The Middle Update 2/25/18

Article of the Week
The author of this week's article provides 10 pieces of advice from students about what they perceive the best teachers do regularly in their class. 

"How to Become the Best Teacher: Advice from Students" - Andrei Zakhareuski

Next Year's Budget Requests
I know many of you have already begun the planning process for next year's budget.  Budget materials were made available by Mrs. Dallman this past week, and will be due to my office by the end of the day on March 2nd.  Middle School teachers should submit paper requisitions to me with a Budget Summary Sheet for each department.  If you have any questions about this process or materials, don't hesitate to schedule a time with me to discuss.
Mid-Term Message to Parents
Here is a copy of the message that I sent out to parents on Thursday for your information.

Greetings,

We are already midway through the 3rd quarter and Spring is right around the corner.  Our students continue to bring an impressive amount of positive energy with them to their classrooms, and we enjoy working with each student on their journey to becoming college/career ready.  Check out some updates below for more information about life at Poynette Middle School.

-Mid-Term Grades are now posted in Infinite Campus.  You can log into the Parent Portal to view your child's current grades in their classes.

-Spring Parent/Teacher conferences are set for Thursday, March 8th from 4:30 - 8:00 and Thursday, March 15th from 4:00 - 7:30.  Please contact either Mrs. McNicol or Mrs. Schernecker at the office (635-4347 Ext. 6) or a specific teacher to schedule a conference time for your child.

-If you have an interest in volunteering your time during the Middle School lunch period (12:00 - 12:45), please send me an email (jprit@poynette.k12.wi.us), and we will discuss this opportunity

-Many of our extra-curricular activities will be getting started very soon.  Students should be preparing to participate in the following activities that are about to get started:

    -No Name Volunteers - continues to meet after school on Thursdays (Mrs. Morton is the contact)
    -Art Club - continues to meet after school on Tuesdays starting in October (Mrs. Crawford (x329) is the contact)
    -Middle School Play - auditions will be starting soon (Mrs. Petersen (x408) is the contact)
    -Track and Field - starting after Spring Break for 7th and 8th graders (Mr. Ferkovich (x411) and Mrs. Graeve (x323) are the coaches)
    -Strategy Games Club - meets after school in Mr. Kallungi's room on Wednesdays for any student that is interested (Mrs. Sukowski (x314) is the contact)

We appreciate the great support the Poynette community provides for its schools.  As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Dr. Jerry Pritzl
PMS Principal

Special Homerooms Coming Up
Our Leadership Students have been busy planning another Homeroom lesson that will focus on respect for all.  Be on the lookout for specific dates from Mrs. Morton, but they will start during the week of March 5th.  The focus of this lesson will be on the acceptance of all people regardless of differences.  I am really proud of these students for recognizing this need, and stepping into a leadership role in front of their peers.

Forward Exam Schedule
We are getting very close to finalizing the Forward Exam Schedule.  The Middle School will be testing from Monday, April 9th through Monday, April 16th.  Students will be taking the exam in their normal classes (ELA during ELA class time, Math during Math class time).  You can view the testing schedule HERE.  Test proctor training will take place in the coming weeks.

Meetings Next Week
Our Leadership Group will meet on Tuesday (2/27) at 2:50 in the 1-8 Conference Room, and our Social Studies team will be meeting on Wednesday (2/28) at 2:50 in Mrs. Morrissey's office.  Our Leadership Group will break down the results from staff perceptions about how we are doing on the correlates, and develop of a plan to improve in our weakest areas.

Handout for Staff - Talking with Students about School Shootings (Contributed by Mr. Fischer)
Here are some important points that you may want to make if and when you discuss recent school shootings with students.

School are very safe but you can takes some steps to make ours safer.
Take the time to review the schools safety plan with students
Review actions they can take to keep the school safe
Don’t prop open doors
Don’t open school doors for visitors
Students are not powerless. 

