December 11, 2020

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• First graders created "moving" pictures with a pencil and a rolled up piece of paper.  It was so awesome to see their excitement!
• A 3rd grader came up to be at bus duty to share that he already had 200 correct questions for the tournament!
• Teachers using every minute of their day for learning.  Time is our most precious resource every year, but especially this year.  Thank you for teaching with a sense of urgency!
• Adults showing patience, but also caring consistency with behavior expectations.  Students thrive in situations when they know what is expected, even if what is expected is a direct consequence or reminder as a result their choices/behaviors.
• Adults celebrating students returning to in-person learning to help students feel like they are part of our school community.

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, December 14
• Tuesday, December 15
• Tree Topper Tuesday - Wear holiday head gear

• Wednesday, December 16
• Work out Wednesday

• Thursday, December 17
• Friday, December 18
• Jenny has online mtg from 9-10am

Nitty-Gritty

• Lock Down Drills
• As we discussed in this week's staff meeting, it is important that each classroom walk their class through the lockdown procedures so that students and staff know what to do.  However, please keep our covid procedures in mind so that we are safe for that as well.  Below are some resources that Brad Modaff, our safety coordinator, shared with me to help.
• 2018 Lockdown Presentation - https://youtu.be/vDQgGLU9_2s
• 18-19 Staff Inservice Safety Training - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dvUGYAdZmXPilzpav3ZvIle16ZnGo7GJ/view?usp=sharing
• Please complete this drill in your homeroom classroom before winter break.  When you finish the drill, please complete this google form so that we have documentation that this drill was completed this month.
• For more information on the important procedures see these resources below:
• Active Shooter/Active Killer
• Lockdown
• Evacuation
• Off Campus Evacuation 
• Go Kit Items

Prodigy Tournament

Today I participated in a webinar regarding pieces of the prodigy program.  Lisa (our rep) recorded the session and when I get the link I will send it out to you.  This would work for a webinar towards alt. comp too.  There are so many pieces of Prodigy to make this program tailored directly to your students' math needs.  If you have not used it yet, please consider introducing it to your students.  In addition, the tournament will continue to go on for another couple of weeks.  If we can get our kids excited about it, they will want to keep practicing even during winter break! I will have another short video for students on Monday about our prodigy tournament.  Lisa is announcing something surprising tomorrow.  I can't wait to find out what it is!

•  The Triple P 
• This year we are in partnership with the Greater Watertown Health Foundation to bring the Triple P to our Dodgeland Families. Triple P stands for Positive Parenting Program.  At all times, parents need advice or help.  When my kids were very young, I called my mom constantly.  Later, I would ask questions of the friends I had with children a little older than my own.  When they got even older, I asked other parents of teens and so on.  This is totally normal.  Triple P was created to bring normalcy to parenting education and provide practical tips, advice and help for parents.  Later this spring, we will be sponsoring virtual parenting seminars.  In the meantime though, there is a referral process I can use for families that would like to work 1:1 with a parenting coach.  Please check out the seminars, discussion groups, and classes that are available for your own information or to share with families as a resource.  If you have any questions, please let me know!

PD Spotlight

• This week I was able to participate in a training that relates to our ongoing partnership with the Greater Watertown Health Foundation and the TalkReadPlay initiative.  While we can not hold our regular play groups, we are still preparing for them for next year.  The training that I was a part of used brain development and interactions with caregivers and stress in order to provide ways for "coaches" to lead play groups of parents/children from birth through age 5.  Click here to watch a 4 min. video that I found fascinating.  While we are not working with infants at Dodgeland, we do have the advantage of working with our young students and our emphasis on social-emotional learning is paramount for our students' future.  Thank you to everyone for all that you do to support our students and their emotional health at school.

Friday Funny

I hope your get this feeling this weekend!  :-)

December 4, 2020

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• A second grader explained to me his strategies that he uses when he gets frustrated.  They are much safer options!

• First graders shared facts after a read aloud about Diwali, the festival of lights.  There excitement over learning about new things is contagious!

