Visit us on the web at www.cwasd.k12.wi.us

Chetek-Weyerhaeuser Area School District P.O. Box 6, Chetek, WI 54728 715-924-2226 www.cwasd.k12.wi.usBoard Members: Carri Traczyk, president; David Bonczyk, vice president; Janene Haselhuhn, treasurer; Natalie Springer, clerk; Earl Grover, Barb Reisner and Steve Goulette, members.

A community PuBLicAtion FRom youR ScHooL Winter 2014-15

“Big enough for opportunities, small enough to care”

ECRWSSPostal Customer

imPoRtAntDAtES

January21—Financial Aid Night26—HS/MS Parent/Teacher Conferences26—Middle School Solo & Ensemble30—NHS Induction Ceremony

February21—Laura Johanson Benefit

March2—Show Choir Concert16—High Schoo Memorial Concert19—NHS Blood Drive23—Middle School Memorial Concert27—Variety Show

April2 to 7—Spring Break

11—High School Solo & Ensemble

Check out our school websitefor all sporting events:

www.cwasd.k12.wi.us

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chetek-Weyerhaeuser Area School District

School board accepts offer for Weyerhaeuser school building

The Chetek-Weyerhaeuser Area School District Board of Education has agreed to proceed with the sale of the former Wey-erhaeuser School Building after receiving an offer from the Blue Hills Friends of Scouting.

The board moved unanimously during a recent board meeting to proceed with the sale of the property, which they listed for sale late last winter after numer-ous attempts to repurpose the former school building. Over recent weeks, an offer on the building was submitted by the Blue Hills Friends of Scouting, a 501c3 non-profit organiza-tion formed in 2008 through the philanthropy of several area businessmen. The group’s sole purpose is to promote and make available to every young man a scouting experience in the Blue Hills District, which is comprised of Rusk, Sawyer, Washburn and Barron Counties.

According to BHFOS represen-tative Bob Lorkowski, the volun-teers of the Blue Hills District take scouting very seriously, and have for more than 100 years.

“This acquisition is part of our plan to develop a facility which may be used by the Scouts for its varied year-round activities, and eventually turned into an advanced technical education fa-

cility,” said Lorkowski. “Our goal is to do something good for the community and the Boy Scouts of America.”

CWASD Board President and Weyerhaeuser resident Carri Traczyk says the move is best for all involved.

“I am happy that we are able to sell the building to the Blue Hills Friends of Scouting,” said Trac-zyk. “I think we did what was best for the taxpayers, and it’s some-

thing that needed to happen. We’ve exhausted all of our efforts and tried every angle to sell the building, and I’m confident that the group will take care of the building and put it to good use. I’d much rather let the building go to them than have to make a decision in July as to what would happen next.”

Final details of the sale will be determined at a special board meeting in January.

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Visit us on the web at www.cwasd.k12.wi.us

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Advanced Learner program updates WI Teen Conference

Swing dancing lessons

The first annual Wisconsin Teen Conference was held at the Me-tropolis Conference Center in Eau Claire, WI and included students from Eau Claire, Altoona and Chetek-Weyerhaeuser. The theme of the conference was ‘All About You’ and focused on strategies and plans relating to self-advocacy for advanced learners. Students in attendance had the following com-ments about the conference:

“Throughout the day I learned more about myself than I ever have in my whole life.”

— Jessika Fjelstad“I enjoyed the conference be-

cause I got to meet people from other school districts”

— Adam Utke“I enjoyed the conference very

much because I learned how to take charge of my learning.”

— Brody Killoren

November was National Novel Writing Month, commonly re-ferred to as NaNoWriMo, and middle school students enrolled in the STELM course took on the challenge of writing a novel in a month! They said goodbye to their inner editors, set challenging word count goals, outlined their plots and waited patiently for Nov. 1. Throughout the month of Novem-ber they wrote everyday trying hard to keep on track and reach their goal. By Nov. 30 at midnight, some students met their personal

goals and some didn’t, but all did their best work and the class col-lectively wrote 356,659 words towards their novels. Now, just because they hit their word count goal doesn’t always mean they finished their story. So, students spent December individually com-pleting the writing and after stu-dents returned from break, classes dove back in for revision, peer editing and finally…publishing!