They can:
Report things that make them uncomfortable - If you see something, say something to an adult
Treat each other well and promote a culture of acceptance and care
Talk to an adult if you are struggling or if you are concerned about a classmates well-being

Reminders for Staff
Keep your door closed and locked
Don’t prop open doors
Be visible and in the hallway during passing periods
Be observant of student’s and talk to someone from student services if you notice a change in a students behavior

Note Home to our Parents (Contributed by Mr. Fischer)

Mr. Fischer crafted a letter home to parents about some of the recent events.  I wanted to share this with staff because it has some good information for parents and staff.  It was sent home through messenger.

Dear Parent/Guardian:                                                      February 19, 2018

The School District of Poynette considers student safety a top priority. In addition to having a District Safety Plan, we have caring adults that promote a culture of respect and care for one another. Our staff is committed to reaching out to kids that are struggling, and students are taught about the importance of talking to a trusted adult if they have concerns about a fellow classmate. Recent events like the school shooting in Florida, result in many of us thinking about the safety and well-being of our children. In order to support your efforts to care for your child, we would like to share some additional resources with you.

The American School Counselor Association recommends the following when considering the impact of an event like the one in Florida on children:

• Trying to keep routines as normal as possible. Kids gain security from the predictability of routine, including attending school.
• Limiting exposure to television and the news.
• Being honest with kids and share with them as much information as they are developmentally able to handle.
• Listening to kids’ fears and concerns.
• Reassuring kids that the world is a good place to be, but that there are people who do bad things.
• Rebuilding and reaffirming attachments and relationships.
The National Association of School Psychologists has a very helpful handout that has been shared with our teachers that you may want to review. Talking with Children about Violence
We ask that you pay close attention to your child during the weeks that follow and call someone from student services if you have any concerns. Be assured that here at Poynette we have made the safety of our students a top priority and that your child is in the hands of caring adults.

PAD- (The latest edition is out)

Here is the link for the latest PAD newsletter.  

Facility Advisory Committee Update

The next step in the process is a Community Meeting on Wednesday, March 7th at 6:30pm.  The purpose of this meeting is to provide an update to the public about the work of the Community Advisory Committee.  A postcard will go out to all mailboxes in the district inviting them to this meeting.  All staff members are welcome to attend as well.  A survey will be sent out following this meeting, and the committee will meet on April 11th to review the survey results, and see how the results will impact the recommendation to the school board.  As always, please feel free to visit the FACILITY tab on our webpage for the latest.

Duty Next Week
Morning - Pittner
Bus - Gavin

The Middle Update 2/16/18

Article of the Week
The article this week is a short take on one of the biggest factors that effect the levels of student achievement in the building, collective efficacy.  Collective Efficacy can be defined as “the shared perceptions of teachers in a school that the efforts of the faculty as a whole will have positive effects on students.” This belief goes along with establishing high expectations for the growth of ALL students.  Mid-February seems like a solid time to review the work we did at the beginning of the year surrounding Hattie's Mindframes.

The Impact of Collective Efficacy on Student Achievement

Connections with Students
The events of this week in Florida really weigh heavy on the heart.  While we have many reactive efforts in place, I believe our proactive efforts are most important.  The emphasis on relationships and connections with students are so important in making school a safe, stable part of each kid's life.  Our Adopt-a-Student efforts are also aimed to try to build that strong connection with some of our most at-risk students.  Now is a great time to reconnect with your assigned student, any other student that may need some connection, and any other student in our school.  Any staff member is welcome to pull a student into their classroom for a connection chat during the day...you can always write them a late pass for their next class.  These short one-on-one moments can have a huge impact in the life of a student.  Their effort and commitment to producing solid work also increase with a strong connection to the teacher. Thank you to your commitment to each of our students.

Next Year's Budget Requests
I know many of you have already begun the planning process for next year's budget.  Budget materials were made available by Mrs. Dallman this past week, and will be due to my office by the end of the day on March 2nd.  Middle School teachers should submit paper requisitions to me with a Budget Summary Sheet for each department.  If you have any questions about this process or materials, don't hesitate to schedule a time with me to discuss.

Mid-Term Grades Posted
Just a reminder the make sure student grades are posted and up-to-date in Infinite Campus.  The posted grade should be updated at least once a week to reflect student progress in each standard.

