February 14, 2025

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• What a week this has been!  So many exciting activities for your classrooms!  Shout out to all of you!  You made this week fun and full of learning! (just like every other week, but this week it was loaded with once a year events!)  These are the things our students remember for years. I know that it so much extra work, but I hope you see how much it is worth it for our students.

• 2nd grade students working together to estimate and build their number sense skills all the way up to 1000!  Way to go!

• Shout out to Teresa!  She has been working so hard at messaging parents to find ways to help their child, using our resources efficiently for kids and communicating with staff all over the building, not to mention the group teaching in 4K and the tier 3 groups for SEL.  Thank you Teresa!

• Students were so well behaved for the assembly today.  Thank you for helping to set the expectations for them ahead of time!

• Shout out to Ms. Westphal!  One of her students has been rocking it lately and Kari is cheering her on all the way!  Woot, Woot!

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Saturday, February 15
• Happy Birthday Laura G.

• Monday, February 17
• PD Day - Schedule is HERE
• Happy Birthday Christina!

• Tuesday, February 18
• Bus Duty: Bingen, Juech, Stampfl, Schuett (3K/4K playground)
• Lunch Supervisors:
• 12:00 - Ellefson
• 12:30 - Turcotte
• 1:00 - CaineB
• Social Media Posts due to Jessica: Ellefson, Huso, O'Toole
• Optional Referendum info meeting for staff in IMC at 3:15pm (repeat from last week)

• Wednesday, February 19
• 5th gr. Field Trip to Discovery World - 8am-3pm
• Parent Teacher Conferences 4-7:30pm by appointment

• Thursday, February 20
• Workout Wednesday on a Thursday!  (Since we had to dress up for conferences yesterday)

• Friday, February 21
• Early dismissal for students at 2:20 (Staff dismissed after buses leave--2:30ish)
• Dodgeland Den is still open until 5:30 pm

Nitty-Gritty

• New Face around Dodgeland
• Starting next week, we will have a sub in for Rose while she is out with her much anticipated medical procedure!  (@Rose - I can't wait to see you pain free in a few weeks! Good Luck!!). While she is gone, Ali Sugden (former grad) will be covering for her.  She will be using her iPad to communicate in Spanish with students and taking them for small group work just like Rose does. You may have seen her in the building this week shadowing Rose.  Please help her feel welcome!  Glad you are here Miss Ali!

• PD day on Monday
• The schedule for the day is HERE.  Most of you will notice that you are meeting with Jen first for a session on accommodations and accessibility.  After that you will be meeting with the tech team to learn how technology can be used to help with this work.  Please make sure that you have both devices charged and with you for that session.  The goal is to be able to apply your new learning with your own lessons.  When you are not in a session, please use that time to collaborate with your team, prep for future units/lessons, or participate in a wellness activity for 30 min.

• Kids Heart Challenge
• The last day for Online donations for the Kids Heart Challenge is Friday, Feb 21. Teresa has taken over the challenge for this school year. She has a list of students that have earned prizes and will be handing them out on Valentine's Day and again next Friday at the conclusion of the event.  If you have any questions, please let Patti, Teresa or I know and we will find the answer!

• Mark your calendars!
• Read Across America is coming soon!  The week of March 3-7 and our family night will be on March 4.  Please watch for more details from the committee coming soon!

• Upcoming Dates?
• If you have upcoming events to get on the calendar or articles for the March newsletter, please get them to Patti by next week Friday.  She will be working on this soon and we don't want to miss anything!  Thank you!

• Happy Numbers Challenge
• Thank you all for encouraging student participation in Happy Numbers and also to Sue O'Toole for organizing the competition!  The more practice students have with math skills, the stronger their skills become!  While the challenge is over, the practice doesn't have to be!

• Green Bay Gamblers Teacher Appreciation Night
• The Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League is offering discounted tickets for the game on Saturday, March 29th for the 6:05 game vs. Dubuque.  The ticket code is HERE.  The game takes place at the Resch Center in Green Bay. 

PD Spotlight

This week's letter is T. We all have a story and many of us have similar stories to our students.  It helps them see that we have full lives and that we don't just sit around school waiting for them to come back the next day!  :-)

TechKnow Tip

Have you AirPlayed lately? With the newest update to your laptop, you now have choices of what you display while connected to AirPlay! Once you are connected to a display via AirPlay, you will have a “Change” option under your mirroring display menu. This button will give you the choice of mirroring your entire screen, a specific window or app, or utilizing it as an extended screen.

Recess Information

Snow Pants and Boots
Now that we have snow, snow pants and boots are required to go on the turf/play equipment and grass. It appears like we will be indoors all next week, but please send reminders to your families about sending snow gear.

