Baylake Bank Joins HSSD Upward Together Campaign in Support of Back-to-School Program

Baylake Bank has pledged a $2,500 donation to the Howard-Suamico School District’s Upward Together campaign, the district announced today. The pledge will support The Giving Tree Back-to-School event which provides school supplies for district families in need.

“We are grateful for Baylake Bank’s generous support of the Howard-Suamico Upward Together Education Campaign,” said Superintendent Damian LaCroix. “Our students benefit greatly from community partnerships such as these. When our neighboring businesses join us in support of schools and families, it strengthens our programs and creates even more opportunities for excellence.”

“Baylake Bank is proud to support the Howard-Suamico School District’s Back-to-School Program with our partnership and 2015 contribution,” said Baylake Bank Assistant Vice President Erica Shefchik. “Providing students with the right tools to help them learn and excel has a lasting effect on our kids, families, and community.”

About the Howard-Suamico School District: Founded in 1961, the nationally-recognized Howard-Suamico School District encompasses 53 square miles in one of the most popular and attractive areas of Wisconsin. Located in the villages of Howard and Suamico – just eight miles northwest of Green Bay’s historic Lambeau Field – the district serves approximately 6,000 students in eight schools and 10 community-based four-year-old kindergarten sites, making it the 26^th-largest school district in the state of Wisconsin. The HSSD vision, mission and beliefs can best be summarized by the motto: Serving, Learning, Achieving – Together. For more information about the Howard-Suamico School District, follow us on Twitter (@HSSD) or visit www.hssd.k12.wi.us. 

About Baylake Bank: Baylake Bank is a Wisconsin based full-service financial institution that provides professional guidance and money management tools for individuals and businesses. Baylake Bank has been serving the Howard-Suamico community for more than 15 years; first opening an office in the Glenview Mall, then expanded into the current Financial Center in August of 2006 at 2502 Lineville Road. Services include mobile banking and deposit, mortgage & consumer lending, comprehensive business services, retirement planning, trust and asset management, and private banking for wealth management.  Equal Housing Lender.  Member FDIC.

Jerry, Thor Elected to WASC Student Leadership Posts

Amanda Jerry, a seventh-grader at Bay View, and Selena Thor, a junior at Bay Port, were elected regional presidents for the Wisconsin Association of School Councils (WASC) Governing Board. WASC is a statewide organization whose mission is dedicated to the continuation and expansion of leadership development in Wisconsin students.

Jerry was elected as the Region III Junior and Middle School President and Thor was elected as the Region III Senior High School President. Both students were also elected to WASC state wide Vice President positions for the upcoming school year at their respective levels. Jerry and Thor will be representing the Fox Valley region as student representatives that sit on the WASC Governing Board and the Executive Committee.

Congratulations to our student leaders!

International Literacy Association Honors Howard Elementary School with Exemplary Reading Program Award

Howard Elementary School has been named one of International Literacy Association’s 2015 Exemplary Reading Program honorees, the association announced recently. The award will be presented to Howard Principal Vickie Dassler on Friday, July 17 during ILA’s 2015 national conference in St. Louis, Mo.

The Exemplary Reading Program Award is a distinguished citation given to schools whose reading programs are robust and comprehensive, and which provide best practice instruction and reading resources at enhanced levels. There is one winning school from each participating state. Each cited school was visited by members of the ILA-affiliated state reading council who were charged with rating the reading program against strict criteria.

Howard Elementary’s exemplary reading program is the result of an intentional vision and action plan ensuring success for all students. Strong leadership, staff commitment to excellence, and ongoing responsive staff development in literacy are hallmarks of Howard’s effectiveness.

“Keeping reading as the priority, along with a school wide focus on best teaching practices, supports growing strong readers at Howard Elementary,” said Dassler. “Parent and community involvement such as our ‘Fall into Reading Parent Night’ and our book distributions and celebrations all foster a love of reading for Howard students.”

The award is the second major honor earned by the Howard Elementary staff and students this year. In January State Superintendent Tony Evers nominated Howard as one of eight Wisconsin schools under consideration for the National Blue Ribbon Award.

About the Howard-Suamico School District: Founded in 1961, the Howard-Suamico School District encompasses 53 square miles in one of the most popular and attractive areas of Wisconsin. Located in the villages of Howard and Suamico – just eight miles northwest of Green Bay’s historic Lambeau Field – the district serves approximately 6,000 students in eight schools and 10 community-based four-year-old kindergarten sites, making it the 26^th-largest school district in the state of Wisconsin. The HSSD vision, mission and beliefs can best be summarized by the motto: Serving, Learning, Achieving – Together. For more information about the Howard-Suamico School District, follow us on Twitter (@HSSD) or visit www.hssd.k12.wi.us.

About the International Literacy Association: The International Literacy Association (ILA) is a global advocacy and membership organization dedicated to advancing literacy for all through its network of more than 300,000 literacy educators, researchers and experts across 75 countries. With 60 years of experience in the field, ILA believes in the transformative power of literacy to create more successful societies, healthy communities and prosperous economies. ILA collaborates with partners across the world to develop, gather and disseminate high-quality resources, best practices and cutting-edge research to empower educators, inspire students and inform policymakers. The International Literacy Association publishes several peer-reviewed journals, including “The Reading Teacher,” “Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy” and “Reading Research Quarterly.” For more information, visit www.literacyworldwide.org.

