September 11, 2026

Hear Ye, Hear Ye

Supportive, Encouraging, Positive

• Shout out to Sue and Nicole that gave each other 8 min. to connect and support one another!  Way to go!  (I know it seems like a lot of time in our busy days, but it does feel good, especially if you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed.

• Shout out to Bethany who shared some awesome news about her 5K class from the fall testing!  Thank you for sharing such awesome news.  I can't wait to see what they accomplish this school year!

• Today I got to hear Delaney recite positive affirmations after a somewhat difficult situation with one of her students. (It may have started as a funny conversation with colleagues, but it also helped me feel good too!) Her colleagues are supporting her and I appreciate the positivity.  Please know that you have a whole team that is here for you!

• Shout out to Teresa, Rachael and Andrea T. who supported and/or checked in with staff members that had a very emotional couple of hours this morning. While the student was struggling, it is also very overwhelming for the adults in these situations as well.  Thank you for supporting one another through these situations.

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, September 14
• Fall Fundraiser begins - Show video to your class today
• 5K collab meeting on SEL/Behavior from 11-11:30
• AM Duties for the week:
• Big Playground - O'Toole, Bingen, Arnes
• 3K/4K Playground - Braunschweig, Schulz
• Breakfast - Schellpfeffer
• Lunch Duties for the week:
• 12:00 - Lucht, Donovan
• 12:30 - Miller, Greer
• 1:00 - Neis, Klink
• PM Duties for the week:
• Big Playground - Huso, Mook
• Circle Drive - Rollins
• Mentor/Mentee Meeting in IMC from 3:15-4pm

• Tuesday, September 15
• Jenny in meeting from 9-11am
• 5th gr. Collab mtg from 8:35-9:20 - Reading
• 2nd gr. Collab mtg from 12:30-1pm - Math
• Hoodie day - Patti said she wasn't sure if the weather would cooperate for this though!  :-)

• Wednesday, September 16
• Jenny in meeting from 8:30-10:30am
• 4th gr Collab mtg from 11:35-12:20 - Reading

• Thursday, September 17
• 1st gr. Collab mtg from 9:35-10:20 - SEL
• 3rd gr. Collab mtg from 2:05-2:50 - Math
• Tornado Drill - 2:30pm
• Jenny in mtg from 10:30-11:30

• Friday, September 18
• Happy Birthday Kimi!
• Field Day - Coach Maggie will be in the building for the day!
• 4K Pyramid Model mtg from 1:15-2pm

Nitty-Gritty

• Everyday Speech
• If you did not get an invitation to the EveryDay Speech today, please let me know.  Everyday Speech is the SEL curriculum for grades 2-5. It also is bundled with the social communication lessons that might be helpful for SEL lessons or interventions.

• Food for Conferences
• If you haven't already, please complete the google form regarding food for dinner the night of conferences. The PTC would like to support us by providing dinner for all of us that evening.  The link is HERE if you need to respond yet.

• i-Ready inform
• I don't remember if I shared that the i-Ready diagnostic assessment has been revised for this school year.  It is now called i-Ready Inform. It is supposed to be a bit shorter, but I've heard different opinions on whether teachers/students are noticing that it is in fact shorter.  Either way, I wanted to make sure that you were aware of this change.

• Fall Fundraiser
• The packets were delivered to classrooms on Thursday. Please send these home on Monday, Sept. 14.  The kick off video is HERE. Please show this to your class on Monday at some time during the day. The orders are due on Monday, October 5. Fundraiser committee: Please see me to discuss this next week.  :-)

• PTC Teacher Request Form
• If you have a request from PTC to help financially for things for your classroom or students, click HERE to make a copy of the form to fill out and turn in to Pete or myself to get to the PTC for their agenda. 

• School Pictures are in!
• Ella is working on sorting the box of photo packages. She will put the pictures for students in your class when they are complete and will cross reference with the class lists to see who needs a picture taken on Retake day on September 29!  Watch your email for a list and also a sample message to send to your families to determine if anyone else wants to get their picture retaken.

• Collab Meetings
• For collab meetings, please bring a device, any beginning of the year data from your classroom that you have and be ready to discuss the following questions:
• What do we want our students to learn?
• How do we know they learned it?
• What do we do when they don't learn it?
• What do we do next when they have mastered the skill?

• Go Bags and Sub Plans
• Do you have these things complete and ready for any unexpected emergencies? Make sure your go bag has an updated class list.  Make sure you have some emergency plans within your sub folder on the shared drive. I will be checking for them starting on Sept. 18. They can be reused from previous years if they still fit, etc. but please check them over to be sure it is what you want.

ML Information

Quarter 1 Focus: The PreK-5 WIDA Framework & Mindset

PreK-5 Content Teachers Are Language Teachers

Did You Know? You don't need an ESL endorsement to teach language! When you teach how to measure in math or observe life cycles in science, you are teaching the specific language of those elementary subjects.

Take it to the Next Level: Explore the WIDA ELD Standards Framework, 2020 Edition to see K-5 subject-area language expectations.

The "Can Do" Mindset in Elementary

Did You Know? WIDA focuses on what young Multilingual Learners (MLs) can do. A kindergarten ML might not speak English yet, but they can draw a sequence, point to details, and act out stories!

Take it to the Next Level: Download the WIDA Can Do Descriptors for PreK-5 to assess student strengths.

Recess Information

Inclusive play

Please continue to encourage students including everyone, splitting teams fairly, and being good sports.

Junior Coaches 

Junior coaches will start Monday. Please give them grace and support them as they learn to facilitate positive game play.

Behavior Specialist Information

Zones of Regulation

Most classrooms have had a chance to learn Zones now. Staff, please use the Zones language as much as possible to help our students identify their feeling and an appropriate calming strategy. Here is the video link if anyone wants/needs to review it. The video will also be posted on DoJo for families.

TechKnow Tip

Remember to take a moment to look around your room before you leave for the day. Be sure to unplug string lights or lamps and turn off your ViewSonic board. For a touch ViewSonic board, long hold the power button until you receive a message regarding shutdown. For a display only ViewSonic board, use your remote control and aim it at the bottom right-hand corner of the TV. This is important for the longevity of the board and overall electricity usage.

Friday Funny

The reason I think this is funny is because there are some things that just get stuck in your long term memory and it never leaves.  I remember a song my Spanish teacher taught us about the capitals of the countries in South America. I'm not sure when I will ever use that information, but it's in my brain and it takes up room that I know I could really use for something else!  Enjoy Taylor's rendition of the State Song!  :-)