Friday, January 19, 2024

January 19, 2024

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

  • Shout out to Stacey for providing an alternative activity for indoor recess for 1st and 2nd graders today (and Friday) after a loooong week of indoor recess!  Thank you Stacey for giving them a safe place to dance and laugh!
  • So many teachers are praising their students and celebrating student growth on the mid-year assessments going on now.  I know that it takes a lot of time to get this done, but it is important that we are analyzing growth so we can make adjustments as we continue through the school year.
  • Staff working together to communicate important details to parents, as well as making plans to address student needs. Thank you all for putting students needs at the forefront of your minds and planning!

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

  • Monday, January 22
    • Grades due at 8am
    • Bus Duty: Schweitzer, BCaine, O'Toole, Braunschweig (4K/5K)
    • American Heart Fundraiser Starts today
    • School Board meeting at 6:30pm
  • Tuesday, January 23
    • Social Media posts due: Schwoerer, Miller, Jenkins
    • Lunch Detention Supervisors
      • 12:00-Stampfl
      • 12:30-Wedel
      • 1:00-Schwoerer
  • Wednesday, January 24
    • Workout Wednesday
    • Happy Birthday Lance!
    • NHS Blood drive in MS Gym (8:30-1:30pm)
    • Jenny in meeting from 8:30-10am
    • Academic Data meeting - 1st gr 12:05-12:55
    • Staff meeting in IMC at 3:10pm
    • 5th graders on a Field trip for the day
  • Thursday, January 25
    • Report cards sent home with students
    • Lunch Detention Supervisors
      • 12:00-Koenings
      • 12:30-Open
      • 1:00-Open
  • Friday, January 26
    • Happy Birthday Stephanie Schuett!
    • Rescheduled Class Pictures for Elementary homerooms


Nitty-Gritty

  • Class Pictures Rescheduled
    • The class picture day has been rescheduled for Friday, January 26.  Click HERE to see the schedule.  (It is the same as it would have been on Jan 12).  Please encourage your students to wear purple or a Dodgeland shirt.--I do have some extra Dodgeland shirts in my office in a small selection of sizes if you have any students, particularly new to the district, that might need a shirt for the picture.  For support personnel, (paras, special education teachers, interventionists, etc) please join the class or classes that you spend the most time in so that the group picture includes the adults that are part of that learning community!
  • Dodgeland Den Supplies
    • Alexis is looking for some supplies that she can use with students in Dodgeland Den after school.  If you are looking to get rid of any of these things from your room, please contact Alexis Uttech in room 137.  She is looking for things like yarn, string, beads, bracelet making rubber bands, colorful tissue paper, watercolors/brushes, pillows or cushions, kinetic sand, or any other extra crafting stuff. Thank you in advance for any possible donations.
  • Google Classroom Anyone?
    • I am still looking for a grade level/group of teachers that are willing to learn and use Google Classroom during 2nd semester this year to get a head start on transitioning away from Schoology and towards our new system that we will be using next school year. (Google Classroom) The Tech department will work closely with you during this phase to implement it successfully.
  • Eco Guardians Assembly
    • Juneau Utility is again sponsoring the energy conservation assembly.  This year the assembly is called Eco Guardians.  So that you can plan ahead, please make note that the 25 minute assembly is coming on Monday, February 12.  Grades 3-5 will attend the presentation at 1:30 and grades 4K-2 will attend the presentation at 2:15.  St. Johns' students will be joining us at 2:15 for the assembly as well.


TechKnow Tip

Next week, starting January 21-27 is Data Privacy Week! Data privacy is a crucial aspect of our online

lives. It refers to the ability of an individual to control the sharing of their personal information with others.

Your online activity generates a wealth of information, ranging from your interests and purchases to your

online behaviors. This data is collected by various websites, apps, devices, services, and companies

worldwide. Advertisers, businesses, and bad actors prize this data because it helps them better target

ads and products toward you or for malicious intent.


