October 31, 2025

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• Thank you to everyone that helped with the playground evacuation drills. We will continue to practice these drills in the weeks/months to come, but I appreciate everyone's help today and especially to Teresa for organizing it!

• Shout out to the Lexi D, Chris, Betsy and Ella for stepping in and making the week smooth for all of our 3K and EC students with the unexpected, but exciting events of this week! Congratulations Amber! We are all so happy for you!

• I am loving seeing the many ways that so many of you communicate with families on Class Dojo. There are so many examples of parents involved in what is happening in their child's classroom.  Thank you for taking the time to post updates frequently and keep families informed!

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Saturday, November 1/Sunday, November 2
• Daylight Savings - Don't forget to set your clocks back!

• Monday, November 3
• Morning Duty
• Playground/Blacktop: Schulte, Fortmann, Caine-Arnes
• 4K Playground: Braunschweig, Chambers (meet bus please)
• Breakfast: O'Toole, Schuett
• Lunch Duty
• 12:00 - Ellefson
• 12:30 - Juech
• 1:00 - Neis
• Afternoon Duty
• Playground/blacktop: Klink, Juech
• Parking Lot: Rollins
• Vision Screening All Day - Schedule is below
• Lunch Detentions for this week: Lucht, O'Toole, Schulte
• NO Library Lessons today

• Tuesday, November 4
• Fall Flannel Day - Wear your cozy flannel!
• Patti is gone all day
• Teresa is gone all day
• Social Media Posts due to Jenny: Stampfl, O'Toole, Fortmann
• Jenny in meeting from 9-10:30am
• Para Meeting from 3:15-3:45pm

• Wednesday, November 5
• Workout Wednesday
• Patti is gone all day
• Teresa is gone all day
• Jenny in meetings from 8-10:30am
• Louann's last day with us. :-(

• Thursday, November 6
• Teresa is gone all day
• Happy Birthday Lindsey!
• Welcome Back Taylor!

• Friday, November 7
• Jenny in meeting from 9-10am
• Citizenship grades for October due in Gradebook

Nitty-Gritty

• Run for State
• On Friday, Oct. 31, starting at 10:30am, we will be celebrating 2 cross country runners that will be competing this weekend at state. Mr. Thompson will announce when to come to the hallway to cheer on our students.

• Resources for Families and Employees
• Please keep Jen's email and information handy in case you have any families that need help with anything. The flyers can be sent to families if you need to, but if you know what is available, you will be able to offer the information to them. If you want any assistance with this, please let me know!

• IMC/Library Lessons are closed on Monday, Nov 3
• Mrs. Rollins is out of the district today for professional learning. If you have library lessons on Mondays, please see her email to book a new time for your class to go to the library next week.  Thank you for your flexibility!

• Fundraiser pick up (looking ahead)
• Pick up for the fundraiser items is on Monday, November 10. If you are available at all to help with handing out the orders, please let me know.  Usually it is only busy until around 4pm and then it gets much slower.  In addition, if you are available (or have a TA you'd be willing to send my way after 1:30) to help organize the materials in the commons, I would appreciate it!

Vision Screening Schedule

TechKnow Tip

The Power of the Software Update

As we move into the final week of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, here is a simple habit that makes a huge difference: Updating your software promptly!

Think of a software update like repairing a small hole in a fence. If you leave it, someone could sneak through. Updates fix tiny "vulnerabilities" that attackers can use to exploit our systems—and your personal devices, too!

This quick action helps secure both our district's digital environment and your own personal devices at home.

• District Devices: When you see a notification for a software update on your district-issued laptops, tablets, or other devices, please install it promptly. Avoid clicking "Remind me later."

• Personal Devices: We also strongly recommend that you turn on automatic updates for your personal phone, tablet, and computer operating systems.

Installing these updates right away is one of the easiest ways you can ensure a safer digital life for yourself and our entire school community!

ML Information

Here are the last two tips for the 1st quarter!

• Provide Wait Time. After asking a question, give EL students extra "think time" before expecting an answer. They may need to translate the question and formulate their response.

