Monthly Archives: October 2017

Osseo-Fairchild foster Grandparent Program brings together generations

Stand Up for Public Ed,

Osseo Fairchild

WQOW.com: They say age is meant to bring us wisdom, but students at Osseo-Fairchild Elementary School are growing wise with a little help.

Millie “Grandma Millie” Polinske might not look like a typical first grader, but what she lacks in youth, her spirit surpasses.

“I always thought if I could help with one student it would be worth it,” said Polinske.

Polinske has volunteered as a Foster Grandparent for 24 years, all spent at Osseo-Fairchld Elementary.

“It does just as much for me as it does for the student,” Polinske said.

The program partners grandparents and pupils as they help students over learning hurdles, after already gone over their own.

“The one on one relationship that develops with the older adult is so important to them, someone who notices when they have a haircut or new shoes,” said Mary Jo Hanson, Director of the Foster Grandparents Program.

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Greenfield School District’s new workplace clinic will keep employees healthier

Stand Up for Public Ed,

Greenfield clinic

Journal Sentinel: The School District of Greenfield opened its new workplace clinic Monday, Sept. 25, and will now be able to provide a variety of medical services to employees within the district.

Thanks to a partnership with Froedert and the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), Greenfield’s teachers, staff, and others on the Greenfield health plan can simply stop by the free clinic at the high school for a variety of medical needs instead of taking time to go to a doctor’s office.

“Making things convenient and attractive to our employees was our main goal,” said Superintendent Lisa Elliott.

Though other school districts in the area offer similar clinics, Greenfield is the first district Froedert and MCW has partnered with.

Plans for the workplace clinic were originally announced in March, targeting a fall opening. The board was able to afford to put the clinic on the capital plan thanks to cost-savings in other projects that same plan. The cost to build the clinic was approximately $200,000.

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Lodi Kindergarteners to be ‘Nurtured in Nature’

Stand Up for Public Ed,

Lodi outdoor kindergarten

Lodi Enterprise:  The Lodi School Board approved Nurtured in Nature, a learning initiative that encourages kindergarteners to play, be outside and just be kids at its regular meeting Sept. 11.

Kids are under greater pressure to achieve high standards, and most are so overscheduled they don’t have time to simply be children, Lodi Elementary Guidance Counselor Val Bilkey said. Bilkey introduced the unanimously-approved program to the board via PowerPoint presentation.

Research also shows that young children who engage in some form of unstructured play have better language and social skills, the ability to empathize with their peers and achieve higher levels of thinking, she said during her presentation. Being out in nature reaps many benefits of their own, she said, including reduced anxiety and improved cognition.

“We are already noticing a difference in our students when they are engaged in free play versus when they are in a classroom setting or even outside at recess,” Bilkey wrote in an email. “They communicate, problem-solve, work together and are better able to naturally self-regulate.”

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