April 30, 2021

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• A 4th grader shared all kinds of interesting facts about Wayne Gretzky.  I love when our 4th graders work on their biography unit.  I love hearing the interesting facts they are learning and how excited they are to share.

• 5th graders successfully completed their THINK program. Way to go!

• A parent sharing how excited his child was to learn new things in his classroom.  Our students know learning is important at Dodgeland.

• Teachers rallying together to help a student cope and problem solve an unfortunate accident before school on Thursday.  Thankfully, everyone is going to be okay.

• So many teachers are communicating often with families/parents.  In this unique school year, I appreciate all of you continuing to work on strong home-school connections.

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, May 3rd
• Teacher Appreciation Week begins!  :-)
• i-Ready assessment window opens
• Teacher surveys on Class Creator are due

• Tuesday, May 4th
• Jenny is Forward testing starting at noon.
• Staff Meeting #2 @ 3pm in room 141

• Wednesday, May 5th
• Workout Wednesday

• Thursday, May 6th
• Staff Meeting #3 @3 pm in room 137

• Friday, May 7th

Nitty-Gritty

• Important News
• Starting this fall, Nathan Crane will be joining our Dodgeland team full-time as a special education teacher.  Currently, you will find him student teaching in Kathy Miller's classroom. :-) The special education team will work together to determine how to support and meet our students' needs next year.  Please welcome him to our team!

• Milk calendars
• Friendly reminder:  All classroom teachers must fill in the milk calendars for Ms. Lamb by the end of the school year.  This is important for the end of the year reports that Cathy must complete.  Click HERE for the spreadsheet.  Find your class in the tab at the bottom and then scroll through the months to complete them.

• Taking your class outside
• Just reminder that it is important that you are communicating with others when using the playground, blacktop, etc at other parts of the day.  The calendar contains each day until the end of the school year.

• District office doors
• The doors to the district office are OPEN!  Students in grades 1-3 can return to entering and leaving through that door.  There is an extra door now that is on a time release lock to enter straight through the hallway.  For staff, you will just scan your fob twice to get through.  It looks so nice!  

• End of the year Assessments
• i-Ready testing window opens on Monday, May 3rd.  Please let me know if you need support or assistance with completing these assessments.  
• Our interventionists will begin assessing students with the Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark assessment.  They will be assessing students that are below grade level and in an intervention group in grades 3-5.  In grades 1-2, they will assess all students.  When these are complete, they will move to 5K.  
• PALS window has opened and will be open until the end of the school year.  Let me know if you see any errors in your class list on the PALS site.

• Summer School
• Remind students that Summer school registration is still open!  There are lots of fun courses with plenty of seats left for students.  Breakfast and lunch are free for all students this summer. 

• Bridges Training reminders
• This is just a friendly reminder about our training for Bridges this summer.  The self study portion of the Bridges training is now in-person for all teachers grades K-5.  Having a knowledgeable math coach that can guide us through will be invaluable for us all.
• 5K-2nd grade: 
• Monday, June 7, 8:30-11am (Session with Sara)
• Monday, June 7, 12:30-3:00pm (Zoom Session)
• Tuesday, June 8, 8:30-11am (Zoom Session)
• Tuesday, June 8, 12:30-3:00pm (Session with Kristine)
• 3rd-5th grade: 
• Tuesday, June 8, 8:30-11am (Session with Kristine)
• Tuesday, June 8, 12:30-3:00pm (Zoom Session)
• Wednesday, June 9, 8:30-11am (Zoom Session)
• Tuesday, June 9, 12:30-3:00pm (Session with Kristine)
• 4K grade:
• Thursday, June 10, 8am-10pm (Zoom session with Hartford teachers)

PD Spotlight

I came across this article this week and I didn't know what to think at first.  I know I have shared many PD articles this year about self-care and its importance.  This one felt a bit different.  The goal of this article was to recognize how you are feeling and use it to determine what type of rest will help you feel rejuvenated. Since next week is Teacher Appreciation Week, I thought this may be just what you need to read/know too.  I recognize that this has been a truly unique and stressful school year.  I am always so appreciative of the work and people that I get to work with every day.  My hope for all of you is to feel fully rested each day so that you can enjoy all of the wonderful people, experiences and kindness in the world around you.

