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A community PUBLICATION FROM YOUR SCHOOL
Winter 2014-15
Chetek-Weyerhaeuser Area School District
P.O. Box 6, Chetek, WI 54728
715-924-2226
www.cwasd.k12.wi.us
Board Members: Carri Traczyk, president; David Bonczyk, vice president; Janene Haselhuhn, treasurer; Natalie Springer, clerk; Earl Grover, Barb Reisner and Steve Goulette, members.
IMPORTANT
DATES
January
21—Financial Aid Night
26—HS/MS Parent/Teacher
Conferences
26—Middle School Solo & Ensemble
30—NHS Induction Ceremony
February
21—Laura Johanson Benefit
March
2—Show Choir Concert
16—High Schoo Memorial Concert
19—NHS Blood Drive
23—Middle School Memorial Concert
27—Variety Show
April
2 to 7—Spring Break
11—High School Solo & Ensemble
Check out our school website
for all sporting events:
www.cwasd.k12.wi.us
School board accepts offer for
Weyerhaeuser school building
The Chetek-Weyerhaeuser
Area School District Board of
Education has agreed to proceed
with the sale of the former Weyerhaeuser School Building after
receiving an offer from the Blue
Hills Friends of Scouting.
The board moved unanimously
during a recent board meeting
to proceed with the sale of the
property, which they listed for
sale late last winter after numerous attempts to repurpose the
former school building. Over
recent weeks, an offer on the
building was submitted by the
Blue Hills Friends of Scouting,
a 501c3 non-profit organization formed in 2008 through
the philanthropy of several area
businessmen. The group’s sole
purpose is to promote and make
available to every young man a
scouting experience in the Blue
Hills District, which is comprised
of Rusk, Sawyer, Washburn and
Barron Counties.
According to BHFOS representative Bob Lorkowski, the volunteers of the Blue Hills District take
scouting very seriously, and have
for more than 100 years.
“This acquisition is part of our
plan to develop a facility which
may be used by the Scouts for
its varied year-round activities,
and eventually turned into an
advanced technical education fa-
cility,” said Lorkowski. “Our goal
is to do something good for the
community and the Boy Scouts
of America.”
CWASD Board President and
Weyerhaeuser resident Carri
Traczyk says the move is best for
all involved.
“I am happy that we are able to
sell the building to the Blue Hills
Friends of Scouting,” said Traczyk. “I think we did what was best
for the taxpayers, and it’s some-
thing that needed to happen.
We’ve exhausted all of our efforts
and tried every angle to sell the
building, and I’m confident that
the group will take care of the
building and put it to good use.
I’d much rather let the building
go to them than have to make a
decision in July as to what would
happen next.”
Final details of the sale will be
determined at a special board
meeting in January.
“Big enough for opportunities, small enough to care”
Visit us on the web at www.cwasd.k12.wi.us
2
Advanced Learner program updates
November was National Novel
Writing Month, commonly referred to as NaNoWriMo, and
middle school students enrolled
in the STELM course took on the
challenge of writing a novel in a
month! They said goodbye to their
inner editors, set challenging word
count goals, outlined their plots
and waited patiently for Nov. 1.
Throughout the month of November they wrote everyday trying
hard to keep on track and reach
their goal. By Nov. 30 at midnight,
some students met their personal
goals and some didn’t, but all did
their best work and the class collectively wrote 356,659 words
towards their novels. Now, just
because they hit their word count
goal doesn’t always mean they
finished their story. So, students
spent December individually completing the writing and after students returned from break, classes
dove back in for revision, peer
editing and finally…publishing!
The following are a couple of
excerpts that students chose to get
everyone excited about their novels.
Alex Macer Chronicles: World in Demise
by: Christian Ingram
Chapter 1
In the heart of New York rests a run-down apartment complex. Look up to the 5th
floor, apartment 153. Inside the door lies a room about the size of a walk in closet.
At the far right corner is a desk that is being drowned by an array of different cords
and wires. Several different electronics cover this desk, including a computer. Behind
it is a scrawny 17-year-old, sitting on a seemingly century-old chair. Shaggy brown
hair almost covers his eyes, just about blocking his view of the computer… on the
screen is a green bar slowly crawling, labeled ‘installing’.
