News & Events

(Communication sent to Washington families on Dec. 5)

Dear Families, 

The District adopted a plan requiring a school to shift to virtual instruction for three days after three positive COVID-19 cases are confirmed within a seven-day period.  Unfortunately, we have confirmed three cases at Washington Elementary School, and the building will be closed for in-person attendance Monday.  The building will be left vacant on Saturday and Sunday and deep cleaned on Monday.  Students who have attended in-person instruction  will resume their in-person schedule on Tuesday.

Contact Tracing:

Upon receiving the notification and confirmation, the school conducted initial contact tracing and has contacted any students or staff who were directly impacted by close contact via phone. If you did not receive a call, you were not a close contact. 

Online Meals:

The deadline to order online meals for Monday will remain as 10:00 a.m. Sunday.  Families are able to order meals by following this link:  https://sites.google.com/wwusd.org/wusd-covid-19/food-service. Meals ordered for pick up at Washington Monday will be available for pick up outside of Washington.

Online Instructional Schedule:

Students who have been participating in virtual learning last week will continue to follow their virtual schedule on Monday .  For those students who have been attending in-person learning, families should check their child’s Seesaw account for their schedule and activities. 

Best, 

Dr. Caroline Pate-Hefty

District Administrator

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Estimadas familias, 

El Distrito adoptó un plan que requiere que una escuela cambie a la instrucción virtual por tres días después de que se confirmen tres casos positivos de COVID-19 en un período de siete días.  Desafortunadamente, hemos confirmado tres casos en la Escuela Primaria Washington, y el edificio estará cerrado para la asistencia en persona el lunes.  El edificio quedará vacío el sábado y el domingo y se limpiará a fondo el lunes.  Los estudiantes que hayan asistido a la instrucción en persona regresarán a su horario el martes.

Rastreo de contactos:

Una vez recibida la notificación y confirmación, la escuela realizó el rastreo de contacto inicial y ha contactado por teléfono a los estudiantes o personal que fueron afectados directamente por el contacto cercano. Si no recibió una llamada, no fue un contacto cercano. 

Comidas en línea:

La fecha límite para ordenar comidas en línea para el lunes seguirá siendo el domingo a las 10:00 a.m.  Las familias pueden ordenar las comidas siguiendo este enlace: https://sites.google.com/wwusd.org/wusd-covid-19/food-service. Las comidas ordenadas para ser recogidas en Washington el lunes estarán disponibles para ser recogidas afuera de Washington.

Horario de instrucción en línea:

Los estudiantes que han estado participando en el aprendizaje virtual la semana pasada continuarán siguiendo su horario virtual el lunes.  Para aquellos estudiantes que han estado asistiendo al aprendizaje en persona, las familias deben revisar la cuenta de Seesaw de su hijo para ver su horario y actividades. 

Gracias, 

Dra. Caroline Pate-Hefty

Administradora de Distrito

(Movie buff Mark Dorn news release) “The Good Liar”(Crime/Drama/Mystery) – Tuesday, December 8, 1 p.m. only; Rated R (Language, Violence);1 hour, 49 minutes (2019)

A career con man (Ian McKellen) sets his sights on his latest mark: a recently widowed woman (Helen Mirren), worth millions. He means to take it all. But as they draw closer, what should have been another simple swindle takes on the ultimate stakes. A chilling thriller!

You will need to wear a mask and sanitize hands. Bring your own beverage and snacks, no sharing. Please call, email, or sign up online at https://schedulesplus.com/wwtr/kiosk We no longer are allowing walk-ins so you must register if you will be attending. This allows us to implement physical distancing. Thanks so much!

(This announcement was released to WUSD families on December 3, but persons up to age 18 are eligible to participate even if not enrolled in WUSD.)

Dear Whitewater Community and Families:

We are pleased to announce the availability of breakfasts and lunches during winter break, provided at no cost, for all students and children in the community up to age 18.  Preordering is required — continue reading to learn more.

Meals bags are available with either 7 or 14 days worth of breakfasts and lunches.  (The 14-day meal bags will provide breakfast and lunch for each day of winter break, including weekends.)

All meals will be distributed on Monday, December 21, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. (all five schools) and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. (high school only).  Children do not need to be physically present to receive the meal bags.  Parents, guardians, and caregivers are able to pick up meal bags for all eligible children in the household.

Orders must be received by Monday, December 14, at 8am by submitting the online form available on this page:  https://sites.google.com/wwusd.org/wusd-covid-19/food-service

Individual meal orders will not be offered for December 21 and 22.  The 7-day and 14-day meal bags will be the only meals offered that week.

These meals are provided at no cost from an expanded federal program in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sincerely,

Lisa Griep
Food Service Supervisor

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Estimadas Familias y Comunidad de Whitewater:

Nos complace anunciar la disponibilidad de desayunos y almuerzos durante las vacaciones de invierno, proporcionados sin costo alguno, para todos los estudiantes y niños de la comunidad hasta los 18 años.  Es necesario hacer un pedido por adelantado… sigan leyendo para saber más.

Las bolsas de comida están disponibles con 7 o 14 días de desayunos y almuerzos.  (Las bolsas de comida de 14 días tendrán el desayuno y el almuerzo para cada día de las vacaciones de invierno, incluyendo los fines de semana.)

