WCS Goes Online With New Website
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Patrons of Warsaw Community Schools can check on their children's school or look up the latest school board notes via computer now that WCS has its own home page on the Internet: www.warsaw.k12.in.us
Developed by Nancy Rooker, a member of the WCS technological development team, the site includes individual pages on each of the corporation's 13 schools, plus an introduction to the superintendent, information about the school board's strategic plan and links to other educational sites.
In a report to the school board Monday night, Rooker explained that the site has been accessible to the public since Oct. 1. The schools' individual pages were developed by teachers and students at each school.
Besides being good information for the public, said assistant superintendent Dr. Anthony Etienne, "just doing the web pages was a good learning experience for the teachers and kids."
While the site is still not completed, it can be used by parents to stay up-to-date on their kids' school calendars or assignments, and by students in some classes to complete extra credit assignments or practice skills.
The project is a good example of a practical application of technology, said board member Craig Allebach: "One of the things we've talked about as a board is how to integrate the technology into the curriculum."
Adjusting curriculum formats to meet the changing needs of students is the purpose of proposed block scheduling at Warsaw Community High School, principal Paul Crousore said Monday.
Deliberations on block scheduling began in 1991, Crousore said, as the school began "looking at time and how we reorganize time to meet the needs of young people."
The proposed scheduling would be what Crousore called a "modified block four" schedule, which means four 90-minute sessions each day. One session could be divided into two 45-minute sessions.
Assistant principal Jennifer Brumfield said each class would meet for 90 minutes every day, allowing a semester's worth of class work to be done in nine weeks.
Other benefits include gaining instructional time by not moving students to new classes every 50 minutes, Crousore said, plus "eliminating some negative things that go on during passing periods."
The school board will hold a special work session on the block scheduling proposal at 7 p.m. Nov. 3 at the high school. The meeting is open to the public.
In other business:
• Madison Elementary principal Jeff Neumann explained the school's partnership with the county prosecutor's office in a program called "Courtrooms to Classrooms."
The program, developed by Rob Reneker of the prosecutor's office, was integrated into the fifth-grade social studies curriculum and will help acquaint the students with the U.S. justice system.
That familiarity may help reduce the number of youth involved in the juvenile justice system, will add some new positive role models in students' lives, and "hopefully will be a step in turning this into a more peaceful society," Neumann said.
• Held a first reading on new or revised board policies. New policies required by state law include running a criminal history check on all new school corporation employees. The school corporation also instituted a policy that will prohibit giving or selling lists of students to any commercial entities. However, state requirements mandate furnishing those lists to the U.S. armed forces.
• Emphasized the school board's policy on fund-raising sales by students. Door-to-door sales by elementary students are not permitted, said school superintendent Dr. Lee Harman, unless the student is accompanied by a parent or guardian. Harman asked community members who see kids selling door-to-door without accompanying adults to find out which school the student is from and to call the school.
• Heard a report from Harman that enrollment as of Monday was 6,356 students in all WCS schools.
The school board will meet next in special public session on Nov. 3 at the high school. The next regularly scheduled school board meeting is at 7 p.m. Nov. 10 in the administration building. [[In-content Ad]]
Latest News
E-Editions
Patrons of Warsaw Community Schools can check on their children's school or look up the latest school board notes via computer now that WCS has its own home page on the Internet: www.warsaw.k12.in.us
Developed by Nancy Rooker, a member of the WCS technological development team, the site includes individual pages on each of the corporation's 13 schools, plus an introduction to the superintendent, information about the school board's strategic plan and links to other educational sites.
In a report to the school board Monday night, Rooker explained that the site has been accessible to the public since Oct. 1. The schools' individual pages were developed by teachers and students at each school.
Besides being good information for the public, said assistant superintendent Dr. Anthony Etienne, "just doing the web pages was a good learning experience for the teachers and kids."
While the site is still not completed, it can be used by parents to stay up-to-date on their kids' school calendars or assignments, and by students in some classes to complete extra credit assignments or practice skills.
The project is a good example of a practical application of technology, said board member Craig Allebach: "One of the things we've talked about as a board is how to integrate the technology into the curriculum."
Adjusting curriculum formats to meet the changing needs of students is the purpose of proposed block scheduling at Warsaw Community High School, principal Paul Crousore said Monday.
Deliberations on block scheduling began in 1991, Crousore said, as the school began "looking at time and how we reorganize time to meet the needs of young people."
The proposed scheduling would be what Crousore called a "modified block four" schedule, which means four 90-minute sessions each day. One session could be divided into two 45-minute sessions.
Assistant principal Jennifer Brumfield said each class would meet for 90 minutes every day, allowing a semester's worth of class work to be done in nine weeks.
Other benefits include gaining instructional time by not moving students to new classes every 50 minutes, Crousore said, plus "eliminating some negative things that go on during passing periods."
The school board will hold a special work session on the block scheduling proposal at 7 p.m. Nov. 3 at the high school. The meeting is open to the public.
In other business:
• Madison Elementary principal Jeff Neumann explained the school's partnership with the county prosecutor's office in a program called "Courtrooms to Classrooms."
The program, developed by Rob Reneker of the prosecutor's office, was integrated into the fifth-grade social studies curriculum and will help acquaint the students with the U.S. justice system.
That familiarity may help reduce the number of youth involved in the juvenile justice system, will add some new positive role models in students' lives, and "hopefully will be a step in turning this into a more peaceful society," Neumann said.
• Held a first reading on new or revised board policies. New policies required by state law include running a criminal history check on all new school corporation employees. The school corporation also instituted a policy that will prohibit giving or selling lists of students to any commercial entities. However, state requirements mandate furnishing those lists to the U.S. armed forces.
• Emphasized the school board's policy on fund-raising sales by students. Door-to-door sales by elementary students are not permitted, said school superintendent Dr. Lee Harman, unless the student is accompanied by a parent or guardian. Harman asked community members who see kids selling door-to-door without accompanying adults to find out which school the student is from and to call the school.
• Heard a report from Harman that enrollment as of Monday was 6,356 students in all WCS schools.
The school board will meet next in special public session on Nov. 3 at the high school. The next regularly scheduled school board meeting is at 7 p.m. Nov. 10 in the administration building. [[In-content Ad]]