Spring News

I am finding it hard to believe we are already into April since winter won’t seem to let go. I gained a false sense of confidence that March was going to leave like a lamb and that April showers would bring us the normal May flowers. I was proven wrong earlier this week with an early April snowfall that resulted in an early release and a late start.

Because many families have started the process of making summer vacation plans and with the change in our school calendar, I think it is important to provide you with an update on the last day. As we all know, weather in Wisconsin can change at any time so I am making an educated guess on April’s weather. I am going to be optimistic and assume we no longer have to deal with early releases, late starts or the closing of school for a full day due to weather. If no new weather issues happen, the last day of school for students will be Monday, June 4th. This day was added to make up for day lost on February 20th.

The other good news is that if this scenario becomes reality, we will not have to add time on to the school day. So far this year, we have had seven early releases or late starts resulting in 14 hours of instruction lost to inclement weather. Fortunately, our school days are long enough to create a surplus in our hours of instruction. While close, we will have enough hours of instruction to meet the state’s requirement without adding time.

If you have any questions concerning this or any other issue, please feel free to contact me. Thank you for the great school year and think spring!

Winter Weather Update

It is that time of the year where we find ourselves in the grips of winter. Students hope for a snow day or, at a minimum, the opportunity to go back to sleep with a late start. Parents are trying to deal with the stresses of planning where their children should go on a snow day, how to get them to school on a late start or arrange someone to pick them up on an early release day. In the middle of all of this is the weather that can change in an instant.

Each year, I receive questions on how the decision is made to hold school at its regularly scheduled time, delay the opening or close for the day. The decision is difficult and is always focused on the safety of our students and families. Most mornings, the process starts shortly after 4:00 am. I receive the most current weather update through a private service in Madison. The weather update provides an hour by hour forecast showing the temperature, wind speed, type of precipitation and the accumulated amounts throughout each hour. I cross-reference this forecast with the National Weather Service’s forecast, the local television station forecasts and current conditions in Portage being reported at the St. John’s WeatherBug site.

Understanding what the weather might hold, I begin contacting people to receive road condition reports. The first phone call is to the terminal manager of our bus company (Riteway). By this time, the manager has talked to the sheriff’s department, the county highway department and employees who are driving to work. I also talk to school personnel who are removing snow from our school parking lots to hear what they are experiencing. During this same time, I am communicating through email with 15 other district administrators in our area to assess road conditions in Columbia, Sauk and Marquette counties to help make the decision. All of this information helps me make the decision to have school, delay the start or close school for the day. I try to make the decision to close or start late before 6:00 a.m. I then begin the process of notifying area media, our parochial school partners and families through our notification system.

If we do close, the next question I normally receive has to do with making up snow days. With a recent change only requiring a minimum number of hours we hold school, this question is much easier to answer. Last year, the Board developed a calendar that has three built-in snow days at the end of the year (June 4th, 5th, & 6th). This calendar is different than previous ones in that if we do not need a snow day, we will not have school. We would subtract them from the end of the year. For example, if we only have one snow day, there would be two unused days left. These two unused days would be taken off the end of the year, so the last day for students would be June 4th. If we did not use any snow days, the last day for students would be May 31st. This change also gives us greater flexibility if we close school for more than the three built-in days. Instead of adding days on to the end of the year or holding school on a release day, we now can add time on to the existing school day to make up the lost hours of school.

The decision to hold, delay or close school is never easy. Neither is answering questions on how this time is made up, but I hope I have provided a better explanation of the process. If you still have questions, please feel free to call (608) 742-4879 or email me: pochesc@portage.k12.wi.us. Let’s hope for a smooth path into spring.

District releases Measures of Success 

   At the April 10, 2017 meeting, the Board of Education approved a recommendation from the District’s
Administrative Team to develop an alternative to the Department of Public Instruction’s school report card.  The following are the Measures of Success that have been developed by the principals at the elementary, middle and high schools. 
    Unlike the state report card, these measures of success provide a broader picture of how are students are doing in many attributes.  These measures not only provide our community with a complete picture of how our students are performing on research-based measures to be
successful in life, but also provide data for our schools to develop strategies that lead to increased opportunities for skill development. 