“Come on, Hurry up!” The boy, named Alex hurried his computer. It seemed like
ages, but finally the bar came to a stop at the 100% mark. As fast as he possibly
could Alex opened up the game and waited with as much patience as a kid on
Christmas Eve. After a couple more hollers at his screen, the intro began. A raspy
voice blasted through his giant speakers.
“Welcome to the beginning of the end. The world is at the brink of complete
destruction. Our ‘almighty’ dictator Kriton is nearing complete domination of the
world. His number one goal is to destroy anyone in his path, his path to dominate and
then destroy our home—earth. It is your job to take control of a cyborg mercenary,
fitted to be an upgraded copy of you, and stop Kriton from completing this goal of
his. Do whatever is necessary to do this, whether you kill him or cripple his army.
Throughout this journey to stop Kriton, you will encounter several of his soldiers.
These ‘soldiers’ are genetically modified humans, and will stop at nothing to eliminate
whoever they are ordered to. I bid you farewell, and wish you luck, this information
is all I can give.”
The last few words of this transmitted message began to distort, and almost
sound like a robot. This was not the only occurrence that seemed strange, after
the distorted voice faded out, the screen started to do the same. It began to flicker
and show flashes of black and white across the screen. Alex did not know what
to do, so his first instinct was to get up. This however, he couldn’t bring himself to
do. There was some weird force of some kind keeping him in his seat. He tried and
tried, but couldn’t do it. Alex sat there fidgeting around in his seat, his eyes planted
on the screen. All of a sudden it seemed like the screen was moving towards him.
Bigger and bigger the screen became until it totally engulfed his vision…
A Middle School Life
by: Brody Killoren
I looked at my schedule for my next class, gym/health. I walked to my classroom which
was right next to my homeroom. Once again I sat down in the last available seat.
“Hello class.” This teacher was the opposite of my homeroom teacher, she had no
energy and no enthusiasm.
“My name is Ms. Birdy.” Birdy? Who is naming these teachers?
“Today we will learn about a “special” time in your lives called puberty! Now puberty
is…” I couldn’t hear her anymore, I had already passed out.
WI Teen Conference
The first annual Wisconsin Teen
Conference was held at the Metropolis Conference Center in Eau
Claire, WI and included students
from Eau Claire, Altoona and
Chetek-Weyerhaeuser. The theme
of the conference was ‘All About
You’ and focused on strategies
and plans relating to self-advocacy
for advanced learners. Students in
attendance had the following comments about the conference:
“Throughout the day I learned
more about myself than I ever
have in my whole life.”
— Jessika Fjelstad
“I enjoyed the conference because I got to meet people from
other school districts”
— Adam Utke
“I enjoyed the conference very
much because I learned how to
take charge of my learning.”
— Brody Killoren
by: Joseph Jensen
Swing dancing lessons
Visit us on the web at www.cwasd.k12.wi.us
Swing Dancing is currently all the
rage on Wisconsin college campuses.
Join Diane Fjelstad and Doug Riley
for swing dance lessons. Scheduled
dates are Monday, Jan. 26; February
2, 9, and 16. Classes meet in the
Roselawn Elementary lunchroom at
7 p.m. Beginners as well as those
needing a refresher course or new
moves are welcome. Partners are not
necessary but certainly encouraged.
Cost $32 per person. Call Diane at
715-924-3691 to reserve a spot.
Save the date!
03/13/15
4-Year-Old
The Knighthood
Hal was confused. He had assumed that he would get some sort of protection from
all of those deadly blades, but he had not. All at once the blades started churning. Soon
they spun with a surprisingly high velocity. Hal stepped forward, letting his instincts take
over his body. He spun and jumped, ducked and flew, as he whirled his way through
the obstacles. It seemed to take only seconds, but he jumped and his feet didn’t hit
the ground. He looked down as he fell towards the icy water. He hit the surface and a
surge of frozen terror climbed up his spine. The water was freezing! He knew that he
couldn’t stand to be in it for more than a minute.
