Members of the community are invited to attend the Mequon-Thiensville School District Annual Meeting and Budget Hearing.
Monday, July 22, 2019 at 7 p.m.
Range Line Conference Room
11040 N Range Line Rd
When you attend, you will be able to participate in the discussion of the 2019-20 budget, and vote on the 2019-20 school district levy.
Learn more at www.mtsd.k12.wi.us/annualmeeting.
On graduation day, Principal Brett Bowers addressed the Class of 2019, saying, "As you move on from Homestead, I challenge you—as individuals—to become somebody’s favorite something. While so many messages are telling you to drive, push, compete, and achieve—I know those forces are strong and those voices are loud—I promise you that peace, joy, and contentment, those things you can’t buy or win or accumulate—come from reaching a different mark. Be someone’s favorite something and you’ll have inspiration and satisfaction to fill your soul and lift your spirit time and time again throughout your life.
Thank you for being an amazing group of people, and an incredible senior class. Congratulations to you all!"
Watch this video to see highlights of the graduation ceremony of the Homestead High School Class 2019!
All photos courtesy of Visual Image Photography. Click this link to order photos online.
Class of 2019 from Mequon-Thiensville School Dist. on Vimeo.
Eighth-grade students from Steffen and Lake Shore middle schools explored career possibilities at the JA & Mequon-Thiensville Career Day on Wednesday, May 22.
This collaborative effort between the Mequon-Thiensville School District and Junior Achievement of Wisconsin provides a valuable opportunity for young students to begin contemplating options and learn more about various career pathways from first-hand practitioners.
“Young people pursue extracurricular activities based on their strengths and interests,” said Matt Wolf, academic and career planning coordinator in MTSD. “Career decisions should have the same approach, based on personal experience and preferences. Experiential connections to Academic and Career Planning lessons are extremely valuable, and a day like today provides young people with a glimpse into some career path options.”
Over 20 guests presented information to students about their chosen professions with the goal to broaden student awareness of a variety of professions. Guest speakers represented a range of professions, including positions in sports reporting, engineering, the field of medicine, public safety and many others. Each presenter gave the students a glimpse into their career with inspiring stories about their journey.
Students had the opportunity to listen to four different speakers during the event. They learned about and selected in advance which professions sounded most intriguing to them.
From Corina Reymer, cybersecurity risk manager at Rockwell Automation, students learned that only two people are allowed to be in the room when the “M” is stamped on M&M’s. Rockwell Automation makes the piece of equipment for Mars, Inc.—who knew?
Giannina Vernon, Brenda Ulmen, and Brenda Jobe, nurses and nursing instructors at Concordia University Wisconsin, brought “Charlie” the mannequin so students could learn the techniques nurses use to train.
Bob Morris, architect at Eppstein Uhen Architects, brought his virtual reality goggles so students could experience how an architect can help a client imagine what spaces will look like when complete.
“We are grateful and thankful to each person who shared their time and talents with the next generation, truly an engaging and educational day,” said Barbara Klocko, senior program manager for Junior Achievement of Wisconsin.
The Mequon-Thiensville School District was honored to welcome Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes and Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions Secretary Kathy Blumenfeld to Homestead High School and Lake Shore Middle School on Thursday, April 11. The visit centered on financial literacy for students, and involved stops at both Homestead High School and Lake Shore Middle School.
Homestead junior Morgan Klug, who works as a teller at the Kohler Credit Union branch at Homestead, described her role and the opportunities the partnership with Kohler Credit Union provides. The full-service credit union branch along with an ATM is located in the field house lobby. The branch is open to faculty and students daily during the lunch break. Kohler Credit Union also provides the high school and two area middle schools financial education resources to help promote the importance of youth financial literacy.
Lake Shore Middle School 6th-grade students and teacher Peggy Sabin impressed the guests with their lesson and content mastery on the topics of saving and credit, including understanding why having good credit is important, and how to build and maintain good credit.
The Mequon-Thiensville School District celebrated the opening of the MTSD Health and Wellness Center—its employee health clinic—with an open house for employees on Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Employees came out to see the new facility, meet care providers, and learn more about the center’s offerings. The center officially welcomed its first patients on Wednesday, March 20.
The MTSD Health and Wellness Center provides a number of benefits to the school district’s staff members, their spouses, and dependents over the age of two, including no charge for clinic services, and same-day appointments.
“We compete with many other schools to recruit and retain high performing staff,” said Sarah Zelazoski, executive director of Human Capital. “Employee health clinics are quickly becoming an important part of total compensation for staff members. The value of offering no-cost health care which is convenient for employees is a tremendous benefit to staff members.”
