Superintendent’s Message
Welcome to our May 2025 community newsletter. Our team takes great pride in sending these newsletters to all of our SDW constituents. We will be closing out the 24-25 school year soon and it has been a great one indeed. Our seniors will graduate on Wednesday, June 11 at Waukesha East and on Saturday, June 14 at the eAchieve Academy, Waukesha North, Waukesha South and Waukesha West High Schools.
Our students continue to excel and thrive in the classroom as well as in athletics and activities. We had over 270 students qualify to attend a State-level competition this past fall and winter, and we are thrilled to have had the opportunity to recognize these students for their accomplishments. It is great to see how strongly the District is represented, whether it be athletics, such as Boys or Girls Basketball, Gymnastics, Swim & Dive, or activities like Bowling, Academic Decathlon, DECA, Power Lifting, or Visual Arts. Our students make us Waukesha Proud!
We have recently recognized many of our staff members for their milestone work anniversaries and those retiring after the 2024-25 school year. We have recognized staff for 10 years of service all the way to 50 years of service. Our staff here in Waukesha are some of the best educators in Wisconsin! We continue to attract some of the best and brightest young educators to join us after our well deserved retirees move on to their next chapter. We are proud of our 93% teacher retention rate as well as our new teacher mentor program that just keeps getting better and better. Our staff members make us Waukesha Proud!
As we look forward to the future of the School District of Waukesha, I certainly want to mention the important Optimizing the Future - Long Range Budget Planning work that began in April and will span the remainder of this calendar year. The goal of this work is to reduce our K-8 school footprint by 10% to 15% to coincide with the decrease in birth rate that has led to ongoing declining enrollment. Administratively, we believe this work is necessary to Optimize the Future of the School District of Waukesha and provide the best educational opportunities for our kids, families and community.
We have hosted several staff and community information sharing sessions as part of Phase 1 of this process. As we move into Phase II of this work, we encourage you to stay informed by attending our Gathering Input sessions by signing up through the QR code on page 3, watching Board meetings on our YouTube channel, or visiting our District website to review the latest news and updates. Additional information on our Optimizing the Future - Long Range Budget Planning process can be found on pages 2-3 of this newsletter.
The summer is a great time to enjoy all the Waukesha has to offer. I hope you enjoy the warmth and the array of opportunities to relax and enjoy family and friends. Thank you for reading this newsletter and know that your support of the School District of Waukesha means the world to us!
Dr. James Sebert
Superintendent of Schools
The School District of Waukesha’s primary objective is to provide the students and families in Waukesha with access to high quality education. The District is proud of our long history of academic achievement and the exceptional work of our teaching and district support staff. We look to continue this tradition by providing the finest educational opportunities to support our students. To maintain this level of service and opportunity year over year, the District is always looking at where and how to best deploy the resources we have available.
We have long prided ourselves as being a District that embraces financial stewardship to the constituents of our communities. New schools were built as recently as 1993 to address increases in enrollment, which peaked at over 13,000 students in 2012-13. Today, though, our enrollment has dropped and hovers around 10,500 students.
The School District of Waukesha is not alone when it comes to sustained declining enrollment. Enrollment projection studies are completed every four to five years by the Wisconsin Applied Population Lab at UW-Madison and show a projected decline across the state in the coming decade. The majority of school districts in Wisconsin and across the country are grappling with the problem, which is driven by larger societal population changes. Higher education is also facing the same challenge as evidenced by the recent closures of Cardinal Stritch University and UWM at Waukesha. Links to our most recent SDW and statewide studies can be found on our district website by clicking on the SDW - Optimizing our Future tab.
The challenges in enrollment due to the decline in birth rates have, in turn, created budgetary pressures on the District. Generally, we have been able to manage those pressures through a combination of retirements, operational adjustments, varying our educational delivery systems, facility footprint adjustments, and voluntary staff attrition. However, inflation in recent years, along with limits on those one-time measures, is making balancing the budget more difficult, and the District faces an annual structural budget deficit of three to four million dollars.
