As we continue on our Road to the Referendum, we invite the community to attend a special presentation this evening, Thursday, Feb. 27 starting at 5:30 p.m. at Watertown High School to better understand why the referendum is needed. If you cannot attend tonight's presentation, catch us on Monday, March 3 at 6 p.m. at the Watertown Public Library.
A WUSD representative will also be present this afternoon from 4-5:30 p.m. to share referendum information at Glenn's Market & Catering, 722 W. Main St. Thank you to Glenn's Market for providing the WUSD with this opportunity to connect with the community!
Schurz Elementary School was recently presented with a Little AG Library through the Dodge County Dairy Promotion Committee. The Little AG Library was made possible through an Agricultural Literacy matching grant from the Wisconsin Farm Bureauās Ag in the Classroom program. In addition to Schurz, three other Dodge County schools were also recipients of a Little AG Library ā Bethany Lutheran in Hustisford, Central Wisconsin School in Waupun and St. Jeromeās School in Columbus.
The Little AG Library was stocked with age-appropriate books representing agriculture commodities found in Wisconsin. The books are housed in a wooden barn-shaped library that was handcrafted by a local Dodge County woodworker and former dairy farmer.
Pictured is Dodge County Dairy Ambassador Brenda Conley with Mrs. Gayle Ebert and her fourth-grade students, many of whom are holding the new books.
Today is National Random Acts of Kindness Day and the start of Adult Crossing Guard Appreciation Week in Wisconsin. Last week, our school bus drivers celebrated School Bus Driver Appreciation Week. We are grateful for our school bus drivers and our crossing guards all throughout the year. Please complete a Random Act of Kindness today by thanking a school bus driver, a crossing guard, a teacher, or anyone you know who works to support children in our community.
š Douglas Elementary Schoolās therapy dog, Bailey, was shown lots of love on Valentineās Day. Not only did he receive pets and cuddles from students, but he was also the beneficiary of an amazing gift from the Watertown-Beaver Dam Elks Lodge 666 in the form of a donation check totaling $4,414 to support his ongoing training and care. The funds were raised through a benefit concert held Jan. 4 with added contributions from Elks Lodge members. This check is in addition to a donation made last year by the Elks Lodge for Baileyās training, equaling $5,984 in total contributions!
Pictured at the check passing last Friday were (from left) Charlie Hensen, school parent who helped spearhead the therapy dog program at Douglas Elementary School; Elks members Tammy Riege Lambert and Dave DeCono, who helped organize the benefit concert; Bailey; Douglas Principal Emily Lessner; and Elks members Cristine Crum and Mike Meyer. Thank you so much!
TONIGHT AT 5:30 P.M. - ROAD TO THE REFERENDUM PRESENTATION AT RIVERSIDE MIDDLE SCHOOL
The public is invited to come learn all about the Watertown Unified School District referendum question that will be on the April 1 general election ballot. Questions and feedback from audience members welcomed!
It's School Counselor Appreciation week and we invite you to join us in thanking our very own caring and compassionate school counselors - Mindy Ganser, Bryce Steckbauer, Kelly Cunningham, Jesse Leonhardt, Lora Konz, Avery Harris, Erikka Olson, and Amy True. The Watertown Unified School District is fortunate to have you, and we thank you for all you do for our students!
Several Watertown Unified School District 5th-8th graders participated in a Math Meet earlier this month at UW-Whitewater sponsored by the Southern Lakes Advanced Learners Network. Our students competed in five different math events, and then enjoyed a delicious lunch compliments of Pizza Ranch of Watertown.
WUSD CLASSES CANCELLED TOMORROW - NO AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES TODAY!
Due to the extreme cold temperatures and wind chill, the Watertown Unified School District is cancelling school tomorrow, Tuesday, January 21, 2025. In addition, all after school activities are cancelled today, Monday, January, 20, 2025.
Please stay safe and warm!
WUSD Parents & Guardians:
Please watch for an email and/or text message this afternoon regarding signing on to Rooms - a new two-way secure messaging tool that will enable parents, teachers, coaches and students to stay better connected. Please note - upon registering, you will enter a virtual "waiting room" at your student's school. This is where all families will gather until Rooms opens district-wide later this spring. Rooms will go live at the start of the Third Trimester or Fourth Quarter depending on where your student(s) attend school.
