PMS News & Notes 12/19/14

As the year winds down, this blog post will be more about planting seeds for some things to consider as the new year begins...I wish each of you a Happy Holiday!

Budget Time

As the first part of 2015 rolls along, please start considering the items that you will need for next school year. When thinking about your budget, consider the items that you will need to improve the amount of students that are achieving at high levels, and what we need to raise the achievement level of our highest achievers. Teacher requisitions for next school year will be due to me by March 13, 2015.

Summer School

Now is also the time of year to consider teaching summer school, and look at the courses that we offer in the summer. If you have an idea of something you'd like to teach during summer school, let's start talking about those ideas. We would like to beef up our summer school course offerings. More on this to come...

Concert
The MS Holiday Concert was outstanding last night.  Congratulations to Mr. Hazard, Mrs. Graeve, and Mr. Ferkovich for a job well done.  The gym was packed, and the talents of our students were on display for many members of our community to see.

Quote to Ponder over the Break

"Did the students learn it? And, if they didn't, how can we teach it so that they do?"

     - Paul Bambrick-Santoyo in Leverage Leadership: A Practical Guide to Building Exceptional Schools

Twitter Find of the Week

This post should make us feel good...from Dr. Justin Tarte @justintarte
CLICK HERE

Duty

Morning Duty - Anderson, Barnett
Bus Duty - Vian

Data
2nd Quarter Behavior Referral Data
13-14 - 66 Events, 52 Students
14-15 - 61 Events, 38 Students

PMS News & Notes 12/12/14

Greetings!
Poynette is a great place to be.  I am excited to be a part of the work that we do here with our students on a daily basis.  After I get the opportunity to collaborate with people from other districts, I always come away with feeling good about the work we are doing here in Poynette.  After a solid week of educating our students, it is vital to enjoy the weekend! 

Rigor in the Classroom

At our last staff meeting, we started to self reflect on the rigor level in our individual classrooms.  A natural progression of the rigor conversation is "Authentic Learning".  As we work on analyzing our lessons, looking for ways to build activities in our classrooms that naturally lead students to "advanced" level work, I encourage you to brainstorm ways to bring authentic tasks to your classroom.  There are many of these activities happening in classrooms all across the building already, and I would like to come in and be a part of these authentic activities.  There are many creative ways we can make small tweaks to our lessons that can have a big impact.

Communication of Student Progress

Since our mid-term message went out, I have had a couple of encouraging conversations with parents about the progress of their student.  After our staff survey during our last staff meeting, our self assessment score for overall communication at about a 6.7/10.  My goal for us is to get in the 9,10 range. Continue having those conversations in the classrooms about each student's progress in relation to our rubrics.  Your feedback was very helpful as we plan to get the most out of our communication efforts.

Baraboo Presentation Update

We sent a small team over to Baraboo on Wednesday to present "Assessment, Grades, and Reporting" to their Grading and Assessment team that consisted of about 18 middle and high school teachers. It was a lot of fun, and we they were very interested to hear about the way we are putting theory into practice. It sounds like we will be invited back to present to their entire staff in the near future.

PPG's

The PPG process has been a lot of fun for me this year. It gives us an opportunity to breakdown a component within the Danielson framework to focus on during the year. I have had bi-weekly meetings scheduled with most teachers, and would like to get everyone on my schedule. If we have not set up these meetings yet, shoot me a quick email and we'll get the time set.

Holiday Concert

I don't know about you, but I love the holidays, and I cannot wait for the upcoming band and choir concert on Thursday, 12/18 starting at 7:00 in the 1-8 Gym. What a great way to showcase the hard work, dedication, and talent of our music department. Hope to see you there.

Data

Click HERE to check out our performance on state assessments.

Duty
Morning Duty - Rogness, Vian
Bus Duty - Anderson

Twitter Quote of the Week
"Mistakes are just proof that you are trying." @TeachTrainLove

Improving Instructional Practices Vol. 9

Thanks to Mrs. Morrissey for this Ms. Niemeyer for these short, weekly tips for effective instruction.

Instructional Rounds: Part 1 of 2

Danielson’s Domains:  4a Reflecting on Teaching,  4d Participating in a Professional Community, 4e Growing and Developing Professionally

Learning walks or Instructional Rounds are all names for the same idea, observing and learning from fellow colleagues.  The focus of the round  is determined by the teacher(s) observing.  They are short observations with a brief concluding discussion after about what ideas are taken away for  implementation. The whole process takes less than 30 minutes of time, but has been shown to have positive impacts.  Click the link to see how one school has implemented this strategy.  https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/the-learning-walk

Want to know more?

