News & Events

Carol McCormick wrote on September 15, “With the drawdown of Trippe Lake, the vegetation has evolved from lily pads and algae to a type of prairie flower. Shades of former landscape before impoundment? We’re hoping the DNR can enlighten us. Regardless, it’s a beautiful sight on a sunny day (finally).”

Our thanks to Carol McCormick for submitting this beautiful picture.

— Our Readers Share: We hope that you might have something that you’d be willing to share.  Anything that’s been created by someone else should, of course, be credited, and you should ask their permission if you’re able. We cannot post copyrighted material without permission. We can’t guarantee that we’ll have space for all submissions, and contributions will be subject to editorial board approval. The one definite exclusion is anything politically oriented. We will assume that you’re willing for us to include your name as the submitter unless you indicate that you prefer to remain anonymous. Send to whitewaterbanner@gmail.com or click on “submit a story” near the top right of our homepage.  Thanks for thinking about this!

Due to weather we are trying again.
Rummage Sale
189B Bluff Ridge Dr Apt 101
Friday 9/18 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Clothes: Boys 7/8 14/16; Women’s L to 22; Men’s L to 2xl
Toys, books, household, misc other.  
Few new items were added 🙂 
Masks appreciated

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
September 14, 2020

At another three hour meeting, tonight the Whitewater Unified School District board approved the recommendation of District Administrator Caroline Pate-Hefty to follow through with the tentative plan agreed to on August 10 to return to full face-to-face instruction effective September 28. After the meeting parents of all district children were emailed an announcement (reproduced at the bottom of this article) which includes a survey to be returned by this Friday, September 18 in which they will indicate whether the student(s) in their family will be attending school virtually or in-person, Monday through Friday. This choice will be effective through the end of the semester on January 21. The district’s expectation is that approximately 70% will choose the in-person option. Parents whose children may have difficulty adapting fully to either of these options due to disabilities or medical situations are encouraged to contact an administrator at their school to discuss possible accommodations. Due to the plan to maintain as much distancing as possible within the buses, parents are encouraged to provide transportation to/from school if at all possible.

On August 24 the board had adopted the revised school reopening guidance from Jefferson County Health Department, which is based on the Harvard School of Public Health recommendations. This guidance utilizes daily case incidence instead of positivity rates. Dr. Pate-Hefty acknowledged to the board at tonight’s meeting that the COVID-19 Risk Level based on case incidence in the three counties is currently at “Orange,” which is high risk. This Whitewater Banner post gives details regarding these recommendations, which at the orange level includes continuing with virtual learning for all students in grades 9-12. In a conversation with Dr. Pate-Hefty after the meeting this writer expressed the view that, given the current rapidly increasing level of positive test results in Whitewater, it is possible that the balanced case incidence metric might by September 23 enter the “Red,” very high risk level, wherein the Jefferson County model recommends all virtual instruction. Pate-Hefty indicated that the board had confirmed that, while they would be consulted in that event, it would remain their intention to continue with the September 28 plan. The forementioned communication does, however, remind parents that “following Health Department guidance, there may be occasions where specific students, entire classrooms, or an entire school may need to shift to virtual learning.”

Initially the board had limited public comment to one hour, but when that time limit was reached they agreed to hear the remaining five individuals whose “hands” were raised. A large portion of the callers argued for a return to full face-to-face instruction. Some indicated that the virtual instruction being provided now was superior to that in the spring, but others stated that it had been essentially ineffective for their learners. Some parents acknowledged concern with the risks involved with returning to school.

Although the board ultimately voted unanimously to support the recommended plan, several expressed significant reservations. In fact, both Casey Judd and Steve Ryan indicated that on Monday morning they had expected to vote against the plan. Mr. Ryan indicated that for him, “safety is #1,” and stated that he had been won over by the safety provisions that are planned. Mr. Judd felt that it was important to remember that there is one group that is not being given a choice, which is the teachers and other staff. Tom Ganser emphasized that the schools are trusting the parents to comply with the required precautions such as taking student temperatures each morning. Thayer Coburn expressed concern about getting hopes up, “when we’re asking five year olds to be vigilent.” Jennifer Kienbaum acknowledged that many parents and teachers are stressed and scared, but believes that the district can be successful, since other districts are making it work.

Near the end of the meeting school administrators acknowledged that there have been challenges related to providing sufficient staffing. 175 elementary students are already participating in the fully virtual option, and the expectation is that this number will rise even further. Consequently the administration requested, and the board authorized, three additional teacher positions for the virtual program, only one of which will require to be funded due to transfers. There are openings for paraprofessionals, and concern was also expressed regarding the limited supply of substitutes.

