Friday, May 10, 2013
The Aug. 10 event will begin at the Miller Park pond, with organizers hoping for $5,000 in money raised for the Oak Creek-Franklin School District.
As someone in the medical field, Angela Weins focuses on getting to the root of problems and treating the underlying cause. And the way she sees it, this applies to everyday, real-world problems as well. Take, for example, the high-profile violence that has prompted nationwide debate over gun reforms. Could something be done early in someone's life to prevent issues later? One answer could be more education, particularly as bullying has come under a brighter spotlight over the last few years. "Bullying is a huge issue in schools, so maybe in turn, there would be less violence in the future" with effective education, Weins said. To that end, she is organizing a 5k run/walk on Aug. 10 to raise money for anti-bullying programs in Oak Creek …
Monday, April 29, 2013
Despite changes in benchmarks for Wisconsin statewide reading and math tests, Oak Creek students continued to score higher than the state average.
Use Patch's interactive database to see the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations scores in Oak Creek and other area districts for the last three years. Students in the Oak Creek-Franklin School District saw lower scores in statewide math and reading tests this year, but those changes are almost entirely due to tough new standards that kicked in this year. In Oak Creek, 38.7 percent of the students who took the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations (WKCE) in November 2012 scored at proficient or advanced in reading. That's compared to 87.2 percent who hit that mark in 2011. The 2012-13 results were released last week. In math, 49.8 percent of the Oak Creek students were proficient or better this year, compared to 79.4 …
Saturday, April 13, 2013
See how the number of students per staff member in the Oak Creek-Franklin School District stack up against nearby districts and the state.
One thing that always comes up when districts talk about laying off staff, is the student-staff ratio. In general, according to the non-profit group Class Size Matters, a lower ratio is considered good, providing for smaller class sizes and giving students more opportunity for attention from teachers. There were 870,470 students enrolled in Wisconsin public and charter schools in the 2011-12 school year. Those schools employed 3,497 administrators, 31,532 aides and support staff, and 65,446 licensed staff members. (All employment numbers are full-time equivalents, meaning two half-time staff members would count as one.) Average staff-student ratios are as follows: 249 students per administrator, 28 students per aide/support staff, and 13 …
Sunday, March 31, 2013
The Oak Creek-Franklin School District is studying whether to implement a new benefit structure for Oak Creek staff members in light of budget troubles and a possible cut in state funding.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
The school district spends about $1.2 million on capital projects each year, targeting health and safety, curriculum and instruction and efficiency.
A list of more than 30 capital projects—many of which target security and efficiency upgrades in Oak Creek schools—have been approved by the Oak Creek-Franklin School Board. Among the improvements are new classroom door locks at schools throughout the district, a new fire alarm system at Shepard Hills Elementary School and additional cameras at the high school and East and West middle schools. The school district will also resurface the high school's east and west parking lots. Check out a full list of the projects here. Oak Creek annually allocates $1.2 million for capital projects, which are brought forward by school principals and then prioritized. The district focuses on improvements in health and safety, curriculum and instruction, …
Monday, March 11, 2013
An opening reception for the 20th annual school district art show was held Thursday.
Oak Creek students' art is on full display at Oak Creek High School as part of Youth Art Month. The 20th annual district art show features work from students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Parents got to see their children's art first hand during an opening reception Thursday evening (above).
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Administrators are proposing new classroom door locks throughout the district, additional cameras at the high school and middle schools.
Safety and efficiency are two themes in a proposed list of capital projects for the Oak Creek-Franklin School District. Among the upgrades administrators are eying are new classroom door locks at schools throughout the district, a new fire alarm system at Shepard Hills and additional cameras at the high school and both middle schools. The school district is also proposing to resurface the high school's east and west parking lots. Oak Creek annually allocates $1.2 million for capital projects, which are brought forward by school principals and then prioritized. The district focuses on improvements in health and safety, curriculum and instruction, and efficiency, Superintendent Sara Burmeister said. The following is the list of proposed …
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Patch surveyed Milwaukee-area school districts about security measures in place at their schools. See how Oak Creek compares with other Milwaukee-area districts.
The tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut stole 26 lives and again opened the door on conversations about gun control and mental health. But another topic that has emerged is security in schools, and whether we are doing enough to keep children safe. Following the shooting, the National Rifle Association advocated arming teachers and stationing armed guards in schools. Patch surveyed Milwaukee area school districts on their schools' security practices. The 16 districts that responded to the survey are: Cudahy, Nicolet High School, Glendale-River Hills/Mapledale-Indian Hill, Muskego-Norway, Greendale, Shorewood, Oak Creek-Franklin, Menomonee Falls, Mequon-Theinsville, Racine Unified School District, Whitefish Bay, …
Friday, December 14, 2012
Oak Creek knows from experience that mass shootings can happen anywhere, 'even in the quietest and gentlest of communities,' Superintendent Sara Burmeister said.
Unfathomable. Details continue to surface about the horrific events Friday in Newtown, Ct., where a gunman entered an elementary school and took the lives of a reported 26 people, including 20 children. In Oak Creek, the site of a mass shooting just four months ago, School Superintendent Sara Burmeister said she cried as she heard the news. "It's a tragedy beyond words to describe," Burmeister said. "You can't help but think that this could have been your child, your grandchild, your students, your teachers, your schools, your community. "We always think, 'It can’t happen here,' and we pray fervently that it won't. But as we know from our experience this summer, it can happen anywhere, even in the quietest and gentlest of communities. My …
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
The Pittsburgh-based company, which has a plant in Oak Creek, has awarded grant money to Oak Creek High School and Deerfield and Shepard Hills elementary schools.
PPG Industries has awarded three $1,000 grants supporting programs in the Oak Creek-Franklin School District. The grants are going to Oak Creek High School's Project Lead the Way program, which provides a rigorous hands-on curriculum in science, engineering, technology and math; a Deerfield Elementary field trip to Cave of the Mounds; and a science program at Shepard Hills that educates students about light and electricity. The Oak Creek-Franklin School Board accepted the grants in its meeting Monday. PPG has awarded grants benefiting Oak Creek schools often in the past and more could be on the way, Superintendent Sara Burmeister said. "They've been extremely generous to the district," she said. The Oak Creek PPG plant, 10800 S. 13th St., …
Patricia Snead
11:59 am on Wednesday, April 17, 2013
I agree with wiplayer. I also want to know how many students on an average per classroom. You may have staff members that typically work with small groups or one-on-one like speech pathologists or reading specialists, so you cannot have these teachers counted into the ratio of classroom per student. As a taxpayer, I want to know the ratio without all of the support staff or aides included. This … more ›