Click on Instructional Rounds Q & A

PMS News and Notes 12/5/14

We find ourselves at the end of the first week in December on a crash course for Winter Break. With a focus on moving our students forward, school is a fun place to be.  I appreciate the hard work and effort that each of you put into making each day a positive learning environment for each of our students.

IE Advisory Wednesdays
Making connections with each of our students is so vital to building and maintaining a culture of hard work, empathy, kindness, and high moral character.  If you have an Enrichment period, taking time to meet one on one and having conversations with each student is an opportunity to capitalize and have conversations that can have an impact on a student.  Please review the IE Lesson Plans for Wednesday details.  We should meet with all students, and you most likely will not get through all of them in a day, so keep a list, and pick up where you left off from the following week.  Starting this coming Wednesday, please show students their initial STAR scores in Reading and Math, and explain to them that we will be taking the STAR assessment again at the end of January.  It is easiest to show them their score on the STAR website.  It would be helpful to share with students the expected growth charts, and set some sort of goal of where they'd like their score to fall in January.  For those with bigger sections, feel free to use Silent Reading Mondays to meet one on one with students.  These conversations are also an opportunity to check in with students about Grading for Learning, hear their perspective and work to further our communication goal.  If you have any questions, please contact me or Katie Morrissey.

Mid-Quarter Grades
This is a reminder that the Mid-Quarter date is today, Friday, 12/5. Please have Mid-Quarter grades posted by end of day Monday, 12/8.  I'll send a messenger notification to parents on the following Tuesday 12/9.  If you have any questions about this process, please let me know.  Also, remember that if we did not assess a standard in the Mid-Quarter, keep it blank.  If you have concerns about this timeline, please let me know.  We will not mail out mid-term progress reports, but if you or your team feel that some students should have a progress report mailed, we can send some via mail.

Staff Meeting Review
During our staff meeting this past week, we focused on Communication of Student Progress and Rigor in our classrooms.  I will have more to share based on your feedback coming soon...Also, as you plan your lessons, think of ways to incorporate those higher level thinking questions and activities for our students.  I really enjoy the collaborative nature of our group.

Fire Inspection
Very soon, the fire department will be conducting an inspection of our building.  A couple of items of note regarding fire code.  We cannot have anything hanging from the ceilings.  Also, anything on the walls should be 18-24 inches away from the ceiling if possible.  Please survey your area, and adjust accordingly.  I appreciate your attention to this housekeeping item.

Duty Next Week
Morning - Lendobeja, O'Connor
Bus - Barnett

Twitter Quote of the Week
"90% of sound grading practice is mindset" - Dr. Ryan Smith, Principal, Norwalk HS, California

Data
2nd Quarter Behavior Referrals after 4 weeks.
13-14 - 41 Events, 32 Students
14-15 - 47 Events, 33 Students

PMS News and Notes Turkey Day Edition

A short week and some much needed time for rest, family, and good food...It's really important for all of us to take some time for all of those things and recharge your battery.  When we come back, we have 3 weeks till a solid winter break.  A shortened news and notes version below.  I hope each of you has a great, restful holiday.

Staff Meeting Reminder

This is a reminder that we'll have a Middle School Staff Meeting on Wednesday, December 3rd. We'll focus on communication of student progress.  Please be thinking about this topic and feel free to check out and add to this document that we'll be working on.

Drill
On Tuesday afternoon, we practiced a Hold.  As a reminder, we will call for a Hold in situations where the hallways need to be clear.  Examples include: medical emergency, drug dogs, locker checks, etc.  We will announce that we are in a Hold.

Teachers should:
1.)quickly survey and clear the hallways and bathrooms (if close by)
2.)open blinds; lock doors
3.)continue class activities as usual
4.)take attendance
5.)wait patiently for directions or the "All-Clear" announcement.

During a Hold, teachers should NOT
1.)release anyone
2.)call the office.

We will be practicing a drill each month.  I will try to make sure that we communicate prior to the drill.  Everyone did a great job during the drill on Tuesday afternoon.

Efficiency Update
Our district recently met with some ESG representatives to review our energy efficiency.  The following guidelines were discussed.  Heating and Cooling Malfunctions or Issues-  If you do have issues please do not call maintenance directly, contact me first.  Also the following items should not be in individual classrooms:  Space heaters, refrigerators, coffeemakers.  There are a number of common ones that can be used in the work room or multi-purpose room.  We will also be adding a refrigerator to the work room.  Also, there cannot be any scent candles that are burned throughout the course of the day or any plug-in scent tools either.

Winter Weather Update
If you are supervising students outside, we will follow the same guidelines as we have in the past. For students to be out in the snow, they need to have boots on.  If not, then they should remain on the blacktop.