**********************************************************************************************************************

This communication was emailed to parents after the School Board meeting.

Updated WUSD Fall Instructional Plan

Beginning on Monday, September 28, the Whitewater Unified School District will offer full in-person instruction for grades 4K-12. Families will have the option of having their children attend in-person or fully virtually for the remainder of the first semester: 

100% In-Person Option
Starting September 28 
All students in grades 4K-12 may begin attending school five days per week in-person. Please note, following Health Department guidance, there may be occasions where specific students, entire classrooms, or an entire school may need to shift to virtual learning.

100% Virtual Option
Elementary Level: Through WUSD Virtual, the district provides teacher-led instruction that parallels the pacing and standards-based instruction of the in-person classroom model. Virtual instructors offer “real time” lessons and pre-recorded options, posted materials, resources, and video for students to access at their convenience.  
  
6-12 Level: Students choosing virtual instruction are assigned courses through a virtual program. This standards-based curriculum is aligned with district in-person instruction. A course instructor and a support coach are assigned to each student to monitor academic progress and offer support as needed.  

What Should You Do Next? 
Fill out the survey linked here:  https://forms.gle/Wb7Ho5Fui3BBswHT6
Select your model option starting September 28, 2020 as soon as possible.

Families of students with disabilities or those requiring accommodations are encouraged to contact their school administrator.

Students requesting school bus transportation must submit the form by Friday, September 18 at 5pm.

Like us on Facebook ( Whitewater Unified School District-WUSD) for ongoing updates.

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Plan educativo de otoño del WUSD actualizado

A partir del lunes, 28 de septiembre, el Distrito Escolar Unificado de Whitewater comenzará a ofrecer instrucción completamente presencial para los grados de 4K a 12. Las familias tendrán la opción de que sus hijos asistan en persona o de forma virtual durante el resto del primer semestre:

Opción 100 % opción en persona
Comienza el 28 de septiembre
Todos los estudiantes de 4K a 12 podrían comenzar a asistir a la escuela cinco días a la semana de manera presencial. Tenga en cuenta que, siguiendo la guía del Departamento de Salud, puede haber ocasiones en las que ciertos estudiantes específicos, aulas enteras o la escuela entera puedan necesitar cambiar al aprendizaje virtual.

Opción 100 % virtual
Nivel primario: A través del WUSD Virtual, el distrito proporciona instrucción dirigida por el maestro al mismo ritmo y con los mismos contenidos educativos del modelo de clase presencial. Los instructores virtuales ofrecen lecciones en “tiempo real” y opciones pregrabadas, materiales publicados, recursos y videos para que los estudiantes accedan a ellas según su conveniencia. 

Nivel de 6 a 12: Los estudiantes que elijan la instrucción virtual serán asignados a cursos basados en un programa virtual. Este plan de estudio va de acuerdo a los estándares educativos de la instrucción presencial del distrito. Se asignará un instructor de curso y un instructor de apoyo a cada estudiante para supervisar el progreso académico y ofrecer el apoyo que sea necesario. 

¿Qué debe hacer a continuación?
Complete la encuesta,que se puede acceder en: https://forms.gle/Wb7Ho5Fui3BBswHT6 
Elija el modelo de educación que comenzará el 28 de septiembre de 2020 lo antes posible.

Se anima a las familias de estudiantes con discapacidades o que requieran adaptaciones a que se comuniquen con el director de su escuela.

Los estudiantes que soliciten transporte en autobús escolar deben enviar el formulario antes del viernes 18 de septiembre a las 5 pm. 

Dé “Me gusta” en Distrito Escolar Unificado de Whitewater en Facebook para recibir actualizaciones periódicas.

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

At its August 10 meeting the WUSD School Board voted that at a special meeting on Monday, September 14, depending upon the status of COVID-19 in the area and the schools, they hoped to affirm that the schools would be returning to fulltime in-person instruction as of September 28. Consequently the agenda for Monday’s open meeting at 7:00 p.m. includes discussion of that matter.

On August 10 the board had adopted the school reopening guidance of Jefferson County Health Department that indicated that in-person instruction should not begin unless the COVID positivity rate in the area was under 8%. The district’s plan was to use a blended rate for Jefferson, Rock, and Walworth counties based on the percentage of students enrolled from each county. As of August 10, the blended rate was calculated as 8.2%. It appears that the blended rate would not have dropped below 8% at any time since then. However, on August 20 Jefferson County revised its guidance, and the board adopted that revision at its August 24 meeting. This guidance utilizes daily case incidence as defined below, with the risk levels also shown.

