January 2, 2022

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• Welcome Back!  I am hoping you all had a very relaxing break that allowed you to have time to spend with the people you love most, with the things that give you joy, and truly relax your body and mind.  I have finished 3 just-for-fun books and had numerous days of no work!  :-)

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, January 2
• New Duties:  
• Breakfast Duty: Gruenwald/Bolman, AM Circle Drive: Vredeveld/Fobes
• PM Circle Drive: Wieneke/Helmer
• Bus Duty: Juech, Mook, Lisiecki
• GG Lessons for this week: Reviewing the Trojan Way
• Jenny has a meeting from 9-10am
• Jenny is leaving at 3pm for a dr appt

• Tuesday, January 3
• Pyramid Model Leadership Meeting 1pm-2pm in Room 110 for 4K team
• Jenny leaving at 3:15 for a dr appt

• Wednesday, January 4
• Workout Wednesday
• Jenny in meeting from 9:45-11am
• Jenny in an important virtual meeting from 12-1pm

• Thursday, January 5
• Friday, January 6

Nitty-Gritty

• Reviewing expectations
• As we come back from break, it is important that we reinforce our procedures, routines and expectations right from the beginning of the school year.  It is also important that as a team, we are all on the same page with expectations for behavior and routines.  Later today (and in the announcements tomorrow) you will find a link to videos that I would like you to show your students on Monday.  The group that met last week is working on other videos and plans to help us keep our students on track with behavior expectations as well.  Watch for more information soon.

• Recess Updates
• Now that we are officially in the midst of winter recess, please pay close attention to announcements about inside vs. outside recess and areas that are off limits.  It is important that we are all on the same page to avoid confusion and conflicts on the playground.  If you have any concerns, please let Teresa or myself know.  Teresa will always be checking for temperatures for recess.  (If she is not present, I will do it and if both of us are gone, Alicia will do it.). This way we have a process with back-up plans in place as well.  Also, it is important that you are on time for your duty.  When we are even two minutes late, it causes a ripple effect to our colleagues and the system.  If you have concerns regarding this, please let me know.
• If you are a daily recess supervisor or on the recess team, please watch for emails for our next recess meeting.  If you are a paraprofessional, please plan to be present for that meeting.  You are an important part of the team.

• Office Update
• While it is very difficult to imagine that Marie will not be with us any more, I knew that we would need someone in that important role in our system.  I am happy to announce that Michelle Wolff is taking on the elementary administrative assistant role full-time. Michelle had the benefit of working alongside Marie for a number of weeks.  While it would be impossible to learn everything that Marie knew from her 30+ years of experience in the short few weeks they had together, Michelle is committed to our school and comes with her own set of experiences that will help her in this role as well.  And what we don't know, we will figure out together!  Please continue to welcome her to our team.

• Calendly Link
• In case you need this link again to set up a meeting with me.  Click HERE to set up a time to meet on my calendar.  I do my very best to make sure that I make these commitments.

• Report Card Reminders
• As we near the end of the semester, please remember that report cards will be printed on Monday, January 17th.  Grades need to be submitted on the standards page in PowerTeacherPro by 7am on Monday, 1/17.  They will be printed and handed out on Thursday, Jan. 20.

• Activity Account
• I know a number of you have handed in the yellow activity account forms the last few weeks.  Over the break, the paperwork was completed so that I have the authorization to write checks from the account.  Please watch your email for information regarding the balances of your grade level's account for your planning purposes.  If you handed in forms in the past month, I will get the checks to you as soon as possible this week.

• Dr appointments
• I know it looks weird to have 2 days in a row that I need to leave early for appointments.  Please know that I have some follow up things to take care of, but I am fine.  I am doing my best to get them outside of school hours whenever possible. I will share with you when I need to be out so that you are not wondering where I am.

• Music Hallway
• Over the break, construction crews were still working hard on the building.  You may notice some changes in the music hallway. Painting in the hallway was scheduled to be completed last week.  In the process of completing this work, things were taken off the wall including the trim around the floor.  Some of these things will not be replaced until after all of the work is completed later this summer.  It is safe for us to use, but wanted you to all be aware of this process.