Twitter as PD
I hope to share some links that are helpful that I find from Twitter.
http://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/2014/09/8-ways-teachers-can-talk-less-get-kids-talking.html?crlt.pid=camp.JqhtKjmWesjP

Duty Next Week 
Morning - Jorgensen, Kallungi
Bus - Deans

              

PMS News and Notes

It appears that the cold weather is here to stay...I was hoping that we'd sneak a couple more 40 degree days, but I'm getting used to the fact that the warm, comfortable months are far in the distance...oh well, that means being inside at school is easier and there is a lot of basketball to view for entertainment!  Thanksgiving Break is less than a week away, and the fast pace of life continues to amaze me.  Thanks for all of your hard work and effort!

Student Motivation
This topic is so huge, especially in Middle School.  I put a short article by Rick Wormeli in your mail box.  If you get a minute, give it a read.  There are so many factors related to student motivation, but if we can continue to refine things that we do in our classrooms and the school to get our students hooked, our students will be benefit.  We'll continue to revisit this topic.

Communication of Student Progress
I popped in on a 6th Grade Team Meeting, and they were having a conversation about a blog post from last week...and my first thought was..."Someone actually reads my blog!" After my initial excitement, I joined the conversation about student and parent perceptions about student progress with a reporting system that focuses on standards. Providing better communication and feedback is a HUGE goal of ours, so we need to ensure that students understand how we score their work, and where they are in relation to the standard at all times. These are good discussion points for all of us. Our goal must be to get our students and parents as comfortable with understanding of "how I'm doing" in each class, as they were looking at A, B, C...etc. I started a document that I hope will start a brainstorming conversation about how we can move quickly to improve in this critical area. Click HERE to access this document and join the conversation.

Mid-Quarter Dates
The Mid-Quarter is almost upon us already. The Mid-Quarter date is Friday, 12/5. Please have Mid-Quarter grades posted by end of day Monday, 12/8.  I'll send a messenger notification to parents on the following Tuesday 12/9.  If you have any questions about this process, please let me know.  Also, remember that if we did not assess a standard in the Mid-Quarter, keep it blank.

Mackenzie Center Partnership
If you have been following the board minutes, you may have noticed that we have recently agreed on a partnership with the Mackenzie Center, and they are proud to have the title as "The Poynette School District's Outdoor Classroom".  They have a shuttle bus that has been utilized by some of our high school classes already.  If you have any questions and want to know more about the possibility of using the center as a resource to enhance a lesson or unit, let's have a conversation.

Educational Politics in Wisconsin
Before the next legislative session begins, the Wisconsin School Administrator's Alliance (SAA) released an evidence-based policy agenda.  The aim of the SAA is to educate our legislators about what works in schools and what policies can help schools be effective at reaching their goals.  If you are interested in the document, you can view it HERE.  If you are interested in reading an article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel regarding the release, you can view that HERE.

Early Release Next Wednesday
On Wednesday 11/26, Middle School students will be dismissed at 12:30.  Middle School staff may feel free to enjoy an early vacation starting at 12:45.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Next Week Duty
Morning Duty - Hazard, Hendrickson
Bus Duty - Fraser

Data
Attendance Rates through 11/21/14...
13-14 - 96.05%
14-15 - 95.71%

PMS News and Notes

The 2nd Quarter is clicking along and Thanksgiving is in our sights...hard to believe. We are all working very hard, and our students are the benefactors. In conversations throughout the building, we are seeing student growth in their work and behaviors...it's exciting. Now for some updates from the week that was and the week to come.

Veteran’s Day Ceremony

Proud. That is the one word that comes to mind when I think about the ceremony. Proud of both the class of the student presenters, chorus, and band, but also of the solemn attitude of our students to recognize the sacrifice that so many have given and how serious those implications are in our everyday lives. Thank you for your part in getting our students to that place.

Intervention Results

We held various department meetings this week, and it was exciting to analyze the student data. Congratulations to our math team and everyone that is incorporating math into your lessons. Data is showing that students in the intervention groups are experiencing solid growth according to the STAR assessment. It is exciting to narrow down who needs help, what they need, and then following through. English teachers will be progress monitoring this week. I'm confident that we'll see similar results.

Grading for Learning Parent Presentation
Dr. Hoernke and I hosted another parent presentation on Tuesday evening. We had 3 people attend. These are great opportunities for a dialogue with parents about their questions and provide an insight into student/parent perceptions of our goals with our Grading for Learning System. Some feedback that we received from parents for all of us to reflect on was: "Students are very confused about where they stand. They don't know if they are doing well." Reflect on that quote from your classroom's perspective. We should have dialogue with students about these concerns. Providing better communication and feedback is a huge goal of ours, so we need to ensure that students understand how we score their work, and where they are in relation to the standard. These are good discussion points for all of us. Please don't hesitate to ask any clarifying questions as they come up with our grading.

