Welcome to Westside Academy. Or maybe I should say: “Welcome back!” More than 20 of today’s Westside Academy parents graduated from our school. It’s a true vote of confidence when multiple generations of a family return to your school, or when staff arrive at your school each day as teachers and as parents. We are family at Westside Academy.

My name is Ms. Renee Drane, and I’m your Westside Academy principal. This work is my passion. Thirty-two years ago, I began my Milwaukee Public Schools career as a paraprofessional. I spent many years as a classroom teacher – primarily in the second grade – and later as a district math coach.

Passion, planning, and positive reinforcement are shared values that bring our faculty together and explain our students’ recent progress in academics and attendance.

Achievements are important. So is celebrating them. The Westside Academy Morning Assembly is a creative, community-building time for classrooms to cheer each other on, compete for the school’s “spirit stick,” and reinforce our Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports framework:

• Be Safe
• Be Respectful
• Be Responsible.

Students care for our school community – and one another – by practicing healthy communication habits and relationship-building skills that promote respect. We are now in our second year as a restorative practices school.

We’re also a proud member of the Milwaukee Community Schools Partnership. The partnership’s focus on family engagement and student well-being makes a meaningful difference in the lives of our students during and beyond the school day.

The best part of my job is watching students grow with us. The other day, a first-grader said to me: “Ms. Drane, I been knowing you all my life.”

She’s been at Westside Academy since K3. To a first grader, three years can feel like a lifetime. A child’s academic and personal development from K3 to fifth grade is quite the journey. Providing strong community and high-quality education on this journey is our purpose at Westside Academy. If you share this sense of purpose, join us at an open house or upcoming event to learn more about Westside Academy.

Sincerely,

Renee Drane, principal
Westside Academy