Friday Funny

April 23, 2021

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• Teachers and staff rallying around a student to support their academic growth and problem solve together.  Such great teamwork!

• Coach Jena had another successful visit at Dodgeland!  She may have gotten to see all 4 seasons in one day!  The kids were attentive and all in on the new games she brought and she was impressed by the good things happening at recess here.  I can not wait until we get to add more recess back into their day.

• Some of our virtual students were in the building this week for Forward testing.  It was so great to see them and hear how they miss seeing everyone at school.

• 4K students cheering on their classmates during a game.  This positive self talk is infectious!

• Talent Show Committee recording our students and their talents.  It is so nice to be able to provide this annual tradition, although granted in a different way, for our students and community.

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, April 26
• Jenny is gone from 12:30-3:30pm
• School Board meeting @ 6:30pm

• Tuesday, April 27
• Jenny Forward Testing from 9-11am
• Newsletter articles due (5K & 1st grade signed up)

• Wednesday, April 28
• Workout Wednesday
• Elementary Staff Meeting #1

• Thursday, April 29
• Friday, April 30

Nitty-Gritty

• Face Masks
• There are a number of boxes of face masks that have been sent to the school.  I realize that they are not all small ones for some of our kids, but we have seen an increase in students needing them.  If you need a box/package for your classroom, let me know and I will put some in your mailbox or bring to your classroom.

• Make-up Testing
• I have been working on getting all of our Forward Testing completed with our blended/virtual and absent students before the deadline.  The list is definitely dwindling.  I share this with you because if I am MIA, this is probably the reason. Please let Marie know if you need something right away.

• Alternative Compensation Checkmarks
• This year we are not using My Learning Plan/Frontline for the Effectiveness Project.  That also includes the Alt. Comp form as well.  For this year only, please submit your professional development checkmark details on this Google Form.  This submission should be done before June 15.  It will simply ask you to provide the type, date and a description/reflection of the activity.  If you have any questions, please let me know.

• Canva for Education Email
• Quick Plug:  Did you see Christina's email about Canva for Education?  It was sent on Monday, April 19.  Mrs. Johnson is the one who shared about this tool and I use it for a TON of stuff.  In Kay's email, there is a short article describing it.  If you haven't checked it out yet, you may want to do that soon.

• Class list creation
• Many of you have completed the class creator surveys.  If you have not, please do this by May 3rd.  We will be working on class lists as a group in the middle/end of May.  I just want to make sure that we have the information ready for when we get to that point.

• Delivery Trucks
• For everyone's information, delivery trucks will be using the ring road nearest our playground area more often due to the construction in the back of the building.  Since the fence is up, our students will be safe, but wanted you all to be aware of it since we are not used to seeing traffic on that part of the road during the school day. 

• Staff meeting sign ups
• For the next few weeks, I am asking each staff member to sign up for 1 staff meeting.  I'd like to do these in person, but in order to still follow our social distancing and COVID precautions, I will be doing these meetings in small group.  The purpose of the meeting is to get feedback from you all.  Thank you in advance for your time.

PD Spotlight

I subscribe to the Smart Classroom Management blog by Michael Linsin.  Last week, I read a post titled, "9 Ways to be a Smarter, Mentally Sharper Teacher."  When I read the title, I was thinking this is exactly what I need.  There are days where I am so frustrated that I have forgotten something important or let someone down because I missed something that I should have caught.  My thought was, this might have the answers or least ideas to ponder.  And it did.  But not exactly in the way that I thought.  It is really more about Self Care and ways to keep your brain strong too.  I don't know if I agree with everything that he states in his conclusion about pursuing excellence, but I do know that we have one of the most enjoyable careers on the planet, but not every moment is enjoyable.  I thought the ideas here were worthy of my time to read and reflect so that I can continue to enjoy what I do each and every day.  Perhaps there is something here that speaks to you too.

Friday Funny

April 16, 2021

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• Students were working so hard on their Forward testing this week, as well as their teachers.  Thank you all for supporting this important work.

• I got to listen to a first grader read a new book.  I love to hear young readers using all those wonderful strategies their teachers are teaching them!

• I got to watch a group of 2nd graders use sign language to recite the pledge of allegiance.  I loved seeing their pride on their faces!

