The Wawascene was created by Dr. Mark Stock, former Superintendent of the Wawasee Community School Corporation. Due to its local popularity, Dr. Stock has left the blog site to future Wawasee administrators.

Blog Rules

Comments should be respectful and pertain to the topic posted. Comments about personnel matters should be made directly to the administrators responsible. Blog moderators reserve the right to remove any comment determined not in keeping with these guidelines.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Superintendent Search Underway

The search for a new superintendent for Wawasee Community Schools officially began earlier this month. A brochure announcing the vacancy and an application form were mailed to every school corporation in the state of Indiana via the Indiana School Board's Association monthly mailing. Also the position has been posted with the placement offices of Ball State, Indiana State, Indiana, and Purdue Universities, as well as posted on the State Department of Education, Indiana School Board's Association and the Indiana School Superintendent's web sites.

The WCS School Board has chosen to use the University Consulting Team to assist them in the search process. This team consists of a member from each of the four major state universities, and will be chaired by the representative from Ball State University. Applications will be collected by the consulting team and screening will begin in early November.

Prior to the actual screening, the consulting team will meet with the Board to ascertain the needs of the school district and the Board. Once the team has screened the applicant pool to a workable number for the Board to interview, the consultants will review the interview process and protocol with the Board. At this point, the consulting team exits and the Board will interview those candidates best matching the needs of the district and the characteristics set by the Board.

The Board should conclude its interviews and background study and be prepared to announce the selected candidate at the December school board meeting. The new superintendent of WCS should begin his or her duties early in January.

If you would care to share characteristics you believe the new superintendent should possess, please feel free to contact a school board member.

Monday, September 10, 2007

ISTEP season is here!

On Tuesday, September 18th, all students in grades 3 through 10 in the state of Indiana will take the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress-Plus (ISTEP+). Based on Indiana's Academic Standards, the test includes English/language arts at each grade, as well as science at grades 5 and 7.

To be sure you're ready to do your best on ISTEP+, read these tips and practice some sample questions.

Be prepared. Cramming for any test is never the best way to prepare. Keep up with your homework and ask your teachers for help when you need it.

Get plenty of sleep. Go to bed a little earlier so you get a good night's sleep. Being well rested will give your an extra boost of energy for test day.

Have a good breakfast. Eat protein (eggs, meat, cheese, etc.), which will help you perform better than a sugary donut. Too much food can make you feel sleepy, so don't over do it.

Take a break. Get som exercise during your breaks or after school to keep your energy up.

Ask for help. If you've had trouble with ISTEP+ in the past, ask a teacher, counselor or parent about extra help now.

Double check your work on the test. You'll catch mistakes if you take time to proofread your answers carefully.

the following are some examples of sample test questions that the Indiana Department of Educationm has posted on their website. Give these a try and see how you do.

3rd grade: Read this sentence: Dr. Smith waved to us today.

What does "Dr." mean?

a). Dear

b). Doctor

c). Drive

d). Dollar



6th grade:

Choose the phrase that BEST completes the sentence below:

The sleepy cat was lying in the sun that came in __________________.

a). before the window

b). near the window

c). through the window

d). beside the window



8th grade:

The Caspian Sea is the largest lake in the world, with an area of 1.46 x 105 square miles. Lake Superior has an area of 3.17 x104 square miles. What is the difference, in square miles of the two lakes? Write your answer in the scientific notation. Show all work.



10th grade:

Choose the sentence that is correct and MOST clearly expressed.

a). The banjo can be more difficult to play than the guitar.

b). More difficult than to play the guitar can be playing the banjo.

c). To play the banjo can be more difficult than playing the guitar.

d). Playing the banjo can be more difficult than playing the guitar.


So, how did you do??