August 13, 2026

 

The First Dodgeland Download of the YEAR! 2026-27 is coming!  

Technically, you already got the Welcome Back email, but let's be real, getting the link to the first Dodgeland Download is probably worse!  But here it is anyway!  :-) 

I know this is going to be a VERY long post, but please read it carefully.  It has a lot of details about this upcoming year, including things you will need to sign up for, things to mark your calendars about, and information that will be explained in more detail at staff meetings during Inservice Week.  As always, if you have questions, please let me know!

Nitty-Gritty

• Inservice for the 2026-27 School Year
• For all staff members (new and returning, certified and support staff), our first day is August 25.  The schedule for the three days is HERE. Note the times along the side for the start and end times each day. Don't forget to sign up for your sandwich choice for the Wednesday boxed lunch meal!  Here is the link.

• @Paras - Please plan to attend all staff meetings, including the Playworks, NVCI physical training, and the safety meeting. During the rotations on Tues/Wed, please attend all but the Next Path session.  Use that time to do KnowBe4 training or prep for your supervisor teacher.

• Flex Work days: For certified staff, you must work an eight hour day between Aug 17 and the first day of school. You can choose the day that works best for you. (If you need it to be 2 four hour days, let me know.) Please check in with Patti/Ella/me so she can mark you down when you come in.  I'm looking forward to seeing you!

• Room Changes in the Elementary
• There are a few changes for staff and programs this year.  See the list below:
• Dodgeland Den for grades 1-2 will be in Room 102 and for grades 3-5 will be in the art room.  The Dodgeland Den staff will be meeting to talk about specific expectations for using these spaces successfully.

• Reading Corps will hopefully still be in the district.  Currently, they have not hired anyone for our district, but they are still working on it. When they find a tutor or two, I will let you know and where they will be located.

• Sue O'Toole has relocated to a MUCH smaller space in office 105 next to Teresa Chambers. Thank you Sue for your flexibility, as I know it was a lot of work this summer!

• Gabrielle Zastrow's new home base is now in the Middle School.  She will still be in the Elementary working with kids and us and she may even use Room 102 sometimes to work with kids. Just want you to be able to find her! (She also had a ton of work in order to downsize-Thank you for your flexibility!)

• Stephanie Neis has moved across the hall to room 139.  She is going to spend soooo much of her time soaking up the sun from those windows, I am sure of it!

• Tammy Schellpfeffer (our new reading specialist) can be found in the library in the office in room 222D in the back corner. Tammy will be the Reading Specialist for PK-12 and this way she is more centrally located for everyone!

• Patti is having her baby SOON!
• I've been very lucky because I got to spend a lot of time with Patti this summer! Unfortunately for both of us, it was in the elementary office! I think she is ready to meet her new little one, but I'm not ready for her to be gone for 12 weeks!  However, I am SO happy for her.  She will officially start her maternity leave on August 27. (At least that is our plan, but as I learned from Quinn Jenkins, babies make their own plans!) While Patti is on leave, Ella will be filling in for her.  Please pray for us both.  (Just kidding, it will be fine, I just like to give Ella a hard time. She can take it!)

• Recess and Lunch Schedule Times Remain the Same 

• The times for all morning and afternoon recesses as well as lunch times will remain the same.

• Alt. Lunch will remain, but our location will change! More information to come on location.  Just a reminder: The goal of alt. lunch is to build relationships and have a successful lunch period that includes appropriate conversation, cleaning up after themselves, etc. It is not meant to be a punishment, but rather a proactive way to help students be successful.  We will continue to have lunch detentions for consequences, but this is a separate plan from the alternate lunch room. 

• The lunch period is 25 minutes long again this year.  The 5 minutes between the end of lunch and the start of the academic period is built in to be able to transition students from the commons to the classroom and any bathroom runs that are needed. Classroom teachers (or specials teachers if you have a group right after lunch period) should be in the commons to pick up their class at 12:25/12:55 or 1:25 based on when your grade has lunch.

• Duties for this school year
• This school year there are a variety of duties to help with supervision, to be proactive with student behavior, and to provide united, consistent expectations across the entire building.  In addition, this will help us build relationships with our students that also help with student behavior. For morning duties, these start at 7:30 am. Please be there right at 7:30 as kids will start arriving at that time.
• Morning Bus Duty: Before school students will be able to leave their backpacks, etc in their line spots and play until the whistle blows at 7:44am.  Start having them enter the building at 7:45am.  4K/5K students should start on the small playground by Door #29. The buses will drop their age off at the stop sign.  Grades 1-5 will start on the big playground.

• Afternoon Bus Duty: After school, the buses should be at the playground outside as soon as school lets out.  Please stay outside until buses have left campus.  Our MS/HS students are dismissed at 3:10 and will exit through Door #26 (by 4th/5th gr doors) by coming down music hallway.
• There will be buses from 2 different companies this year.  Lamer's for students living in Reeseville, Lowell, Clyman and outlying Juneau areas.  Riteway for students coming from the Hustisford area.  All of the buses will be lining up by the playground at the end of the day.

• Afternoon Parking Lot Duty: Please supervise kids as they leave campus (walk, bikes, parent pick-up). This is not a time for them to play. There is much too much traffic for them to be running and chasing one another. There are cones for students in grades 1-5 to line up to watch for their ride.  Students in grades 4K/5K, will exit door #29 and stay with a staff member on that side of the building to watch for their ride.  Parents that park in the parking lot need to use the crosswalk to come to pick up their student. It is very dangerous for students to run across the circle drive and in the parking lot to find a parent vehicle.