• Sitting in on the 5th grade band parent' meeting reminded me of the wonderful opportunities our students have at Dodgeland in the music department.  It is so fulfilling to see the excitement of students with their new instruments every summer!

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, April 19
• Tuesday, April 20
• Wednesday, April 21
• Workout Wednesday
• Recess Academy for 4K/5K
• Recess visit with Coach Jena

• Thursday, April 22
• Student Nurses visit, 8-11am (Here is the schedule.)

• Friday, April 23

Nitty-Gritty

• Bridges Math reminder
• If you haven't completed the google form to share your preferences for storage materials for Bridges and Number Corner, please do so by the end of the day.  I would like to go through this to assemble the orders we need to place.  Click HERE for the form.

• Summer Tech Boot Camp
• The 7th annual Summer Technology Boot Camp is coming up this summer! Please fill out this survey to share feedback by Thursday, April 22nd. Watch your email for more specific information from Kay and Christina regarding Boot Camp. 

• Spring Cleaning (Tech)
• Now is a great time for a bit of technology Spring cleaning! Please encourage students to clean their iPads, and please consider cleaning your iPad and the screen of your digital display board (SMART board or Viewsonic). The cleaning process is the same for both: spray the pink disinfectant spray onto a microfiber rag and wipe down the surface. 

• Tornado drill reminder
• Please make sure that you fill out the google form after you have practiced and explained the tornado drill with your class.  We need this for documentation of completing the drills.

• Forward Testing
• Next week I will be proctoring make-up testing for students that were absent this week, as well as for our blended/virtual students.  During this time, I may need to pull students from your classes to get this done.  Watch for an email with more specific details.

PD Spotlight

Now that we are halfway through April already, I am noticing that students are becoming more and more talkative.  It could be the time of year, the schedules from this week, or just a result of this really abnormal school year.  Either way, I came across some ideas on the Cult of Pedagogy site.  You may have seen links or information to this site before.  It is full of great information.  I watched a technique called "Distract the Distractor" that I thought may be helpful at this time of year.  Feel free to check out the other helpful tips, strategies and information.

Friday Funny

My sister sent me this picture last week. My niece, Lydia, LOVES to go outside.  In fact, her brother is not allowed to say the word outside around her because she immediately thinks she is going out to play no matter what is happening!  So imagine the intense "anguish" she was going through while this man was cutting down trees at her house.  She wanted to "help" so badly! This picture makes me smile and so excited to watch her grow!

April 9, 2021

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• Three students joined us this week from virtual learning and they were ecstatic to see their friends and be back in school.  We make a difference, never doubt that!

• Third graders using context clues to determine the meaning of the phrase, "trading looks."  They used such great language to describe figurative language!

• Professionals working together to problem solve a way to help  a 5K student struggling during recess.  Day 1 was a success!

• First graders participating in the nutrition lessons with excitement and engagement.  Even virtually, they were able to keep learning about this important topic.

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, April 12
• Sports Day (wear apparel related to a sport)
• Forward Testing begins for 4th/5th grade
• Pyramid Leadership Mtg @3pm (4K team)

• Tuesday, April 13
• Western Day
• Forward Testing continues
• Positive Parenting Seminar at 5:30 online (Registration link - Under Seminars)

• Wednesday, April 14
• Workout Wednesday
• Forward Testing for 3rd/4th grades
• NO Elementary Staff meeting - I will be available for questions/meetings though

• Thursday, April 15
• Crazy Hat Day
• Forward Testing for 3rd/4th grades
• Student Nurses visit

• Friday, April 16
• Pattern Day (wear something with a pattern on it)

Nitty-Gritty

• Bridges storage form
• Thank you for your patience with this.  (Huge shout out to Sue for putting the survey together!). For those of you that are going to be teaching Bridges Math and Number Corner next year, please click HERE to fill in a survey about your preferences for storage items by Thursday, April 15.  If you have any questions, please see Sue or myself.

• PLTW items
• As you are finishing up your PLTW modules, please see Sue if there are any materials or supplies that need to be replaced or purchased to aid in the delivery of these modules.  We get to build the foundation for PLTW for their entire education career.  If there are supplies/resources needed, we want to know about them.

