September 27, 2019

Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• WOW!  I saw some awesome brain break activities this week in every grade in the school.  Coach Jena mentioned over and over how impressed she was with our students and the routines that are so well established across the school.  That is all because of teachers' hard work this month!!
• So many people ready, willing and able to step in wherever needed, whether it was covering a short time in the Oasis, helping out in classrooms with sick teachers or students, and even helping out in students in other buildings.  I am so grateful for the teamwork we are building here.
• Coach Jena made a mistake in a few rooms when teaching the Ninja Master game.  (It previously had a different name, and she slipped into the old name out of habit a couple of times.)  When she explained her mistake, one classroom had a bunch of students that told her that mistakes are the opportunity to learn and that she doesn't have it YET!  She about fell over as they were encouraging her!

What's Happening at Dodgeland


Tuesday, 10/1

• Fundraiser Packets due
• Flu Shot clinic 2:30-4:30
• Attendance Initiative starts for month of October

Wednesday, 10/2

• Vision Screening (Click here for schedule.)

Thursday, 10/3

• Literacy discussion at 3:15 in the IMC (open to all staff that want to express concerns, ideas, etc regarding literacy and students' strengths and challenges in this area.)

Looking ahead: 

Homecoming starts Oct 7.  There will be an all school pep assembly on Friday at 1:10 followed by an early release at 2:20, parade is at 4pm.  The elementary parade line-up will include students in grades 3-5 this year. 

Nitty-Gritty

• Attendance Initiative:  The goal of the attendance challenges is to encourage students to be in school everyday, on time.  For October, you received a sign that says Trick or treat.  Each day that everyone in your class is present, cross of one letter.  When the entire word is crossed off, your class earns a prize that your class determines. Some options might be:  an extra recess, lunch with the teacher, popcorn for everyone on a Friday, etc.  
• In November, there will be a staff vs. students challenge.  Which group has the highest attendance rate?  Stay Tuned for more details.
• WIN: Click here for the WIN document.  If your grade level needs my assistance with planning or creating WIN groups, please let me know.  The document is a place to record each group for each grade.  This will help me as I plan for grade level data meetings. The groups may include students that will be seeing Rose during WIN as well. Thank you in advance!
• Schedules:  As the month is winding down, our routines and schedules are becoming more and more solidified.  If you haven't shared a classroom schedule with me yet, please give me a paper copy or make sure it is on our grade level document.  If I have any questions about your schedule, I will let you know.  Otherwise, I just plan to use it to help me keep track of what our students are doing across the school and when.
• XPD's:  If you are interested in any of the XPD's in this year's catalog, the registration for it is online this year.  Click here to register for courses. 

PD Spotlight

• This week for the PD spotlight I wanted to share a post about picture books that can be used to teach certain SEL skills.  I find using literature to be a great way to illustrate a theme or skill that is sometimes abstract to learn.  When I came across this list, I thought, "Hey, this would be really helpful."  I have used the book Enemy Pie by Derek Munson with 4th-5th graders in the past.  It is an easy and fun book to read aloud, but also a book that helps students learn how to make connections with others.  If you have used any of these books in a lesson that went well, I'd love to hear about it!

Friday Funny

This described many, many of my teaching days!  :-)

https://s18670.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/questions.jpg

September 20, 2019

Hear Ye, Hear Ye

• Teachers helping students in crisis, and creating proactive schedules as a team.
• 1st graders quickly and quietly finding new books in the library.
• Flexibility by students and staff with a Plan B for the Petting Zoo!
• Students working hard on their i-Ready assessments and teachers working together to provide a positive testing environment for everyone.

What's Happening at Dodgeland

• Monday, 9/23 - 
• Playworks Coach visit 8-noon (Schedule)
• Effective Project Training at 3:15 in the IMC (Click here for specifics.)
• Tuesday, 9/24 - 
• 5th/6th grade Trojan Jr Football plays at home @ 6pm
• Wednesday, 9/25 - 
• Playworks Coach visit
• 5th grade level data meeting (D.O. conference room) @ noon
• Staff Meeting at 3:10 in the IMC
• Thursday, 9/26 - 
• Playworks Coach visit
• Jenny is leaving at 11am
• Friday, 9/27 - 
• First Popcorn sale of the school year!
• Jenny is gone all day.
• October 1st -
•  Fundraiser money is due
• Flu Shot Clinic
• Mid-Term for Qtr 1

Nitty-Gritty

• Attendance Committee - The attendance committee met this week and worked on monthly challenges for the year.  September is a surprise treat on Friday, 9/20.  October will be a classroom challenge.  Watch for more details to come.

