The Middle Update 5/23/19

Resource of the Week
The Focus 3 website provides a lot of simple, practical discussion about how to be successful in everything that you encounter.  I recommend checking out the site, and subscribing to the podcast.  The short blog post highlighted this week is fascinating...the author discusses situations we encounter each day, and explains how our outlook makes all the difference in the world...Enjoy!

"The Law of Patience and Perseverance" - Tim Kight

Student Community Service
Members of our Student Leadership Team organized a Senior Citizen party at the Pioneer Place that took place this past Wednesday.  Many students performed, and the talents and efforts from our students were very well received by the residents of Pioneer Place.  A great way for our students to volunteer their time to make someone else's day better.

Math Meet Participants
Our 7th/8th grade Math Meet students made us all proud at the state Mega Math Meet this week.  They place 10th out of 21 teams.  Poynette Middle School was represented very well by these awesome students!

Participants: London Chapman, Lizzi Endres, Grace Hutchinson, Mika Bush, Tyler Snyder, Dylan Trudell, Mykolas Lyons, Anneliese Graeme

SLO/PPG/End of Year Evaluations
We continue to have awesome discussions about SLO and PPG results from the year.  If you do not have a time set up with me to review your SLO, please do so as soon as you can.

-Final Data organized
-SLO/PPG reflections complete
-SLO self-score complete (make a copy for yourself and share with me)

All SLO reflections and End of Year Meetings must be wrapped up prior to check-out on the last day.  I am also able to meet with teachers on Friday, June 7th if that works better for anyone.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Staff Meeting on Wednesday (5/29)
We will be taking a dive into some data from the past school year, recapping many of our successes this year, and celebrating our team.

4th Quarter Grades
This is a reminder to make sure grades in each standard are up to date.  This includes the at least the Puma Pride standard "Follows Classroom Expectations".  Also, continue to hold students accountable for getting their work done.

Homeroom Battles next Thursday!!
We will have a Modified Schedule on Thursday (5/30).  Please review the suggested schedule.  Teams can feel free to modify in a manner that makes sense.

Felicia Ritzke and Brooke Steinhorst are organizing our Wellness Day activities on this day as well.  They will have more specific information to share on Monday/Tuesday, however, our afternoon will follow a plan along the following lines: 
12:40 - 1:30 - Homeroom Activities...used to determine Carelli Cup Champion
1:30 - 2:47 - Various activities happening across campus - Students will sign up on Wednesday during - Staff will be assigned to a location to participate with/monitor students

Heading into the Home Stretch
As we enter the final two weeks of the school year, it's time to be thinking of how you will end the school year strong with your students.  Having students participate in lessons/activities that bring a culmination to their year/semester/quarter of hard work in your class.  Our students should be either putting the finishing touches on or presenting their work even on the last day of school in their classes.  With a long 3 month break for the kids, and the summer slide that occurs each summer, their time in our classrooms is vital for their growth.

Last Day Schedule
We will run a modified schedule for the last day of school.  You can view that SCHEDULE HERE.

End of Year All Staff Celebration
Once the students are dismissed and out the door on the last day (6/6), we will gather as a whole staff around 1:00 in the High School cafeteria.  We'll have pizza, and other food options for everyone, and have a brief recognition ceremony.  Check-out procedures will start right after we wrap up our celebration.


Upcoming EventsTuesday - May 28 - 7th Grade Field Trip to Mackenzie Center
Wednesday - May 29 - PMS Staff Meeting
Thursday - May 30 - Homeroom Battles/Student Choice Activities in the afternoon
Sunday - June 2 - PHS Graduation
Tuesday - June 4 - Assembly - 2:15 pm - Final Carelli Cup Homeroom Competitions - Student Recognition
Wednesday - June 5 - 8th Grade Field Trip/Dance (6:30 - 8:30)
Thursday - June 6 - Early Release at 12:30 - Staff Reception at 1:00 in HS Commons

The Middle Update 5/19/19

Resource of the Week
The article this week is about what it takes to set up a strong classroom culture.  I include this article now because it's a great time to reflect on these goals, and assess your own classroom culture now.  Using the 5 goals as a guidepost, it's a great time to work on improvement for the last 3 weeks of school, and also start the conversation about areas to focus on improving for next school year.