He started swimming forward. His legs locked up and his joints began to creak
from the cold. He ducked under the water as an ax blade slashed the air right where
his head was a moment ago. Then the fish came. At least two dozen of them ripped
layers of skin from his toes. Just then the shock from the water kicked in. His head
felt like somebody was trying to rip it into pieces and his stomach was almost unable
to hold his breakfast back.
He looked ahead, just a few more strokes. He could make it to the wall if he just
kicked a few more times. Four more strokes...three...two... during the last stroke he made
it to the wall. He just didn’t see the giant swinging ball coming right for his head.
3
Kindergarten
Roselawn PTO Looking for Volunteers
The Roselawn PTO needs your
help! Many may already know what
the PTO-Parent/Teacher Organization is, but what we do? The PTO
is responsible for most of the extracurricular activities that take place for
Roselawn Elementary school, including but not limited to:
• The Scholastic Book Fairs which
raise money for teachers to buy books
and supplies for their classrooms
• The annual apparel sale which offers a chance to purchase Bulldog apparel at very affordable prices while
raising money for other activities
• Food drives
• Yum Yum Yogurt with Moms
(formerly Muffins with Moms)
• Pancakes with Pops (formerly
Danishes with Dads)
• Create a Book Night
• Family Game Night
• Family Movie Night
• Discounted rates for family events
at places such as Skate City and Mommsens’s Pumpkin Patch and Orchard
• Sponsorship of students for the
Young Authors Conference
• School-wide assemblies and speakers such as author Katie McKy
• Themed dances for all elementary
students
• The purchase/installation of new
playground equipment
Without the PTO none of these things
would be possible. The Roselawn PTO is
a 100% volunteer-run nonprofit organization. We are in need of more volunteers
to keep this wonderful program alive.
Don’t worry: there is no minimum commitment required; if you can only help
out with one event during the school year
that’s fine! If you’re available to help with
more, that’s great too, we’d love to have
you! Come check out one of our meetings held on the first Monday of each
month at 6 p.m. in the Roselawn IMC.
Contact President Amanda Smithhisler at [email protected]. or
Vice President Amanda Guthman at
[email protected] with
any questions.
The Chetek-Weyerhaeuser Area School District will
be registering 4-year-old kindergarten students for the
2015–16 school year one day only on Friday, March
13, 2015, at Roselawn Elementary School.
This program is open to all children who will be four
years old on or before September 1, 2015. Kindergarten (K5) screening will be conducted on that date as
well, for children who have not attended a K4 program.
The registration and screening will require approximately one hour for parent and child. The screening
includes vision, communication and social development.
Parents will meet with Cecilia Marc, Elementary School
Principal, and Chelsi Jenness, Elementary Guidance
Counselor, to register their child and learn about the
Bright Beginnings 4-year-old kindergarten program,
busing, and breakfast/lunch program. Parents will also be
able to talk with teachers about their child’s development.
Registration and screening is by appointment only.
Parents should call Shelly Bowlyou at 715-924-2244
ext. 2080 to get an appointment.
4
Foodie Club has students expanding their palates
It is very unusual for most people to step outside of their taste
palate comfort zone. Few adults
try creative, new foods, let alone
teenagers; but that is exactly what
a group of high school students is
doing thanks to the new Foodie
Club at Chetek-Weyerhaeuser
High School.
Led by
teacher Anne
Etten, the goal
of the Foodie
Club is to expose students
to new foods
and provide
advanced
food preparation skills that
wouldn’t fit
into a normal
foods class curriculum.
“I discovered my own love for
unique foods recently,” says Etten.
“Many kids don’t get that exposure around here, and I thought it
would be cool to give them access
to unique and healthy foods.”
The group meets once a month
during homeroom and once after
school. Then they participate in
one field trip a semester. Originally, 85 students signed up for
the group. The overwhelming
popularity led Etten to ask students to apply to be a part of the
group to involve the truly interested students. For their first field
trip in November, 18 Foodie Club
members traveled to Sakura in
Chippewa Falls to try sushi. The
students took to trying the raw fish
better than Etten has expected.