• Popcorn sale will start next Friday, September 27.  This year, cheese popcorn will be the last Friday of each quarter.  I'm still working on getting some helpers for picking up the supplies and delivering it to classrooms.  If you have any ideas, please let me know!

• Looking for 2 volunteers to help out with lunch duty on Friday, September 27.  One for K-2 and one for 3-5. Please let me know if you can help out with this.

• PALS testing - (Grades K-2) Jessica is working on this part and will have all of the forms in your mailboxes by Monday.

• WIN - When the results of our fall assessments are ready, we will begin planning for WIN.  The goal is to start WIN for all students the first week of October.  RtI bootcamp will continue until then.

PD Spotlight

I know I have referenced Daniel Pink's short videos called The PinkCast before.  I love how he is able to drill down and give information to make you think, it's practical and in a short amount of time.  Click here to watch a 2-min. video that describes how to best take a break.  At our last staff meeting, we discussed how the Oasis provides a break to help our students get back to their upstairs brain and ready to learn.  We related it to ourselves and our own need for a break sometimes.  Many of the things in his list are provided to our students in the Oasis.  How can we use these ideas for ourselves too?

Friday Funny

This week's Friday funny is a story from years ago when I taught 1st grade.  I truly love having conversations with children every day, but sometimes a conversation just sticks with me.  This one makes me laugh and also makes me think.

One day, a little girl in my class came in to school with a patterned skirt, knee socks, a bright colored shirt, a vest and about 20 barrettes in her hair, none of which matched. She proudly walked in to the room and said, "Hi Mrs. Huelsman!  Look at my outfit!  I picked it out all by myself!"  Of course, I responded with a smile and an enthusiastic "WOW! You are so independent!" (Yes, I was used to working with Middle School students still!)

She then said, "Ya, my dad said that it was SOME OUTFIT!"  She was all smiles and skipped to her desk.  So while her dad knew that it was not necessarily a matching outfit, she took his words as a compliment and was a happy girl all day.  Her dad let her bask in her accomplishment and didn't diminish her happiness and pride.  

Wouldn't it be nice if we could have moments like this as adults too?  Someone notices our work, gives us a sincere compliment, and we are safe to feel pride in our own accomplishments. I can't wait to see what we all accomplish together this year!

September 13, 2019

Hear Ye, Hear Ye

Check out just a few of the awesome things I noticed at Dodgeland Elementary this week.

• A team rallying around a student who had an unusually rough day.
• Students filling out planners by reflecting on their day to share with their families.
• Students learning about how to strengthen their most important muscle--their brains!
• A student thanking me for helping him in the Oasis much later in the day.
• Junior Coaches becoming leaders in the school during K-2 lunch period.
• 5K students learning ways to read books.

What's Happening at Dodgeland

• Monday, 9/16 - 
• Fall fundraiser begins, please send home packets
• Picture Day - Marie will call classrooms down
• Tuesday, 9/17 - 
• An important flyer regarding community listening sessions to be sent home with youngest/oldest child
• Trojan Jr. Football (grades 5/6) plays at Home.  Game time is 6pm.
• Wednesday, 9/18 - 
• Workout Wednesday!
• Newsletter articles are due to Marie.  Click here for the newsletter sign-up.
• Thursday, 9/19 - 
• FFA Petting Zoo (Schedule is here.)
•  9/23, 9/25, 9/26 from 8-noon - 
• Playworks Coaching visits in classrooms,  (See below for more information)
• Thursday-Friday, 9/26-9/27 - 
• I will be leaving at 11 on Thursday to go to Lexi's wedding!  Seriously, it's in 2 weeks.  Yikes!

Nitty-Gritty

• As we learned during the Playworks in the Classroom training in August, our coach is coming back to help us implement ideas in our classrooms across the school.  She will visit all classrooms from 5K-5th grade during the same week in 35 min blocks. Jena will be modeling a brain break/game (one for the primary grades and a different one for the 3-5 grades for approximately 12 min.) . Then she will observe each classroom with a brain break you have tried this month.  The last 10 min. will be Q/A with Jena to ask questions and receive helpful feedback.  I will be coming around with a schedule to get each classroom signed up.  

• i-Ready testing - The Fall testing window is open.  Please let me know if you need any help or support to complete the testing before September 27. 

• Attendance Initiative - The attendance team is meeting this week on Wed, 9/18 at noon to plan the monthly plans for encouraging strong attendance for all students.  If you'd like to join this committee, please let me know.

PD Spotlight

I follow a blog called Two Writing Teachers.  They have a lot of really great posts every week and sometimes even more often than that.  This post that I read this summer has stuck with me for 2 reasons.