• Partner Up. Pair EL students with a supportive, patient peer for collaborative activities. This encourages low-stakes conversation and practice, which is crucial for 

Don’t forget you can find even more resources here: Dodgeland Teacher Resources. You can also feel free to email me or schedule an appointment! 

Recess Information

Feedback from the Playground Evacuation

Please add any questions, concerns or feedback from our drill HERE. Thanks for everyone’s help and flexibility in learning this new procedure.

In Case you Missed It - Recess All Grades

Rob and I will be working together to have a "tag game" of the week. He will teach it in PE and then the following week that will be the "tag game" that will be played in our tag zones. It will be listed in the daily announcements. Currently kids are coming up with their own games like "trip tag" where you trip each other... hence the change.

Please also help kids at recess to use regulation skills (Zones Posters are on recess doors and I'll print some and put them in the shed) and make apologies to each other as appropriate.

5k-1 - Bridge ball should be played in the Gaga pit, not Gaga.

2nd/3rd grade - the 4 square courts will be used to play BLOCKER BALL. Here are the rules: https://www.playworks.org/game-library/blocker-ball/. Regular 4 square is not an option and is closed until further notice. I will be outside to help make this change as well as have a junior coach run it.

Friday Funny

I think this is kind of funny.  Now if you are Ella, you just ignore these signs.  :-)

October 24, 2025

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• Shout out to Gabrielle! She has been working so hard at getting us on track for compliance and preparation for the upcoming assessments and plans our ML students need.  Way to go Gabrielle!

• Thank you all for the ways that you step in and help each other out when we are ill, or have unexpected things happen.  I truly appreciate your flexibility and assistance.

• I love listening to our kids tell me about the things that they saw or learned while on a field trip.  I know there is a lot of extra planning, work and money put in for students to attend these trips, but please know how much this means to our students to be able to have those experiences.

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, October 27
• Morning Duty:
• Playground/Blacktop: Stampfl, Tietz, Neis
• 4K Playground: Mook (meet buses), Houk
• Breakfast: Westphal, Ellefson
• Lunch Duty:
• 12:00: Wagner
• 12:30: Westphal
• 1:00: CaineT
• Afternoon Duty:
• Playground/Blacktop: CaineT, Duhr
• Circle Drive: Huelsman
• Jenny in Meeting from 9-10am
• School Board Meeting (Annual Meeting too) @ 6:30pm

• Tuesday, October 28
• 5K Field Trip to Ebert's from 8-11:30am
• Jenny in meeting from 9-10:30am

• Wednesday, October 29
• Workout Wednesday
• POP-UP PD in IMC from 3:20-3:45pm on iOS 26 updates

• Thursday, October 30

• Friday, October 31
• Happy Halloween!
• End of Quarter 1

Nitty-Gritty

• Pop Up PD is coming up!  Mark your Calendars!

ML Information

It is a common misconception among educators that language support is exclusively beneficial for multilingual learners (MLs).

This is perhaps the most transformative shift: recognizing that every student is a language learner, and every subject has its own academic language. From math to PE, students need support to learn and use subject-specific vocabulary. Language-rich instruction benefits all learners, not just MLs.

You may be asking yourself, “How can I do this?”

WIDA has created grade level clusters to help teachers of all core content areas with language support. The best part is that these supports will help ALL learners in your classroom. Check them out on the Dodgeland Teacher Resources link or from here:

Quick Access Kindergarten Language Cluster	Quick Access Grade 6-8 Language Cluster	Quick Access Grade 9-12 Language Cluster
Quick Access Grade 1 Language Cluster
Quick Access Grades 2-3 Language Cluster
Quick Access Grades 4-5 Language Cluster

Don’t forget you can find even more resources here: Dodgeland Teacher Resources. You can also feel free to email me or contact me at any time! 😀

TechKnow Tip

As part of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, let's focus on staying sharp and spotting those tricky emails known as Phishing attempts. Phishing scams try to trick you into giving away personal information, and they can target your school account just as easily as your personal email, social media, or bank accounts.

The key is to stay alert and look closely before you click!

• Check the Sender: Does the email address perfectly match the person it claims to be from (Admin, IT, a colleague, or a family member)? If the domain looks slightly off, be suspicious.