The following are a couple of excerpts that students chose to get everyone excited about their novels.

Alex Macer Chronicles: World in Demiseby: Christian IngramChapter 1

In the heart of New York rests a run-down apartment complex. Look up to the 5th floor, apartment 153. Inside the door lies a room about the size of a walk in closet. At the far right corner is a desk that is being drowned by an array of different cords and wires. Several different electronics cover this desk, including a computer. Behind it is a scrawny 17-year-old, sitting on a seemingly century-old chair. Shaggy brown hair almost covers his eyes, just about blocking his view of the computer… on the screen is a green bar slowly crawling, labeled ‘installing’.

“Come on, Hurry up!” The boy, named Alex hurried his computer. It seemed like ages, but finally the bar came to a stop at the 100% mark. As fast as he possibly could Alex opened up the game and waited with as much patience as a kid on Christmas Eve. After a couple more hollers at his screen, the intro began. A raspy voice blasted through his giant speakers.

“Welcome to the beginning of the end. The world is at the brink of complete destruction. Our ‘almighty’ dictator Kriton is nearing complete domination of the world. His number one goal is to destroy anyone in his path, his path to dominate and then destroy our home—earth. It is your job to take control of a cyborg mercenary, fitted to be an upgraded copy of you, and stop Kriton from completing this goal of his. Do whatever is necessary to do this, whether you kill him or cripple his army. Throughout this journey to stop Kriton, you will encounter several of his soldiers. These ‘soldiers’ are genetically modified humans, and will stop at nothing to eliminate whoever they are ordered to. I bid you farewell, and wish you luck, this information is all I can give.”

The last few words of this transmitted message began to distort, and almost sound like a robot. This was not the only occurrence that seemed strange, after the distorted voice faded out, the screen started to do the same. It began to flicker and show flashes of black and white across the screen. Alex did not know what to do, so his first instinct was to get up. This however, he couldn’t bring himself to do. There was some weird force of some kind keeping him in his seat. He tried and tried, but couldn’t do it. Alex sat there fidgeting around in his seat, his eyes planted on the screen. All of a sudden it seemed like the screen was moving towards him. Bigger and bigger the screen became until it totally engulfed his vision…

A Middle School Lifeby: Brody Killoren

I looked at my schedule for my next class, gym/health. I walked to my classroom which was right next to my homeroom. Once again I sat down in the last available seat.

“Hello class.” This teacher was the opposite of my homeroom teacher, she had no energy and no enthusiasm.

“My name is Ms. Birdy.” Birdy? Who is naming these teachers?“Today we will learn about a “special” time in your lives called puberty! Now puberty

is…” I couldn’t hear her anymore, I had already passed out.

The Knighthoodby: Joseph Jensen

Hal was confused. He had assumed that he would get some sort of protection from all of those deadly blades, but he had not. All at once the blades started churning. Soon they spun with a surprisingly high velocity. Hal stepped forward, letting his instincts take over his body. He spun and jumped, ducked and flew, as he whirled his way through the obstacles. It seemed to take only seconds, but he jumped and his feet didn’t hit the ground. He looked down as he fell towards the icy water. He hit the surface and a surge of frozen terror climbed up his spine. The water was freezing! He knew that he couldn’t stand to be in it for more than a minute.

He started swimming forward. His legs locked up and his joints began to creak from the cold. He ducked under the water as an ax blade slashed the air right where his head was a moment ago. Then the fish came. At least two dozen of them ripped layers of skin from his toes. Just then the shock from the water kicked in. His head felt like somebody was trying to rip it into pieces and his stomach was almost unable to hold his breakfast back.

He looked ahead, just a few more strokes. He could make it to the wall if he just kicked a few more times. Four more strokes...three...two... during the last stroke he made it to the wall. He just didn’t see the giant swinging ball coming right for his head.