1. The book that the author highlights reminds me of a number of wonderful, lovable children that we get to teach at Dodgeland.  I felt that this title would speak to a few of our students.
2. The author interview that follows adds insight into what the child with high energy may need to be successful in a workshop model in the classroom.

Hopefully you find this helpful as well.

Friday Funny

September 6, 2019

Hear Ye, Hear Ye

This week there were so many wonderful things to celebrate.  

• Teachers stepping in to help out with crying students.
• The extra help in the lunch room as we work through a successful procedure was very much appreciated!
• Students participating in playworks in the classroom activity already.  I even received a Sky Dive clap this week!
• Hugs and encouragement for nervous and scared students that are entering school for the first time.  Calm, kind voices help students feel safe.
• Flexibility and problem-solving as a team.  

What's Happening at Dodgeland

• Monday, 9/9 OR Tuesday, 9/10 - Optional listening session for staff about the facility study from 3:30-4:30 in the IMC
• Wednesday, 9/11 at 3:10pm - Staff Meeting--New Location - **IMC**
• Thursday, 9/19 FFA Petting Zoo (Click here if you haven't signed your class up yet.)

Nitty-Gritty

• Don't forget to sign up: Newsletter articles, Reading to your class, Event Committees and Lunch duties.
• Dance:  A number of students and parents have asked about elementary dance.  There will be handout for Newsday Tuesday next week.
• Speaking of Dance:  The dance team is looking for some teachers to help out with their Wizard of Oz dance for Homecoming. (See below)
• We need 6 to 8 teachers to be "flying monkeys" and dance a short 15 to 25 second segment for our Wizard of Oz Assembly performance.
  
  
  We need 1 'Wizard' short dance down the yellow brick road.

  
  

  We need a teacher or two who will help assemble our "munchkins" 

  (mini's/preteam ) dance team and help them be prepared for their part.  ( keep back stage, get them on stage on time and ensure they are dressed etc. with helper parent..)

  
  

  Also if anyone is Good at costuming and or prop creation we'd love extra hands!!
• RtI Bootcamp starts this coming week during WIN.  If you have any concerns or questions, please see your interventionists for Rdg/SEL.
• The i-Ready window for fall is Sept 11-27.  Please work special education teachers and/or interventionists for accommodations for any students that may need them.
• Newsletter Articles due to Marie by Sept 18.

PD Spotlight
Many of you have heard me talk about the idea of asking for help last week. As I was reflecting on this episode of the PinkCast, I think about how hard this is for me and many others.  I truly value collaboration and working as a team, but even then, I find it difficult to ask for help for things even when I feel overwhelmed with the number of items on my to-do list.  Educators traditionally have been in a career that was very isolating.  Teachers had their class, closed the door and had to do everything on their own.  Thankfully, we don't teach during this time period anymore.  As you all have demonstrated with your feedback and work this week alone, when we work together we come up with systems and plans together.  This video packs some thoughtful ideas in just 109 seconds.  I hope you find it as useful as I did.


Friday Funny

Where are average things manufactured?

The Satisfactory!  :-)

August 30, 2019

Hear Ye, Hear Ye

What a great week of inservice we just had.  Thank you all for your hard work preparing for the school year and Open House.  Thank you for your professional work with prioritizing standards and collaborating with as a team.  Our Playworks training was fun and I always enjoy laughing and learning with you.


What's Happening at Dodgeland

• Monday - No School
• Tuesday - First day of School, Trojan Rodeo
• Monday, 9/9 OR Tuesday, 9/10 - Optional listening session for staff about the facility study from 3:30-4:30 in the IMC
• Wednesday, 9/11 at 3:10pm - Staff Meeting--New Location - **IMC**

Nitty-Gritty

• Trojan Rodeo details are here.  Day 1 has Lunch, recess and Playworks stations, Day 2 has bus and gathering area stations, and Day 3 has Oasis and iPad/IMC stations.
• Specials (Art, Music, PE) will start on Wed, 9/4. 
• Green Oasis Passes are in your mailbox.  Please use when you need to send a student to the Oasis.  Watch here for a short video about the highlights of the Oasis handbook.
• Staggered Lunch release times seems to be one way to address the unstructured time.  Please watch for specific details about this.
• Don't forget to sign up: Newsletter articles, Reading to your class, Event Committees and Lunch duties.

PD Spotlight

After the Playworks training today, I was thinking about how it fits with the ideas we discussed earlier this week about SEL.  How can play help our students with relationship building and self-awareness and management of their feelings and actions.  I read this article about how play helps with children develop SEL skills.  I thought it was timely considering our training. Click here to read the article.