  • Schools are one of the examples of many organizations that collect and store sensitive information about students, including their academic performance, medical records and personal details.
  • Additionally, information related to job applicants, staff and volunteers is often stored with a school data base. Protecting student data privacy is essential to ensuring that this information is not misused or compromised.
  • While you cannot control how each piece of data about you and your family is collected, you still have the right to data privacy. You can manage your data by adopting a few repeatable behaviors. Your data is valuable and you deserve to have a say in who receives it!
Here is a great article to get you started -

> Privacy Basics



Friday Funny

Sometimes, I can not believe the weird things that happen in my life.  Other times, I think, well this is just my normal everyday life.  This week was another one of those situations and this time, Lexi got to be my HERO!  Tuesday morning, I am going to my garage to get the car and drive to work.  But, when I get to the door, the door handle is stuck and will not budge.  I use all my strategies; jiggle the handle, bang on the door as hard as I can, fiddle with the lock that will not move, etc.  I am locked in my house and can not get out to the car. I think the door is frozen and it will not budge. So then I think, "Well, there is a key code on the garage door, we can try that, open the garage door and go in from outside."  I am thinking that I am brilliant until my temperamental garage door refuses to open from there either!  So, I then called my Dad who I had to wake up and we end up Face Timing him.  He talks us through it and then Lexi proceeds to get the door off the hinges so that I can get out of my house and into the garage.  It took a awhile, but it WORKED.  Below is the picture of our triumph! Although to be fair, my Dad's look is more like, "This would only happen to Jenny." Sigh.







Sunday, January 14, 2024

January 12, 2024

 What's Happening at Dodgeland?

  • Monday, January 15
    • Bus Duty: CaineT, Riege, Juech, Vertz (4K/5K playground)
    • EP meeting in the IMC at 3:15pm
  • Tuesday, January 16
    • Badger Day - Wear Red or Badger clothes
    • Social Media Posts due: Stampfl, Chambers, Mook
    • Lunch Detention Supervisors
      • 12:00 - Schuett
      • 12:30 - BCaine
      • 1:00 - TCaine
  • Wednesday, January 17
    • Early Release, no AM recess
    • Jenny out of the building for dr appt until 10am
    • Workout Wednesday
    • SEL Grade level mtg 5th gr 11:10-11:45am
    • SEL Grade Level mtg 3rd gr 12:40-1:15pm
  • Thursday, January 18
    • Academic Grade level mtg 4th gr 12:35-1:25pm
    • Lunch Detention Supervisors
      • 12:00 - Open
      • 12:30 - Open
      • 1:00 - Open
  • Friday, January 19
    • End of Semester (Report cards due on Monday, 1/22/24 at 8am)
    • 4K SEL Grade level meeting 11:40am-12:25pm
    • Pyramid Model Leadership Meeting at 1pm
    • Did you finish your KnowB4 training yet? (due by the end of January)

Nitty-Gritty

  • Class Pictures
    • At this time, the goal is to reschedule the class picture day from last Friday.  When it is scheduled, we will announce to families and staff.  The schedule may need to be modified depending on the day of the week that it is scheduled.
  • Staff Meeting Presentation
    • Last Wednesday, Jessica had a presentation on budget.  At the conclusion of the meeting, she shared a link to a survey asking staff to share some information or feedback related to thoughts you have on what needs we have to do our jobs and the things we use the most often at school.  The link is HERE if you haven't shared your ideas yet.
  • Report Cards
    • We will be sending home report cards through our messaging system as well as a paper copy for 1st semester.  After this semester, paper copies will only be sent home by request, it will be sent through Bright Arrow at the end of the semester.
  • Indoor Recess
    • This week it looks like we will be spending a lot of time inside for recesses.  Please see Teresa's email with details regarding locations and logistics of indoor recess this week.  The document is HERE with supervision details.  PLEASE remind students that personal items are NOT ALLOWED at indoor recess.  This usually ends with issues or conflicts when it is in the gym or PLTW room.
  • Google Classroom- VERY IMPORTANT Changes COMING!
    • We are thrilled to announce an exciting change in our ongoing efforts to enhance the learning experience for our students and educators. After careful consideration, we have decided to transition from Schoology to Google Classroom as our primary learning management system.


    • This change comes with numerous benefits that will streamline communication, collaboration, and overall efficiency within our educational community. Google Classroom offers a user-friendly interface for all grade levels, seamless integration with other Google Workspace tools, and a variety of features that will empower both educators and students.


      The district will transition to using Google Classroom for all levels starting the 24-25 School year with the availability to access Schoology content from previous years. Google Classroom will be the only Learning Management System used for all K-12 students. After our smooth transition into Google Classroom, Schoology will no longer be available for the 25-26 school year.


      Here is a quick video of Google Classroom


      Key highlights of the transition include:


      1. Simplified Collaboration and Integration: Google Classroom provides a centralized platform for teachers to create, distribute, and grade assignments, making collaboration more efficient and effective. Enjoy seamless access to Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, and other Workspace tools directly within Google Classroom, fostering a more integrated and organized digital learning environment.


      2. Product Development: Google has continued to develop Google Classroom each year with new enhancements being released quarterly. Most recently Google launched sharable video presentations and interactive questions for YouTube videos. Schoology has not had a product enhancement in the last 8 years. Since PowerSchool purchased Schoology in 2019 there have been significant performance issues and numerous outages.