• It was so great to see how well our students adjusted back to school routines after a week off.  They were working so hard in all of our classrooms growing and learning. 

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, Dec 7
• Prodigy Math Tournament starts (see below)

• Tuesday, Dec 8
• Festive Tuesday: Wear red/green or Christmas Attire
• Jenny is in online training from 9:30-Noon

• Wednesday, Dec 9
• Workout Wednesday
• Jenny is in online training until noon.
• Staff Meeting on BlueJeans 9203861003 at 3pm.

• Thursday, Dec. 10

• Friday, Dec. 11
• Playworks Coach Jena will be visiting 9-3pm
• Recess Academy for grades 4K/5K, click here for schedule

Nitty-Gritty

• Prodigy Math Tournament
• Dodgeland Elementary will be sponsoring a Prodigy tournament in conjunction with our partnership with Prodigy.  Click here for a letter from Prodigy.  There will be a letter for parents that I will share on Dojo next week for parents as well.  In addition to the prizes from Prodigy, all students that answer more than 200 correct questions during the tournament will be entered in a drawing for prizes from me.  Watch for a video next week to share with students.  (The time spent on it does not have to be done at school, but it can be.  The more correct answers, the more math practice students get.)

• IMC/Library
• The referendum planning is going strong and is getting closer and closer to getting started.  One of the areas that will be renovated in the first round is the IMC.  This means that the IMC needs to be packed up well before the spring.  In order for this to be done, Christina will need to suspend library lessons after winter break.  Please watch for an email from her regarding how she is supporting your students and instruction during this time period.  If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.

• Extra Clothes
• The nurse's office is running low on extra clothes for students.  If you have any extra long pants/shorts or short/long sleeved shirts in youth sizes 4T-10/12, that you would like to donate (or know someone who does), they would be very appreciative.  In addition, if students had an extra set of clothing in their locker, that would help as well.  Please share with parents so that they can send some in.

• Update on Breakfast/Lunch
• Cathy shared with me that the USDA Food and Nutrition Service extended the free meals for students to June 30, 2021.  Originally this was going to expire at the end of December, but now it will continue to the end of the school year.

• Recycling Can
• Our custodial staff shared that many recycling cans have non-recycled materials in them when they are picking them up each night.  Milk cartons, food (including apple cores, orange peels, etc), used paper towels are being placed in the recycling container.  Please remind students the difference between the garbage and the recycling containers.  

• iPad Update
• Friendly reminder:  If you haven't updated your ipad, please do so this weekend.  The latest version is iPadOS 14.2. See Brad's email from Dec 1 for more information.

• Down Dog App
• Last year, Jessica had shared with many of us about the Down Dog apps being free for teachers during the pandemic.  The company has extended their free period until July 1, 2021.  Students and teachers can sign up on the schools page.  Click here to sign up.  The apps help provide wellness practices for adults and children.

PD Spotlight

I have had the privilege of spending a lot of time with 4 year olds in the last year or so (including my own nephew Johnny--Just had to share a cute pic!).  When I watched one of the latest Pinkcast videos in which he talked about how often an average 4 year old laughs, it has made me more aware of the cute giggles and infectious laughs that I hear each day.  This Pinkcast video makes me really think about how I can make sure I take some of this glee and make sure to add it to my own day as well.  I just love how Daniel Pink has brought attention to this through highlighting the book, Humor, Seriously by Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas.  It may be just what we all need too.  I believe I am going to complete a personal humor audit.  Who's with me?

Friday Funny

Anyone know what this is from?  A hint is on the wall behind my desk.  I realize that this is the kind of joke you need background knowledge for, but for my family and I, this is funny!

November 24, 2020

 Happy Thanksgiving!

I am so thankful for each and every one of you.  Dodgeland has always been a special place for me and my entire family.  I am so grateful that I get to call you my Dodgeland Family.  I care about all of you so much and am so thankful that I get to work alongside such wonderful people.  I hope you all have a relaxing and happy thanksgiving break.

Thank you for . . .

Alicia - using humor and high energy to build rapport with students that encourages them to make good choices throughout the building!