Despite these challenges, we remain committed to providing our students and their families with excellent educational options. We will also continue investing in curricular resources and professional development for our staff. To ensure we live up to those commitments, it is the administration’s belief that facility right-sizing needs to be part of the conversation in the years to come. For planning purposes, the administration has established long-range student capacity targets for our buildings to help guide these long-range budgeting & capital improvement project conversations.
Our goal is to reduce SDW’s building capacity by 10-15% - in line with the current declining enrollment trend. At this time, we assume that the Pleasant Hill and Blair campuses will continue in their current roles. If enrollment trends reverse, these two sites could return to serving SDW students and would provide an additional 706 seats of capacity.
The School District of Waukesha has experience undertaking an effort like this. We have previously addressed the facility footprint a number of times to align with evolving District needs as outlined below:
Previous School Closure(s) / Sale of District Buildings:
• Pleasant Hill Elementary 2010 (leased to the Richardson School)
• Blair Elementary 2019 (repurposed to Admin Building - March 2023)
• Whittier Elementary 2022 (reopened as STEM Elementary - Fall 2023)
• Randall STEM Elementary 2023 (sold to Carroll University)
• Lindholm Admin Building 2023 (sold to Carroll University)
By tackling this work now, we believe we can enhance the services we provide to the families we serve in fewer, better utilized, buildings. Without this work, we likely cannot make that promise to our community and would find ourselves in a more difficult position as the situation compounds in the coming years. The first step of this work will focus on our K-8 schools. We will keep monitoring our enrollment trends, and if those continue to decline, we will be obligated to assess the entire K-12 system. No changes would occur before the 2026-27 school year.
Our website features a one stop shop for information regarding this long range budget planning effort and work. You can get the most up to date information on our district website by clicking on the SDW - Optimizing our Future tab.
• Phase 1: Information Sharing Phase 1 of our three-step process has concluded. The District, in total, hosted nine Information Sharing sessions (six sessions for District staff and three for community members.)
• Phase 2: Gathering Input: May - October Refinement of final plan proposal(s) along with internal and external communication/input sessions.
• Phase 3: Presenting a Recommendation: October - December Recommendation brought forward for Board of Education consideration.
We know this work will come with its own challenges, and no doubt, strong emotions. We all have connections to specific places that have been part of our educational development. We believe this is a credit to the quality of the experiences we provide as a District. However, by working together and staying ahead of the realities of the future, we know we can maintain the high-quality education that underpins those experiences. No matter the number of buildings within SDW, we will continue teaching current and future generations of students the skills to be community, college, and career ready.
The Mission of the Rotary Club of Waukesha is to bring individuals together in the spirit of friendship to work together to provide service to our local and international communities.
Rotary is an organization rooted deeply in service with a strong belief in investing in the future by empowering our youth, helping them learn leadership skills, and providing opportunities for cross-cultural experiences. Traditionally, the Waukesha Rotary works with the District Administration to offer scholarship opportunities for students interested in attending the annual World Affairs Seminar. The World Affairs Seminar (WAS) is a week-long, interactive experience held each June at Carroll University in Waukesha. The event brings together students from diverse backgrounds to discuss global issues in a non-threatening environment.
The Waukesha Rotary also provides a scholarship opportunity to high school seniors at Waukesha North, Waukesha South, Waukesha West, and Catholic Memorial High School. School Counselors nominate students from each high school to attend a Rotary Luncheon to deliver a prepared speech to the Rotarians on various topics. The delivery of the presentation is scored, and the top four presenters return in early Spring to deliver a final speech on a predetermined topic. One winner is selected for the scholarship and presented at their school’s scholarship evening.
The District is proud of our partnership with the Waukesha Rotary and their investment in our future generation. To learn more about joining the Waukesha Rotary, visit https://portal.clubrunner.ca/5717.
If you have a high school junior or senior interested in learning more about the World Affairs Seminar, visit https://worldaffairsseminar.org/was2025/ or use the QR code below.