“It was so cool to see,” explained
Etten. “You have to be openminded. Some of these guys may never
eat sushi again, but after we went,
they all felt comfortable. We looked
at the menu beforehand and I
asked them all to just try something
new. They all did, and ordered
things they’d never had before.
Most of them liked it. They were so
good about trying things—whether
soups or raw fish—almost all of
them dove right into it.”
“It was pretty awesome,” says
student Mary Chamberlain. “I
wanted to try different foods and
different flavors. It was cool to
have the chance to try those different foods out there. I had no
idea [what to try] so I just picked a
random dish. I was nervous to see
what the flavors would
be. We tried
sushi, fish
eggs and
some other
things. It
was beyond
my expectations.”
“I wanted
to learn
about new
foods and try
new things,” said student Carter
Burdorf. “I didn’t think I would like
the sushi, but I did. I was a little
intimidated because I wasn’t sure
what was in some things, but I just
ordered a bunch of stuff.”
That wasn’t to say that every
dish they tried was their favorite,
but they were happy to expand
their taste in foods.
“If you get a chance to explore
cultures, you only have one life to
do it,” said Chamberlain.
The following week, Etten then
taught many of the same students
to prepare sushi, and once again,
many of them ate it. Since then,
they’ve also made quinoa and
couscous. The intent is to provide
students with the opportunity to
explore new foods as the year
goes on. Plans are also in the
works for future trips, possibly to
try Indian or Thai cuisine. They
also hope to do some fundraising in future weeks to help create
a little more cash flow for their
food and trips.
As the group continues, Etten
hopes that many of these students
will learn to face their fear of unusual foods and expand their palates.
“Sometimes it’s more a fear
of the food than the food itself,”
Etten notes.
Visit us on the web at www.cwasd.k12.wi.us
C-W all-school variety
show audition dates set
Auditions to be a part of
the C-W Variety Show will be
held after school Tuesday, Feb.
17, and Thursday, Feb. 19, in
the high school choir room.
Elementary students must have
a signed permission slip to receive an audition time. Judges
will be looking for acts that are
dazzling, defined and delightful. All acts must be thoroughly
prepared for audition, three to
five minutes in length, and appropriate for a family audience.
The variety show will be
held on Friday, March 27, at
7 p.m. Look for more info in
weeks to come.
For more information, contact elementary music teacher
Dolly Neby.
C-W musicians perform in honors band
Ten musicians from
Chetek-Weyerhaeuser High
School performed with the
Red Cedar Honors Band
Tuesday, Jan. 6, at Cumberland High School. These
students were nominated,
selected and performed together as a mass band under
Dr. Philip Ostrander from
UW-Eau Claire. Students
were chosen from the Red
Cedar Music District which
includes Chetek-Weyerhaeuser, Rice Lake, Barron,
Bloomer, Ladysmith, Spooner, Cumberland and Hayward. The concert included
John Philip Sousa’s Fairest
of the Fair and highlights
from Les Miserables.
5
DID YOU
KNOW?
You can keep up with the latest
at CWASD by signing up for our
E-Newsletters! Just click on the link
“Stay Current on CWASD News”
located at the top of the district’s
webpage www.cwasd.k12.wi.us. Enter an email address and you’ll be on
your way to getting the news straight
to your inbox!
Also, don’t forget you can also keep
up with the latest on school news via
our Facebook site! There’s a link right
on our homepage for that, too!
CWHS/MS daily announcements
are available on our website. We’ll
work to update them each morning
so parents/guardians and students
have another change to check them
out through the day.
Yearbooks!
High School Yearbooks
It is never too early to order your
2014-2015 yearbook! Yearbook
sales are open now. You can order
on-line at www.balfour.com, or pick
up an order form in the main office.
Early Bird Special
January–February $45
March–June $50
(There is no guarantee for yearbooks
if ordered after April 15, 2015)
Pictured are, back row, left to right: Isaiah Jensen, Brett Gooden, Haley Hong-Johnson,
Caitlynn Hoff, Chloe Steiner, David Bognar and Demitre Ellis; front row, Ben Westholm, Clay
Steiner and Dylan Martinson.
Middle School Yearbooks
Yearbooks are on sale until March
31, 2015. You can order them
on-line at www.balfour.com or pick
up an order form in the main office.