"5 Goals to Set This Year for a Strong Classroom Culture" - www.knowledgeworks.org

SLO/PPG/End of Year Evaluations
Thank you to those of you that have scheduled your final SLO/PPG review meetings with me.  At this point, I plan to use our remaining BW Meetings to review this data.  Feel free to send me an alternative time if you would like.  Please have the following completed prior to meeting with me:

-Final Data organized
-SLO/PPG reflections complete
-SLO self-score complete (make a copy for yourself and share with me)


All SLO reflections and End of Year Meetings must be wrapped up prior to check-out on the last day.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

4th Quarter Grades
This is a reminder to make sure grades in each standard are up to date.  This includes the at least the Puma Pride standard "Follows Classroom Expectations".  Also, continue to hold students accountable for getting their work done.

Homeroom Battles this Friday!!
We will have a Modified Schedule on Friday.  Please review the suggested schedule.  Teams can feel free to modify in a manner that makes sense.

Felicia Ritzke and Brooke Steinhorst are organizing our Wellness Day activities on this day as well.  They will have more specific information to share on Monday/Tuesday, however, our afternoon will follow a plan along the following lines: 
12:40 - 1:10 - Homeroom Lesson
1:10 - 1:45 - Homeroom Activities...used to determine Carelli Cup Champion
1:45 - 2:47 - Various activities happening across campus - Students will sign up on Wednesday during - Staff will be assigned to a location to participate with/monitor students

Heading into the Home Stretch
As we enter the final three weeks of the school year, it's time to be thinking of how you will end the school year strong with your students.  Having students participate in lessons/activities that bring a culmination to their year/semester/quarter of hard work in your class.  Our students should be either putting the finishing touches on or presenting their work even on the last day of school in their classes.  With a long 3 month break for the kids, and the summer slide that occurs each summer, their time in our classrooms is vital for their growth.

Impressive Music Performance last Thursday!
A big shout-out to our Music Department on an amazing concert last week.  The gym was filled with pride, as our students continue to prove the strength of our music program.

End of Year All Staff Celebration
Once the students are dismissed and out the door on the last day (6/6), we will gather as a whole staff around 1:00 in the High School cafeteria.  We'll have pizza, and other food options for everyone, and have a brief recognition ceremony.  Check-out procedures will start right after we wrap up our celebration.

Superhero Run Wrap-Up
Thanks to everyone for your help pulling off our 2nd Annual Superhero Run last Friday.  Please remind students that they should be out collecting their donations/pledges, and bringing them to the office.  I wanted to share a message I received from one teacher about the run..."The superhero run went very well and kids loved it.  I heard encouraging words from students to other students!!  Love that!!"  Thanks again!

Upcoming Events
Monday - May 20 - Home Track Meet
Wednesday - May 22 - 6th Grade Track Meet in the Afternoon
Friday - May 24 - Homeroom Battles/Student Choice Activities in the afternoon
Wednesday - May 29 - PMS Staff Meeting
Sunday - June 2 - PHS Graduation
Tuesday - June 4 - Assembly - crown Carelli Cup Homeroom winners
Wednesday - June 5 - 8th Grade Field Trip/Dance (6:30 - 8:30)
Thursday - June 6 - Early Release at 12:30 - Staff Reception at 1:00 in HS Commons

The Middle Update 5/10/19

Resource of the Week
In most of our classrooms, the use of tools like Google Classroom has become commonplace, and a natural part of the classroom routine.  Not only can it be easier for us to stay organized and communicate, but the use also is helpful for our students who struggle with executive functioning skills.  The article this week provides a glimpse into how we can use these tools to help our students who struggle the most with organization.

