October 30, 2020

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• Teachers working and supporting one another with so many things, including using PowerTeacher Pro.  This week's staff meeting was full of such GREAT questions that were so helpful. If you missed the meeting, the link is HERE.

• Coach Jena shared what a great job our students were doing with the games and getting along during recess today!

• A student read her writing to me today and was using dialogue, figurative language, and some incredible vocabulary words like fierce, hideous, and exclaimed.  So impressive.

• Teachers communicating with parents daily about successes from the day.  Parents love to hear good news too!

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, November 2

• Tuesday, November 3
• Election Day

• Wednesday, November 4
• Work Out Wednesday

• Thursday, November 5

• Friday, November 6

Nitty-Gritty

• Daylight Savings
• Reminder:  Saturday, Oct 31 is Daylight Savings.  Don't forget to set your clocks back 1 hour.  Enjoy your extra hour this weekend!  :-)

• Math Resources
• As promised, HERE is the link to a list of resources of instructional strategies or activities that were put together by the CESA 6 math center.  Susan added youtube links and ideas to use some of them virtually to help us all.   As we discussed last week, adding more student talk during Math this year will be one way to prepare students for the Bridges Math curriculum next year.  If you have any questions or need help, please contact Susan or myself.

• Toy Bank email from Lisa
• Just a reminder of Lisa's email from earlier this week about referrals to the Toy Bank.  Below is the details.
• The holiday season is right around the corner and the Dodge County Toy Bank is already working hard to create special memories for our families in need. The Toy Bank is only taking applications from referrals that meet certain income criteria. Unfortunately, this places a heavy administrative burden on our families. If they meet the criteria, then I will send them a special code in order for them to complete an online form. Please share with me any families that you feel would qualify and would be open to completing an application. Please consider families that will be willing to share their financial information and have access to wi-fi.
• Another program, A Child's Smile, has also reached out to assist families. This program is confidential and provides gift cards for families in need. 
• Please reach out to Lisa to refer any family that you think would benefit from this assistance.

• Emotions Survey
• I have compiled the 5 feelings that we most want to feel when we are at school.  Click Here to view them and the brainstorm list of observable actions that we came up with originally.  Many of the groups were not able to get through all 5 in the time we had available last time.  Click HERE to take the survey with ideas you have to add to our lists.  
• "What can we do for everyone to feel this way?"

• Monday and Tuesday, November 23 and 24
• If you have any questions about the Mon-Tues prep days before Thanksgiving, please see Dr. Thompson's email from Tues, Oct. 27.  If you have further questions, please let me know.

PD Spotlight

We have been working on target based grading for a number of years, but Dr. Thomas Guskey is one of the researchers that has been studying grading policies and practices in schools.  His work has influenced many school districts including our own.  I came across this video and I just liked how he explained the purpose.  Not that I didn't know this, but he stated it in such a way that helped remind me of what we are doing in our system.  I was getting so involved in the nitty-gritty details, that I had lost my why.  This short video was a great way to focus my attention.

Friday Funny

I feel this each and every year!

October 23, 2020

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• Two separate parents in the community shared how organized and wonderful they thought the universal live streaming was going for their children during the last week.  Your parents are noticing your hard work!
• A teacher shared some difficult information with a parent this week in a clear way that allowed the parent to not only understand, but also to be a part of the problem solving in the solution.  When we work together, our students benefit.
• New students have joined us in the past two weeks and are excited to be here, even if "here" is online for now!
• So many of teachers have been reaching out to students that have been struggling with virtual learning and helping them to find solutions to get caught up and keep on learning.  Thank you so much for all you do!

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, October 26
• Newsletter articles due to Marie (Click here to see the chart.)
• School Board Meeting (Annual meeting) @ 6:30

• Tuesday, October 27

• Wednesday, October 28
• Workout Wednesday
• Staff meeting at 3pm at 9203861003
• Deadline to register for XPD

• Thursday, October 29
• Picture Re-take day from 8-1pm
• Recess Academy for 4K/5K between 9-12 outside
• One Hr delay schedule at the MS/HS (may affect our lunch times - watch for an email)

• Friday, October 30
• Progress Reports sent home

Nitty-Gritty

• Fall Parties
• If you decide to have a fall party in your classroom this year, there are a few things you should keep in mind.
• They should be a very small part of their day.  We have an especially limited amount of time with students this year so we want to make sure that we maximize the time we get to spend with them.
• Any items/activities that are used during the party should be individually wrapped and limited in what supplies are shared amongst students.

• Progress Reports
• A reminder that a progress report should go home with each student at the end of October.  A copy of the progress report should be given to Marie in the office.  There are NO report cards at the end of the quarter.  This year report cards will only be done in January and June at the end of the semesters.  
• In addition to the progress report, each student in grade 3-5 will have a parent letter explaining how they can log on to Schoology to see students' work.  Please watch your mailbox for that letter.