The cost is $13.
6
7
C-W Christmas Concerts
8
7th Grade C-W Boys Basketball Review
By coach John Loy
The C-W 7th grade basketball team has had an exciting year. Despite a great range of size and experience
within the roster, the boys have been able to come together and play as a team to the tune of a 7-2 record!
This is largely due to the “little guys” being able to
handle the ball and keep their eyes up to feed the “big
guys” in the post. The “big guys” have been returning the favor by kicking the ball back outside for open
shots by the “little guys.”
Our closest games of the year were both away;
against Hayward and Spooner. At Hayward, the boys
suffered a loss on a last second shot, while they were
able to overcome an overtime contest against the Rails.
They played their best contests against good Rice Lake
and Ladysmith teams.
Members of this year’s squad include: Broc Haas,
Axel Malony, William Peters, Carter Hanson, Peyton
Kowalski, Dakota Hermann, Mason Kopras, Cole
McNabb, Riley toufar, Carson Hoff, Kyle Biladeau, and
Darien Traczyk.
8th Grade C-W Boys Basketball Review
By coach Sandy Newell
As we approach mid-January, the eighth grade boys’ basketball team
can look back on a successful season with a record of 6-5. They finished
their season with a tournament on Dec. 20 versus McDonnell Central
Catholic and Clear Lake.
They began honing their skills back in October with basic skills practice. Their first match-up of the season came against Cumberland—a
team with which they were evenly matched. The young Dogs came
away with a 40-30 point win. The season then took a turn as they
faced an always-strong Bloomer team who out rebounded the smaller
Bulldogs. But, they kept the game close only losing by 9 in the end.
Probably the toughest loss of the season was against Spooner. The
Dogs seesawed back and forth with the Rails. Their biggest lead at one
point was 5. However, they would end up falling short by just 1 point.
Their only other loss was to Rice Lake.
Highlights of the season included all 10 members of the team scoring in
each of 3 games. Another positive to the season included a strong showing against larger Hayward squad which the Dogs won by 11 points.
The boys got their only taste of going against a zone defense when they
traveled out of their conference to play Cornell. After taking them awhile
to adjust, the boys managed to bring home the victory.
Members of this year’s squad include: Phillip Gilbertson, Jordan Rihn, Dalen
Peet, Carter Buchman, Broderick Meskers, Austin Fankhauser, Connor Rihn,
Tyler Kessinger, Bronson Schofield, Jared Newell, and Jacob Konvicka.
Visit us on the web at www.cwasd.k12.wi.us
9
C-W Winter Athletic Schedule: remaining dates
BOYS BASKETBALL
Friday, Jan. 16 .....................C-W at Barron
Thursday, Jan. 22 ............. C-W at Bloomer
Tuesday, Jan. 27 .............Ladysmith at C-W
Friday, Jan. 30 ...........C-W at Northwestern
Tuesday, Feb. 3 .... C-W at McDonell Central
Thursday, Feb. 5 ...............C-W at Hayward
Tuesday, Feb. 10 . ..................C-W at Regis
Friday, Feb. 13 . ...........Cumberland at C-W
Saturday, Feb. 14 ............. Cameron at C-W
Tuesday, Feb. 17 . .......... C-W at Elk Mound
Thursday, Feb. 19 ............. C-W at Spooner
Thursday, Feb. 26 ................Barron at C-W
Head Coach — Ryan Robarge
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Thursday, Jan. 15 ............. Bloomer at C-W
Tuesday, Jan. 20 .............C-W at Ladysmith
Friday, Jan. 23 ...........Northwestern at C-W
Thursday, Jan. 29 .............Hayward at C-W
Monday, Feb. 2 ....................C-W at Amery
Friday, Feb. 6 ...............C-W at Cumberland
Monday, Feb. 9 ........ C-W at Chequamegon
Thursday, Feb. 12 ............. Spooner at C-W
Saturday, Feb. 14 ............. Cameron at C-W
Monday, Feb. 16 ............. Boyceville at C-W
Friday, Feb. 20 . ...................C-W at Barron
Head Coach — Dom Olson
WRESTLING
C-W/Prairie Farm
Thursday, Jan. 15 ....... C-W/PF at Superior
Thursday, Jan. 22 ................Barron at C-W
Saturday, Jan. 24 ......Invit. at St. Croix Falls
Thursday, Jan. 29 .....C-W/PF at Northwestern
Tuesday, Feb. 3 ...............Ladysmith at C-W
Saturday, Feb. 7 ......Conference at Spooner
Head Coach —Bob Olson
HOCKEY
Barron/C-W/Cumberland/Spooner/Shell Lake
Thursday, Jan. 15 ...................... at Altoona
Monday, Jan. 19 ............................at Regis
Tuesday, Jan. 27 ............Hayward at TBD**
Sat., Jan. 31 ......Waukesha Catholic at TBD**
Tuesday, Feb. 3 ..........................at Ashland
Thursday, Feb. 5 ............... Amery at TBD**
Thurs., Feb. 12 ......Baldwin-Woodville at TBD**
Head Coach — Phil Sykes
**Due to venue operations being delayed at this time, game locations will
be determined at a later date. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Chetek-Weyerhaeuser
Youth Wrestling
Youth wrestling will begin the week
of January 5, 2015, and run through
the end of February.