The district projects that the MTSD Health and Wellness Center will benefit the school district in health care savings. Over 75 percent of the district’s operational budget is allocated for employee’s salaries and benefits. Strategies to control the escalation of necessary expenses such as medical insurance for employees are effective ways to minimize the need to allocate resources away from student support initiatives. Every illness or injury treated at the center saves costs on the district’s medical insurance plan and helps to keep annual expenses from increasing. The district also projects that the center will also have an impact on staff absences and decrease the reliance on substitute teachers, ultimately benefiting students.
The MTSD Board of Education unanimously voted to move forward with the Health and Wellness Center in October 2018. A contract with Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Workforce Health as a partner to run the center was also approved in October 2018.
“This is a partnership with Froedtert & MCW Workforce Health,” said Matthew Joynt, superintendent of schools. “The partnership provides opportunities for collaboration in categories such as health and wellness training, and benefiting a number of stakeholders, including staff members, students, and even community members.”
“Forward-thinking school districts and employers understand the value of having health care options on-site,” said Patti Kneiser, vice president of Employer Services for Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network. “Our team is proud to collaborate with organizations like the Mequon-Thiensville School District to bring high quality care and health care services to their faculty and staff so that they can carry on with the important work they do with students. We want to keep everyone healthy and learning.”
The center was constructed in the Range Line School facility, increasing the district’s financial equity through enhancements in a formerly vacant and unfinished space. The total cost to build the center was estimated at $225,000. The district’s total contribution will not exceed $91,664. The district’s insurance provider, WEA Trust, contributed the balance of the total cost of construction. MTSD will not incur any ongoing annual operating expenses; those costs will be paid by WEA Trust.
The district’s financial contribution to the construction of the center will be paid through the use of assigned fund balance. The district’s fund balance will remain above 20 percent, sufficient to maintain the district’s Aaa bond rating by Moody’s. MTSD is one of only three districts in the state to hold the highest possible rating.
MTSD has developed performance targets to monitor the effectiveness of the center, including annual savings, patient satisfaction, utilization rates, and reductions in short-term employee medical absences requiring substitute teachers.
“We are truly excited by this opportunity to provide a benefit to employees while also taking an innovative approach to control increasing health care costs,” said Zelazoski.
Community workshops have been scheduled in order to share information with community members about the Mequon-Thiensville School District's long-range facilities planning, and gather feedback to inform the framework that will guide facilities work going forward. Each workshop will provide an opportunity to learn more about our facility challenges and opportunities, and offer feedback on the plan going forward.
We invite and encourage parents, staff, and Mequon-Thiensville community members to attend one of these workshops to learn more and share input on the future of MTSD facilities!
Public engagement is essential in a process such as this. We value the community’s perspective and cannot do this work without input and a range of perspectives. Please share your perspective! All community members are welcome and encouraged to attend one of the following 90-minute workshops. (Workshop content is identical in the three sessions.)
●Thursday, April 4 at 10 a.m.
●Tuesday, April 9 at 3 p.m.
●Tuesday, April 9 at 6 p.m.
Please help us plan for the workshop by indicating which session you would like to attend. RSVP: www.mtsd.k12.wi.us/framework.
Former MTSD Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Karl Hertz, was recognized by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) on February 14, 2019 with the 2019 Dr. Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award. The award is given annually to education leaders who are committed to advancing women and minorities in leadership positions, and to striving for equity and excellence for all students. Dr. Karl Hertz was selected as one of three 2019 recipients nation-wide for his tireless commitment to ensuring the best education and health for all students—especially those who are vulnerable by circumstance—and his continued devotion to the pursuit of social justice.
This is a tremendous honor and exciting recognition not only for Dr. Hertz, but also for our school district.
Dr. Karl Hertz served as superintendent of schools in the Mequon-Thiensville School District from 1984 to 1996. During his tenure as superintendent, Dr. Hertz embodied what it means to be a servant leader, putting others self-interests above his own. Those who had the privilege to work with Dr. Hertz recall fondly his insistence on excellence and goodness as essential components of education.
An organization’s culture is influenced by a combination of past leadership, current leadership, and other attributes such as history and community. Dr. Hertz transformed the Mequon-Thiensville School District’s culture through his persistent focus on creating more equitable practices. Our ability to ensure equity and excellence for all students is supported by our efforts to create a culture where each student flourishes as a result of open access, diverse opportunities, and high expectations. Dr. Hertz’s selfless commitment to empowering those around him, and unwavering focus on ensuring the success of all children, will forever be part of our school district culture.
Congratulations on this notable recognition, Dr. Karl Hertz!
Check out our latest featured alumnus, Matthew Richmond, MBA! Get to know Matt and read more about MTSD history, as well as a special honor for a former superintendent here: https://conta.cc/2SCbo8Q
