About
Strange Honors
Curtis A. Strange Elementary School was honored as a "New Wisconsin Promise
School of Recognition". Curtis A. Strange was one
of 138 elementary schools chosen statewide for this honor. These schools were
recognized for meeting state reading and math goals
which far exceed the expected growth levels for schools with high poverty rates.
We were honored at a wonderful ceremony held at the
State Capital in Madison. Mrs. Schwarts, Mrs. Montemurro, and I accepted the
award from the State Superintendent on October 18th in
the state capital building. This honor is only one of many indicators that our
staff is one of the hardest working, most dedicated groups
of individuals I have ever had the pleasure to work with. Congratulation to
all of our staff, students, and parents for their hard work in
helping us achieve this great honor.
State honors Strange, Bose grade schools
By Chris Barncard Kenosha News
Jonathan Bar-Din knows why Strange Elementary School students succeed, and
now maybe everyone else will too. "My teachers are just so dedicated," Bar-Din, the school's principal,
said. " The challenge at our schools-its' tough, because we have so many
kids with such great needs. Everybody busts their hump around here. Strange
and Bose Elementary Schools have been named New Wisconsin Promise Schools
of Recognition by State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster, The Kenosha Unified
School District schools join 83 other elementary schools and 53 middle
schools selected for recognition because they meet a set of often contradictory
criteria: they are among the highest poverty schools in the state and
their students are above average in reading and math while showing steady
improvement in both subjects.
Bose Principal Teresa Giampietro said the state is just catching on to what
her staff and students already know: It's good to be a Bobcat.
The Schools will have the opportunity to describe their educational practices-now
considered "best practices"by merit of inclusion on the state list-on
the Department of Public Instruction Web site. The message from Bose is that
the family that works together learns together. The school stresses high academic
standards as well as what DPI calls " standards of the heart"-building
responsible citizens by coupling learning opportunities with activities like
food drives that have earned Bose national recogniton. Representatives of
Bose and Strange will be recognized Oct. 18th in the state Capitol, receiving
plaques and
$1500 checks. Strange's money will go to the school's Literacy Collaborative
reading program. The Literacy Collaborative appropriate reading level and
supplies them with all kinds of appropriate books. Bar-Din said the program
is at least partially responsible for the steady climb in test scores, but
parents, teachers and students do all the work. That may be tougher in a school
with plenty of underprivileged kids. "Somebody who is just trying to
put food on the table probably isn't thinkin about reading to their kids for
a half-hour every night," he said. " I could not buy my way out
of reading problems, but poverty is a big issue. However, we have seven-and-a-half
hours a day to do something about it." Giampietro thinks the best way
to teach poor students is to forget how big their parents' paychecks are when
the kids come through the door. "One of the things that may be a benefit
for us as a staff is that we take the kids where they're at," she said.
" We accept them for who they are, and apply our skills and curriculum
and take them as far as they can go."
