 |
| Row 1: Sarah Poquette, Tanya Schmidt, Janice Welsh, Stacy Berger, Marcie Gundlach, and Ava McCall. Row 2: Amy Weinsheim, Deb Rothenbach, Tami Goodwin, Renee Larson, Rich Norenberg, Sally Joel, John Toson, Karin Derenne, John Pieper, Brenna Garrison-Bruden, and Patti Vickman (Principal/NNPS Key Contact). Not Pictured: Dennis Kavanaugh and George Pouba. |
The Webster Stanley Partnership Team (its Action Team for Partnerships) includes representatives from all of the school's action teams and special programs for school improvement. This "umbrella group" of linked members meets every other month to integrate the components of the school community and to increase and improve school, family, and community partnerships. Each member maintains a binder of materials related to the Partnership Team's work.
The composition of the Partnership Team allows the various action teams for school improvement to work together. For example, in 2005, an AmeriCorps VISTA representative worked with other team members to implement a Connections Mentoring program. Middle school students came once a week to give the elementary school students academic assistance. The older-teaches-younger-student approach strengthened and enlivened the school community.
One partnership activity garnered recognition from the City of Oshkosh. The school's Diversity Mural was selected for the monthly Art Walk of Galleries in June, 2005. Team members worked with a local non-profit organization, AVEC (Arts Virtually Enrich Communities), and gathered ideas from the school's staff and families. The students, staff, and family members painted the mural, which will be installed on the exterior of the school to celebrate the diversity of the community.
When the liaison to the Curriculum & Assessment Action Team suggested creating a program to provide more reading and writing opportunities, the Partnership Team went to the local newspaper company for funding to publish a newspaper written by the school's students.
About 25% of the students and families at the school speak English as a second language. Although the school has interpreters on the ESL staff for students and families of Asian heritage, the team asked the Oshkosh Diversity Council and the Archdiocesan Parish to assist with the influx of Sudanese families in the community. Two staff members from the school joined the Diversity Council's Steering Committee to solicit family support for the school's newest immigrants and to advocate for these families and students until they are comfortable enough to do so for themselves.
To further promote its program, the Partnership Team created a public relations video and brochure, which describes the school's vision, mission, and core values, along with its home-school-community partnerships approach and strategies. The team also developed its own handbook, which outlines its involvement activities, organized by the NNPS framework of six types of involvement.
Prior to, during, and after activities are conducted, the Partnership Team uses local surveys, focus groups, Wisconsin DPI's surveys, Effective Schools surveys, and NNPS evaluation instruments to assess the program's effectiveness. With these tools, the Partnership Team is working to ensure that its activities continue to engage parents, community partners, and students in the school. The Partnership Team develops its One-Year Action Plans based on the data it collects, often modifying its goals with feedback from families and the community. For example, in the past year, its target for reducing bullying incidents was based on surveys given to students and parents.