PD Spotlight

Over the years, we have heard and learned about the importance of relationships in our classrooms.  As we start the second half of our school year, I wanted to draw your attention to the Significant 72 website that has numerous resources and ideas of ways to focus on relationships within your classroom.  Many of our students will be very excited to see us again on Monday, but it will be to our advantage to review expectations, routines and take time to enjoy the people they are before we jump right into the next curriculum lesson.  The more time we spend on these important parts of our learning environment, the easier it will be for students to learn and increase their academic skills.  Click HERE to see the site.

Friday Funny (on a Sunday...) 

This is the shirt that Mason got for Christmas this year.  It was his favorite gift. It makes me giggle...

December 17, 2021

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• A 5K student shared with me how proud she was of herself and how she has had so many good days in a row without getting into trouble or making sad choices.  I love how she put together her choices each day with the feeling of pride and success.

• 2nd graders helping each other (and me) create the poinsettia project after learning about Mexico's Christmas traditions.  They did a nice job of teaching their peer how to finish the project successfully.  All of them got it down and they looked great!

• I had the opportunity to attend a few IEP/parent meetings this week and last that had teachers that shared specific information to parents in a way that was easy for parents to understand, made them feel a part of the education plan for their child,   I am constantly impressed by how you all really get to know your students' strengths and needs.  

• 1st graders are growing and growing as readers.  I love hearing about them moving levels.  Although I know it is extra work for the classroom teachers, it is exciting work that is definitely worth the time it takes to reshuffle guided reading groups!

• Finally, thank you all for your collegiality and help with covering out of your normal, everyday duties this week.  I truly appreciate you all!

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, December 20
• Ho-Ho-Ho Down Day (Wear Flannel/Cowboy attire)
• Bus Duty for the week (Stanton, Hughes, Wedel)
• GG lessons for the week:  Review skills/topics from the school year so far
• Jenny leaving for Dr appt at 1:45pm
• School Board Meeting @ 6:30pm
• MS Winter Concert @ 7pm

• Tuesday, December 21
• Ugly Sweater Day or Red/Green Day
• Student of the Month nominations due
• Expectations planning meeting 3:10pm-3:45pm
• Social Media posts due to Josh (Donovan, BCaine, Huso, O'Toole)
• HS Winter Concert @ 7pm

• Wednesday, December 22
• Long Winter Nap Day (wear jammies/comfy clothes)
• Staff Meeting at 3:10pm in the IMC Learning Commons

• Thursday, December 23
• Wear Festive Holiday Apparel
• December Citizenship grades due
• All EP documents due including the Rapid Cycle planning document

• Friday, December 24
• No School - Have a wonderful and relaxing break

Nitty-Gritty

• Powerschool Information
• I have had a few questions from teachers about how to see contact information for both parents.  Please refer to Mr. Modaff's email on Dec. 15 on how to access the contact information for your students for all parents/emergency contacts in Powerschool. It is located in PowerTeacherPro in the student tab under demographics.  Please ask for help if you can not find it.
• As we are nearing the end of the semester, there are a couple of details I want to remind you about for your grade book.  First, make sure when you create an assignment in the gradebook, that you are choosing only learning targets (for the subjects that have them in the gradebook) and that the Auto-Calculate score box is checked.  See below for a screenshot for more information.
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• Finally, watch for an email from Brad regarding other reminders and how-to directions for preparing for report card time at the end of Semester 1.  The first semester ends on January 14th and grades are due on January 17th.  HERE is a google doc of details about end of the semester grading.

• EP Documents
• Please make sure to submit all EP documents before you leave for winter break.  If you need any help, please let me know.  Remember, the rapid cycle feedback planning form does not have a due date assigned to it, but it still needs to be completed before you leave for break.  Thank you in advance for this important work.

• End of the Semester Idea
• I am wondering what anyone thinks about having a celebration of sorts for our elementary students on the last day of the semester, January 14th.  I'd like to have each grade together for a special activity with me (which would also give you some extra time to work on grades as well.). Thoughts?

• Spring into Success Summit
• Some of you may have received an email from Cesa 6 about their upcoming Spring into Success Summit that takes place in February.  Unfortunately, Dodgeland is not participating in the summit this year.  Cesa 6 has shared with us that the sessions will not be recorded and they apologize for the confusion the emails caused this month.

