The Middle Update 3/24/17

The end of the 3rd Quarter is here...it's hard to believe that Quarter 4 starts on Monday.  It was another great week at our school, with an awesome performance by our Band students last night to put an exclamation point on the hard-working talent that we have in this building.  Starting this week, our students will have the chance to show off their skills on the Forward Exam.  It's been a busy time with the end of the quarter, budgets due, and Forward Testing preparation, but through it all we have kept a focus on facilitating solid learning experiences for our students.

End of Quarter 3 Information
Today marks the end of Quarter #3.  Grades will be due by next Monday (4/3) morning.  On Monday, we'll print report cards and get them ready to mail out.  As a reminder, students that have an NE in any standard in a course should have parents called along with discussions with students...there should not be any surprises for a parent or student on a report card.

Article of the Week
School culture is the topic for this week's article.  As you read, think about the facets of our school culture that are good, and could be improved upon.  

ARTICLE

Forward Exam Information
The 8th graders kick off our Forward Exam testing season on Thursday!  On the Friday before each grade begins testing, we will have a "Forward Exam" special lesson for Homeroom.  This will be a critical time period used to pump our kids up to do well on the test, as well as to review the interface used for the Forward Exam.  Students will also be practicing the online testing tools in their respective Math and ELA classes.

Forward Exam Testing Schedule

Staff Meeting this Week Wednesday (3/29)
We will be meeting as a Middle School staff on Wednesday at 2:50 in Mrs. Anderson's room.  We will be taking some time to analyze our climate and culture as we keep an eye on continuing to improve our the experience for our students.

Tornado Drill Next Week
Some time next week we will be having a tornado drill.  I will communicate the date and time once we finalize the plan.  During April, we will be participating in the statewide tornado drill as well.  Please note the tornado shelter locations per grade.
-6th graders report to the Elementary Music Room
-7th graders report to the Band Room
-8th graders report to the hallway between Mr. Lendobeja and Mr. Odden's room

Middle School Staff Members Needed...
This Spring we will be hosting two middle school track meets.  The meets are on Tuesday, April 25th and Tuesday, May 16th.  It would be really awesome if we could get a solid Middle School contingency of staff members out there to work the event and support our students.  To sign-up, please review this SPREADSHEET, and fill in your name on a slot to work.  Looks like we still need some help with the long jump and the high jump.  Training will be provided if needed.  I'm sure the weather will be outstanding on these two nights.  Thanks in advance for your help.

Amazon News (Mrs. Puntney shared in an e-mail last week)
Hello Teachers & Staff,

We are pleased to announce that you may now make Amazon purchases on a "tax exempt" school account via the Skyward requisitioning system, "Ecommerce". The steps are very similar to what you follow when doing a PO for Office Depot, Staples, School Specialty E-commerce vendors.  

A google document (see below) has been shared with Middle School, High School, and Special Ed staff.  

Creating an Amazon Business Skyward E-commerce Requisition

As with anything new, there could be some small kinks to work out so please call me if you can't resolve an issue.

We hope that you find this streamlined process much easier to use than checking out a credit card.  

Upcoming Dates
March 29th - PMS Staff Meeting (Culture & Climate) - 2:50
March 30th - April 6th - 8th Grade Forward Exam
March 30th - Hoops 4 Heart Basketball Game - 5:30April 10th - April 14th - Spring Break
April 18th - April 21st - 7th Grade Forward Exam
April 25th - April 27th - 6th Grade Forward Exam

Duty Next Week
Morning - Johnson
Bus - Pittner

Data

Images from the Week

The Middle Update 3/19/17

Happy Sunday to all of you.  As I type this blog post, I still have that feeling of excitement following the Badgers big victory over Villanova.  The Badgers have helped make this time of year pretty exciting during the past 4 years.  I'm hoping they continue to display their toughness and grittiness for a run through the tournament that will take us to Spring Break.  It was another solid week of teaching and learning with many things to look forward to in the weeks ahead.

Article of the Week
This week's featured article is a classic assessment article from Dr. Tom Guskey.  It is short and to the point providing tips about getting the most out of our classroom assessment practices to improve student learning.

ARTICLE

Puma Pride Committee Meeting
Our Puma Pride Committee met this past Wednesday.  Our focus has been on taking a closer look at the components of our school that make up our culture.  We had a brainstorming session that focused on creating a "must-do" resource to help ensure consistency in the classroom practices that matter most for both student achievement and school culture.  We will be sharing our work at our upcoming staff meeting.