"Helping Students with ADHD Stay Organized" - Ezra Werb

4th Quarter Progress Grades
We are finishing up the 5th week of the 4th Quarter already.  At this time, just a reminder that standard grades should be posted at this point.  Parents and students should be able to see their current grade per standard when looking at Infinite Campus.  Also, at this time, overall Puma Pride grades should be posted as well.  All classes should have the "Follows Classroom Expectations" standard posted, however, the Effort and Work Completion standard could also be reported on as well.  I will send a reminder to parents to check on 4th quarter grades on Monday.

Handbook Review Team
We had 6 teachers meet on Wednesday afternoon to review Handbook rules, and start the discussion for how we can improve upon the Handbook related practices that relate to school culture.  We discussed situations in our building that need improvement, and started the conversation about how we will work towards improvement.  There was an article that was published in this week's Educational Leadership edition, that went along well with our discussion.  Please let me know if you'd like a copy to read.  More updates to come on this front.

Superhero Run/Wellness Day on Friday!!
We will be running our 2nd annual Superhero Run this spring.  The run will be on Friday, May 17th and will follow a similar schedule as last year.  Just like last year, we'll need teachers down at the track to mark wristbands at the corners.  Everyone (staff/students) should dress in comfortable active wear for our day.  Students will be running at the track at the following times: 
8th Grade - 8:20 - 9:00         7th Grade - 9:07 - 9:52        6th Grade - 11:24 - 12:10

We will meet with Homeroom groups on Thursday during IE this week.
We will have a Modified Schedule on Friday.  Please review the suggested schedule.  Teams can feel free to modify in a manner that makes sense.

Felicia Ritzke and Brooke Steinhorst are organizing our Wellness Day activities on this day as well.  They will have more specific information to share on Monday/Tuesday, however, our afternoon will follow a plan along the following lines: 
12:45 - 1:45 - Homeroom activities/competitions
1:45 - 2:47 - Various activities happening across campus - Students will sign up on Tuesday/Wednesday - Staff will be assigned to a location to participate with/monitor students

Teacher Candidates in on Wednesday
We will have 3 teacher candidates for our 6th Grade Science/Math position in for interviews on Wednesday.  If you see a candidate around the building on a tour, feel free to say hello and welcome them to our school.

Heading into the Home Stretch
As we head down the stretch, it's important for us all to have the same mindset about how our final weeks of school will go.  Anytime we have a disruption to our routine (Forward Exam week/field trip), we sometimes see an uptick in challenging behavior.  Making the most of our class time every minute, every day, is an essential value that we all must uphold for our culture.  Having strong, engaging lessons right up to the last day of school is going to be an essential part of finishing the school year strong and strengthening a culture of high expectations for ALL, and the high achievement that naturally follows.

End of Year All Staff Celebration
This year we will be starting a new tradition.  At around 1:00 on the last day of school (Thursday, 6/6) in the High School cafeteria for all staff, we will serve pizza, and other options, for everyone, and have a brief recognition ceremony.  Check-out procedures will start right after we wrap up our celebration.

Upcoming Events
Wednesday - May 15 - 10:45 - 12:10 - Choir Rehearsals for Spring Concert
Wednesday - May 15 - Retirement Open House - 3:30 - 4:30 (HS IMC)
Wednesday - May 15 - School Board Meeting
Thursday - May 16 - Spring Concert
Thursday - May 16 - 7th Graders Field Trip to Mackenzie Center
Friday - May 17 - Superhero Run/Wellness Day
Wednesday - May 22 - 6th Grade Track Meet in the Afternoon
Thursday - May 23 - Home Track Meet
Wednesday - May 29 - PMS Staff Meeting
Friday - May 31 - End of Year Assembly - crown Carelli Cup Homeroom winners
Sunday - June 2 - PHS Graduation
Wednesday - June 5 - 8th Grade Field Trip/Dance
Thursday - June 6 - Early Release at 12:30 - Staff Reception at 1:00 in HS Commons

The Middle Update 5/3/19

Resource of the Week
In our continuous efforts to become the best educators we can be, a source that can help us greatly, may not be an obvious one.  As blogger Jennifer Gonzalez writes, "If you’ve never asked students for serious, honest feedback, you’re missing something. If you ask the right questions and give students the time and encouragement to supply quality answers, student feedback can benefit you in so many ways. Some teachers in our building regularly ask students to give them some feedback about their experiences in the classroom, and it has helped to provide perspective on the experience.  The post this week shines a light on this practice.  If you already give students a survey at the end of the year, I'd love to hear about it.