      3. Mobile-Friendly Experience: Google Classroom is designed to be accessible from various devices, offering a mobile-friendly experience that allows students and educators to stay connected on the go.


      4. Training, Help, and Communities: Google does a great job with its training and collaboration opportunities. Most training comes at no cost and can be done asynchronous.  Google offers educators to be part of communities to collaborate and learn from other educators. 


      Here is a Google Classroom 101 Training Series channel on YouTube. As you look through some of the videos, know that some features will be automated for you such as class creation.


      Our next steps moving into Google Classroom as a district:

      • We are looking for grade levels and/or departments to start this epic transition second semester. Those willing to participate will be working closely with the tech department as you learn, navigate, and succeed! Please let your building principal know if you are interested.

      • We have multiple learning opportunities scheduled to learn more about Google Classroom, so stay tuned.


      Thank you for your continued commitment to education and the success of our students. If you have any questions about this move to Google Classroom, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your building principal


TechKnow Tip

If you have a teacher assistant, please be sure to enter a grade for them. This needs to be completed by ALL elementary, middle, and high school teachers who have a TA. Once logged into PowerSchool, select “Dodgeland High School” from the drop-down in the top right corner. Select “PowerTeacher Pro” under one of your teacher assistant courses. Select “Grading” along the left and then “Traditional” under the grades tab. Click on the white box under “S1” and select “P” (pass) or “F” (fail) along the right. Select the green “Save” button.


Friday Funny (on a Sunday!)

This was last week, now it'll all freeze to ice!  I am so sorry I every said anything negative about winter!



Thursday, January 4, 2024

January 5, 2024

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

I am so sorry that there were so many of you that spent many days during your break sick or miserable.  My hope for you all is that you are healthy soon and feeling back to normal.  If you are one of the lucky ones, that didn't get sick last week, I hope it bypasses you!  Take care of yourselves everyone!


What's Happening at Dodgeland?

  • Monday, January 8
    • Packer Day -  Wear your Packer attire
    • Bus Duty: Anderson, Miller, Huso
    • Mentor/Mentee Mtg - Year 1 Teachers only @ 3:15 in the IMC
    • Playworks Coach is visiting from 9-2pm
    • Mid-Year Assessments window opens for all levels
  • Tuesday, January 9
    • Social Media Posts due to Jessica - Turcotte
    • SEL Grade level Data meeting 3rd gr - 12:05-12:55pm
    • Lunch Detentions:
      • 12:00-Miller
      • 12:30-Braunschweig
      • 1:00-Schwoerer
  • Wednesday, January 10
    • Workout Wednesday
    • Seals on Wheels visit (will be coming around to classrooms starting around 8:30am
    • Jenny in meeting from 8:30-10am
    • Academic Grade Level meeting 2nd gr - 12:05-12:55pm
    • Elem. Staff meeting in IMC 3:10-3:55pm
  • Thursday, January 11
    • Jenny out of the building until 2pm
    • Lunch Detention Supervisors:
      • 12:00-Schuett
      • 12:30-Braunschweig
      • 1:00-
  • Friday, January 12
    • Happy Birthday Barb Schlief
    • Group Class Photo day - Watch for specifics next week
  • Saturday, January 13
    • Happy Birthday Leah Neis

Nitty-Gritty

  • Semester Report Cards
    • Looking Ahead, the semester ends on January 19.  Grades will be due on Monday, January 22 at 8am.  At that point, Trisha will start running report cards and will send them digitally to you to proofread before they are printed for the kids to take home on Thursday, Jan 25.  We are also going to send a digital copy of each report card through Bright Arrow, our school messaging system in PowerSchool.  As a support for you, the tech department will have some "office hours" in the afternoon during the early release on 1/17 to ask questions. Watch for specifics coming up.
  • Contact Information in PowerSchool
    • Click HERE to see the directions for how to see the updated contact information for students in your class.  It is in PowerTeacher Pro (your gradebook) and this is the page that gets updated.
  • RiverEdge Field Trip opportunities
    • Click HERE to see a flyer from RiverEdge in Saukeville for options for next school year.  I share in case this would fit with your grade's curriculum.

TechKnow Tip

  • As you work on your grading, you may find it helpful to have a second screen-one designated to PowerSchool while the other navigating Schoology and all your students’ outstanding work. GOOD NEWS!! Apple has a feature called “Sidecar” which allows you to connect your iPad to your laptop, working as a second screen. Here is a quick video to get you started. As always, be sure you are logged into your Apple ID on both devices. As you set this up for the first time, reach out to Brad, Sam, or Christina who would love to help walk you through the steps.

