Please join the Farmer Angel Network of Western Wisconsin, The Webster Family, and the Ellsworth FFA & FFA Alumni for an afternoon of lunch and sharing about mental health within agriculture.
More details can be found on Facebook at https://fb.me/e/6dlsg7CRb
5th grade teacher, Lisa Bench, organized a night of downhill skiing at Buck Hill for middle schoolers on February 12th. 27 students and 3 staff enjoyed a night on the slopes. There is another opportunity for students to go to Welch Village on February 26. The trip was fully funded by an after-school grant.
Staff skiers - Katie Bennett-Deiss, Emily Stiemann, and Lisa Bench
Indoor support - Erin Tomlinson
🎉🎈 Save the Date for Bingo Night! 🎉🎈
Join us for a night full of fun and excitement on February 23rd, as we come together to support EHS Senior Lock-in! 🌟👩🎓👨🎓 Get ready for a fantastic Bingo experience at the Pierce County VFW Post 9060.
🚪 Doors open at 6 pm, and the games begin shortly after! 🎊🎁 Bring your friends, family, and lucky charms for a night of laughter, prizes, and community spirit. Your attendance helps make EHS Senior Lock-in Night an unforgettable celebration for our graduating seniors.
Our district website includes important information on the referendum being held on April 2.
Visit the website to learn all you can about the needs and cost of the proposed plan for our district!
https://www.ellsworth.k12.wi.us/.../facility-referendum-2024
🚌✨ Happy School Bus Driver Appreciation Day! 🚌✨
Let's take a moment to celebrate and appreciate our amazing ECSD bus drivers on this special day! 🎉👏
👥 We are lucky to have a team of 32 dedicated bus drivers who go above and beyond to ensure the safety and well-being of our students every day.
🚌 Did you know that these superheroes transport a whopping 1,201 students on their buses? That's a lot of smiling faces they see each morning and afternoon! 😊
🛣️ Our bus drivers cover an impressive 23 bus routes, navigating through the twists and turns of our community to make sure everyone gets to school and back home safely.
🌍 Each day, our buses travel a total of 1,557 miles, making sure every student gets to their destination with care and precision.
📆 Over the school year, our incredible bus fleet covers a staggering 307,804 miles! That's like going around the Earth more than 12 times! 🌏
Let's give a big shoutout to our ECSD bus drivers for their hard work, dedication, and the invaluable role they play in our students' lives. Thank you for being the driving force behind our children's education! 🙌🚌💜
THANK YOU TO OUR 2023 SPONSORS AND DONATORS!!!!!
With your generosity, as well as the generosity of the community, the Ellsworth Community School District Foundation was able to distribute approximately $20,000 in grants!
Make sure you mark your calendar for Friday, May 31st for this year's Taste of Tuscany at Vino in the Valley.
Exciting Employment Opportunities at ECSD!!
💜 High School Science Teacher
💜 Special Education Teaching Assistant at EHS
💜 High School Girls Head JV Softball Coach
+ substitute positions available.
💼 How to Apply: To explore the available positions and apply, please visit our official website at https://www.ellsworth.k12.wi.us/page/employment
You'll find detailed job descriptions, application requirements, and information about the application process.
The Ellsworth Community School District will hold a child development screening (ages 3, 4 & 5 years old) day on Wednesday, February 28, 2024 at the Ellsworth Elementary School.
This is a wonderful opportunity for you to learn about your child’s development in speech/language, gross motor, fine motor and play skills. During the screening your child will participate in a playgroup where social, communication, motor and early learning skills will be observed. In addition, your child’s vision and hearing will be screened.
Appointments are required. For an appointment or if you have questions please call Tina Hallock at 715-273-3912 or hallockt@ellsworth.k12.wi.us.
❄️ Our Winter Newsletter is on its way to your mailboxes this week! 🎉 Get ready to unwrap a bundle of updates, highlights, and heartwarming stories that'll warm you up in this chilly season.
📰 What's inside?
🌟Student spotlights showcasing achievements and talents
⛄Winter wonderland event previews and recaps
🗓️Important dates and reminders for the upcoming months
Stay tuned for a dose of winter cheer and a peek into the fantastic happenings within our ECSD! 🤗
📖💜Let the cozy reading sessions begin! 📖💜
TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE!!! The show starts THURSDAY!!!!