• Attendance Reminder
• Please make sure that you have your attendance submitted each day by 8:30 so that we can be sure that we have it completed before the auto-calls start around 9:30am.  I realize that mornings can be very hectic, especially with a special right away in the morning.  However, it is very important that we have accurate attendance data each day.

• Safety Drills
• This week we had some crazy and unusual weather for December.  While we often have drills monthly, as teachers, you always have the opportunity to add in to your instruction time to discuss safety procedures.  This includes tornado drills even during a time when we don't typically do them.  If you have any questions, please see the maps in your room to see what areas of the school are closest to your room for you to go during a tornado drill.

• Email from Dr. Thompson
• On Thursday, 12/16/21, Dr. Thompson sent an important email regarding a national TikTok Challenge.  Please make sure that you have read this letter.  Rest assured that if we believed there was a credible threat to students and/or staff safety, school would not be in session.  We believe communication combined with proactive measures will allow us to concentrate on learning in a safe environment, tomorrow and every day.

• Christmas Lights
• I love how the Christmas lights look in your classrooms.  However, please make sure that they are off and/or unplugged when you leave for the day.  If they are left on, there is a potential for starting a fire, which would be tragic for us all.  Please check any lights in your classrooms when you leave each day.

• Y Care Job Opening
• Does anyone know of someone looking for a part time job?  The Y is looking for someone to take over the after school care from 3-5:45 each day.  The current lead teacher has put in her two week's notice because she has moved further away and can't make the drive each day.  If you know of anyone, or you yourself would like to make some extra money, please see me or contact Trisha Zandler at tzandler@theydc.org

PD Spotlight

Click HERE to read a short article talking about the benefits of taking breaks and using time off from work to relax, rejuvenate and relieve stress.  During the holidays, there is often added stress with gift buying, or scheduling or cooking, etc., but please make sure to take time for yourself doing something for yourselves.  You all work so incredibly hard each and every day at Dodgeland.  I fervently hope you all have a wonderful and relaxing break.  You definitely deserve it!

Friday Funny

I am pretty sure this is what most of you have written down in your plans!  :-)

December 10, 2021

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• Parents of a student sharing how proud they were of their son and the growing confidence he has this year.  Watching students grow each year is so exciting!

• First grade students making such thoughtful predictions and strong language during discussions surrounding Mystery Doug's weekly segment.  So awesome to hear their thinking.

• Students were SO excited for their concert all week.  It was so wonderful to watch them perform live this year.  I missed it so last year!

• Speaking of the winter concert...The cute factor was on overload!  The kids nailed each song that they sang and you could tell they were learning a lot more than just the words to the songs. I could tell they were learning about rhythm and instruments, and so much more!

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, December 13
• Bus Duty - Schwoerer, Piekarski, Johnson
• Mentor Meeting Year 1 teachers only - 3:15 in the IMC
• Newsletter articles Due to Jenny - 5th grade, anyone else?
• Milwaukee Bucks Day
• GG Lessons for the week: Respecting/Accepting differences for gr 2-5, following directions for K-1

• Tuesday, December 14
• Social Media Posts due - Stampfl, Bingen, Schwoerer, Piekarski
• Jenny in a meeting from 1-2pm

• Wednesday, December 15
• Workout Wednesday
• Academic Grade Level meeting 5K - 11:35am-12:20pm in room 108
• Jenny in a meeting from 9:45-10:45am
• Jr Coach Lunch Reward 3rd gr @ 12:30, 5th gr @ 1:00 in room 120

• Thursday, December 16
• SEL Grade Level meeting 3rd gr - 12:05-12:50pm in room 133

• Friday, December 17
• Books are Fun orders due

Nitty-Gritty

• Supervision after Noon recesses
• It appears that many of our 1st-3rd grade students are struggling when coming in from recess and then safely and quietly getting to the commons for lunch.  Please help remind students of the expectations of how to transition from recess, lockers to lunch in a safe manner.

• Vacant classrooms
• Earlier this week, a safety inspection was done across the school building.  One area that we received feedback on was in regards to empty classrooms. If your classroom is vacant for any reason, please make sure that your door is shut and the lights are off. This will send a message that the room is unavailable to others to enter without an adult.