• Picture Retake Day
• On Picture retake day, we will start with 4K/5K students that need their pictures retaken, or taken for the first time around 8:00-8:05.  We will gradually go up from there.  Families have been notified on FaceBook and our district web site

• Newsletter Articles Due
• If you have any information that you want/need shared with families for the November, please submit your articles and pictures to Marie by October 26.  If you have pictures to use, please submit them as a jpeg rather than a picture on a google doc.  It's easier to use in the newsletter when it is in that format.

• New Face at Dodgeland
• Starting Monday, October 26, Taylor Rayome, a Dodgeland grad, will be doing his field placement work in Mary Jo Stampfl's classroom until December 11.  Please help me welcome him to our elementary school community.

• XPD Catalog
• On Tues, 10/20, Dr. Thompson sent an email with this year's XPD catalog.  The deadline to register for XPD's for this year is Wednesday, October 28.  Click HERE for the online registration.

PD Spotlight

The last couple of weeks we have had a lot thrown at us professionally, but many of you may have other things on your plates personally too.  I listen to a Ted Talks Daily podcast most everyday.  Every once in a while a topic comes through that is just what I needed to hear at that exact moment.  The title of the Ted Talk is "What Kids can Teach Adults about Asking for Help."  Click HERE to listen to this 8 min. ted talk. The personal story that she shares is very different from any situation that I've ever been in, but it reminds me of the things I see everyday in our school.  I see kids asking for help all day long and others that are so happy to help.  Have you ever seen the look on a child's face when someone says, "Thank you for helping me."  It's priceless.  This short 8 min. reminded me that asking for help is not about showing a weakness in myself, but the gift and privilege it is to ask others for help.  I encourage you to come to me for help at any time!

Friday Funny

October 9, 2020

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• A Fourth grader described for me that she was learning about cells in Science.  She told me all about cell walls and cell membranes and was able to describe them with similes. She got to teach me!
• A teacher was problem solving with colleagues about a behavior issue in the classroom.  Working together helps people feel connected and supported.  We are a team and together we can create a plan to support our students too.
• A group of 5K students were so excited to point out all the star words they saw on the book video they were watching during lunch.  The words "a" and "is" were in the book a lot!
• I got to be the "office girl" in 4K this week.  (One of our littles didn't remember my name, but told a teacher that the office girl was her teacher for the day.) Our 4K students were able to tell me ending and beginning sounds to words already.  AND they were starting to recognize rhyming words too! 

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, October 12
• Healthy Minds @ Work email to download app
• Tuesday, October 13
• Complete this Google doc
• Wednesday, October 14
• Workout Wednesday
• Elementary Staff Meeting 3pm at https://bluejeans.com/9203861003
• 30 Day Challenge begins for Healthy Minds @ Work
• Thursday, October 15
• Jenny is at a virtual conference from 11-3:30
• Friday, October 16

Nitty-Gritty

• PowerTeacherPro and Target Based Grading
• Click HERE for the recording of the optional staff meeting from Thursday.  Also a FAQ document was started as well.  Feel free to add to this document, and I will respond to each question.  
• The next task is to add a September Citizenship skill grade for each of the learning targets from the citizenship rubric for your homeroom class in PowerTeacher Pro.  See video #3 for help.

• Reading A-Z/Raz Kids Update
• Please watch for an email from Learning A-Z with account information.  I spoke with the representative this afternoon.  He helped to combine all of the accounts for staff/students into one school account so that we could take advantage of a school discount.  I gave him the email addresses for each staff member that indicated they needed an account.  It may go to spam or your promotions folder, if you are not seeing it.  Let me know if you need help.

• Cesa 6 Looking for Volunteers
• Cesa 6 is recruiting volunteers to assist in reading and scoring the applications for the Kohl's scholarships.  Anyone can become a reader including teachers, administrators, community members, business professionals, school board members, retired educators and parents.  The scoring will take approximately 20-30 min. per application (most readers will have 5-10 applications/reader).  The scoring will be done online and will occur between Nov. 18 - Dec. 9.  If you are interested, please fill out the new reader registration form and choose Cesa 6 as the region.
• An orientation video is here for more information.

• October Month - Cybersecurity
• Please click HERE and HERE for helpful handouts/resources that the local 5-Stones group has shared with us.  This group is fighting to end human trafficking in our area and around the world. Please take the time to read and share as you see fit.

• "Hope Together" with Lisa Breselow
• Today Lisa sent an email to all of us introducing her new series titled, "Hope Together" where she will be supporting wellness for all of us.  In addition, she reminded us of two of the tools that we have access to at Dodgeland.  Consider using them during this stressful time.

• Steeping Wellness: You will be seeing monthly newsletters with encouragement for your personal use and to bring into the classroom, fun wellness challenges, live guided mediations and monthly virtual Self-Care Academies from Steeping Wellness. Watch for a welcome email from Kalise to highlight what's to come. Click here to watch a brief 4 min. video from Pam and Kalise.