• Breakfast Duty: There will be a 2 paras and one certified staff member each morning in the commons. One para will supervise the breakfast line until the line is pretty much gone and then will help supervise students eating at the tables. The certified staff member and the other para will be supervise students eating at the table. Please remind them to clean up after themselves and to take all of their belongings when they leave.

• Recess Duty: Please be on time to your recess duty.  If necessary, you may have to dismiss your own class one min. early to get outside when the recess starts.  When you enter the building, please call the office if you need someone to cover your class if you need to use the restroom.  While on duty, please constantly circulate through your assigned area to supervise students' behavior and the games they are playing. It is important that we are spread out and remain diligent in our supervision. Remember, any chasing game is called TAG and is not allowed on the equipment, regardless of what students say. (Most of us have 1-2 fifteen minute recess duties in the morning and some have recesses during the Noon hour recesses as well.)

• Lunch Duty: I need your help in the commons so that we can have successful lunch periods.  Most staff members have 5 weeks of lunch duties during the school year, joining the paras that are consistent each week.  I tried to spread the weeks out and I tried to make sure it doesn't coincide with morning/afternoon duties this school year. The first 3 weeks there is an extra person assigned in the commons to help with the transition to procedures and create routines. The teacher on duty each week should be supervising the lunch line until serving is complete.

• Lunch Detentions: This duty was assigned by the week, but you will only ever supervise one detention during the week, but it could be multiple students at once. You will get a copy of the referral to use to meet with students regarding their behavior.  You will also have a copy of the reflection sheet that is appropriate to their age.  Teresa or myself will share with you who has been assigned to a lunch detention with you.  Please use your own classrooms for this detention.  The goal is to ask students to talk through the situation, think about what other choices they could have made, and send a consistent message.

• FINAL note on Duties: If you look at the duties and you want to switch with a colleague, I am fine with that, but please make sure Patti/Ella know and can make changes on the master sheet. If you want to switch a breakfast duty for a parking lot duty, that's fine, just please communicate with us.  Second, if you have a duty on a day you are out of the building, please make sure it is in your sub plans, so that your sub is taking the duty in your absence.

• Event Planning Committee Sign Up
• This year, there are 10 planning committees for the school year.  If all of us sign up for 1 committee, we can share the work for the school year and provide events for our students and their families.  Please check out the Google Doc HERE to sign up for 1 committee. This is for certified staff, but as always, all support staff members are welcome to attend all events!

• Social Media Sign Up
• It is important to continue to tell "our story" to the community.  Please sign up on the Social Media sheet for 4 weeks out of the school year.  During inservice, you will learn about our new program (Class Intercom) to help create Social Media posts. You will create the posts in Class Intercom and submit them for me to schedule to FaceBook. Make sure to check your PowerSchool alerts to see if any of your students have a "No Photo Release" alert on file before creating the post.

• Picture Day
• This year our photographers are from Gueller's Photography from Mt. Calvary. They will be setting up on Wednesday, Aug. 26 at 12:30 and will be ready for staff to get their picture taken starting at 1:30pm.  Please make sure you get your picture taken so that it can be used for your ID's, the website and the yearbook.  Students can start arriving at 2pm to get pictures taken.

• EL PLTW Lab
• You will notice that our PLTW lab is now a 3rd grade classroom.  This means that our supplies for PLTW will also need a new home.  After the Den ends this week, the PLTW materials will be located into Room 102 and all staff will be able to access it from the door that is next to the supply storage room.  Students in the Den will not have access to the supplies, but the materials will be sectioned off near that door for you to use. Our goal continues to be 2 modules for each grade before the end of the school year. Please plan ahead for when you will do each module so that you do not run out of time. If you are new to the district, you will receive your PLTW training on Friday, October 2.

• WIN periods
• When you get to the master schedule, you will notice 2 different WIN periods each day.  One is dedicated to Reading and the other is for Math. The goal is give our students (and our interventionists) time in the day to meet with students without competing for which subject they need more.  We also will be working together to efficiently provide Tier 2 interventions across the grade and sharing students between homerooms for the periods.  SEL intervention will be determined on a case by case basis with Teresa.

• NEW: Collab Meetings
• This year you will have an almost weekly meeting that I am calling Collab. meetings.  The time is during a time when the entire grade is at a special.  @ Special Education Teachers - Please note when your grade's collab meeting is and do your best to avoid scheduling SDI minutes during the grades you work with most. On the Collab meeting rotation tab, on the EL Master schedule, you will see the time for each grade, and the color coded schedule that corresponds to the topic for that meeting.  All meetings will be in the elementary conference room and will start the week of September 14. More information will be shared at the first staff meeting on Aug. 25.

• Classroom Visit
• I would like to come in to read to your classes at the beginning of the school year. Once you have time to look at your schedules, please sign up for a time for me to come to your class to read and get to know your class.  The sign up sheet is HERE.

• Furniture Needs?
• James met with me this morning and stated that there are a few tables (rectangular and kidney shaped), bookshelves, chairs, etc. If you are in need of anything like this, please connect with him.  We would rather have it used than to have to put it in storage and then try to find it later if someone needs it!  On the flip side, if anyone has any extra mailbox items, please let James or myself know. We have a couple of teachers on the look out for those as well!