• Extra Duty sheets
• As we discussed at the staff meeting on Tuesday, there may be extra duties that you have done that you didn't realize could be written on your extra duty sheets.  If you turned one in already, Laura has processed it.  Please grab another one from the shelf in the office and submit it to me so that it can be added to the Dec. 31 paycheck.  Below is a reminder of examples of extra duties at the elementary level.
• Extra Lunch Duty (covering for someone else)
• Extra Recess Duty (covering for someone else)
• Teaching during your prep
• Teaching other classes during part or all of your day (including taking on another class with your own)
• Each time you have students with you to teach/supervise, write it on the extra duty form.
• I would recommend that you have one handy all year long so that you can add it on the sheet as you go.  I appreciate the collegiality and the teamwork in covering for others when they can not be at school.  It is truly appreciated.

• Recess Reminders
• Mrs. Chambers is our school recess coach.  As such, she is working hard at putting procedures in place to help make this part of students' days an extension of their learning and a successful and fun place to be as well.  Please make sure that you are reading her communication and following the guidelines.  If even one person (myself included), strays from the routines, it creates confusion and conflict amongst students.  If you have questions, please reach out to Mrs. Chambers at any time.
• Now that we seem to have hit winter (sigh), there are questions related to whether recess will be indoors or outdoors.  The rule is:  If it is below 0 degrees, windchill included, recess will be indoors.  If it is 0 or above, windchill included, recess will be outdoors.  Each day, Mrs. Chambers will be checking weather conditions and will communicate if recess is indoors by 9am for morning recess and 11:15 for noon recesses. If you do not hear an announcement, you should assume it is outdoors.  If Mrs. Chambers is not here, I will make the determination.  If we are both gone, Ms. Hahn will make the determination.
• Finally, if it is raining, recess will be indoors.  If it is snowing (unless it is blizzard conditions), recess will more than likely be outdoors.  Again, there is a procedure set up for who will make that decision and it will be communicated in a timely way.

• WIN
• After winter break, we will have our next round of i-Ready/FastBridge testing.  Once we have that data, it will be important that we begin creating WIN groups for reading and math for each grade.  I understand that there are a lot of things on our plates right now, but I am afraid that if we are not looking carefully at our data and efficiently responding to what our students need, they will not grow as much as they otherwise might.  Please keep this in mind as you think about your next semester planning.

• Field Trips
• As we continue on for the next semester, I would like you to know that field trips can be reinstated for classes.  Please keep in mind what the COVID protocols are for the locations that you are considering taking your class to in your planning.  In addition, a field trip is an opportunity to provide learning in another place.  The trip should relate in some way to what you are doing in your yearly curriculum.  If your grade would like to plan a field trip, please fill out the field trip request form before finalizing any dates with locations.  If you have any questions, please see me.

• Expectations Reboot
• After the winter break, all of us spend a good amount of time reviewing the behavior expectations in the classroom, reminding them of the classroom procedures and practicing the "right" way to do things.  In one of the grade level SEL meetings, an idea (one I LOVE) was brought to the team about setting up some sort of Welcome Back Expectation rotation.  We could clearly cover the expectations we have for students' behavior in the hallways, in the lunchroom, at recess, etc.  Are there any people that would be willing to work on a plan of how we could systematically present this to our students when they return to us in January?  Click HERE to indicate willingness to help out.

• New Staff Member
• Most of you already know this and have even worked with her, but in case you haven't, there is a new paraprofessional on our team.  The opening was created to be proactive regarding some upcoming referrals and student move-ins that we are aware of in the special education department.  Please welcome Lexi Huelsman to our team.  As I told you in the staff meeting, she is much more excited to work with you than me!  She would prefer to be called "Ms. Lexi" to students to prevent any confusion with me.  I know that she is looking forward to joining you and wants to do a good job, working hard on work that matters!

Friday Funny

Is it weird that I used to LOVE looking through my school's card catalog?  I loved the smell of the cards and the rows of drawers, and even the way that each card was individually typed, like with a typewriter!  I may be dating myself here since there may be some that never had the privilege of doing this... :-)

December 3, 2021

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• I watched an adult talking with a 5K student today about a choice she was making with peers.  She was calm, kind and very clear about how the choice she was making was affecting other children.  By the end of the conversation, the student was hugging the adult and had made a safer and kinder choice.  The SEL skills that we teach in the moment is so automatic for so many of the adults in our system.  It is so exciting and rewarding to watch.