• Healthy Minds at Work: If you haven't completed the assessment yet, please plan to do this today.  It takes about 10 min. and it is confidential.  Dodgeland staff and admin will not have access to your personal information. This assessment helps guide the program for each participant.  On Monday, October 12th, you will receive an invitation to join the Healthy Minds @ Work 30 Day Challenge with instructions to access your app.  Please do NOT download the app until Monday, 10/12, to ensure you are correctly enrolled in the program.  The challenge will officially launch on Wednesday, Oct 14. 
• Click here to take the assessment 

PD Spotlight

Last week, the PD spotlight centered on an article from Christina Cipriano and Marc Brackett.  It made me think about our days this school year and the many things on our plates.  All of us are working hard.  We are working at supporting each other, finding time to plan as a team, attend IEP meetings, cover breaks, create lessons and balance blended learning with in-person learning.  I started to reflect on how I want to feel when I am at school.  I want to feel happy and helpful.  I want to feel inspired.  Next week at our staff member we are going to talk about this in more depth.  Please fill out this anonymous reflection google doc before Tues, 10/13 to determine how we as a team want to feel at school.  Then we can work on how to make this happen.

Friday Funny

I don't know why, but it feels like this is something my son would do.  Anyone else have a child that would think of this "brilliant" idea?

October 2, 2020

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• Student that was absent last week was so excited to be back this week that he didn't want to leave!
• A 5th grader stopped by me to ask me if he could help me when he saw me struggling.  It is so great to have such wonderful students around us each day.
• Teachers are sharing with me how much their students enjoy writing.  Remember when it was a chore to get the majority of our students to write at all?  What a difference to today when students are asking for MORE time to write!
• A kindergarten student introduced me to her new classmate today and told me all about how great her new friend was! 

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, October 5
• Packer Day!

• Tuesday, October 6

• Wednesday, October 7
• Flu Shot Clinic starting right after school
• Workout Wednesday

• Thursday, October 8

• Friday, October 9

Nitty-Gritty

• Link to my Calendar
• I am trying to be present and available throughout each day, but I am finding that people seem to be looking for me often.  If you need or would like to meet with me, here is the link to my calendar.  Feel free to add yourself to my calendar so that we can connect during the week. 

•  Parent/Teacher Conferences
• As I emailed earlier this week, the conferences are cancelled for this fall.  However, please send home a progress report that includes students' academic progress and citizenship skills on October 22 with each student.  Provide a copy of the report to the office so that they can be filed and sent to secondary mailings.  If you need a blank format that can be expanded or modified, here is a sample progress report in a google doc.

• New Classroom Tool and Reminders
• Just a friendly reminder to set your towel buckets, your garbage/recycling can and your rejuvenal bottle (if it needs filling) outside your classroom door at the end of the day.  Custodians start their day at 3pm and this will help them to efficiently complete the many tasks on their plates.  (Students may be able to help with this too.)
• In addition, there will be a small dustpan and whisk broom brought to classrooms so that students can use them to clean up spills, crumbs, etc beneath their desk.  (Large brooms are too difficult for lots of students, but this way there is a tool for students to use.) 

• Scholastic Book Fair
• This year the annual Book Fair will be held online from Oct 12-15.  The orders will be shipped directly to student homes and there is free shipping on orders over $25.  Look for the link coming soon.

• Ava Strong Fundraiser
• On Wednesday, October 7, there is a fundraiser at Piggly Wiggly from 10-5pm to benefit Dodgeland student, Ava Finger and the medical costs her family is incurring following her mountain biking accident.  The fundraiser is a meal of a slice of pizza, bag of chips and a bottle of soda for $5.  (The entire $5 will be going directly to Ava.). Please share with your family and friends and consider participating.  
• If there is anyone that would like to order a meal for lunch next Wed., please sign up/pay with Marie in the office starting Monday.

• PowerTeacher Pro and Target Based Grading
• The upload has been completed for targets and domains for all grades 5K-5.  There will be 2-3 short videos to share important information for next steps for this process early next week.  In addition, an optional target based grading meeting will be held on Thursday, October 8 on BlueJeans (9203861003) at 3PM for staff to ask questions.  

• Healthy Minds @ Work
• Today, Dr. Thompson, sent an email about the Healthy Minds @ Work program.  In order to begin this process, there is a confidential well-being assessment that takes approximately 10 min.  If you'd like to participate, please do so by Oct 14, which is the first day of our 30 day challenge.  Click here for the well-being assessment.

PD Spotlight

The past week I came across an article that made me think and it is one that I plan to use to follow up on with a staff meeting in October.  I am going to preview it here so that you can think about it before we get to that staff meeting on October 14.  Click here to read the whole article.  I go through days where I am extremely self-conscious about the tone of voice I am using with others around me.  I am afraid that my exhaustion will come across as annoyance or frustration, when in fact, it is neither of those things.  We all are working hard and we all have full plates.  We have strong emotions at some time or another.  These emotions affect many different aspects of our day, personal and professional. What I liked about this article is that there is actually a next step other than just telling us that it is real (We all know that!) and that it is important to address it.  So I'm reflecting on the first question and invite you to do so too, "How do I want to feel as a staff member at Dodgeland?"  

Friday Funny

As you know, I am a huge FRIENDS fan and this short clip made me laugh.  --BTW, Rachel and Ross's daughter, Emma, is now 18 and the time capsule they created on her 1st birthday could be opened!  :-)