    The Measures of Success are based on the attributes found in information from the Redefining Ready website.  This organization utilizes research-based indicators for success and is supported by many leading educational leadership organizations.  As stated on their website, “America’s high schools have a profound responsibility to ensure that our nation’s 14 million high school students are college ready, career ready and life ready. Standardized test scores – traditionally used as the primary readiness indicator – do not always provide an accurate representation of our students’ potential. Like the global economy, today’s students are driven by ideas and innovations. They should not be reduced down to, or defined by, a single test score.”

Click here for the full report of District Measures of success.

Dear Parents and Students,

Welcome to another great school year. We are very excited to have you be a part of the Portage Community School District for 2017-2018. The summer was spent developing a number of changes that we believe you will like. Most of you have already utilized one of these changes when you were able to register for school using our new online portal. This is one of many new things you will see this year.

One of the biggest areas we worked on for this year is communicating in a more effective manner with families. We have always used Infinite Campus for grades and lunch balances, but felt we needed to do a better job of giving you more information on the events occurring in your child’s school, district-wide events and a clearer picture of our students’ performance. So that you have a one-stop location for many of the school and district events, we have changed the structure of the District’s homepage to include a calendar featuring many district- and building-level events. We have also added a section on the left side of the page for news releases of happenings in the District.

The most exciting change for us is how we provide a picture of how well our students are performing and the quality of education being provided. In January, the Portage Community School District Board of Education passed a resolution supporting a new way of reporting student success called Redefining Success. Redefining Success movement is a new research-based method to more appropriately assess that students are college ready, career ready and life ready. The intent is to provide a better method of demonstrating student success, instead of measuring their abilities on one state test score. While standardized tests will still be part of the picture, it is not the whole picture because we know that a score from one test does not and should not measure a student’s potential. Grit, perseverance and the ability to work with others are all things not measured in a standardized test that help students be successful in life. Redefining Success action plans for this year will be shared both at a Board meeting and with families. Please watch for more information on this wonderful new initiative.

As the district administrator and a dad, I am proud to be a part of the Portage Community School District. I also understand questions may come up from time to time. As our school year progresses and questions come up, please feel free to call me with any questions you might have.

Have a great school year!

Dr. Charles Poches

On behalf of the Board of Education and the Portage Community School District, I would like to welcome you to our wonderful school district. I have had the privilege to be a part of this District for the last 10 years both as an administrator and as a parent. From both perspectives, I can tell you that you will not find a more inviting school district, dedicated staff or one that has as much community support as ours. Combined, these make our district a great choice for your family, your children and their future.

It is through our community support in passing our last five referendums that we are able to offer an extensive educational program to meet many different needs and interests. Whether you are looking for accelerated courses for your children in the form of AP courses, dual-credit college-level courses or a trade-based course, you will find these in our schools. We offer a wide array of opportunities outside the classroom. You will find many opportunities readily available in our district including sports, the arts or involvement in co-curricular organizations.

Again, I appreciate your interest in our school district. As you look through our website, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, (608) 742-4879 ext. 4124 or pochesc@portage.k12.wi.us.

Sincerely,

Dr. Charles Poches

Follow me on Twitter: @SuptPoches

Biographical information

Philosophy:

Everyone within our school community has the capability to learn. This is not only applied to students but also staff and parents. This will be created by providing staff and students with a solid curriculum that is clearly aligned in all curricular areas, developing activities within this curriculum that actively engage students in their learning, and by using locally developed assessments that measure individual performance. Data from these assessments will not only measure the individual growth but will help guide instruction by helping the district create professional development activities that will enhance a teacher’s ability provide quality instruction. Parents will be actively engaged in their child’s learning by being given specific learning objectives that will be expected of their children and will receive ongoing reports of their child’s learning on these learning objectives.

Education:

Edgewood College, Madison, WI--Educational Doctorate-School District Administration Dissertation Topic: Implementation of Best Practices in High Achieving Rural SAGE Schools

University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD-Educational Specialist - School District Administration

            University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD-Masters of Arts - Secondary School Administration

            Northern State University, Aberdeen, SD-Bachelors of Science – Math Education, Minor in Business
 

Professional Experience:

Superintendent, Portage Community School District 2007-Present

Superintendent, School District of Crivitz 2003-2007

Elementary Principal, School District of Wausaukee 2000-2003

Teacher/Coach: Elk Point-Jefferson School District, Lyman School District, & Burke
School District 1 1990-2000

Personal:

I have been married to my wife, Tracy, for 24 years. We have five children: Jacob (20), Olivia (19) Nathan (16), Allison (14) and Joseph (12).