Behavior Specialist Info

  • As a pupil services team, we recognize that we continue to have many students that struggle with emotional control and regulation. As such, we have decided that we would like to teach Zone of Regulation as a universal curriculum to have a common language  to teach students emotional regulation. Starting next week, Ms. Mosher and Mrs. Chambers will be teaching Zones of Regulation during guidance lessons. Zones of Regulation is a program that teaches students to identify how they are feeling and then use taught strategies associated with each zone so they can self-regulate to a calm, ready to learn state of being. As we roll Zones, please plan to actively participate in lessons so that we can all effectively support our students in this new regulation program. We plan to adopt/keep Zones of Regulation as one of our universal programs indefinitely.


Recess Information

Coach Maggie will be here on Monday, January 8th. Junior coach meeting in the PLTW lab

have been changed to:

  • 4th grade - 10:30-11
  • 5th grade 10:00-10:30

If you were unable to attend one of the Expectation Review Sessions, please review the presentation (here) shared with all of the classes. Please continue to be consistent in reinforcing our expectations at Dodgeland.


With the continued varying weather, bus duty and recess staff, please close the playground equipment as necessary if it is too slippery/frosty/snow covered to be safe for our students.


Friday Funny

I know that you are all going to be able to read it, but shockingly, there are a number of people in the world, that would never be able to figure this out!







Thursday, December 21, 2023

December 22, 2023



What's Happening at Dodgeland?

  • NEXT Week - Winter Break 
    • I hope you all have a great holiday and get lots of rest!
  • Monday, Jan 1 -  No School
  • Tuesday, Jan 2
    • Bus Duty: Caine-Arnes, Chambers, Zastrow, Koenings (3K/4K playground)
    • New Support Staff Duties
      • AM Breakfast - Lexi, Vicky
      • AM Circle Drive - Karissa
      • PM Circle Drive - Ann, Sandi
    • Happy Birthday Trisha Pieper
    • NO Lunch Detentions this week
    • Social Media Posts due to Jessica: Zastrow, Schuett
    • Paraprofessional Meeting in IMC @ 3:15pm-3:45pm
  • Wednesday, Jan 3
    • Workout Wednesday
    • Academic Data meeting - 3rd gr 12:05-12:55pm
  • Thursday, Jan 4
    • Jenny has to leave at 3:30 for a dr appt
  • Friday, Jan 5
    • Happy Birthday Sarah Patton
    • Jenny at Cesa from 11-3pm

Nitty-Gritty

  • SANTA is COMING!!!  I KNOW HIM!!!
    • On Friday, December 22, Santa and Mrs. Claus will be visiting Dodgeland Elementary to spread some cheer.  They will have a bag of treats for each teacher to hand out at a time of your choosing.  (They greeting MS/HS students before school and then will make there way down to the elementary wing!)
  • Mid-Year Assessments (i-Ready and FastBridge)
    • The window for mid year assessments starts on Monday, January 8th.  Please coordinate with interventionists and/or special education teachers regarding the assessments so that students have access to the accommodations they need to do their best work.  In addition to the reading and math assessments, the SAEBRS and mySAEBRS assessment should be done by the end of January as well.
  • iPads during Break
    • Please make sure that iPads for students in grades 4K-3rd grade are in the case and plugged in so that they can be updated during the winter break.  Any devices that are not in the case and plugged in will not be updated and will most definitely have no charge left when school restarts in January.
  • Group Photos for Class pictures
    • The photographer(s) will be here on Friday, Jan 12 to take the group photos of each class starting at 8:15 in the morning.  At this time, the photos will be taken in the commons near the new Dodgeland wall.  Please encourage your students to wear purple/Dodgeland apparel that day.
  • Summer School???
    • Did you forget to sign up to teach summer school this year?  This year there are two sessions again.  The first is our regular session, and the second is a Jumpstart session for invited students only.  The dates are June 10 - July 11, Mon-Thurs only.  July 1-2 only during the 4th of July holiday.  There are a number of options to teach.  If you are not sure what you would like to teach, please let me know and we can talk it through.  Please let me know your interested by clicking HERE.


Recess Information

Next Junior Coach Meetings in the PLTW Lab:

  • 4th grade - 1/8/24 at 9:45 
  • 5th grade - 1/8 at 2:15


Behavior Specialist Info

In order to have a consistent message, please sign-up for an expectations review time for me to come into your class and review our common spaces and recess expectations after our winter break. It would be great if you plan to be part of the conversation, and paras, if possible try to attend one of the review sessions with a classroom to ensure we are all on the same page with what expectations are and how to enforce them. Sign-up here.


