April 26, 2024

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• Shout out to Brenda Caine, Blasia, and others that worked so hard at getting all of the make-up testing done for Forward Testing.  I truly appreciate it!

• The staff act for the Talent Show was another great entry!  Way to go!  If you haven't seen it yet, it is on YouTube now.  Click HERE to see it and all of our students!

• Courtney added awards to the Art Show this year and it was so awesome to see the excited looks on students' faces.  The Art Show was well attended, but also I loved looking through the projects!

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, April 29
• Bus Duty: Bingen, Ruplinger, Stampfl, Donovan (3K/4K playground)
• Happy Birthday Taylor!
• Jenny in a meeting from 8-9am
• Instrument Petting Zoo from 4:30-7pm in Band Room

• Tuesday, April 30
• Social Media Posts due: Klink, Mook
• Home HS Softball games and Track Meet = full parking lots :-)

• Wednesday, May 1
• Workout Wednesday
• 4th Gr Field Trip (9:30-12:30)
• New Support Staff Duties
• Breakfast AM - Lexi & Vicky
• Circle Drive/Playground AM - Eneida
• Circle Drive PM - Ann & Sandi
• Academic Data Mtg 2nd gr (12:05-12:55pm)

• Thursday, May 2
• Academic Data Mtg 1st gr (12:05-12:55pm)
• Concert Rehearsal on stage for grades 3-4-5 from 1:30-3pm
• MS Track Meet = Full parking lot

• Friday, May 3
• 4th Gr Field trip - All day
• Concert Rehearsal on stage for grades 3-4-5 from 8-8:30am

Nitty-Gritty

• SEL Data Request
• As I mentioned in the staff meeting, I am looking for some information regarding classroom teachers and other certified staff experience with teaching SEL outside of guidance lessons in your classroom.  If you do not teach it outside of that, please tell me that.  There is no expectation that you do have additional lessons, but I want to gather this information to have a good idea of what is occurring across grade levels and the building.  Click HERE to complete this very short survey.

• May is starting on Wednesday
• Please remember to take care of yourself.  The end of the school year is coming quickly and there are so many busy days in the coming weeks.  It is important that you are well.  If you need help or support, please let me know if I can do anything to assist in any way.

• Staff Meeting slides
• If you missed the meeting, or if you want to look at any of the pieces from the slides, click HERE.  Many of the pieces are reminders of upcoming things for the end of the year.  

LIBRARY UPDATE:

The week of May 6th will be the last week of library classes and book checkout. Christina will continue to collect books weekly, as well as provide you with small activities to do in the classroom at your convenience. All library books will be due Wednesday, May 22nd. 

On Thursday, May 23rd, we have special visitors from the community libraries who will be promoting their summer reading program. Flyers will be given to your students to take home after the presentation. Below is the schedule for that morning. Thank you for your flexibility as we tried to accommodate our school schedule as well as the schedule of the librarians coming to us even before the library opens!

Library Summer Program (20-25 minutes long)

4K @ 8:15

2 & 3 @ 8:45

4 & 5 @ 9:30

5K & 1 @ 10:00

Recess

4K @ 9:00

5K-1-2 @ 9:15

3-4-5 @ 10:00

TechKnow Tip

Looking to connect your students outside their known world and celebrate the amazing planet we live on? 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 in preparation of quality learning.

Recess Information

As the weather gets warmer and we are using our outdoor spaces for learning and/or rewards, please remember:

1. No additional classes or students should be on the playground during scheduled recess times.

1. 9-9:45 are the morning recess times

2. 12:00-1:00 are the lunch recess times (11:30 4k)

2. Students should be following our recess expectations including using the playground equipment as taught.

3. Let the office know if you will be outside of your classroom so Trisha can find your class in cases of an emergency or unexpected parent pick-up.

Behavior Specialist Information

Thanks to Nurse Leah and a grant, we were able to purchase Sensory Paths for our hallways (and they are AWESOME). We are planning to have them installed this summer. I am looking for one person from K-1, 2-3, and 4-5 and at least one special education teacher to help decide where they should be placed and determine expectations for how/when they will be used. Please let me know if you are interested in helping me with sensory paths decisions.

