"Awesome" Educators Award

"Awesome" Mike Treder has funded a teacher recognition program within the School District of Belleville for the 2020-21 school year. Based on responses from their students and colleagues, staff from both the Elementary and Middle and High Schools are recognized on a monthly basis with a surprise celebration and are presented with a yard sign and choice of local gift cards.

The school district appreciates Mike's generosity and those making the nominations during a year in which staff face a number of new challenges. Their reactions to "winning" in the videos below indicate how much this recognition means to them during these tough times.

Lunch for our Elementary School Teachers

At bus drop-off this morning, Mrs. Schmit informed me about the Peart Family asking about the number of staff at the Elementary School and wanting to provide lunch for them out of appreciation for the teachers' work and dedication this year. Mrs. Schmit told Katie about the number of 4K staff since Katie and Wilton only have Omari in 4-year-old Kindergarten in Belleville. However, Katie insisted on bringing Jimmy John's for all the Elementary School staff.

I am "wowed" by the Peart's thoughtfulness and generosity. THANK YOU! 

2021 Wildcat Wall of Fame Nominations

The Wildcat Wall of Fame Committee is now accepting nominations for induction for 2021. Nominees must meet one of three criteria:

1) A Belleville High School graduate (at least 10 years removed from graduation).

2) A School District of Belleville employee, administrator, school board member, coach, or advisor (with at least 10 years of service to the district).

3) A community member or volunteer with significant contributions to the school district.

Nominations will be accepted through the third Monday in December (12-21-20). Nomination forms can be mailed to or dropped off at the high school office (635 W. Church Street). Online forms will be posted on the school district's Facebook page and its website.

Former inductees include:

John Becker (2017).

Nancy Fahey, LeRoy Freitag, and Barb Funseth (2018).

C.H. Hageman, Yvonne Remy, and Brad Stiner (2019).

Kenneth Kramer, Carl Molter, and Betty Wolff (2020; will be officially inducted in 2021).

Who else belongs on that wall? Let us know! You can nominate up to five individuals per year. Help out the Young Samaritans' Club at Belleville High School that researches nominees. Show your Wildcat spirit, and watch for a list of inductees in the spring!

THANKS TO BHS ALUMNUS AND PARENT PAUL NEMEC
FOR CREATING THIS NEW BANNER!

State Bank of Cross Plains Donation

At the school board meeting on Monday, October 12, the State Bank of Cross Plains made a donation of $9047.42 to the School District of Belleville. Steve Eager, the bank's marketing manager, presented the check to Athletics and Activities Director Wayne Fell. The donation will be used to purchase new scoreboards for the baseball and softball fields. The State Bank of Cross Plains has donated just under $40,000 in the last five years to update nearly every scoreboard in the district. The district appreciates this generosity and partnership!

Recent donations from the Belleville Sports Boosters and Youth Softball will finish the softball infield this fall. This comes after a similar Sports Boosters' donation, coupled with a donation from Youth Baseball, to improve the baseball infield and drainage in both outfields last summer. Finally, Sports Boosters donated another $1,000 to install the new baseball and softball scoreboards.

Thank you for your efforts to improve the experience of our Wildcat student-athletes and sports programs!

A Staff Member on a Mission

To start the professional development session on September 28, Joel Jacobs, a Special Education teacher at Belleville High School, organized a pancake breakfast for middle and high school staff. Joel has had experience with pancake breakfasts with the Community Picnic, as well as in his previous district where he hosted a breakfast for students.

In advance of the event, Joel sent out a survey to ask staff about their preferred toppings. He made sure to have gluten-free and lactose-free options too.

To "top" it all off, he invited his former church choir director, Rosalie Penniston, in to play her accordion for the staff as they entered!

Joel's food and positive vibes sustained staff throughout the day of professional learning!

"Awesome" Mike (and Erin) Treder Donation

At the September 14th school board meeting, “Awesome” Mike Treder made a $5,000 donation to the school district, with $1,000 going toward the Backpack Club and another $4,000 replenishing the Awesome Grants. Teachers can apply for these grant opportunities, providing staff with the chance to experiment with their instruction or support student learning in a new way. 

Being as humble as he is, Mike did not want to pose for a picture, but the district still wanted to recognize he and his wife for this large contribution supporting educators in the Belleville community!

Welcome to our new teachers!

Change is expected during uncertain times. With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to affect our schools and community, the School District of Belleville has had more turnover in staffing than normal for a district of our size. Entering into our Wildcat family at this challenging time are a number of new staff members. Under these circumstances, I am very thankful that they all landed in Belleville! They deserve an enthusiastic Wildcat welcome, joining our ranks amidst so much uncertainty! Our new staff include:

• Kaitlin Hoven - 4-year-old Kindergarten Teacher
• Kim Hedeman - Kindergarten Teacher 
• Valerie Kieler - Kindergarten Teacher
• Megan Wagner - Kindergarten Teacher
• Sydney Bump - First Grade Teacher
• Kim Allen - Fifth Grade Teacher
• Tyler Kraft - Elementary Music Teacher
• Jamie Mitchell - Elementary STEM
• Madison Blair - Speech Pathologist
• Mary Fell - Secretary I at the Elementary School
• Tessa McGuire - Long-term sub for Mrs. Kolasch
• Melissa Riedel - Elementary School Associate Principal
• Emilee Meincke - Middle School ELA Teacher
• Shira Isaacson - Long-term sub for Mr. Holm
• Kyle Loshaw - MS-HS Associate Principal
• Karen Binger - Accounting Specialist