By Ryan Spoehr
Staff writer
To educate students on the dangers of internet-based activities, such as cyberbullying and sexting, the Whitewater Unified School District is revamping its curriculum over the next year.
“Students are facing much more pressure when it comes to technology and cyber-related issues. So, this would include things like cyber bullying (and) sexting,” said Tanya Wojciechowicz, the principal at the Middle School. “Often, these issues are happening outside of school, mostly on social media and gaming consoles. But, often they do carry over into school and can impact students’ social, and emotional well being, as well as their ability to learn.”
Wojciechowicz and business teacher and tech support staff Angela Ketter, who was also spoke to the School Board, have reviewed student support systems already in place with other district staff members. They have had discussions on if those can be improved and possibly if there are any ways to increase awareness, engaging parents and the community and empowering students to handle certain situations more effectively.
“To start this journey, we have started a committee of diverse stakeholders, who are going to be meeting this summer to inform and provide us feedback throughout this process,” Wojciechowicz said.
Wojciechowicz and Ketter are looking at six main points to address to provide updates, which they are hoping to present through June 2018. Those points are curriculum embedment, student empowerment, digital reporting, elementary peer integration, parent and student instruction and a keynote speaker.
There is a desire, Ketter said, to enhance the curriculum, particularly with an initiative called “Curriculum Spiral.”
“This is going to be a big piece of that,” Ketter said. “It’s not just giving students a one-and-done type of curriculum, but spiraling that curriculum throughout their Middle School experience.”
There will also be staff professional development and integration into daily classroom activities.
“The other piece we identified is student empowerment,” Ketter said. “We are looking at doing something that is kind of like a technology circle, or similar to some of the circles we have done in the past to allow for several things, first to establish that peer pressure experience, but looking at the true authentic things they are looking at on a daily basis. (That isn’t) what they are telling their parents and not what they are telling their teachers, but what is that experience. We are also looking at building leadership skills too.”
Ketter and Wojciechowicz released a schedule to School Board members of the plan to implement the curriculum over the next 13 months.
There will be between one and three committee meetings. In August, there will be meetings with parents. In September, there will be a keynote speaker. In October, the district will follow up Rich’s presentation with professional development for staff members. There will also be follow up with students.
After continuing education in November and December, the district will continue the education into 2018. There will be visits to the elementary schools and a Netsmartz presentation.
The district will also have Whitewater Police Department officer Jake Hintz as a guest speaker.
“He is good. He is very up to date on this as well,” Ketter said.
The education will continue, and more visits to the elementary level will follow in May 2018.
The committee formed for the cyber-related education is expected to meet to reflect in a meeting at some point in June 2018.
