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| Girls' Golf & Girls' Tennis = Homestead State Champions! |
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The Homestead girls' golf and tennis teams finished their fall seasons in Madison hoisting state championship trophies. Coach John Krueger and his golfers started October off in style by winning the Division 1 state championship by 25 strokes over Milton. The girls played strongly at the beginning of the season and got better every week, taking home the North Shore Conference and Sectional Championship on their way to their victory in Madison. The team gave a strong showing on day one of the tournament and never looked back, improving on the first day lead of 10 strokes. All six varsity golfers --Emily Sweet, Rebecca Hart, Rachel Morris, Lauren Smith, Lauren Olsen, and Anika Hitt-- played important roles in the championship year.
The week after the golf team's victory at University Ridge outside Madison, the Homestead girls' tennis team made their annual trip to the Nielsen Tennis Complex on the University of Wisconsin Campus. The team succeeded in winning their fourth straight Division 1 championship, defeating conference rival Nicolet 5-2 in the final. The team finished a second straight undefeated season; they are also the NSC champions for 2011. In addition to the remarkable team success, several individuals also brought home state hardware. Sophomore Elizabeth Konan finished the season 28-0 and won the individual state championship while her teammates, senior Aly Coran and sophomore Mardee Merar, finished 3rd and 5th, respectively. The state doubles tournament was also captured by a Highlander duo, with senior Carly Peck and junior Sophia Lococo triumphing in that bracket. The state championship varsity tennis team is made up of Aly Coran, Elizabeth Konan, Mardee Merar, Alex Talyansky, Carly Peck, Sophia Lococo, Clarie Songkakul, Michelle Levin, Kacie Kelly, Carlie Swenson, Erica Tyagi, and Kate Weitzer and coaches Jackie Egelhoff, Rick Vetter, Luther Tollefson, and Mike Stibor.
The Homestead girls' golf and tennis teams used talent, consistency, depth, and, most importantly teamwork, to achieve greatness and a lifetime of memories. |
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| MTSD Honors Dr. Martin Luther King |
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The students and staff of the Mequon-Thiensville School District honored the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King on Monday, January 16, 2012.
The emphasis was on the works and teachings of Dr. King. A variety of activities and assemblies were scheduled at each of the schools in observance of the King Holiday. Schools selected themes that focused on a commitment to peace, justice, equality, family, community service and/or self respect.
The activities selected were not done in isolation of the curriculum. Staff made a concerted effort to incorporate themes honoring Dr. King into a variety of curricular areas. The various means of honoring Dr. King's memory included but were not limited to the following:
- Musical concerts
- Writing and art contests
- Band, orchestra and chorus performances
- Daily announcements and quotes for Dr. King,
- All school play
- Guest speaker
- Biographical readings
- Video presentation and others
We commend the students and staff for the tremendous time effort that went into providing a day on for students that included significant and appropriate ways of honoring and representing the memory of Dr. King. |
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| Grades 3-8 Participate in NWEA Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) Tests |
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A balanced assessment model effectively assesses student growth and achievement. NWEA MAP is part of the Mequon-Thiensville School District's balanced assessment model that uses classroom, district, state, and national assessments to provide high quality differentiated instruction to all students.
MAP is aligned to Wisconsin and national academic standards. Steffen and Lake Shore Middle Schools first tested in 2011. Donges Bay, Oriole Lane and Wilson Elementary Schools first tested in January 2012. Elementary staff training will continue through spring 2012 with student and parent reports similar to those available at the middle school available in October 2012.
The MAP assessment provide specific data on each child. The computerized test dynamically adapts to a student's responses as students take the test. When the student answers a question correctly, the test presents a more challenging item. When students miss a question, MAP offers a simpler item. Unlike paper and pencil tests, the test narrows in on a student's learning level, engaging them with content that allows them to succeed. The test reports the student's learning level, reading level and other information teachers can then use to guide instruction.
As many districts have discovered, this assessment will provide our students an opportunity to demonstrate both achievement and growth in their learning. Educators receive reliable, up-to-date data for planning instruction, communicating to parents about student success, and establishing goals to improve best practices. |
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ACT’s Midwest Region recently awarded Homestead High School with its Red Quill Award, an accolade bestowed annually on a select number of public and private high schools in the nine-state area.
As explained by ACT, the Red Quill celebrates public and private high schools that “analyze data in robust ways and use these data to support curricular and instructional changes and enhancements based on the needs of learners within their communities.” Further, Red Quill schools “have consistently demonstrated a high level of achievement.”
Endeavors currently underway at Homestead that were highlighted in this year’s application include the following:
- Development of a formal school goal related to ACT College Readiness Benchmark attainment
- Analysis of ACT’s College Readiness Benchmarks and Quality Core content standards when conducting curriculum revisions to be implemented in 2012-2013
- Development of the ready-annotate-process (RAP) approach, a systematic approach to non-fiction reading across content areas
- Use of ACT data when advising individual students on post-secondary planning options with tools like Naviance and Family Connection
- Implementation of the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) college readiness system
- Close analysis of the “High School to College Success Report” that ACT creates for all Wisconsin high schools every three years
- Administration of a practice ACT exam to interested juniors in mid-October.
The list above reflects only some of the newest work being done at Homestead; it is not exhaustive and does not include all of the longtime efforts by parents, students, teachers, counselors, and the rest of the school community that continue to produce outstanding results.
Thank you to all involved with Homestead High School for their collective efforts to make our high school one to celebrate. |
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| The School Growth Plans for the Mequon-Thiensville School District and videos of the principals discussing the plans can be found on the MTSD website.
Learn more >>> |
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As we make our way through February and begin thinking about spring, it is a good time to consider our district's challenges and accomplishments in 2011.