DW Discover
DISCOVER SDW
S
The School District of Waukesha
Discover SDW is a program designed to provide community members the opportunity to deepen their knowledge regarding the mission and strategic priorities of the School District of Waukesha The purpose is to build capacity and connection throughout our school community.
Why join Discover SDW? Throughout this nine-month program, participants will obtain a foundational understanding of district operations, leadership principles, and governance, as well as become more active participants in our schools Participants are asked to commit to the full ninemonth series
Each session features networking opportunities, presentations by a variety of district leaders, and breakfast
DATES & TOPICS - 2025-26 SCHOOL YEAR
September 19 | 7:30 - 9:00 AM
October 10 | 7:30 - 9:00 AM
November 21 | 7:30 - 9:00 AM
December 19 | 7:30 - 9:00 AM
January 16 | 7:30 - 9:00 AM
February 20 | 7:30 - 9:00 AM
March 20 | 7:30 - 9:00 AM
April 17 | 7:30 - 9:00 AM
May 15 | 7:30 - 9:00 AM -
LOCATION
District Overview: School & District/State Budgeting & F
District Governance & Legisl Teaching & Learning
Student Services & Special E Technology
District Facilities, Safety, and Human Resources
Program Highlights: Early Le Language, and Waukesha M
Blair Administration Building, Rm 111 301 Hyde Park Ave., Waukesha, WI 53188.
We are accepting a through September 5
Visit bit ly/discovers below
QUESTIONS?
Contact
Due to the increased number of high school students that do not utilize the school bus for transportation to/from school, the School District of Waukesha will continue to require families with students in grades 9-12 to register for transportation. Failure to register by the deadline may result in a delay in your child’s transportation arrangements.
All high school students planning to utilize the bus as their main form of transportation to/from school must register to be placed on a school bus route. The standard criteria will be followed to determine if a student is eligible for bus transportation:
• The pupil resides two or more miles from the school he/she attends; and
• The pupil attends the school within the established school boundaries.
To ensure that your child is routed before the first day of school, please complete the online form no later than June 20th, 2025. Visit bit.ly/sdwhstransport to access the form or use the QR code.
Note: If your high school student has an IEP with transportation,you donot need to complete this form.
Please note that your transportation eligibility will not change if your student does not intend to ride the bus. However, if
Annual registration will open on July 7, 2025. Annual Registration is a yearly event for students that completed the previous school year at a School District of Waukesha school. It provides parents/guardians the opportunity to verify and correct household information, parent/guardian information, emergency contact information & sequence, update other household members, and lastly, update student information.
We encourage families to begin this process early to ensure that our records have the most up-to-date information for each student. This will make back-toschool communications more accessible and practical and help parents/guardians become more acclimated with Infinite Campus. Please note that annual registration must be completed in Infinite Campus to view middle and high school schedules when they become available for families in early August.
If you need additional assistance with the Annual Registration process, please email enrollment@waukesha.k12.wi.us.
Do you have a child transitioning from early childhood to elementary school, from elementary school to middle school, or from middle school to high school? It is important for students to feel comfortable on their first day of school in a new building. As a result, the School District of Waukesha offers transition opportunities at each level.
Our youngest learners have the opportunity to participate in Jump Start at their elementary school. Students will meet the staff and participate in classroom activities while learning more about the building. If you have a soon-to-be 6th grader, consider enrolling them in Level-Up where they learn to navigate the building, meet other students and find their locker! Next year’s 9th graders are invited to the Freshman Orientation to walk the halls of the high school and engage in team-building activities.
4K & 5K Jump Start
Jump Start is a fun transitional opportunity for students entering 4K or 5K in September 2025. We will prepare students to succeed in their new school environment by meeting staff, getting to know the building, and participating in typical classroom activities. Specific activities will vary by school site. The school staff will provide more information before the Jump Start day. Sign-up information will be emailed the week of July 7th.
AUGUST 11 th
Prairie (4K & 5K) 9:00 - 11:00 AM
Middle School Level-Up
Middle School Level-Up is for students entering 6th grade in the Fall of 2025. Students will have an opportunity to find their locker, learn organizational strategies which will set them up for success in middle school, navigate the building and more. During the time together students will participate in collaborative activities, team building opportunities, and get to know themselves a bit more as a learner. This is also a great way to meet new people and have familiar faces to look forward to on the first day of school.
