The Middle Update 4/30/21

Resource of the Week

Poynette Middle School is a predominately white, rural school.  We have worked hard to build a culture that is student-centered where all adults understand the importance of building positive, trusting relationships with students, and that having a school with these trusting relationships in place will make it more likely our students will learn from us.  We have worked to build an "Understanding" mindset in the minds and hearts of our students.  Our work to build this "Understanding" to include an awareness, acceptance, and appreciation of ALL people regardless of race, sexual orientation, gender, or any other characteristic continues.  The resource this week is a transcript of a podcast titled "Leading Equity".  You can listen to this podcast by downloading it from a podcast site, or you can read the transcript at the link below.  The conversation provides guidance for how we all can effectively lead this work in our school.

"Disrupting Racism at Majority White Schools" - with Dr. Todd Mealy

Teacher Appreciation Week

As we head into Teacher Appreciation Week, I don't think I can appropriately express my appreciation for all of you in this portion of the blog.  This year has been an incredible journey in so many ways, with many emotions, perseverance through uncertain times, and incredible adaptation shown by all of you.  The appreciation deserved is never shown enough, however, it is my hope that this week all of you will feel that appreciation in different ways.  I appreciate the unique ways that each of you make a difference in the lives of so many kids....especially the kids who need you the most.  Thank you.

Forward Exam Planning for 21-22

As we wrap up this year's Forward Exam Testing experience, I am looking for some feedback and start planning for next year's execution of the Forward Testing sessions while the experience is still fresh in our minds.  If you are interested in this planning discussion, please join me on Wednesday (5/5) at 2:00.  We'll meet virtually and the meeting can be accessed by using this link:  meet.google.com/nch-grgo-kbe

Please let me know if you willing be joining ahead of time, and I will send you a calendar invite.

Leaders of Learning Book Study Session 4

We are almost to the end of the book, and our next session together will be on Thursday, May 4th from 3:15 - 4:15.  I'm excited about the work we have started, and look forward to putting a structure in place to help us all systematically have the hard, fun discussions that will accelerate the student learning even further in our school.

Middle School Home Track Meet - Monday, May 10th

The final home Middle School Track Meet will be on Monday, May 10th.  It would be great if we can get a nice turnout of Middle School Staff to work the meet and show support for our kids!  You can sign up to work the event on this document.

The Middle Update 4/24/2021

In strong school cultures, people articulate two core beliefs through how they behave

ALL Kids Can Learn at High Levels!

ALL Kids Will Learn at High Levels Because of What WE Do! 

Resource of the Week

Talking about topics that can be sensitive like race can be an uncomfortable situation if we have not engaged in those conversations often.  To get to a point of becoming confident leading those conversations with our students, it is going to take some knowledge building and practice.  Our resource this week provides tips to equip us with the knowledge and confidence to lead these important conversations.

"Talking to Children About Racism"  

Forward Testing Wrap-Up & ReTakes

Thanks to all of you for the efforts you put in to make our Forward Testing run smoothly.  Our current structure caused us to execute the proctoring of the exam in a little bit different manner than the spring of 2019.  Most students have completed the test, and we'll be looking to complete the retakes this week.  We'll be running another testing session on Wednesday, and may look to test students who are at school when we can.  Thanks in advance for your flexibility with the students as we finish up the state testing.

4th Quarter Grade Updates

As a reminder, I'll be sending out a notification to parents and students letting them know that current student progress grades are posted in Infinite Campus.  As a reminder, at least one Puma Pride grade should be posted for each class, and the Standard grades along with the Puma Pride marks, should be updated at least weekly.

Seeking Feedback

I will be looking to form a couple of groups composed of interested individuals who are willing to share feedback and plan for a couple of topics that may be in need of a closer look.  See details below and let me know if you would be willing to join the discussion on these items:

-Puma Pride Standards and Rubrics - With the implementation of the Puma Way, and a heavier focus on some standards, more than others, it appears time to review the standards and how we use them.

-Forward Exam Planning - With the Forward Exam fresh in our minds, it seems like a good time to come together to plan for the best possible execution of the Forward Exam for next year.

-Student Leadership Groups for 21-22 - We have had a Student Leadership Team in place in years past who were able to accomplish some impressive tasks.  Looking ahead to next year, some fresh ideas and planning is in need for how these groups can look and operate.