• Staying the Same
• Not everything is changing though.  :-)
• PLTW Goals: Our goal is to complete 2 modules for each grade before the end of the school year.  Please plan ahead for when you will do each module so that you do not run out of time.
• Workout Wednesdays: They will continue each week unless it lands on something special that requires more formal dress.
• Citizenship Grades: We will continue to grade our class with our learning targets in citizenship at the end of each month. 
• Report Cards: Reports cards will continue to be done at semester and will be shared with parents digitally and through PowerSchool.
• SEL lessons: Grades 2-5 will continue to teach SEL weekly using Everyday Speech. Grades 5K/1 will use Emotional ABC's and 4K will use Al's Pals.

Technology Updates

• KnowBe4 Training
• You should have all received emails with the link to KnowBe4 to complete the online trainings.  Most of them are mandatory per DPI, and others are to help us remember/gain knowledge to protect our data and privacy from people trying to gain access to all of the data that is on our servers.  Please watch them carefully so that you are able to apply this information to your work.

• Help Desk Tickets
• If you need assistance with anything tech related, you must fill out a help desk ticket. This is the best way to help the tech team keep track of staff needs, as well as communicate with one another and us about the issue.  If you email them or ask in person, they will not be able to help you in a timely manner.

Library Information from Christina

• I'm so excited to get your students going with their iPads! Please sign up for a 30 minute time to go through iPad expectations HERE. Feel free to sign up any day from Wednesday 2nd-Thursday 24th.  I will come down to your classroom for this lesson and I will be asking for your participation, so please plan to stay in the room.

• Your students will be using ClassLink as a single sign-on for apps such as PebbleGo or BookFlix. Students will need to set up their ClassLink multi-factor picture which they will use every time they sign into ClassLink. I would be happy to come and do this with your class if you would like- sign up HERE for a 30 minute session for me to do that for you. You can also get this set up with your students independently using THESE INSTRUCTIONS for K-1-2 and THESE INSTRUCTIONS for 3-4-5. 

• You can introduce your class to Watson and his job here at school through THIS Book Creator digital book. Though it may be familiar to some students, I am very appreciative of you sharing it as a reminder and for those new to our district.

• I want to ensure that you and your students are successful and feel comfortable with your iPads and digital literacy, on top of all the other important pieces to your classroom. To accommodate all these pieces, library lessons will begin the week of September 28th. I really appreciate your patience in allowing for these important tasks to happen for not only the elementary, but for our middle and high school, too. I'll be putting your library times into Google Calendar, so be on the lookout for that reminder. 

• Lastly, please know that I would be happy to deliver any specific books or topics of books to your classroom for these first few weeks of school and throughout the whole year. You can see what books we have available in our library HERE. 

Master Schedule Details

Below is the link to the Google Sheet that contains some of the Master schedule details, as well as assigned duties.  It is in the Elementary Staff shared drive, so you can edit it, but please don't make changes without me knowing.  Patti/Ella and I will be using this document to make any changes if necessary, and to check on your schedules. 

The document has tabs along the bottom for different parts of our master schedule: go through each of them to find what you are looking for! If you have questions, please let me know!

Click HERE to see it!

Last but not least, I used the DMSchedules software again this year to help me make the master schedule of specials, instructional pieces, etc.  I don't think I could go back to paper and pencil again after using this. It is still a complicated process, but having the software tell me where things overlap so I don't find it an hour or two into creating the schedule is a game changer for me!  The link below will take you to a read-only part of the site where you can look at any schedule you want from the building!  The Homeroom tab will give you a really colorful schedule of every grade (4K-5) for each day. If you want to see just your schedule click on the Teachers tab. Use the drop down error to choose Homeroom teacher or specials teacher and then choose the name you are looking for.  You can also see the entire grades schedule (Mon-Fri) with the grade tab.  The room tab is blank because I didn't use that feature of the software. If you have any questions about anything here, please let me know!

Daily Master Schedule is HERE.

Truly, if you made it this far in one sitting, you are my hero!  AND, I really hope you don't see this for awhile, but I do know at least one person that is watching her email for it and she knows who she is.  You know what they say, if you can make one person happy, it was worth it!  :-)

Enjoy your last few precious days of summer break!  See you soon!

May 29, 2026

 Not a real Weekly blog, but thought you might need a laugh to end this week...

The title of this entry is: Not all Heroes Wear Capes!

Yesterday, after 5K Graduation, I did something INCREDIBLY dumb.  I don't know what I was thinking other than a million things were spinning in my brain and it was already 9pm and I was at Walmart getting cookies for the last day.

Anyway, I told Ella that I needed to put the child lock on the back door now that my little friend has decided to open the door while the car is moving on the way to school!  YIKES!

So, I decide to do this to the door in the parking lot so I don't forget when I get home.  So I start to move the lever and it is stuck or something. So I start to push as hard as I can on it and finally get it to move.  I go to shut the door and it bangs on the frame and will not shut. (Cue Morgan Freeman's voice in your head) "It was at this moment that she knew she *messed* up!"

