The Owen-Withee Schools Strategic Planning group held their third meeting on Monday, June 23. Community Engagement Domains were talked about in small groups before being discussed by the larger group.
Some of the topics covered were perceptions of current practices/supports, quality of interaction/communication, student achievement, curricular resources, access and equity, community outreach and a few miscellaneous other items.
Perceptions and supports lead to discussion of length of time teachers stay, sharing of resources with other schools, English as a Second Language students, behavior supports, and networks of support. Teachers are willing to work with students. They are working on providing more student enrichment. There is more consistency in the reading curriculum. Attendance is up. Math curriculum needs some alignment in the middle school.
Under communication, it was felt more needs to be done, such as more information in the newspaper and possibly putting copies of newsletters or Hawk Talk around town to save on the cost of postage. The website isn’t current. There is a lack of notification to parents sometimes. Sometimes the community is not always nice to new people or new ideas.
Under student achievement, it was felt more emphasis needs to be on growth, not scores. The new reading curriculum needs time to work. More career development opportunities need to be available to students. It was suggested that kids need to be doing college tours in 8th and 9th grade.
Under curriculum, it was stated that students want textbooks that don’t have their parents name in them. They have been focusing on math and reading, but nothing is being done for science or socials studies. If a 30-year teacher retires and a new teacher comes in, there is nothing for them to teach from. They do mentor new teachers.
In regard to access and equity, there is disparity when it comes to access for Spanish speaking families. It was suggested that teachers could learn Spanish and how to interact with them. There are a lot of things for kids in sports or popular organizations. Outliers need to be made to feel a part of things. They are trying to celebrate some holidays from Spanish speaking countries.
For community outreach, it was noted that the school is the hub of the community. They do a great job when something tragic happens. The Fitness Center and Forward Center are available to the public. The students make trips to the Clark County Rehabilitation & Living Center and the residents look forward to it. The students also get out in the community for Community Service Day.
The district does well collaborating with national organizations such as FFA and FBLA. Student Lydia VanArk talked about the district offering more student preparation like the Reality Fair held in Thorp. She felt that overall, the school does a good job.
At the end of the meeting, discussion began about the five pillars under which goals will be created. Three of the pillars were identified: Learning and Teaching, Communication, Maintenance. Those attending are to come back to the next meeting with suggestions for the other two pillars. The next meeting will be August 25.