Friday, October 5, 2018

The Middle Update 10/5/18

As we near the end of our fifth week of school, routines are taking shape, the weather is turning colder, and the Brewers are playing October baseball.  The cooler weather has also brought along a little increase in the number of people being sick...it certainly has hit my household this week...hopefully this will be it for the Pritzl's as the upcoming cold and flu season approaches.  There is a lot going on in our district, and facilitating an environment for exceptional teaching and learning continues to be our top priority.

Resource of the Week
Growth mindset and Grit are a couple of terms that have gotten some attention in recent years in the educational landscape.  The article this week is from a leading researcher on "grit" and it's place in schools.

"Grit and the Great Good:  A Conversation with Angela Duckworth" by Sarah McKibben

Parent/Teacher Conference Week Ahead
Our first round of conferences start this week on October 11th from 4:00- 7:30 p.m.  Each student will have a folder that they will pick up in the office prior to coming to their scheduled conference.  The folder will contain a recent grade report, STAR Reading and Math test record information.  If teams would like to include a Puma Pride self assessment from students that would be a solid inclusion as well.  Feel free to come down and add anything to an individual student's folder next week.

 I hope that everyone got the chance to sign up for the food truck on this night.  A big thanks to our awesome Parents' Club for providing a meal again.  They could not do the long night this year, because the truck shuts down next weekend.  This is a great opportunity to connect with the parents of our students, and strengthen the partnership with each of them as we work towards a common goal of providing the best education possible for their children.  Please keep track of the attendance for both nights.

 Sick Kids
For your information, and if parents have questions, I have included the district's guidelines for when parents should keep their child at home due to illness.

School Safety Update
School safety is everybody's priority.  Just a general reminder that if you hear or see something related to the safety of our school, you should say something right away.  All of us have an obligation to report, just like the mandatory reporting guidelines that we must follow as well.

Mrs. Morton and I visited a classroom for a guidance lesson that every student attended.  A big message for our students is that a positive school environment/experience for EACH student is so important for keeping our school safe.

Referendum Update
In the past 2 weeks, we've had 2 community meetings spreading information about the upcoming referendum.  We about one month away from the election.  If parents inquire about the referendum during parent/teacher conferences, we handouts, business cards, and posters available in the office.  Feel free to grab a couple to have on hand in case the question comes up.  Also, the website is a great resource to find all of the information regarding the process used to determine the referendum questions.

Emergency Planning
For classrooms that do not have windows, it is important to double check that your emergency flash lights work when all of the lights go out.  Please check the location and effectiveness of your emergency light, so we are prepared in the event the power goes out during the school day.

Homecoming Week
This week is Homecoming Week in our district.  We will be having dress up days in the 1-8 Building as follows:
October 8th -   Favorite Team Gear
October 9th -   Crazy Sock Day
October 10th - Mismatch/Backwards Day
October 11th - Class Color Day- (6th - red, 7th - white, 8th - black)
October 12th - School Spirit Day
Feel free to join in on the fun with the students.

Images from the Week


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The Middle Update 10/5/18

As we near the end of our fifth week of school, routines are taking shape, the weather is turning colder, and the Brewers are playing October baseball.  The cooler weather has also brought along a little increase in the number of people being sick...it certainly has hit my household this week...hopefully this will be it for the Pritzl's as the upcoming cold and flu season approaches.  There is a lot going on in our district, and facilitating an environment for exceptional teaching and learning continues to be our top priority.

Resource of the Week
Growth mindset and Grit are a couple of terms that have gotten some attention in recent years in the educational landscape.  The article this week is from a leading researcher on "grit" and it's place in schools.

"Grit and the Great Good:  A Conversation with Angela Duckworth" by Sarah McKibben

Parent/Teacher Conference Week Ahead
Our first round of conferences start this week on October 11th from 4:00- 7:30 p.m.  Each student will have a folder that they will pick up in the office prior to coming to their scheduled conference.  The folder will contain a recent grade report, STAR Reading and Math test record information.  If teams would like to include a Puma Pride self assessment from students that would be a solid inclusion as well.  Feel free to come down and add anything to an individual student's folder next week.

 I hope that everyone got the chance to sign up for the food truck on this night.  A big thanks to our awesome Parents' Club for providing a meal again.  They could not do the long night this year, because the truck shuts down next weekend.  This is a great opportunity to connect with the parents of our students, and strengthen the partnership with each of them as we work towards a common goal of providing the best education possible for their children.  Please keep track of the attendance for both nights.

 Sick Kids
For your information, and if parents have questions, I have included the district's guidelines for when parents should keep their child at home due to illness.

School Safety Update
School safety is everybody's priority.  Just a general reminder that if you hear or see something related to the safety of our school, you should say something right away.  All of us have an obligation to report, just like the mandatory reporting guidelines that we must follow as well.

Mrs. Morton and I visited a classroom for a guidance lesson that every student attended.  A big message for our students is that a positive school environment/experience for EACH student is so important for keeping our school safe.

Referendum Update
In the past 2 weeks, we've had 2 community meetings spreading information about the upcoming referendum.  We about one month away from the election.  If parents inquire about the referendum during parent/teacher conferences, we handouts, business cards, and posters available in the office.  Feel free to grab a couple to have on hand in case the question comes up.  Also, the website is a great resource to find all of the information regarding the process used to determine the referendum questions.

Emergency Planning
For classrooms that do not have windows, it is important to double check that your emergency flash lights work when all of the lights go out.  Please check the location and effectiveness of your emergency light, so we are prepared in the event the power goes out during the school day.

Homecoming Week
This week is Homecoming Week in our district.  We will be having dress up days in the 1-8 Building as follows:
October 8th -   Favorite Team Gear
October 9th -   Crazy Sock Day
October 10th - Mismatch/Backwards Day
October 11th - Class Color Day- (6th - red, 7th - white, 8th - black)
October 12th - School Spirit Day
Feel free to join in on the fun with the students.

Images from the Week