Friday Funny

August 22, 2019

What's Happening at Dodgeland

• Monday, 8/26 - WELCOME BACK!  See the Inservice Schedule sent out for our week together.
• Tuesday, 8/27 - Wear Purple for the all staff picture
• 6pm - Trojan Jr. Football team (5th-6th) first home game
• Wednesday, 8/28 - Open House from 5-7pm
• Tuesday, 9/3 - First day of School - Trojan Rodeo (See below)

Nitty-Gritty 

• Reminder: If you haven't filled out the Google Form for Mindy to create the Meet the Staff bulletin board, please do so before August 26.  The link to the 4 questions is here.

• Our Trojan Rodeo for 5K-5th grades will be similar to last year's schedule with the exception of 5K, which will spread out their stations between the first couple days.  In addition, students will be learning and practicing Play-works games for a longer time period to alleviate some of the rushed feelings from last year.

• Schedules, Duties, Committees and more - Click here for a short video to explain this year's plans.  These documents are found in the Shared drive.

• On Thursday, August 29 our new Playworks coach (Jena) will be conducting a training about Playworks in the classroom during our Elementary staff meeting time.  The goal is to help kids to transition successfully from one activity to another.

• Finally, just a quick personal note.  I am moving Mason to college on Wednesday morning.  His assigned time is 9:30.  I will return to school after I have him settled, hopefully by 1:30-2pm.  Just ignore any red-rimmed eyes that afternoon!

PD Spotlight

At the Dodgeland Summit, I shared a short video with those that attended my Learning Environment session.  I wanted to share it with all of you.  The takeaways are that: 1. Our mood is contagious. 2. Charisma is communicated nonverbally.   Why do I share this?  It is a reminder to all of us that even without our words, we have a tremendous effect on our students.  Click here to watch the 4:40 min. video.

Friday Funny 

August 16, 2019

The first ever Dodgeland Download edition is now available for your reading pleasure!  This is the name of our weekly Dodgeland Elementary blog.  Many of you stated that you found the weekly blog from Jessica to be helpful and wanted to see something similar with me.  So, I have spent some time learning how to blog this summer.  I have to say, I'm fairly proud of myself. I figured some stuff out with the help of google and youtube that is!  But with that said, if it is not working on your end, please let me know so I can learn how to fix the issue!

I have decided to have the following consistent structure every week.  (You will notice the similarities to Jessica's blog.  This was intentional so that there is some consistency, but also because I liked reading it when I got her blogs last year too!)

Hear Ye, Hear Ye - this section will include information about all the great things kids are learning and doing throughout the week that I saw as I visited classrooms as well as things that kids share with me about what they are learning.  This section may also include actions that align with our collective commitments.

What's Happening at Dodgeland - this section is about calendar events, including upcoming events for teachers and students, including community events.

Nitty-Gritty - this section will be the important notes or reminders about things coming up in the future, or tasks to complete

PD Spotlight - this section will include a link for an article, a video, or other information for professional development.  I don't really tweet a lot (ok, fine, never) but I do read a lot and this is a spot to share what I am reading and learning that may be helpful to you.

Friday Funny - this section is a place for me to share something that I hope makes you smile.  I love puns and bad jokes. It is a leftover from my Middle School days. :-)

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What's Happening at Dodgeland

• Monday, 8/19 - Dodgeland Summit for all certified staff . Click Here for the schedule.

• Tues-Thurs, 8/20-8/22 - New Teacher Inservice.  Mentors for first year teachers please join us on Thursday from 7:30-3pm

• Friday, 8/23 - NVCI training for some staff (you have been contacted if this pertains to you)

• Monday, 8/26 - WELCOME BACK!  

Nitty-Gritty 

• If you haven't filled out the Google Form for Mindy to create the Meet the Staff bulletin board, please do so before August 26.  The link to the 4 questions is here.

• As new students enroll or students withdraw, I add or strike-through names on the document for class lists.  At this time, I do not anticipate any changes to the class lists.

• Stay tuned for information and the schedule about the Trojan Rodeo on the first day of school.  If you have any feedback from last year's schedule, I would love to hear it!  But, as you plan, keep in mind that your class will not have specials or their regular recess that day due to this event.

PD Spotlight

I read this short article from Michael Linsin about the goal for the first day of school.  There is something about this article that resonated with me.  Maybe it's because the goal was straightforward, or maybe it was because it seemed so doable and logical.  Hope you find it helpful as well.  Click here to read it yourself.

Friday Funny 

Knock, knock

Who's there?

Soup

Soup who?

SUPerMAN!