Grading for Learning Communication of Student Progress
This is just a reminder that each assignment/assessment that we enter into Infinite Campus should have the level that we are assessing posted in the comments section for each student. We must be consistent with our phrase and message to students about how this will work. Use this language for the level of assessments:  
Level: Advanced
Level: Proficient
Level: Developing
Level: Beginning
As always, see me or your colleagues if you have questions about how to do this.

Education Politics

It is interesting to follow the politics in the state in regards to education. I will attempt to give an unbiased look into some of the things that are on the agenda for legislators to consider for Wisconsin's educational future. With the recent election results, Governor Walker made it very clear that there will be changes to the educational landscape. Immediately following the election, Governor Walker said he will look to repeal the Common Core Standards and expand the voucher program. See article HERE for more information. To learn more about what vouchers are all about click HERE and check out each Key Fact. The 2nd article comes from the Wisconsin School Administrator's Alliance.

Next Week Duty

Morning Duty - Greer, Harms
Bus Duty - Frehner

Improving Instructional Practice Vol. 8

Thanks to Mrs. Morrissey for this Ms. Niemeyer for these short, weekly tips for effective instruction.

Danielson’s Domain Rubrics & Evidence Samples

Many teachers are beginning to think about artifacts and evidence for Danielson’s Domains. If you are wondering what artifacts or evidence to collect, or where they fit within the domains and components check out Charlotte Danielson's Flip Book .  This document is a great resources to help with getting started.  Simply click on the link above and download the flip book which contains the levels of performance for each domain, the components with a brief explanation of each, and a list of sources for artifacts/evidence that could be used.  You can print off a copy and create your flip book to keep handy and refer to throughout the school year.

 

Student Motivation

At our last staff meeting, we had the opportunity to read an article by Carol Ann Tomlinson about an issue that oftentimes is a source of frustration for educators...Student Motivation.  The article focused on what we, as educators, can do for our students when we are confronted with a student that seems not interested in learning what we have planned for them to learn.  Below are some thoughts and highlights from the article.  Feel free to share your thoughts, strategies that have worked for you, or any other thoughts from your experience in the Comments.

Here are some things I thought were good takeaways from the article.

     "The teacher is key to student motivation.  We have immense power to unleash - or diminish - a young person's desire to learn.  There's so much we can do in either direction."  As adults in the building we help shape "The Personal Sphere".  Do I believe in this student's ability to do well?  Am I communicating this in words and body language?  What am I doing to know this child better today than I did yesterday?  These are helpful reflection questions as we think about students that are oftentimes unmotivated to learn.  Sometimes students frustrate us, and it is difficult to take a step back and reflect in the moment.  Thinking of these questions ahead of time and planning our reaction can be helpful.
     In terms of "The Academic Sphere", a question to consider, "Do I tap the power of this content to inspire learning?"  Some ways to bring the material to life for the student: "beginning with questions rather than answers and showing students the links between what I teach and their lives."
     By working in a school, with students, every day, we have the opportunity to have a huge impact on the life of a kid.  Sometimes, it just takes one teacher to show an interest in a student.  When we refuse to give up on a kid, we can send a life-changing message.  Or when we approach a reluctant learner as if he/she is a dreamer who just needs a little help shaping that dream.  The tough part in this whole scenario, is that we may not know our impact until years later, if at all...

PMS News and Notes

The first week of the 2nd Quarter is already in the books.  Thanks to everyone for a great week.  Here are some notes from the week and for the week ahead.

IE Advisory Wednesdays
On Wednesdays during IE, while you are meeting with students and looking at their grades, please take time to review their Puma Pride scores, and if need be, set goals for next quarter with them.  This can be a good daily reminder for our students.

Report Card Format
Over the course of the past week, we have been able to tweak the report cards to be clear and meaningful.  There will be this PAGE1 with Grades, this PAGE2 with Rubric explanations, and an Attendance Report page.  We will continue to search for ways to improve how we communicate student progress.

Instructional Minutes as our Currency
Each minute of every class period is sacred, and should be used to move our kids forward in our learning standards.  As we face daily decisions, we should all collectively keep this as a core value.

Veteran's Day Assembly
This is a reminder that Grades 6-8 will be attending the Veteran's Day Assembly in the Don Kerr Gym on Tuesday, 11/11/14 starting at 9:00 am.  We should plan to head over to the HS at 8:55 and enter through the North Gym doors.  The assembly agenda will be similar to years past and probably will take around 30-45 minutes.  As always, your conversation with students prior to going over and sitting among the student body are always appreciated.

