Dear WCS Staff and Families,
Welcome back to a new school year filled with promise and possibilities! Over the summer, our dedicated staff has been preparing to provide students with enriching and nurturing learning experiences this year. We look forward to working with you - the parents and families of Wyoming students and the entire Wyoming community - to foster a collaborative and supportive environment that empowers every student to thrive academically and personally.
Below, you will see several highlights from the regular Board of Education meeting on Monday, July 31st. I’ll continue to share information after our meetings to connect you with important updates. All items on the agenda for the July 31st BOE meeting were approved as presented. The video of the entire meeting is available here on the Wyoming City Schools Youtube channel. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Sincerely,
Tim Weber
Superintendent
Standards-Based Report Card Presentation (3:40) - Wyoming Primary Schools (WPS) Principal Gina Kirchner provided an overview of the new WPS Standards-Based Report Card that will be implemented this year. This is a product of a Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) study completed during the 2021-2022 school year: Primary Standards-Based Grading Practices Report. The new report card was developed during the 2022-2023 school year and is intended to provide more accurate feedback on student achievement aligned to the Ohio Learning Standards and engaged learner characteristics aligned with our Wyoming City Schools Attributes of a Learner. Parent meetings are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. September 19th and September 21st and video support will also be developed for families. More information on these engagement opportunities will be shared with WPS families in the coming weeks.
Communications Audit (35:49) - During the 2022-2023 school year, Wyoming City Schools partnered with Hamilton County Educational Services Center to complete a communications audit in our efforts to continue to improve our communications strategies. During the meeting, Director of Communications Suzy Henke provided an overview of the feedback that was shared during the process. This information is posted on our Communication Audit in Action webpage and will be utilized to revise the overall district communication plan and the development of a new website during the 2023-2024 school year. This work to continuously improve by taking action based on feedback is critical to the Communication and Partnership pillar of our strategic plan as we strive to create communication structures that strengthen our partnership with students, families, and community members.
Primary Facilities Update (53:58)- The work to identify the best plan for the future of our primary facilities has continued this summer. A Request for Proposals (RFP) was posted on June 2nd. Prior to the RFP deadline of June 20th, we received proposals from five firms interested in partnering with Wyoming City Schools to continue this work. Our Superintendent Facilities Committee (made up of two Board Members, Treasurer, Facilities Administrator, and Superintendent) met on June 27th to evaluate the submitted proposals. Three firms were selected for follow-up interviews with the Superintendent Facilities Committee on July 17th. After a careful review of the proposals, interviews, and previous work completed with Wyoming City Schools and other districts, our committee recommended Ruetschle Architects to continue to engage our community on the development of a primary facility plan that will support our students, staff, families, and our community into the future.
After the school year starts, we will be sharing ways the Wyoming school community can get involved with this phase of the process to create a plan for the future of the Wyoming Primary facilities. This work will include the creation of a new Wyoming Primary Schools Facilities Steering Committee and multiple rounds of community engagement opportunities to accomplish the goals of:
- Identifying factors to be considered in the development of primary school facilities,
- Creating a facilities communication structure that increases awareness/ability to participate,
- Reviewing/revising the timeline for primary facilities work,
- Developing primary facility options that support prioritized factors, and
- Seeking community feedback on options to understand the community's perspective for the future of our primary facilities.
If you are interested in participating on the new WPS Facilities Steering Committee, please complete and submit this application by September 10, 2023. Every effort shall be made to ensure that the makeup of the committee is as truly representative of the community as possible.
New Personnel (1:26:49) - We approved some new personnel during the meeting to join the other new staff members who have been board-approved in recent months. We are excited for all new staff to begin working with students as the school year begins! Below, you will see a list of new staff and their positions in the district.
