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SDWD is currently accepting applications for open enrollment for the 2025-26 school year. Please visit DPI for more information and to print the application. You can direct any questions to Tiffany Clary at tclary@sdwd.k12.wi.us
Come drive with us!!
SDWD is hiring bus drivers for AM/PM routes, AM routes, PM routes, sports trips, or substitute drivers! Sign-on bonus, no experience necessary, paid in-house training!
DECEMBER 2025
Dear School District of Wisconsin Dells Community Members,
As I mentioned in my weekly email update for the week of December 1st through 4th, December is upon us, and there is no doubt winter has arrived. December is always a busy month, as it is compressed with the traditional winter holiday break at the end. To be specific, winter break will begin at the end of a full day of school on Tuesday, December 23, 2025, and classes will resume on Monday, January 5, 2026. While the month is a bit shorter, it's always essential for all students to demonstrate excellent attendance and remain engaged in their own learning.
As has become tradition since moving into the new high school five years ago, WDHS will host a boys and girls basketball tournament over the winter break, with games scheduled for Monday, December 29th, and Tuesday, December 30th. We will post upcoming game times on our social media channels, or you can find the specific times on the district website. We hope to see you at an upcoming game!
INCLEMENT WEATHER REMINDERS
As a reminder, inclement weather is likely at some point in December, and the district will use the following four methods as its primary ways of communicating with the public. The first will be the school messenger service. This will provide a phone call to the number you have provided to the district within the Infinite Campus student management system. The other media sources are the district Facebook page and WISC-TV 3, which are the earliest contacts that the district makes. If the district deems it necessary to release students early due to inclement weather, and you have elementary-age children, please make sure we have your alternative day care arrangements in advance and on file at one of the elementary offices. This will significantly assist the office staff, as well as the classroom teachers and aides who ensure that your children are on the correct bus or for any pre-approved alternative arrangements. This will ease some of the confusion in an already hectic day!
STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT
A massive thank you to the incredible non-profit, Let's Golf About It! We are overwhelmed with gratitude for their generous $85,000 donation to the School District of Wisconsin Dells. This funding is a true game-changer, breaking down barriers so that our students—who wouldn't otherwise have access—can receive crucial weekly counseling and therapy sessions.
Thanks to their compassion:
· During the 2024-25 school year and the Summer of 2025, we were able to provide 680 therapy sessions to over 79 students across the district.
· Currently, 19 students are receiving weekly sessions with a licensed therapist.
Their generosity is addressing a critical need, especially when you consider that 50% of children experiencing a mental health condition don't receive treatment. Thank you, Let's Golf About It, for being a beacon of hope for our students and helping us #BreakTheStigma!
DPI SCHOOL REPORT CARD SUMMARY
At our November 10, 2025, board meeting, Director of Curriculum & Instruction Brian Grove outlined a detailed report on our students' academic achievement for the past school year. Overall, SDWD students performed well as a group. Additionally, the district can now release the state-mandated district and school report cards, and I have provided a summary of the schools below. I would like to thank all of our staff members for their daily commitment to our students. For the most part, our students performed quite well.
Please note that the 2024-25 school report cards have been officially released, and below is a quick summary of how the district and each school have fared. WDMS made a nearly 10-point jump in its overall score, returning to a rating of 3 stars, and the district increased its score by just over 3 points.
|
2024-25 DPI Report Card Scores |
||
|
Building/District |
Score |
Rating |
|
District |
69.1 |
3* |
|
WDHS |
74.0 |
4* |
|
WDMS |
66.3 |
3* |
|
LDES |
83.8 |
4* |
|
SHES |
60.3 |
3* |
These annual report cards indicate which items the district, and more specifically our students, are performing well on, as well as which areas need greater attention. This is excellent feedback and has allowed our staff to make, when necessary, adjustments to increase student outcomes. Often, the district is aware of the areas of strength on the cards as well as the areas it is striving to improve. The report cards provide a great deal of academic detail; however, they do not measure any of the work educators do in social-emotional learning. As a reminder, the district has always taken a measured approach to reporting the details in the report card. Thanks to our students, parents, and teaching staff for your efforts to produce these outcomes!
In closing, we hope you take a few moments to enjoy the monthly edition of our e-newsletter. Our students and staff are striving to achieve our vision statement of academic and individual excellence for a stronger community, and we recognize there will always be challenges to getting better. We thank you for the opportunity to serve our communities’ children, for they are both our highest priority, and it is our privilege to do so!
Respectfully submitted,
2024-25 Wisconsin DPI School and District Report Card