Enrollment up at West Central for second semester

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Published: Tuesday, 09 February 2016 20:55

FRANCESVILLE - Superintendent Don Street reported to the West Central School Board at its Feb. 4 meeting that the February student count is 822 students.

This is up six students from the September count.

The superintendent also reported that the Indiana Department of Education announced that West Central teachers will receive a total of $29,546.67 from the State for the Teacher Performance Grant. The criteria for receiving the teacher performance grant were reviewed.

It was also announced that Julie Hart and Mrs. Cotner have received a $500 grant from the Midwest Collaborative for Library Services.

Street announced that basketball coach Jordan Stevens was given an IHSAA Exemplary Sportsmanship Report by a basketball official for his positive actions on the sideline.

Also in the superintendent's report:

• West Central participated in the statewide readiness test for the ISTEP. There have been some difficulties with the state testing system.
• A letter from the Central Time Coalition was shared.
• Legislation from the Indiana General Assembly was shared.
• IRS filing requirements for health care was reported.
• Financial discounts provided by the Northern Indiana Educational Service Center were shared.
• The wind turbine production has been very positive this winter.

The board approved the resignations of Karen Wettstein, effective at the end of the school year.

The board approved the employment of the following individuals as presented:

• Sue Schultz – Permanent Substitute
• Marlana Lewark – 8th grade Girls Basketball Coach
• Shelby Powell – Softball Assistant Coach

Approval was give to the request from April Patton for a medical leave.

Conference requests were approved for the following:

• Glazier Clinic – Feb. 19-21 – Marc Hall
• Glazier Clinic – Feb. 26-28  – Melvin Wireman
• FCCLA State Leadership Conference – Feb. 25-27  – Jessica Murray, Brittany Mendiola, Stephanie Thilges and students
• Glazier Clinic – March 4-6  – Marc Hall and Melvin Wireman

The board approved the second reading of police manual revisions regarding "Threshold for Material Loss, Shortage, or Theft of School Funds or Property" and "Review and Second Audit of Free and Reduced Lunch Application."

The board approved the transfer of funds from the General Fund, Rainy Day Fund, Capital Projects, and Debt Services Fund to close out the 2015 budget.

Approval was given to the 2016-17 and the 2017-18 school calendars as presented.

The board voted to approve the wind turbine maintenance contract with PowerGrid Partners, as presented.

Approval was given to the first reading of the revisions to the policy manual regarding substitute teachers, reduction in force and student teachers policies. There will be a second reading at the next school board meeting in March.

"Student of the Month" certificates were presented to Kylea Bailey at the elementary school level, and Shaylynn Lattimore and Cameron Shidler at the middle school level. Jaydin Payne and Taylor Day were unable to attend.

Principal Reports:

Elementary school principal Dan Zylstra reported to the board that representatives from the staff went to the textbook caravan on Jan. 26 to look at math textbooks for the adoption next year. The staff is looking very carefully at the options available to help us bolster our math instruction.

Starting Feb. 1 students in grades 3-5 will take the last round of Acuity prior to ISTEP+. The data will be informative for preparing for the multiple-choice ISTEP test which starts in April.

Progress reports at the elementary school went home on Feb. 4.

On Feb. 5 students in 5th grade will be going to hear the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra. The symphony provided the tickets to the students for free. That same day students will be receiving their first month’s Accelerated Reader prize for meeting their monthly goal in the school's yearly reading incentive.

On Feb. 26 the FFA will host its annual petting zoo, a yearly event the elementary students always look forward to.

On Monday, Feb. 29, the ISTEP+ applied skills test will begin. This is the paper-based test of applied skills.

For professional development, staff has spent time reviewing Acuity and other student data. They have also spent time investigating possible math textbooks for the upcoming adoption.

Mr. Zylstra will be part of an AdvancED review team at the Crawford County School Corporation Feb. 8-10. The information he gleans there will help West Central as it looks forward to its accreditation renewal visit in the spring 2017.

Middle/high school principal Pat Culp informed the board that both the middle and high school staffs have been working extremely hard in preparation for the upcoming ISTEP tests. At the middle school, the Thursday morning staff development time has been dedicated to reviewing data from Acuity and classroom performance, to better guide classroom instruction. At the high school, staff has reviewed data from the ISTEP+, End of Course Assessments, and the PSAT. Both staffs have used data to differentiate instruction for students.

On Thursday, Feb. 11, Parent/Teacher conferences will be conducted at the middle school and high school from 3:30 to 6 p.m. Parents/guardians and students are encouraged to discuss progress with teachers at that time.