Frances Brock Starms Early Childhood Center

🌱🏫🌱Check out the recent article featured in Wisconsin School News about Milwaukee's Green & Healthy Schoolyards that shares how the state’s largest district is connecting asphalt play space to nature and creating outdoor classrooms. --> https://tinyurl.com/MKEGreenHealthySchoolsarticle

Milwaukee Public Schools Green Schools Consortium of Milwaukee - GSCM

Milwaukee Public Schools leaders and community partners marked the beginning of the new school year – Day One – for the district’s year-round calendar schools on Monday with 3-, 4- and 5-year-old Kindergarten students.

The year-round Day One event was held at MPS’ Frances Brock Starms Early Childhood Center.

Milwaukee Board of School Directors member Annie Woodward, who represents the district that includes the school, joined MPS Superintendent Dr. Darienne Driver and partners including Interfaith Older Adult Programs, the Brewers Community Foundation, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Molina Healthcare and Neighborhood House of Milwaukee to mark the start of the year.

Starms Early Childhood is one of 11 MPS schools on the year-round calendar. Schools on MPS’ King/Reagan calendar begin August 10 and the vast majority of MPS schools – those on the traditional calendar – begin September 1.

The 2015-16 school year comes as MPS saw significant successes in 2014-15, including:

The MPS Class of 2015 earned a record-breaking $39 million in scholarships

Seven MPS high schools were rated among the best in the state and nation according to U.S. News and World Report and the Washington Post

A record 82 MPS schools were honored for reinforcing positive behavior and supporting learning needs of all students

“These successes fuel our push to do more because we must continue to improve to meet the needs of our young people. We are on a mission to ensure equity, access and opportunity for every child in MPS,” Dr. Driver said. “We know what our young people are capable of achieving and it is our responsibility to help them achieve it. We are grateful for the partners who recognize that everyone in our community has a stake in the education of our students.”

Mission critical to helping students achieve is ensuring every student is in class all day -- Day One and every day.

In addition to a focus on boosting attendance above the district’s current 90% average, MPS’ efforts in 2015-16 will focus on:

Literacy across all subjects: MPS is working to strengthen the incorporation of reading and writing into subjects such as science and social studies to boost literacy.

Rethinking high schools to better serve students: MPS has created a new support system to address the unique needs of high schools and convened a group of educators, business leaders and community partners to help in the work.

Continuing to implement the Regional Development Plan to create more enrollment opportunities in high-performing schools: MPS is building additions to high-performing Fernwood and Maryland Avenue Montessori schools, exploring a second campus for the successful Milwaukee Spanish Immersion School, creating a comprehensive middle school for the gifted and talented on the northwest side and approving successful charter school expansions to serve more students including at Hmong American Peace Academy and Universal Academy for the College Bound.

Providing additional support for reading and math interventions: Interventions are a critical tool to help students who may be struggling advance to grade level and to help give those students who are already on grade level an opportunity to continue to accelerate their learning.

Continuing MPS’ commitment to the arts: MPS has appointed a new fine arts manager, the district is maintaining the 140 new art, music and physical education positions added over the past three years and it is working through a new collaborative involving dozens of local partners to strengthen arts opportunities for MPS students.

MPS: MPS schools closed 1/8/15; Central Services locations open MPS schools will be closed on Thursday, January 8, 2015, Milwaukee Public Schools announced Wednesday afternoon. MPS Central Services locations will remain open and all principals and assistant principals should report to their schools.

ICYMI: Check out this article from OnMilwaukee.com about our partnership with Artists Working in Education, Inc.!

AWE residency leads Starms kindergarteners to dig deeper into science Kids come and go from schools; its just the nature of things. But thanks to Artists Working in Education, many Milwaukee children are making a lasting mark on their schools. Among about a dozen projects this semester that A.W.E. is doing in schools this year is one at Starms Early Childhood Center t…

CLCs and after-school care programs are open Thursday, February 7.

All other after-school and evening activities are cancelled.

Tonight's meetings of the Milwaukee Board of School Directors are also cancelled and will be rescheduled.

ALERT:

***CLCs and after-school care programs will remain open Thursday, February 7***

All OTHER after-school and evening activities are cancelled.

Want to help our kids? It’s easy. Our school can receive up to $10,000 in Target GiftCards® for books or any supplies we need. Wouldn’t that be great?

All we need to do is vote for our school each week until September 8.

It’s part of Give With Target®. For every 25 votes our school receives, Target will send a $25 gift card.

Find out more and vote at https://givewith.target.com/schools/76177

Frances Starms Ecc This school can receive up to $10,000 in Target GiftCards® for any supplies it needs. You can help. Vote now!

2012-13 calendars are now available online! Download them now - find them under "Important Dates" on the MPS Portal!

http://www.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/

Take the MPS Portal User Survey! Visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/mpsportal to get started!

We need your help! We are looking to get feedback on the MPS Portal directly from our students, families, staff and the Milwaukee community. We want to know what you think of our site, and how we can enhance the information and services we provide.

Our questions are focused on the external or public side of the Portal, not the Intranet employee side. We may survey about that in the future.

The data collected in this survey will be used to develop a website roadmap for the next several years, with a focus on meeting the needs of our community. Your feedback is critical to implementing a user-centric website experience.

The survey has four parts and should take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete.

You can respond to as many or as few of the questions as you’d like. Your feedback will help us enhance the digital offerings of Milwaukee Public Schools.

Visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/mpsportal to get started!

Spring break is here! It runs April 6–13 for most schools. It is important to use the break as a time to re-energize. When we come back to school on Monday, April 16, we will start a new marking period. At that point, for most of our schools (those on the traditional calendar) there will be just 40 days left in the school year. We plan to make the most of them! I am asking our staff to come back renewed and ready to finish this year on the best possible note.

Dr. Gregory E. Thornton, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Read more in Dr. Thornton's April Letter to Families: http://www5.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/dept/superintendent/family-letters/

Friday is GREEN AND GOLD Day at MPS! Wear your Packers colors and cheer Green Bay on to victory!

The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Pops Concert, featuring Marvin Hamlisch conducting the music of Gershwin, begins at 2:30 p.m., Sunday, January 1, 2012. The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra is making it possible for 100 MPS students and families to attend free by simply calling the Ticket Office at 414-291-7605. It is necessary to call the Ticket Office AND use the code “MPS” when ordering. The Ticket Office will not be open to accept telephone orders for tickets on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s day so the offer for the free concert tickets expires on Friday, December 30, 2011.