December 20

Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• So many wonderful memories made this week at school...Thank you to all of you for providing a structured learning environment, yet still taking a few short moments of time to provide experiences for them that they will remember for a long time!
• 4K students excitedly telling me that they are looking for the Gingerbread Man!  (When I asked a student today about whether they ever found the gingerbread man, she said, "He's gone. We ate him!")  This age group is teaching me SO much this year! :-)
• Impressive 3rd grade writing pieces about a informational topic of their choice.  I read about Nerf guns, fishing, comic books, candy corn, Dodgeland, Roboblox, dance, etc.  There were great leads in them, and so many text features including pictures with captions, a Venn diagram, charts and glossaries.  So great to read and hear about their excitement in pride in their work!
• 4th graders practicing how to start a conversation with others.  They learned they can ask questions, notice and comment on something, compliment others, use their knowledge of the other person.

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Winter break!  I sincerely hope you have a relaxing, peaceful and safe break.  Please take care of yourself and spend time with those that make you happy!

Nitty-Gritty

• iPad Updates: Please update your iPads to the latest software version before heading off to break.  The latest iOS version is 13.3 as of today.  Please check your software today.
• Class DoJo: In a continued effort to communicate and share the awesome learning and activities that happen in our building, please share your class DoJo pages with Christina Abegglen from the IMC.  This will give her another way to communicate with families.
• FaceBook Features - This is the other way we can get information out to our community about the students' experiences and learning in our building.  In January, I will begin the Staff Member Feature for the week.  I will be coming around to get information from you. (This is my heads up!) . Thank you to those that have already sent me the information for this upcoming post feature.
• Literacy - I have read all SLO and PPG forms that have been submitted by Elementary Staff.  The majority of you are working on individual or team SLO goals related to reading.  In an effort to support this work, I will be sharing information through the weekly blogs, in person, through feedback and tapping into staff member's expertise to share at Staff meetings.  The goal of this communication is to help us all elevate students' reading achievement, learn and grow in our own teaching craft, and ways to reflect on our classroom and student progress.
• i-Ready - Looking ahead: The winter i-Ready testing window is from January 7 through February 1.

PD Spotlight

This week's PD spotlight is more about a topic that is timely for me right now.  Click here to read the article on the importance of sleep.  Sadly, the part I am looking forward to during break is getting more sleep.  However, I have to figure this out for every week, not just trying to catch up.  It is a myth anyway.  You never actually "catch up" on sleep,  This article just made me think.  I share it with you as so many of us have had an exhausting week.  Take Care everyone!

Friday Funny

This week it is a short video clip.  I saw this online on Monday, and Ella and I enjoyed it so much I felt I had to share!  (It is a 3 year old video, but I had never seen it before.  Be sure to watch all the way to the end.)

December 13, 2019

Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• 5th graders celebrating their writing pieces in front of parents and other guests.  What great figurative language I read in so many pieces!
• Students singing their hearts out at the winter concert.  A huge shout-out to Ms. Hudson and Mr. Muenchow for their hard work to make the concert a success.
• 3rd graders writing informational text features in their writing.  How cool is that?!
• Staff members stepping in to help out colleagues when emergencies arise or students are struggling to regulate. This makes us all feel supported and encouraged.  Thank you!

What's Happening at Dodgeland

• Monday, Dec 16
• Cozy Christmas Day for Staff - Hot chocolate in the lounge
• 1st and 2nd graders - Field trip to Schauer Arts Center until noon
• Math Curriculum Analysis Committee meeting at 3:15-4pm in the District Office
• School Board Meeting @ 6:30
• Tuesday, Dec 17
• Wednesday, Dec 18
• Workout Wednesday
• 2nd grade - Field Trip to Milwaukee Public Museum (all day)
• 5K Data Level meeting at 12:05 in the D.O. conference
• Thursday, Dec 19
• Goodie Table Day
• Friday, Dec 20
• Ugly Christmas Sweater Day
• Break from December 23-Jan 1
• See you on Thursday, Jan 2!