• Hover Over Links: Before clicking, always hover your mouse over any link. Check the destination URL that pops up (usually in the corner of your screen). If the link address doesn't match the destination mentioned in the email, do not click it!

• Verify Attachments: Be extremely cautious about opening unexpected attachments, even if they seem to come from someone you know.

Your Action Step: If you spot an email that looks like a scam in your school inbox, be a cyber-hero and click on the "fishing hook" button to report it immediately! Your vigilance helps keep everyone in our district safe.

Friday Funny

I honestly can't tell you how fast time seems to fly, but this just hit me in a way that makes me laugh (and it's a bit sad too.). Enjoy!

October 17, 2025

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• A number of IEP and Eval meetings have been held in the last week or so.  I'm constantly impressed by Dodgeland staff that can explain complex test results in a way that parents understand and also make sure that everyone at the team feels like a part of the team.  These are not always easy meetings, but knowing that the staff cares about the progress of their child has to feel good.  I'm truly blessed to work with such competent and caring professionals.

• Shout out to Louann who has been such a great addition to our staff.  Her time with us is coming to a close soon, but we are not quite ready to let her go!  We miss Taylor of course, but she has been so wonderful to have in the building and getting Taylor's class of to a strong start!  Thank you so much Louann!

• Shout out to Ms. Tietz who is working so hard at putting procedures and systems in place to help her students with behavior.  I appreciate so much that she works hard at organization, communication and making it fit with the students on her caseload.  Great job Andrea!

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, October 20
• Morning Duty:
• Playground/Blacktop: Miller, Zastrow, Bingen
• 4K playground: BCaine, Vertz (meet bus)
• Breakfast: Wagner, Donovan
• Lunch Duty:
• 12:00 - Schuett
• 12:30 - Miller
• 1:00 - Klink
• Afternoon Duty:
• Blacktop/Playground: Mantei, Lucht
• Circle Drive: Betsy
• Lunch Detention this week: Donovan, Mantei, Bingen
• Pop-Up PD in IMC from 3:20-3:45 on iPadOS 26 updates

• Tuesday, October 21
• Social Media Posts due to Jenny: Mook, Arnes
• Happy Birthday Sue Reimer!
• Jenny in meeting from 9-10:30am

• Wednesday, October 22
• Wear Orange to support Anti-Bullying Month (also Workout Wednesday)
• Staff meeting in IMC from 3:15-4pm

• Thursday, October 23
• 1st Grade and 4K Field Trips (all day trips)

• Friday, October 24
• PD Day, Dodgeland Den is open from 6:30-5:30pm
• SLO/PPG docs due by the end of the day

• Saturday, October 25
• FFA Fall Festival at Dodgeland from 10-4pm

Nitty-Gritty

• November Newsletter/Calendar
• Please send any events or articles that you want in the November newsletter and/or on the November calendar to Patti.  She will be working on this soon so please send as soon as you are able but no later than Oct. 27.

• Screens in Classrooms
• Friendly Reminder:  Please make sure that you are turning off the screens in your classroom when you are not using it and especially before leaving at the end of the night so that we can preserve the life of the screen.  Thank you!

• Anti-Bullying Posters
• Please turn in any posters your students have made by the end of the day on Friday, 10/17.  Winners will be announced next week and winning posters will be displayed for our student body.

• PD Agenda for 10/24
• The agenda will be out early next week for all staff.  There will be work time for grade levels, Act 20 training, AIMSWeb progress monitoring training, Pyramid Model training, etc. If you have any questions, please let me know.

• Mr. Greco message - See his message to staff below

I have enjoyed visiting classrooms over the last couple of weeks. While there are a multitude of things to do each day, it is important to me to be in classrooms to see the important work being done with our students. Everything we do is intended to directly, or indirectly, support teaching and learning!

I have been impressed by the strong rapport staff have with students as well as the relationships between students. I am proud to see "being good to yourselves and each other" modeled for our students. The enthusiasm staff show students for the subjects under study, the authentic learning our students are being exposed to, and the thoughtful care being put into lesson planning to engage our students in meaningful ways is fantastic.  