Special Homerooms Coming Up
Our Leadership Students have been busy planning another Homeroom lesson that will focus on respect for all.  Be on the lookout for specific dates from Mrs. Morton, but they will start during the week of March 5th.  The focus of this lesson will be on the acceptance of all people regardless of differences.  I am really proud of these students for recognizing this need, and stepping into a leadership role in front of their peers.

Forward Exam Schedule
We are getting very close to finalizing the Forward Exam Schedule.  The Middle School will be testing from Monday, April 9th through Monday, April 16th.  Students will be taking the exam in their normal classes (ELA during ELA class time, Math during Math class time).  You can view the testing schedule HERE.  Test proctor training will take place in the coming weeks.

Meetings Next Week
Our Leadership Group will meet on Monday, 2/19 at 2:50 in the 1-8 Conference Room, and we'll be having our next All Middle School Staff Meeting on Wednesday, 2/21 at 2:50 in Mrs. Rogness' classroom.

Facility Advisory Committee Update
The next step in the process is a Community Meeting on Wednesday, March 7th at 6:30pm.  The purpose of this meeting is to provide an update to the public about the work of the Community Advisory Committee.  A postcard will go out to all mailboxes in the district inviting them to this meeting.  All staff members are welcome to attend as well.  A survey will be sent out following this meeting, and the committee will meet on April 11th to review the survey results, and see how the results will impact the recommendation to the school board.  As always, please feel free to visit the FACILITY tab on our webpage for the latest.

Duty Next Week
Morning - Odden
Bus - Frehner

Images from the Week

The Middle Update 2/9/18

Article of the Week
The article this week is a summary of landmark research done by Dr. Larry Lezotte on effective schools.  His research breaks down 7 correlates of effective schools.  As you read, I ask that you reflect on the correlates and the presence of these correlates in our school in preparation for future discussion.

7 Correlates of Effective Schools

State Principal's Convention Takeaways
Over the 2.5 days that I was at the state convention, there was a lot of learning for me, as well as a lot of affirmation about many of the things that we are doing for kids in our middle school.  In this forum, I thought I'd share some takeaways from others I either heard present or had the opportunity to engage in dialogue.

-"Positive Relationships are the evidence based practice" - Mark Sander, Director of School Mental Health for the Minneapolis Public Schools

-ACT found that the Math & Reading skills needed for the TRADES match the skills necessary to do well in the 1st year of college - Luis Cruz, keynote speaker

-Staff at effective schools have an unwavering belief in the ability of all students to achieve success, and pass this belief on to others in overt & covert ways.  In effective schools, the mentality is "let's look in the mirror to fix this issue" - in toxic environments, the mentality is "let's look out the window for the cause...he could accomplish this IF ________ (fill in the blank...parents read to them at home, had support at home)".  We need to strive to discover how OUR system will support each kid. - Luis Cruz

-Heterogenous classrooms provide "improved cognitive skills, critical thinking, and problem-solving, because students' experience with individuals different from themselves, as well as to the novel ideas and situations that such experience brings, challenges their thinking and leads to cognitive growth" (American Educational Research Association, 2016, p. 25).

-Students having difficulty at school, especially those from lower social class homes learn more when they are working in heterogeneous rather than in homogeneous ability groups (Oakes, 1985, Yonezawa, Wells, & Serna, 2002).  Relatively high expectations for learning, a faster pace of instruction, peer models of effective learning and curricula that are more challenging are among the reasons offered for this advantage. (Leithwood, Lois, Anderson, & Wahlston, 2004).

We will continue to look to educational research to drive the practices that we engage in to achieve our goals of continuing our growth towards becoming the best learning environment possible.

Next Year's Budget Requests
We are approaching budget season once again.  It is time to start thinking about next year, and what materials you may need to take the learning to the next level.  Budget materials were made available by Mrs. Dallman this past week, and will be due to my office by the end of the day on March 2nd.  Now is the time to start discussions about materials/resources that can help us further achieve our goals for next school year.

