The Middle Update 12/22/17

It's time for Winter Break.  It felt like a great week with solid effort from students all around the building.

Article of the Week
The article this week takes a closer look at projects.  The article highlights how teachers can facilitate a project experience for our students that can prove to be very effective in all aspects of the project experience.

"Project Management for Middle School" by Matt Weyers

Holiday Concert
Kudos to Mr. Hazard and Mrs. Graeve for orchestrating another outstanding holiday concert.  The gym was packed the many talents of our students were on display.  An impressive night for our community

Literacy Event
Special thanks to our Literacy Committee (Mrs. Rogness, Mrs. Maurer, Ms. Laufenberg, Mr. Johnson, Mrs. Morrissey) for their work in making our building-wide literacy event a huge success.  An idea that came up in our early December meeting came to fruition on Friday.  I was able to visit each room, and it was great to see the positive interactions between the students centered on books!  Thanks for all of your work in prepping our students for this opportunity.

Duty for the next week of School

Morning - Odden

Bus - Frehner

Images from the Week

 

The Middle Update 12/15/17

It seems like you blink and we are one week away from winter break and 2018 right around the corner.  Another solid week in the books with an action packed week coming up.  Our focus on leading a student-centered environment with high expectations in every classroom is key to the successes that we see each day in our school.  The way our staff sees the positive attributes and contributions of each student, and treats mistakes by students as opportunities to help them grow is what makes our school a special place.  A big week ahead is straight ahead of us...

Article of the Week
The article this week sums up the top educational research studies from 2017.  The findings from some of the studies in the articles should spark some discussion for some of our school practices.

"2017 Education Research Highlights"

1-8 Building Literacy Event
On Friday, we'll be conducting a school-wide literacy event.  Thanks to our Literacy Committee for their work in coming up with the idea and planning it.  Each one of our Homerooms will be paired up with an Elementary Class.  After Nutrition break (see schedule), each student will report back to their Homerooms with the book they are currently reading.  The location of where each Homeroom will report will be decided by the paired up (Elem/MS) teachers ahead of time.  Once I send out the pairings, please reach out to your paired elementary teacher to work out the locations.  The plan is for the middle and elementary students and teachers to spend the time reading from their own books, with a time at the end to pair up and talk about what they are reading.  The 1st and 2nd graders have a little less reading stamina, so the last 15 minutes may be spent with the students paired up reading to each other (pairs of teachers can plan what their sessions looks like).

The main goal of our session is for the elementary students to have a model of what type of readers they will soon become, and get to see reading role models up close and personal.  The Literacy Committee is really looking forward to this great opportunity to connect our building.

Holiday Concert Monday Night (12/18)
Our annual holiday concert will be on Monday night starting at 7:00pm in the 1-8 Gym.  There will be plenty of talent on display.  Hope to see as many people there as possible.

12/22 Schedule (dismissal at 1:15)
Due to the 1-8 Literacy Activity, we will follow THIS SCHEDULE on Friday (12/22).  Please review the schedule and let me know if there are any conflicts that we may need to cover.

Assembly on Thursday (12/21)
We will be having an assembly on Thursday (12/21).  Students should be dismissed to the gym at 2:25.  Our student leaders have been planning some Carelli cup events for this assembly, and we will recognize our students for their efforts that have led to some impressive achievements.  Thanks in advance for the teachers that have agreed to participate!

Facility Advisory Committee Update
The meeting this past week was perhaps the most engaging meeting of the year so far.  The committee split into groups to review 7 possible options for building/renovation projects.  At the end, committee members voted on options that they felt will best solve the issues brought forward in our facilities study and for improve the ability for teachers to provide 21st century learning opportunities for our students.  After the vote, it appears that the options were narrowed from 7 to about 3 or 4.  The architects now will be working to provide a visual of what the potential building/renovations will look like and also cost.  The next meeting is on January 10 at 6:30 in the HS IMC.  As always, anyone can review the Facilities Site for the details, and attend the next meeting.

Puma Postcards
On Thursday I was reviewing some of the Puma postcards that were being sent to students.  The handwritten messages from teachers highlighted the hard work and effort the students have been engaged in lately.  At this time, grade level teams are sending these out on Thursdays.  If any other teacher that is not in on these weekly meetings or para-professional would like to get some post cards to send to any student that has been excelling in effort, achievement, or citizenship, please let me know.  Mrs. Hendrickson recently designed a new postcard, so we have a fresh box of new ones available in the office.  These messages reinforce what it takes to be successful for our students.  Your efforts are much appreciated by the students and their families.

Duty Next Week
Morning - O'Connor
Bus - Anderson

Images of the Week

The Middle Update 12/9/17

We are officially halfway through the 2nd quarter...as I type this there is snow on the ground and our focus on growing our culture of high expectations and achievement remains strong.  This time period, through Christmas break can be stressful for everyone...maintaining a strong routine is so important for our students as we work to set up conditions for their success.  Below is a sample of all that is going on through the holidays.