Amara - using your calm and friendly, yet consistent ways, to help students get back on track.  We are lucky you chose to join our team!

Amber - recognizing the strengths and gifts our youngest learners bring to school with them every day!

Amelia - communicating clearly with me to help a struggling student in your classroom and working so hard alongside your cooperating teacher.  

Andrea S - taking on Junior Great Books at the elementary level and researching my many, many questions!

Ashley - all of the help you provide for our EC and 4K students with patience, kindness, and consistency!

Ben - asking questions and working hard at all of the brand new things you get to learn this year.

Bethany - being positive and encouraging with our kindergarteners each and every day.  I love watching them flourish in your room!  

Brad - putting up with my millions of tech questions and explaining the answers in a way that I can understand!

Brenda - encouraging students and colleagues alike.  A kind word and email are just what we all need!

Bryce - putting up with Ella.  (Just kidding). I appreciate that you help out colleagues and students by giving so much of your time.

Caroline - asking questions to find out more information to make our planning even better.

Cathy & team- providing delicious food for our students and me!

Chris - consistently following routines that help our 4K students succeed in school.

Chrissy - stepping in to help out when the unexpected happened and for asking great questions along the way!

Christina - your dedication to our students and staff to provide books and PD even with all of the challenges in place this school year!

Connie - doing such a great job of sharing strengths and challenges realistically and precisely for parents and staff to truly understand students' needs.

Courtney - jumping in and providing awesome art lessons and also for starting the process of getting ready to move the art room.  That is a BIG undertaking for the first year here!

Dixie - commiserating with me on AIMSweb and helping to problem solve this situation for next year!

Gabrielle - finding joy in the little things that happen all day long; an interesting student observation, new learning, celebrating student progress, etc.

Hailey - your expertise in working with students with a wide range of needs and always encouraging every student at Dodgeland to do and be their best!

Holly - learning about our COVID world so quickly and being a compassionate nurse to all of our students.

Jahra - teaching and modeling for our students how to greet guests, use their manners and enjoy learning every day!

Jerry - working so hard at all of the things that are needed to keep this big building functioning including the finicky HVAC system.

Jon - your willingness to step in at the elementary for lunch coverage or teaching PE and many other places.  I am glad you chose to start your career at Dodgeland!

Josh - giving gentle reminders when you are STILL waiting for me to get information to you.  Thanks for your grace and patience!

Kari - responding to the numerous radio calls from all over the building with patience and efficiency.  What would we do without you!

Kathy - continually looking for ideas and plans to support students who are struggling.  Students benefit from your problem solving skills every day.

Lance - finding and fixing the numerous supplies that teachers need; everything from replacing/reattaching a knob on the play stove to finding another desk for a new student. 

Lindsey - recognizing students' efforts and celebrating the small wins on the way to BIG wins.  

Lisa - not only understanding my random voicemails, but also for answering those same random questions!

Liz - always being so conscientious on safety measures for our students and staff, as well as making sure staff is well trained and comfortable with new procedures and tasks.

Lynn - providing information to everyone in our system with efficiency and kindness even though your plate is overflowing!

Lynnae - joining our team and becoming a sounding board for me with my HUNDREDS of Covid questions!

Mandy - your patience, your organization, and your loving ways that allow our 5K students to blossom in your room.

Marie - keeping me in line and providing support for everyone in the school; kids, staff, and parents.

Marlene - always sharing your new learning and thoughtful questions with me.  I love learning from you!

Mary Jo - providing feedback and creative solutions to issues that arise throughout the year to professional conversations with your team and myself.

Michael - joining the elementary team to continue to provide a strong PE class for our students.

Mindy - planning and implementing a systematic SEL program for all of our students.  It is essential for our work at Dodgeland.

Mitch - taking on a new reading program and giving our oldest learners exactly the instruction they need to help them become stronger readers!

Moriah - being professional at all times and working so hard alongside your cooperating teacher every day.

Natalie - being dependable and calm for your team and all of our students.  Knowing what to expect allows our students to thrive!

Nicole L - your positive, calm and friendly interactions that you have with your students that creates a wonderful learning environment for everyone.

