to a collegial study will be determined by the study facilitator and communicated to participants through the syllabus created by the facilitator. A syllabus template, as well as Viterbo's rubric for assessment of grades can be provided by contacting Chris Garcia at cgarcia@waukesha.k12.wi.us.

• All ELEMENTARY Collegial Study Proposals should be submitted to Bob Antholine (rantholine@waukesha.k12.wi.us) and Chris Garcia.
• All SECONDARY Collegial Study Proposals should be submitted to Jody Landish (jlandish@waukesha.k12.wi.us) and Chris Garcia.
• Instructors need to submit final grades to Bob Antholine for BOTH Elementary and Secondary studies.

Balanced Leadership

Principals and teachers are asked to fulfill many varied responsibilities that are important to running an effective school or classroom. Not all of these responsibilities, however, are essential to improving student achievement. In light of rising global competition, the universal call for higher levels of student achievement, and increasingly rigorous systems of accountability, challenge us to have highly effective teachers and principals leading our schools. Balancing when and how to maintain the status quo with when and how to challenge it, is often the difference between effective and ineffective leadership.

Setting a direction, whether it be in your individual classrooms, a school, or a district system, accounts for the largest proportion of a leader's impact. Setting a clear direction for student and staff outcomes is the foundation of a shared vision for building a culture of community in our classrooms and throughout the entire school.

Thank you all for setting a clear direction. Our students need it and our system growth needs it. Your leadership is making a difference!

Leadership for the K-12 Art Department

Congratulations to Nellie Worden and Kirk Benson for seeking and securing the K-12 Art Coordinator leadership position for our district.

Nellie is in her third year of teaching art at Hawthorne STEM Elementary as well as the Waukesha Juvenile Center. She has taught at the Waukesha ONE Conference on personalized learning in the art room, as well as participated in CESA's Personalized Learning Conference last fall. Currently, she is working on co-creating a Kid Art Magazine and building connections to art classrooms globally. You can find her after school in Art Club or spending her school free time leading "loom lunches". Nellie dabbles in all mediums but her love is fiber arts and she is always seeking out new opportunities to learn and grow.

Kirk has been teaching art for the past four years at the Waukesha STEM Academy-Randall Campus where he has worked to provide choice based and personalized learning opportunities for students in the art classroom. He also facilitates a mix of after school activities including Coding Club, Vex Robotics, and Cross Country. Kirk has recently collaborated to help launch the Waukesha STEM Academy's new Makerspace and is excited to continue to see the space grow. Kirk is also a practicing artist and focuses much of his work in the area of printmaking.



  

Welcome back!

What is that I hear? It's like a buzzing sound...laughter....energy....teachers....yes; we are back in action! These first few days officially back in school never get old. It's like a new beginning. I heard words and was involved in conversations this week centered around: belief, students, goals, and focus. Twitter is lighting up with positive celebrations coming out of each of our @WaukeshaSchools.

Principal leadership and teacher leadership does have an effect on student outcomes. We know this. Your leadership matters! Your capacity to believe in your shared vision, work as a team to create ownership, and then commit to these actions with each and every student that walks in our doors next week....is what makes the true magic happen!

You are needed and valued. Needed not just by that student who walks into your building next week, but by that teacher across the hall from you, that assistant working with you and that administrative team that has prepared a pathway to success. Be ready, be your best....and Waukesha leaders....be ready to change the world!

Connecting in the 'Sha

Last week in the 'Sha, was full of positive energy as we welcomed new teachers to the School District while connecting and learning together during our PSI Learning Institute.

"Captain Redshirt....Be the Tortoise....Be here when the kids are here...read the CONNECT....check your email....The School District of Waukesha is a WONDERFUL place to teach, work and lead!"

#countdowntogreatness  #connecting  #learning  #leadership  #wevalueYOU

Countdown to Greatness

It was the week before our August Learning Institute and all through the 'Sha, the Administrators and Coordinators were giving it their all! A sad opener with a holiday rhyme, but it came to me..just in time.

Monday and Tuesday of this week, every school Principal in Waukesha presented their School Improvement Process, along with Coordinators presenting their department goals. Each plan was grounded in leadership actions around vision, high leverage practices, professional development, progress monitoring and data communication (L1-L5).

Some of the highlights from our reviews together include:

* A district-wide focus on literacy and math achievement for all students.

* A focus to build the capacity of teachers to meet students needs and grow opportunities for the teaching and learning community.

* Every school is operating off of a similar school improvement format that is connected to Educator Effectiveness and the SLO framework.

* Professional sharing and collaboration is strong among school teams.

* School improvement plans are focusing on maximizing student achievement at every level.

We know that any improvement process takes focus and hard work on, "keeping the main thing, the main thing".  Having every leader in our district focus on literacy, and every teacher leader focusing deeply on refining specific strategies related to literacy and inquiry-based classrooms, our students are sure to benefit!

Each leader in our district is focusing on implementing the priorities we already have in place. Looking at the change model image above, we have always been good at continuously initiating things, but the true mark of greatness, is to have all schools living in that next phase of implementation and then eventually refining our work so that it becomes fully integrated into all classrooms and schools across the system.

Our focus is to keep our organization moving forward on a positive path of growth. The only way to really successfully and sustainably move our schools forward is to work together, as a team. I look forward to supporting you on your journey to integration, student growth and achievement! 

#Countdowntogreatness