Article of the Week
Gaining insight to what our students know at any point in each of our lessons is critical to driving the decisions we make in setting up the learning environment for our students.  The short article this week provides maybe some new resources or some solid reminders about effectively using formative assessment.

"Why Formative Assessments Matter"

Community Advisory Committee Update

There is another facility meeting this coming Wednesday.  The upcoming meetings will focus on discussing possible solutions to the needs that have been identified through the facilities study, tour and discussions by the committee.  The meeting this week is at 6:30 p.m. in the High School IMC.  As always, anyone is welcome to attend and contribute.  You can follow the work and discussions of the committee by reviewing the "Facilities" tab on our website.

Student of the Month Breakfast this Thursday (12/14)

Our next opportunity to formally recognize our students is this Thursday morning.  Thanks to Mr. Johnson, Mr. Odden, Mr. Hazard, and Mrs. Weckerly for presenting this month.  Congratulations to this month's recipients:

Melanie Koopmans     Jacob Trudell     Laken Wagner     Brooke Luedtke

Emma McGlynn     Jaydyn Slade     Jeremiah Nielsen     Kennedy Pafford 

Holiday Concert Coming Up...
Our Middle School musicians have been working hard to prepare for the annual Holiday Concert.  The concert this year will be on Monday, December 19th at 7:00 pm in the 1-8 Gym.  The talents of our students are on full display that evening.  Mark your calendars and come on out to enjoy the show.

Additions to the Website
Ms. Niemeyer has updated our website to highlight the student experience.  Check out the link below that prospective families will find as they search for a school district for their children. Thanks Ms. Niemeyer for your efforts on this project!

SITE

Duty Next Week
Morning - Lendobeja
Bus - Williams

The Middle Update 12/1/17

We are already in the month of December and in hot pursuit of the midway point of the 2nd quarter.  The way time moves so quickly continues to amaze me.  Another big week ahead...a reminder that I am out on leave a couple days during the next few weeks (MWF this week).  Make it a great week!

Article of the Week
The short article this week by David Cutler, discusses solid strategies to bring a little more excitement to any class.

Rekindling Excitement for Familiar Classes

Mid-Term Grades
The mid-point of Quarter 2 is on Friday, December 8th.  Student progress grades should be posted at that time.  I will be sending a message home indicating that the progress grades have been updated.

Literacy Committee Update
The Literacy Committee met this past Wednesday.  A summary of our progress follows:
-We will be postponing our Book Talks till after break to allow for more recruitment of high school students and their preparation
-We are planning a literacy event in collaboration with the elementary school for Friday, December 22nd...more information to follow
-To check-in on our new Literacy Bulletin Board downstairs by the cafeteria...special thanks to Ms. Laufenberg for her efforts.

Anna & Katie's Corner

Although it seems like a long way away right now, assessment season will quickly be upon us.   The Forward Exam will be given again this year in grades 3rd through 8th and 10th, with the assessment window from March 14th through May 4th.  Closer to the testing window you will receive a more specific timeline of dates and times for testing.  New this year DPI has released achievement level descriptors along with sample questions that are similar format and content to what students see on the exam.  Starting on December 10th they will also make available an online sample test that students can take to practice using the embedded tools and become familiar with the format and types of questions they will see.  Below are the links to these resources for you to review.  

Forward Exam Achievement Level Descriptors

Forward Exam Item Sampler & Text Dependent Analysis Samplers link

#fitwithfamily
We have created a "#FitwithFamily" Board outside the staff bathrooms. We will be sending home a newsletter in the next few days that asks the students and their families to do a physical activity with at least one family member and take a picture so that we can post it on our board. We are asking that you join in on the fun! If you have a picture, you can put it in either PE teacher's mailbox or email us and we will be sure to print it and post it! Thanks for supporting the PE Dept and our passion to spread fitness and healthy lifestyles!

Community Voice in the Poynette Press
The COLUMN this week is written by PHS Art Teacher Kaitlyn Heintz highlighting what 21st century learning looks like in her classroom.  If you have an interest in writing an article for the paper, let me know and I can help out.

Holiday Splash
Many talents will be on display at the annual Holiday Splash, which will take place at Poynette High School on Tuesday, December 4th from 6:00 - 7:30 pm.  All are welcome to enjoy the festivity.

Holiday Thoughts (from the Elementary blog...thanks Mr. Hausser)

Like many of you, I love this time of year.  However, unfortunately for some of our students, this is a very difficult time. These next three weeks especially may be difficult because they are anxious for the Holidays and scared of what may happen over break.  We also have parents that hold "presents" or "no presents" over our students which can cause more problems than help.  We should try to be as proactive as possible when dealing with students or understanding of this.  Please let me know if you need any help.  It can be fun for many, but miserable for others.

Duty Next Week
Morning - Laufenberg
Bus - Weckerly

PSD on Social Media