Niki - working hard at providing what each of your students need; academically, socially and emotionally.   

Patrick - making me laugh and find joy in the day-to-day events at school.  Your humor and collegiality are noticed and appreciated!

Paula - always stepping in all over the building to help out teachers, students, parents, etc.  I appreciate being able to collaborate with each and every day!

Rachael - communicating with students, parents and staff frequently to keep everyone in the loop so that students can succeed. 

RaChelle - sharing stories with others that make people laugh.  The virtual field trip story about animal scat has made me laugh for weeks now!

Rose - showing how much you care about our students and all of the extra time you spend translating things for me.

Sabrina - taking on 5th grade including PLTW and a brand new Science TechBook with organization and skill.

Shanalyn - identifying students' strengths and problem solving with your team and colleagues on how best to help students succeed at school, academically and behaviorally.

Stacey - sharing the adorable stories and musings from the world of 1st grade.  It always makes me smile and warms my heart.

Stephanie - sharing your thoughts, ideas and questions with me frequently to help me learn more and more about 4K students and their needs.  I'm starting to get this age group!

Steve - taking such great care of our grounds so that there is always a safe place for our children to play at recess.

Sue M - keeping me up to date on the ins and outs of Title 1 and also for your attention to detail with progress monitoring.  Your hard work is appreciated more than you know!

Sue O - taking on a brand new role with energy, competence and patience.  Our entire school benefits from your expertise.

Tammy - working so hard alongside your team to provide a loving and caring learning environment for students to thrive in.

Taylor H - your communication with parents, colleagues and myself to provide students the home-school connection that our students need.

Taylor R. - advocating for yourself and your own professional learning, and at the same time becoming a role model for our students.

Teresa - organizing and creating a schedule for your team that benefits all of your students and is easy to follow for everyone involved, especially me! 

Trisha - finding and sharing with me amazing resources that help me grow as well as your colleagues.  I love opening these emails from you!

Vicky - always using your unlimited patience to guide students to make wise choices. It is a pleasure to work alongside you every day!

May your Thanksgiving be relaxing and peaceful. 

 
Stay Safe and Be Well,
Jenny

November 20, 2020

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• Flexibility is the theme of this week.  Thank you all for all the ways that we work as a team to keep our students safe and learning!
• Every day, a group of 5K students plays "Beans on Toast" that they learned in Numeracy with Sue while waiting for their ride.  It is so dang cute! (One of those little ones could be the next numeracy teacher!)
• At 5th grade recess this week, I watched a few interactions where students had a conflict about rules of a game, but they solved the problem quickly, with very little frustration and NO adult mediation. 

 

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday - Tuesday, November 23-24
• Teacher Work Days
• Jenny will be at school - Click HERE for her calendar if you need to meet with her, in-person or virtually
• Newsletters articles due to Jenny this month.  (EC/4K and 5th have signed up)

• Wednesday - Friday, November 25-27
• No School, Happy Thanksgiving

• Monday, November 30
• Welcome Back!
• Seals on Wheels begins

• Tuesday, December 1
• Seals on Wheels continues until all students are finished

• Wednesday, December 2
• Workout Wednesday
• Optional Reading A-Z training (see below) at 3pm online
• Parents' Night for Prodigy @ 7pm online

• Thursday, December 3
• Friday, December 4

Nitty-Gritty

• Seals on Wheels
• The dental hygienist will be taking over the room next to mine starting Monday, November 30.  She will come to classrooms to pick up students for the treatments throughout the day.  She is scheduled to be here for 3 days, or until all students EC-12 whose parents signed them up have been seen.  Most of the time, she will bring 2-3 students at once to be efficient with time.  Click HERE for a list of students who are currently signed up.

• Monthly Newsletter
• This year the newsletters have gone out digitally using a newsletter creation site called Smore.  Please send any articles, announcements, pictures, etc. that you would like to be in the December newsletter to Jenny before November 24.  Grades EC/4K and 5th gr originally signed up for this month's newsletter.

• BrainPop Update
• For your planning purposes, BrainPop is unavailable right now.  As soon as it is up and running again, you will be notified.

