It has become a tradition that at the end of each school year, the Watertown Unified School District purchases two art pieces from graduating seniors for display at the Educational Service Center (ESC) and at Watertown High School. Pictured are the two selected art pieces – “Out of the Hat” by Ryley Wolfe held by WHS Art Instructor Dave Pawl (pictured at left), and “Blue Symphony” held by artist Rae Heier. Wolfe’s artwork is set for display at the ESC, and Heier’s work can soon be viewed at the high school. The seniors were recognized for their artistic achievements at Monday evening’s Board of Education meeting.
Strategic Planning Work Continues 🗒✏️✔️
Parents, staff, students, and community members are continuing the process of developing a new, comprehensive strategic plan for the WUSD. The Strategic Planning Workgroup held its second meeting on Thursday, June 20 with more than 50 participants in attendance!
At the start of the workgroup meeting, Dr. Melissa Thompson and Nick Kent from Plunkett Raysich Architects provided an update on the state of the district's facilities. The attendees then discussed the purpose of a mission and vision for the school district, along with strengths and areas for growth within the WUSD. Members also discussed opportunities and threats to the district in the present and future.
The next workgroup meeting will take place July 10 from 6-8 p.m. at the Watertown Public Library. Community members are welcome and encouraged to join! To register, visit bit.ly/wusdspsignup.
Summer School Scenes 🌞
Week 2 of Watertown Unified School District’s Summer School program is off to a great start. Students entering grades 1-4 are having fun learning to cook mini pizzas, playing frisbee golf, creating 4th of July tissue paper wreaths, learning about sea turtles, diving deeper into core academics and so much more. This year, there are 1,050 students enrolled in Summer School entering grades K-12.
Did you hear the exciting news? The Watertown High School Marching Band has the incredible opportunity to perform in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in 2026 in Dublin, Ireland! To help offset the cost of the trip for students, the WHS Music Department will hold its first-ever mattress fundraising event on Saturday, August 10, from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. in the WHS Commons.
During the sale, high-quality mattresses manufactured right here in Wisconsin will be sold at deep discounts with a portion of sales going toward trip expenses. If you are planning to replace your mattress in the near future, please consider buying a new one at this event. Please mark your calendar for August 10 and help us spread the word! Follow the mattress sales fundraising event at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1094485391619563?active_tab=about&scrlybrkr=49c5d569
Congratulations to our RMS Panthers who made Fourth Quarter Honor Roll!
PLEASE NOTE: The WHS Band & Orchestra concert live Facebook stream is now expected to begin today at approximately 1:30 p.m. central time instead of 2 p.m. Also note: this is barring any technical difficulties. Thank you!
Special Announcement!
Tune in right here tomorrow at 2 p.m. central time to hear a live concert from the WHS Band & Orchestra from the deck of the USS Intrepid Air, Sea and Space Museum in New York City! 🎺🎻
Congratulations to the Watertown High School Class of 2024! On Saturday, June 8, more than 290 seniors crossed the stage to receive their diplomas in front of a packed field house of family and friends. The graduation ceremony was a wonderful celebration of our students, as well as the teachers, staff, parents and caregivers that have supported them along the way.
Ameera Alouqui is a special little girl with a BIG talent. A recent 5th grade graduate of Schurz Elementary School, Ameera’s art club instructor, Mrs. Tahera Horstman, is shining a spotlight on Ameera’s extraordinary drawing ability. Ameera’s artwork has been recognized in the National Celebrating Art Contest and her peers chose another of her drawings as the image for this year’s Schurz Art Club T-shirt. Ameera said she enjoys drawing animals and figures of humans best, and finds happiness in the time she spends with her sketchbook.
The drawings featured below were drawn free-hand by Ameera. The self-portrait was inspired by the purchase of a fancy umbrella at a yard sale, and sketching angels and anatomy is also of great interest to her.
Mrs. Horstman said Ameera has an “amazing gift of seeing shapes, proportions and space layout – she works hard and finishes every piece she starts.” She added, “I envision her as a very successful free-lance artist who will build a name for herself making special commission portraits and figure art, or perhaps as a creative illustrator/media specialist for large corporations.”
While contest opportunities are limited at Ameera’s age, Mrs. Horstman recently entered Ameera’s work in three youth judging opportunities and is eagerly awaiting the results. “Ameera has grown tremendously while in our art club,” she said. “I have witnessed her emerging talent since first grade, and her fear of taking risks because she always strives for perfection. After winning her art club logo design, and being published in the National Celebrating Art contest, Ameera gained her confidence in so many ways with her art and life!”
Keep growing your amazing talent, Ameera!
From WHS Athletics: There have been multiple requests for a fan bus for tonight’s Softball Semi-final State game. We will provide a free fan bus to include WHS Students and their families (and WHS staff) as an alternate to the traffic and limited parking at Goodman Diamond. Here is the info:
Bus departure TODAY from WHS: 5:00 pm sharp (game time is 7:00 pm)
Cost: FREE. Voluntary donations will be accepted to help offset the cost
Sign up is REQUIRED NO LATER THAN 2:00 pm on Friday, June 7th so that we can plan accordingly for the number of buses. Please note there is limited availability and seats on the bus will be reserved on first come, first served basis.