Friday Funny

This is a picture of my 5K niece on her 100th day of school that was 2/13.  Yep, her class had 100th day and then Valentine's Day two days in a row.  Lydia is a spitfire and keeps her parents on their toes, which I secretly love to watch!  This shirt is SO HER!  Here's to all of you that survived 100 days this year too!  (including looking at 100 pictures of me all over this building.  Now that was painful, wasn't it??)

February 7, 2025

Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• First graders are working hard on blending words together and noticing consonant blends at the beginning and end of words.  This is not an easy skill, but they are getting it!

• Staff coming together to make proactive plans to help struggling students with behavior and with academic challenges.  I am blessed to work with such compassionate and hardworking professionals.

• 3K students are learning to share their feelings and also to listen to each other when they share.  It is wonderful to watch them working on SEL skills too!

• Staff being flexible and helpful as we continue to help cover classes, duties, etc due to illness of ourselves and families.  The bugs going around are NO FUN!  Thank you for all that are stepping in to help out all over the building!

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Saturday, Feb. 8
• Happy Birthday Dom!

• Sunday, Feb 9
• Happy Birthday Jessica J.!

• Monday, Feb 10
• Bus Duty: CaineT, Huso, Westphal, Braunschweig (3K/4K playground)
• Lunch Supervisors:
• 12:00 - Lucht
• 12:30 - Juech
• 1:00 - Schulte
• 5K Grade level Data Meeting at 11:35 in Elem. conf. room
• Jenny in meeting from 8:30-10am
• Is your laptop updated to MacOs 15.3?  It's very important that this is done ASAP!

• Tuesday, Feb. 11
• Social Media Posts due to Jessica: Braunschweig, Donovan, Westphal, Miller
• Lunch Detention Supervisors
• 12:00 - Stampfl
• 12:30 - Open
• 1:00 - Open
• 100th Day of School!
• Optional: Referendum info meeting for staff at 3:15pm in IMC

• Wednesday, Feb 12
• Workout Wednesday
• 101st Day of School!
• Staff Meeting: This meeting will be replaced with the referendum info meeting for staff at 3:15 in IMC

• Thursday, Feb 13
• All School Assembly in the elementary gym at 2pm. (it will last about 45 min.)
• Family Night at 6pm - Bring your families for a night of laughter and fun!

• Friday, Feb 14
• Happy Valentine's Day!
• Harvest of the Month lessons for 4th/5th grades between 10-12

Nitty Gritty

• Phishing Email
• Please make sure that you read Brad's email from Thurs, Feb 6 regarding the phishing emails that DPI notified the state of.  I know that we have all completed the cybersecurity training, but this is a good reminder so that we don't unintentionally give away your private information. The emails may look legitimate, but there are a few clues that helps us know that it is not from WI DPI.

• Assembly on Thurs.
• We will be sitting on the floor of the gym for the assembly.  We must leave an aisle for the performer to walk  through and there will be volunteers asked to come on stage during the show.  Please remind students to use their SEL skills if they are not chosen to participate.  In addition, there will be a handout to send home to encourage families to attend the evening performance as well.  We will start to sit down at 2pm, but please make sure that your students are ready to go by then so that the performer has time to complete the assembly before school ends.

• 3K/4K Screening and Registration
• The 3K/4K staff is planning for the screening night for incoming 3K and 4K students next month.  Their will be families within the building with their young students, some of which will be very nervous.  To prepare for this, if you know anyone that is interested in our program, feel free to share the information.  Post cards will be sent to homes and it will be on FaceBook and Dojo as well.  HERE is the English Flyer and HERE is the Spanish flyer for your awareness.

TechKnow Tip

There are SO many amazing tools that Canva offers! But, to get access to everything, your account needs to be connected to our district’s account. To check this, select your account in the top right of Canva when logged in. You will find “Dodgeland School District” under the Teams section. If you are not connected to the “Dodgeland School District” Canva team, please add your account with this link.

Behavior Specialist Information

Bucket Fillers

We are going to tweak our Bucket Fillers program slightly. We have noticed that our 4th/5th grade numbers are very low. Instead of doing tickets and poms, we would like to move back to just poms 5k-5th with a focus on the word of the month to earn those poms. As a reminder, students can earn poms for choosing the desired behaviors at lunch, recess or in the hallway. Ms. Mosher will be providing more information about the word of the month and what it looks like to use that skill. 