Swing Dancing is currently all the rage on Wisconsin college campuses. Join Diane Fjelstad and Doug Riley for swing dance lessons. Scheduled dates are Monday, Jan. 26; February 2, 9, and 16. Classes meet in the Roselawn Elementary lunchroom at 7 p.m. Beginners as well as those needing a refresher course or new moves are welcome. Partners are not necessary but certainly encouraged. Cost $32 per person. Call Diane at 715-924-3691 to reserve a spot.

4-Year-OldKindergarten

Save the date!

03/13/15

The Chetek-Weyerhaeuser Area School District will be registering 4-year-old kindergarten students for the 2015–16 school year one day only on Friday, March 13, 2015, at Roselawn Elementary School.

This program is open to all children who will be four years old on or before September 1, 2015. Kinder-garten (K5) screening will be conducted on that date as well, for children who have not attended a K4 program.

The registration and screening will require approxi-mately one hour for parent and child. The screening includes vision, communication and social development. Parents will meet with Cecilia Marc, Elementary School Principal, and Chelsi Jenness, Elementary Guidance Counselor, to register their child and learn about the Bright Beginnings 4-year-old kindergarten program, busing, and breakfast/lunch program. Parents will also be able to talk with teachers about their child’s development.

Registration and screening is by appointment only. Parents should call Shelly Bowlyou at 715-924-2244 ext. 2080 to get an appointment.

The Roselawn PTO needs your help! Many may already know what the PTO-Parent/Teacher Organiza-tion is, but what we do? The PTO is responsible for most of the extra-curricular activities that take place for Roselawn Elementary school, includ-ing but not limited to:

• The Scholastic Book Fairs which raise money for teachers to buy books and supplies for their classrooms

• The annual apparel sale which of-fers a chance to purchase Bulldog ap-parel at very affordable prices while raising money for other activities

• Food drives• Yum Yum Yogurt with Moms

(formerly Muffins with Moms)• Pancakes with Pops (formerly

Danishes with Dads)• Create a Book Night• Family Game Night• Family Movie Night• Discounted rates for family events

at places such as Skate City and Mom-msens’s Pumpkin Patch and Orchard

• Sponsorship of students for the Young Authors Conference

• School-wide assemblies and speak-ers such as author Katie McKy

• Themed dances for all elementary students

• The purchase/installation of new playground equipment

Without the PTO none of these things would be possible. The Roselawn PTO is a 100% volunteer-run nonprofit organiza-tion. We are in need of more volunteers to keep this wonderful program alive. Don’t worry: there is no minimum com-mitment required; if you can only help out with one event during the school year that’s fine! If you’re available to help with more, that’s great too, we’d love to have you! Come check out one of our meet-ings held on the first Monday of each month at 6 p.m. in the Roselawn IMC.

Contact President Amanda Smith-hisler at pto@cwasd.k12.wi.us. or Vice President Amanda Guthman at aguthman@cwasd.k12.wi.us with any questions.

Roselawn Pto Looking for Volunteers

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Visit us on the web at www.cwasd.k12.wi.us

It is very unusual for most peo-ple to step outside of their taste palate comfort zone. Few adults try creative, new foods, let alone teenagers; but that is exactly what a group of high school students is doing thanks to the new Foodie Club at Chetek-Weyerhaeuser High School.

Led by teacher Anne Etten, the goal of the Foodie Club is to ex-pose students to new foods and provide advanced food prepara-tion skills that wouldn’t fit into a normal foods class curriculum.

“I discovered my own love for unique foods recently,” says Etten. “Many kids don’t get that expo-sure around here, and I thought it would be cool to give them access to unique and healthy foods.”

The group meets once a month during homeroom and once after school. Then they participate in one field trip a semester. Origi-nally, 85 students signed up for the group. The overwhelming popularity led Etten to ask stu-dents to apply to be a part of the group to involve the truly inter-ested students. For their first field trip in November, 18 Foodie Club members traveled to Sakura in Chippewa Falls to try sushi. The students took to trying the raw fish better than Etten has expected.