AUGUST 14 th
Butler Middle School 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Horning Middle School 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Hadfield (4K & 5K) 4:00 - 5:00 PM
Summit View
- Morning 4K
- Afternoon 4K
- 5K
AUGUST 14th
Hillcrest (4K & 5K)
AUGUST 19 th
9:15 - 10:30 AM 10:45 - 12:00 PM 9:00 - 11:00 AM
AUGUST 13 th 9:00 - 11:30 AM
Banting (4K & 5K) 9:00 - 11:30 AM
Bethesda (4K & 5K) 9:00 - 11:00 AM
Hawthorne (4K & 5K) 9:00 - 11:30 AM
Heyer (4K & 5K) 9:00 - 11:00 AM
Lowell (4K & 5K) 9:00 - 11:00 AM
Meadowbrook (4K & 5K) 9:00 - 11:00 AM
STEM: Elementary (5K) 9:00 - 11:30 AM
Rose Glen
- Morning 4K
- Afternoon 4K
- 5K
9:15 - 10:00 AM 10:15 - 11:00 AM 9:00 - 11:00 AM
Les Paul Middle School 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM
August 4 - 8, 2025
Studentscanchoosetoattendoneofthetwoweeks. 7:30 AM - 10:30 AM
August 11 - 15, 2025 OR
STEM: Middle School - 6th Grade Boot Camp 7:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Freshman Orientation
Incoming freshmen will spend a half-day getting ready for the upcoming school year. Students will meet their mentors, participate in team-building activities, walk their schedule, and meet their teachers.
AUGUST 28 th
North High School 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
South High School, WAHP, & WEPA 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
West High School 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Staying in Waukesha - New Address?
Update your records via email or in person at the Enrollment Office.
Provide two proofs of residency (Example: mortgage statement, utility bill, etc.)
To ensure your child is routed for bussing, please update your address by 8/1.
Moving Out of Waukesha
BiologystudentsfromButlerMiddleSchool attendingtheToxicologyConferenceatUW-Milwaukee.
Obtaining high-quality curriculum resources to ensure every student has common learning experiences throughout the K-12 system is SDW’s priority. The Teaching and Learning department has established a curriculum resource review process and timeline to guide this important work. This school year, $320,000 was invested in curriculum resources that include a blend of interactive digital tools and real-world connections to enhance learning in the following areas:
• Middle School Science
• Spanish World Language
• Advanced Placement Literature
• Advanced Placement Psychology
• Advanced Placement Economics
As part of selecting a curriculum resource, teams of educators first come together in the Planning stage to determine student needs based on current achievement data in that area. During the Research and Select stage of the process, the team investigates and vets several curricular resources, all aligned to state, national, and/or AP standards. Once a resource is recommended and approved by the School Board, the team continues the process to Update the Curriculum for those courses, ensuring all students have access to grade-level standards. During the final stage of the process, the team collaboratively and intentionally plans how to Implement the newly adopted or updated resource and curriculum, and monitors its impact on student achievement.
This four-step process reflects our commitment to providing students with rigorous and relevant instructional resources that foster critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Educators can deliver effective instruction with high-quality resources and ensure that students are well-prepared for future academic challenges.
Waukesha North and South High Schools have been selected as National Demonstration Schools by AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), a nonprofit organization that provides educators with proven, real-world strategies to accelerate the performance of students so that all students across the entire campus succeed in college, careers, and life. Both schools join approximately 200 other AVID National Demonstration Schools selected through an application process, screening, and review, which included site visits.
AVID Chief Executive Officer Thuan Nguyen notes the significance of attaining Demonstration Site recognition. “Schools recognized as National Demonstration Sites have proven their ability to successfully implement the AVID Elective course and take the strategies schoolwide to impact all students,” says Nguyen. “Waukesha North and South were selected as AVID National Demonstration Schools because they implemented the AVID system throughout the school and can serve as a model for new AVID sites.”
