BOYCEVILLE — The Boyceville school district has received a score of 72.9 on the report card released by the state Department of Public Instruction in November.
The of 72.9 means the school district “meets expectations,” but Superintendent Nick Kaiser noted at the Boyceville Board of Education’s December 18 meeting there was a score change in an area that is considered an outlier due to the 10-point change in the overall score in a single year.
The Wisconsin DPI considers this amount of change may not reflect the actual change in performance.
The report cards are based on six categories, five of which are added together and then the sixth category is subtracted.
The categories are student achievement, school growth, closing gaps, on-track and postsecondary readiness, priority area weights, and student engagement indicators.
The high school received the lowest score out of the three schools, earning a 62.9 which “meets few expectations.” But there was a notation on the report card stating that since the high school had changed at least 20 points since the 2017-18 school year in the “closing the gap” category, the amount changed was an outlier and impacted by factors outside a school’s control.
The “closing the gaps” category was left off of the high school’s report card.
The middle school received a 74.6 which “exceeds expectations”, and Tiffany Creek Elementary received a 85.8 which “significantly exceeds expectations.”
Kaiser also made the board aware of a piece of legislation being discussed in Madison about a change for retired teachers and when they will be able to work again.
“This is a proposed solution to the teacher shortage across the state,” Kaiser explained. “They want to change some of the rules on how many hours and when they are able to come back and work for the schools.”
With the upcoming holidays, the Boyceville Board of Education learned of ways to combat the “holiday blues” from Director of Special Education Bonnie Barker.
“Being in the middle of the holiday season can bring great joy for many,” said Barker. “But for others, this time of year can also present challenges for some children and families.”
This time of year can remind children and families about what has changed significantly, according to Barker, and how their worlds are different from before.
Those who have lost a loved one, had a change in housing/placement, an increase in family tension, or an overwhelming feeling of sadness are those who can begin to experience the holiday blues the closer it gets to Christmas.
According to a survey done by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 64 percent of people stated they are affected by the blues, anxiety and depression around the holidays, and 24 percent said the holidays affect them a lot.
Barker gave a list of ideas to combat the holiday blues, several of which included sticking to a normal routine, taking time for yourself, but don’t isolate yourself, setting reasonable expectations and goals, and remember that this is short-term and to be patient, taking things week by week or a day at a time.
“My hope and wish is that you will have a joyous holiday season,” Barker said.
High/Middle school principal Tyler Moy spoke briefly about the recent Annual Science Olympiad tournament that took place on Saturday, December 7.
“We hosted 95 teams from five states at this year’s event,” Moy stated.
Both Boyceville high school and middle school won in the small school divisions, and the high school finished in fourth place overall and the middle school finished in seventh place.
In other business the Boyceville Board of Education:
• Accepted the resignation of Kacey Lane as middle school basketball coach.
• Accepted the resignation of Andy Britz as a bus driver.
• Accepted the resignation of Carol Quinn as part-time custodian.
• Accepted a grant from Steven & Diane Brown for $500 for the Food Services Families in Need program.
• Accepted a donation from the Don & Marilyn Fanetti fund for $10,000 to support programs related to 3-D printing, Science Olympiad program, and other STEM-Related initiatives.
• Accepted two teacher mini grants for healthy futures from the Community Foundation of Dunn County for $1,000 for the project “Have a Ball with GAGA Ball,” and $500 for “Wellness Walk.”
• Accepted a 2020 Robotics League Participation grant for Science Olympiad from DPI for $4,359.
The Boyceville Board of Education will meet again on January 15 with a regular board meeting at 6 p.m.