“It was so cool to see,” explained Etten. “You have to be openmind-ed. Some of these guys may never eat sushi again, but after we went, they all felt comfortable. We looked at the menu beforehand and I asked them all to just try something new. They all did, and ordered things they’d never had before. Most of them liked it. They were so good about trying things—whether soups or raw fish—almost all of them dove right into it.”

“It was pretty awesome,” says student Mary Chamberlain. “I wanted to try different foods and different flavors. It was cool to have the chance to try those dif-ferent foods out there. I had no idea [what to try] so I just picked a random dish. I was nervous to see

what the fla-vors would be. We tried sushi, fish eggs and some other things. It was beyond my expecta-tions.”

“I wanted to learn about new foods and try

new things,” said student Carter Burdorf. “I didn’t think I would like the sushi, but I did. I was a little intimidated because I wasn’t sure what was in some things, but I just ordered a bunch of stuff.”

That wasn’t to say that every dish they tried was their favorite, but they were happy to expand their taste in foods.

“If you get a chance to explore cultures, you only have one life to do it,” said Chamberlain.

The following week, Etten then taught many of the same students to prepare sushi, and once again, many of them ate it. Since then, they’ve also made quinoa and couscous. The intent is to provide students with the opportunity to explore new foods as the year goes on. Plans are also in the works for future trips, possibly to try Indian or Thai cuisine. They also hope to do some fundrais-ing in future weeks to help create a little more cash flow for their food and trips.

As the group continues, Etten hopes that many of these students will learn to face their fear of unusu-al foods and expand their palates.

“Sometimes it’s more a fear of the food than the food itself,” Etten notes.

5Foodie Club has students expanding their palates

You can keep up with the latest at CWASD by signing up for our E-Newsletters! Just click on the link “Stay Current on CWASD News” located at the top of the district’s webpage www.cwasd.k12.wi.us. En-ter an email address and you’ll be on your way to getting the news straight to your inbox!

Also, don’t forget you can also keep up with the latest on school news via our Facebook site! There’s a link right on our homepage for that, too!

CWHS/MS daily announcements are available on our website. We’ll work to update them each morning so parents/guardians and students have another change to check them out through the day.

HigH ScHool YearbookSIt is never too early to order your

2014-2015 yearbook! Yearbook sales are open now. You can order on-line at www.balfour.com, or pick up an order form in the main office.

Early Bird SpecialJanuary–February $45March–June $50

(There is no guarantee for yearbooks if ordered after April 15, 2015)

Middle ScHool YearbookSYearbooks are on sale until March

31, 2015. You can order them on-line at www.balfour.com or pick up an order form in the main office. The cost is $13.

DID YOU KNOW?

Yearbooks!

Auditions to be a part of the C-W Variety Show will be held after school Tuesday, Feb. 17, and Thursday, Feb. 19, in the high school choir room. Elementary students must have a signed permission slip to re-ceive an audition time. Judges will be looking for acts that are dazzling, defined and delight-ful. All acts must be thoroughly prepared for audition, three to five minutes in length, and ap-propriate for a family audience.

The variety show will be held on Friday, March 27, at 7 p.m. Look for more info in weeks to come.

For more information, con-tact elementary music teacher Dolly Neby.

C-W all-school variety show audition dates set

Ten musicians from Chetek-Weyerhaeuser High School performed with the Red Cedar Honors Band Tuesday, Jan. 6, at Cum-berland High School. These students were nominated, selected and performed to-gether as a mass band under Dr. Philip Ostrander from UW-Eau Claire. Students were chosen from the Red Cedar Music District which includes Chetek-Weyer-haeuser, Rice Lake, Barron, Bloomer, Ladysmith, Spoon-er, Cumberland and Hay-ward. The concert included John Philip Sousa’s Fairest of the Fair and highlights from Les Miserables.

