VOLUME 15 | February 2015
Page 4 Central Office Contacts
Page 2 Retirement
CHIPPEWA
chirp
MONTHLY NEWS FOR THE STAFF OF THE CHIPPEWA FALLS AREA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT. CFSD.CHIPFALLS.K12.WI.US/
Employee Engagement in the CFAUSD The CFAUSD is committed to creating a great place for students to learn, teachers to teach, staff to work, and for parents to send their children to receive a great education. To build on this commitment, the leadership of the school district will gather and analyze data on four essential goals and measures: Employee Engagement * Parent Satisfaction* Student Satisfaction * Student Achievement This journey of excellence based on measurable goals began in the Fall of 2014, and focuses on the use of data to identify gaps, take action, and follow through to ensure continuous improvement for CFAUSD. Surveys for both students and our parents will be coming this spring.
In late November, all school district employees participated in an Employee Engagement Survey. The survey was sent to assess the extent to which leaders provided work environments that support the highest performance for employees. The overall district mean for this baseline survey was 3.91, using a scale of 1 to 5. The highest means for the district are for the following areas: •My principal/supervisor demonstrates a genuine concern for my welfare (4.08) •My principal/supervisor makes the best use of available funds (3.90) •My principal/supervisor provides me with good processes and resources to do my job (3.88) •My principal/supervisor recognizes good performance (3.88) The lowest means for the district are for the following items: • • •
My principal/supervisor provides the support needed to accomplish my work objectives (3.76) My principal/supervisor provides feedback concerning areas for improving my performance (3.65) My principal/supervisor consults me on the decisions that affect my job (3.59)
Principals/Supervisors have talked with their school staff and/or departments and created goals on making CFAUSD a better place to work. We are excited to continue down the road of gathering feedback, analyzing data, and developing our leaders, so that we can make CFAUSD the best school district in the State of Wisconsin! School Pride: “If given a choice, I would recommend that a parent select this district for his or her child,” was 4.31. Our goal is to strive to earn a 4.50 or better.
FOR THE CHIPPEWA FALLS AREA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 2 THANK YOU!
The CFAUSD, in conjunction with Lifetouch, created a promotional video for our district!
Thank you to all those who attended the Annual Holiday Party at Horizons! There was a wonderful turn out of over 200 people, fun was had by all! Help to support the Chi-Hi Cross Country Team by attending Chilly Chippewa. March 7th 10:00 am - 5K 11:00 am - 1 mile
We are excited to share this video with all our employees. Thank you for making CFAUSD a great place to work! Click Here to Watch!
Tuesday, March 10th, 2015 5 pm—8 pm Chippewa Falls Senior High School, 735 Terrill Street, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729
FOR THE CHIPPEWA FALLS AREA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Friday, February 20th is an early dismissal day due to Spring Break. Staff shall be allowed, without loss of pay, to leave five (5) minutes after the last student leaves the building.
Aspiring Administrator Workshops
Do you know someone in your school that is thinking about pursuing a career as a school administrator or that you believe would make a great school administrator? AWSA is sponsoring a work shop for those who have decided to enter school administration or who are still investigating the options of doing so. Register at www.awsa.org or contact Michelle Golden for further information.
Congratulations to our 2014- 2015 Retirees! Rex Bentley Judi Gunderman Ned Hanson Jean Wells Jean Wysocky
Retirement Party Save the Date
On May 19, 2015 the annual retirement party will be held in honor of the 2014 -2015 retirees at the Avalon on County Highway J in Chippewa Falls.
FOR THE CHIPPEWA FALLS AREA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 3
EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION Whitney Bernhardt, Jim Falls Teacher
Whitney has been with the district for 8 years! Whitney is an excellent teacher and advocate for her students. She is also always willing to lend a hand to other staff when they need it!
Brian Hefty, High School Teacher
Brian has been with the district for 16 years! In Brian’s spare time he enjoys reading, vegetable gardening, woodworking canoeing, camping and backpacking. Brian is the definition of dedication and professionalism. No matter what gets thrown his direction (and there is plenty), he never loses his sense of professionalism, his drive for excellence or his love for his students. Brian is a very special person. His influence reaches out across departments and impacts a very big school in the best possible way.
Julie Lyberg, Parkview Paraprofessional
Julie has been with the district for a year and a half! In Julie’s spare time she enjoys reading, gardening and fishing. Julie is a classroom paraprofessional at Parkview and does a wonderful job with students and staff. She is a hard worker who connects with students in very meaningful ways and is willing to support any staff member when needed. Julie goes above and beyond by working with Parents 4 Learning and helping with learning parties. We are very fortunate to have Julie at Parkview!
