August 27, 2021

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• The Tech Department (Brad, Josh and Christina) have been working so hard to get things ready for you and our students.  You would not believe the long hours they have been putting in this summer.  When you see them, please express your appreciation!

• Likewise, our custodial crew has had a busy summer with project after project, furniture movement, and lists of tasks that probably always seems to never end.  If you see Jerry and anyone from his crew, please let them know that there hard work is noticed!

• A shout-out to Marie and her amazing work in the last few weeks.  As she always does, she comes in with a positive attitude and has been moving supplies around and getting things ready for you.  Please don't hesitate to ask her if you can't find things.  She knows EVERYTHING!!

• Poor Kimi didn't get a break from me this summer.  She answered my millions of questions, listened to me whine about the weather and temperature and still welcomed me with a smile each day!  Pretty amazing huh?

• Dr. Thompson has kept me (and all of us really) in the loop with the many moving parts of the construction schedule.  I always felt like everything was under control with her attending HOURS of meetings to keep things moving.  Please let her know how much you appreciate her keeping us updated on what is happening with the renovations.  Her attention to detail is so much appreciated!

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, August 30
• WELCOME BACK!!!  Inservice starts at 7:30 in the Multi-purpose room.

• Tuesday, August 31
• Our first staff meeting of the year.  Come ready to share some fun positive memories of your teaching career.
• Please make sure to watch Jessica's video about EP before the meeting.  Do not login to Frontline yet though.

• Wednesday, September 1
• EC/4K Open house from 4-6pm

• Thursday, September 2
• 4pm - Picnic Supper in the commons for all staff
• 5K-12th gr. Open house from 5-7pm

• Friday, September 3
• Playworks training for new staff or anyone not previously trained
• Recess team planning in room 137 at Noon.

Nitty-Gritty

• Starting a New Year amid Construction Projects
• If you were in the building the week of August 23, you may have noticed the frenzied work getting done. It was a stressful week with preparations.  So many of the people in the building this summer worked very long days, came in on the weekends, attended meeting after meeting all with the goal of getting the building ready for the school year.  When you arrive on Monday, please know that there may be things that still need to be completed.  If that is the case, please remember to empathize with your colleagues and be patient as those around you help to get these last minute items completed.  I know myself this week, I could feel my stress level rising and wanted to be sure that I took the break I needed, (movement and mood more than anything) and surrounded myself with positive people.  We will all be looking forward to seeing each other again.  Let's enjoy our blessings and look forward to a great year!

• Effectiveness Project Updates
• Certified staff: Please make sure to watch Jessica's 20 minute EP update video before the staff meeting on Tuesday.  It is important to have this background to understand the information in the staff meeting.

• Ruckus Totes / Cart
• For those that ordered a ruckus tote to store Bridges math materials in, there was a slight delay on the delivery.  They will be in the building on Thursday, September 2.  As soon as possible, we will get them to the classrooms when they arrive.

• DES Resource Docs
• In the Elementary Staff shared drive, there is a folder called "DES Staff Resource Docs."  Inside that folder are a number of items that you will want to check out.  Please watch this short video that explains the documents that you will need to sign up on.

• Class Creator
• Last year, when we used class creator, many of us added notes and details regarding our students so that it can be passed on to the next teacher.  This program is taking the place of the orange and green cards that were used in the past by teachers to pass on information to the next teacher.  If you are looking for information, please log in to that program first to see if the information that you are looking for has already been documented for you. Click HERE for a video about how to get the report.

PD Spotlight

I subscribe to Michael Linsen's Smart Classroom Management blog.  When I read through this post, I knew I wanted to share it with you in our very first blog post of the year.  I even used this strategy as I was thinking through staff meetings or hard conversations with my parents.  :-). I felt like it was timely and hopefully you find it helpful.  Visualization is a common skill that readers use all the time, but to help with classroom management it is an awesome tool to help us plan for how our classrooms will function this year.  Click HERE to read the article.

Friday Funny