Friday Funny

This is another great comedian, but I love the story he tells about himself and his siblings when they were younger.  I think I can think of a few of our students that might try this too!

April 19, 2024

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• It was a long week of Forward Testing for our students, especially the 4th graders.  Thank you to everyone who made this long week happen and all of the flexibility in schedule changes this week!

• Shout out to Ashley Neis who helped us with some tricky situations this week.  Her listening ear, expertise and time is much appreciated every day, but especially this week!

• Shout out to our students and staff that made our new students feel so welcome this week.  It's always hard to start at a new school, but even harder when it is April already.  One of our new students' mom commented on how nice everyone was at school and she felt so much better as she left her child in our care.  

• Shout out to Sabrina and the 5th graders at the Biography Fair.  This is one of my favorite ways to hear kids' learning!

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, April 22
• Bus Duty: Schweitzer, CaineB, O'Toole, Braunschweig (3K/4K playground)
• Makeup Testing for Forward Testing - Last Week
• Talent Show Dress Rehearsal - 3-5pm
• School Board Meeting - 6:30-7:30pm

• Tuesday, April 23
• Social Media Posts Due: Huso, Turcotte
• 3rd Grade Field Trip to Madison
• Lunch Detention Supervisor:
• 12:00 - Koenings
• 12:30 -Zastrow
• 1:00 - Open
• Talent Show Preview in Elem. gym starting at 2:30pm
• Art Show - 5-6pm
• Dodgeland's Got Talent Show @6pm

• Wednesday, April 24
• Early Release Day
• Workout Wednesday
• Administrative Assistant Day!  Time to show Trisha how much we appreciate her!
• Jenny in meeting from 8:30-10am
• Staff meeting at 2:30 in IMC

• Thursday, April 25
• Academic and SEL mtg for 3rd gr from 12:05-12:55pm

• Friday, April 26
• 4K Mini-Concert in Elem. gym at 2:15pm

Nitty-Gritty

• Save the Date!
• This summer the Dodgeland Summit is planned for Thursday, August 15.  This will be an alternative compensation checkmark, and a perfect way to learn from each other.  It's also a great way to feed your brain!  If you have a topic you would like to present, please let me know!

• Technology Summer Book Club
• Did you sign up for this summer's book club with the Technology Department?  The book is called "EdTech Essentials: Top 10 Technology Strategies for All Learning Environments by Monica Burns.  Please see Christina's email from Wednesday for more information about the book.  Click HERE to sign up for the book club.

• School Safety Reminders
• On Wednesday, Brad sent out an email describing some upcoming safety improvements coming to Dodgeland, but also reminders of things we need to remember to do.  Please remember to update your class rosters in your GO Bag if you have had any changes to your classrooms.  Your keys/fob should never be given to a student so that items can be kept secure.  Finally, make sure that you know what the procedure is no matter where you are at the school, inside or outside.

• Early Release Day
• Our last early release day is next week Wednesday. We will have a staff meeting starting at 2:30 that afternoon.  The rest of the time is yours to meet and plan as teams.  (I am aware that there are a few IEP meetings that afternoon as well.). Please plan for instruction for the last few weeks.  What is the priority for your class? A schedule will be out early next week for paras and Dodgeland Den coverage.

• Spring District Assessments
• The Spring assessment windows are coming up.  The dates for this spring are May 6-17.  Please make sure to communicate with specialists and interventionists if you have students that need accommodations for these assessments.  If you need help or support, please let me know. 

• End of the Year Picnic
• Our end of the year picnic is planned for Tuesday, May 28 from 4:30-6:30pm.  We currently have 3 food trucks confirmed for families/staff to purchase food from, the NHS is creating and running about 6 carnival games, face painting from art students and Ms. Mook, Brad is helping to set up equipment for music on the playground, yard games will be set out for families and children to play with, the Scholastic BOGO Book Fair is open, and we will have a special guest, "The Bubble Lady" from 5-6pm on the grass soccer area for all.  I hope you all are able to attend and celebrate your hard work too.  Feel free to bring your families as well!

TechKnow Tip

As we strive to improve communication and efficiency at Dodgeland, we’d like to encourage everyone to utilize the

power of our shared Google Drive. Shared driveare special folders in Google Drive that you can use to store, search, and access files with a team. Shared drive files

belong to the team instead of an individual. Even if members leave, the files stay in the shared drive so your team

can keep sharing information and work anywhere, from any device.