• Staff welcomed back our students with joy and ready to make the most of our days before break. Students seemed ready to learn and genuinely glad to be back in the building.

• Kris shared that teachers' hard work with implementing Bridges math units and number corner is paying off.  She is very impressed by how things are going across the building.  Way to go!

• 4K students sharing their alphabet bags with their classmates for the letter "T."  One of the students told me he brought a golf tee.  "It sounds just like the letter."

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, December 6
• Bus Duty (Klink, Lucht, Zastrow)
• GG Lessons for the week (Perspectives for gr 3-5, self-talk for grades 5K-2)

• Tuesday, December 7
• Social Media posts due to Josh (Schweitzer, Chambers, Koenings, Braunschweig)
• Pyramid Model Leadership Mtg 1pm in Room 110
• Staff meeting in the IMC @3:05pm

• Wednesday, December 8
• Workout Wednesday
• Jenny in a meeting from 9:30-11am.
• Grade Level Data meeting 1st grade @ 12:05pm in room 122
• Fundraiser Pick-up from 3:15-6pm

• Thursday, December 9
• Jenny in a meeting from 8-9am
• Elem. concert dress rehearsal (See Ben's email for more information)
• SEL Grade Level meeting 4th grade @ 12:35pm in Room 138
• Elementary Winter Concert @ 6:30 for grades 5K, 2 & 4

• Friday, December 10
• Elem. gym is being used for FFA fruit sale sorting due to construction.  Watch for email about location/plan for Elem. PE classes that day

Nitty-Gritty

• Fundraiser Pick-up
• If you are available on Wednesday afternoon, please stop down in the elementary gym to help families collect their fundraiser items.  Many of the families will arrive right after school and the faster we can help them find their items, the less stressful it will be for them.

• Sunshine Committee
• Watch your emails for updates from the Sunshine committee and added dress up days for the month of December.  Thank you to this committee for adding holiday cheer to our month!

• Staff Meeting
• If you are unable to attend on Tuesday, please let me know so that I can catch you up on what you missed.  (Since I needed to move the date, please know I truly understand if you already have things on your calendar that day and can't make it.)

PD Spotlight

This is the article that I needed this week.  I hadn't realized how very stressed I was feeling in my personal life until Wednesday afternoon when things turned out well.  At that moment, I wanted to sit down and cry.  Weird right?  But the relief was overwhelming!  All of us have moments, situations and stressors that we are dealing with each and everyday.  It is not necessary for all of us to know the specific details of what stress each other is dealing with to be kind and empathetic with one another.  This time of year causes additional stress for many people, including our children.  It is important to remember this as we prepare for the holiday season.  Click HERE to read a very short article about 9 stress management techniques that every teacher needs to know.  Technique number 4 and 7 really spoke to me.  I enjoy my work, I want to do a good job and I know at the end of the day that I gave everything I had to my work.  I love the sentiment that doing good work does not have to mean burn-out.  How can I be proud of the good hard work I complete without it leaving me so exhausted that I think I can't function?  What techniques speak to you?

Friday Funny

Below is a picture of my nephews.  They were born on the exact same day, 13 years apart, and are so sweet to watch together.  Spencer, who just turned 18, is unbelievably patient and loving with his 5 year old cousin.  Johnny thinks everything Spencer does is amazing.  However, Spencer uses that to his advantage and can convince him he has special magic powers.  He would use a secret knock by the back door in order to get it to open, so then Johnny wouldn't even try the handle unless Spencer used his magic powers.   It was hilarious to hear him tell his mom that he can not get in the door until Spencer gets there.  Of course, Spencer kept telling him he would get those same powers when he gets older. :-)

November 19, 2021 (Blog for next 2 weeks)

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• A 3rd grade student shared with me that he was having a great day.  He was smiling and seemed proud of himself for his choices.   

• 5K students couldn't wait to show me how to use their iPad to spell new words!

• Classrooms have solid routines and procedures in their classrooms that it makes it easy for others to step in to help out.  Students love to tell me how things work in their classrooms, and I love to see that they know exactly what to do!

• Teachers are consistently sending a message to students about showing respect and kindness.  I know that it doesn't always seem like it is sinking in, but I believe if we stay the course, we will all benefit from a positive environment to work and learn in for all of us!