Thank you for welcoming me into our learning spaces. It has been my highlight, and makes identifying 5 things that went well each day very easy for me as I reflect during my evening commute.

Looking to purchase new Dodgeland Wear?

We have a school clothing site where you can purchase Dodgeland clothing for all ages. Click HERE for the site to see all the options.  Below is a coupon/code you can use to save some money.  The expiration is the end of November.

TechKnow Tip

Double-Lock Your Digital Doors with MFA

This Cybersecurity Awareness Month, let's talk about Multifactor Authentication (MFA), which is one of the easiest and most important ways to boost your security!

Think of your password as a key. MFA is like adding a second, high-security lock that requires a separate code, fingerprint, or notification approval before anyone can get in. It's a critical extra layer of defense that protects both our school's administrative and teaching platforms and your own personal email, social media, and financial accounts at home.

The Tip: Turn on MFA wherever it's offered!

• School Accounts: If a platform you use for teaching or administration offers MFA, please enable it immediately.

• Personal Accounts: We strongly advise you to do the same for your personal bank and email accounts.

For the most robust protection, we suggest choosing the most secure method available, such as an authenticator app (like Microsoft Authenticator or Google Authenticator) over less secure methods like text messages (SMS)

MFA is your security superhero, preventing hackers from getting in even if they manage to steal your password.

ML Information

How do you Build a Vocabulary-Rich Classroom for English Learners?

Here are some ideas from Episode 198 of Equipping ELLs by Beth Vaucher :

• Target Tier 2 Words: Focus instruction on Tier 2 academic vocabulary (e.g., analyze, distribute), as these are the high-impact words most useful across subjects. Limit yourself to selecting 6–8 key words per unit.

• Plan with Context: Use a simple planning framework to teach words in meaningful context, ensuring your lessons are culturally responsive and scaffolded to student proficiency levels.

• Go Visual: Create anchor charts and flashcards for new vocabulary to provide essential visual supports and reduce the cognitive load for learners, particularly newcomers.

• Teach "Shades of Meaning": Move beyond simple definitions by teaching synonyms and related terms. This helps students grasp the nuances and use the words with greater precision.

• Prioritize Repetition: Ensure words are simple, targeted, and repeated frequently in various contexts so students can move from recognition to confident, active use.

• Simplify to Stick: Keep vocabulary instruction focused and avoid overwhelming students, emphasizing that words should be learned and applied in real-life situations.

Don’t forget you can find even more resources here: Dodgeland Teacher Resources. Feel free to email me/contact me at any time! 😀

Friday Funny

Did you see this weird play from this week? The outfield, Sal Frelick, uses colorful language if you can read his lips that I apologize for, but watching this made me laugh. But the memes of Sal afterward were even better!

October 10, 2025

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• 2nd graders were learning some capitalization rules for proper nouns, beginning of sentences and always the word I. Way to go!

• Shout out to Miss Lucht who kindly, patiently and clearly helped her students reflect and process a difficult day in the classroom.  She helped her students to show empathy and think about perspectives, including putting themselves in others' shoes.  This is an important skill to build as a foundation!

• We continue to have a number of new students/families join our elementary school. Thank you to the many of you that are welcoming them so warmly, even though it often means catching your new student(s) up to the established routines and perhaps making more changes.  I tell anyone and everyone, that I work in a phenomenal school with the best educators I know.  So many of these students/families that are joining our school tell me frequently how much their children like coming to school.  This is because of you all and the environment we build together. Thank you for being you!

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Sunday, October 12
• Happy Birthday Teresa!