• Prodigy Updates
• Parents' Night - All elementary parents/guardians are invited to learn about prodigy with an online live webinar.  Click HERE for the flyer.  Please share with your parents in case they are interested.  It is from 7-8pm.
• Prodigy Tournament - For your information, Dodgeland will be sponsoring a Prodigy Tournament that will run from December 7th through January 4th.  Stay tuned for details.

• Email Issue
• Many of you may be aware that last week we had a big email issue happening amongst students from all levels at school.  It started with an email that was sent to all students at Dodgeland.  (This is no longer an option for students.  Thank you Josh!). However, it escalated from there with students hitting reply all and students of various grades using inappropriate language, yelling at one another, etc.  I'd like us to use this as a learning opportunity.  Common sense media has a lesson that helps teach about email etiquette.  Learning to email appropriately is an important skill.  Please help our students to learn about reply vs reply all and how emails should be written before they are sent out to avoid issues.  If you have any questions, please let me know.

• Reading A-Z Professional Development opportunity
• On December 2, at 3pm, there will be a virtual pd training on using reading A-Z to its fullest potential.  For some, this resource may be new, but even if you have used it for years, please join us for a 45 min. live webinar.  The link will be sent out when it is closer to the day of the webinar.

PD Spotlight

For this week's PD spotlight, I am highlighting this blog post about getting back on track after a week off of school.  For some of our classrooms, the break from in-person has been longer than others, but to maximize our instructional minutes, getting our kids back into a rhythm quickly is important.  Planning for this review is just as important as what you will be teaching in literacy or math.  The other part of this plan is to reflect on what is working and what is not working with your procedures.  Are there any tweaks that need to be made?  Now's the time to think about this and plan for any new routines that are needed.

Friday Funny

Sometimes I watch a commercial that makes me laugh so hard that I just have to share it with others.  Have you seen this one?  It just cracks me up!

November 13, 2020

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• Elementary students sent cards/letters to veterans this week and it made their day.  We had numerous community members commenting on how great that Dodgeland students are! --Thank you Brenda for organizing this!--

• 5th graders kept the tradition alive by contributing to our virtual Veterans' Day Assembly.  It was a bit trickier with them in virtual learning, but they did it!  Way to Go and shout out to their teachers for helping them and encouraging them!!

• 2nd Graders got to experience a fantastic virtual field trip today.  If you haven't heard about, please ask RaChelle and Kathy to tell you about it!  Our kids and adults sure learned a lot!

• A group of 1st graders were eagerly walking to intervention today.  They couldn't wait to READ!

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, November 16

• Tuesday, November 17
• 5th graders return to in-person!

• Wednesday, November 18
• Workout Wednesday
• Coloring Contest forms due (see below)

• Thursday, November 19

• Friday, November 20

Nitty-Gritty

• Seals-on-Wheels
• The hygienist from Seals on Wheels will be in the district on November 30-Dec 2.  There are around 80 students signed up.  The hygienist will come to your classrooms to pick up the students that are registered.  Watch for an updated list in your email.

• Beaver Dam Holiday Coloring Contest
• Dodge County is sponsoring a coloring contest for students.  Click HERE for the page and the registration page if any of your students are interested in participating.  The pages must be in by Wednesday, November 18.  If students bring them to the office before Tuesday, Nov. 17, I will drop them off on my way home.

• Bridges Math Updates
• The preview has been extended to Jan. 22, 2021 for the Bridges Educator Site.  Below are some links of things that they recommend looking through to get an idea of parts of the program. 
• To create your username and password, please go to: https://bridges.mathlearningcenter.org/user/register/?accountcode=dodge22046
• Watch the Getting Started with Bridges videos: https://bridges.mathlearningcenter.org/implementation/getting-started
• Watch the videos on the Help page on how to best navigate the Bridges Educator Site for anyone new to the site: https://bridges.mathlearningcenter.org/content/help
• Look through the Problems and Investigations, Number Corner, and Assessment Guide Introductions. These can be found by grade level at the beginning of Unit 1, Number Corner Volume 1, and the Assessment Guide. You can access these sections for each grade level on the Curriculum tab. Click the "view" button under the Introduction section.