Middle School Staff Members Needed...
This Spring we will be hosting two middle school track meets.  The meets are on Tuesday, April 25th and Tuesday, May 16th.  It would be really awesome if we could get a solid Middle School contingency of staff members out there to work the event and support our students.  To sign-up, please review this SPREADSHEET, and fill in your name on a slot to work.  Training will be provided if needed.  I'm sure the weather will be outstanding on these two nights.  Thanks in advance for your help.

School Board Meeting Monday (3/20)
March's meeting is set for Monday night at 7:00.  Click HERE to review the Middle School Board Report.

Forward Exam Information
The Forward Exam is literally just weeks away.  Below is a link to the testing schedule.  All test proctors will be on Thursday, March 23 at 2:50 pm in Mr. Filerman's room to review the requirements for administering a successful Forward Exam.  On the Friday before each grade begins testing, we will have a "Forward Exam" special lesson for Homeroom.  This will be a critical time period used to pump our kids up to do well on the test, as well as to review the interface used for the Forward Exam.  Students will also be practicing the online testing tools in their respective Math and ELA classes.

Forward Exam Testing Schedule

Amazon News (Mrs. Puntney shared in an e-mail as well this week)

Hello Teachers & Staff,

We are pleased to announce that you may now make Amazon purchases on a "tax exempt" school account via the Skyward requisitioning system, "Ecommerce". The steps are very similar to what you follow when doing a PO for Office Depot, Staples, School Specialty E-commerce vendors.  

A google document (see below) has been shared with Middle School, High School, and Special Ed staff.  

Creating an Amazon Business Skyward Ecommerce Requisition

As with anything new, there could be some small kinks to work out so please call me if you can't resolve an issue.

We hope that you find this streamlined process much easier to use than checking out a credit card.  

Upcoming DatesMarch 20th - Literacy Committee Mtg. - 2:50 (Rogness' Room)
March 23rd - Forward Exam Proctor Training Mtg. - 2:50 (Filerman's Room)
March 23rd - Band Clinic and Concert - 7:00 pm (1-8 Gym) March 24th - End of Quarter 3
March 29th - PMS Staff Meeting - 2:50
March 30th - April 6th - 8th Grade Forward Exam
April 10th - April 14th - Spring Break
April 18th - April 21st - 7th Grade Forward Exam
April 25th - April 27th - 6th Grade Forward Exam

Duty Next Week
Morning - Vian, Johnson
Bus - Odden

Images from the Week

The Middle Update 3/10/17

It's mid-March and it seems like we are plowing right through this school year.  With two weeks left to go in the 3rd quarter and Forward Testing right around the corner, it is a busy, but great time of year.  We continue to put student learning at the forefront of our actions, words, and planning.  Fostering a growth mindset with all of our students puts us in a position to move students further than they even thought possible.

Educator Effectiveness/SLO/PPG
As we hit mid-March, we will be using our bi-weekly meeting times to review progress on our SLOs and PPGs, as well as work through the domains using Danielson's Framework for those of you on a Summary Year.  I enjoy these opportunities to get into the art and science of teaching and working together as we all strive to refine our craft each and every day.

Article of the Week
Speaking of refining our craft each and every day, the article of the week gives some insight into how we, as educators, can do this effectively.  As a leader, I want to encourage each of you to pursue innovation, new ideas that have the potential to have a big impact on student learning, engagement, and their overall experience.  The short article is a great short read.

ARTICLE

Rescheduled Assembly
As a reminder we will have an Assembly on Friday, 3/17.  We'll plan to dismiss students at 2:30.  We will have the much anticipated scooter races, and also use that time to pump up the kids for the Forward Exam.  Any ideas from staff are welcome.

Budget Time
Our weekly reminder about next year's budget process. Our goal is to have all of the requisition and summary sheets to me by March 15th. A link to the Budget Process Packet can be found HERE. Most of you will just need to look at the first tab. Again, this is only view only, so go ahead and make a copy for your purposes.

Forward Exam Information
The Forward Exam is literally just weeks away.  Below is a link to the testing schedule.  All test proctors will be on Thursday, March 23 at 2:50 pm in Mr. Filerman's room to review the requirements for administering a successful Forward Exam.  On the Friday before each grade begins testing, we will have a "Forward Exam" special lesson for Homeroom.  This will be a critical time period used to pump our kids up to do well on the test, as well as to review the interface used for the Forward Exam.