Benefits of Using Shared Google Drive:

• Enhanced Collaboration: Work together simultaneously on projects, lesson plans, and resources.

Team members can edit, suggest changes, and see revisions instantly.

• Improved Accessibility: Access files from anywhere, anytime, on any device with an internet

connection. No more struggling with lost USB drives or outdated versions!

• Increased Organization: Create folders and subfolders to keep everything organized and easy

to find. Share specific folders or documents with colleagues for targeted collaboration.

• Version Control: Never lose track of changes! Google Drive automatically saves revisions,

allowing you to revert to previous versions if needed.

• Streamlined Communication: Eliminate the need for multiple email attachments. Share files

directly within Google Drive for a more efficient workflow.

Get started with Google Shared Drives by logging into your Google Drive, locate “Shared drives” along the left-hand side. 

If you would like to set up a shared drive please reach out to anyone in the tech department. If you have additional

questions about how shared drive works don't hesitate to ask.

Friday Funny

Every day I am certain that all of us have moments where we hear or see something that a child does and it makes us stop and think, "Did that just happen?  Did I just see/hear that?"  Some of us make a note of all of those things and put them together into a fun book to read! :-) This past week, FaceBook reminded me of a memory of story that was of 1st Grade Ella.  I think the funniest part of this memory is listening to Ella 14 years later telling me what I got wrong about the story and how this becomes even more of a shaking my head moment. If you see her this week, be sure to ask her to retell this story! Anyone else have stories like these in your family or classroom? (Also just had to share a picture of her at the age that this story happened!)

April 12, 2024

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• Our Jr. Coaches got to join other Jr. Coaches from around WI in Milwaukee to play and learn on Wednesday.  Shout out to Teresa for organizing this, supervising them and making it happen for them through PlayWorks! Also, shout out to Ann for going along to supervise and play too!

• 3K/4K Screening staff put in a lot of extra time, effort and work to welcome our new students and families!  It was a long couple of days, but our families were very appreciative!  Shout out to Amber, Bethany T, Chris, Stephanie S (who prepared for it and supported us while on maternity leave!), Brittany, Karissa, Jill, Ella, Chrissy, Hailey, Nicole, Teresa, Trisha and Lexi.

• Also shout out to James and Roxanne who were so helpful to us with the set up planning and with putting things away for the screening as well.

• Finally, screening would have been MUCH more difficult without Brad.  He taught Trisha and I how to get the pieces done for PowerSchool that we needed for future enrollment/registration.  He got the devices ready, answered all my annoying phone calls, and even stuck around at the beginning of the night to make sure everything went smoothly.  Thank you so very much!

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Sunday, April 14
• Happy Birthday Mary Jo!

• Monday, April 15
• Happy Birthday Bethany D!
• Teresa Chambers will be out all week at a training
• Bus Duty: TCaine, Riege, Juech, Vertz (3K/4K playground)
• Forward Testing for Grades 3-4-5 (8am-11:30am)
• Recess for 3-4-5 at 9:45-10am
• Mentor/Mentee mtg @ 3:15 in IMC (Year 1, 2 and 3 teachers)
• HS Track meet today.  Parking lots will be quite full.

• Tuesday, April 16
• Social Media Posts due: Juech, Braunschweig
• Forward Testing for Grades 3-4-5 (8am-11:30am)
• Recess for 3-4-5 at 9:45-10am
• CANCELED SEL mtg for 4th gr (combined with Wed. mtg)
• Lunch Detention Supervisors
• 12:00 - Huso
• 12:30 - Zastrow
• 1:00 - Anderson
• MS Track meet, parking lots will be quite full

• Wednesday, April 17
• Happy Birthday Lexi!
• Forward Testing for Grade 4 (8am-9:45am)
• Recess for 3-4-5 at 9:45-10am
• 4th gr. Academic data meeting (will talk SEL then too) from 12:35-1:25 pm
• 5th Gr Biography Fair @ 1:45pm (Sign up for a time HERE)

• Thursday, April 18
• Student Nurses will be here. (Here is the schedule)
• Run for State at 8:30am
• Forward Testing for Grade 4 (8:45 - 10:00am)
• Jenny in a meeting from 8-10am
• Guest Speaker for 1st Graders in the IMC from 11:30-12:00pm
• Lunch Detention Supervisors
• 12:00 - Open
• 12:30 - Open
• 1:00 - Anderson

• Friday, April 19
• Jenny in a meeting from 9-10am

• Saturday, April 20
• Happy Birthday Karissa!
• Happy Birthday Jerry K!