So of course, the next logical step is to tell Ella that I had a little problem.  To which she pointed out a small little picture of a lock and a kid inside it that was above where I was moving the lever. Ugh. I hate it when she is right about stuff!  She then tries using whatever "tool" we can find to push it back out.  When that didn't work, we did what we always do.  Time to call my Dad!  He had no great solutions, but did promise to stop at the house on Thursday morning to fix it.  Whew! 

Now it's time to get home. Ella is in the back seat holding the door shut as I drive slow to get home. Halfway home Ella tells me she has a great party trick. See her video of this event below.  She is quoting a Kevin Hart comedy bit. (It is HERE, but has some colorful language in it, so you might not want to watch it!)

We get home and we get her little tool Fanny Pack and she gets to work. I was SUPER helpful, by holding the flashlight and Lexi went to bed to get away from all of us!  

She gets three screws out using the allen wrench, which really didn't help, but made us feel accomplished!

We used Twine to try to pull this lever back in place.  Ella even tried to use her feet to push it back.  Nothing.  Finally, I say, what happens if I open the door handle inside.  So I open the door handle while Ella pulls on the twine and BOOM!  it moves and the door shuts just like that. I have to say my Dad was very proud of us!  :-) and regardless of what Ella says, I feel like I was important to the solution!

 Yep, not all heroes wear capes!  and, yes, we had 2 little mini-doodles that watched us the whole time very confused! Those of you that know us, I am certain you can guess how many "Jennifer" sighs and groans and grumbles I heard during this process.  Why does this stuff always happen to me???  At least I can laugh at myself!

May 22, 2026

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, May 25
• Memorial Day - No School

• Tuesday, May 26
• Morning Duties:
• Blacktop/Playground: Miller, CaineB, Zastrow
• Breakfast: Bingen, Wagner
• 3K/4K playground: Donovan, Vertz
• Lunch Duties:
• 12:00 - Stampfl
• 12:30 - Vertz
• 1:00 - Schulte
• PM Duties:
• Blacktop/Playground: Huso, Lucht
• Circle Drive: Jenkins
• 5th Grade Field trip to UW Madison/Veteran's Museum - No Teresa for the day
• Jenny in a meeting from 9-11:30am

• Wednesday, May 27
• Happy Birthday Vicky and Andrea S!
• Workout Wednesday
• Field Day - Schedule is HERE
• Book Fair from 3:30-7:30pm
• Staff meeting at 3:15pm - Watch for message about location!
• Paras that will be with us next year, you can join the staff meeting to hear about the tech refresh if you would like. It is optional for paras though.
• Kindergarten Graduation from 6-7pm

• Thursday, May 28
• Happy Birthday Mary S!
• Last Day of School - Early Release at 12:20pm (Schedule for school - Para Schedule for Day/Den)
• Graduation Walk for Seniors and 5K at 8:15am
• Self Fund Health Insurance presentation @ 12:50pm
• Staff Appreciation celebration @ 2:30 (or after the Insurance presentation)
• Book Fair from 12:30-3:30pm

• Friday, May 29
• PD Day for Certified Staff  - See schedule below
• NO Dodgeland Den
• Paras first day of Summer Vacation!

• Saturday, May 30

• Sunday, May 31
• HS Graduation @ 1pm in HS gym - Everyone Welcome!

• Monday, June 1
• Happy Birthday Ella and Kari G!
• Virtual meeting for Self Fund Health information @ noon

• Tuesday, June 2

• Wednesday, June 3
• Summer School Starts @ 8am (Breakfast starts at 7:30am)
• Open House for Husty families from 5-7pm

Nitty-Gritty

• Last Day of School
• The committee will be sharing with us the video titles with at least 1 of the supervisors for each room before the last day.  Please make sure that you work together to determine the supervision for the extra recess that is planned for the day.  I have included the paras schedule for the early release in the weekly schedule so that the Dodgeland Den kids are covered, but also so that many of you can attend the other presentations happening at the end of the day.  If you are not going to be here next year, I have you helping out at Den so that staff that may be taking the insurance can learn about it directly.   In addition, don't forget that the graduation walk of our Seniors will start at 8:15 on Thursday morning as well.
• May 26-28, there is an alternate schedule for HS students. If you have a TA, this may affect when they are coming to your classrooms.  The schedule is HERE.

• PD Day on May 29
• If you haven't completed the surveys in class creator, please do so ASAP!  I need that information in order for us to create class lists for next school year.  At this time, the plan is to have 3 sections for each grade from 1st through 5th.
• The Schedule for the day is below.

• Check out for the Summer
• As you prepare to check out for summer, please remember these things:
• Report Cards/Grades are due to Patti by noon on May 29 and you must double check them before you leave (Don't forget to do grades for any HS TA's that you have)
• All personal fridges/microwaves need to be taken home. (If you are here for summer school, you can take it home at the end of the session.)
• Please label all of your items and clean off the counters as much as possible so that the staff can easily empty the room and do a deep clean of your room
• Clean up your digital files and emails to prepare for the tech refresh coming up for next school year
• Do you have any tech items (apple pencils, super drives, etc) that need to be handed in?
• Please remove any tape from the floors in your classrooms
• Print off and sign your alt. comp. page before you leave and place in my mailbox.
• Extra duty sheets should be turned in before you leave.
• Did you hand in your contract?
• Budget PO's can be handed in for things that need to be ordered, although nothing will be ordered until after July 1 (you will receive information from me to help you with this soon.)