C-W musicians perform in honors band

Pictured are, back row, left to right: isaiah Jensen, brett gooden, Haley Hong-Johnson, caitlynn Hoff, chloe Steiner, david bognar and demitre ellis; front row, ben Westholm, clay Steiner and dylan Martinson.

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C-W Christmas Concerts

Visit us on the web at www.cwasd.k12.wi.us

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By coach John Loy

The C-W 7th grade basketball team has had an excit-ing year. Despite a great range of size and experience within the roster, the boys have been able to come to-gether and play as a team to the tune of a 7-2 record! This is largely due to the “little guys” being able to handle the ball and keep their eyes up to feed the “big guys” in the post. The “big guys” have been return-ing the favor by kicking the ball back outside for open shots by the “little guys.”

Our closest games of the year were both away; against Hayward and Spooner. At Hayward, the boys suffered a loss on a last second shot, while they were able to overcome an overtime contest against the Rails. They played their best contests against good Rice Lake and Ladysmith teams.

Members of this year’s squad include: Broc Haas, Axel Malony, William Peters, Carter Hanson, Peyton Kowalski, Dakota Hermann, Mason Kopras, Cole McNabb, Riley toufar, Carson Hoff, Kyle Biladeau, and Darien Traczyk.

By coach Sandy Newell

As we approach mid-January, the eighth grade boys’ basketball team can look back on a successful season with a record of 6-5. They finished their season with a tournament on Dec. 20 versus McDonnell Central Catholic and Clear Lake.

They began honing their skills back in October with basic skills prac-tice. Their first match-up of the season came against Cumberland—a team with which they were evenly matched. The young Dogs came away with a 40-30 point win. The season then took a turn as they faced an always-strong Bloomer team who out rebounded the smaller Bulldogs. But, they kept the game close only losing by 9 in the end. Probably the toughest loss of the season was against Spooner. The Dogs seesawed back and forth with the Rails. Their biggest lead at one point was 5. However, they would end up falling short by just 1 point. Their only other loss was to Rice Lake.

Highlights of the season included all 10 members of the team scoring in each of 3 games. Another positive to the season included a strong show-ing against larger Hayward squad which the Dogs won by 11 points. The boys got their only taste of going against a zone defense when they traveled out of their conference to play Cornell. After taking them awhile to adjust, the boys managed to bring home the victory.

Members of this year’s squad include: Phillip Gilbertson, Jordan Rihn, Dalen Peet, Carter Buchman, Broderick Meskers, Austin Fankhauser, Connor Rihn, Tyler Kessinger, Bronson Schofield, Jared Newell, and Jacob Konvicka.

7th Grade C-W Boys Basketball Review

8th Grade C-W Boys Basketball Review

C-W Winter Athletic Schedule: remaining dates

chetek-Weyerhaeuseryouth Wrestling

BOYS BASKETBALLFriday, Jan. 16 ....................C-W at BarronThursday, Jan. 22 ............ C-W at BloomerTuesday, Jan. 27 ............Ladysmith at C-WFriday, Jan. 30 ..........C-W at NorthwesternTuesday, Feb. 3 ...C-W at McDonell CentralThursday, Feb. 5 ..............C-W at HaywardTuesday, Feb. 10 ...................C-W at RegisFriday, Feb. 13 ............Cumberland at C-WSaturday, Feb. 14 ............Cameron at C-WTuesday, Feb. 17 ...........C-W at Elk MoundThursday, Feb. 19 ............ C-W at SpoonerThursday, Feb. 26 ...............Barron at C-W

Head Coach — Ryan Robarge

GIRLS BASKETBALLThursday, Jan. 15 ............ Bloomer at C-WTuesday, Jan. 20 ............C-W at LadysmithFriday, Jan. 23 ..........Northwestern at C-WThursday, Jan. 29 ............Hayward at C-WMonday, Feb. 2 ...................C-W at AmeryFriday, Feb. 6 ..............C-W at CumberlandMonday, Feb. 9 ....... C-W at ChequamegonThursday, Feb. 12 ............ Spooner at C-WSaturday, Feb. 14 ............Cameron at C-WMonday, Feb. 16 ............ Boyceville at C-WFriday, Feb. 20 ....................C-W at Barron

