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A letter from District Administrator, Terrance Slack

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September 2023

Dear Parents & Caregivers,

Welcome back to the start of the 2023-24 school year!  This month's edition comes at the beginning of the second week of the school year, allowing me to comment on the start of the year.  First, thank you for starting the school year positively, as each school's open house events saw high attendance and participation.  This year, the Nelson Family Performing Arts Center saw approximately 450 in attendance for the grand opening.  As mentioned in previous communication, this facility will allow students interested in the fine arts an opportunity to perform in a state-of-the-art facility.  This is something that will only enhance many of the good things already taking place in the fine arts department.  We hope to see you at a future event! 

At the September 2^5th board meeting, the building principals will present a recap of their 2022-23 school goals and introduce their respective buildings' goals for the 2023-24 school year.  Last year saw many students make solid academic progress; we expect this year to be no different.  At WDHS, an intentional focus will be to increase the number of junior and seniors participating in the state-sponsored Youth Apprenticeship Program (YAP).  Last year, the district saw 17 students gain valuable job training and work experience as part of their YAP participation.  In the coming months, additional information will be shared with students and their parents on how to successfully plan out meeting their academic requirements to ensure they can participate in their junior and senior years. 

As they always do, our custodians and maintenance staff have worked diligently this summer to ensure our schools were ready for the school year by being clean, healthy, and safe!  While this reflects positively on our school district, the real credit goes out to our entire custodial and maintenance staff members led by Director of Buildings & Grounds Scott Walsh.  Thus, it is only appropriate to thank our custodians and maintenance staff members who have successfully readied our schools for returning students and staff.  Thank you for a job well done!

In the coming months, the district will begin to share communication regarding ongoing long-term planning for the district.  In short, the district is exploring the best option to replace Lake Delton Elementary School.  Various stakeholders have toured Mauston's PK-12 campus, featuring a new PK-2 school and remodeled elementary, converting it to serve students in grades 3-5.  Additionally, district staff will be touring the Lodi Primary School to see how this may better serve our students.  This option allows an opportunity to consolidate educational services and enable all students to attend school with all their grade-level peers.  Please stay tuned for future additional updates.       

Finally, as I typically do, please allow me to close out this newsletter article by saying thank you for the opportunity to serve our community’s children, for they are both our highest priority. It is a privilege to do so.

Let’s all have a great school year!

Terrance Slack