Woodrow Wilson Middle School Archives - Vigo County School Corporation

#Staffurday highlight: Mrs. Jennifer Miller

briley — Fri, 21 May 2021 18:35:54 +0000

Every Saturday, we highlight a non-teaching staff member on our Facebook and Twitter (@vcsc_teamvigo) account, turning Saturday into #Staffurday to introduce you to some of the people who make school happen!

Every year is a great year to celebrate our staff, but this year has shined a bright light on the flexibility and compassion of our incredible staff.

Today, meet Mrs. Jennifer Miller, the registrar at Woodrow Wilson Middle School.

What motivates you?
Being able to help others and being able to do my job effectively is what motivates me. Whether it be a student, parent, teacher or one of our administrators I want to be able to help whenever something is brought to me. I thrive on being knowledgeable as to what is going on at Woodrow Wilson daily and being able to get my job done effectively and in a timely manner each day. I don’t like to leave things undone for the next day.

How has your job changed due to COVID?
The biggest change I have endured this school year because of Covid would have to be with recording student attendance. With all of the different schedules we have had this school year such as A/B cohorts, Remote Learning days, Hybrid students, Virtual students, four day in person learning, student quarantines, it is very important to have accurate student attendance everyday. I have to manage different attendance templates based on each situation and make sure that each template is up to date if there have been any changes with a student. With Wilson being a large middle school with over 800 students there is a lot of attendance entries being done each day. The attendance office is buzzing with phone calls early every morning.

What is something that people don’t understand about your job?
I don’t think people understand all the different tasks that are associated with my job. Most people think that the registrar’s job is just to keep records and data entry. While those things are a big part of my job some of the things I also take care of are student attendance, posting and printing all report cards and progress reports. I also assist our Assistant Principal with scheduling and our schools course master schedule each year. I run various reports throughout the year whether it be for our mentors that come in from the Hamilton Center, for our end of the year awards banquets or rosters during testing. I also take care of all of the enrollments and withdrawals for the school and transferring of records.

Why do you love VCSC/your school?
There are a lot of great students, parents and staff members in the VCSC that I feel very fortunate to have come in contact with because of my job. I have had the opportunity to make friendships with many of my colleagues while working for the Vigo County School Corporation. Woodrow Wilson holds a very special place with me as it is where I met my husband Jack, who is the dean there. Both of my daughters attended Wilson for middle school and had great experiences while they were there. I am very thankful to be able to report to work each day at such a wonderful place!

Be sure to check back on Wednesday as we highlight another teacher for #RedforEd Wednesday! We’ll continue both campaigns through the end of the school year.

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#RedForEd Wednesday: Mrs. Kara Wilkinson

briley — Wed, 12 May 2021 11:52:48 +0000

We’re highlighting a teacher every Wednesday as a part of the #RedForEd campaign.

Every year is a great year to celebrate our teachers, but this year has shined a bright light on the flexibility and compassion of our incredible staff.

Today we’re highlighting Mrs. Kara Wilkinson, an English teacher at Woodrow Wilson Middle School.

What motivates you?
My students motivate me. Middle school students are unique, especially sixth graders. The jump from fifth to sixth grade, and from elementary to middle school, is difficult for many students. I am here to be their teacher, but I also want them to feel welcome, safe, and cared for. They make mistakes but as I tell them, mistakes happen to all of us and you learn from them, whether the mistake was social or academic. Mistakes help us grow.

How has your job changed due to COVID?
Because of COVID, I have learned how to use so much new technology in a short amount of time, and I am still learning. My students love to help me when I can’t figure something out!

What is something that people don’t understand about your job?
My “job” doesn’t end when the school day ends. My students and their parents know they can contact me at any time, and I will be there to help them.

Why do you love VCSC/your school?
I love teaching at Woodrow Wilson. We are a family of administrators, colleagues, and students that supports and cares for each other. I am lucky that my daughter teaches down the hall from me. I have been at WWMS since 2001 and can’t imagine being anywhere else.

Be sure to check back on #Staffurday–Saturday, that is–as we recognize members of our non-teaching staff. We’ll continue both campaigns through the end of the school year.

The post #RedForEd Wednesday: Mrs. Kara Wilkinson appeared first on Vigo County School Corporation.

Vigo County school board approves plan to increase in-person learning at middle, high school levels

briley — Tue, 23 Feb 2021 00:23:13 +0000

Plan for increasing middle and high school students to 4 days per week of in-person learning. Click the image for a larger version.

Based on improving internal and community COVID-19-related data, the Vigo County School Corporation is working to move all middle and high school students to a four-day-per-week in-person learning schedule. Under this plan, Monday will still be a remote learning day for all middle and high school students, and all students who chose in-person learning this year will attend school Tuesday through Friday. The plan has been developed with consultation from the Vigo County School Corporation COVID-19 Task Force, the Vigo County Health Department, and several local healthcare leaders.

Middle school students will attend school four days per week starting on Tuesday, March 2. High school students will start a four-day-per-week schedule on Tuesday, March 9. The plan was approved in Monday night’s board meeting.

The move to more in-person learning for middle and high school students is focused on improving the academic success and mental health of students. The district will retain Monday as a remote learning day for middle and high school students to continue to practice remote learning and to allow for contact tracing for weekend cases.

“This is an opportunity for us to refocus on our mitigation strategies,” said Dr. Rob Haworth, superintendent of schools. “Our continued defense against the spread of the virus at school coupled with lower community spread has brought us to this day, and we must continue to be safe.”

Student mental health continues to be a concern. In January 2021, the district saw a 83% increase over January 2020 in school-based crisis assessments. By February 10, 2021, the district had already reached the February 2020 total for school-based crisis assessments.

The Vigo County School Corporation has an additional tool to combat the spread of COVID-19. The district has begun testing symptomatic staff members–who are still staying home when symptomatic–using BinaxNOW rapid antigen tests.

The district has studied districts with large high schools like Brownsburg, Avon, and Plainfield–schools with students who have attended school 5 days per week–and has concluded that community spread, not educational model, is the largest driver of cases in the school setting. Other large districts who have been in an A/B schedule at the secondary level like Bartholomew County and Seymour have already announced similar plans to move to full in-person instruction. The district continues to see minimal spread within school settings, including at the elementary level where students attend each day. While quarantine numbers may increase, the district and schools will develop the best possible plans for high traffic situations like lunch.

“We support the idea of a staggered return to in-person learning for middle and high school students as community case numbers and local hospitalization rates continue to hold steady,” said Dr. Darren Brucken, Vigo County Health Commissioner. “The benefits to students in regards to academics, mental health, and interpersonal relationships with our teachers is undeniable. Continued mitigation strategies of distancing and masking will be strictly observed, and we will continue to monitor community case numbers and work together to contact trace cases.”

All schools within Vigo County will be monitored, and staff availability will continue to be the most important indicator of when a school may need a period of remote learning.

Rules for Vigo County School Corporation athletic events will not change at this time, and each participating athlete will still be allotted 4 tickets per contest.

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