Head Coach — Dom Olson

WRESTLING C-W/Prairie FarmThursday, Jan. 15 ...... C-W/PF at SuperiorThursday, Jan. 22 ...............Barron at C-WSaturday, Jan. 24 ..... Invit. at St. Croix FallsThursday, Jan. 29 ....C-W/PF at NorthwesternTuesday, Feb. 3 ..............Ladysmith at C-WSaturday, Feb. 7 .....Conference at Spooner

Head Coach —Bob Olson

HOCKEYBarron/C-W/Cumberland/Spooner/Shell LakeThursday, Jan. 15 .....................at AltoonaMonday, Jan. 19 ...........................at RegisTuesday, Jan. 27 ...........Hayward at TBD**Sat., Jan. 31 .....Waukesha Catholic at TBD**Tuesday, Feb. 3 .........................at AshlandThursday, Feb. 5 .............. Amery at TBD**Thurs., Feb. 12 .....Baldwin-Woodville at TBD**

Head Coach — Phil Sykes**Due to venue operations being delayed at this time, game locations will

be determined at a later date. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Youth wrestling will begin the week of January 5, 2015, and run through the end of February.

This year practices will be on Tuesdays from 6-7:30 p.m. for the 2nd–5th grade wrestlers and Thurs-days for the Pre-K through 1st grade wrestlers from 6-7:30 p.m. Practices will be held in the high school wrestling room.

This is to be a learning experience for any child that is interested, boy or girl. Your child can come to as many or as few of the practices as you/they want. We will do our best to match kids of similar experience and size. Please have your child wear comfortable clothing such as shorts and a T-shirt and clean athletic shoes. No need to sign up in advance, come to practice and we will get your child signed up. There is no fee for practice, if you elect to go to tournaments then there will be a charge for tournament entry. If you have any questions, email Nik at nikesather@hotmail.com. You can also call 715-475-8270.

Dates for Pre-K through 1st grade practice: January 8, 15, 22, 29 and February 5, 12, 19, and 26.

Dates for 2nd through 5th grade practice: January 6, 13, 20, 27, and February 3, 10, 17, and 24.

Check out our website for

sports events and news

www.cwasd.k12.wi.usor follow us

on Facebook!

Visit us on the web at www.cwasd.k12.wi.us

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Music Department Dates 2015All DAtes in bolD Are requireD for A grADe for the stuDents in those specific performing groups

Monday, Jan. 26 ........................................... Middle School Solo & Ensemble Festival at Ladysmith High School

monday, march 2 ........................................ show choir concert

Tuesday, March 10 ....................................... Large Group Festival at Rice Lake (groups to be determined)

monday, march 16 ...................................... high school memorial concert

monday, march 23 ...................................... middle school memorial concert

Thursday, March 26 ..................................... Variety Show Dress Rehearsal

Friday, March 27 .......................................... Variety Show

Saturday, April 11 ........................................ High School Solo & Ensemble Festival at Rice Lake High School

thursday, April 16 ...................................... roselawn spring concert (grades K, 2 and 4)

Friday, April 17 ............................................. UW-Madison Varsity Band Concert Trip (CWHS band)

Wednesday, April 22 .................................. Spring RCMD Meeting (music faculty)

Saturday, May 2 ........................................... State Solo & Ensemble Festival at UW-Eau Claire

monday, may 18 ......................................... high school spring concert

saturday, may 23 ........................................ graduation (required for high school band students grades 9–11)

monday, may 25 ......................................... **memorial Day ceremony

thursday, may 28 ....................................... middle school spring concert

Saturday, July 4 ............................................ 2015 Liberty Fest Parade in Chetek (high school band and color guard)

Sunday, Sept. 6 ............................................. 2015 Booster Days Parade in Weyerhaeuser (high school band and color guard)

**Memorial Day ceremony is required for high school band members grades 9–11; middle school band members are welcome to participate either playing or carrying the banner or flags

—Some specific dates are yet to be determined

—Donations accepted: The Chetek-Weyerhaeuser Band is always looking for donations of music, music books, black dress pants, hangers (plastic or wooden) and black socks. If you have a used band instrument that you’d like to donate, we can give you a letter to put in your 2015 tax information. For more information, please contact Ms. Ogren at 715-924-3137 ext. 2088.