Mary Meyer, Middle School Secretary
Mary has been with the district for 3 years! In her spare time, Mary enjoys running, cross-fit and reading! Mary Meyer goes the extra mile to support staff in any way that she can. She always comes through in a pinch and with a smile on her face!
Karen Smith, District Wide Instructional Coach
Karen has been with the district for 3 years! Karen works across grade levels supporting our students in reading. Additionally, she supports all of our students by serving as a Tier II Co-Coach where she helps to monitor both academic and behavior growth of our students. Finally, Karen is willing to share her stellar organization skills as she takes on various projects in our school so that we continue to improve our systems. Thank you for sharing your talents with us!
Sarah Daniels, Hillcrest Teacher
Sarah has been with the district for 23 years! In her spare time Sarah enjoys spending time with family and friends. Sarah has been a valued member of Hillcrest and our district. She is a team leader in 1st grade and serves on our building leadership team. For the district, Sarah is piloting Foundations as we hope to close the gap on what our current literacy series has to offer. Keep up the great work Sarah!
Jennifer Kuehl, Stillson Music Teacher
Jennifer has been with the district for 8 years! As our music teacher, Jennifer inspires, challenges, and enriches our students. She puts in the extra time and effort with our Stillson Singer choir and recorder “karate”. She supports our PBIS model as a greeter and helping new students learn our expectations. Her grade level music presentations are something that our families look forward to attending and our spring talent show is a great time for students to shine by sharing their interests beyond our school day. Thank you for all that you do!!
Aaron Merconti, Southview Teacher
Aaron has been with the district for 12 years! Outside of work Aaron enjoys camping, biking, hiking, reading, and spending quality time doing anything with his family Aaron understands and values the importance of connections between home and school. He regularly communicates with his families so that they are well aware of what is occurring at school and with their children. Further, he includes parents, students and colleagues in on the problem solving process for his students so the best plan for success is developed.
Sarah Schmidt, Halmstad Art Teacher
Sarah has been with the district for 10 years! In her spare time Sarah enjoys making art with her daughters and being involved with the Down Syndrome Association of the Chippewa Valley. Sarah is an amazing art teacher and keeps creativity at the forefront of instruction. Always patient and understanding, Sarah is a team player and is willing to go the extra mile for her students, other staff, and Halmstad in general. Thank you Sarah for all you do!
tidbits ... Insurance Committee
FOR THE CHIPPEWA FALLS AREA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
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Board of Education March Board Meeting will be held March 19th at 7:00 PM. To read January Board Meeting Minutes please click the link below. http://www.boarddocs.com/wi/chipfalls/Board.nsf/Public
The Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District is preparing to enter a new plan year and would like your input! If you are interested in joining the Insurance Committee Please contact Brenda Musser either via e-mail or at extension 1901.
Longevity
Eligible Support Staff members will be paid longevity on the March 5, 2015.
Central Office Contact List
Benefit Open Enrollment
May 4th through May 15th will be the annual benefit open enrollment for all benefit eligible staff.
WRS Presentation
WRS members nearing retirement are invited to attend a presentation put on by the Wisconsin Retirement System in Eau Claire on March 19th from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm at the Chippewa Valley Technical College located at 620 West Clairemont Avenue, Eau Claire, WI 54701 in the Business Education Center 30A/B.
CFSD Retirement Meeting
There will be an information post retirement benefit meeting for staff retiring this school year from the Chippewa Falls School District on Wednesday, March 11, 2015 from 4 pm - 6 pm at the Central Office. Spouses are welcome to attend with their retiree. For questions contact Brenda Musser at ext. 1901.
February is Heart Health Month Visit the American Heart Association Website to read one of their many articles on Heart Health. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/
WAIT! ARE YOU PURCHASING CLASSROOM SUPPLIES?
Michelle Alix and Jason Laufenberg should be contacted prior to purchasing any supplies. All purchases for classroom supplies MUST be purchased through the Purchasing Agent Michelle Alix ext 1807 or Jason Laufenberg ext 1915. CHIPPEWA chirp Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District - District Office 1130 | Miles Street | Chippewa Falls, WI 54729 | TEL (715) 726-2417 | Fax (715) 726-2781
Contact Michelle Golden, Director of Human Resources & Public Relations (goldenmr@chipfalls. org) or Nikki Mast, HR Specialist (mastna@chipfalls. org) with questions/comments/concerns