by Superintendent Mitch Wainwright
As 2024 winds down, we can take some time to reflect on all that has happened this year. The Mineral Point Unified School District is extremely grateful for the support we received with the operating referendum from our community. I am very fortunate to live and work in a community that supports educating our students.
During the year we have tried to support our students in many different ways. The school board made it one of their priorities to support the well-being of students and staff. One area that has helped provide that support is a program called Sources of Strength. We have enlisted student leaders as peer mentors and trained them to support their classmates and schoolmates. The idea behind this program is to help students understand that there are many different areas where they can draw from to find strength to get through challenging times.
The program has eight different areas that include generosity, spirituality, physical health, healthy activities, mentors, positive friends, mental health, and family support. Recently, the district held a Generosity Day where all K – 12 students worked together to show support for each other. They also collaborated on ‘Thank You’ bags that were handed out to many different people within the district and community as a way of thanking people for being generous with their time and talents. It was a wonderful day, and it may surprise you to know that the high school students were very excited to work with elementary students.
Another area we can reflect on is how we measure the success of our students. There are standard measures like test scores and grades, but as a school district, we do so much more to support our students. If you have a chance, I recommend going to the district website (use the About tab, then scroll down to Report Cards), or use this direct link: https://mineralpointschools.
This link will take you to a report card that tracks skills that students need to be life-ready, career-ready, and college-ready. This report card is the result of the efforts of our Middle/High School Counselor, Mrs. Erika Brunson, and High School Principal, Mr. Matt Austin. Their hard work creating opportunities for all of our students translates into increased dual enrollment classes, youth apprenticeships, academic tracking, career fairs, and many other activities that provide our students with some of the best chances to be successful when they leave high school.
Every staff member is working as hard as they can to adjust to new requirements for teaching and learning. A new curriculum has been adopted to increase our student’s success in reading, at the elementary school level, and a new math curriculum in the middle school that supports continued growth through high school.
There are countless things to be grateful for as a school district. Some include: outstanding teachers and support staff that help shape the future of our students, a community that supports educating every child that enters our buildings, businesses that allow our youth apprentice students to work and learn, and being able to call Mineral Point home.
We hope you have a wonderful holiday season and are looking forward to continuing our educational partnership with you in 2025! #PointerNation is a great place to be.