With AVID’s proven methodologies used throughout subject-area classes, performance levels improve for all students, especially those less likely to attend four-year colleges. Schools from around the world that are preparing to implement the AVID system will visit Demonstration Schools, such as these, to observe a highly evolved AVID system. Tom Schalmo, Waukesha North’s principal, is pleased that the school was chosen as an AVID National Demonstration School, noting the program’s impact on staff and students. “It is a tremendous honor to be selected as a National Demo Site, and we are proud of our AVID program and our school as a whole” said Schalmo. Maria D’Amato, Waukesha South’s principal, added, “The use of AVID strategies schoolwide has positively impacted students and staff, and we continue to see a more engaged and college-ready student body. Students are afforded many opportunities at South to engage in their passion areas and our school report card and AP data is trending upwards because of the systems and instruction in place.”
To learn more about AVID, please visit www.AVID.org.
Congratulations to the Waukesha Academy of Health Professions (WAHP) and the Waukesha Engineering Preparatory Academy (WEPA) for being recognized as a 2024-25 Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Distinguished School. The Engineering Academy and Health Academy are among a select group of high schools across the U.S. to be recognized for their commitment to inspiring and engaging students to unlock their potential through their PLTW program. PLTW is a national nonprofit organization that creates transformative learning experiences and empowers students to develop in-demand knowledge and skills for future careers.
The PLTW Distinguished School recognition honors schools committed to increasing student access, engagement, and achievement in their PLTW programs. To be eligible for the designation, both academies had to meet multiple criteria in the 2023-24 school year, such as the number of PLTW courses available to students, the percentage of students enrolled in PLTW, and the percentage of students taking more than one PLTW course.
Project Lead The Way high school programs prepare today’s students for the careers of tomorrow by not only incorporating STEM skills into their learning but also building students’ collaboration, teamwork, and communication skills so they can be ready for whatever path they take.
For more information about PLTW’s Distinguished Program Recognition, visit https://www.pltw.org/pltw-program-recognition
Congratulations to Waukesha West High School Social Studies Teacher Mark Anderson for being selected as a recipient of the 2025 Kohl Teacher Fellowship Award. Mark is one of 100 educators recognized for exceptional leadership, dedication to students, and commitment to educational excellence.
Mr. Anderson will receive a Teacher Fellowship award of $6,000 in honor of his ability to inspire a love of learning, motivate students, and lead both inside and outside the classroom. Waukesha West will also receive a matching grant of $6,000 to support student learning and school initiatives further.
Award recipients are selected by a statewide committee composed of civic leaders and representatives of education-related associations and the program’s co-sponsors: The Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, regional Cooperative Educational Service Agencies (CESA), and the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators.
Part 2: In continuation from the November newsletter, we shared how ten years ago we made a courageous decision to embark on a transformative journey that involved equipping all students and staff members with technology (we call this 1:1 technology). This newsletter edition will share how learning extends beyond the classroom.
While the academic impact that iPads have in school is clear, the effect of the devices outside of school is less so. Younger students often create videos, snap photos, share dance routines, or create Book Creator projects showcasing their summer adventures. In comparison, our older students usually use iPads to support learning beyond the classroom, including Driver’s Education, where online learning modules are a key component. Students also use their iPads for private lessons, training on creative software like Adobe and Canva, and preparing for future job training, like CAD modeling and engineering coursework.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Waukesha One, our district’s 1:1 iPad program. As part of the celebration, over 50 students entered a video contest sharing why they love their iPads—and their answers were as diverse as our student body. High school students pointed to passions discovered in graphic design, middle schoolers emphasized how easily they can
Each year, various coding events and opportunities emerge for students to learn the basics of programming. Whether through partnerships like the Everyone Can Code series with Carroll University or Sharp Literacy’s work with 4th graders, coding apps on student iPads extend learning for all.
