Mission

The mission of the Rice Lake Area School District is to prepare each individual to become a knowledgeable, resourceful, resilient, and respectful member of our global society by providing a challenging education in partnership with families and the community.

General Information

The Rice Lake Area School District is an exciting place in which to work and learn. We serve 2,320 students in four-year-old kindergarten through grade twelve. With an annual budget of $33 million, the District employs over 200 professional staff and 115 support personnel.

The Rice Lake School District:

• Contains extensive library/media facilities and supplemental learning materials
• Provides the services of guidance counselors and school psychologists
• Provides robust and equitable access to technology for students and staff
• Offers a wide variety of extra-curricular opportunities
• Provides vocational and foreign language programs for middle and high school students
• Provides in-service education and workshops for employees, administrators, and school board members
• Provides timely progress reports and parent/teacher conferences at all levels
• Provides a student assistance program concerning alcohol and other drug awareness
• Provides gifted and talented programs
• Offers full-day kindergarten
• Serves an average of 262,951 student meals per year
• Utilizes Rice Lake Bus Service to transport an average of 2,300 students per day.

The instructional cost per pupil is $11,911, as compared to the state average of $12,825.32. A tax rate of approximately $8 per thousand accounts for 31 percent of the school system's income; state aids account for 56 percent; federal monies and various miscellaneous sources make up about 13 percent.

Attendance areas include: the City of Rice Lake; the townships of Barron, Bear Lake, Birchwood, Cedar Lake, Doyle, Haugen, Long Lake, Oak Grove, Sarona, Stanfold, Stanley, Sumner, Wilkinson, Wilson; and the Village of Haugen. The area includes 840 square miles with an approximate equalization value of $1,391,955,608.

Preschool Profile

Preschool opportunities are available throughout the District, depending on the needs of the students. Children who are four years of age on or before September 1 are eligible for preschool. The Rice Lake School District works in partnership with federal and private day care providers. Currently, preschool locations are found at Head Start, Hilltop Day Care Preschool, Red Cedar School, Tainter Elementary, Hilltop Elementary, and Haugen Elementary. Preschool runs 2 1/2 hours a day, four days a week.

Elementary Profile

There are four elementary sites in the Rice Lake Area School District. Each site provides a healthy balance of academic and social activities for its students. All students have the opportunity to engage in active learning experiences that will enrich their lives as they meet Wisconsin Model Academic Standards.

All elementary sites have access to hot lunch, technology, gifted and talented programming, and special education services. We utilize SAGE in K-3rd grade with class sizes of 18 students or less.

Each site has active parent groups. These groups focus on student activities and help fund-raise for special activities throughout the year. Parents and community members are strongly encouraged to volunteer.

Individual health is important. For this reason, each child will have vision and hearing screening throughout his/her elementary school experience. The elementary schools share one part-time nurse.

Literacy - Elementary students are exposed to a Literacy Collaborative approach. Using this approach to literacy, teachers provide a variety of reading and writing experiences, and integrate speaking, listening and thinking skills to help the learner grow. Students also have the opportunity to participate in Reading is Fundamental (RIF) events three times each year.

Assessment - Students participate in a variety of classroom and standardized assessments. All assessments are used to evaluate growth and progress through each grade. This information is used to inform parents of student progress.

Middle School Profile

The Rice Lake Middle School offers the opportunity to build and improve academic skills as well as explore a number of other talents and abilities which will later be considered job-related qualities.

The Core Academic Program includes all of the "basics". All fifth, sixth, seventh, and eight grade students have required classes in reading, writing, math, science, and social studies, physical education, and health.

The Middle School also offers a number of exploratory classes. These classes include business, art, and technology education. Seventh and eighth grade students have the opportunity to take Spanish and French. Seventh graders take both languages and eighth graders can choose one as an elective.

Students are provided with elective opportunities while in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade. Sixth and seventh graders can choose to participate in band or choir. In eighth grade, students can choose from the foreign languages, band, choir, or rotating block classes. Students who choose the rotating block receive a half year of technology education and a half year of art education. Students completing both the seventh and eighth grade foreign language classes are eligible for the second level of that language when they start at the high school.

We offer several co-curricular opportunities including: cross-county running and girls' volleyball in the fall, boys'/girls' basketball, and wrestling in the fall and winter, and track and field in the spring. There is a very active student council, an excellent forensics team, a quiz bowl team, a MathCounts team, a yearbook organization, and VICA (Vocational and Industrial Clubs of America) club.

Middle School staff is dedicated to providing all students with a well-rounded experience including high academic expectations as well as opportunities to develop personal and social skills.

High School Profile

High School course offerings allow students to explore options and define their skills in a supportive but challenging environment. They can build a strong academic program or begin skill preparation in business, technology education, or family and consumer education. Electives and broad independent study opportunities range from human genetics to international business to engineering graphics and design. Approximately 55 percent of Rice Lake High School graduates go on to colleges or universities, while 22 percent pursue vocational/technical training.

Four Period Day - In the fall of 1996, the High School moved from a seven-period day to a modified block schedule. The faculty, staff, and administration initiated and implemented this move because of the many educational advantages it offers to students. The block schedule consists of four 90-minute periods per day, allowing students to take up to 16 different classes each year. This is an advantage for those students who enjoy electives such as music and world languages. The extended time in class allows the teachers to use a variety of teaching strategies without interruption.

