496-1 Woodstock Road

Woodstock, Vermont 05091

Website:www.wuhsms.org

Community Report 2005-06

Johanna Harpster, PrincipalGrades:9 -12

Greg Schillinger, Associate PrincipalStudents:429

Annual goals

1. Align math curriculum K-12 and incorporate Grade Expectations from the state.
2. Collect data from Common Assessments and report the data to Program Leaders.
3. Continue to meet AYP for the state tests and perform above the mean for SAT’s and other normed tests.
4. Decrease the rate of school failures and the number of drop-outs.
5. Promote the use of technology in the classroom
6. Use technology as a vehicle to communicate with parents and students.
7. Promote a safe and healthy school environment.

Program Structure

For the 2005-06 school year, students continue to have a Green/White blocked program.Algebra I students meet every day for o­ne half block and have a study hall the other half block.Students are required to take 25 credits in order to be eligible for graduation, an increase of 2 credits since the last report.During their junior year, students visit possible career sites in order to assess whether they are o­n the right path for their future careers.This program was commended by the Department of Education, High Schools o­n the Move initiative.

Curriculum Highlights

Woodstock Union High School offers a rigorous academic program in the core classes of English, mathematics, social studies, and science with a variety of levels from general to Advanced Placement.Students who complete the curriculum offered at the school have the option of taking classes at Dartmouth at no cost.Several students this year are taking an advanced math class via distance learning.

Along with our rigorous core academic program, WUHS offers a variety of electives from, among others, a foreign language department that is recognized for student performance o­n national tests to the fine arts department that has been nationally recognized.The speak chorus has been cited for excellence wherever its members have performed and eight band students participated in the district concert band.We have a technology program that offers students the chance to make films and use the computer for the graphic arts.Finally, we have a horticulture program that is unique in the state and is known for hands-on learning and interdisciplinary field trips with the Spanish program to far away places such as Costa Rica, the Galapagos Islands, and last year to Peru to build a school.

Juniors and seniors from the high school may choose to attend the Hartford Area Career and Technology Center in White River Junction for a half-day program for o­ne or two years.We send between 20 and 23 students each year.The Center offers a variety of programs such as Auto Body, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, and Videography.Two to three high school credits per year per program can be awarded.

Co-curricular Highlights

The school sponsors many after-school activities.WUHS has a fine sports program that includes cross-country, field hockey, football, and soccer in the fall; basketball, hockey, and skiing in the winter; and baseball & softball, lacrosse, golf tennis, and track & field in the spring.Many of our teams have received state championships.In addition, there are wonderful play productions each year – this year featuring The Wizard of Oz.Both the band and the chorus present a concert each quarter for the public’s enjoyment.The forensics team has also achieved multiple state championships.Many students participate each year in Model Congress and Earth Beat.

Community Outreach Initiatives

Three visitors from Southeast Asia visited our school for a week in October.They were a charming group of educators and were interested in learning about and participating in discussions about best practice.They visited classrooms, made a presentation to the faculty and taught a dance to Ms. Piccoli’s dance class.They also visited the elementary schools.

Strategic Planning Goals

This is the last year of our current Strategic Plan.The focus of this plan has been to maintain student enrollment during this time of declining school-age population.We identified three goals to assist us with that plan:

• Market our product to our own elementary students and to those from nearby school districts,
• Strengthen and improve the teacher evaluation process, and
• Develop and strengthen the distance learning initiative and process.

We have created an annual Open House for students considering coming to our school.As a result of that initiative, we have increased our enrollment from at least o­ne private school.The teacher’s organization and administration have met and created a new rubric based o­n the Danielson model to use when evaluating teachers.The rubric has been very successful in improving the communication between teachers and administrators.Finally, we have begun to sponsor distance learning for a few accelerated students.

Our Test Data

We continue to meet Annual Yearly Progress o­n the NSRE tests given each spring to the tenth grade students.Writing showed a slight decline this year, but overall remains o­n track and well above the state.Math continues to show an increase, although overall not as high as English. We continue to be above the state and the national means for other tests we administer.Our students take their academics very seriously.