1. Middle Schools of Excellence

Six schools will receive Middle School of Excellence awards on Feb. 18 during the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators (AWSA) Middle-Level Principals Conference in Appleton.

The six were among 83 Exemplary Middle Schools recognized last fall for student achievement by AWSA and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

This is the third year of the recognition, and the first time that judges reached tie scores in two of the four categories. The 2010 Middle Schools of Excellence are:

• Small: Menominee Indian Middle School in Neopit (Principal: Stephanie Feldner)
  
• Medium: Einstein Middle School in Appleton (Principal: Dave Boden)
  
• Large: Hudson Middle School (Principal: Dan Koch) and Waunakee Community Middle School (Principal: Shelley Joan Weiss)
  
• High Poverty: Unity Middle School in Balsam Lake (Principal: Elizabeth Jorgensen) and T.J. Walker Middle School in Sturgeon Bay (Principal: Randy Watermolen)

A panel of judges examined schools’ efforts and accomplishments in the areas of collaboration and professional learning communities; personalization and the school environment; and curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

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2. BadgerLink Webinars

Wisconsin residents have access to a rich vault of information that would normally require considerable funds or hours to locate. But how many citizens, including teachers, know what BadgerLink is or how to use it?

A new webinar series explores what BadgerLink has to offer and how it can help teachers and students. The 30-45-minute sessions air live on Thursdays at noon. They are also archived.

Archived webinars cover science, business, history, Spanish-language resources, and how to access Badgerlink.

Upcoming topics range from "K-12 Literature Resources from Britannica Online" to "Learning & Teaching Tools in Student Research Center" to "GreenFile and Other Ecology Resources from EBSCO." A project of the DPI, the goal of BadgerLink is to provide access to quality online information resources for all Wisconsin residents.

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3. Loan Forgiveness for "Champion" Educators

Educators who demonstrate a passion for helping students in low-income communities continue to college are eligible for a $5,000 award to reduce the balance of outstanding federal student loan debt.

This year, 50 Wisconsin educators—teachers, counselors, staff members, and administrators—serving middle and high school students in low-income communities will be named College Access Champions by the Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation. (The organization provides a list of eligible Wisconsin schools.)

The application deadline is March 1.

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4. Forest Writing Contest

Subscriber Submission!

Each year, Wisconsin fourth-graders are invited to write about the state’s tree and forest resources for the Forest Appreciation Week Writing Contest organized by the DNR Forestry Division. This year’s theme is "Why Plant Trees?" Students are encouraged to write about a personal experience with tree planting or the general importance of a properly planted tree.

A semi-finalist will be chosen from each CESA District; these students’ essays will appear in DNR’s 2011 Arbor Day-Earth Day Calendar. Three state winners will receive a variety of prizes (including a U.S. Savings Bond and a landscape tree to be planted at their school or in their community). Winning students’ teachers will receive scholarships for a Learning, Experiences, and Activities in Forestry (LEAF) clinic and a Project Learning Tree (PLT) workshop, as well as classroom supplies. (LEAF is Wisconsin’s K-12 Forestry Education Program.)

The contest is co-sponsored by LEAF; PLT; the Wisconsin Nursery Association; and the Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association.

The deadline is March 5. The first 100 teachers who submit a contest entry will receive a copy of R. Bruce Allison’s book for young readers, If Trees Could Talk: Stories About Wisconsin Trees.

There is also a related poster contest.

This story was submitted by a DPI-ConnectEd subscriber! We are looking for your news of exciting programs, promising practices, initiatives that could benefit from publicity, or your questions about working with Wisconsin students. E-mail just a sentence or two to benson.gardner@dpi.wi.gov, with "Story Idea" in the subject line.

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5. Education Materials from Federal Agencies

Education materials from federal agencies are compiled at FREE.ed.gov. Users can search by category at the site, or get periodic updates by RSS (news feed).

Recent updates include:

• Exploring Bioethics, which helps students in grades 9-12 grapple with ethical issues posed by advances in the life sciences. From the National Institutes of Health.


• Read.gov, which features classic books on-line for children and teens, such as "Humpty Dumpty," The Arabian Nights, and "The Raven." From the Library of Congress.


• An Oral History of the U.S. House of Representatives, which includes audio, video, and transcripts of interviews with House officers, aides, former Representatives, and others, about a variety of topics. Published by the House.

This month, the website features a collection of resources for African American History Month.

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