This year practices will be on
Tuesdays from 6-7:30 p.m. for the
2nd–5th grade wrestlers and Thursdays for the Pre-K through 1st grade
wrestlers from 6-7:30 p.m. Practices
will be held in the high school
wrestling room.
This is to be a learning
experience for any child
that is interested, boy or
girl. Your child can come
to as many or as few of
the practices as you/they
want. We will do our best
to match kids of similar
experience and size. Please
have your child wear comfortable
clothing such as shorts and a T-shirt
and clean athletic shoes. No need to
sign up in advance, come to practice
and we will get your child signed up.
There is no fee for practice, if you
elect to go to tournaments then there
will be a charge for tournament entry.
If you have any questions, email Nik
at [email protected]. You can
also call 715-475-8270.
Dates for Pre-K through 1st grade
practice: January 8, 15, 22, 29 and
February 5, 12, 19, and 26.
Dates for 2nd through 5th grade
practice: January 6, 13, 20, 27, and
February 3, 10, 17, and 24.
Check out our
website for
sports events
and news
www.cwasd.
k12.wi.us
or follow us
on Facebook!
10
Music Department Dates 2015
Continuing Education Offered by WITC
Classes running through Chetek-Weyerhaeuser High School, 1001 Knapp St., Chetek
Lisa Ippolite, Director | P.O. Box 6, Chetek, WI 54728 | 715-924-3137 ext 2011 | [email protected]
All Dates in bold are required for a grade for the students in those specific performing groups
Monday, Jan. 26 ............................................ Middle School Solo & Ensemble Festival at Ladysmith High School
Monday, March 2 ......................................... Show Choir Concert
Tuesday, March 10 ....................................... Large Group Festival at Rice Lake (groups to be determined)
Monday, March 16 ...................................... High School Memorial Concert
Monday, March 23 ...................................... Middle School Memorial Concert
Class Name
Gluten-Free Cooking
Want to try gluten-free, but don’t know how to start? Learn about ingredients and
cooking techniques. Please bring take-home containers and a $10 material fee payable
to instructor.
Woodworking (in Weyerhaeuser school)
Friday, March 27 ........................................... Variety Show
Whether you are a novice or advanced wood carver, your instructor will guide you to
complete a project of your choice. Gain an understanding of the properties of wood,
hand and power tools, safety and how to market your wood products. Be prepared to
provide your own materials and safety glasses. Class is held at the old Weyerhaeuser
School’s shop room.