Apps like Tynker, Micro, and SWIFT Playgrounds teach the fundamentals of coding, allowing students to progress from block-based coding to language-based programming. With apps like Sphero EDU and Vex Go, students can further their coding by programming robots. While coding is often introduced through school programs or summer school, many students continue exploring these apps independently, developing a deeper interest in coding.
Summer school offers an excellent opportunity to extend learning. High school students use Blackboard to stay on track, logging in to outline their progress and access the next steps in their courses. In elementary summer school, students blend traditional arts and crafts, outdoor activities, and
The Waukesha County Truancy Task Force has released its summary report, detailing a year-long collaborative effort to address truancy and chronic absenteeism in Waukesha County. The task force, composed of over forty representatives from twelve school districts, the Department of Health and Human Services, and parent representatives, has developed recommendations, resources, and strategies to improve student attendance and outcomes.
Recognizing that truancy is a complex issue with various underlying causes, the task force focused on a multi-faceted approach. The task force’s work was organized into three subcommittees:
• Attendance and Truancy Interventions - Focused on creating age-appropriate, evidence-based tools and strategies for schools, including the development of a multi-tiered framework, the Attendance Pyramid Worksheet K-12.
• Parent Partnership and Collaboration - Focused on how to foster stronger connections between schools and families, recognizing that truancy is often a symptom of broader family challenges.
• County/Schools Partnership - Focused on improved communication and collaboration between schools and Waukesha County Health and Human Services, streamlining referral processes and ensuring a more consistent approach.
The final report outlined a number of key recommendations, including:
• Strategies for schools to implement multi-tiered systems of support for attendance.
• Methods for improving communication and engagement with parents and families.
• Guidelines for truancy referral processes and enhanced collaboration between schools and county agencies.
“This task force has demonstrated the power of collaboration,” said Marc Lehnerer, Director of Student Services, School District of Waukesha, who facilitated and compiled the report. “By bringing educators, county officials, and parents together, we have developed a comprehensive set of strategies to address truancy and support our students.”
The task force believes that these recommendations will provide valuable guidance to school districts in Waukesha County as they work to improve student attendance, decrease truancy, and foster a culture of success for all students.
The full report is available at bit.ly/truancytaskforce
Understanding and navigating mental health needs can be challenging, the School District of Waukesha is proud to offer Care Solace to our students, their families, and our staff. This complimentary service is designed to simplify finding mental health and substance use treatment providers.
Care Solace is an online resource and phone line that acts as a bridge between our families and mental health services. Care Solace understands the complexities of insurance, varying provider specialties, and the urgency of finding timely care.
The School District of Waukesha is committed to creating a supportive and nurturing environment for all. Whether it be counseling, family therapy, substance abuse treatment, or other mental health services, Care Solace can help with easy access to connect 24/7, anytime, day or night.
Searching the Care Solace webpage online allows individuals to anonymously search for providers or connect directly with a care navigator. Students, their families, and district staff can visit the custom School District of Waukesha Care Solace webpage at https://caresolace.com/site/sdw or call the dedicated Care Solace phone line at (888) 515-0595, and a care navigator will immediately assist in the process.
Care Solace absorbs the burden by providing personalized assistance. Their team of care navigators will work to understand specific needs and preferences, search for appropriate providers, and assist with scheduling appointments and navigating insurance questions.
For additional mental health resources, visit the School Dis trict of Waukesha website’s “Family Support Services” tab or
Waukesha South Principal Maria D’Amato Kuche and School Counselor Sara Dood recently attended the United Way Women United Bruncheon at the Pfister in Milwaukee. The Bruncheon featured speakers who addressed the importance of Teen Mental Wellness.
Maria and Sara highlighted the profound impact of the Empowering Minds initiative, a transformative program at Waukesha South High School. Through a compelling presentation, they shared information and statistics that vividly demonstrated how the initiative is reshaping the school culture, fostering emotional well-being, resilience, and a deeper sense of connection among students and staff.
The event drew an audience of over 575 attendees, including business leaders, industry partners, and community stakeholders. It was an incredible platform to showcase the positive changes happening at South High School and to represent our district’s commitment to supporting the whole student, ensuring their well-being and success.