• Summer School classrooms
• This summer, our summer school program must be located entirely within the Elementary wing or the fitness center due to construction in the commons, IMC, Middle School and High School.  That means more classrooms than ever before are being used for these courses.  Click here to see a map of the rooms that will be used this summer.  Rooms highlighted in yellow will be used this summer.

• Testing Schedules
• Next week, Mon-Thurs, our 3rd-5th grade students will be taking a very important test.  There will be signs located in the hallways to help remind you, but as you are traveling through hallways next week, please remind your students to be as quiet as they can.  The testing will be concluded by noon each day.
• In addition, if any classrooms are able to switch specials for that day with a class that is testing, your flexibility would be much appreciated.  For specials teachers, your flexibility is also very much appreciated with rearranging your schedules just for this week.

• Class Creator
• Just a heads up: I am in the process of getting Class Creator ready for creating class lists for next school year.  There have been some updates since last spring, but I will be archiving the information that was completed last year.  I will be asking each classroom teacher (with collaboration/information from their colleagues: (specials teachers, special education, interventionist, etc) to complete the survey on each of their students by May 1.  Watch for an email with directions on how to complete this.

• Clothing Donations
• Our stock of extra clothing for students is going down again.  If you, or someone you know, has any children sized pants (4T-12) that could be donated to the school, it would be much appreciated.  Also, if anyone is looking to donate, we can always use brand new packages of underwear as well.  See Lynnae or Holly if you have any questions.

• Student Nurses
• On April 15 and April 22, you will see about 16 student nurses in the building from 8-11am.  Part of their programming is to teach a lesson to students about a developmentally appropriate, yet important topic to children.  Please click HERE to sign your class up for a 20 min. lesson on one of these 2 days.  3rd and 4th grade classrooms will need to sign up for April 22 due to Forward testing, so please leave space for them to sign up then.  Any questions, should be directed to Lynnae.

• Outdoor Play
• You know the old saying, Great Minds Think Alike! Well our Dodgeland staff is FULL of great minds.  As the days get nicer and warmer, many of us want to take our class outside for an extra recess, or to work outside, etc.  In order to stay committed to our COVID protocols (we are getting closer and closer to normalcy, just hang on a little bit longer!), we need to have some way of communicating with others that you are outside on the playground/blacktop/etc with your class.  If it is dry, classes can spread out in the grass areas, but we must be careful to continue to be separate when using the black top or the playground equipment.  Click HERE to see a calendar of the rest of the year.  It doesn't mean that you can't be spontaneous, or go to a different section of our grounds, but this way we have a system to communicate with each other.  And, as many of our classrooms as possible will get to learn/play outside too.  If you have any questions, please let me know.

• March Prodigy Tournament Winners
• This past March there was an optional Prodigy tournament taking place with all partners across the entire country.  Many students have asked me about winners from this tournament.  I did not hear from our Prodigy rep, but I was able to go through our dashboard and find the top 3 winners from each grade for last month.  Click HERE to see the list.  I will be calling students down to get a prize for me for this.

PD Spotlight

Tonight, I had the opportunity to give a tour of the Dodgeland School to a family that is moving to town next month.  The kids were nervous about a new school, and the parents wanted to be prepared for an easy transition.  When they left, they thanked me of course, but they said, "I am so glad we did this.  I hope to see you this summer."  (Of course, I pushed summer school!  :D). One of the things they were most impressed with is our Oasis.  Not because it was full of supplies, and a swing, etc., but because it showed that we focus on our students social and emotional health.  They shared about their experience in their current school, and what I realized was: the ways that you support, instruct and build relationships to help our students develop strategies and a proactive way to communicate feelings is not done in every school.  Then I came across this video.  It reaffirmed everything that we do every day.  Is it easy? No.  Is it worth it?  Yes.  

I was exceptionally proud to brag about our district and in particular the teachers that enter this building each day and give it all they have to our students.  If you have time, please watch the video and reflect on how many things in this video you already do. You will find many of her "creative" ideas are things that are natural to you all. It made me proud to be your colleague!  

Friday Funny

April 2, 2021 (or more like April 5...)