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, November 21
• Bus Duty (Stampfl, Chambers, Ganser)
• GG Lesson for the week is on being Thankful
• School Board Meeting @ 6:30pm

• Tuesday, November 22
• Social Media Posts due to Josh (Mook, Zastrow, Lucht, TCaine)

• Wed-Friday, Nov. 23-25
• Have a GREAT THANKSGIVING!

• Monday, November 29
• Bus Duty (TCaine, Vertz, Murphy)
• GG Lesson this week:  Being Assertive
• Welcome Back Stephanie S!

• Tuesday, November 30
• Final Day to place those Shout Out tickets on the board!
• Social Media posts due to Josh (Juech, Huso, Murphy, Johnson)
• Student of the Month Nominees Due
• RE-Scheduled Academic Grade Level Meeting 2nd grade: 12:05-12:55

• Wednesday, December 1
• Jenny is gone for the day.
• New Month - New duties 
• Breakfast Riege/O'Toole
• AM Circle Dr Wieneke/Gruenwald
• PM Bus Duty Vredeveld/Hahn
• NO Academic Grade Level Meeting 2nd Gr.

• Thursday, December 2
• Student of the Month announced at 8:15ish
• SEL Grade level meeting - 5th gr 12:35-1:25

• Friday, December 3
• Badgers Day - Wear your Badger Apparel
• November Citizenship grades due in PowerTeacher Pro

Nitty-Gritty

• Elementary Winter Concert Returns to In-Person
• The 5K, 2nd and 4th grade students are performing in the elementary winter concert on December 9th, starting at 6:30pm. I am excited to see them perform live this year.  If you teach one of these grades, please connect with Mr. Johnson regarding any details that you and/or your students need to know in preparation for this performance.

• Staff News
• As you know Bethany Turcotte has been our long-term sub for Stephanie Schuett since the beginning of the school year. However, what I am excited to share with you all is: Bethany has agreed to stay on with us until the end of the school year working in our 4K program alongside the 4K team.  This year, our 4K students have a unique set of needs that often require our paras to be available and with students outside of the classroom.  By having Bethany remain with us with her background in 4K students, we can meet all of our students' needs.  Please continue to make her feel welcome at Dodgeland!

• Dodgeland Elementary Clothing Store
• We are selling Dodgeland Elementary apparel this month.  Please click HERE to view the items for sale.  This will also be shared with students and parents.  If you have any questions, please see Rachael for more information.

• Personal News
• I have a very important appointment on Wednesday, Dec 1.  I need to move the grade level meeting to Tuesday that week for 2nd grade.  Please let me know if this does not work for the group.   Thank you in advance to everyone on team Dodgeland for helping with students and staff in need that day.

PD Spotlight

Last week, this article came to my inbox and it caught my attention immediately!  I had to read it immediately.  By the end of the article, I had two thoughts.  1.  I am so glad to know that it is not just the students that I am seeing each week that are struggling with respect.  and 2. It's nice to read some ideas that I already know, but now am reminded about why they are important.

Finally, the article helped me to remember that we must stay the course, regardless of how frustrating it may seem at times.  This is another reason why it is so important to recognize when you need a break or when you need help.  Calling for help is sometimes the best option so that we can consistently follow the expectations and follow-through consequences, but still maintain our relationships with each other and our students. I hope you find this article as helpful as I did.  Please remember that I always want to support your work so that together we can help our students grow to be happy, successful and kind people.

Friday Funny

I think my sense of humor gets more and more bizarre the more tired I get.  But, embarrassingly, I laughed for a very long time over this.

November 12, 2021

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• 3rd Graders could not wait to tell me all about the state that they are researching.  I learned about state flowers and flags and bordering states from so many of them.  I love to hear students excited about their learning.

• Multiple teachers respectfully, honestly and passionately asking follow up questions when they are concerned about something going on in their classrooms or DES.  I always want you to feel like you can share anything with me.  We may not always agree on things, but I can promise that I will listen and work with you to find the best solution possible. I encourage you to make an appointment to see me (or stop me when you see me) about anything.  We are a team and together we will provide a school that all of our students and us will thrive in!

• How about those 5th grade writers/readers this week, huh?  I was so proud of them all today I actually had tears in my eyes.  They were poised and clear and hopefully they felt proud at the end of the assembly.  I know I was proud of them!