• PowerSchool Maintenance
• Reminder: Powerschool will be down for maintenance from May 23 @ 3pm through Sunday, May 24 @ 9am. I hope this isn't going to be an issue for you, but would hate for you to have a plan to use it for something (grades, looking up emails, etc) and then can't get in.

• Open House for Husty Families
• As I stated in the last staff meeting, we will be hosting Husty families to come in and see the building on June 3 between 5-7pm. If you are interested and available, I'd love to have some staff that can spread out throughout the building to answer questions, welcome families, show people around, etc. It is completely voluntary. If this is something that you would be interested in, please let me know!

TechKnow Tip

We wanted to thank you for another year of your willingness to try new technologies and integrate them into the classroom this year. By exploring new or revamped tech tools, you serve as a vital role model to our students on how to navigate our world with curiosity, technical skill, and digital integrity. Here is a helpful list for your Technology End of the Year Wrap-Up. 

ML Information

A Final Thank You—From One Educator to Another

You made it! Let’s take a collective deep breath.

I know firsthand that supporting Multilingual Learners isn't just about lesson plans—it takes an incredible amount of heart, endless patience, and constant advocacy. There were likely days this year when you wondered if your scaffolds were working or if that quiet student was truly taking it all in. But look at them now. Because you showed up for them every single day, your students are walking out of your classroom standing a little taller, speaking with more confidence, and ready to take on the world.

A Quick Reminder: Your impact doesn't pack up with the boxes at the end of the week. You built a safe harbor where these kids felt brave enough to stumble, learn, and grow. That is a massive gift, and you should be incredibly proud of yourself.

Thank you for everything you did for our MLs this year. After next week, turn off your alarm clock, leave the laminator alone, and go have the most restful, restorative, and wonderful summer vacation. You’ve more than earned it!

Friday Funny

I think this video pretty much sums it up for what I hear you all saying!  One week left to enjoy your students and each other!

May 15, 2026

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• Shout out to the kids preparing for their spring concert. They sounded great and looked like they were enjoying themselves too! (I am missing the 4K/3rd-5th concert, but I did get to see the rehearsals!)

• Shout out to Teresa who has been working hard all over the building and then in her spare time was able to secure funding for next year for a reboot of Playworks too! Yay!

• Shout out to the team in Room 133 that has been working hard at finding homes for the overflowing Lost and Found piles.  I can not tell you how much I appreciate you taking on that project!  Thank you all!

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Sunday, May 17
• Happy Birthday Rachael!

• Monday, May 18
• Tropical Shirt Day!
• Seals on Wheels continues through Wed.
• Morning Duties:
• Blacktop/Playground: O'Toole, Fortmann, Arnes
• 3K/4K Playground: Braunschweig, Schuett
• Breakfast: Chambers, Schulte
• Lunch Duties:
• 12:00: Lucht
• 12:30: Arnes
• 1:00: Tietz
• PM Duties:
• Blacktop/Playground: Juech, Klink
• Circle Drive: Rollins
• Teresa and Jenny in meeting from 8:30-10am
• Jenny in a meeting from 12-1pm
• School Board meeting @ 6:30pm

• Tuesday, May 19
• 2nd Gr. Field trip from 10am-2pm
• Social Media Posts due to Jenny: Jenkins, Westphal
• Jenny in a meeting from 9-11:30am

• Wednesday, May 20
• Workout Wednesday
• 4K Field trip from 8:15-2:15pm
• Lunch Detention Supervisors: Chambers, Juech, Huelsman
• Jenny in meeting from 8:30-10:30am
• Jenny in interviews from 11am-2pm

• Thursday, May 21
• Yearbooks handed out

• Friday, May 22
• 1st Gr. Field Trip from 10:45am - 2:45pm
• Entrepreneurship trade booth from 11:28-12:00 outside Front Entrance of the HS (optional for staff to see what they have been working on!)

Nitty-Gritty

• Last Day of School
• The committee has been working on the plans for the last days.  Here is the schedule at the moment.  Don't forget that we will have to stop for a couple of minutes for the HS grad walk through the Elementary wing.  Watch for more details relating to that as well.  The link for the schedule and the supervisors is HERE.

• Flex Day
• For Certified Staff, this August there is one flex day that you need to be in the building to work in your classroom. There are 5-6 options for days that you can use for your work day.  Just remember that the 3 PD days for staff will be filled with meetings and have very little classroom work time. Please click on the link HERE to identify the date that you plan to work as your flex day.  If you need to change it later, you can. If you want to talk about this with me, please let me know.

• Personal Microwaves/Refrigerators
• A reminder that if you have a microwave or refrigerator in your classroom, it needs to be taken home/removed from the building when you leave for summer vacation. It can be brought back next fall, but needs to be removed for the custodial staff while they are cleaning rooms this summer.

ML Information

Reflect, Recharge, and Say Goodbye
The Year in Review
Use this week to help students realize just how much their "language muscles" have grown. MLs often don’t notice their own progress until it’s mapped out for them.
Intentional Goodbyes
Teacher Reflection: You Made a Difference

As we reach the final stretch of the school year, the focus shifts from new content to closure. For Multilingual Learners (MLs), these final two weeks are a critical time to solidify their sense of belonging and reflect on their linguistic journey before the summer break.