TechKnow Tip

Ho ho ho! It's that time of the year again when we all get excited about the new gadgets and gizmos

that Santa might bring us. But what about the old ones that we no longer need or want? Do we just toss

them in the trash and forget about them? No way! That would be a waste of resources and a threat to the

environment. Instead, we should e-recycle them! E-recycling is the process of safely disposing of electronic

waste and recovering valuable materials that can be reused or recycled. E-recycling is not only good for

the environment, but also for your wallet and your community.

 

How do you e-recycle in Wisconsin? Well, it's easy and convenient. Wisconsin has a statewide e-waste

recycling program called E-Cycle Wisconsin. E-Cycle Wisconsin collects fees from electronics

manufacturers and uses them to reimburse registered collectors and recyclers who accept eligible

devices from households and schools. Eligible devices include TVs, computers, monitors, keyboards,

mice, printers, fax machines, DVD players, VCRs, DVRs, and cell phones. You can find a list of

registered collectors and recyclers near you on the E-Cycle Wisconsin websiteor by calling 1-800-RECYCLE. Take a look at this helpful Infographic for more information!

 

So don't let your old gadgets gather dust in your closet or end up in the landfill. E-recycle them today

and make a difference for tomorrow!


Friday Funny

Last night, this week's Friday Funny just "fell in my lap!"  I am not sure if this is titled, 'Mom Fail' or 'Are you Serious?!'  

Mason called me last night around 7:30 to ask me how to wrap presents.  Initially I started to giggle, but it turned into a full belly laugh when he explained that he has already watched a YouTube video and the crazy lady in it is talking about how to avoid seams on the gift! His response to that was, "Who cares about SEAMS!" So, I start to walk him through it and he is being a very good student.  Then he gets confused on the corners, so I switch to FaceTime, where he gets stuck on the "weird" cut he made and how the tape is much too skinny to wrap presents with.  Listening to him complain about the tape and the presents and then, "How did you do this when we were kids?"  and "I am never having kids so I don't have to do this!"  But, the victory pose at the end makes me laugh even harder.  But wait...Did I fail to teach my son life skills???



BONUS!

The Holiday Photo Booth was entertaining as usual.  Ella, Lexi and I went to get a picture taken last night and we couldn't help but look through the other photos.  When we came across this one, I had to share.  Can I ask what is going on in this picture?  Should I be worried about Brent?




Thursday, December 14, 2023

December 15, 2023

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

  • The Doors around the school look so fun!  Thank you for putting in extra time to making the school look so exciting!
  • Shout out to all of our students and Gail Hoffman for putting together two fun nights this week for our families and community to enjoy.  Also, to all of the staff that helped put it together with logistics as well.  Thank you all!
  • A Special Shout-out to Melissa Arnes for stepping in to help out on concert night and allowing Lexi to tag along while you put out visuals to help them, organized students in the room, and helped give reminders of concert behavior.  :-)
  • The first graders were so great with our guest from MyView that was teaching in their classroom this week.  I didn't get to see everything, or sit in on the afternoon meetings.  However, she emailed me and stated that she had really good conversations with you.  I hope that you found it helpful as well.


What's Happening at Dodgeland?

  • Monday, December 18
    • Bus Duty: Klink, Lucht, Wedel, Schuett (3K/4K playground)
    • Merry Monday - Dress in Green and Red
    • Board Meeting at 6:30 in IMC
    • MS/HS Choral Concert at 7pm
  • Tuesday, December 19
    • Social Media Posts due to Jessica: Klink, Donovan, Koenings, Riege
    • Winter Wonderland Day - Dress in White or like a snowman
    • SEL Data meeting for 4th gr (12:35-1:25)
    • Lunch Detention
      • 12:00 - Juech
      • 12:30 - B Caine
      • 1:00 - 
    • MS/HS Band Concert at 7pm
  • Wednesday, December 20
    • Dress like your favorite Holiday character
    • 2nd graders on a field trip to Milwaukee Public Museum
    • Jenny in meeting from 8:30-10am
    • NO Academic DATA meeting today! (4th grade is moved to January 18)
  • Thursday, December 21
    • Get Up and Go Day - Dress in your PJ's
    • Happy Birthday Alexis Uttech!
    • Holiday Photo Booth in the Green Screen Room in IMC
      • Everyone that gets their photo taken is entered in a drawing for a gift card
    • 5th graders Field trip to Clearview 9:45am-11:15am
    • Lunch Detention
      • 12:00 - Koenings
      • 12:30 - 
      • 1:00 - 
  • Friday, December 22
    • Festive Friday - Wear your ugliest sweater or festive wear
    • Citizenship Grades for December due today
    • Santa on Trial performances for families at between 10-12pm
    • Enjoy your break!  See you on January 2nd! 
    • Watch your email for Mrs. Johnson's video on the Personal Day giveaway!