2nd/3rd lunch procedure change

As the year is progressing, we are noticing that students could use a break from each other and/or the opportunity to engage with other peers. As such, we would like to try "open seating" at lunch. The second graders will still be expected to sit with second grade and third graders with third grade but they will not be required to sit by classroom teacher. Students will be allowed to pick where they sit as long as they can handle it. Teachers will have discretion to move students as needed based on behavior. This change will start Monday, February 10th.

Recess Information

Bus Duty Update

Jonathanmose (2nd grade) should come straight in when he arrives at school in the morning.

He starts his day in the office for breakfast. Please remind him to come in if he forgets.

Are we going out???

Just a reminder an announcement will be made if we are having indoor recess. While 13 degrees is our

guiding number, there are times that we may make the decision to go out if the temperature is slightly

below 13 based on wind and sun, especially for the first recess when they are out for a short time.

There also may be times when we keep 4k in and send everyone else out based on the condition of

their playground.   We will do our best to make the announcement 15 minutes prior to the first recess

impacted.

PD Spotlight

We are human and we will make mistakes. Admitting it and apologizing to one another, including to children is a powerful message for one another. We also get to practice our skills of forgiveness and empathy as well.

Friday Funny

If you do not know who Jake Ryan is, I am so very sorry. That might mean you missed a pretty great decade of music, style and movies and it makes me sad for you. If you do know who Jake Ryan is, then this meme is just depressing and I am sorry for us too! :-) Let me know if you want a run down on a great movie to watch this weekend while it snows! LOL

January 31, 2025

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• The data meetings are going well and I appreciate the collaboration between staff to make decisions to help our students succeed.  Thank you so much to you all!

• Staff members coming to share feedback, questions and concerns with me respectfully and passionately. I love working in a system where our staff want to work together to solve problems to help us all grow and for our children to thrive in our system.  Thank you for this!

• Shout out to Sue, Andrea, Brenda, Alexis U, Bethany T (and our 2 subs, Julie and Vanessa) for working so hard to get AimsWeb testing done this past month.  I know that it meant missed intervention sessions and students coming in and out of your classrooms.  Thank you all for the extra work to learn to give these assessments and then giving them with fidelity!

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Monday, Feb 3
• Bus Duty: Zastrow, CaineB, Schulte, Donovan (3K/4K playground)
• Lunch Supervisors:
• 12:00 - Wagner
• 12:30 - Arnes
• 1:00 - Bingen
• Seals on Wheels Visit - starting at 8am until they are finished (fluoride treatments)
• Kids Heart Challenge starts today (send home the flyer)
• National School Counseling Week starts - Wear your favorite team jersey
• Jenny in meeting from 8:30-10am
• HS Forensics Conference Meet - Commons and HS area will be full 3:30-9pm

• Tuesday, Feb 4
• Social Media Posts due to Jessica - Juech, Turcotte, Zastrow
• Crazy Hat Day
• Modified schedule for HS affects 5th gr. music and 2nd gr art between 8-9:45am
• 1st Gr. Data meeting at 11:35-12:25pm
• Para Staff meeting in IMC at 3:15pm (3K/4K/EC paras meet in elem. conference room)

• Wednesday, Feb 5
• PJ/Comfy Day
• Jenny in meeting from 8:30-10am

• Thursday, Feb 6
• Wear your Bright Yellow to brighten someone's Day

• Friday, Feb 7
• Dodgeland or College Apparel Day
  
  

• Saturday, Feb 8
• Happy Birthday Mr. Gischia

Nitty-Gritty

• Lockers and Clean out Procedure
• Each Friday, please, please, please make sure students clean out their lockers, especially of all food items.  We have uninvited and quite frankly unwanted guests that are enjoying a feast around some of our classrooms and lockers.  In order to help James, it is very important that all food, etc is taken out of lockers every Friday until further notice.  Thank you for helping out with this!

• Referendum Info
• As you read in Mrs. Johnson's memo on Tuesday, the board is planning for communication regarding the operational referendum coming up in April.  It is very important for us to understand what this referendum is asking our community and voters to make decisions about. An operation referendum is asking the community to exceed our revenue limits in order to pay for the operational expenses of running the district. This is not the same as the last referendum and this is the first time our district has ever asked our voters this. There are optional informational sessions for staff to hear about the details coming up soon. I encourage you to attend if at all possible. You will notice one of the dates is our regularly scheduled staff meeting.  Our staff meeting will be replaced by this important session. (it is still optional, but could help you to answer questions that might come your way at Parent/Teacher conferences the following week.)
• Feb 11 at 3:15pm in IMC
• Feb 12 at 7:15am and 3:15pm in IMC
• Feb 18 at 3:15pm in IMC

• February already!
• I hate to be an alarmist, but it is VERY important that you remember that every second that students are with us is precious.  We have about 6 weeks before state testing, then a month of testing before spring break and then only 6 weeks left before summer.  Not trying to stress you out, but I feel like this is going to FLY BY!  Please make sure that you are pacing your lessons well to help our students learn at the highest level they can!  If you have concerns, please let me know!

