Ellsworth Elementary School

The Ellsworth Community School District will hold a child development screening (ages 3, 4 & 5 years old) day on March 20, 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. Future screening dates: April 24, 2024

Spots still available at Camp Pepin YMCA for summer programming! Help your student have a great summer and get outdoors and learn new skills! There are Outside of School Grant funds available, and the Y has matching funds if your family is in need! This awesome opportunity is open to all students enrolled in ECSD. CLICK HERE TO EXPLORE THE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS, CHECK THE DATES, AND MORE! https://www.redwingymca.org/camppepin#close

Exciting Employment Opportunities at ECSD!! 💜 High School English Teacher 💜High School Math Teacher 💜High School Science Teacher 💜 School Psychologist 💜 Special Education Teaching Assistant at EHS 💜High School Girls Assistant JV Softball Coach 💜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.

🎨✨ Art Exhibition at Ellsworth Public Library! 📚🖌️ Mark your calendars, art enthusiasts! From February 29th through March 28, immerse yourself in the incredible creativity of ECSD students as their artwork takes center stage at the Ellsworth Public Library! 🗓️🎉 🖼️👩‍🎨 Join us for a special reception on March 26th, from 4:30-6:00 PM, where you can meet some of the talented artists behind these masterpieces and celebrate their artistic achievements. 🥳👨‍🎨 Let's come together to support our budding artists and appreciate the vibrant colors and unique perspectives they bring to the community. 🌈👏 Don't miss out on this opportunity to be inspired by the next generation of creative minds! 👧🏽🎨

Please take the time to watch this short (2 ½ minute) informational video as Principal Olin Morrison explains projects at our middle school that are being addressed through our April 2nd Facilities Referendum. The video provides a good visual look at a number of the conditions to be addressed at the middle school while also providing information about avenues to improve student learning spaces and school safety. The vast majority of the proposed middle school projects are focused on replacing aging doors, windows, flooring, parking lots, and heating and ventilation (HVAC) systems that were original to the building when it opened nearly 30 years ago. Other projects include the renovation of our locker bays to create collaborative learning environments while also improving student supervision and safety, renovations to our science labs, and renovations to the Career and Technical Education (CTE) rooms to promote student engagement in courses related to the trades, engineering, and business. I hope you find the video helpful in better understanding the proposed middle school projects. If there are any questions about any of the projects being proposed in the April 2nd Facilities Referendum, please visit our referendum website, give me a call at (715)273-3900 or email me at cainb@ellsworth.k12.wi.us. https://youtu.be/TnPhIZb81j8

𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐦 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒: Watch this short video as Principal Olin Morrison and staff share the current facility challenges at the middle school. https://youtu.be/TnPhIZb81j8 If approved, the 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟐 referendum will fund the following improvements at the middle school: -Replace or repair aging building finishes. Improve heating/ventilation system and parking lots. -Remodel existing locker bays to create collaborative learning areas for students while improving student safety. -Remodel the existing science labs to improve flexibility and science learning opportunities for students. -Renovate CTE area to provide relevant learning experiences and promote new opportunities to students as they approach their high school career and after. Learn more about the upcoming referendum by visiting our district website: https://www.ellsworth.k12.wi.us/.../facility-referendum-2024

A few of Mrs. Paul's 2nd graders are on a MATH MISSION! 🧮💡 They've dived into the world of cribbage, and it's been nothing short of AMAZING! 🚀 Big shoutout to the incredible Mark Smith, who's turned Tuesday and Thursday afternoons into Cribbage Extravaganza! 🃏🌟 Mark's dedication to teaching these kiddos the game is truly heartwarming, and the progress they've made is mind-blowing! 📈🙌 Who knew learning math could be so much fun?! 🎲📚

GrandParent Guardians Support Group Join us as we navigate the journey of grandparent guardianship together—finding strength, understanding, and a sense of belonging in the company of those who truly comprehend the joys and challenges unique to the grandparent guardian role. For more information or to sign up please email Melinda, Savannah, or Olivia casperm@ellsworth.k12.wi.us waynes@ellsworth.k12.wi.us carlsono@ellsworth.k12.wi.us

🎉🍰 Big Cheers to our MVP (Most Valuable Pastry) Dee Rasumsson, our amazing Food Service Director! 🍰💫 Dee hit a sweet home run at Monday night's Chamber of Commerce cake auction with her cake that scored an incredible $800! 🏀🎂

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

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

Mark your calendars for the upcoming school facility bond vote: Tuesday, April 2. Polling locations will be open 7am-8pm. Voting information can be found on our referendum webpage: https://www.ellsworth.k12.wi.us/page/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