Facility Advisory Committee Update
The Facility Advisory Committee met this past Wednesday (2/7).  The committee reviewed options and looked to finalize a survey that will be sent out to the community.  As always, you are welcome to review the Facilities Tab to review meeting notes to find out more about the process.

Middle School Assembly Coming Up
Our next Middle School Assembly will be on Friday, 2/16.  Students will be dismissed to the 1-8 Gym at 2:25.  We will celebrate the growth our students have shown up to this point, and also be entertained by 3 Carelli Cup Events that some of our students have been planning.

Extra-Curricular Opportunities
For the spring season, we are still looking for a coach for Middle School Track, and also a Strength & Speed Coordinator to work with MS and HS students after school in the weight room area.  These are great opportunities to get to know the students outside of the classroom, and help get as many of our students connected as possible.  Contact me or Mrs. McCracken if you have the slightest interest to learn more.

Duty Next Week
Morning - Lendobeja
Bus - Anderson

Images from the Week

The Middle Update 2/2/2018

Article of the Week
The article this week is tied to our efforts to help our students become more "adult-like" in their ability to rise our expectations, both academically and with their own self-management skills.  This article provides some good insights, but also reinforces much of our efforts to help students in these areas.

"Keeping Students Accountable" - Edward Graham 
 
Next Year's Budget Requests
We are approaching budget season once again.  It is time to start thinking about next year, and what materials you may need to take the learning to the next level.  Budget materials will be distributed by the business office in mid-February, and will be due to my office by mid-March.  Now is the time to start discussions about materials/resources that can help us further achieve our goals for next school year.

Facility Advisory Committee Update
The Facility Advisory Committee will meet this coming Wednesday (2/7) at 6:30.  The committee is engaged in a fascinating process, and I encourage you to review the Facilities Tab to review the plans and meeting notes.

Middle School Assembly Coming Up
Our next Middle School Assembly will be on Friday, 2/16.  We will celebrate the growth our students have shown up to this point, and also be entertained by 3 Carelli Cup Events that some of our students have been planning.

Wellness Activity- Yoga

The district under the leadership of Mrs. Trantow is going to be offering some Yoga classes after school.  She sent out an e-mail with a lot of information this week.  Please contact Megan or me if you have any questions.  You will need to sign- up and also sign a waiver in order to participate.

Student Health Guidelines (With help from Mrs. Newell & Mr. Hausser)
We seem to have had a lot of sick students and staff lately.  Here are some reminders of what our policies are in case parents ask.  Again one of the best ways to avoid illness is to wash hands consistently and practice healthy habits.  These guidelines are also located in the Student Handbook.  These guidelines shall be followed for any school day or school-sponsored events. 

Your child should stay home from school in the following situations:
Fever: greater than 100 degrees F; may return after 24 hours fever free without the aid of fever-reducing medications.

-Vomiting: may return after 24 hours from the last episode.
-Diarrhea: may return after 24 hours from the last episode.

-Rash: open and draining or if a fever is also present; may return after 24 hours fever free or on treatment for 24 hours.
-Chickenpox: may return when all pox is dry and scabbed over; about 5 to 7 days after the start of the rash.
-Live head lice parent contact will be made to inform of the situation and to pick up the child to begin treatment. Treatment is required before returning to school. Upon return to school, the child will stop in the main office for a head lice check. If live head lice are found, the child will be sent home for treatment. Once live head lice are gone, the child may return to school. Treatment shall be completed at home. (revised November 2015.)
-Contagious diseases: strep throat, impetigo, pink eye (bacterial), scabies, ringworm or other diseases not listed; may return after 24 hours of prescribed treatment.
-Public Health Orders may override local Health Guidelines in some instances. The school nurse will advise you should a situation arise.

Pritzl at Convention Next Week
Next week, I will be attending the State Principal's Convention.  I will be there Wednesday afternoon through Friday.  Mr. Hausser and Mr. Fischer are the "go-to's" if something comes up during this time.  I will be checking email periodically throughout the time period as well.

Duty Next Week
Morning - Williams
Bus - Laufenberg

Images from the Week