• Our Playworks Recess Coach had very positive things to share about our recesses and students (including our Jr Coaches).  Although, we know we can always get better and better, it was nice to hear the affirmation about your hard work, especially our internal recess coach!

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, November 15
• Newsletter articles Due (5K and Speech)
• Reading Corps Tutoring begins
• Bus Duty this week (Bingen, Crane, Miller)
• GG SEL skills this week: Listening with Attention for 4/5, Using Self-Talk for gr 3, Focus Attention 5K-2

• Tuesday, November 16
• Social Media Posts due to Josh (Lisiecki, BCaine, Crane, Vertz)

• Wednesday, November 17
• Workout Wednesday
• Special Surprise for DES students 8:30am (see below)
• Jenny is in a meeting from 9:45-10:45am
• Academic Grade level data meetings (3rd gr 12:05-12:55pm - Rm 133)

• Thursday, November 18
• SEL Data Meeting (5K, 11:35-12:25pm - Rm 108)

• Friday, November 19
• The Energized Guy Online Assembly
• 4K-2 - Live Stream assembly 9am
• 3-5 - Live Stream assembly 10am
• Alternate Recess schedule for the day, Teresa's email was sent Friday.
• 4k/5k - 8:30-8:45
  1st and 2nd grade - 9:45-10:00
  3rd - 5th grade - 9:30-9:45
• XPD registration due to Kimi

Nitty-Gritty

• Shout Out Board
• I've noticed some new shout out tickets on the board already.  Keep them coming.  Showing our gratefulness for our fellow staff members is rewarding for both the givers and receivers!  And.  Don't forget, at the end of the month, I will be drawing names tickets for gift cards.  There is A LOT to recognize and celebrate at school, so let's get them publicly shared!

• Surprise for our DES Students!
• I had an unexpected phone call this week from the executive director of the United Way of Dodge county.  It appears that a number of college students at Moraine Park organized and completed a community project to fund children's books for elementary students in the area.  They were VERY successful and they are coming on Wednesday, November 17 at 8:30am to begin the book drive.  Every student in our elementary school will receive a free book to keep.  Watch for an email on Monday to find out details about how students will be getting and choosing their book.

• Assembly on Friday
• In classroom teachers mailboxes, you will find a card from the National Theatre for Children with some information regarding the online assembly next Friday, 11/19.  In the past, Juneau Utilities has sponsored the spring live performances that our children have really enjoyed.  Due to COVID, they moved the performances to the Fall and have a narrator that is introducing pre-recorded skits.  I really appreciate our communities support for our students' learning.  You should receive an email from the National Theatre for Children prior to the performance on Friday.
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• Arrival at School
• As many of you know, I am NOT a morning person.  I often tell people if there was ever a time where a 2nd shift school would be open, I would be first in line to work there.  However, I'm afraid this is just an outlandish dream!  So, in the meantime, I will have to put up with the snooze button and the morning people around me. :-). In all seriousness though, we do need to make sure that we have adequate supervision of students and having the opportunity to have a smooth start to the day starts the day off on the right foot. Please make sure that you are arriving at school and in the building by 7:30 (or 7:45 for some paras) ready to enjoy your day!

PD Spotlight

Christina shared this article with me this week and I've been reflecting on it all week.  As soon as I read it, I knew I wanted to share it with you this week too.  I found it so affirming to read about the things we do at Dodgeland to build relationships, to offer instruction and the structures to provide a safe place for students to avoid shutdown modes.  I believe one of the most rewarding parts of our jobs is to build strong relationships with children.  I want our students to know that I care what happens to them, but I also have expectations for how they conduct themselves in the school as well.  I believe when I show them that I mean what I say, and I follow through with my words, I still show them that I care about them at the same time.  It is also the reason I work to make sure I know every student's name and get to know them all.  The part of the article that spoke to me most is the end where it lists the practices to consider using in a school system.  Do you see these practices in your classroom and in our school?  I do! What resonates in this article for you?  

Friday Funny

So I read this to Lexi and she said, "No, that is not funny. Find a new Friday Funny."  But, she was laughing as she said it, so I thought, Dodgeland teachers need to see this.  I wonder what fraction of DES staff will find it funny.  (You can tell me if you agree with Lexi. lol).  :-)

November 5, 2021

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• 4th graders worked together to study for a summative assessment by explaining how they got the answers and working on breaking numbers apart to multiply.  It was so interesting to listen to how they explained their thinking.