Sub Calling Hours
A reminder that if you wake up and feel like you cannot make it in to work, please call Gary Laib no earlier than 5:30 am and before 6:00 am.  Also, if you know you can't make it the night before, please call him before 10:00 pm.

Duty Schedule for Next Week
Morning Duty - Frehner, Graeve
Bus Duty - Graeve

Improving Instructional Practices Vol. 7

Thanks to Mrs. Morrissey for this Ms. Niemeyer for these short, weekly tips for effective instruction.

30 Techniques to Quiet a Noisy Class:

Danielson’s Domain 2d: Managing Student Behaviors

Experienced and novice teachers alike all battle from time to time with getting a class to quiet down.  Many teachers have a handful of favorite techniques that they teach and use with their students to get them listening.   Here are a few great ideas at every grade level to try:

Late Elementary & Middle School:

1.Silent 20:

Students have 20 seconds to get in their seats and quiet- you can add a point to the class total each time they are able to do it in less than 20 and the class can work towards a reward and/ or compete against your other classes.

2.Catch them at the door:

Greet students at the door, make some positive connections,  and get them entering the classroom quietly.   Check out this video clip link to learn more

3.100% attention 100% of the time:  

Check out this video clip link to learn about and see this technique in action.

Upper Middle & High School:

1.Call and response:  

Use these catchy phrases to get students listening:  

Teacher says:	Student says:
1,2,3 eyes on me	1,2 eyes on you
Holy	Macaroni
I’m incredible	Like the hulk...grrrr
The only easy day	Was yesterday (A Navy Seals slogan)

2.Play classical music:

Play classical music (like Bach)  on a low volume when students enter, it sets a calming and professional tone to start the class.

 Regardless of the technique used there is one thing that determines the success of any technique, practice, practice, practice!  Don’t accept anything less than 100% compliance. Do you have a particularly rough class that is intimidating you?   Remember we’ve all been there, remind yourself that your students will listen to you!   Finally, take comfort in knowing that out of all the educators in the US,  several also struggled to silence a chatty class today too.   

Want to read the whole article?  Click on the link:  30 Techniques to Quiet a Noisy Class

PMS News and Notes

It is hard to believe that the end of Quarter 1 is already here.  This time of year traditionally can be the most stressful time of the year.  With that in mind, the efforts that each of us put forth to build connections with our students are that much more important.  When kids make mistakes, the best way for them to experience meaningful learning is a conversation with a respected adult with whom they have a connection.  The message may not hit home right away, but wise words stay with them.  I appreciate the time that each of you take for (especially our most challenging) students to build these relationships, even though sometimes it can seem like the message isn't getting through.

On to some updates...

WKCE Update
Hats off to Mrs. Morton, the 8th Grade Teachers, and everyone else involved in administering the WKCE.  We executed a smooth administration of the WKCE in Social Studies and Science for our 8th Grade students.  The Smarter Balanced Assessment will require more time and training for both staff and students.

Veteran's Day
We will continue our Veteran's Day tradition.  The Middle School students and staff are invited to attend the Veteran's Day ceremony in the Don Kerr Gym at the High School.  The ceremony will be on Tuesday, November 11th beginning at 9:00 am.  Before the event, please discuss the reverence and respect that this ceremony demands with our students.  The recent behavior of the MS/HS student body at these events has been something to brag to our community about.  Thank you in advance for your efforts.

Finalizing SLO/PPG's
An update on the EEP's for the year.  If you have not entered your SLO/PPG into Teachscape, please do so.  After you are finished entering the information into Teachscape, please remember to hit "Submit".  If it is just saved I cannot see it, or acknowledge the SLO/PPG.  I would like to get a Mid-Year Review appointment on your calendars ahead of time to ensure we complete the Mid-Year Review at the appropriate time.  If you see me, and remember this, let's set up those appointments.

Great Things Happening in Poynette
I just got an email yesterday from a Curriculum and Instruction Director from a nearby school district asking to share some of our Grading and Assessment practices.  People are taking note of your ability to put sound educational theory into practice!

Next MS Staff Meeting
Wednesday
11/3/14
2:50 pm
Room 201

Data
Behavior Referrals through 9 weeks of school:
13-14 - 107 Events 56 Students
14-15 - 110 Events 41 Students

Attendance Rate:
13-14 - 96.40%
14-15 - 95.92%

Duty Schedule
Morning Duty - Deans, Fraser
Bus Duty - Greer