The Middle Update 11/24/19

Resource of the Week
It may be a good time of year to review a couple of important items in regards to internet activity for school employees.  The short article this week highlights some good guidelines for teachers about social media use.  Please check out the linked blog post for those reminders.  Also, a reminder that any activity done on your school account (emails, search history, website history, etc.) can be subject to Open Records Requests and made available to the public.  It's just good practice to make sure everything done at school or on school devices is professional and school related.  As always, let me know if you have any questions around this topic.

"10 Social Media Rules for Teachers" - American Board Blog

Morning Homeroom Reminders
As all have gotten comfortable with our Morning Homeroom Routine, I wanted to send a reminder about the Homeroom Plan that was presented at the beginning of the school year and should be followed each morning.  A couple of important reminders for all about this time: 
- Our goals are: 

1. We will help students be more connected to school
2. We will improve overall student attendance
3. We will ensure students are taught skills that will help them be more self-aware and proactive for their education
4. We will develop a deep appreciation of diversity in all students

-This should be an interactive time between students and their Homeroom teacher.  Use this SHEET for a plethora of resources of activities to do with your group.  The only chromebook use by students or teachers should be on Mondays and Fridays for checking IC and setting goals, otherwise, all should use the time for face to face interactions...I think that we all can agree that our kids get plenty of screen time throughout their days. 

Early Release on Wednesday (11/27)
We will be running an Early Release Schedule on Wednesday.  Please review the Schedule ahead of
time, and let me know if you see any conflicts with your assignments.  Thanks in advance.

Math Meet Domination Continues (from Mrs. Kennedy)

Poynette attended the #Math Matters Math Meet in WI Dells at Chula Vista on Nov. 21st.  Grades 5 - 8 competed against their own grade.  There were 394 students from 12 districts present.  Poynette's sixth grade team came in first place, Poynette's seventh grade team came in second place, and Poynette had two individual first place winners: Emma L. in sixth grade and Jason M. in seventh grade.  Congratulations!

Pictured below:

6th grade 1st place winners (L to R): Aaron D., Jameson M., Nevaeh F., Emma L., and Capri L.

7th grade 2nd place winners (L to R): Mae L., Mercedi L, Maggie W., Sarah B., Zander O.

Safety Drill Recap
Last Thursday we conducted our Lockdown Drill.  It is an amazing experience to walk the halls during a lockdown.  It feels like it's the summer time and no one is in our building.  Please let me know if there were any good questions that came up from students.  Also, a reminder that flexible response is critical and locked doors and quiet rooms have proven to be very safe after a review of other dangerous situations that have happened in other schools.  Connected, happy students are much less likely to carry out violence.

Toy Donations
Each year staff inquire about donating toys. If you are interested, here is an opportunity.
Poynette Iron Works has an annual toy drive to help families in need of support around the holidays.  They are collecting gifts now until Dec. 13th.  You can donate new unwrapped toys, gift cards, or cash.  You can place toys in a bin at Piggly Wiggly or take other contributions directly to Poynette Iron Works (209 East North St.).

PAD Newsletter Update
Here is the link to the latest PAD newsletter that can be found on our district website.

2019 2020 November/December/January Newsletter

The Middle Update 11/15/19

Resource of the Week
We'll continue our Social-Emotional Learning theme with this week's blog resource.  The article provides even more resources...(videos/articles) within specific aspects of Social-Emotional Learning.  Check it out.

"Social and Emotional Learning in Middle and High School" - McGraw Hill

School Report Card Release
State School Report Cards were released this past Tuesday.  As you could see in our Assembly, we had a strong score this year, and our score rose considerably from last year.  So much kudos to all of you who work so hard, and our kids for putting forth great effort on the Forward Exam.  We'll continue to analyze data and look to improve our performance.  Check out the DPI website to check out all of the scores from around the state.

Assembly Wrap-Up
Thanks to everyone that helped pull of our Assembly on Friday afternoon.  It seemed like the kids enjoyed it.  As always, I think we learned a few things, and I've already heard some good ideas brewing for our next one in January.

Safety Drill on Thursday (11/21)
We'll be having a Lockdown Drill this coming Thursday at 10:00 am.  Please review the procedures and flexible response plan with students prior to and after the drill.  We'll have law enforcement here to walk through the building with us as we continue to refine our Safety Plan.