PD Spotlight

Click HERE to listen to a podcast on Mr. Ted Neitzke's Smart Thinking Podcast.  This episode is an interview with Sarah Ward a Speech Language Pathologist that is part owner of a company called Cognitive Connections.  The interview was so informative and practical about how to assist students with their executive functioning skills that I couldn't stop thinking about it.  And some of the descriptions hit pretty close to home too!   I hope you find it as interesting and helpful as I did.

Friday Funny

Yep, this would be me.  :-)

November 6, 2020

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• Teachers encouraging students who have been working on making good behavior choices by consistently following their behavior plan and celebrating their progress.  I love seeing the pride in their eyes when they have a great day!
• Teachers communicating with parents with student concerns and successes frequently.
• A 4K student walked up to me and said, "Excuse me, Mrs. Huelsman" without any prompting from anyone.  So polite!  
• A student that has been out of school for a number of days was so happy to be back and see his friends.  He said, "I missed seeing my teacher and friends in person!"
• A substitute teacher told me today how impressed she is with Dodgeland and all the things the teachers are doing to keep others safe and provide an education to kids every day.

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, November 9
• New Teacher mtg in Room 315 @ 3pm

• Tuesday, November 10
• Complete the blended learning survey by 7:30am (see below)

• Wednesday, November 11
• Veterans' Day (See below for resources)
• Workout Wednesday 
• Elementary Staff meeting (9203861003 on BlueJeans)

• Thursday, November 12

• Friday, November 13

Nitty-Gritty

• Veteran's Day
• We are unable to hold our annual Veteran's Day assembly, but there will be a video that will contain the traditional elements of our assembly shared with you through email.  Because it is a video, you can decide when it best fits into your schedule for the day.  In addition, below are two short video links that were shared with me that you may find helpful for your class.
• Veterans Day Thank You!
• Bet You Didn't know: Veterans Day History

• Prodigy Update
• This week I met with our partner school team members from Prodigy online.  Lisa (the trainer from August) shared with me that our students have answered 67,200 questions so far this year.  85% of the questions have been answered outside of our school hours and teachers have created 31 assessments for students.  WOW!  
• In the coming weeks, there will be some opportunities for students and parents.  Watch for more information regarding a virtual Parents' Night put on by Prodigy team members online for our families to learn about prodigy.  
• Also, in December we will hold a Prodigy Tournament for students.  More information will be shared later this month.
• Finally, our internal Prodigy support teachers are Taylor Huso and Niki Stanton.  If you have specific questions about Prodigy, please reach out to them or myself.

• Blended Learning
• More and more students/families are choosing to participate in blended learning in the last couple of weeks.  I have heard from some of you about how blended learning is going in your own classroom.  I'd like to have some feedback from all of you about how blended learning is going in your classroom.  Please complete this survey before Tuesday at 7:30.

• Ipad Reminder
• Please remind your students to clean and sanitize their iPads frequently.  Remember the spray needs to be sprayed on the towel, then used to wipe off their iPad.  Especially because the iPads go home, it might be an addition to the start of the day routines or end of the day procedures or both.

• Dodgeland Strong Fundraiser for Ava Finger
• Here’s your opportunity to order Dodgeland gear and support a good cause. Order HERE November 2 - November 18th. 
  All proceeds will benefit the Ava Finger family to help support the many financial needs that have come from her tragic mountain biking accident that caused paralysis. We know that Ava is working hard in her recovery and we want to support her and her family with our #DodgelandStrong support. 

• Dismissal Information
• Not that you could tell this week, but it is November and it will start to get colder soon. When it is colder or is raining, the number of parents picking up students increases. One concern that is brought to our attention is the number of cars that are backed up onto Hwy. 26. This has the potential to be a safety concern especially on snowy days. One way to address this is to make sure that the buses are moving the MS/HS side on time. This means that it is very important that students riding a bus get outside with all of their materials right away. If the buses have to stay longer in the circle drive, we can not start moving our parent pick-up line on time. We don't want this domino effect to cause unsafe situations for our parents either. Please dismiss students outside right at 2:30 and remind them not to dawdle. :-)

• Link to my Calendar
• If you want to see my calendar and set up a time to meet with me, please do so. HERE is the link.