CONTINUING EDUCATION Offered by WITCClasses running through Chetek-Weyerhaeuser High School, 1001 Knapp St., Chetek

Lisa ippolite, Director | P.o. Box 6, chetek, Wi 54728 | 715-924-3137 ext 2011 | lippolite@cwasd.k12.wi.us

Class Name Date Time Day FeeGluten-Free CookingWant to try gluten-free, but don’t know how to start? Learn about ingredients and cooking techniques. Please bring take-home containers and a $10 material fee payable to instructor.

02/24/15 6–9 p.m. tuesday course Fee $21.50 Senior Fee $13

Woodworking (in Weyerhaeuser school)Whether you are a novice or advanced wood carver, your instructor will guide you to complete a project of your choice. Gain an understanding of the properties of wood, hand and power tools, safety and how to market your wood products. Be prepared to provide your own materials and safety glasses. Class is held at the old Weyerhaeuser School’s shop room.

03/04/15–03/25/15 5–8 p.m. Wednesdays course Fee $55.50

Senior Fee $30

Mexican CookingJoin us to learn how to combine the spices and ingredients which make Mexican food unique and delicious. Please bring take-home containers and a $10 material fee payable to instructor.

03/10/15 6–9 p.m. tuesday course Fee $21.50 Senior Fee $13

Natural DyesYou may bring your own natural fabric or yarn to dye. Please bring a $10 material fee payable to instructor.

03/31/15 6–9 p.m. tuesday course Fee $21.50 Senior Fee $13

Woodworking (in Weyerhaeuser school)Whether you are a novice or advanced wood carver, your instructor will guide you to complete a project of your choice. Gain an understanding of the properties of wood, hand and power tools, safety and how to market your wood products. Be prepared to provide your own materials and safety glasses. Class is held at the old Weyerhaeuser School’s shop room.

04/01/15–04/22/15 5–8 p.m. Wednesdays course Fee $55.50

Senior Fee $30

Jams & JelliesIn a jam? Join us to make jams and jellies of many flavors! Please bring your own half pint/pint jars, lids and a $10 material fee payable to instructor.

04/23/15 6–9 p.m. thursday course Fee $21.50 Senior Fee $13

Medicinal HerbsLearn how to grow and safely use medicinal herbs to enhance your health and treat various conditions naturally. This course also requires a $10 materials fee.

04/30/15 6–8 p.m. thursday course Fee $13 Senior Fee $8.75

Trellis BuildingCreate a willow trellis or experiment with other outdoor, garden or patio furniture. Learn about types of trellises, bending techniques and construction. Please bring work gloves, pruning shears (if you have them) and a $10 material fee payable to instructor.

05/07/15 6–9 p.m. thursday course Fee $21.50 Senior Fee $13

How do I register? Online at witc.edu (click on Classfinder) In person at WITC Rice Lake, New Richmond, Ashland or Superior in Student Services By phone using a credit card. We accept VISA, MasterCard and Discover • 715-234-7082, ext. 5409 or 5410 By mail—send your registration in by mail with payment to: WITC Rice Lake, 1900 College Drive, Rice Lake, WI, 54868

Witc is an Equal opportunity/Access Employer and Educator.

Common Core and Chetek-Weyerhaeuser Area School Districta letter from Mark Johnson, superintendent

Design and printing of this publication were provided by The Chetek Alert

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First and foremost, I would like to wish everyone a happy new year and my hope is that ev-eryone had a wonderful holiday season. It always amazes me how quickly the years go by, but it also reminds me to reflect on all the great things that occurred in the previous year. I look forward to all those great things that are in store for us in 2015.

