WSMA board perspective
Making Connections Richard Parks, WSMA President-Elect
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There are many support systems that we find either within or connected to our PK–12 schools.
When looking for connections, we do not need to go far to find the increasing number of systems in place to help our schools, students, staff or communities. These systems are plentiful and can be great avenues to pursue as teachers and school leaders look to support the vari- ous groups or individuals who work hard to promote and build the arts and other programs in our schools. These supports range from in-district school organiza- tions, to parent involvement, community connections or even state opportunities. I encourage you to seek out and connect with established systems as you work to develop your own.
We know parent involvement and booster clubs have been around in schools for a long time to support the efforts and programs typically for their children. They help to bring additional monetary resources as district budgets are unable to keep up with the cost of continuing to support these co-curricular programs for children at the same level each year. Whether it be an organization or a bene- factor, providing monetary support such as this has been a welcomed and sometimes necessary effort for our children’s pro- grams. Bringing a multifaceted approach like this to fundraising can meet short-term financial goals. However, the amount of time involved for those assisting can also lead to fatigue unless there is a stream of new volunteers to become engaged in the system. It is vital for those benefiting from these groups to recognize and thank those involved for their efforts.
However, support, as you will see in this edition of the WSM, can also move into other types of connections with the venues ranging from community groups to per- forming arts centers to university system
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programs. Taking time to listen to our children and then make contact to parents or outside systems is just the beginning. The success of the connections to these or- ganizations is only limited by how creative teachers or school districts are in finding ways to make connections work. The possibilities can be that of having school students get involved in programming and/or performing groups at the university level, like that of the vocal jazz group at UW-Marathon County, directed by Dr. Timothy Buchholz, or, having community choirs involving students from multiple districts, like those directed by Julie Bur- gess of the D.C. Everest School District. It might also be the co-curricular nature of many PK-12 ensemble groups that meet during the evenings or on weekends to fulfill the interests and needs of students and their families. The connections and creativity in planning provide another avenue for PK-12 programming to meet the needs and talents of students.
If we look to the teaching venue, we have also seen the opportunity for connecting to other support systems through profes- sional development in our schools. These connections address the growing needs of mental health training for students and staff, trauma sensitivity training, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) programming and more. Each is important, but can also be overwhelm- ing, especially to our newest staff who first need to get connected and confident in their profession. As an example, in the past five years, districts have had an opportunity to write for grants to support their newest employees through a Peer Review and Mentor Grant Program sup- ported through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. In many instances, school districts have developed consor- tiums when applying for these grants. One rationale, especially for smaller rural school districts, being that when you look at many of their arts or performance-based
“…we do not need to go far to find the increasing number of systems in place to help our schools, students, staff or communities.”
programs, there may only be one teacher per program in the district. The idea of having a consortium is to bring the sup- port of teachers from other districts in the same discipline to build a system of communication and support for these new teachers. This grant program has provided some crucial resources for districts to build or refine their in-district mentoring program to better meet the needs of new teachers entering the profession. These programs help new teachers to become more engaged, knowing others are there to help when needed, as they grow to be part of our school communities.
We should be diligent in identifying the needs, seeking out possibilities and pro- moting the support systems. These may include the connection to a mentor, an out- side group or organization or colleagues from other school districts. Building a foundation of opportunities through devel- opment of support systems such as these will help build success in programming both for our teachers and students.
Richard Parks is superintendent for the School District of Marathon.
Email:
rparks@marathon.k12.wi.us
April 2018
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