Friday, November 21, 2014

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%

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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%