WHS Art Student Rae Heier was selected as the Grand Prize Best in Show award winner at this year’s State Youth Art Month exhibit for her painting “All Trails Lead to You.” The show was held at East Towne Mall last month and included hundreds of artworks that were selected to advance from regional exhibits around the state. Heier’s painting was chosen for the top honor by a panel of judges from the Wisconsin Art Education Association. Heier was recognized during the awards ceremony along with art teacher Dave Pawl, who submitted her work. Both received prizes from Blick Art Materials, sponsor of the award. Congratulations to Rae and Mr. Pawl!
The Watertown Unified School District Board of Education has hired Plunkett Raysich Architects (PRA) of Milwaukee to conduct a facilities master planning study to determine the current and future needs of public school buildings in Watertown. Representatives from PRA were in Watertown on Friday to walk both Schurz Elementary School and Watertown High School with district staff. Key areas that will be studied include the condition of roofing, mechanicals, windows, building safety – both interior and perimeter, internal building layout, and best practices for evolving classroom space needs.
The Douglas Art Club students, under the guidance and instruction of their Art teacher, Mrs. Templin, recently presented pieces they had created to the Watertown Regional Medical Center. Pictured, Douglas Art Club members explain and display their pieces before donating them to the WRMC for display. Community connections make Watertown a GREAT place to live and learn! Shout-out to Mrs. Culp for making the connection, Mrs. Templin for inspiring our artists to do amazing work, and the ARTISTS for working so hard to create beautiful pieces to brighten the days of patients at WRMC!
The Visual Arts Classic Team from Watertown High School competed in State at UW Madison last month and took 3rd Place out of 62 teams. The team brought home 14 Gold medals in individual art making categories and also took 3rd Place in Team Art History Quiz Bowl. Team members include Evan Rodriguez, Brylnee Simon, Dayanara Sanchez, Annie Van der Linden, Ava Lueck, Payton West, Ryley Wolfe, Danielle Krahn, Rae Heier, Kaylee Roberts, Lyle VanGundy, Olivia Sorenson, Isaac Van Buren, and Onyx Elkins. Congratulations! #WatertownWay
The WHS Academic Decathlon team recently competed in the Wisconsin Academic Decathlon State Championships in Green Bay. Our Gosling decathletes won the WIAD Division I State Championships for a remarkable sixth time in program history, bringing home 13 team and individual medals!
The championship team consists of William Wrolstad, Sophie Sullivan, Rae Heier, Abby Bartz, Amelia Boer, Braden Holleman, Emily Page, Gavin Stivarius, Bradley Vick, John Klinger, Alex Helmke, and Erin Peterson.
Way to go, Goslings!
Today is Paraprofessional Appreciation Day! Thank you to the many amazing paraprofessionals working within the Watertown Unified School District for all they do for our students and teachers!
Douglas 3rd graders were able to get out and enjoy the snow from our recent winter storm during recess on Friday!
Douglas 3rd Graders recently competed in the Battle of the Books…reading 15 books as teams of 3, and answering questions about what they had read. The students were so excited to read, read, read and battle!
The 4th and 5th graders from the district had fun at Skate Express for the afternoon on Friday after doing an amazing job in their choir concert on Thursday evening!
The WUSD Student Services team recently toured the newly-opened Matz Center located on Milford Street in Watertown. The Matz Center is a youth crisis stabilization facility for children aged 10-17 in need of residential short-term mental health programming in a supportive and structured environment. During the tour, the student services team held a collaborative discussion regarding youth mental health and resources for parents and guardians. In addition, they discussed the different responsibilities of student service educators, mental health professionals, and parents/guardians in meeting the needs of children.
After reviewing their Panorama Student Survey data, the Douglas 3rd Grade teachers decided to bring the whole grade together for weekly Morning Meetings focused on Emotional Regulation. Students are learning and practicing strategies such as "Mindful Observation" and "Grounding in my Senses" from the Panorama Playbook. Take a peek at the students practicing "Grounding in my Senses" and sharing which of the two strategies they preferred with their classmates. Thanks to all of our teachers who are helping to grow strong learners every day!
Our WUSD students do so many things in a day! Check out these Douglas 5th graders in PE and Media! Learning to bowl and play chess!
Introducing the newest Douglas Elementary Lexia Superstar! Congratulations!!
On Tuesday, March 12th, WUSD hosted the first ever Multilingual Family Night. District EL staff partnered with the Watertown Chamber of Commerce to put on an event at the Watertown Public Library that connected multilingual families to community businesses and resources. Over 100 people attended the event along with 20 businesses and the Watertown Police and Fire Department. Members of the National Spanish Honor Society also participated and created art projects with the children in correlation with the story "The Dot." Both Watertown families and businesses felt that it was a wonderful opportunity to connect and strengthen relationships within the community.
Candidates running for a seat on the Watertown Unified School District Board of Education will have an opportunity to introduce themselves to the community at the Board’s next regular meeting on Monday, March 18, at 6 p.m. at the Educational Services Center, 111 Dodge St.
Presently, there are five candidates seeking three open seats on the board. The candidates include Julie Janowak, Tina Johnson (I), Dan Voeltner, Charity Chandler, and Samuel Ouweneel. Each candidate will be given three minutes toward the start of the Board meeting for introductions. The election will take place on Tuesday, April 2.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jarred Burke said he appreciates the willingness of Watertown area residents to run for a seat on the school board. He said the District is presently facing, and will continue to face, complex issues related to funding, staffing and enrollment.
“The Administration and Board are working hard to set the direction and vision of the district,” said Burke. “We are excited for the community to be able to learn more about the candidates’ skills and the new ideas they could bring to the table as board members.”
For those who cannot attend the board meeting in person, it may be viewed via Zoom by clicking the following link: https://mywusd-org.zoom.us/j/93338943075?pwd=OXViSDcyTGFxZGRhRHRHa0RpMGt2UT09
These authors in Mrs. Johnson’s Douglas Kindergarten were so excited to share their “when I was little” stories with their classmates last Thursday as they started their narrative writing unit!
Check out our talented and creative Douglas artists...sharing their chalk art skills with the school by brightening up the sidewalks during recess!
El Distrito Escolar Unificado de Watertown está organizando su primera Noche de familias multilingües. ¡Venga a disfrutar de comida, recursos comunitarios y actividades para los niños!
The Watertown Unified School District is hosting its first ever Multilingual Family Night! Please come for food, community resources, and children’s activities!
This week we celebrate National School Social Worker Week! School social workers are professionals within the social work field that support staff, students and parents/guardians. School social workers help students cope with challenges, provide academic and classroom support, and serve as a connection for families in accessing state and local resources and support. We cannot thank our WUSD social workers enough for their dedication and services to our students, staff, families and community!