Nitty-Gritty

  • Personnel Information
    • At the school board meeting on Monday night, they most likely will approve the hiring of a new 2nd grade teacher, Abby Ruplinger.  She will be visiting next week to meet students, some families and staff.  Her official start date is Jan. 2. (Jessica's board update will give you more information.) Please help me welcome her to Dodgeland. 
    • This also means that Brent's last day with us full time is Friday, December 22.  Please help me in thanking him for all of his hard work the past 5+ weeks. It is very much appreciated!
    • Also, Sandi Amis is planning to be returning after the break, so that means that Brenda Schumacher will not be with us full-time either.  Please help me thank her for filling in and being with us for the last 4+ weeks as well.
    • We are hoping we still get to see them both subbing throughout the building next semester though!
  • Class Picture Day - New this year
    • Please mark your calendars!  On Friday, January 12, LifeTouch will be in the building to take group photos of each class, probably by the Dodgeland Wall in the commons.  There will be order forms and a flyer for parents.  Parents can elect to purchase this additional group photo.
  • Citizenship Grades
    • Please make sure to update your gradebooks with December citizenship grades by Friday, Dec 21.  If you need to do it after that date, it's okay.  I was just hoping you wouldn't have to work over break!
  • PowerSchool How-To's
    • There are two things that I found this week that some of you may need assistance with in PowerSchool.  To assist, I will create a screen recording to share with you on Monday.  The first is how to put in log entries for discipline issues.  All staff can put in a log entry regardless of what grade or class the student is in.  Second, if you are looking for contacts for your student, you must do this through PowerTeacher Pro to have the most up to date information that is tied to registration/enrollment.  Please do not use the demographic page as it is an outdated form that can not be taken off of the list.
  • Summer School??
    • Yep, it's time to start planning for Summer School already.  This year there are two sessions again.  The first is our regular session, and the second is a Jumpstart session for invited students only.  The dates are June 10 - July 11, Mon-Thurs only.  July 1-2 only during the 4th of July holiday.  There are a number of options to teach.  If you are not sure what you would like to teach, please let me know and we can talk it through.  Please let me know your interested by clicking HERE.


Techknow Tip

The holidays can be a stressful time of the year and we are knee deep in it! Take a moment to think about your digital wellness. Digital wellness is the pursuit of an intentional and healthy relationship with technology. Take a look at this graphic, "Boundaries for Digital Wellness" Reflect on yourself as a technology user and think about starting a conversation with students about this too. Digital wellness is one facet of being a well-rounded digital citizen, something all students and staff are aspiring to be.


Friday Funny

My friend sent this to me last weekend, and I thought, "Wouldn't this be great for all those days that I fall asleep in the chair at night!  




Sunday, December 10, 2023

December 8, 2023

 What's Happening at Dodgeland?

  • Monday, December 11
    • Candy Cane Day - Wear Red and White (Comfy Countdown starts for Staff)
    • Happy Birthday Broedy Soter!
    • Winter Concert Rehearsal
      • 8:45-9:15 for 5K/2nd/4th
      • 9:30-10:00 for 1st/3rd/5th
    • Morning Recess Schedule
      • 9:00-9:15 for 4K/1/3/5 with Mook, Ehlenbeck, Schweitzer, Chambers
      • 9:15-9:30 for 5K/2/4 with Schweitzer, Zastrow, Wedel
      • NO 9:30 recess
    • Mentor/Mentee Meeting for Year 1 certified staff and their mentors from 3:15-4:00pm in IMC
    • Concert night for grades 5K/2/4 at 6:30pm (kids arrive by 6:15 in classroom)

  • Tuesday, December 12
    • Grinch Day - Wear Green
    • SEL Data meeting for 5th grade - 12:35-1:25pm in Conf rm
    • Concert night for grades 1/3/5 at 6:30pm (kids arrive by 6:15 in classroom)
  • Wednesday, December 13
    • Early Release schedule (No morning recess)
    • Jenny in meeting from 8:30-10:00am
    • MyView Literacy coach will be here from 9-3pm
    • 3K/4K consultant (Golshan) from Healthy Minds, Healthy Children grant will be here from 12-2:30
    • Workout Wednesday
    • Staff Meeting CANCELED - See Below for details
  • Thursday, December 14
    • Mad about Plaid Day
    • Jenny leaving for an appt at 3:45pm
  • Friday, December 15
    • Purple Pride or Holiday Color Day
    • Pyramid Model Leadership meeting 1pm-2pm