Saturday, April 11 ........................................ High School Solo & Ensemble Festival at Rice Lake High School
Mexican Cooking
Thursday, March 26 ...................................... Variety Show Dress Rehearsal
Thursday, April 16 ....................................... Roselawn Spring Concert (grades K, 2 and 4)
Friday, April 17 .............................................. UW-Madison Varsity Band Concert Trip (CWHS band)
Wednesday, April 22 ................................... Spring RCMD Meeting (music faculty)
Saturday, May 2 ........................................... State Solo & Ensemble Festival at UW-Eau Claire
Monday, May 18 .......................................... High School Spring Concert
Saturday, May 23 ........................................ Graduation (required for high school band students grades 9–11)
Monday, May 25 .......................................... **Memorial Day Ceremony
Thursday, May 28 ........................................ Middle School Spring Concert
Saturday, July 4 ............................................. 2015 Liberty Fest Parade in Chetek (high school band and color guard)
Join us to learn how to combine the spices and ingredients which make Mexican
food unique and delicious. Please bring take-home containers and a $10 material fee
payable to instructor.
Natural Dyes
You may bring your own natural fabric or yarn to dye. Please bring a $10 material fee
payable to instructor.
Woodworking (in Weyerhaeuser school)
Whether you are a novice or advanced wood carver, your instructor will guide you to
complete a project of your choice. Gain an understanding of the properties of wood,
hand and power tools, safety and how to market your wood products. Be prepared to
provide your own materials and safety glasses. Class is held at the old Weyerhaeuser
School’s shop room.
Jams & Jellies
In a jam? Join us to make jams and jellies of many flavors! Please bring your own
half pint/pint jars, lids and a $10 material fee payable to instructor.
Sunday, Sept. 6 .............................................. 2015 Booster Days Parade in Weyerhaeuser (high school band and color guard)
Medicinal Herbs
**Memorial Day ceremony is required for high school band members grades 9–11; middle school band members are welcome to
participate either playing or carrying the banner or flags
Trellis Building
—Some specific dates are yet to be determined
—Donations accepted: The Chetek-Weyerhaeuser Band is always looking for donations of music, music books, black dress pants,
hangers (plastic or wooden) and black socks. If you have a used band instrument that you’d like to donate, we can give you a letter
to put in your 2015 tax information. For more information, please contact Ms. Ogren at 715-924-3137 ext. 2088.
Visit us on the web at www.cwasd.k12.wi.us
11
Learn how to grow and safely use medicinal herbs to enhance your health and treat
various conditions naturally. This course also requires a $10 materials fee.
Create a willow trellis or experiment with other outdoor, garden or patio furniture.
Learn about types of trellises, bending techniques and construction. Please bring work
gloves, pruning shears (if you have them) and a $10 material fee payable to instructor.
How do I register?
Date
02/24/15
Time
Day
6–9 p.m. Tuesday
Fee
Course Fee $21.50
Senior Fee $13
03/04/15–
Course Fee $55.50
5–8 p.m. Wednesdays
03/25/15
Senior Fee $30
03/10/15
6–9 p.m. Tuesday
Course Fee $21.50
Senior Fee $13
03/31/15
6–9 p.m. Tuesday
Course Fee $21.50
Senior Fee $13
04/01/15–
Course Fee $55.50
5–8 p.m. Wednesdays
04/22/15
Senior Fee $30
04/23/15
6–9 p.m. Thursday
Course Fee $21.50
Senior Fee $13
04/30/15
6–8 p.m. Thursday
Course Fee $13
Senior Fee $8.75
05/07/15
6–9 p.m. Thursday
Course Fee $21.50
Senior Fee $13
WITC is an Equal Opportunity/Access Employer and Educator.
Online at witc.edu (click on Classfinder)
In person at WITC Rice Lake, New Richmond, Ashland or Superior in Student Services
By phone using a credit card. We accept VISA, MasterCard and Discover • 715-234-7082, ext. 5409 or 5410
By mail—send your registration in by mail with payment to: WITC Rice Lake, 1900 College Drive, Rice Lake, WI, 54868
12
Common Core and Chetek-Weyerhaeuser Area School District
a letter from Mark Johnson, superintendent
First and foremost, I would like
to wish everyone a happy new
year and my hope is that everyone had a wonderful holiday
season. It always amazes me how
quickly the years go by, but it
also reminds me to reflect on all
the great things that occurred in
the previous year. I look forward
to all those great things that are
in store for us in 2015.