• 3rd graders are starting to work on their state writing piece.  I love hearing students tell me what they are learning from their reading.  Two boys even read a Spanish paragraph to me and then explained the important points to me in English.

• 5K students were reading and spelling "star" words in their weekly message from their teachers.  They were using whole body listening even with distractions in the room and were excited to find them in the message!

• Staff members working together to create a routine to help out with a student with significant needs.  There is a plan, but yet flexibility and open to feedback, and focused on what the student needs.

What's Happening At Dodgeland?

• Monday, November 8
• Mentor/Mentee Meeting @3:15pm in IMC - Year 1 Teachers only (Mentors are optional)
• Bus Duty for the week (Schweitzer, Lauth, Klis)
• GG Topic this week: Empathy and Respect

• Tuesday, November 9
• Recess Team Meeting in Room 120 at 3:05pm for all paraprofessional recess supervisors and certified staff recess team members
• Social Media Posts due to Josh (Miller, Piekarski, Schuett/Turcotte, Bingen)
• Rise Intervention - Round 2 begins.  This round goes until Winter Break.

• Wednesday, November 10
• Workout Wednesday
• Academic Grade Level data Meeting - 4th grade in Rm 138 from 12:35-1:25
• Staff meeting (See below)

• Thursday, November 11
• Veteran's Day Assembly @ 9:30am (See below for more information)
• SEL Grade Level data Meeting - 1st grade in Rm 122 from 12:05-12:55pm
• Jenny is in a meeting from 1:45-2:45pm

• Friday, November 12
• Packer Day Attire

Nitty-Gritty

• Staff Meeting - 11/10/21
• On Wednesday, 11/10, I have a very important appointment to go to. It was the only time they had available.  I know how precious and limited our staff meeting time is this school year, so I am truly sorry for this.  I will send out a video of important information before Wednesday afternoon.  Please plan to watch the short video during that time period.

• Veteran's Assembly
• The district Veteran's Day assembly will begin promptly at 9:30 in the HS gym.  Morning recess will be canceled for the day. Many local veteran's will be guests in our building that day, please dress professionally.  Due to Covid precautions, the veterans will not be welcoming elementary students for handshakes/high fives this year.  If you are new to this assembly, we will sit in the same section as the Homecoming assembly.  Please revisit behavior expectations prior to the assembly.

• Locker Mischief
• I am just bringing attention to all about a behavior that seems to be increasing. It appears that some of our students find it funny, or a good idea to move the locker name tags from lockers to new locations to make it confusing for classes.  (For example, this last week 4th graders came back to their lockers with their name tags on totally different lockers than their own.). I have found some of them on the cameras but not all of them.  For those I have talked to, I am not getting a very logical or satisfying answer to the rationale for this.  At any rate, lockers are provided for students to place their items in and it is disrespectful for others to enter anyone's locker but their own or to touch the labels on the outside.  Please keep an eye out for this as you are moving through the hallways.

• Open Door Counseling Services
• I received an email about updated information about accessing the Open Door Counseling Services that are at Dodgeland weekly.  Click HERE for a copy of the brochure.  If you have any families that are interested in this for their child, these can be printed and sent home for students.

PD Spotlight

This week I had a very interesting conversation about students and their ability to attend and have the soft skills/executive functioning skills to be successful in a classroom.  The conversation made me reflect on how these skills are affecting their success in the classroom and learning complex skills as well.  Executive functioning has three main parts: working memory, control emotions and responses, and cognitive flexibility.  It appears that lately I have had more and more conversations with children working on their on emotion/response controls.  I came across this short video as a tip from an elementary school teacher that shared how she models this skill to help students build their own skills as well.  I believe this will take time, but it can be done and be effective.  In addition, the most important part is that this works when we have strong relationships with our students.  Just as many of our PD lessons in previous years have emphasized; relationships matter.  Students will learn and grow in a safe and kind classroom environment. Holding students accountable is the kindest way to show students that you care.  Please click HERE to watch this teacher describe how she models this skill to help students develop their own executive functioning skills so that they can learn at high levels.

Friday Funny

I don't know about you, but I plan to put that hour to good use this weekend!