Daily Case Incidence: The daily case incidence number (per 100,000) will determine whether a jurisdiction is green, yellow, orange, or red COVID activity levels using the criteria described under the COVID-19 Risk Level definition below. This is calculated using a 7-day rolling average with a lag time of one day. This lag time may increase based on processing and reporting times for tests being conducted.

COVID-19 Risk Level Case Incidence
COVID Risk Level Case Incidence Red (Very High Risk ) >25 daily new cases per 100,000 people
Orange ( High Risk ) 10<25 daily new cases per 100,000 people
Yellow ( Medium Risk ) 1<10 daily new cases per 100,000 people
Green ( Low Risk ) <1 daily new case per 100,000 people

As of September 9, the weighted average stood at 16.48, placing the district in the orange (high risk) category. In that category, Jefferson County’s recommendations are as follows:

1st priority for re-opening: Grades pre K-5 and in-person special education services at grade levels preK-8 open if conditions for pandemic resilient teaching and learning spaces can be achieved at scale; districts, states, and federal government invest in healthy buildings and healthy classrooms; in the absence of conditions for pandemic resilient teaching and learning spaces, schools continue with remote learning. 2nd priority for re-opening: Grades 6-8 and in-person special education services at grade levels 9-12 open if conditions for pandemic resilient teaching and learning spaces can be achieved at scale; districts, states, and federal government invest in healthy buildings and healthy classrooms; in the absence of conditions for pandemic resilient teaching and learning spaces, schools continue with remote learning. Not a priority for re-opening: Grades 9-12 maintain remote learning for all learners; districts, states, and federal government invest in remote learning.

As readers are probably aware, there has been a significant spike in positive test results for UW-W students, most of which would likely not yet be reflected in the case incidence numbers that the state reported on September 9.

Here is the access information for Monday’s open session:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82311903275?pwd=dnBhMGdSKzRJU0NYNEswWk5ydDArZz09
– Passcode: 849620
– Dial-in: 1-312-626-6799 – Webinar ID: 823 1190 3275 – Passcode: 849620

(Whitewater Unites Lives submission) Brittany Redden is a WUL Hometown Hero, “For volunteering tirelessly for the Summer Lunch Fixings for Kids program for the past three summers; for being dedicated, organized and thorough in everything she does to benefit many children in the Whitewater area; and for effectively communicating and coordinating with so many families.”

The nomination includes:  “It is my sincere belief that she deserves to be a recipient of the Hometown Hero award. Whitewater is lucky to have her as a volunteer.“

WUL (Whitewater Unites Lives) is a locally-focused civil and human rights group that works to connect the people in our community and to create opportunities for all people to learn and support each other in our common humanity.   

 Anyone who would like to nominate a local hero of any age should send their nomination, with a short description, to whitewaterunites@gmail.com 

The Common Council agenda for September 1 was amended on Monday afternoon to add “Discussion and possible direction regarding large gatherings of people on private property during City Declaration of Emergency.” City Manager Cameron Clapper indicated to the Banner that the item was added to the agenda in order to provide an opportunity for the council members to discuss concerns that have been raised about this matter, and to allow for public comment; however, if there is possible interest in taking action, this would not be considered until a future meeting.

Walworth County Public Health, Advocate Aurora Health, and Mercyhealth to Host Virtual COVID-19 Town Hall for Employers

The Walworth County Division of Public Health, in partnership with Aurora
Advocate Health and Mercyhealth, is hosting ‘Employer Best Practices During
COVID-19: Virtual Town Hall with Walworth County Public Health and
Healthcare’ on Monday, August 31 st at 9:00 a.m.
Employers play an important role in preventing COVID-19 and helping our
community stay safe and healthy. This event will provide perspectives from
Public Health and local healthcare partners, including an update on the status of
COVID-19 in Walworth County, information on current best practices for
businesses and employers, and an opportunity for questions.
Registration is required for this event. Please visit https://bit.ly/2Qk37DJ to learn
more and register.
For more information, please contact Walworth County Health and Human
Services Division of Public Health at (262) 741-3140, email
walcoph@co.walworth.wi.us, follow-us on Facebook, or visit us online at
co.walworth.wi.us.