• Language Snapshots: Revisit a writing sample or a recording from Week 1. Have students compare it to their work today. Use the prompt: "I used to say/write..., but now I can say/write..."

• "My Favorite Word" Gallery: Ask each student to choose one new academic or "fun" English word they learned this year. They can illustrate it and explain why they chose it, creating a colorful visual of the class's collective vocabulary growth.

For many MLs, the classroom is their safest space to practice English. Leaving that "safety net" for the summer can be emotional.

• Appreciation Circles: Practice social language by having students give specific compliments to one another.

• Sentence Frame: "I appreciated it when you helped me with ______ this year."

• Summer Connections: Provide a "Summer Resource Card" with local library hours, free English-learning apps, or community centers. Knowing where they can continue to practice helps maintain their confidence during the break.

• The "See You Later" Ritual: Ensure every student receives a personal acknowledgement of their hard work. A simple, hand-written note or a high-five with a specific "I'm proud of you" goes a long way in validating their identity as a learner.

Take a moment for yourself, too. Teaching MLs requires immense patience, creativity, and advocacy. Whether your students moved up a whole proficiency level or simply found the courage to ask a question in class, that growth happened because of the environment you built.

The Big Picture: The goal of these final weeks isn't just to finish the curriculum—it’s to ensure your students walk out the door feeling successful, valued, and ready for whatever comes next.

TechKnow Tip

How is your inbox looking?  Is it time to do some spring cleaning there too?  My inbox looks awful, so I get how daunting a task it is!  Here are a few tips to help:

• Give yourself a time limit and work diligently on it for that time. Then be done for the day!
• Are there any sites that you can unsubscribe from to prevent them from entering your inbox in the first place?
• Create labels to create multiple inboxes to store them in and find what you need later.

Last here, is a short article that has some helpful hints too if you are like me and need some advice.  Enjoy!

https://www.katheats.com/how-to-clean-up-gmail-inbox

Friday Funny

Have any of you ever heard of my "purse cards?"  This is a stack of cards that I keep in my purse that have kind messages in them that I can pull out whenever I need to read them.  I will admit though, that I mostly save the cards that my children give me that tell me things like, "I love you so much!" or "You are the greatest Mom!" or "You are AWESOME!"  As their mom, there have been plenty of times where they tell me that they don't like something, or that I am the worst, or that I am SOOOO embarrassing, or whatever.  Those are the times that those purse cards come in handy!  I pull them out and show them "PROOF" that I am in fact pretty great.  It is in writing and kept by me in a safe location to utilize whenever necessary.  I am pretty sure it is one of my very best ideas! :-)

So, when Mothers' Day came around this year, my children handed me a card that was 8"x12". At first I was like, WOW, I am very special this year!... Then I open the card...Well, now you know why it is the size it is.  I'll let you read it below.  (In addition, the side that tells about all the reasons they love me has some backhanded compliments, but since they are so true, I can't fault them for that!)  :-)

PS:  I NEVER hit Ella with my car.  She walked into a moving car and then blames me.  Those of you that know Ella, doesn't that sound exactly like her?  Doesn't it???

May 8, 2026

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• Shout out to Amber and Nicole who despite some technology blips at an eval meeting, they kept their composure and still explained the results in an easy to understand way for the parent attending.  Your preparation shined through even if you couldn't project on the screen at that moment!

• Big Thank you to James for volunteering his time this week to help out with chaperoning on the 4th grade field trip to MOHEE.  We are so lucky to have you as part of our team at Dodgeland! 

• Shout out to our 3rd-5th grade students that put on a very cute musical last weekend. They were so excited (and maybe a little nervous) to perform and the pride on their faces at the end of each show was simply heartwarming. Thank you Carrie for giving them this experience!

• Shout out to Brenna, Samantha, Lexi, Ella and any others that have stepped in to help out with Dodgeland Den after school when we needed help!  It is much appreciated!

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, May 11
• Morning Duties:
• Playground/Blacktop: Stampfl, Tietz, Neis
• 3K/4K Playground: Mook, Ellefson
• Breakfast: Houk, Westphal
• Lunch Duties:
• 12:00 - Braunschweig
• 12:30 - CaineB
• 1:00 -Fortmann
• PM Duties:
• Playground/Blacktop: CaineT, OPEN (let Patti know if you can help out this week)
• Circle Drive: Jenny
• Seals on Wheels starts in the Elementary Conference Room (through May 20)
• Last week of regular Library lessons (all books will be due the week of May 18)

• Tuesday, May 12
• Brewers Day!  Wear your Brewers gear to school!
• Social Media posts due to Jenny: Mook, Caine
• Concert Rehearsal Schedule starts, No regular Elem. Music today
• Lunch Detention Supervisors for this week: Stampfl, Huelsman, Zastrow
• Jenny in meeting from 9-11am
• Trisha Pieper's last day with us - We wish you the best in your new job!

