Retirement/Appointment/Achievement
At its March 16th meeting, the Washington-Caldwell School Board approved my retirement as superintendent effective June 30th and appointed Ms. Jill Saltzmann as the new superintendent/principal beginning July 1st. I will serve as a mentor/coach for Saltzmann during the 2015-2016 school year.
The school board's decision was based on a succession plan established in 2012. Part of the succession plan included setting the stage for the school's long-time financial secretary/bookkeeper Kay Borgwardt's retirement which took place last year. After an exhaustive search, Mrs. Rachel Opgenorth was hired to replace Borgwardt. My decision to retire is the second portion of the board-approved succession plan.
The school board is to be commended for its foresight in approving a succession plan three years ago setting the stage for an orderly transition after Kay Borgwardt's and my retirements. We have many fine things taking place at Washington-Caldwell and the board's actions maintains their continuity. In addition, appointing Jill Saltzmann as the new superintendent/principal signals a desire to continue the forward mission of our school. Ms. Saltzmann will do an outstanding job!
On another note, I would like to announce a special achievement: Mr. Toby Thompson has been recognized as a 2015 Kohl Teacher of the Year! This is a well-deserved honor as we all know how hard Mr. T works and he seems to have his hands on many tremendous things at W-C. Mr. Thompson joins Ms. Kelli Vogt as a Kohl Teacher of the Year. Ms. Vogt was recognized in 2011. This is very special as only 100 teachers each year throughout Wisconsin earn this designation. For a school our size to have two teacher in 5 years receive this distinction says a great deal not only about the teachers being recognized, but also the entire school community. Congratulations, Mr. T!!!
For the Weeks of March 23-27 and March 30-April 3, 2015:
The Spring Election in Wisconsin is ALMOST here: Tuesday, April 7th. Please remember to vote! The ballot includes two seats for the Washington-Caldwell School Board. Again, please vote on April 7th!
On Tuesday evening, March 31st at 6:30 p.m., the Area Board Meeting of municipalities and school districts will be held. The meeting will be held at the Town of Waterford Town Hall located at 415 N. Milwaukee Street, Waterford, WI 53185. This gathering allows these various governmental agencies to share common concerns, as well as learn from one another. This is an open meeting and the public is welcome to attend!
There is an Early Release day scheduled for Friday, March 27th since this is the end of the Nine Weeks of school.
Even though we still have 2 ½ months remaining before the close of the school year, we want our students to come to school dressed appropriately. We call it “Dressing For Success” and this helps not only our school climate, but also helps our students understand that school is a place where we dress for the tasks at hand. “Dressing For Success” also helps students realize the expectations in the work place when they begin their career.
Attendance is very important, too! Each day, hour and minute is crucial to learning. I like to say, “Now is not the time to slow down or ease up. Now is the time to keep your eyes on the finish line – and pour it on!” What a great time to set the following goal:
Perfect attendance for the remaining days of school!
Calling school? You will find our phone system much more user-friendly especially after the school day has ended by dialing a directory of staff extensions so a message can be left for staff members.
Please drive safely at all times around school. Remember to wear seat belts at all times – seat belts save lives! Also, please remember when picking up students at the end of the day to park in the east parking lot. Do not park in front of the school since our buses are there to pick up students at dismissal time.
Please remember that besides my writing this weekly “Superintendent’s Bulletin Board Message” column that is posted each Friday on our school’s website by clicking on “Dr. P’s Weekly Message”, I also encourage visitors to our website to click on “Future Focus” to see all of the various accomplishments and activities W-C has been involved in during the past few years. Let me know what you think. Thank you!
We thank our school community for its continued support of the school children at Washington-Caldwell!
GO BULLDOGS!
Mark Pienkos, Ed.D.
Superintendent
At its March 16th meeting, the Washington-Caldwell School Board approved my retirement as superintendent effective June 30th and appointed Ms. Jill Saltzmann as the new superintendent/principal beginning July 1st. I will serve as a mentor/coach for Saltzmann during the 2015-2016 school year.
The school board's decision was based on a succession plan established in 2012. Part of the succession plan included setting the stage for the school's long-time financial secretary/bookkeeper Kay Borgwardt's retirement which took place last year. After an exhaustive search, Mrs. Rachel Opgenorth was hired to replace Borgwardt. My decision to retire is the second portion of the board-approved succession plan.
The school board is to be commended for its foresight in approving a succession plan three years ago setting the stage for an orderly transition after Kay Borgwardt's and my retirements. We have many fine things taking place at Washington-Caldwell and the board's actions maintains their continuity. In addition, appointing Jill Saltzmann as the new superintendent/principal signals a desire to continue the forward mission of our school. Ms. Saltzmann will do an outstanding job!
On another note, I would like to announce a special achievement: Mr. Toby Thompson has been recognized as a 2015 Kohl Teacher of the Year! This is a well-deserved honor as we all know how hard Mr. T works and he seems to have his hands on many tremendous things at W-C. Mr. Thompson joins Ms. Kelli Vogt as a Kohl Teacher of the Year. Ms. Vogt was recognized in 2011. This is very special as only 100 teachers each year throughout Wisconsin earn this designation. For a school our size to have two teacher in 5 years receive this distinction says a great deal not only about the teachers being recognized, but also the entire school community. Congratulations, Mr. T!!!
For the Weeks of March 23-27 and March 30-April 3, 2015:
The Spring Election in Wisconsin is ALMOST here: Tuesday, April 7th. Please remember to vote! The ballot includes two seats for the Washington-Caldwell School Board. Again, please vote on April 7th!
On Tuesday evening, March 31st at 6:30 p.m., the Area Board Meeting of municipalities and school districts will be held. The meeting will be held at the Town of Waterford Town Hall located at 415 N. Milwaukee Street, Waterford, WI 53185. This gathering allows these various governmental agencies to share common concerns, as well as learn from one another. This is an open meeting and the public is welcome to attend!
There is an Early Release day scheduled for Friday, March 27th since this is the end of the Nine Weeks of school.
Even though we still have 2 ½ months remaining before the close of the school year, we want our students to come to school dressed appropriately. We call it “Dressing For Success” and this helps not only our school climate, but also helps our students understand that school is a place where we dress for the tasks at hand. “Dressing For Success” also helps students realize the expectations in the work place when they begin their career.
Attendance is very important, too! Each day, hour and minute is crucial to learning. I like to say, “Now is not the time to slow down or ease up. Now is the time to keep your eyes on the finish line – and pour it on!” What a great time to set the following goal:
Perfect attendance for the remaining days of school!
Calling school? You will find our phone system much more user-friendly especially after the school day has ended by dialing a directory of staff extensions so a message can be left for staff members.
Please drive safely at all times around school. Remember to wear seat belts at all times – seat belts save lives! Also, please remember when picking up students at the end of the day to park in the east parking lot. Do not park in front of the school since our buses are there to pick up students at dismissal time.
Please remember that besides my writing this weekly “Superintendent’s Bulletin Board Message” column that is posted each Friday on our school’s website by clicking on “Dr. P’s Weekly Message”, I also encourage visitors to our website to click on “Future Focus” to see all of the various accomplishments and activities W-C has been involved in during the past few years. Let me know what you think. Thank you!
We thank our school community for its continued support of the school children at Washington-Caldwell!
GO BULLDOGS!
Mark Pienkos, Ed.D.
Superintendent