Letter Home

In the wake of the tragedy in Connecticut, we have drafted the following letter which will be sent home with students today; I have also included a link to resources courtesy of the U.S. Department of Education for helping students of all ages deal with grief: http://rems.ed.gov/HelpingYouthandChildrenRecoverFromTraumaticEvents.aspx

December 17, 2012

Dear Parents and Guardians,

On Friday, the nation learned about the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. We extend our deepest sympathies to the victims’ families and the Newtown community.

We consider the safety and well-being of our students and staff to be a top priority. While there is no indication that this is anything but an isolated incident in a state far from Wisconsin, we do want to remind all of our families that we have a comprehensive emergency response plan in place to ensure the safety and security at our school. Some of our safety procedures include:

·        - During the school day all exterior doors to the school building are to be locked with the exception of the entrances by the elementary office and the high school office. The only point of entry into our schools should be through the school offices.

·       -  Visitors and parents are expected to check in with our school office each time they visit.

·        - We follow a comprehensive crisis plan and conduct emergency drills including practicing lockdown and fire drills during the school year. Emergency drills provide the opportunity to practice preparation and safety procedures.

·        - We regularly review our crisis plans and work closely with local emergency agencies.

We recognize that news such as this can be very difficult for all of us, especially children. We encourage you to limit the amount of media/news coverage of this tragedy; overexposure to media in regards to this incident may heighten any anxiety your child may feel. Attached is a useful resource to assist you in helping your children cope with an event of this nature should it be necessary. Please do not hesitate to contact the school should you have any questions, concerns, or need for support in helping your children to process this information.

In closing, we ask that you continue to assist us as we promote a culture where everyone has a responsibility to be vigilant and focused on safety. Often our parents and community members can be our best eyes and ears in the protection of our students, staff, and school community.

Sincerely,

Patrick Olson                                                              Craig Broeren

PreK-12 Principal                                                        District Administrator

8 Player Football Champs!

Congratulations to the Prairie Farm Panther 

Football Players and Coaches

2012 WIAA State 

8-Player Jamboree Champions

Prairie Farm Panthers

Please visit: 

http://www.prairiefarm.k12.wi.us/School_News_Updates.html

The SAT Report on College & Career Readiness: 2012

Jennifer Karan, the Executive Director of the SAT program at The College Board, contacted me and asked that I share the following link regarding a write-up she did in response to the findings from the College Board's annual "College Bound Seniors Report". The write-up and the links included are worth a read:

http://media.collegeboard.com/homeOrg/content/pdf/sat-report-on-college-career-readiness-2012.pdf

DPI Issues NEW High School Report Card

DPI has posted the new HS report card and as we thought, the score is a 67.4 "meets expectations" after the appeal.  I have forwarded this to the area papers in the hopes that something gets printed...  The direct link to the new report card is:

http://reportcards.dpi.wi.gov/files/reportcards/pdf/SRC_Public_Prairie_Farm_Hi_2011-12_016021-016020.PDF

If you attempt to access the report card through the same browser you used in the past, you will likely come up with the "not rated" version; be certain you delete your cookies and browsing history to ensure that you are getting the updated report card if you access it through the DPI School Accountability site. 

--
Thanks,

Craig G. Broeren
District Administrator
Prairie Farm Schools
715-455-1683 ext. 119

broeren@prairiefarm.k12.wi.us

Follow me on Twitter: @SuptBroeren

More on the FB Jamboree

D.C. Everest Senior High School        

6500 Alderson Street

Lee Ann Kitchell,  Athletic Director

To:                         Football Coaches, Athletic Director, Prairie Farm High School, Abundant Life/St.  Ambrose High Schools, News Media

WIAA 8-PLAYER JAMBOREE

Prairie Farm vs Abundant Life/St. Ambrose

PLACE:          Stiehm Stadium, D. C. Everest Junior High School

                        1000 Machmueller Street

                        Schofield, WI  54476

                       

DATE:                        Saturday, November 3, 2012

GAME TIME:                     7:00 p.m. -     

                                                           6:30 - 30 minutes on the clock

                                                            6:45 - Flip of the coin

                                                            6:55 - National Anthem

                                                            6:57 - Starting lineups

                                                            7:00 - Kick-off

                                                            (Fifteen Minute Half)

OFFICIALS:  Jerry Chepil Crew (Rice Lake)                                 

TICKET PRICES:      $4.00 (Ages 6 and Up) for one game or a $10.00 pass for admittance to all 4 games.  5 and under will be admitted free.