• Wednesday, May 13
• Concert Rehearsal Schedule, No regular Elem. Music class today
• NHS Blood Drive in MS Gym, sign up HERE
• Art Show: 5:30-6:30
• Spring Concert, Grades K-2 @ 6:30
• Staff Meeting in IMC @ 3:10-3:55pm

• Thursday, May 14
• Jr. Coach Field Trip (No Jr. Coaches at recess and Chambers/Zastrow out of the building)
• Concert Rehearsal Schedule, No regular Elem. Music class today
• Art Show: 5:30-6:30
• Spring Concert, Grades 3-5 @ 6:30pm
• Huelsman family leaving at noon

• Friday, May 15
• No Huelsman family at school today

Nitty-Gritty

• Class Creator Surveys
• Classroom Teachers should have received an email from Class Creator to the surveys for data collection to create next year's class lists. Interventionists, Sp. Ed. Teachers and Specials teachers should provide feedback to teachers to help them complete the surveys. You may even elect to complete the surveys together if you wanted.  Please complete the survey for your class before May 20.  (I realize there are a lot of questions about sections and numbers, and while I don't have those answers yet, I do want to start getting this data collected to be ready for the process of creating classes on May 29!) Thank you so much!

• Report Cards - Looking Ahead
• Report Cards will be due by Friday, May 29 by 11 am so that Patti can create them, share them with you to spot check for any errors before the end of the day. Each teacher must sign off on the report cards before they leave for the summer. I just want you to have this on your radar.

• Spring Concert and Art Show
• Starting on Tuesday, May 12, there will be a concert in the elementary gym each night through May 14.  This will impact the ability to use the gym for PE classes on Wed/Thurs of that week.  Please make sure to communicate with Rob on the plan for PE for those days.  Fingers Crossed for good weather!  The Art show will take place for an hour before the concert. Those that volunteered to help Courtney set up, please see her soon to find out what she needs done each night.  The 4K concert will take place during the day on Thurs. May 14 starting at 2:30pm.
• The Concert Rehearsal Schedule is HERE. Please note that if you typically have Music as a special on Tues-Wed-Thurs, the class will not be held due to the rehearsals scheduled for those days. Monday and Fridays music class are unaffected.

• Special Board Meeting from May 6
• There was a lengthy information session on the proposed new health insurance plan that will be decided on in the May 18th board meeting. Brad sent the link to us to watch. While it is lengthy, it is well worth the time to watch and learn about some of the main differences between it and our current plan. The link is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6qfgDDYAto

• Seals on Wheels
• The staff from Seals on Wheels will be taking over the conference room starting Monday, May 11 through Wed. May 20 (or until they finish). Families that have signed their child up by completing the consent documents online will be called down by Patti for a free teeth cleaning. If you have any new students in your classrooms that you think may be interested, they can still sign up online. The link is HERE.  Feel free to send it to them through Dojo or email. Since we have had Seals on Wheels in our school, the number of emergency dental visit referrals have dropped drastically and the number of cavities located requiring further dentist visits for our students has also gone down as well.  :-)

• End of the Year Procedure for Library Lessons and iPad Turn in
• The week of May 11th (next week) will be the last week of typical 30 minute library lessons. 
• I will come around to classrooms and collect books every day the week of May 18th. All library books are due back by Friday, May 22nd.
• iPad collection will run from Wednesday 20th - Friday 22nd. Anyone who uses their device as an assistive technology as per their IEP can keep it until Thursday 28th. Sign up for a time here. iPad collection details and directions can be found below as well as in the Google Classroom: 
• DIRECTIONS WITH STUDENTS
• DIRECTIONS FOR TEACHERS
• Buy one, get one FREE book fair will be held Wednesday 27th from 3:30-7:30 and Thursday 28th from 12:30-3:30.


Also, the materials are in your Google Classroom as saved drafts. You will just need to go into each one, edit material (blue at bottom), and then post.

ML Information

Preparing for the Next Leap: Demystify the Next Grade

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Bridge the Academic Gap

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Final Thought: Transitions are hardest when they feel like a cliff. By previewing the next grade, you turn that cliff into a manageable set of stairs.

As the school year draws to a close, Multilingual Learners (MLs) often feel a mix of excitement and "transition anxiety." Moving to a new grade level means new routines, new teachers, and more complex academic language. Taking time this week to pull back the curtain on next year can significantly lower their stress and set them up for summer success.

Knowledge is power. Helping students visualize their next environment prevents the "summer slide" from being compounded by fear of the unknown.

• Expectation Anchor Charts: Create a simple "What’s New?" chart. For example, moving from 5th to 6th grade might include: "You will change classes for math."

Equip your MLs with a "growth roadmap" so they know exactly what tools they are taking with them.

• Portfolio Review: Have students select their best piece of work to "gift" to their next teacher. This builds a sense of pride and shows the new teacher their true potential.

• Summer Language Goals: Give students a simple, translated list of fun ways to keep practicing English over the break (e.g., watching movies with captions, using a specific learning app, or journaling).

• The "Moving On" Letter: Have students write a letter to their future teacher.

• Frame: "I am really good at ______. Sometimes I need help with ______. I want you to know that ______."

TechKnow Tip

As the school year winds down, this is the perfect opportunity to organize and declutter your digital workspaces. Here is a tutorial that provides practical, time-saving hacks specifically for teachers, such as using emojis to prioritize essential folders, color-coding subjects to navigate files more intuitively, and creating shortcuts. Set yourself up for a stress-free start to next school year by taking a bit of time now to get organized. 

Google Drive Organization for Teachers: 6 Quick Tips

Friday Funny

This gives me so so so much joy.  I want to see this in a couple of weeks and just enjoy some good laughs.  But it's in my Friday Funny to make sure that you all are aware of my favorite comedians career venture!  Let me know if you see it!  Click here to see the trailer!