• Monday, October 13
• Brewers Day! (Regardless of how it turns out, I love our Crew!)
• Morning Duty:
• Blacktop/Playground: Fortmann, Arnes, Chambers
• 4K Playground: Braunschweig, O'Toole (meet buses by stop sign)
• Breakfast: Schuett, Schulte
• Lunch Duty:
• 12:00 - Stampfl
• 12:30 - Open - Anyone available to help out this week even if just for a couple of days
• 1:00 - Tietz
• Afternoon Duty: 
• Blacktop/Playground: Juech, Klink
• Circle Drive: Jenkins
• Lunch Detention Coverage: Ellefson, Juech, TCaine

• Tuesday, October 14
• Rescheduled Picture Day (Let's Try this again!)
• Social Media Posts due to Jenny: Miller, Braunschweig
• Jenny in meeting from 9-10:30
• Quarterly Mentor/Mentee Meeting 3:15-4pm

• Wednesday, October 15
• Jenny will be gone until around 2pm
• Parent Teacher Conferences from 4-7:30 (last night for the Book Fair as well)
• At the end of the night (or Thursday morning), please email Patti the number of conferences you had total between the two nights.

• Thursday, October 16
• Workout Wednesday moved to Thursday

• Friday, October 17

Nitty-Gritty

• Stand up, Speak Out: Anti-Bullying Efforts
• This month, we're focusing on fostering a safe and kind school environment. All students are invited to participate in our Anti-Bullying Poster Contest! Completed posters can be turned into classroom teachers (and then to Patti/Jen). Digital posters can be emailed directly to Jen. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to use their creativity to design powerful messages about kindness, inclusion, and what it means to be an upstander. Additionally, please mark your calendars for Tuesday, October 22nd, as we ask all students and staff to Wear Orange to show our collective solidarity against bullying. Together, we can make sure every student feels respected and valued. More information about both events will be in the digital signage. 

• Professional Development on 10/24/25
• The final schedule will be out next week in the blog for the PD day on Friday.  One thing to know is that we will be meeting for Act 20 training right away at 7:30 that day.  Please make sure that you have lessons 1-2 complete before then.  In addition, you will have time to work on your EP documents (especially if you are working on a group SLO) that day so I have moved the due date for the forms to the end of the day on Friday, 10/24/25.  Lastly, there are enough kids signed up for Dodgeland Den that day. It will be open that day in room 109.

• Picture Retake Day - Take 2
• Marcia is still available (thank goodness) and will be organizing this.  For students in grades 5K-2, we will have someone come to classrooms to collect students to bring them to the stage to get their pictures taken.  In grades 3K/4K, when Marcia or Patti contacts your classroom, please have one of the adults in the room escort the students to the stage.  The goal is to get started by 8:15 at the latest.

TechKnow Tip

Your Password Power-Up!

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and we want to share the most valuable security tip you can use everywhere: deploying strong and unique passwords. This practice is vital for protecting both our school systems and anything involving your personal email, bank accounts, social media and more at home. The great security habits you build here protect your digital life everywhere!

To create a powerful password strategy:

• Go Long: Aim for passwords that are at least 10-12 characters long, mixing in mixed-case letters, numbers, and symbols.

• Be Unique: Give every single online account a unique password. If a hacker breaches one account, the rest stay safe.

We highly recommend using a Password Manager to make this easy. These tools securely generate, store, and fill all your complex passwords for you. To find one that fits your needs, explore popular options like 1Password, LastPass, Apple-Passwords, or Google Password Manager just to name a few.

If you'd like quick advice on crafting a unique and hard to break password, check out this helpful site: Create and Use Strong Passwords.

ML Information and Tips

Have you ever asked yourself about or worried about these issues* with MLs in your classroom?

Recently, I sent (every teacher with an ML student) a Snapshot about that student. In that file there is a link to We Can Statements. 

The WIDA "Can Do Descriptors" are a tool for educators to understand and celebrate what multilingual learners CAN DO at different stages of English language development. They change the focus from what students are lacking to the strengths they have.

Don’t forget you can find even more resources here: Dodgeland Teacher Resources. You can also feel free to email me or contact me at any time! 😀

*Find the entire video here: WIDA's Can Do Descriptors and Using ACCESS Results.

Friday Funny

A few weeks ago, the kids and I went out for lunch on a Sunday afternoon. While there, our server told me that she thought I was much too young to be their mom. At this, my children instantly started groaning and told her that she should not have said that because "we are going to hear about this FOREVER!" and I immediately, told them that is the absolute truth. I also told them I want a picture to remember this moment of being such a YOUNG mom who is staring down a new decade at the end of the school year. Notice how excited they were to be part of my memento! :-)