CESA 7 Weekly | Feb. 20, 2026

CESA 7

WEEKLY February 20, 2026 Each quarter, Northeast Wisconsin Youth Apprenticeship proudly publishes a Quarterly Newsletter—a snapshot of the innovation, growth, and success happening across our region.

Inside, you’ll find stories that promote, celebrate, and highlight the incredible impact students are making, along with updates that keep employers, school districts, and community partners informed and connected.

Explore the latest edition to see how NEWYA is shaping futures and strengthening our workforce across our region.

Explore this Quarter’s Newsletter

REGISTRATION CLOSING SOON! Secure your spot TODAY for these valuable learning opportunities!

Explore upcoming events and learning opportunities designed to support your work, strengthen your skills, and promote ongoing professional development. Whether you’re an educator, administrator, or support professional – there’s something for everyone at CESA 7!

JUST ANNOUNCED!

New opportunities are here—plan ahead and sign up early to make sure you don’t miss these upcoming sessions.

Behavior & Mental Health Mar. 2, 9, 16 - The Regulated Classroom Virtual Book Study Mar. 4-6 - PEC 2026: Beneath Behavior: Innovative Strategies and Practices for Understanding and Responding to Children's Needs Mar. 20 - Wired to Thrive 2.0: Connecting Systems for Mental Wellness Apr. 1 - Cultivating Organizational WellBeing - FREE

Career & Technical Education Mar. 24 - ACP Community of Practice – What Happens After the Matchmaker?

Literacy Mar. 3 - ACT 20 Bulletin: Virtual Update Series

Mar. 10 - Increasing Academic Discourse in the Classroom

Math Feb. 24 - WiMLSS-A: Math – Implementing an MLSS for 4K-12 Educators and Administrators

Multilingual Learners Mar. 30 - Welcome to Teaching Multilingual Learners - Virtual Book Study

Principal & Peer Mentoring Mar. 11 - A Day for Collaboration & Coaching

Special Education Mar. 18 - Overcoming Silos: Integrating Related Service Expertise at the Universal Level

View the full CESA 7 events calendar HERE!

Networks

Looking to grow your professional connections, share ideas, and learn from others in the field? Don’t miss these upcoming collaboration opportunities designed to keep you informed, inspired, and connected!

Feb. 24 - LETRS Volume 2 - Spring Cohort Feb. 26 - Mentor Coordinator Network - FREE Feb. 27 - School Psychologist Network - HYBRID Mar. 12 - Digital Learning Network - VIRTUAL Mar. 12 - Keys to Beginning Reading - Cohort 6 Mar. 13 - 2025-26 DAC Network - VIRTUAL Mar. 13 - 2025-26 Curriculum Directors Network - HYBRID

Mar. 24 - LETRS Volume 2 - Spring Cohort Apr. 8 - 2025-26 Title I Network - HYBRID Apr. 9 - Digital Learning Network - VIRTUAL Apr. 10 - 2025-26 DAC Network - VIRTUAL Apr. 10 - 2025-26 Curriculum Directors Network - HYBRID

Educator Effectiveness Support Services

Grant Services

Looking for tailored assistance of the state educator effectiveness model? Our experts can help you empower your school or district to reach its full potential! Click HERE to learn more!

Are you looking to boost funding, strengthen programming, or expand services? CESA 7 offers a robust suite of grant-services designed to empower districts and educators! Click HERE to learn more!

Staff Showcase MEET THIS WEEK’S VALUED TEAM MEMBER I am currently serving as an Occupational Therapy Assistant with CESA 7 and am in my third year working in schools. In my role, I support students in developing the fine motor, sensory, and functional skills they need to be successful in their educational environments. I collaborate closely with occupational therapists, educators, and families to help students access and fully participate in their learning.

One of the most rewarding parts of my job is watching students grow and gain confidence as they develop new skills through occupational therapy. Seeing their progress and knowing I played a part in supporting their success is what makes this work so meaningful to me. I am grateful to be part of a team that is dedicated to helping students reach their full potential.

Katie Lorrigan Occupational Therapy Assistant klorrigan@cesa7.org

District Spotlight – Algoma School District EMPOWERING LITERACY THROUGH COLLABORATIVE LEADERSHIP Two summers ago, the Algoma Elementary and Middle School began what their principal describes as “a collective new start” — a reset grounded in reestablishing core beliefs for literacy instruction. With CESA 7’s partnership, the entire staff engaged in defining those beliefs together and reformed their literacy team to lead the work forward.

“Charla was instrumental,” the principal shared. “She pushed our thinking and was able to get input from all staff.”

One of the most impactful components of the partnership was a comprehensive curriculum review process led by CESA 7. Teachers took on the “heavy lifting,” researching, compiling, and presenting findings on behalf of their grade-level teams. Vendor presentations were coordinated, and a consensus-building process resulted in more than 83% staff agreement to move forward with CKLA. Nearly every grade level participated in a fourth-quarter pilot before full implementation across grades 4K–8 this fall.

The structure of the process proved just as powerful as the outcome. “Shared leadership and an active role in the process empowered teachers,” the principal explained. “They have taken ownership.”

The impact is already visible. The district is seeing measurable growth, particularly in writing. “The growth in writing has been phenomenal — increased stamina and quality.” Vertical sharing of student work has strengthened alignment across grade levels and has even been showcased with the school board to demonstrate intentional progressions in learning.

Danielle Schultz, Reading Specialist states, "from my perspective, one of the most significant outcomes has been the increased coherence between core instruction and intervention. With a shared curriculum and common language across grade levels, targeted supports are more aligned, intentional, and responsive to student needs. The vertical alignment across grade levels has created a clearer understanding of skill progression. Teachers now have a stronger grasp of where students are coming from and where they need to go, which has strengthened both instruction and early identification of learning gaps".

Beyond student achievement, the partnership has strengthened collaboration. Horizontal and vertical observations have led to “increased and more meaningful collaboration,” building internal capacity that is especially critical in a small district.

“Partnering with CESA 7 is a financial and time investment,” the principal reflected, “but it has reinforced that placing and aligning resources for improvement efforts really does make an impact. Being a small district, human capital makes improvement more challenging without someone who can guide the work.”

Through intentional leadership, shared ownership, and sustained collaboration, this district is building a strong and aligned literacy foundation for all learners.

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