Nitty-Gritty

• Gallup Engagement Survey
• On Monday, April 8, you received an email from Gallup with a link to a survey. The survey is anonymous, but helps to give us feedback.  Please take the 5-10 minutes to complete the survey as soon as you are able.  Mrs. Johnson emailed us on April 3 with some additional details regarding this survey as well.  One of the clarifications relates to one of the questions.  Below is her message regarding this question.
• I will share again that one of the questions needs a bit of clarification (because I was confused when I saw it).  There will be a statement for you to respond to:  I have a best friend at work. This isn’t literally asking if your best friend works here, but is getting to if you have people at work that you do feel you can go to, whether it is to ask questions or get support. 

• Clearview Residents
• I know that 3rd grade and 1st grade are planning to visit residents next month.  If anyone else has an activity or idea for how to provide joy and learning for our students, please reach out to Amanda Stein, the Director of Life Enrichment at Clearview, at astein@co.dodge.wi.us

• Forward Testing
• Next week is our last full scale week of testing.  Even if you are not proctoring a test, we will all need to work together to provide a strong testing environment for our kids.  This might mean we need to move our schedules, our students may need to travel a new direction during testing times, quiet hallways are necessary at a higher level, our interventionists will not be able to take all of their groups, and our some of our staff and students will be under more stress.  Please support each other and our students with kind words and actions next week and every week!

Recess Information

4k - the grass zone and sidewalk zone will open on 4/22 weather permitting. 

5k-5th - the soccer zone will open on 4/22 weather permitting. Please continue to reinforce students lining up

behind the cones for kickball and gaga ball and remind students they should not be touching/playing with the

sticks, trees, or mud.

Behavior Specialist Information

I will be out at training from 4/15-4/19. Wishing you all a peaceful and engaging week full of regulation.

TechKnow Tip

A note from Christina: 

I don’t know if you are the same as me, but I always find myself with a clearer head in the summer.

Perhaps it is the fewer decisions that need to be made or the more fresh air I’m able to get, but I tend to do my

best “school year thinking” over summer. In the spirit of summer “school year thinking”, I would like to offer

up a group summer professional development opportunity: a book club around the book by Monica Burns titled EdTech Essentials: The Top 10 Technology Strategies for All Learning Environments. 

She states, “In this book, we will examine the EdTech skills and strategies that are essential for all students if we

want to prepare them to succeed in the digital world of today and tomorrow. With so much going on in the EdTech

space, focusing on the essentials is key. I have narrowed the list to 10 indispensable skills and strategies,

highlighting the roles of teachers and students.” Similar to her other book (Tasks Before Apps), Monica Burns

believes learning must be front and center and digital tools should be used with intention. In this book club,

we will work to find the balance of strategic use of technology and hands-on experience, all while being intentional

with technology.

The skills and strategies she has identified as essential (and will be discussing) are: 

• Help students navigate online spaces effectively

• Curate resources to support all students

• Introduce opportunities for students to explore the world

• Develop structures to give students the ability to collaborate

• Give students time and space to create products of learning

• Assess students to check for understanding and pivot instruction

• Provide opportunities for students to share what they have learned

• Connect student work to a relevant and authentic audience

• Help students develop skills they can transfer across digital spaces

• Plan for tech-rich learning experiences

Burns states, “Each chapter includes an overview of the skill or strategy being discussed and why it is essential,

connections to research, classroom examples for all grade levels, and websites and mobile apps to help build your

EdTech tool belt. 

If learning together with the guide of good literature, listening to diverse thinking, and pushing your teaching practices is just what you are looking for this summer, please sign up here for this EdTech Essentials summer book club.

