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!