FAN SEATING:        Both teams will be seated on the Home side of the stadium.  Overflow seating is available on the visitor side. Please look for signs upon arrival into the stadium.

TEAM BENCHES:    Abundant Life/St. Ambrose will be on the South Side of the Stadium.

                                    Prairie Farm will be on the North Side of the Stadium.

BUSES:          Please call by Friday noon to let me know how many buses you are bringing.  Reserved parking areas will be set up for them by the gate.

UNIFORMS:              Abundant Life/St. Ambrose will wear light colored uniforms and will be the home team on the scoreboard.

                                    Prairie Farm will wear dark colored uniforms and will be the visiting team on the scoreboard.

WARM UP AREAS:  Prairie Farm will warm up on the West side.

                                    Abundant Life/St. Ambrose will warm up on the East side. (Ramp side)

TEAM LOCKER ROOMS:  Located in the junior high school next to the stadium.  Someone will be present to let you in before the game and at half time.

FILMING:                  One filmer and two spotters with phones from each school will be allowed in the press box. Each school must provide their own phones.

BAND:                       Free admission will be granted to members of the pep band in uniform. Please let me know if you will be bringing a band by Wednesday, Oct. 31^st.

ADMISSION POLICY:

                        1) A maximum of 8 cheerleaders in uniform.

                        2) Eight complimentary passes. 

3) Team doctor and trainer.

                        4) Band members in uniform.

                        5) Press must have a press pass.

SIDELINE POLICIES:

                        1) Players dressed in uniform and coaches.

                        2) Six additional people (stats, managers, etc.).

                        3) Team doctor and trainer (if present).

                       

RESTROOMS:     Are located next to the concession stand.

CROWD INFORMATION:  No smoking in the stadium or on school grounds.

                                                Remind your crowds that good sportsmanship is expected.

                                                No one is allowed inside the fenced in area.

                                                Please remind your fans to stay off the all-weather track.

                                                No confetti will be allowed.

                                                Any problems will result in removal from the stadium.

                                               

Please remind your coaches and players that use of gum and sunflower seeds are strictly prohibited on the turf field and sidelines.

Success!

I was just notified from the Office of Educational Accountability (OEA) that our appeal of the HS report card was successful; we will be notified when the "new" report card is available.  See below:

Craig,

Thanks for the data. Based on our review, we agree that you’ve substantiated the attendance corrections submitted for your 106 students in 2010-11. Prairie Farm Hi will be in the next batch of corrected report cards we run; we’ll let you know when those are finished and available.

DB

Daniel Bush | Educational Measurement Consultant

OEA | Wis. Dept. of Public Instruction

Last Correspondence from DPI

Following is a copy of the e-mail I received from Laura Pinsonneault at DPI regarding the "issues" with the HS report card:

Dear Craig,

I have attached a statement about the report card release that I invite you to use with your local community.  I hope that the document is of assistance for you.  I agree; people cannot ‘un-see’ what they have already seen, and I apologize again for any confusion created for Prairie Farm High School by this situation.  I am not an IT person, but I have been told that deactivating a single PDF would have taken just as long as loading the correct version, due to the high traffic on the website.  As Phil said, you should find the correct version on the website now.

I am happy to talk with anyone in your community regarding the error in the report card load, if that would be helpful for you. 

Regards,

I also received the following statement from DPI to distribute:

On Monday, October 22^nd, Public Preliminary School Report Cards were loaded to the DPI website.  The Prairie Farm School District submitted an inquiry form for Prairie Farm High School’s Report Card which is currently under review by the Department of Public Instruction.  As such, the School Report Card should reflect a ‘Not Rated’ status.  Due to a technical issue, the report card for Prairie Farm High School appeared with a rating designation in error.  The Department of Public Instruction assumes full responsibility for the incorrect report card posting to the website and apologizes for the inconvenience this has caused.  The correct report card was sent to Prairie Farm’s superintendent on Monday afternoon and was loaded to the DPI website by 5:00 pm that day.