• Attendance Initiative
• For the month of February, we are using a class challenge for attendance.  When your class is all present for the day, you can fill in one of the letters on the chart. (Look for your chart in your mailbox by Monday.). When the chart is full, let me know and I will bring the Trojan cart to your room for all students to choose a prize. 

• Update your laptop!
• Brad's email this week has directions on how to update our laptops.  We should all be on MacOS 15.3.  If you are not, please update as soon as possible.  If you need directions, see the links below. (and see the TechKnow Tip below for more info as well.)
• Directions on Updating: https://support.apple.com/en-us/108382
• Video Directions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYvCQBZqQvk

• Mid-year assessments and Report Cards
• Keeping parents informed of how their child is doing in school is very important.  Report Cards will be sent home electronically by the end of the day on Friday, 1/31.  The i-Ready, FastBridge or AimsWeb data will be sent home to families as well.  We will work on compiling this in the office and give to you to send home with your students.  Thank you in advance for your patience.

PD Spotlight

We are on the letter R this week and it is something that we have talked about a lot in the last few years.  R stands for relationship.  Having relationships with your students helps them learn from you, enjoy your classroom, improve the classroom management in the room and address behavior.  See below for good reminders.

TechKnow Tip

Urgent: Save It and Update It!

Take a moment today to ensure you are regularly saving your digital files to OneDrive or Google Drive. Storing your files in the cloud ensures they are backed up and accessible even if your computer experiences issues. Please make this a regular practice to avoid potential data loss.Your files can then be accessible on all your school devices!

Also, update your laptop to macOS Sequoia 15.3. This update includes critical patches for device security and AirPlaying. You can update by:

Settings -> General -> Software Update -> macOS Sequoia 15.3

This update will take about 30-40 minutes, with your device needing to be at 50% charge or plugged in. If you need assistance with saving your files or updating, reach out to Brad, Sam, or Christina for assistance.

Friday Funny

The dog's face is hilarious in this picture. I remember when my son first started to play the trumpet. My husband and I would not let him practice in the house. We sent him to the porch to practice each time! That way the whole neighborhood could share in that musical joy! :-) - I realize that Noah gets to do this all the time, but that first few months of learning a new instrument was painful for me! :-)

January 24, 2025

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• What a weird week, huh? But, you all picked right up and didn't miss a beat this week.  Thank you for teaching with urgency and making good use of every minute we get to have with our students!

• Shout out to the 5th and 3rd grade teams that collaborated this week in the mid year data meetings. I enjoy listening to the celebrations of student growth and making plans for our students as well.

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Sunday, January 26
• Happy Birthday Stephanie Schuett!
• Happy Birthday Tina Ellefson!

• Monday, January 27
• Bus Duty: Schweitzer, Mosher, O'Toole, Ellefson (3K/4K playground)
• Lunch Supervisors:
• 12:00 - Stampfl
• 12:30 - Huso
• 1:00 - Fortmann
• Jenny in a meeting from 8:30-10
• 4K AimsWeb testing continues (8:30-11:30am)
• Mentor/Mentee Meeting @ 3:15pm in the IMC (bring a device with you)
• School Board Meeting 6:30pm

• Tuesday, January 28
• Social Media Posts Due to Jessica: Klink, Fortmann, Jenkins, O'Toole
• Lunch Detention Supervisors:
• 12:00 - Braunschweig
• 12:30- Open
• 1:00 - Open
• Jenny in meeting from 8:15-9:15am
• 2nd/3rd grade AimsWeb Oral Reading Fluency begins at 8am
• 4th Grade Data meeting 12:35-1:25pm

• Wednesday, January 29
• Workout Wednesday
• Semester 1 grades due by 8am
• 2nd Grade Data meeting 12:05-12:55pm

• Thursday, January 30
• Lunch Detention:  All lunches are open

• Friday, January 31
• SAEBRS assessment due for mid-year (including mySAEBRS)
• Report cards are sent out electronically
• Summer School Course proposals due (Here is the link)
• 4K Grade Level data meeting 11:35-12:25pm

Nitty-Gritty

• Assembly Date Change
• Our assembly for next month needs to change the date.  Please update your calendars:  The assembly will now be on THURSDAY, FEB 13 at 2pm.  The family night will be the same day at 6pm.  Sorry for the confusion but the performer had a family commitment necessitating a date change.