 Welcome Back!  :-)

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, April 5
• Library lessons start back up!
• District Office Entrance is closed, please send 1st-3rd graders to main entrance
• Thank You Banner Signing

• Tuesday, April 6
• Thank You Banner Signing

• Wednesday, April 7
• Workout Wednesday

• Thursday, April 8
• Friday, April 9
• Groundbreaking Ceremony at 1:30 (live-streamed into classrooms)
• Wear Purple/Dodgeland attire

Nitty-Gritty

• Review expectations
• I know that it has only been a week since we have seen our students last, but as they return to school and our routines/expectations, do not take anything for granted.  Please spend the time this week reviewing and reteaching procedures, routines and behavior expectations.  It will pay off exponentially in the weeks that we have left of school.

• Micro-fiber towel Reminder
• Before the break, Lance had sent out an email about finding the micro-fiber towels in places other than the green buckets at the end of the day.  Please remind students to put the used ones in the buckets to be washed.  Many were left in desks, on the floor, etc.  Thank you in advance for working together for this important part of our safety protocols.

• District Office entrance closed
• Another reminder:  1st-3rd graders should use the main entrance to enter and dismiss at the end of the day.

• Groundbreaking Ceremony
• A Thank You banner has been created for our students to sign to hang up during the ceremony and beyond.  On Monday/Tuesday (4/5-4/6), the elementary students will have the opportunity to sign the banner.  (Wed/Thur it moves to the MS/HS side of the building.) I will bring the banner to your classrooms throughout the day.  I apologize in advance for disrupting your classrooms/teaching.
• There are 7 students representing the elementary grades in the ground breaking ceremony on Friday, April 9th.  The ceremony will be live streamed on our Dodgeland Youtube channel and students will be able to enjoy cookies/milk during the ceremony.  Christina will be coming around to take pictures of students, but please take pictures as well that we can use for a video later.  The ceremony should be concluded by 2pm.

• Pledge policy
• The Dodgeland School District has a board policy about the Pledge of Allegiance.  The policy states that the pledge needs to be offered to students at the school daily.  The easiest way to do this is to include it with your morning announcements.  Please make sure that you are complying with this policy.  If you want to read it in more depth, please let me know.

• Safety during Construction
• If you did not see Dr. Thompson's email over break, it is important to note the safety precautions that are in place for the safety of all.  First, a fence will be put up starting on Monday, April 5 with a walk way for students to get through off of the bus to get to the playground.  Otherwise the fence is there to prevent students from getting hurt from the workers, the deliveries, or the traffic.  Please tell students to stay away from the fence.  If a ball/etc. goes over a fence, only an adult can go get it.
• Also, the area directly behind the building is an active construction zone.  Staff and Students should not be anywhere near this section which includes taking a walk around the building.  There is a walking labyrinth or trail on the grounds instead though.  Pictures will be shared periodically to update us on progress, please do not go there to see it for yourself.

• Week of the Young Child (April 10-16)
• We have not normally celebrated this week in the past, but this year we are.  You will see on the April Calendar a list of dress up days for the week.  I will have some other surprises in store for students as well.  Stay Tuned!

• FREE Power of Positive Parenting Seminar
• Our collaboration with the Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation allows us to provide so many resources to our school, our students and our community.  This latest one is a virtual seminar for parents and families on Tuesday, April 13 from 5:30-7pm.  A flyer will be coming out for families as well. The seminar is geared for parents of children ages 0-12.  Share with any and all parents in your life.  

• Forward Testing
• Teachers that work with grades 3-5, please watch for an email early this week regarding a schedule for this year's Forward testing.  At this time it is planned for the week of April 12.

• ViewSonic Boards
• Over spring break, Josh and Brad worked very hard at getting the boards mounted in grades 2-5 classrooms.  The boards at grades 2-3 are at the 28" height and the boards for grades 4-5 they are hung at 33".  In order to do this, there may have been an item or two that needed to be moved.  They moved it carefully and respectfully.  This was only done if absolutely necessary.  Please see me if you need any help with the items moved.

PD Spotlight

I found this meme before break and I saved it for our blog this week.  I know I used my break to totally disconnect, watch WAY too much Criminal Minds, read for fun, and hang out with my kids.  I'm ready to go tomorrow.  This quote helps remind me of my purpose.  I can't wait to see you all this week!

Friday Funny