Forward Exam Testing Schedule

Upcoming Dates
March 14th - Literacy Committee Mtg. - 2:50 pm (Rogness' Room)
March 15th - Puma Pride Committe Mtg. - 2:50 pm (Odden's Room)
March 17th - MS Assembly - 2:30 pm (1-8 Gym)
March 23rd - Band Clinic and Concert - 7:00 pm (1-8 Gym) March 24th - End of Quarter 3
March 29th - PMS Staff Meeting - 2:50
March 30th - April 6th - 8th Grade Forward Exam
April 10th - April 14th - Spring Break
April 18th - April 21st - 7th Grade Forward Exam
April 25th - April 27th - 6th Grade Forward Exam

Duty Next Week
Morning - Schoen, Johnson
Bus - Lendobeja

The Middle Update 3/3/17

As we end this sunny Friday in March, we find ourselves 3 weeks away from the end of the 3rd quarter.  There is a lot going on...budget time, Forward Exam prep, 7th grade connections conferences...on and on.  The level of solid engagement that I get to see in every classroom throughout the building is really enjoyable.

A prospective new student and parent visited us this week, and as I walked them around and took them into some classrooms, they were amazed at the culture of learning they were experiencing.  Students reading, having meaningful discussions in groups, practicing problems outlined by the teachers...it was quite the difference from the school they were coming from.  They wanted to move the prospective start date up up to get into this environment as soon as possible.  It was a pretty cool perspective.  We have a great school here...great kids and great adults.

Article of the Week
Authentic engagement is key to the success of every lesson or activity which will lead to maximum student learning.  Constant reflection on the level of student engagement is necessary for the continuous improvement that we all seek.  The article of the week this week gives explanation on 4 key elements that develop this authentic engagement in the classroom.

Student Engagement: Key to Personalized Learning

Administrative Hold Revisited
This past Tuesday, we had an Administrative Hold drill.  An Administrative Hold is put into effect if there is something going on outside.  While no one is permitted to enter or exit the building, all activities within the building go on as normal.

Parent/Teacher Conferences
Thanks to all for your efforts to get as many parents in as possible last night to build the partnership with our parents.  Next Thursday (4:00 - 7:30), we'll run an Open House type format inviting parents in to visit with any of their child's teachers.  Feel free to invite any parent in for any student.  As a reminder our Parents' Club will be providing a pizza feast for us next Thursday.

Rescheduled Assembly
With last week's snow day, the plans for the assembly will have to be adjusted.  We will reschedule the Assembly for Friday, 3/17.  We will have the much anticipated scooter races, and also use that time to pump up the kids for the Forward Exam.  Any ideas from staff are welcome.

Elementary Science Night
Ms. Pittner has led the charge to bring a Science night to our school on March 10th.  Some of our middle school students will be on hand to help out as well. Check out theFLYER for more information.

Budget Time
Our weekly reminder about next year's budget process. Our goal is to have all of the requisition and summary sheets to me by March 15th. A link to the Budget Process Packet can be found HERE. Most of you will just need to look at the first tab. Again, this is only view only, so go ahead and make a copy for your purposes.

Forward Exam Information
The Forward Exam is literally just weeks away.  At this time, we have tentatively settled on the dates and times.  This schedule is still in a draft form, but beginning to take shape.  All test proctors will be meeting soon to review the requirements for administering a successful Forward Exam.

Forward Exam Testing Schedule

Upcoming Dates
March 6th - Social Studies Dept. Mtg. - 2:50 pm (Kallungi's Room)
March 7th - ELA Dept. Mtg. - 2:50 pm (Rogness' Room)
March 7th - 6-12 Choir Concert - 7:00 pm (Aux. Gym)
March 9th - Student of the Month Breakfast - 7:00 am
March 9th - Parent/Teacher Conferences 4:00 - 7:30 pm
March 10th - 7th Grade to Village Hall to view Tom Sawyer - 12:45 - 2:45
March 14th - Literacy Committee Mtg. - 2:50 pm (Rogness' Room)
March 15th - Puma Pride Committe Mtg. - 2:50 pm (Odden's Room) March 24th - End of Quarter 3
March 29th - PMS Staff Meeting - 2:50
March 30th - April 6th - 8th Grade Forward Exam
April 10th - April 14th - Spring Break
April 18th - April 21st - 7th Grade Forward Exam
April 25th - April 27th - 6th Grade Forward Exam

Duty Next Week
Morning - Pittner, Johnson
Bus - Hendrickson

Data
Behavior Referral Data (through 1st Friday in March)
16-17 - 96 Events 43 Students
15-16 - 165 Events 64 Students
14-15 - 210 Events 65 Students