• Grading for Students who Access Sp. Education
• Jen sent this guidance out in email this week.  As you work on your grades, please keep this in mind.

• If a student receives accommodations, they should be graded on the same scale as their peers. Accommodations may include tools such as a multiplication chart, manipulatives, shortened assignments, speech-to-text technology, etc. Please be sure to include celebrations and note the growth that has occurred in the classroom, as well as progress on IEP goals and through progress reports.

• For students receiving modifications to standards (typically involving a replacement curriculum), their grades will include an asterisk (*) and will be assessed on the proficiency scale using the modified work. However, it cannot be noted anywhere on the report card that the child is accessing special education. It should be noted in the child’s IEP that they are accessing modified standards 

  If you have any questions, please reach out to Jen! 

• Google Classroom How To
• Amanda Beaudo shared a document with directions on how to reuse an assignment and materials in a post within Google Classroom.  As we continue to learn to use Google Classroom for organization and distributing materials/lessons for students, learning from our colleagues will help us to be efficient, etc.  Click HERE to read the document/directions.

• Gallup Survey Brainstorm List
• At the staff meeting this week, I asked you to write down ideas for things to keep doing and things to consider changing.  Click HERE to read the list that was generated.  When we meet next month, we will dive into them in more depth and work together to determine action steps for the second half of the year.  Please read through them before then. If you want to talk about anything on the list, please don't hesitate to reach out to me.  I'm always open to a dialogue on how to make things even better!

• Summer School Anyone??
• It is a total of 19 days (half days that is) and is a really great way to enjoy our students, help them limit the effect of summer slide, and teach some new projects/activities.  If you are still on the fence, let me know and we can talk about options.  I'll be working on the list of courses for this summer soon.  Either email me or fill out this Google Survey. You will not regret it!  :-)

TechKnow Tip

Have you looked at Sora lately?! Not only are there amazing digital and audiobooks, there are also magazines to fit every reader in your room! There are magazines for our early learners like DOT, Bluey, Pokemon, and Lego, middle grade readers such as Fortnite, National Geographic Kids, and Time for Kids, and high school readers such as Car & Driver, Food Network, and Paint & Draw. Each magazine can be checked out by your WHOLE class or a small group of students to be read together. Once you find a magazine you like, you can even go to back issues from other years and keep reading! Magazines are a great way to expose students to different types of reading, give them agency, and give them a chance to get excited about what they’re reading! An added bonus: as adult readers, you have access to over 280 magazines including Popular Science, National Geographic, Better Homes and Gardens, Magnolia, and Outdoor Life. There is literally a magazine for everything!

PD Spotlight

Friday Funny

I find this so odd!  I can still remember my grandmother's landline number from 40 years ago.  And, I haven't used that number in more than 20 years besides.  Yet, I just had to ask for a password to get in to our streaming service just yesterday and have had it for a year in our home.  Sigh.

January 17, 2025

 Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• 1st Graders were very excited to share with me about their "Backwards Day" that they earned from their Dojo points.  They had a fun day doing everything backwards.  I love the joy that little things bring to our students! Way to go Miss Lucht for celebrating their wins in an innovative way!

• 4K students are working hard on fine motor skills and writing numbers and letters.  They are growing so much and it is exciting to see their learning!

• Shout out to Patti who is learning our routines and procedures so fast, as well as getting to know our students, families and staff.  I'm so glad you are on our team Patti!

• Staff are working together to come up with solutions that help our students to thrive, communicating the plan to others and implementing it successfully. This includes sharing concerns, questions and comments to colleagues (including me) when something is bothering them.  This is the kind of culture we want to have where we can work together to find solutions.

• Shout out to Hailey and Jen who organized and implemented hearing screenings for our 5K students in the last couple of weeks.  As you may or may not know, a screening test at school when I was a 5th grader is how my parents found my hearing loss that was there from birth.  The hearing loss also affected my ability to learn to read at the same time as my peers because I couldn't hear the difference in sounds.  By us checking on this with our students, we can hopefully see if students need further intervention in time to avoid issues in their educational careers. Thank you both for your work on this.

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Sunday, January 19
• Happy Birthday Kari W.

• Monday, January 20
• National Penguin Day - Wear your Cozy Winter PJ's
• Bus Duty: Klink, Miller, Chambers, Jenkins (3K/4K playground)
• Lunch Duty Supervisors
• 12:00 - Schuett
• 12:30 - Zastrow
• 1:00 - T. Caine
• Jenny in meetings from 8-11am
• Exam schedule for HS, Odd periods (See below for Schedule)
• Happy Numbers Challenge begins!  See your email from Happy Numbers to see the details for the challenge!