May 1, 2026

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Sunday, May 3
• Happy Birthday Eneida!

• Monday, May 4
• Teacher Appreciation Week starts!
• Star Wars Day!
• Morning Duties:
• Blacktop/Playground: Bingen, Miller, CaineB
• Breakfast: Wagner, Donovan
• 3K/4K Playground: Vertz, Zastrow
• Lunch Duties:
• 12:00 - Donovan
• 12:30 - Huso
• 1:00 - Bingen
• PM Duties:
• Blacktop/Playground - Huso, Lucht
• Circle Drive - Betsy
• Jenny in meeting from 10:30am-1pm

• Tuesday, May 5
• Social Media Posts due to Jenny: Wagner, Bingen
• 5K Field trip to Glacier Rock Farms from 8:15-11:30am
• Para PD meeting from 3:15-3:45pm

• Wednesday, May 6
• Workout Wednesday
• Lunch Detention Supervisors: Lucht, Huelsman, Schulte
• 4th & 5th Grades on a field trip to MOHEE
• Jenny in meeting from 8:30-10:30am
• Band Concert for our 5th graders @ 5pm
• Special Board Meeting @ 6pm

• Thursday, May 7
• Lunch menu change: Mozzarella Dippers, marinara, black beans, broccoli

• Friday, May 8
• 3rd Grade Field trip to EAA

Nitty-Gritty

• PM Pick-up Reminders
• Please help reinforce to students that they MUST watch for cars and use the crosswalks during morning and afternoon pick up and drop off.  If any of us, (especially on Fridays) are going to the parking lot, we MUST use the crosswalks to cross the circle drive.  There have been some close calls lately and I would hate for any of us to get hit, especially our young learners that are smaller and harder for drivers to see.  Students are following grown-ups' leads and we want them to to follow the habits of using crosswalks, looking for cars and being safe at all times.
• Lost and Found
• Please walk your classes past the lost and found when you have time.  The piles are growing again!  Thank you in advance.

• Teacher Appreciation Week
• Next week the admin team is putting together some surprises for you to show our appreciation for all that you do.  We hope you feel our appreciation every day, but especially next week.  We are all so grateful for the hours of hard work you put in for our students each and every day!

ML Information

Building Confidence Through Oral Presentations

For Multilingual Learners (MLs), speaking in front of a group can be one of the most nerve-wracking parts of the school day. However, oral production is a vital bridge between social language and academic fluency. This week, focus on creating low-stakes opportunities for students to find their voices.

Scaffold the Experience

Don’t jump straight to a formal podium speech. Build "speaking stamina" by layering support:

• Think-Pair-Share: Allow MLs to rehearse their thoughts with one partner first.

• Small Group "Micro-Presentations": Have students present to 3–4 peers rather than the whole class to reduce anxiety.

• Visual Aids: Encourage the use of props, posters, or slides. Having a visual "anchor" shifts the audience’s gaze away from the student and onto their work, which can lower stress levels.

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Tools for Support

To ensure MLs feel successful, provide them with the linguistic "bricks and mortar" they need:

• Sentence Frames: Provide starters like, "One interesting fact I found is..." or "As you can see on this slide, the data shows..."

• Rehearsal Time: Allow students to record themselves on a device first. Hearing their own voice helps them self-correct and builds confidence for the "live" version.

• Cue Cards: Encourage bulleted notes rather than full scripts to prevent them from simply reading aloud.

Creating a Positive Atmosphere

The goal this week is fluency and confidence, not perfect grammar or pronunciation.

Pro-Tip: Establish "Kind Audience" norms. Teach the class to use active listening cues—like nodding and eye contact—and provide a simple "Positive Feedback" menu for peers to use after a presentation (e.g., "I liked how you explained...").

By lowering the "affective filter" and providing the right scaffolds, you turn an intimidating task into a powerful moment of empowerment for your Multilingual Learners.

Recess Information

Playground Usage/Extra Recess
Please make sure you are holding students accountable to following playground expectations regardless of when they are on the playground. Most common infractions are:

• Climbing up slides
• Playing tag/running on the playground structure
• Standing on or laying under the saucer swing
• Kicking balls around the playground

Thank you in advance for enforcing these safety rules.

*Please also do not take students out during scheduled recess times.
9-9:45
11:30-1

Behavior Specialist Information

Help Me, Help Me
As we enter into the last month of school, it is very common to see an increase in behavior issues. HERE is a short article with 5 common behaviors issues and practical ideas to address/avoid them.

TechKnow Tip

Looking to connect your students outside their known world? Try any of these 12 Websites for Virtual Field Trips. One highlight on the list is “The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks” where you go on an interactive tour (including videos, audio recording, activities, and 360* views) with a park ranger at one of our beautiful U.S. National Parks. Another favorite from the list is Explore.org Live Nature Cams which has an endless variety of staffed nature cameras including a kitten rescue sanctuary in California, an osprey nest in Montana, a puppy nursery in Maryland, or inside a honeybee hive in Germany. Many of these relaxing livecams have soothing music accompaniments, making them great to use at the start of the day, during work time, or a way to calm down before quality learning.

Friday Funny

Any one else spend WAAAAY too much time scrolling through random videos and after awhile, they make you laugh so hard that you can hardly breathe. Here's one I came across that is just too funny.