š³ Happening Tonight! š³
Come "Bowl the Blues Away" this evening at Watertown Bowl 18! The public is invited to attend this special bowling event from 6-7 p.m. where they will not only have fun bowling at a discounted rate of $2 per game, but they will also have the opportunity to learn more about mental health services in Watertown.
For more information, contact Kenda Roman, WUSD mental health coordinator, at romank@mywusd.org.
The cafeteria at Douglas Elementary School is bustling for breakfast! Check out these breakfast helpers and safety patrollers hard at work helping students and keeping others safe!
š£ Attention parents and guardians of current Watertown area 5th graders! Riverside Middle School will host two Parent Information Meetings for incoming 6th graders - one on Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 6 p.m. and another on Thursday, Jan. 16 at 8:15 a.m., both in the Large Group Instruction (LGI) room at the middle school. There is no need to pre-register, please attend when it is most convenient for you.
WUSD Nutrition Services moves to new hot lunch menu platform and app through My School Menus.
Download the My School Menus app or access the new menu link for all WUSD schools on the district's homepage (https://myschoolmenus.com/organizations/2346) or on each individual WUSD school building website.
Features of this new platform include:
ā¢ Complete list of all food choices available to students
ā¢ Nutrient data for menu items
ā¢ Ability to Build-A-Meal and create customized meals
ā¢ Ingredient information for certain menu items
ā¢ Allergen identification by filtering menu items
ā¢ Dietary preference identification showing symbols identifying foods
ā¢ Translation to 180 languages using Google Translate
Please contact the Nutrition Services office at (920) 262-7536 with any questions.
Our students and staff had so much fun during the month of December spreading holiday cheer for all to see and hear - Happy Holidays from the Watertown Unified School District! šš
ā
Due to the wintry weather and potentially unsafe driving conditions that we are experiencing, all Watertown Unified School District after school activities are canceled today, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024.
Please stay safe and warm.
Jarred Burke
Superintendent of Schools
Last week, the Watertown Unified School District hosted three Community Input Sessions to receive feedback on its preliminary Long Range Facilities Plan. The district has been working with Plunkett Raysich Architects (PRA) since early March to develop this plan that will shape the look and structure of district buildings into the future. This long range plan is being developed based on future enrollment projections, highest and best use of classroom and programming space, evolving teaching best practices, and economic feasibility.
The feedback received last week from district staff members, parents/guardians and community members will play an important role in this planning process. Thank you to all who attended. A second round of Community Input Sessions will take place April 22-24, 2025. To learn more about the district's Long Range Facilities Plan, please visit https://www.watertown.k12.wi.us/page/long-range-facilities-planning-study.
Next Wednesday, Dec. 11, Watertown High School will proudly host the SkillsUSA District 4 Conference from 4-8 p.m. More than 350 student competitors from roughly 40 different schools will be in attendance, with 70 industry judges from local businesses and on hand to support the event.
Students will have the opportunity to compete in 28 unique contests ranging from welding to photography to electronics and much more. The public is invited to view the competitions as they take place. Watertown High School Technology Education Teacher Jesse Domer and his team are organizing the event. He said it will be "an amazing night for students to test their skills and celebrate the trades!" #Tradition_Innovation_Transformation
The second of our three Community Input Sessions regarding the WUSD's Long Range Facilities Planning study will take place tonight at 6 p.m. at Riverside Middle School. We strongly encourage citizens to attend tonight's meeting or the third meeting tomorrow (Thursday) at Schurz Elementary School, also at 6 p.m. This planning study, coupled with community input, will shape the district's school building configurations into the future. If attending this evening, please enter RMS through the front doors by the flag pole.
Pictured are WUSD staff members attending the Facilities Study presentation yesterday. Speaking are Superintendent Jarred Burke, Buildings & Grounds Supervisor Kevin Sukow and representatives from PRA, the architecture firm conducting the study. Also pictured are some fabulous National Honor Society students who volunteered to watch little ones so their parents could attend the meeting. Childcare will again be provided tonight and tomorrow evening.
Douglas Elementary School 3rd graders recently learned about the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and hosted a hallway parade of their own prior to Thanksgiving break. Their "floats" were very creative balloons the students decorated themselves! šš¦
The Lincoln STEM Elementary School Student Leadership Team ran a food drive throughout the month of November to benefit the Watertown Food Pantry. These amazing students collected 855 items in total! As an added bonus, members of the Watertown Fire Department picked up and delivered all the items to the food pantry with loading assistance from the students.
We are proud of our Lincoln STEM Pandas for working together to help others in our community. ā¤