For my article this issue, I have
chosen to write about the widely
discussed and debated, yet not
fully understood topic, of the
Common Core State Standards
(CCSS). Even though many
outside of the educational world
know a little about the common
core standards, there also is a
great deal of misinformation and
misconception related to the
common core curriculum. It is my
hope that this article serves as a
very brief introduction of common core standards and provides
some factual information as to
what the common core standards
are, how and why they were developed, and how they are being
used in our school district.
To say that the term common
core is one that is misunderstood
is an understatement. Michael
Fullen, an internationally recognized researcher and author, wrote
“terms travel easily, but the meaning of the underlying concepts
does not.” Even though Mr. Fullen
was not specifically referencing
the common core standards when
he wrote this statement, Fullen’s
point is certainly applicable to the
term common core. Few phrases
in recent memory have come to be
so misunderstood, mean so many
things to so many people, and
used for so many different purposes—both educational and political.
What are the common core
standards? The common core
is a set of high-quality academic
standards in mathematics and
English language arts/literacy
(ELA). These learning goals outline what a student should know
and be able to do at the end of
each grade. Recognizing the value
and need for consistent learning
goals across states, in 2009 the
state school chiefs and governors
that comprise CCSSO and the
NGA Center coordinated a stateled effort to develop the Common
Core State Standards. Designed
through collaboration among
teachers, school chiefs, administrators, and other experts, the standards provide a clear and consistent framework for educators.
Why were the common core
standards created? There were
several reasons why there was
a need to create a set of common curriculum standards across
states. First, the standards were
created to ensure that all students
graduate from high school with
the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in college, career,
and life, regardless of where they
live. In addition, common core
standards assist educators as they
prepare students for the world
once they leave the K-12 environment by providing learning goals
that develop critical thinking and
problem-solving skills.
KEEP
IN MIND
The common core standards
also help address the fact that in
today’s society families are highly
mobile—often moving from state
to state or even internationally
multiple times. The establishment
of common core standards across
states helps assure that as families
move, they can have some degree
of confidence that their children
are educationally prepared regardless of where they might reside.
Personally, as a parent who moved
from one state to another, I found
it refreshing that of the myriad of
transitions that my children would
need to go through, we did not
have to worry about what gaps in
learning they may experience. Because both their former school and
the Chetek-Weyerhaeuser Area
School District were implementing
the same curriculum, my children
experienced a much better transition academically then they would
have five years ago.
In our district, the common core
curriculum simply means that our
students are being asked to learn
concepts in greater depth and to
a higher cognitive level than ever
before. Parents and students will
certainly see an increase in rigor
and a focus on allowing students
to gain a more thorough understanding of concepts. Students are
being asked to think more critically, solve problems with real-world
applications and be able to explain
and even write about the work
they are doing. While this may be
difficult at first, it is my observation
that students quickly have risen to
the greater expectations.
We are committed to common
standards and curriculum resources
reflecting high expectations of
rigor, regardless of the grade level
of the student or the teacher to
whom they are assigned. We are
not particularly focused on how
such an expectation or standard
is labeled, but rather, is it sound
educationally, does it make good
sense, and is it good for students.
The term common sense may be
more applicable to the ChetekWeyerhaeuser Area School District
than the increasingly political term
common core.
In the Chetek-Weyerhaeuser
Area School District, our administrators, teachers and support staff
are prepared and committed to
focusing on the learning of each
student—skill by skill. Our staff believes that high levels of learning
for each student are much more
important than labels, and further
they believe they have the expertise and the enthusiasm to ensure
that each student does learn, and
does think at high levels.
In short, we are committed to
enhancing the rigor of learning for
each student rather than engaging in the educational and political
debate surrounding the term common core. We believe that it is our
mission to provide an education
that best prepares our students for
whatever future they select. We
have all dedicated our lives to laying
the foundation for future success of
our students. If we don’t focus on
high levels of learning for each student now, when will we, and who
ultimately will pay the price?
• Our Facebook page is a great way to stay informed throughout the school year!
Check it out— https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chetek-Weyerhaeuser-Area-School-District/364221576928618
• Yearbooks will be on sale for a limited time, so get your order in today!
• Student lunch menus and other district information can be found on our website:
www.cwasd.k12.us
Design and printing of this publication were provided by The
Chetek Alert