Nitty-Gritty

  • MyView Literacy Coach visit
    • We have a different literacy coach coming in this week. Her name is Blanca Campillo. This is the last time someone will be here in person to answer questions from MyView.  Please complete this survey to help her plan for her visit.  I will be creating a schedule for her to visit classrooms/teachers to talk about your individual classroom(s).  The schedule will have grade levels meeting with the coach throughout the day.
  • Proactive Strategy Brainstorming
    • If you haven't had a chance to add to the brainstorming doc for behavior strategies, please add them here before Wednesday, 12/13. I changed the format of the document so that we can add ideas easier to it.  If you sent me ideas, I put them in the document for others to read too.
  • Staff Meeting on Dec 13
    • On Wednesday, anyone that is interested in meeting to go through the ideas that were submitted or suggested for proactive strategies, we will be meeting in the IMC at 3:00.  The purpose of the meeting is to discuss possible system ideas that we can put in place and to discuss what is viable options for us as a team to put in place in our school.  


TechKnow Tip

Are you ready for a little fun?! BreakoutEDU is an immersive learning game platform with both physical and digital puzzle elements to solve. A physical BreakoutEDU “room” can be time consuming to set up, so that’s where a digital BreakoutEDU “room” can come in handy. BreakoutEDU is provided to all classroom teachers through the IMC- that means you can use the pre-created materials from the site, you can create digital breakout “rooms” specific to your content, and you can create classes of students to view progress and statistics of any of the BreakoutEDU puzzles. Digital BreakoutEDU puzzles can be shared with students via link or QR code- what a fun thing to do as a soft-start/bell ringer, study hall, or end of the day fun. It is a great opportunity for cooperative learning, problem solving, encourages persistence, and an outstanding alternative to movies. For those not already connected, you will receive an email to get started sometime today. Until then, check this one out as an example!


Behavior Specialist Info

As you all know, the closer we get to the holidays and break, the more excitement and in some cases behaviors we see. Please continue to encourage Bucket Filling and use our poms as reinforcement in addition to your classroom management systems.


Recess Info

Oh Wisconsin Weather!

This winter feels different in that the weather has been so much more variable making it really

difficult to have a consistent snow pants/boots rule that makes sense.

Here’s the scoop (at least until the next snow):

  • Morning bus duty - staff on duty please continue to monitor the equipment in the morning and close the play structure if it is too slippery/wet.
  • Recesses during the day - Boots are required for grass. It is recommended that students continueto dress appropriately according to our weather recommendations (here)
  • After school bus duty - K-3 should be playing on the playground or standing in their lines. 4-5 should be playing 4 square, gaga, basketball or standing in their lines.
  • No students should be on the snow hills or grass past the end of the blacktop at any time of the day.


Friday Funny

This week's Friday Funny comes from last weekend.  Mason (most know, but he is my middle child that lives in Milwaukee) came to the musical on Saturday night to support his sisters.  At the end of the performance, he waited a little bit, but only saw Ella.  He then decided to go to Kwik Trip to get something to drink for the drive home.  Lexi comes out to the gym and asks where Mason is.  I tell her he left so that he can get back before it starts to snow.  She then calls him, asks where he is and gives him a guilt trip for leaving before she got to see him.  He says, "Do you want me to come back?"  She says, "Yes" and so HE DOES!  This is the picture I took of his return to the school. As you can see, he is not super pleased, but Lexi sure is!  He tells her, "You know when I asked if I should come back, it was to be nice.  Most people would say, 'No, that's okay.' not YES PLEASE!"  I'm not sure if I find it more funny or more sweet that he 1. showed up to support his sisters to something he is not a fan of or 2. that he actually returned to see his big sister whom he had seen for now three weekends in a row or 3. that Lexi is so dang proud of herself for getting him to come back just for her!





Thursday, November 30, 2023

December 1, 2023

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

  • Teachers advocating for students and their needs in their classroom through email, conversations or discussions with their team.  I always want to hear these things.  I may not have the answer right away, but I always want to hear about it so that we can find a solution together.  I don't want any of us to feel alone in difficult situations!
  • Shout out to Brad Modaff and his attention to detail, creative ideas, and hard work to get the technology parts and set design of the musical ready for the kids.  And all this in addition to keeping us going with our school day and the technology needs we all have!
  • Shout out to Mrs. Rollins for seeming to know exactly when she needs to bring Watson in to the office for the young and old kids.  They both make us smile and help us calm right down!