Game ticket can be purchased online here: https://gofan.co/event/1488559?schoolId=WIAA2
We are not able to accommodate any requests to ride the bus after the 2:00 pm deadline. Sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSce2IP-X8ERq_JWdsBQev9FVH6THjyROpYFvv-13c6HCJFSMg/viewform?usp=sf_link
We hope you will consider joining the fan bus to the game this evening to cheer our WHS Softball team on to victory!
WUSD to Hold Early Childhood Screening The Watertown Unified School District will hold a developmental screening on Friday, June 21, 2024 at the Educational Service Center, 111 Dodge St, Watertown. Developmental screenings are open to children whose parents or caregivers are concerned regarding their speech or development. Screenings are available for children aged 2-years, 9-months through age five. Please contact Jennifer Harris to schedule an appointment at (920) 262-1460 ext. 3208. Appointments run approximately 45 minutes.
WUSD to Hold Early Childhood Screening
The Watertown Unified School District will hold a developmental screening on Friday, June 21, 2024 at the Educational Service Center, 111 Dodge St, Watertown. Developmental screenings are open to children whose parents or caregivers are concerned regarding their speech or development. Screenings are available for children aged 2-years, 9-months through age five. Please contact Jennifer Harris to schedule an appointment at (920) 262-1460 ext. 3208. Appointments run approximately 45 minutes.
🎓 Watertown High School Class of 2024 Graduation will take place this Saturday, June 8 starting at 10 a.m. in the WHS Fieldhouse. Last week, several graduating seniors visited their elementary schools for the annual Senior Walk. The graduation ceremony will be livestreamed via Watertown TV at https://www.youtube.com/live/8Kt__Ln6fRw?si=-w3FJp_zkHLk8omf. Congratulations Seniors, and Happy Graduation!
Our Watertown High School Lady Goslings Softball Team is on its way to STATE! The team will compete tomorrow in the WIAA Division 1 Softball STATE Quarterfinal - SUN PRAIRIE EAST vs WATERTOWN at 10 a.m. at Goodman Diamond, Madison, WI.
A special send-off was held this afternoon at WHS. Congratulations Lady Goslings on your fantastic success, and let's bring home the WIN! #wearethegoslings #WuTownProud
Check this out – another group of Ms. Moulton’s Riverside Middle School students are now officially certified in Red Cross First Aid, CPR and AED training!
Thank you to Riverside Middle School for granting funds for the students' Red Cross certifications, and to the Riverside PTO for granting funds for the portable CPR breathing barriers. These students are now equipped with the skills and knowledge to someday save a life!
Students Earn Global Seal of Biliteracy
Emily Arredondo-Galvan, Mariana Cabrera Canenguez, Michelle Jimenez, Odibel Campuzano, and Viridiana Velez, seniors at Watertown High School, have earned the prestigious Global Seal of Biliteracy. The Global Seal of Biliteracy is an international language certificate that recognizes and celebrates their level of proficiency in two or more languages. The Global Seal of Biliteracy enables programs and businesses across the world to quickly validate a student’s language skills to aide in advanced placement in a post-secondary language program, help students earn scholarships, and provide opportunities for employment. The Global Seal of Biliteracy allows employers to easily verify students’ language skills and be confident that they possess valuable soft skills linked to multilingualism.
In today’s global economy, proficiency in multiple languages has tremendous value. We are proud that Emily, Mariana, Michelle, Odibel, and Viridiana of the Watertown Unified School District are now part of this global community of multilingual individuals. We congratulate our students on this significant achievement and look forward to seeing the opportunities that their Global Seal of Biliteracy will bring them in the future.
As Mental Health Awareness Month draws to a close, we reflect on our theme of “Together for Mental Health.” Our goal as a District is to continue to work toward not only awareness, but acceptance, that mental health plays an important role in our daily lives. Thank you to our students, families, educators and community members for supporting Mental Health Awareness Month 2024!
Chalk the Walk is happening right now on Main Street in preparation for tonight's Art Walk, which runs from 4-6 p.m. in downtown Watertown. Check out all this beautiful artwork being created by our very own Watertown High School students!
On Friday, May 17, Sr. Kleine's Watertown High School Spanish Texts and Composition students traveled to Schurz Elementary School to read the children's stories they authored and illustrated to Sra. Dresser's and Mrs. Bethke's Dual Language Kindergarten students. The books were a final project for the class' Literatura Infantil (Children's Literacy) unit in which they studied the positive effects of reading to children, aspects and characteristics of children's literature, and read the famous children's story "El Principito" (The Little Prince). Both WHS and Schurz students greatly enjoyed each other's company!
🐯🎶 Schurz Elementary School held its annual FIESTA on Thursday, May 9. The evening was filled with music, artwork, delicious food and more! Looking good Tigers! #WatertownWay