• Tuesday, January 21
• Social Media Posts due to Jessica: Lucht
• Lunch Detention Supervisors
• 12:00 - Donovan
• 12:30 - Open
• 1:00 - Open
• Exam schedule for HS, Even periods (See below for schedule)

• Wednesday, January 22
• Workout Wednesday
• End of Semester 1
• 4K Aimsweb Screening from 8:30-11am
• Blood Drive for NHS in the MS gym (7:30-2pm)
• Data Meeting for 5th gr (12:35-1:25pm)
• Staff meeting in IMC (3:10-3:55pm)

• Thursday, January 23
• 4th/5th graders on a field trip - No Jr. Coaches for recess
• Semester 2 starts, New HS TA schedules begin
• Lunch Detention Supervisors
• 12:00 - Huso
• 12:30 - Open
• 3rd Grade Data meeting (12:05-12:55pm)

• Friday, January 24
• Happy Birthday Lance!

Nitty-Gritty

• New Face at Dodgeland
• Starting on Monday, there will be a new face in our school.  Her name is Lauren Schmidt and she will be student teaching with Rachael Bingen in 5th grade. She will be graduating from Maranatha Baptist University this spring.  Please help me welcome her to our school!

• PLTW Room (Rm 137)
• There are many people that use the PLTW lab each day for a lot of different reasons.  If you are using the room, please help make sure that students' projects are not touched.  Students are working hard on them and it would be very frustrating for them if their hard work was disturbed.  In addition, if your students make a mess, please make sure they have cleaned up after themselves so that it is ready for the next group. Thank you!

• Summer School Anyone??
• It is a short 5 weeks, but so very important for our students learning, emotional health and even a way to provide some nutrition.  It is also a really great way to try out new lessons, projects or subjects.  Please let me know that you are interested in summer school by clicking HERE.  If you are not sure, please let me know and we can talk about it as well!

• Attendance Initiative Update
• I am going to continue the Mystery Student activity this month.  Students will never know when names will be announced so it is important to be in school on time each day!  (February will have a classroom reward when all students are present to fill the chart.  It will be in your mailbox in the next couple of weeks.)
• On Thursday or Friday, I will be coming to classrooms to announce students that have at least a 95% attendance rate with a small "prize."  I will emphasize how important it is to be in school and that I'll be back at the end of March to give out more and for most improved attendance as well.  Sign up for a time HERE.
• The committee wanted to have an assembly that is interactive and that is coming up in February that can also emphasize how important it is to be in school. (I couldn't get it scheduled for the end of the first semester.) The assembly will be at 2pm on Tuesday, Feb 11 for grades 4K-5th grade.  The assembly is from The ProKids Show.  The assembly for students will be at 2pm and there will be a 60 min. family night at 6pm for parents/kids that is free of charge.  There will be different content in each performance and will have lots of audience participation. Mark your calendars so you can bring your families for a night of laughter too!

• Newsletter/Calendar items
• If you have any items or articles that you'd like in the February newsletter or calendar, please send them to Patti as soon as you can.  She will be working on this next week.  Remember that Parent Teacher conferences are next month. If you need to talk through any students and their needs, please let me know.  That is the opportunity to get parents in the building to collaborate and communicate with parents to help our students.

• HS TA's and Exam Schedule
• If you have a HS TA, please remember that the end of their semester brings some changes for their schedule. On Monday and Tuesday, there is an alternate exam schedule that will affect when they are in your classroom.  (see below for the schedules). Also remember you must grade them as well.  The directions are in the TechKnow Tip. If the same TA is staying in your classroom for 2nd semester, there is a good chance that the time period they are coming changes as of Thursday.  Please check PowerSchool and/or with your TA to make sure you know the change in the schedule for Semester 2.

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. Once the grade is saved, select “Final Grade Status”. In the pop-up window, check the semester 1 (S1) and select “Save”.

PD Spotlight

You've heard me say many times that behavior is communication.  This week's PD Spotlight is a good reminder of how we understand that communication.

Friday Funny

This is most definitely not funny, but this legend sure was.  I just couldn't resist looking back on the joy that he brought my family and I for so many years.  Our family group text has been going off all night with memories, stories, etc. He will be missed!  If you haven't heard Bob Uecker tell a story, click HERE to watch his Hall of Fame speech.  It is classic Uecker and I love it!  (It is almost 20 min. long, but worth your time.)

January 10, 2025

 I am so sorry that I have been MIA all week.  Hoping that the round of meds I just received do the trick!  See you on Monday!

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Sunday, January 12
• Happy Birthday Barb Schlief!