"5 Reasons You Should Seek Your OWN Student Feedback" - Jennifer Gonzalez

"3 Ways of Getting Student Feedback to Improve Your Teaching" - Vicki Davis

Hallways/Hats/Hoods/etc. etc.
As we review our current practices, policies, and procedures, I think it would be beneficial for a group of us to get together and review our handbook policies and practices.  If you are interested in joining this discussion, please join us on Wednesday (5/8) at 2:55 in my office.

Heading into the Home Stretch
As we head down the stretch, it's important for us all to have the same mindset about how our final weeks of school will go.  Anytime we have a disruption to our routine (Forward Exam week/field trip), we sometimes see an uptick in challenging behavior.  Making the most of our class time every minute, every day, is an essential value that we all must uphold for our culture.  Having strong, engaging lessons right up to the last day of school is going to be an essential part of finishing the school year strong and strengthening a culture of high expectations for ALL, and the high achievement that naturally follows.

Student of the Month Breakfast This Week
Congrats to our students that stood out among their peers!  It was a great morning with our highest turnout of the year.  Thanks to our teachers for presenting this month!

Staff Meeting Recap
I enjoyed our time together on Wednesday afternoon.  Thanks to our Equity Team for sharing their knowledge with all of us, and for your leadership in guiding our school to include more equitable practices for our students.

Ground-Breaking for PES
The ground-breaking ceremony for the new elementary school was Friday.  This signified the start of the work that will begin to unfold over the course of the next year.  You'll start to see ground moving around the site as construction begins.  It truly is a historic time for our school district.

Superhero Run Fundraiser
We will be running our 2nd annual Superhero Run this spring.  The run will be on Friday, May 17th and will follow a similar schedule as last year.  Our students are organizing part of our Wellness Day activities on this day as well.  More details will be forthcoming.

End of Year All Staff Celebration
This year we will be starting a new tradition.  At around 1:00 on the last day of school (Thursday, 6/6) in the High School cafeteria for all staff, we will serve pizza, and other options, for everyone, and have a brief recognition ceremony.  Check-out procedures will start right after we wrap up our celebration.


Upcoming Events
Monday - May 6 - 3:00 - 4:00 - Insurance Informational Meeting
Wednesday - May 15 - 10:45 - 12:10 - Choir Rehearsals for Spring Concert
Wednesday - May 15 - Retirement Open House - 3:30 - 4:30 (HS IMC)
Wednesday - May 15 - School Board Meeting
Thursday - May 16 - Spring Concert
Thursday - May 16 - 7th Graders Field Trip to Mackenzie Center
Friday - May 17 - Superhero Run/Wellness Day
Wednesday - May 22 - 6th Grade Track Meet in the Afternoon
Thursday - May 23 - Home Track Meet
Wednesday - May 29 - PMS Staff Meeting
Sunday - June 2 - PHS Graduation
Wednesday - June 5 - 8th Grade Field Trip/Dance
Thursday - June 6 - Early Release at 12:30 - Staff Reception at 1:00 in HS Commons

Forward Exam Item Review Opportunity for Staff
See below for an opportunity to be engaged in the planning for items on the Forward Exam.

Good day:

DPI’s Office of Student Assessment is looking for a diverse group of educators from all over Wisconsin (including EL and special education teachers) to participate in the Summer “New Item Review” for the Forward Exam.  This is a great opportunity to be a part of assessment development, provide valuable feedback, have detailed input about the items on the Forward Exam, and take knowledge back to the district about the process.

Attached you will find a flyer with more information about the meetings including dates, logistics, and application information.  Please make this flyer available to all Educators 3-8 and 10 in your district. Their input is invaluable during this stage of item development.   

Jennifer Teasdale
Education Program Specialist
Office of Student Assessment

Images from the Week