Classroom Visits
During BW Meeting time with teachers starting this coming week, we'll continue to visit other classrooms to learn from each other.  There is so many magical things happening in our classroom and we all have can learn so much from the talent and skill in this building.  Also, Dr. Shappell will be making classroom visits as well.

Late Start/Early Release Schedules
Please review both of the schedules below when you get the chance, and let me know if you notice any areas that conflict with your assignments.  Typically, there are a couple of areas that we need to work through some resolutions when we adjust our schedule.  We'll use the Late Start Schedule for any 2 hour delays that may arise due to weather, and we'll use the Early Release Schedule for our upcoming 1:15 dismissal day on 11/27.

Late Start Schedule
Early Release Schedule

Next SOM Breakfast 12/6/19
Just an early reminder about our next Student of the Month Breakfast.  It will be on December 6th.  In the next couple of weeks, be on the lookout for your nominees.

Donation Opportunity
Many teachers have typically asked about donation opportunities...below is one of those opportunities.

Poynette Iron Works has an annual toy drive to help families in need of support around the holidays.  They are collecting gifts now until Dec. 13th.  You can donate new unwrapped toys, gift cards, or cash.  You can place toys in a bin at Piggly Wiggly or take other contributions directly to Poynette Iron Works (209 East North St.).

Images from the Week

The Middle Update 11/8/19

Resource of the Week
Going along with the theme from our presentation from Mrs. Serstad and Mr. Kartos this past week, we are learning that Social-Emotional Learning is so critical for students to learn at their maximum potential and also to have a top notch school culture.  The article this week provides some thoughts on how to interweave some of this learning into our classroom routines, and also there is potential some ideas to be executed in our Homeroom morning times.

"5 Ways to Incorporate SEL in Middle School" - Jill Fletcher

Veteran's Day Assembly on Monday (11/11)

Veteran's Day is a very special day in our school district.  As is our tradition, all of our students will be attending the Veteran's Day Assembly at the High School on Monday (11/11), starting around 9:05.  We'll plan to have Nutrition Break starting at 8:45.  Below is our plan for each grade.

6th Grade - Dismiss 1st block to Nutrition Break at 8:45, then students go to their 2nd block class.  Meet with students and preview the assembly, highlighting the importance of this formal ceremony. Head to the Kerr Gym in the High School at 8:55.  Students will return to 2nd block when done.

7th Grade - Dismiss from 1st block to Nutrition break at 8:45, then go back to their 1st block class.  Meet with students and preview the assembly, highlighting the importance of this formal ceremony.  Head to the Kerr Gym in the High School at 8:55  Students will report to their PE/Music/ITech class when done.

8th Grade - 1st elective will run from 7:45 - 8:15...2nd elective will run from 8:15 - 8:45.  Dismiss to Nutrition Break, and students report to their 1st block teacher.  Once there, meet with students and preview the assembly, highlighting the importance of this formal ceremony.  Head to the Kerr Gym in the High School at 8:55.  Students will return to 1st block when done.  Teachers can communicate with each other about the ending time of 1st block that will split the class times in half, once we return.

Assembly on Friday (11/15)
We will be having an Assembly this coming Friday (11/15).  Students will report to 3rd block after lunch, and should be dismissed to the 1-8 Gym at 2:10.  We'll have one Carelli Cup competition, followed by our various challenge opportunities that we discussed at the Staff Meeting this past week.  We should conduct our normal Homeroom Lesson on the morning of Thursday (11/14) and Friday (11/15) this week.

For the Carelli Cup, we'll need one representative from each Homeroom to compete in Musical Chairs competition.  Homerooms can either can have a competition in your Homeroom or have the group select a representative in another way.

Staff Meeting Review
Thank you to all for your participation in our staff meeting this past Wednesday.  A special thank you to Mrs. Serstad and Mr. Kartos for their SEL presentation, and to Mr. Johnson and Mrs. Snyder for an explanation of how the knowledge gained from reading Lost at School has helped guide their approach to students that show some challenging behaviors in the classroom.  We are a strong team that continues to grow and learn from each other.

Hoods in School
As we enter the 11th week of the school year, it's still really important for us to all be on the same page on rule enforcement...one area I'd like us all to pay particular attention to is making sure students are not wearing their hoods in class.  Consistency from classroom to classroom is very important, and the habits and message also filters to better conversations in the hallways.

