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Étude Elementary Blog

August 22, 2017
by: Ted hamm

More than Just a Party

Today is a day of celebration for our schools. A day to unify our schools under one name, to unveil our new look (see our social media sites), and to celebrate 10 years as a public charter schools in the Sheboygan Area School District. Today also represents a year’s worth of behind the scenes work that culminates our schools working to solve an issue that has been challenging us for some time.

Following our first contract renewal for Mosaic and IDEAS and our second renewal for ESAA (Elementary School for Arts and Academics), it was time for us to do some organizational soul searching (sometimes called strategic planning) and start to refine what type of organization we wanted to be for the next contract renewal. Over the course of the year we have built a strategy map, started a balanced scorecard and, as a result, have a much clearer view of the organization we will become. But, there was something bugging us…

It is easy to become insulated when you are so immersed in a process such as starting an organization like our schools. We live and breathe our work everyday. What is common knowledge to us, is not apparent to others. Through a process of focus groups and interviews it became obvious that our past communication work was not garnering the continuity we were looking for. We faced two issues: First, people did not understand we were three schools part of a network governed by the same philosophy and approaches. Second, people often misunderstood what our philosophy entailed.

These issues have brought us to the where we are today. A fully rebranded set of schools under a common name with a specific meaning, common mission and credo, and a unified look. The thinking around rebranding offers many insights into when an organization should make the move to change its name versus change reposition itself. We have taken on this rebranding process in order to affirm our identity; no financial gains come from this. We work hard every day to be a viable educational option for our community. We believe in a community that offers numerous, diverse options for learning. Options that allow people to choose learning method that work best for their needs. We can’t do this if people don’t know we exist or don’t understand who we are.   

The past ten years have given us much to celebrate. We have created a k-12 network of schools, created the Étude Sessions as a sustainable fundraising instrument for our schools, and developed Maker Break as a means to bring a piece of our educational experiences to all of the Sheboygan community. Each of these moves was brought about by a demand we saw in our community and are part of our continual effort to use our organization to help improve our community. We look forward to more years of growth as the Étude Elementary School, Étude Middle School and Étude High School.

We hope everyone enjoys our party today. It will showcase what we have accomplished over the years, but this party is also a way of showing gratitude to all who have helped us move forward. I want to thank our amazing staff (past and present), our families, our alums, the Sheboygan Area School District, and our community. You all have helped our schools be a part of a greater educational mosaic that supports our community.

 


July 18, 2017
by: Susan Griffiths, Principal

Construction on our Campus

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There has been a flurry of activity this summer on our campus. The 2017-18 school year will bring several positive changes. As we have already shared, our name is changing from ESAA to Étude Elementary to further unify our K-12 organization. The facility is also expanding.

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May 19, 2017
by: Keira Collin, Étude Studios Writing Intern

ESAA students bring Settlers’ Stories to life

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Second and third graders at the Elementary School for the Arts and Academics collaborated in groups to explore the lives of early settlers in America. After developing plays to showcase the problems that the settlers faced, IDEAS Academy film interns from Étude Studios helped to capture them.

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April 22, 2017

ESAA's Mrs. Faul Named SASD Teacher of the Year

ESAA's Mrs. Faul Named SASD Teacher of the Year Thumbnail

Jamie Faul 2017 As one of ESAA's upper primary teachers, Mrs. Faul takes steps every day to make sure that all students are engaged in authentic learning and deep thinking.

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April 12, 2017

Mindfulness | 4.8.17

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Our Mindfulness Workshop was designed for children ages 3 -7 and their parents to learn, create, and share side-by-side. Movement Specialist, Mrs. Katie Brennen, facilitated at Elementary School for the Arts and Academics on Saturday, April 8th from 9:00 - 11:00am.

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April 4, 2017
by: Ted Hamm, Director

Melissa Etheridge for Good: 'Memphis Rock & Soul' Revives 1960's Musical History

Melissa Etheridge for Good: 'Memphis Rock & Soul' Revives 1960's Musical History Thumbnail

Melissa Etheridge and her full band will close out Season 4 of The Étude Sessions on Thursday, April 20th at the Stefanie H. Weill Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. In a recent interview with The Sheboygan Press[http://www.sheboyganpress.com/story/entertainment/music/2017/04/11/melissa-etheridge-concert-wraps-up-etude-sessions/100304720/], Etheridge promised that the show will feature some of her classic songs as well as music from her now album, 'Memphis Rock and Soul.' The unique album is a tribute to the Memphis Blues and a historic time in America music. Stax Records was among the first to recognize that soul music transcended racial segregation in the 1960's - recording renown artists like Booker T and the M.G.s, Otis Redding, and the Mar-Keys. By reimagining songs from the Stax Records songbook, like "Respect Yourself" by the Staples Singers, Etheridge reminds us of some of the lessons learned through the Civil Rights Movement. At the same time, she applies her special rock artistry to move Memphis Blues into a new genre.

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March 30, 2017

Open Studio | MAKER (Spring) Break

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OPEN STUDIO | IDEAS Academy March 28th - 30th 12:00-4:00PM

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March 30, 2017

Bird Research & Habitat | MAKER (spring) Break

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Our Bird Research & Habitat Workshop was a four day experience designed for children ages 6-13 and their parents/caregivers to learn, create, and share as they explore the worlds of birds. Each participant will design and build a custom birdhouse.

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March 30, 2017

Lego Early Simple Machines | 3.11.17

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Our Lego Early Simple Machines Workshop was designed for children ages 3 - 7 and their parents to learn, create, and share side-by side. 2/3 Multiage teacher, Mrs. Kara Pasche, facilitated Lego Early Simple Machines at Elementary School for the Arts and Academics on Saturday, March 11th from 9:00 - 11:00am.

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February 19, 2017
by: Tim Pasche, Program Director

Maker Corps Opportunity | 2.28.17

Maker Corps Opportunity | 2.28.17 Thumbnail

*Maker Corps Member applications for high school students are now available*:

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