Nitty Gritty

• Food Service Survey - As you finish the paper surveys for grades 4K-3, please place them in my mailbox.  Grades 4-5, I will send you and your students a link on Friday. Please plan a time for students to take the survey before next week Friday.
• Break is coming up - For some of our students, they do not look forward to winter break.  The uncertainty of their days, the stress of the holidays on family, and other adverse childhood experiences cause students to have more difficulty with regulation skills and focusing just before breaks start.  The best way to help our students is to continue to be the compassionate, kind and consistent educators we are every day.  The more we deviate from our normal schedule the harder it is for students already struggling to have successful days.
• Target Based Grading - Please watch for an email and/or video with some follow up information from concerns and questions brought up on Wed. night.  

PD Spotlight

Please check out the part of an article about how to find renewal during Winter Break. My greatest wish is that you all have a peaceful relaxing break doing the things that allow you to renew and come back in January ready to take on this exhilarating, but complex profession. The article is by a man named John Spencer, a former MS teacher, now college professor. He writes a blog (among other things) and emphasizes how to help students and teachers tap in to their creativity.  Please click here to read this VERY short piece about strategies to find renewal during winter break.

Spencer, John. “Finding Renewal on Your Winter Break.” John Spencer, 6 Mar. 2019, www.spencerauthor.com/seven-teacher-tested-strategies-for-finding-renewal-on-your-winter-break/.

Friday Funny

I was reading some meme's about dad jokes and came across the one below. This made me laugh out loud for two reasons.

1. Born in a car, so his name is Carson!  That's funny! 

and 

2. It reminded me of my late husband.  When Mason was born, Matt started telling people that we named him Mason because he was born in May and he's our son, so he's our Ma-son!  Then he laughed and laughed.  I groaned, and it became a running joke in our household ever since!

December 6, 2019

Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• First graders working hard on story problems using math mountains and a missing addend.  They really had to use their reading skills in math. :-)
• 4K students helping to read the pictures in a Santa book in the library.  They learned a hard word to say-- ornaments!
• I'm excited to see the finished doors for the contest.  So many creative and fun ideas!  
• Students working on using their inside voices during lunch.  Thank you for reinforcing this in classrooms too.

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, December 9
• Mid-Quarter for Qtr 2 
• Milwaukee Bucks Attire day (students and/or staff)
• Wear your Christmas Bling (staff only)
• Board Workshop in IMC at 6pm (School Perception community survey results will be presented)
• Tuesday, December 10
• Wednesday, December 11
• 1st grade Data meeting at Noon
• Staff meeting in the IMC @3:10 (Bring your target based grading materials to the meeting)
• Thursday, December 12
• Elementary Winter Concert for grades K, 2, 4 at 6:30 (Kids arrive at 6:05)
• Friday, December 13
• Santa's Ho-Ho-Ho Down (wear your flannel and western wear)

Nitty-Gritty

• FaceBook reminder - Please let me know if I can feature you for a FaceBook weekly post.  The more we can connect with our community, the more they will hear the positive things we do each and every day here.

• Playworks Update - Coach Jena emailed out a follow up after her last visit to our classrooms.  This is her final visit to classrooms, but she will be here a couple more times this year during our recesses though.  I encourage you to continue to use the Playworks games, activities and attention getters to develop/practice SEL skills and build community in the classroom. The few minutes that these activities take will pay off in upcoming lessons when students are ready to learn and focused.

• Food Service survey - The school board has asked that students be surveyed about breakfast and lunch.  Please watch your email next week for the link and/or procedure for giving the survey to our elementary students.

• Summer School - Yep, you read that correctly!  I'm going to begin planning for next year's summer school session.  The dates are: June 15-July 23 (Mon-Thurs from 7:30-noon).  Watch for an email in January with more information!

PD Spotlight

I am sharing a short article this week about managing teacher stress.  I truly believe teaching is a calling and one of the best careers in the country.  It comes with the opportunity to make a difference each and every day.  It also means that we make hundreds of decisions day after day.  We get to work with lots of different people that have a variety of perspectives.  The work is exciting but also can cause stress.  How we handle the stress is the key to taking care of our own well-being and enjoying this career.  I came across this article and thought about how I needed it after today in particular.  I want to draw your attention to numbers 8 and 9 specifically. (All of the tips are good, but I want to emphasize these.)  As a part of the elementary team, I want us all to find it easy to use these two tips here at Dodgeland.  Let me know if you need me!

Friday Funny