Advanced Placement - AP is a worldwide program of college-level courses and exams which can earn students college credit. AP courses are offered in calculus, statistics, English literature and composition, English language and composition, biology, chemistry, and physics.

Student Services - Counselors assist all students and their parents with personal and social concerns. In addition, they advise students in the areas of: academic success, course selection, post-secondary planning, and career exploration.

Assessment/Grading - In order to graduate, a student must have accumulated a minimum of 26 credits. These credits must include the required coursework: Social Studies - 3 credits; English - 4 credits; Science - 2 credits; Mathematics - 2 credits; Physical education - 1 1/2 credits; Human Growth and Development - 1/2 credit.

Co-Curricular Opportunities - We offer the traditional athletic teams as well as boys'/girls' soccer, golf, girls' tennis and boys' hockey. We offer jazz, concert, and marching band, choir, VICA, DECA, FCCLA/HERO, Forensics, FFA, FBLA, NHS, Key Club, Dance Team, HS Theatre, Green Action, Math Team, S.A.D.D., Yearbook, and International Club.
 

Special Services

The Rice Lake Area School District provides special education programming for students with disabilities. We offer the full continuum of service delivery models ranging from itinerant services to fully self-contained programming at all three academic levels (elementary, middle school, high school). Services are available for students who have disabilities in the areas of cognition, learning, emotional behavior development, speech and language, autism, traumatic brain injury, orthopedic handicaps, other health impairments, as well as pervasive development disorder.

The preschool options program is implemented for children ages 3-5 who have been identified with a disability. Special education may be provided in a number of settings including an early childhood classroom.

The special services department also provides the services of physical therapy, occupation therapy, and adaptive physical education. The district utilizes services from the local Cooperative Educational Service Agency #11 (CESA #11) in the the low incidence disability areas of hearing impairment, visual impairment, as well as orientation, mobility training, deaf and hard of hearing, and audiology services.

Guidance and counseling services are available at each of the district's schools. Services to students include: individual and small group counseling, support group work, direct classroom instructing, and teacher consultation. In addition, the guidance counselor serves as the building's liaison with community-based agencies and resources. The counseling program utilizes a developmentally based approach. Counselors build self esteem and self awareness in the lower grades, while assisting students with post secondary planning in the later grades.

The district also employs a full time school psychologist who helps prevent, understand, and solve problems, and who promotes mental health and effective environments for learning.

School nursing services are provided by two registered nurses who work with students, parents, staff, and community resources. Services are provided to maintain and/or improve the health of students, thus enabling them to benefit from their educational experiences.

Two parent liaisons are a recent addition to the district's staff. Their services include mentoring parents to become educated and positive participants in the individualized education program (IEP) process, supporting families and district/parent involvement activities (including parent advisory groups, information groups, and focus groups), and supporting the district in building strategies for parent involvement.

Academic Indicators

The Rice Lake Area School District continues to report higher rates of success on major measures of performance than the typical school district in the State of Wisconsin. Selected measures include comparisons of district to state on 4th, 8th, and 10th grade assessments. The most recent results from the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam indicate Rice Lake students score at or above the state average in the proficient or advanced categories in 15 out of 15 areas measured.

Special Features

Summer School - This growing program recently enrolled 700 students in hands-on and action-filled courses, offering 42 exciting choices at the elementary level and 24 at the junior and senior high levels. The popular mix of enrichment and remedial classes is open to public, private, and home-schooled students.

Technology - The District Information and Technology Program is an integral part of every student's education. A three year Information and Technology Plan is in place to ensure information and technology will work in collaboration with the educational community to empower student and staff learning through the integration of technology to assure students become effective users of ideas and information in the 21st century.

Students and staff currently have access to 750 seamlessly connected workstations and provide access to instructional software as well as internal and external information resources.

The implementation of technology in the district is very strong and continues to strive to increase student achievement through the effective integration of information and technology.

Gifted and Talented Program - The REACH program serves the gifted and talented through a multi-faceted process, which is both individualized and integrated. Annually, students' needs are evaluated and programming assessed to help our classroom teachers meet the needs of G/T students. K-12 students are identified in five areas: Intellectual, Academic, Creativity, Leadership, and the Arts. Approximately 20% of our student population is identified for our G/T pool.

K-5 offerings include: Extension Classes-poetry, literature, problem solving, and art; Young Authors' Conference, individual and small group contracts that extend the classroom curriculum; and annual grade level lyceums centered on a curricular theme.

Middle School REACH includes course offerings for students with high ability in math, Algebra I classes for eighth graders; and several other extra-curricular activities.

High School students' needs are met by AP English, AP Calculus, and AP Statistics, as well as Youth Learning Options at UWC-BC and WITC.

Connections -  A home-based educational opportunity to provide numerous options for parents and families who have chosen to educate their children from home. With this option, parents and families are able to access district resources and programs to ensure school success.

SUCCESS - An alternative learning environment that meets the needs, skills and learning styles of all students. Virtual education as well as teacher-led instruction are components of this program. Development of meaningful relationships and life skills  are emphasized as well as building community partnerships.