Board Meeting Agendas/Minutes Made Easy

As a school district we continue to look for ways to enhance communication with our public.  Last school year I went through a webinar with BoardBooks, which is an internet based board meeting framework.  After the webinar it became quite clear how beneficial this framework would be for our three communities to stay abreast of District happenings. 

In October we adopted the BoardBook framework and will be utilizing it going forward.  On this site, the public will be able to view detailed agendas with attached documents that relate to each item to be covered.  In the past, we were only able to post an agenda, which left out important details.  Although our previous format served it's purpose, this new framework provides much more information for our community members.

I strongly encourage our communities to check out our BoardBook site to stay informed with what is taking place in our school district.  If you have any troubles viewing or navigating the site, please send me an e-mail or give me a phone call.  The site can be accessed via the link or web-path below:

1.  https://v3.boardbook.org/Public/PublicHome.aspx?ak=1001026
2. Web-path
    a. Go to 'www.jwp.k12.mn.us'
    b. Click on 'District Information'
    c. Click on 'School Board'
    d. Click on New - 'Agendas and Minutes'

With Regards,
Bill Adams, Superintendent
adamsb@jwp.k12.mn.us
507.234.5181 Ext. 5

Progress Realized

Greetings Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton Students, Families & Others:

The first month of the school year was a great success.  Our students transitioned into their routines for the school year and adjusted well to their new schedules and teachers.  JWP staff also familiarized themselves to their new schedules and students.

This year brings the implementation of Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports (PBIS), Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), new math and reading curricula, and a new teacher evaluation system.  As you can glean from that information, our teachers are extremely busy with these new initiatives while continuing to provide high quality instruction.  We are proud of our staff members' dedication to professional improvement!

September was a month filled with adjustment and anticipation.  October will provide our teachers with a bit more comfort throughout the implementation of District initiatives.  We look forward to their continued growth and their direct impact on the improvement of the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton School District.

With Regards,
Bill Adams, Superintendent

 

Now it works...

At the beginning of the school year, I was planning to create a promotional video highlighting the wonderful opportunities the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton Public School District offers.  It became quite clear that finding time to create such a project would prove to be insurmountable.  Therefore, I turned to one of our students.  Zach Hagen agreed to take on the project and this is what he has created.  Pretty impressive!

Educator Appreciation Week

This week is Educator Appreciation Week and on Tuesday, May 7, 2013 it was Educator Appreciation Day!  This week allows us the opportunity to thank our educators for the positive impact they have on our entire school community.

I can say with 110% confidence that we are fortunate to have outstanding individuals in our District that are committed to the advancement of student development.  Each day I see another example of the dedication our staff has to improving the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton Public School District experience.  These examples range from community events to homework help to outstanding facilities and to service.  I am very proud of the staff at our school district!

If you have an opportunity, please thank an educator today!

Board Meeting Summary and May Agenda Items

Greetings Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton Family,

Our School Board conducted a study session on Monday, May 6, 2013.  At this study session we had productive discussions about our district budget, district leadership, the possibility of a school resource officer, athletic punch cards and upcoming athletic coaches hirings.

Currently our district budget is in a healthy place due to outstanding financial management, the passage of an operating levy and several other factors.  We discussed the revised budget and preliminary budget for our next fiscal year.

District leadership was reviewed.  The District currently has a K-12 Principal, K-6 Dean of Students/Activities Director/Community Education Director and a Superintendent.  There was discussion of expanding this to a K-6 Principal/Community Education Facilitator, 7-12 Principal/Curriculum Development Director and a Superintendent.

There is a federal grant available again that would put school resource officers in buildings throughout the United States.  If the grant is approved the District would be responsible for a portion of the cost.  In the beginning 12.5% and at the end 50%.  After the final year of the grant, the District would have to decide if continuing with 100% of the cost is appropriate and fits within our District budget.

It was discussed to begin providing athletic punch cards for families to purchase at the beginning of each year/athletic season.  This would eliminate families from having to have cash on hand for each event.  They would be allowed to purchase a specified amount of events and have their punch card 'punched'.

At the regular Board meeting in May, the Board will be approving contracts for our Fall and Winter Head Coaches.  This is a bit of a change in practice.  The rationale behind the change is to have coaches approved before the start of an athletic season and provide our parents and coaches a head coach throughout the summer events.

As you can tell, our School Board Study Session was extremely productive filled with enriching conversation and education.  If you have any questions, please contact me directly.

With Highest Regards,
Bill Adams, Superintendent

When will this end?

My first year as a Superintendent has been filled full of learning opportunities and growth.  The weather patterns this year have been a measurable portion of my growth.  On snowy mornings I typically wake up at 4:30 am to check on road conditions.  I take out my Honda Accord and navigate a route that takes me as far north as Madison Lake and as far south as Waldorf and Pemberton.  That route is a good tool for decision making for our District.  On my drive I typically contact the Superintendents from surrounding districts to get their insight.  I would have never imagined that those drives would be as numerous as they have been.  Although I enjoy the quiet time listening to talk radio, I would much prefer green grass and blue skies.  It is 10:53 pm on Monday the 22nd of April and it appears the Accord will be making another trip throughout our District in the early hours of the morning.   The picture below depicts my feelings regarding our current weather and I am sure many of you feel the same way.

A Welcomed Letter

On Monday, April 22, 2013 I received a letter from an 85 year old male from California.  In the letter was an explanation for his mailing.  He was in an antique store and came across a postcard from 1908.  On the postcard was a picture of Janesville High School as it stood in 1907.

Here is the copy of the postcard:

The gentleman did ask the District to send him $7.00 or $8.00 and to maybe throw in a little for postage.  He said that if he heard back from the District, that he would have to take his wife out to lunch.  I thought this was a very nice gesture from someone that has no 'ties' to our District.