Senior Maddie Forrest Featured in “Public School Experience” Story

Bay Port High School senior Maddie Forrest was featured in the “Public School Experience” segment on Fox 11 news yesterday. Here is a link to the extended cut (2:55) of her story. Thank you to Bellin Health, CESA 7, and ETP-NEW for your support of this project.

Community Pool Reopens June 15 – Summer Swim Lesson Registration is Open Now

Summer swim lesson signup is open now! The first day of lessons in the renovated Community Pool at Lineville Intermediate School is June 15. Click here for registration details: http://goo.gl/cbFJnr

New District Office Mailing Address – 2706 Lineville Road, Green Bay, WI 54313

Please note: the mailing address for the Howard-Suamico School District has changed in conjunction with our move to the new District Office and Community Training Center next to Bay Port High School. Telephone numbers will remain the same. The new address is:

Howard-Suamico School District
2706 Lineville Road
Green Bay, WI 54313

Phone (920) 662-7878
FAX: (920) 662-9777

District Announces Principal, Assistant Superintendent Hires

On Monday, April 13, the Howard-Suamico School District (HSSD) Board of Education approved the promotion of Kristin Ashley to Principal of Howard Elementary School and the hiring of Matthew Spets as Assistant Superintendent for Business Services. Both educators will assume their new roles July 1, 2015.

Mrs. Ashley previously served as Associate Principal of Lineville Intermediate School in HSSD for the past two years. Prior to that Ashley taught fifth grade at Lineville for five years, serving as the grade-level leader for the school’s fifth grade teacher team.

“Kristin’s passion for children and learning has been evident from day one of her time in the classroom and as a member of our administrative team at HSSD,” said Superintendent Damian LaCroix. “We are excited about her commitment to serving and leading the Howard Elementary learning community.”

“I am truly honored to have this opportunity to lead our students and staff at Howard Elementary,” said Ashley. “I look forward to working collaboratively to build on the legacy of excellence that is already part of the strong foundation of education in our District.”

Ashley takes the reins at Howard Elementary from Vickie Dassler who is retiring in June following 26 years in education, including 14 years of leadership in HSSD.

The District has begun the search to replace Ashley as Lineville’s Associate Principal.

Mr. Spets comes to HSSD after having served as District Administrator and Business Manager of the School District of Flambeau in northwest Wisconsin. He also served as a Principal at the elementary and K-12 levels following six years as a middle school language arts teacher. In his role as Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Spets will oversee fiscal operations for the District, including budget planning, facilities, food services, and transportation management.

“Matt’s experience as a district administrator and principal strengthens his business office experience and credentials,” said LaCroix. “It’s exciting for a growing district like ours to have someone of Matt’s caliber join our leadership team.”

“I am humbled by the opportunity to join such a progressive and highly-regarded district as Howard-Suamico,” said Spets. “I am excited to both contribute as a member of our district leadership team and guide the excellent Business Services department. My aim is to serve all stakeholders by funneling my passion for improving the education of all students towards effectively allocating our fiscal resources to nurture growth and sustain the great work being done throughout our district.”

Spets will fill the business office vacancy following the June retirement of Betty Zimdars who capped a 27-year stretch at HSSD by being named the 2015 Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials (WASBO) School Business Official of the Year.

About the Howard-Suamico School District: Founded in 1961, the Howard-Suamico School District encompasses 53 square miles in one of the most popular and attractive areas of Wisconsin. Located in the villages of Howard and Suamico – just eight miles northwest of Green Bay’s historic Lambeau Field – the district serves approximately 6,000 students in eight schools and 10 community-based four-year-old kindergarten sites, making it the 26^th-largest school district in the state of Wisconsin. The HSSD vision, mission and beliefs can best be summarized by the motto: Serving, Learning, Achieving – Together. For more information about the Howard-Suamico School District, follow us on Twitter (@HSSD) or visit www.hssd.k12.wi.us.

Bay Port Trio Earns National Honors at DECA Competition

Katie Brown, Morgan Jameson, and Mackenzie Senogles earned finalist recognition at the International Career Development Conference in Orlando, Fla. April 25-28. The Bay Port High School students competed at the event along with 11 teammates as part of their membership in the school’s DECA club.

Jameson and Senogles, both seniors, competed in the Learn & Earn event in which students create and run a small enterprise. The two girls put on the “Mr. Bay Port” show this past January and created a 30-page manual along with a 10-minute presentation that documented the event. Based on their presentation and written score, the duo was selected as finalists, beating out 150+ teams from around the world. The two became Bay Port’s third international finalists in school history.

Brown, a junior, competed in Fashion Merchandising where she developed a promotional plan for a local business and presented the two-week plan to a judge. Her presentation score along with her results from her 100-point marketing exam earned her a spot as a finalist. She then presented against the other 17 finalists and was awarded a top-10 finish in the final awards ceremony. Brown is only the second person in Bay Port history to achieve this honor.