PD Spotlight

As the number of positive cases rise and the holidays get closer, the more anxious I become about the pandemic.  The mental war in my head about how much I miss my family, and yet not wanting to jeopardize any of their health is exhausting to think about.  I'm sure many of you are in the same boat.  Jessica shared this article with me and I found it exceptionally thought provoking.  How am I sharing this anxiety with my children unconsciously?  However, it also made me think about all of the routines that we have in our school.  We have sanitizing routines, we have limited supply sharing, we have a different room set up, etc.  We also have this amazing group of teachers that share sincerely and positively how sometimes we can't do exactly the same things as last year, but reframing it with what we CAN do.  The other part of this article I liked was the video that accompanies it to share calming strategies.  I hope you find it as helpful as I did.

Friday Funny

October 30, 2020

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• Teachers working and supporting one another with so many things, including using PowerTeacher Pro.  This week's staff meeting was full of such GREAT questions that were so helpful. If you missed the meeting, the link is HERE.

• Coach Jena shared what a great job our students were doing with the games and getting along during recess today!

• A student read her writing to me today and was using dialogue, figurative language, and some incredible vocabulary words like fierce, hideous, and exclaimed.  So impressive.

• Teachers communicating with parents daily about successes from the day.  Parents love to hear good news too!

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, November 2

• Tuesday, November 3
• Election Day

• Wednesday, November 4
• Work Out Wednesday

• Thursday, November 5

• Friday, November 6

Nitty-Gritty

• Daylight Savings
• Reminder:  Saturday, Oct 31 is Daylight Savings.  Don't forget to set your clocks back 1 hour.  Enjoy your extra hour this weekend!  :-)

• Math Resources
• As promised, HERE is the link to a list of resources of instructional strategies or activities that were put together by the CESA 6 math center.  Susan added youtube links and ideas to use some of them virtually to help us all.   As we discussed last week, adding more student talk during Math this year will be one way to prepare students for the Bridges Math curriculum next year.  If you have any questions or need help, please contact Susan or myself.

• Toy Bank email from Lisa
• Just a reminder of Lisa's email from earlier this week about referrals to the Toy Bank.  Below is the details.
• The holiday season is right around the corner and the Dodge County Toy Bank is already working hard to create special memories for our families in need. The Toy Bank is only taking applications from referrals that meet certain income criteria. Unfortunately, this places a heavy administrative burden on our families. If they meet the criteria, then I will send them a special code in order for them to complete an online form. Please share with me any families that you feel would qualify and would be open to completing an application. Please consider families that will be willing to share their financial information and have access to wi-fi.
• Another program, A Child's Smile, has also reached out to assist families. This program is confidential and provides gift cards for families in need. 
• Please reach out to Lisa to refer any family that you think would benefit from this assistance.

• Emotions Survey
• I have compiled the 5 feelings that we most want to feel when we are at school.  Click Here to view them and the brainstorm list of observable actions that we came up with originally.  Many of the groups were not able to get through all 5 in the time we had available last time.  Click HERE to take the survey with ideas you have to add to our lists.  
• "What can we do for everyone to feel this way?"

• Monday and Tuesday, November 23 and 24
• If you have any questions about the Mon-Tues prep days before Thanksgiving, please see Dr. Thompson's email from Tues, Oct. 27.  If you have further questions, please let me know.

PD Spotlight

We have been working on target based grading for a number of years, but Dr. Thomas Guskey is one of the researchers that has been studying grading policies and practices in schools.  His work has influenced many school districts including our own.  I came across this video and I just liked how he explained the purpose.  Not that I didn't know this, but he stated it in such a way that helped remind me of what we are doing in our system.  I was getting so involved in the nitty-gritty details, that I had lost my why.  This short video was a great way to focus my attention.

Friday Funny

I feel this each and every year!