Friday Funny

I love to listen to kids' imaginations.  I watch grown adults get to play every day with our little ones and their imaginations.  From helping to "rotate tires" and "changing the oil" in their "car" which is really a scooter, or calling each other on their watch, or buying things from their "store, I am always so glad that I get to go to work and have conversations like these.  What other job would get to be that FUN!  So when I saw this joke, it reminded me of the many ways that we get to play pretend with our students each week.  Laughter is very good for for our souls and our stress levels.

April 5, 2024

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• Teachers spent time welcoming our students back warmly and kindly.  We know that some of our students couldn't wait to get back to us.  Thank you for being the caring professionals you are each and every day!

• Shout out to Trisha C and Patrick S for advocating for their students!  Their students have the most testing to complete every year.  I appreciate that they advocate for them to have a schedule that will not over tax them and limit stress as much as possible.  Thank you!

• The 3K and 4K team has been working very hard at preparing to meet our new families.  The attention to detail, organization and the many ways that they are preparing to give families information, answer questions, and hopefully ease any anxiety for both kids and adults!

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, April 8
• Bus Duty: Anderson, Miller, Huso, Mosher (3K/4K playground)
• EP Meeting at 3:15 in the IMC (Doc Log, SLO)
• Jenny in meeting from 12 - 3:15pm
• Summer School Registration begins

• Tuesday, April 9
• Seals on Wheels Visit - They will be coming around to classrooms all day.
• SEL/Academic Mtg for 5th gr - 12:35-1:25pm
• Lunch Detention Supervisors
• 12:00 - Stampfl
• 12:30 - Zastrow
• 1:00 - Open

• Wednesday, April 10
• Workout Wednesday
• JR Coach Field trip to Milwaukee
• Jenny in meeting from 8:30-10am
• 3K/4K Screening at Dodgeland in 3K/4K hallway from 3:30-6:30pm
• CANCELED STAFF MEETING

• Thursday, April 11
• Student Nurses from Maranatha here for the day
• Happy Birthday Melissa Caine-Arnes!
• Statewide Tornado Drill at 1:45
• Lunch Detention Supervisors
• 12:00 - Open
• 12:30 - Open
• 1:00 - Bingen
• 3K/4K Screening at Reeseville Community Center from 4-6:30pm

• Friday, April 12
• Complete the Everyday Speech survey by the end of the day

• Saturday, April 13
• Wheelchair Basketball Event 9am-noon in HS gym

Nitty-Gritty

• Everyday Speech Survey
• Sophie sent out an email asking for feedback regarding the SEL curriculum we have used for the past two years called Everyday Speech.  Your thoughts will be very helpful in this analysis.  Please complete this by April 12 so that the information can be gathered.  If you have any questions, please see Sophie or myself.

• Apparel Store for Staff
• Dodgeland Spirit Wear 2024 is now open!  Find items that were selected specifically for Dodgeland. Check out the shop details below:
• Shop Now: https://bsnteamsports.com/shop/knLQUzBzPV
• Store Open from April 1-April 30, 2024

• 3K/4K Screening Days
• On Wednesday, April 10 there is a packed day of families with new 3K or 4K students coming in for the screening activities, see the classrooms, and meet staff.  For some, this will be there first time in a school.  I share this because there will be a number of visitors in the 3K/4K hallway. Dodgeland Den for grades 3K-5K will be relocated to the PLTW lab for the evening. On Thursday, the screening event will be held at the Reeseville Community Center from 4-6:30pm.  There are a number of open spots that evening if you know of anyone else that would like to attend.

• Maranatha Nursing Students
• The nursing students will be in the district on April 11 and April 18.  During their time here, they will be coming to classrooms to teach a 20 min. lesson on handwashing and/or preventing the sharing of germs.  Please sign up for a time for them to come to your classroom HERE.

Friday Funny

I have always been a very clumsy person.  I had some really dumb injuries as a child.  I broke my pinky toe running into my sister's heel racing to answer the phone.  (That was when it was a landline that was connected to the wall!) or I fell trying to do cartwheels in the kitchen and ended up on crutches for 3 weeks.  And, that is just a couple of klutzy moments.  However, when I came across this meme, I thought, "How true this is!"  Anyone else connect with this!  :-)

PS:  I am aware there is a typo, and I am doing my best to ignore it!