Board gives final OK to practice facility
Hamilton School Board members gave final approval for construction of a multi-purpose athletic and classroom training facility at Hamilton High School. If all goes as planned, the facility will completed in the fall of 2014, with much of the building erected in the summer.
With student athletic participation increasing 33 percent and the addition of six levels of sports in the past decade, practice and training space at the high school is at a premium. School hallways and the cafeteria are used for training in addition to the main gym, small gym and wrestling room. The second floor weight room is not ADA accessible, and dropping of free weights on the floor creates facility distress. School Board member Mike Hyland read from a FAQ sheet about the project.
The community Facility Advisory Committee (FAC )reviewed building space needs in 2006 and concluded that additional space was needed for fitness classes and athletic use. The committee considered construction of a fieldhouse as a solution, but survey data showed lack of support for a facility that was expected to cost nearly $15 million in 2008, and the idea was dropped.
After the School Board took an initial look at the practice center concept this fall, the FAC regrouped in October and recommended moving forward with the plan which was estimated to be less than one-third the cost of a fieldhouse.
The new facility would allow the high school weight room to be relocated with additional space for indoor athletic practices and training. Nearly 40 girls and boys teams and squads as well as the marching band could take advantage of the dedicated indoor practice space.
Cost of the facility, which is not to exceed $4.83 million, will be funded through the district’s maintenance budget and fund balance. Although popular in southern states, the training and classroom facility would be the first of its kind in a Wisconsin school district.
Marcy, Willow Springs site plans accepted
Two school site plans were presented, with School Board members offering praise to staff at those schools for the fine work they do with students.
Marcy Principal Michele Trawicki reported on the district’s new approach to elementary level site planning which involved gathering a team from each school to review district and building data. She described the new process as one which resulted in her school’s “best site plan yet” because it came about through a collaborative process with in-depth data analysis.
The Marcy site plan included three tactics that focused on implementation of Response to Intervention, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), effective use of technology and technology-based assessments.
Four new tactics were written to help the school achieve goals related to literacy, math and school culture. The tactics indicate that:
- Staff will restructure classroom grouping during intervention block to maximize learning opportunities.
- Teachers will analyze data to determine appropriate instructional programming and resource allocation to best meet student needs.
- Staff will continue to focus on math strategies in the area of math vocabulary and fluency.
- Marcy will continue implementation of PBIS.
Willow Springs Learning Center Principal Margee Tackes was unable to be at the meeting, but her written report on her school’s site planning process was presented. Human Resources and Organizational Development Director John Roubik gave a summary of the plan.
He noted that the school will continue its tactics related to developing social, pre-academic, fine motor and communication skills and the 21st century skills of communication, conflict resolution, creativity, collaboration problem solving and technology skills.
Focus during the coming year will be on be on data collection through the PALS screener, pre-academic assessment with revisions learned from PALS, social emotional information from report cards, the 5k teacher survey, parent survey, RtI information, and early childhood assessment.
Personnel news
In personnel business, School Board members:
- accepted the resignation of Templeton special services paraprofessional Gretchen Cunningham; and
- appointed Sarah France as a Marcy associate kitchen employee and Sarah Marsh as a Woodside custodian.