EMS Drama presents Peter Pan Jr starring 8th graders Knox Hines as Peter Pan, Kensie Matzek as Wendy, Noah Windsor as Captain Hook, and MANY more from all grades and talents.
We are pre-selling tickets, and no longer doing open seating due to the wonderful turnouts of the previous two years shows.
Use the QR code, or go to https://gofan.co/app/school/WI19699 to purchase tickets! Cash/check sales will be available at the EMS office by ADULTS only.
Performance dates are February 22-24 at 7:00 pm, and February 25th at 2:00 pm at EHS Cafetorium!
We can’t wait to see you there!
🥞 Rise and shine! 🌞 Today was a flipping fantastic morning at ECSD as our amazing building administrators cooked up pancakes for the teaching staff during teacher in-service! 🥞👩🍳👨🍳
A huge shoutout and THANK YOU to our dedicated administrators for trading in their usual roles for chef hats to serve up some delicious pancakes! 🙌
Special appreciation goes out to Dee for her culinary magic in the kitchen! 🍽️✨ The food was nothing short of perfection, and the sweet aroma filled the entire school.
As we come closer to the April 2nd Facilities Referendum, I will be providing a series of weekly articles that highlight specific projects that make up the referendum as a whole. All of these articles are meant to take a deeper dive into the rationale of the particular projects while also looking at associated costs and past projects of the district.
I want to start this series with providing residents with the larger financial picture of the district and the unique opportunity that we have regarding the ability to provide for stable taxes and still provide for needed facilities projects. I know this is a long article but putting all of the information into one spot is beneficial to see the big picture..
In 2016, area residents approved the referendum to construct the Ellsworth Elementary School. At that time it was stated that the largest tax impact of the project would be in the 2016-2017 school year due to the original debt for the middle school going off the books. Since then, residents have seen the school district's actual tax levy decline substantially until this year. To demonstrate this point, the 2016-2017 tax levy was $10,075,270. Through the years leading up to the 2022-2023 school year we saw the levy stay stable or decline to the point in which the levy for the 2022-2023 year was $9,206,056.This decline was due to some local factors but was also due to factors related to the state budget and COVID funding. At the same time, local property values increased by over $425 million causing the mill rates to drop substantially.
In the 2023-2024 school year we saw this trend change as our local tax levy increased to $10,072,317. This is basically back to the levy we had in the 2016-2017 school year as noted above. This was the direct result of the state budget that addressed many of the financial issues of districts like ours that were identified as low funded districts. We will still be at the state's minimum revenue available per student ($11,000) but this was an increase for our district from the $10,012 per student we were at which was one of the lowest in the state. In the short term, it raised local taxes. In the long term, it reduces the amounts of money needed through operational referendums for districts like us. It is a good thing in the long run but the short term impact was the increase we saw this past year. This had been highlighted in our public survey and conveyed to residents through our newsletters and previous superintendent articles so that residents were informed as we evaluated the referendum projects.
I know that all this information is a lot at one time but I feel it is also important to highlight the unique opportunity the district has at this time to shape its financial future. The projected tax impact of the projects is $79 per $100,000 in residential property value. As a comparison, the projected tax impact of the Ellsworth Elementary School in 2016 was $123 per $100,000. The projects being proposed are the result of our facility study and the public input taken from the community survey which narrowed down the projects. We have only a small amount of debt going off the books in the 2026-2027 school year so there is not an immediate ability to offset this cost.
The opportunity that the district is provided at this time is a longer range ability to address facility needs as debt goes off the books in order to provide for tax stability. The current project would be bonded for a 20 year period of time. The elementary school debt is retired in 2035. With this, the district would have the ability to once again address larger projects in 2035 as debt is retired and greatly reduce the tax impact at that time. This would then also be the opportunity in 2045 as the debt for the current projects would be retired.
A primary financial goal for school districts is to provide for stable taxes over time. The information I provided above provides a pathway to this goal while still providing for responsible facility project planning. There are of course many other factors that will impact budgets, facility needs, and taxes over time that cannot be predicted but what I have laid out is pretty concrete in nature and I hope assists in understanding the longer range financial picture.
Thanks for taking the time to read this lengthy article. I promise the remaining articles will not be nearly as long! I just feel it is vital to get this information out to all residents. If there are any questions about this or more, please give me a call at 715-273-3900 or email me at cainb@ellsworth.k12.wi.us
Barry Cain
Ellsworth Community School District Superintendent
The Ellsworth Community School District has begun the search process for a new school district superintendent. The Board of Education and the District are grateful for the service of Superintendent Barry Cain who has announced his retirement at the end of the 2023-2024 school year. To ensure a thorough search, the Board of Education has enlisted the support of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards.