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

  • Monday, December 4
    • Bus Duty: Schweitzer, BCaine, O'Toole, Braunschweig (4K/5K playground)
    • Extra Duty sheets due to Jenny's mailbox
    • Fundraiser night at Pizza Ranch in Beaver Dam from 4-8pm towards the German HS students traveling abroad next year.
  • Tuesday, December 5
    • No Social Media signs ups this week - BUT if you have one, feel free to send it in!
    • Coach Maggie from Playworks will be in the building (10-2pm)
    • SEL Data mtg for Grade 5K from 12:05-12:55pm
    • Paraprofessional staff meeting in the IMC from 3:15-3:45
  • Wednesday, December 6
    • Academic Data mtg for 5th grade from 12:35-1:25
    • Workout Wednesday
  • Thursday, December 7
  • Friday, December 8
    • Let Trisha Caine know if you want to participate in the door decorating activity by the end of the day

Nitty-Gritty

  • District Social Media Archiving
    • This is a reminder to read Mr. Modaff's email from November 30th carefully.  It is very important that if you have a social media account that is related to any group, activity or grade in the district that it is archived appropriately to comply with Public Records Laws.  In order to do this, there are steps that must be taken.  Read his email carefully to see what to do and if you have questions, please let him or myself know.
  • Hot Lunch Numbers
    • To help Natalie in preparing for lunches, if you or any other adult in the class/building are planning to eat hot lunch, please send her an email indicating that so she can account for it during the meal preparation.  Thank you in advance!
  • Staff Birthdays
    • I realize that we are almost halfway through the year, but this week, someone suggested to me that I add birthdays to the staff announcements for the adults in our system.  Unless you tell me that you do not want your birthday mentioned in the staff announcements, I will start doing this next week.
  • Winter Concert Rehearsal (recess changes too!)
    • For your planning, please note the rehearsal schedule for your grade below.
      • Dec. 11, 8:45-9:15am for grades 5K, 2, 4
      • Dec. 11, 9:30-10am for grades 1, 3, 5
    • Recess that day will be as follows:
      • 9:00-9:15 - 4K, 1, 3, 5 (supervisors are: 4K - Mook, Ehlenbeck, 1,3, 5 - Schweitzer, Chambers)
      • 9:15-9:30 - 5K, 2, 4 (supervisors are: Schweitzer, Zastrow, Wedel)
      • NO 9:30 recess

TechKnow Tip

  • Tis the season... You may be spending more time online shopping, and with that comes the increased potential for phishing scams!  HERE is an article from the United States Postal Inspection Services about "Fake USPS Emails". This "Delivery Failure Notification" can come from an email or text message. So what can you do to protect yourself?
    • 1. Did you actually order something online and are awaiting delivery?
    • 2. Check on your orders or packages directly from the purchase site, verification email, or with a verified tracking number. Tracking numbers can be put into websites such as usps.com, ups.com, fedex.com, or track.amazon.com. Remember, this is not an exhaustive list.
    • If you do receive a message about a failed delivery that you believe to be valid, contact the post office directly. Try to have your tracking number handy.
    • If you are sending packages to loved ones, share with them any tracking numbers and estimated time of arrival to help them stay safe too.


Friday Funny

I was going to have my Friday Funny be about poor Lexi and her difficulty with painting straight lines. The rectangle window on the set was 'Just a bit' crooked! Of course, after she works on this for a substantial amount of time, Brad says, "You know, we could just nail 2x4's that are painted instead!"  Lexi took it in stride as they then showed her a nifty tool called a level!  However, I am not going to use that since I have now been called up from the minor league to operate a spotlight during the show on Friday only.  This is what they say to me, "It's so easy.  It's easy to learn, You don't need lots of practice!!"  Well, I say "HA" to that!  

I have a significant height disadvantage for this process and then Brad says, don't touch the red button, you don't need it, so what do I do?  I accidentally move it while I'm trying to open the shutter.  Then I freak out because I probably wrecked something now, but can't figure out what just happened.  Plus, I couldn't hear the show and still listen to Brad and Ella in this earpiece thing. The sound of the fan of the light is in my ear and then they say, just follow the script on the iPad so you know when the spotlight is needed.  I publicly apologize to Lexi for teasing her about a rectangle, because the things that Brad and Ella think are so easy, are definitely NOT!  My plan for Saturday is the "game" below!