Connections with Kids
I have had the chance to meet with many Homerooms at the end of the day, and I have been asking them to share with me the great things about our school, and the things the kids think could be better.  There are many cool things they share about what they like about school.  One area, however, that comes up almost in each group of an area the kids seem could be better is "kids calling each other names".  When asked further, students typically says it happens in the hallways during passing time.  Equipped with this knowledge, we need to have our adults present during passing time as much as possible and watching out for these interactions.  Our Nutrition Break Connections Team is also designed to help have staff members out talking with kids and present to proactively prevent these type of interactions with students.  Let's continue to take advantage of these opportunities to build connections with our students.

Classroom Visits
During BW Meeting time with teachers starting this coming week, we'll continue to visit other classrooms to learn from each other.  Also, Dr. Shappell will be making classroom visits as well.

Late Start/Early Release Schedules
Please review both of the schedules below when you get the chance, and let me know if you notice any areas that conflict with your assignments.  Typically, there are a couple of areas that we need to work through some resolutions when we adjust our schedule.  We'll use the Late Start Schedule for any 2 hour delays that may arise due to weather, and we'll use the Early Release Schedule for our upcoming 1:15 dismissal day on 11/27.

Late Start Schedule
Early Release Schedule

Next SOM Breakfast 12/6/19
Just an early reminder about our next Student of the Month Breakfast.  It will be on December 6th.  In the next couple of weeks, be on the lookout for your nominees.

Resource from our Reading Specialist
Thank you to Mrs. Dzioba for sharing a great resource this week on conferring with students.  Meeting one on one with students and providing them feedback and asking reflective questions is critical to accelerating the learning of our students.  The resource she provides HERE can help make sure that student learning is maximized during these conferencing opportunities.  Thank you Mrs. Dzioba!

The Middle Update 11/3/19

I hope everyone was able to enjoy the extra hour of that this weekend provided you...whether that be an extra hour of sleep, or hanging out with a baby in the middle of the night, getting a little extra done around the house, or just an extra hour of relaxation, hopefully you were able to take advantage of it.  We already officially have 1 quarter of the school year in the books and we are heading into perhaps the busiest stretch of the year, with the days and weeks moving ahead quickly straight into the new year.  Our focus remains constant, however, taking each minute, each day in our classrooms working to grow the skills of our students in a positive, growth-oriented environment.

1st Quarter Grades Timeline
Like I mentioned in an earlier email, grades are due by Thursday am.  I will review report cards, and we will print them off Thursday, with the hopes of getting them in the mail as soon as we can.  We will review report cards with students in Homerooms on Friday (11/8), and we have a plan for how we will tie our report card review into our next assembly next Friday (11/15).  Final details of that plan will follow in an email early this week.

As a reminder, each course should have at least 2 of the Puma Pride standards reported out on, and a brief comment about student performance in your class.  Please let me know if you have any questions about this process.

Staff Meeting this Wednesday (11/6)
We will be meeting as a Middle School staff on Wednesday afternoon, starting at 2:55 in Mrs. Rogness' Room.  We will be focusing on the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) aspect of school...we will analyze some data from the first quarter of the school year, we will hear from members of our Leadership Team on starting some school culture conversations in our Morning Homerooms, and we'll hear from Mrs. Serstad and Mr. Kartos about some SEL lessons learned from the last professional conference they attended.  This is an important time to learn together as a team, and strengthen the important connections between with each other.

Assembly Next Friday (11/15)
We will be having a Middle School Assembly next Friday (11/15), starting at 2:10 in the 1-8 Gym.  After lunch on this day, students will report straight to 3rd block.  During the morning Homeroom times on 11/14 and 11/15, we will conduct our normal Friday afternoon Homeroom lessons.

Welcome Mrs. Wheeler!!
As Mrs. Weckerly is enjoying the new addition to her family at home, we are happy to welcome Mrs. Shelby (McIlrath) Wheeler to our team.  Shelby was a graduate of Poynette High School in 2010.

PAD Parent's Club Fund-Raiser Pick Up Information
Please share this information with students during Homeroom on Monday morning.

Fall Fundraiser pickup will be Wednesday, November 6 from 2:30 until 5:30 in the 1-8 gym. Please be sure to pick up your items. If you are unable to pick up your items during this time you must make arrangements for someone to pick them up for you.

Images from the Week