• Monday, January 13
• Happy Birthday Leah!
• Bus Duty: Fortmann, Caine-Arnes, Westphal, Wagner (3K/4K playground)
• Lunch Duty Supervisors:
• 12:00 - Vertz
• 12:30 - Mosher
• 1:00 - Klink
• Jenny in Meeting from 8:30-10am
• Mid-Year SLO and 2nd Survey Training/Work Time in IMC at 3:15pm

• Tuesday, January 14
• Badger Day! - Wear your Badger Gear!
• Social Media Posts due to Jessica: Stampfl
• Lunch Detention Supervisors:
• 12:00 - Donovan
• 12:30 - Miller
• 1:00 - Open
• Jenny in meeting from 8:15-9am
• Patti in training from 10-11:30

• Wednesday, January 15
• Workout Wednesday
• Early Release
• Jenny in meeting from 8:30-10am
• No Full Staff meeting for Elem. Today (see below)

• Thursday, January 16
• Patti in training from 10-11:30
• Lunch Detention Supervisors:
• 12:00 - Stampfl
• 12:30 - Open
• 1:00 - Open

• Friday, January 17
• Patti in training from 10-11:30
• Pyramid Model Leadership Meeting @ 1pm in Elem. conf. room

Nitty-Gritty

• iReady Information from Brad
• For those that proctor the i-Ready assessment, please be sure to read Brad's email carefully to understand some of the logistics of the settings and testing procedures.  I found the details regarding the percentage on the bottom to be very interesting and I wish I had known that years ago!  The percentage does not actually indicate how much is left of the test, which begs the question, "Why is it added to the testing environment?"  Please read through the other pieces regarding the test accommodations as well.

• Early Release Schedule
• On Wednesday, the schedule for the day will not include a formalized Act 20 Reading meeting.  We have now finished the Oral Language module.  The only thing left is the End of Course Assessment.  You can take this as a group or individually.  When you have successfully completed the assessment, please download/print the certificate, add all group members names to it and place in my mailbox or email/submit on Google Classroom to me.  They estimate that the assessment will take about 20 minutes.  If you want to take it in the IMC, you certainly can, but it is not necessary. Please use the remainder of the time to work on Report cards; comments, citizenship, etc.  They are not due until 1/27, but this is some built in work time for you this month.  Please see me if you have any questions.

• Young Poetry Digest submissions
• Young American Poetry Digest (www.youngpoets.org) is asking for submissions for the 31st edition of their book. The showcase is designed to share our youth's talents with others, supply a national audience for student writing, and provide a publishing opportunity for young poets. Although all poetry forms are encouraged, they highlight "haiku" poetry. A panel of educators will review the poetry submitted and select poems to be published. Please send your students' poetry postmarked by March 21, 2025 or submit online through their website www.youngpoets.com.  A flyer with more information is HERE.

• Spring Dates to Mark your Calendars
• I know it is snowing and that spring seems rather far away, but please mark your calendars for these dates.
• Elementary Talent Show Rehearsal - April 7, 3:15-5pm
• Elementary Talent Show Performance - April 8, 6:30pm
• Spring Concert/Art Show Grades 5K-2 - May 19, 6:30 Concert starts
• Spring Concert/Art Show Grades 3-5 - May 20, 6:30 Concert starts
• Kindergarten Graduation (with COVID kindergartners too) - May 29, 6pm
• HS Graduation - June 1, 1:00pm

• SUMMER SCHOOL!!!
• Now is the time that I start to plan for the summer school session.  I have always loved summer school. It is a time to try new projects, connect with students with different subjects or even to teach levels that are different than during the school year.  It is also a time for our students to continue to learn and develop their skills.  If you are interested in teaching this summer, please fill out this Google Survey by Friday, January 31 at noon.

PD Spotlight

You have heard me say many times that behavior is communication.  What are students telling you with their behavior?  This week's letter is O for Open to Opposition.  Do you have a magic wand?

TechKnow Tip

PBS Learning Media is a free collection of curriculum-aligned videos, interactives, lesson plans, and more! You can find PBS Learning Media in ClassLink where you can sign in with Google. Once connected, you can add resources to your favorites to keep organized. Better yet, all the resources can be shared with students seamlessly through Google Classroom! Here is a quick look at a small portion of what you can find within PBS Learning Media. Jump right into the resource by clicking on each picture.

Behavior Specialist Information

Field Day!

For planning purposes, field day will be on Tuesday, June 3. Thinking it will be a similar schedule as in the past with K-3 being in the morning and 4-5 being in the afternoon. Junior coaches will help all day.  Please let me know if you want to help plan.

Recess Information

Indoor or Outdoor?