Todas las comidas se distribuirán el lunes 21 de diciembre, de 11 a 12 horas (en las cinco escuelas) y de 4pm a 6pm (sólo en la escuela preparatoria).  No es necesario que los niños estén físicamente presentes para recibir las bolsas de comida.  Los padres, tutores y cuidadores pueden recoger las bolsas de comida para todos los niños elegibles de la casa.

Los pedidos deben ser recibidos antes del lunes 14 de diciembre a las 8 de la mañana enviando el formulario en línea disponible en esta página:

No se ofrecerán pedidos individuales de comida para el 21 y 22 de diciembre.  Las bolsas de comida de 7 y 14 días serán las únicas comidas ofrecidas esa semana.

Estas comidas son proporcionadas sin costo alguno por un programa federal expandido en respuesta a la pandemia COVID-19.

Sinceramente,

Lisa Griep
Supervisora de Servicios de Alimentación

Additional Opportunity for Leaf and Yard Waste Collection

(Whitewater Public Works press release) For those who missed the November 20 bagged leaf pickup deadline, there will be two, six-yard dumpsters at the Department of Public Works (150 E. Starin Rd.) on November 23 through November 25 and November 30 through December 4. This will be an additional opportunity to dispose of leaf and yard waste only, NO BRUSH. City of Whitewater residents only will have access between 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. We ask that you please empty your bags (Bio bags do not have to be emptied)/containers into the dumpsters and take them with you when you leave.

UW-Whitewater defeats Northwestern University and University of Chicago to compete in Fed Challenge national semifinals

(UW-W College of Business & Economics press release) For the second time in four years, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater College Fed Challenge team excelled in regional competition and competed among the nation’s best economics programs.

UW-Whitewater prevailed against some of the strongest teams in the Midwest district — including Northwestern University, the University of Chicago and Marquette University — in order to advance to the national semifinal round. Final rankings were announced on Nov. 20, naming the top three teams as well as three other finalists. While UW-Whitewater was not included among the winners or national finalists, the students’ dedication and performance reflect highly on the university.

The 2020 UW-Whitewater College Fed Challenge Team included presenting members Nicole Carter from Cary, Ill., who is majoring in international studies and economics, Clayton Gallmann from Oshkosh, Wis., who is majoring in economics, Cole Kinson from Elkhorn, Wis., who is majoring in economics and mathematics, Kevin Peralta from Racine, Wis., who is majoring in economics, and Johnny Pulley from Stoughton, Wis., who is majoring in economics. Tyler Grissom from Cedarburg, Wis., who is majoring in international business and German, also contributed to the team’s success as a non-presenting member by providing significant research and analysis support.

In addition, economics faculty members Professor Yamin Ahmad, Associate Professor Eylem Ersal, Assistant Professor Krastina Dzhambova, Assistant Professor Narendra Regmi, and Professor Emeritus Stuart Glosser also devoted many hours as team coaches. They helped the team prepare and refine their presentation, and ran them through Q&A drills.

Co-sponsored by the Federal Reserve and Federal Reserve Banks, the College Fed Challenge is the preeminent economics educational competition that teaches students to think critically about the U.S. economy, financial markets and monetary policy.

“The competition requires a lot of research, and students get a feel for what macroeconomists do,” said Yamin Ahmad, professor of economics. “The team suggested a particular policy decision in the presentation video, and the Federal Reserve ended up taking that action a week later. So the students could see that they were on target with their analysis, and they were really excited.”

In past years, bracketed competitions led to district winners who advanced to the national round. This year, all teams in a district competed directly against each other with video presentations. The top three teams from each district advanced to the national semifinals, which featured a virtual question-and-answer session with judges. Team performances in the Q&A resulted in one finalist for each district, as well as the national first-, second- and third-place rankings.

“The team started preparing in March, at the start of the pandemic,” said Ahmad. “They met remotely every week from March into November, and their dedication and hard work were reflected in their performance. They went up against some very strong economics teams to make it to the national semifinals.”

Beyond economic acumen, analytical skills and presentation abilities, the College Fed Challenge requires strong teamwork skills.

“The students pulled together right away, and they excelled based on their ability to work as a team,” said Ahmad.

“The primary takeaway from my first year of being the team captain is how grateful I am that I was working with dedicated teammates and faculty advisors who cared about how well the team did,” said Cole Kinson. “As the competition grew nearer, it became more and more clear that we could never have advanced as far as we did without the effort put in by every single teammate, nor without the help we received from the faculty advisors. The project was just too large-scale to do without everyone’s combined effort.”

The Warhawks’ journey to the semifinals is particularly noteworthy during a year of unusual disruption. When announcing the winners, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, commended all participants on the talent and drive required of both students and faculty advisers to compete in this event during a time of so much upheaval.

Images provided by Tom Ganser

School board members Tom Ganser and Jim Stewart, and WUSD School Board Secretary Jaclyn Tueting delivered scones on November 19 for the staffs at Lakeview Elementary School, Lincoln Elementary School, Washington Elementary School, Whitewater Middle School, and Whitewater High School in celebration of American Education Week.  Scones were also given to the Central Office Staff.