Your input is crucial in identifying the qualities we should prioritize in our next superintendent. We invite every member of our community to participate in a brief survey designed for this purpose. Your thoughts and perspectives will play a role in shaping the future of our district.
📅 Survey Deadline: February 23, 2024
🔗 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/EllsworthComm2024
Let your voice be heard, and help us find a leader who will uphold the values and aspirations of the Ellsworth Community School District. Thank you for your continued support, and together, let's shape a bright future for our students!
Please join Melinda & Olivia for Parent and Child night.
PAC is for families of children not yet in school.
Children will engage in activities that nurture sensory, gross motor, fine motor, social-emotional, communication, and creative development. Caregivers will explore topics in parent-child relationships, early childhood development, family experiences, and community connections.
Snacks & a seasonal craft will be provided.
Please RSVP to Melinda or Olivia at
Melinda Casper casperm@ellsworth.k12.wi.us 715-273-3911 or
Olivia Carlson carlsono@ellsworth.k12.wi.us 715-273-3912
Mrs. Paul's little explorers have been hard at work, unleashing their creativity and diving into the world of geography by creating incredible physical landform maps! 🗺️🎉
Our incredible world language staff took our multilingual learners from EHS on a frosty adventure a few weeks ago! ❄️⛸️ Thanks to the after-school grant, they were hitting the ice for some cool skating and indulging in delicious treats at Culver's! 🍔🍟
We are soon entering our winter season of Parent-Teacher Conferences, a crucial opportunity for nurturing a strong partnership on behalf of your child's education.
Here are the conference dates and times:
ES: Thursday, February 22, and Thursday, February 29, 4:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
MS: Thursday, February 29, and Thursday, March 14, 4:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
HS: Monday, February 26, 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Parent-teacher conferences serve as a vital bridge between home and school. They allow you to meet with your child's teachers, discuss progress, strengths, and areas for support, collaborate on academic goals, and learn about the upcoming curriculum. Your presence is not just an update on academic performance but most importantly, a collaborative time for you to share your needs and ask questions.
Your child's education is a shared responsibility, and the Parent-Teacher Conference is a crucial step in building a strong foundation for that partnership. We look forward to welcoming you to discuss your child's progress, goals, dreams, and celebrations! Your attendance demonstrates a commitment to the power of partnerships - and Ellsworth Community Schools are committed to family and community involvement. Together, we can create opportunities for your child to flourish academically, socially, and emotionally.
Unfortunately, schedules do not always align. If our conference dates and times won't work for your family, please reach out to your child’s teacher so that this valuable connection can happen in another way (i.e., email, phone call, etc.).
Your active involvement is key to your child’s educational success, and we welcome your input.
Thank you for your continued support in making Ellsworth Community School District a place of excellence!
Sincerely,
Ellsworth Community School District
🔥👩🏭 Celebrating CTE Month at Ellsworth High School! 👩🏭🔥
Did you know it's Career and Technical Education Month? 🌟 Let's give a shoutout to our incredible high school welding class, where 13 out of 25 students are talented young ladies! 🙌🔧
These trailblazing ladies are not just breaking stereotypes, they are CRUSHING it in the welding class! 💪💥 Every day, they are proving that passion knows no gender, and they are laying down some seriously amazing beads. 🔥⚙️
These young ladies making history with the highest number of female students in a welding course in the past decade. 🎉 Let's celebrate their dedication, hard work, and the skills they are mastering. 🌟
To all the young ladies in the welding class: You are inspiring the future generation of skilled professionals, and we can't wait to see the incredible impact you'll make in the world! 🌍👏
💜ECSD IS SEEKING SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS💜
The need for substitute teachers is at an all-time high!
🌟🏆 Exciting News at EES! 🏆🌟
👏 Big shoutout to our outstanding EES students who have been awarded Student of the Month for Perseverance! 🌈 Your dedication and hard work truly shine bright! 🌟
🏅 Let's also celebrate our PE Award winners - your athleticism and sportsmanship are truly commendable! 🎽🏆 Way to go!
🚍 A special shoutout to our amazing bus & van drivers for recognizing our #1 Rule Followers! 🚌💜
💜🌈Let's continue to support and uplift each other at EES! 🌈💜