Just a reminder an announcement will be made if we are having indoor recess. While 13 degrees is our guiding number, there are times that we may make the decision to go out if the temperature is slightly below 13 based on wind and sun, especially for the first recess when they are out for a short time. There also may be times when we keep 4k in and send everyone else out based on the condition of their playground.   We will do our best to make the announcement 15 minutes prior to the first recess impacted.

Shed/recess equipment

When you are on bus duty, please open the shed so the JCs can set up recess. Lily S. is our new set-up person. It’s ok to open the shed for her before the whistle so she can set up.

Friday Funny

How many others of you have kids with character like mine?  In my case, it is probably generational as well.  I think it just means they are lucky, lucky kids!  :-)

January 3, 2025

 

What's Happening at Dodgeland?

• Sunday, Jan. 5
• Happy Birthday Carrie Houk!
• Happy Birthday Sarah Patton

• Monday, Jan 6
• Bus Duty: Bingen, Juech, Stampfl, Schuett (3K/4K playground)
• Lunch Duty Supervisors:
• 12:00 - Donovan
• 12:30 - Westphal
• 1:00 - McKay
• 2nd Grade Field Trip to MKE Public Museum (all day trip)
• Jenny at a dr appt from 7:30-9:30am
• Jenny in meeting from 1:00-2:15pm
• New Teachers Meeting in IMC @ 3:15pm

• Tuesday, Jan 7
• Happy Birthday Klair!
• Jenny in meeting from 8:15-9:15am
• Paraprofessional Staff meeting in IMC 3:15-3:45pm

• Wednesday, Jan 8
• Workout Wednesday
• Happy Birthday Samantha!
• Staff Meeting for Elem. staff in IMC 3:10-3:55pm

• Thursday, Jan 9
• Jenny at CESA from 7:30-1:15pm

• Friday, Jan 10
• Jenny in meeting from 8:15-8:45am
• Harvest Lessons for Grades 4-5 with Kimberly from 10-12pm
• Ella's last day in the Elementary office!  :-)

Nitty-Gritty

• Hall Supervision
• As we get back into the swing of things, please remember the importance of hallway supervision at all times of the day.  When students are being closely monitored, we can head off conflicts and physical issues between students in those unstructured times.  You may find it helpful to work with your neighbors to help with this supervision as well. Thank you in advance for your diligence!

• Testing Reminders
• Starting Monday, the mid-year assessment window opens for the year.  This winter we need to complete the i-Ready assessments for grades 3-5, and FastBridge for grades 5K-2.  In addition, we will also be administering the AIMSWeb assessments for Grades 4K-3rd as well.  The intervention team plus some others with experience will be coming into grab students 1:1 for many of the assessments, or we will be setting up a time to do the iPad assessments for some of the grades with homeroom teachers.  Please watch for an email.
• Also, please remember that we will not have the time to proctor or set up re-takes of tests this winter.  Please let students know this when you start and be sure that all testing accommodations are in place for students that use them in your plans

Behavior Specialist Info

Student Support Plan (incidental help)

As we welcome Patti into her new role, it seems like a good time to review procedures for getting support for students. 

When a student needs support, call the office and tell staff if the student is:

• in special education or regular education

• if the student needs a break or if immediate response is needed due to a meltdown and/or class disruption.

The office staff will call for support and send them your way.

Behavior Referral Reminders

Thank you for all of your hardwork in making sure behaviors are documented so we can best support our kids and look for trends to be proactive. Please remember:

• The adult that witnessed the incident/the incident was reported to should write it up.

• Only use the student's name that you are writing up. For example “Mrs. Chambers hit a peer in the arm with an open hand at recess.”

• Minors are sent to parents daily before 4:00. 

• Majors are reviewed, consequences are assigned, and then sent out to parents as soon as possible.

Recess Information

Recess Reboot

Please sign up for a time for Mrs. Chambers to come in to talk about recess.

Shed/recess equipment

When you are on bus duty, please open the shed when you blow the whistle for students to line up so the JCs can set up recess.

Student specific needs

Some of our students have lagging skills in being able to line up and keep their bodies to themselves. When the whistle blows, the following students should come directly in and wait by their classroom doors instead of in the lines outside:

1st - Gabe S.

2nd. Issac M., Jonathanmose W., Hudson M.

3rd. Amelia R, Brenna S, JJ

5th. Jesse S.

Friday Funny

Lexi is such a good sport at all times!  This was her Christmas present from her brother this year along with a fancy pot that has a lid to help her strain pasta too.  If you want to hear a retelling of the story of Lexi making pasta for the first time, ask Ella.  No one tells it better than her!  LOL