For my article this issue, I have chosen to write about the widely discussed and debated, yet not fully understood topic, of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Even though many outside of the educational world know a little about the common core standards, there also is a great deal of misinformation and misconception related to the common core curriculum. It is my hope that this article serves as a very brief introduction of com-mon core standards and provides some factual information as to what the common core standards are, how and why they were de-veloped, and how they are being used in our school district.

To say that the term common core is one that is misunderstood is an understatement. Michael Fullen, an internationally recog-nized researcher and author, wrote “terms travel easily, but the mean-ing of the underlying concepts does not.” Even though Mr. Fullen was not specifically referencing the common core standards when he wrote this statement, Fullen’s point is certainly applicable to the term common core. Few phrases

in recent memory have come to be so misunderstood, mean so many things to so many people, and used for so many different purpos-es—both educational and political.

What are the common core standards? The common core is a set of high-quality academic standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy (ELA). These learning goals out-line what a student should know and be able to do at the end of each grade. Recognizing the value and need for consistent learning goals across states, in 2009 the state school chiefs and governors that comprise CCSSO and the NGA Center coordinated a state-led effort to develop the Common Core State Standards. Designed through collaboration among teachers, school chiefs, administra-tors, and other experts, the stan-dards provide a clear and consis-tent framework for educators.

Why were the common core standards created? There were several reasons why there was a need to create a set of com-mon curriculum standards across states. First, the standards were created to ensure that all students graduate from high school with the skills and knowledge neces-sary to succeed in college, career, and life, regardless of where they live. In addition, common core standards assist educators as they prepare students for the world once they leave the K-12 environ-ment by providing learning goals that develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

The common core standards also help address the fact that in today’s society families are highly mobile—often moving from state to state or even internationally multiple times. The establishment of common core standards across states helps assure that as families move, they can have some degree of confidence that their children are educationally prepared regard-less of where they might reside. Personally, as a parent who moved from one state to another, I found it refreshing that of the myriad of transitions that my children would need to go through, we did not have to worry about what gaps in learning they may experience. Be-cause both their former school and the Chetek-Weyerhaeuser Area School District were implementing the same curriculum, my children experienced a much better transi-tion academically then they would have five years ago.

In our district, the common core curriculum simply means that our students are being asked to learn concepts in greater depth and to a higher cognitive level than ever before. Parents and students will certainly see an increase in rigor and a focus on allowing students to gain a more thorough under-standing of concepts. Students are being asked to think more critical-ly, solve problems with real-world applications and be able to explain and even write about the work they are doing. While this may be difficult at first, it is my observation that students quickly have risen to the greater expectations.

We are committed to common standards and curriculum resources reflecting high expectations of rigor, regardless of the grade level of the student or the teacher to whom they are assigned. We are not particularly focused on how such an expectation or standard is labeled, but rather, is it sound educationally, does it make good sense, and is it good for students. The term common sense may be more applicable to the Chetek-Weyerhaeuser Area School District than the increasingly political term common core.

In the Chetek-Weyerhaeuser Area School District, our adminis-trators, teachers and support staff are prepared and committed to focusing on the learning of each student—skill by skill. Our staff be-lieves that high levels of learning for each student are much more important than labels, and further they believe they have the exper-tise and the enthusiasm to ensure that each student does learn, and does think at high levels.

In short, we are committed to enhancing the rigor of learning for each student rather than engag-ing in the educational and political debate surrounding the term com-mon core. We believe that it is our mission to provide an education that best prepares our students for whatever future they select. We have all dedicated our lives to laying the foundation for future success of our students. If we don’t focus on high levels of learning for each stu-dent now, when will we, and who ultimately will pay the price?

• Our Facebook page is a great way to stay informed throughout the school year!Check it out— https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chetek-Weyerhaeuser-Area-School-District/364221576928618

• Yearbooks will be on sale for a limited time, so get your order in today!• Student lunch menus and other district information can be found on our website: www.cwasd.k12.us

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