NORTH CRAWFORD - At their regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 15, the North Crawford School Board adopted ‘Board Priorities and Goals.’ The priorities and goals adopted were the product of several long-range planning meetings undertaken by the board and the administration over the course of the summer and fall of 2019.

Those priorities and goals are as follows:

Focus Area 1: 

Curriculum

If North Crawford students are provided a viable and relevant PK-12 curriculum, then our students will leave North Crawford college and career ready.

Priority Area 1:Identify essential standards and communicate them.

Goals for Priority Area 1 include:

• North Crawford Elementary teaching staff will identify and unpack all essential standards in the area of mathematics.

• North Crawford Middle School/High School teaching staff will identify and unpack all essential standards within their respective curricular areas.

• North Crawford Administrative Team will communicate all district essential standards to district stakeholders by posting standards on the district website, as well as presenting the essential standards to the school board.

Priority Area 2:Material alignment

Goals for Priority Area 2 include:

• North Crawford administrative team will conduct a curricular audit using the Ed Reports website, as well as other resources available, on all curricular areas of the school district to ensure curricular alignment with the Common Core Standards, Next Generation Science Standards, and Wisconsin Model Academic Standards.

• North Crawford Elementary administration and staff members will pilot a new elementary reading series to be adopted in the 2021-22 school year.

Priority Area 3:Provide STEAM [Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math] opportunities for all North Crawford students

Goals for Priority Area 3 include:

North Crawford administration will conduct an inventory of all STEAM opportunities that students are provided within the district, examining gaps and overlaps in experiences, and provide a report to the school board describing these opportunities.

North Crawford students will participate in a minimum of two STEAM activities outside of the regular curriculum.

Focus Area 2: 

Instruction

If North Crawford staff is able to engage students through instructional practices, our students will demonstrate higher achievement, better behavior, and have an overall positive outlook towards school.

Priority Area 1:Provide time for staff to discuss and brainstorm ideas about engagement as well as what is needed to provide new opportunities.

Goals for Priority Area 1 include:

• North Crawford staff will receive three professional development sessions directed at engaging students in the classroom. Each grade level and disciplinary team will develop an action plan within their respective areas to increase student engagement.

Priority Area 2:Real-world exposure to career opportunities that students would not know of or have experienced.

Goals for Priority Area 2 include:

•Through different courses and experiences, all middle and high school students will experience virtually or in person different career opportunities.

Priority Area 3:Incorporating soft-skills across the curriculum

Goals for Priority Area 3 include:

• North Crawford teachers will incorporate employability skills into their curriculum. Skills might include, but are not limited to, communication, critical thinking, work ethic, time management, listening and empathy.

Focus Area 3: 

Parent/Community 

Engagement

If the community has an empowered voice and it is understood that parents are critical and influential, then we will have more support that leads to positive outlooks of the district, stronger community focus on our youth, better student performance, and necessary financial resources for our district.

Priority Area 1:Sharing positive events through a variety of mediums.

Goals for Priority Area 1 include:

• The District will mail a quarterly newsletter to all district residents and open enrolled families.

Priority Area 2:Communicate Essential Learning Outcomes with examples of student work that represent excellence.

Goals for Priority Area 2 include:

• Teachers will display examples of excellence monthly in high traffic areas.

Priority Area 3:Target volunteers to support staff and other school needs.

Goals for Priority Area 3 include:

• A survey will be sent to all staff asking how they might utilize volunteers.

Priority Area 4:Restart community stakeholder meetings.

Goals for Priority Area 4 include:

• Beginning in the 2020-21 school year, administration will facilitate two community input meetings to gather feedback.

Focus Area 4: 

Staff Recruitment 

and Retention

If we have quality educators who are passionate about children and learning, develop positive relationships with ALL students, have a vested interest in the school community, then North Crawford will maintain a consistent environment conducive to learning.

Priority Area 1:Evaluate and develop competitive compensation strategies to adapt to current workforce environment.

Goals for Priority Area 1 include:

• The Compensation Committee will identify key compensation strategies to increase the likelihood the district is able to recruit and retain staff.

Priority Area 2: Develop a robust mentoring/onboarding program for all new staff.

Goals for Priority Area 2 include:

The District Administrator will gather data from all staff new to the district within the last three years to develop the mentoring/onboarding program.

Priority Area 3: Value staff

Goals for Priority Area 3 include:

• The School Board will sponsor four appreciation activities per year for staff.

Focus Area 5: Student Emotional and 

Learning Support

If students’ basic physical and emotional needs are met, and students demonstrate empathy without judgment, and staff have the awareness tools and resources, then students will have a level playing field that provides a safe, consistent, and positive environment which allows students the ability to engage, learn, participate, and make friends, and a staff that has the knowledge, tools, and ability to provide support to all students.

Priority Area 1:Student-led community/school service projects

Goals for Priority Area 1 include:

• The Board will budget up to $2,000 per year to help purchase supplies, food, clothing, transportation or other physical items to support student-led service projects meant to help meet the physical and emotional needs of students or the community.

Priority Area 2:Create partnerships with community service organizations to support student needs.

Goals for Priority Area 2 include:

• By September 1, 2020, an invitation to community service organizations and businesses will be sent to create a sustainable weekend backpack program.

Priority Area 3:Continuous staff training to provide them with more tools to identify and address all student needs.

Goals for Priority Area 3 include:

By [DATE TBD], all North Crawford staff will be trained in Trauma Informed Care.

Other business

In other business, the board:

• heard a report from Elementary Principal Amanda Killeen about the Weekend Backpack Program, spearheaded by the National Honor Society.

• heard that elementary staff will visit kindergarten and first grade teachers at the Onalaska School District to observe their program and learn about how best to utilize North Crawford’s new math curriculum

• heard from Middle School/High School Principal Toby Tripalin about a Wellness Day planned for the coming week that would focus on mental health, anxiety and depression

• heard that four North Crawford students had participated in the Dorian Music Festival

• approved the district’s open enrollment space projections for 2020-21

• approved a FFA Chicago field trip request from Ag Teacher Makenzie Knutson

• approved Erin Sanders to transfer into the open paraprofessional position