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Fritsche Middle School
, a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence--for good reason!
Fritsche Middle School has been recognized as a 1994-96 U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. Created by the Secretary of Education in 1982, the purpose of the blue ribbon Schools Program is to identify and honor America's outstanding public and private schools, while encouraging other schools and communities to look to them for ideas and inspiration.
Fritsche is unique among middle schools in the state and the nation. Embracing the principles of total quality management in education, we have transformed a traditional urban middle school into a house of learning where students, parents, teachers and administrators are empowered to effect change in order to prepare citizens for further learning, productive employment, and leadership in our global economy.
Instead of being a collection of individual initiatives, Fritsche's transformation has been made possible by incorporating the students, parents, and the entire staff into a governing and decision making body, working together to reach their shared vision.
Through this process, consistent incremental improvement has been seen in student achievement on standardized and non-standardized instruments, student GPA, attendance and decreased failure rate and discipline related incidents.
Parent involvement has also dramatically increased as the success rate of their children has improved. Our common goal is the creation of relevant learning experiences for all students as they and their families develop into contributing citizens of the twenty-first century.
Nationally recognized by High Strides, a publication of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, our peer mediation program, in place for the last five years, has assisted in the development of a positive learning environment where students can strive to achieve to their maximum potential.
Our slogan is an encompassing and appropriate motto:
"Fritsche Middle School-Where Knowledge Builds Peace!"
Why choose Fritsche?
Fritsche's unique program blends strong academics with a highly recognized fine arts program. Children enjoy academics in closely knit teams, using the block scheduling model. This structure increases academic success and produces high levels of achievement on standardized tests. Fritsche students consistently score well above the district average on math and reading assessments.
Fritsche teachers are specialists in their areas of instruction. Their primary focus is on their subject of expertise, allowing for optimal student success. Students benefit from 84 minutes of daily science, math, and literacy instruction.
Fritsche Middle School
2969 S. Howell Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53207
2 blocks north of Oklahoma Ave. & 1 mile south of Lincoln Avenue.
Fritsche Strengths:
Fine Arts Programs
• Concert Band
• Marching Band
• Challenge Art Classes
• Philharmonic Orchestra
• World Drumming
• Chorus
• Musical Keyboard Lab
• Junior Broadway Musical Productions
• Jazz Ensemble
Technology Opportunities
• Television Broadcast Studio
• Digital Photography
• Web page Design
• State of the Art Wireless/Laptop Math Labs
• Wireless Laptop Research Lab in Library Media Center
Commitment to Literacy
• Full-time Literacy Coach
• Full-time Library Media Specialist
• Reading Skills Taught in All Subjects
• 84 Minute Daily Language Arts Block
• Reading is Fundamental Program
• Daily Silent Reading
• Advanced Literature Classes
About MPS--Milwaukee Public Schools is the largest public school district in the State of Wisconsin.
MPS has 217 schools, 6,055 teachers, and 89,600 students who achieve through innovation, educational reform, and our focus on the classroom.
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Description
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Block Scheduling at Fritsche
Block Scheduling a success!
In keeping with our philosophy of continuous improvement for increased student achievement, and after two years of research and piloting, Fritsche Middle School has been on a four period block schedule since the 1996-97 school year. We are the only MPS middle school, and one of the few in the nation, that has this unique educational delivery system.
Instead of students having eight 48-minute disconnected class periods, students attend four 80-minute blocks. These blocks consist of integrated experiences in reading, English, language arts, mathematics, social studies and science. An additional block includes physical education, computers and combinations of other elective subjects.
In the 1997-98 school year, as an additional strategy to increase student achievement, we also incorporated multi year instruction, known as "looping" for the sixth and seventh grades. Over the last two years, student improvement on standardized tests, MPS proficiency requirements, local school measures and overall school climate have been incrementally increasing. This seems to validate this approach for our middle level population and is a natural extension of the block schedule.
Fritsche continues to meet the challenges of the future!
As we move forward, our block scheduling program will evolve and positively impact the learning curve at Fritsche Middle School.
All our staff at Fritsche will continue to be inserviced in additional teaching strategies for block scheduling. We will provide opportunities for staff members to attend conferences and seminars to continually improve their professional knowledge and develop expertise in teaching and learning in the block.
At the same time, staff members will be celebrating our success to this point in time and looking forward to the challenges of the future in order to educatie children for the world of work in the 21st century.
Because of the extensive research and piloting we have done in developing and implementing our block scheduling model, we continue to be contacted by schools in the district and from across the state and nation who are interested in learning from our experience.
We are willing to share our process and encourage visits. For further information, please contact:
Ms. Robin Kitzrow, Principal
Fritsche Middle School
2969 S. Howell Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53207
Phone 414-294-1000
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