4th Quarter Schedule Adjustments

Although there certainly was more planning for the adjustments to schedules and groups in the past few weeks, it certainly seems worth it when you visit the classrooms.  We are getting a little more closer to normal school, and it was fun talking with the students about their perspectives and just being in classrooms where there was more teacher-student interaction than screen-student interaction.  We have come a long way this school year, and everyone has much to be proud of, and much more teaching and learning to take place over the next 6 weeks.

PMS Staff Meeting

We'll meet virtually as a staff on Wednesday, May 19th at 2:30.  We'll be reviewing our experience from the past year and plan together for how that will impact the 21-22 school year.

Images of the Week

The Middle Update 4/16/21

Resource of the Week

I think the article this week hits the nail on the head...

"Too Much Focus on 'Learning Loss' Will be a Historic Mistake" - Stephen Merrill 

Simple gestures like greeting kids at the door, meanwhile, improve academic engagement by 20 percentage points, and the mere presence of images of women in science textbooks moves the needle on inclusion. Ensuring that all kids have at least one adult who cares about them is an effective buffer against adverse experiences like poverty, violence, and neglect. Last year a group of renowned researchers and influential educators including Pamela Cantor, MD, Linda Darling-Hammond, and Karen Pittman published a paper on the science of learning and development that didn’t mince words: “The presence and quality of our relationships may have more impact on learning and development than any other factor.”

Forward Exam ELA is Monday

Monday is the day for our kids to shine in ELA...Tuesday it's Math time.  Our mission is to set up the conditions for all students to put in their absolute best effort on the Forward Exam....if that happens, I'm confident the results will be fun to review when they come in this summer.  

Each grade level has their schedule set, and all of our small groups and their locations are also set. The app will show up on student computers right away on Monday morning, and all families will get a text on Sunday night reminding them to have their student bring in headphones and get a good night sleep.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Transition back to more "normal"

Our 8th grade was able to learn directly from their core teachers this past week.  The 8th graders I spoke with (which was a lot of them) really enjoyed learning in the face to face format, felt the day went faster, and reported it was easier to learn.  There certainly was a lot of adjustments and planning to make this happen, but judging from the response from students and their teachers, it was well worth it.  Our 7th grade took steps on Thursday, and our 6th grade will be making the transition to face to face instruction in the core classes this coming Thursday.  

This year has been challenging in so many ways, and we have continued to adapt and adjust our plan to improve what we do...this can feel exhausting at times, but when we really take a solid look at our "WHY"...why we do what we do, those efforts are worth it.  Thank you to all for rolling with the punches, being willing to adapt, be flexible, and adjust our comfort zone for the kids.  Those efforts are what a great collective efficacy looks like in action. 

We'll continue to look for ways to be better all the way until our kids are dismissed on the last day of school.

Forward Exam Item Review Committee

If you are interested in being a part of a group that meets over the summer to analyze the test questions, provide feedback and give input for the Forward items, there is an opportunity.  See the message below:

Good day:

DPI’s Office of Educational Accountability is looking to recruit 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 is 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 school. Their input is invaluable during this stage of item development.

INFORMATION

The Middle Update 4/11/21

In strong school cultures, people articulate two core beliefs through how they behave

ALL Kids Can Learn at High Levels!

ALL Kids Will Learn at High Levels Because of What WE Do!

Resource of the Week

When either engaged or hearing a conversation in many different settings about a "return to normal" instruction, I've heard the phrase, "we can't just simply go back to the way we did things prior to this experience"...or something like that.  We have learned so much about flexibility, digital tools, ways to engage students, etc...that we cannot go backwards, we must move forward.  As many of our instruction shifts back to in-person "with your teacher" learning and as we plan for next year, it's important to think about the pieces from the past year's experience that need to come along on the ride.  The article this week shares some of those practices worth considering as we move forward.

"Enduring Practices from Remote Teaching" - Samantha Pack

Schedule Adjustments Start this Week

Our 8th grade team kicks off the adjustments to our schedule and learning plan.  Starting on Monday, one group will be consolidated into the others, and the schedule will be adjusted so that our core teachers will move from group to group providing "face to face" instruction.  At the surface, this seems like it might be a small adjustment, but there are ripple effects all across the school.  The 8th grade Applied Academic rotation will be adjusted to just an AB format, the 8th grade lunch period will move up in the day, and more students will get more support.  I believe I have communicated with everyone affected and we are ready, but there are always little things that may come up...if you think of something or have a question, please let me know right away.

Next up is our 7th grade, who will be starting their adjustment on Thursday (4/15).  One group is consolidating and we had to adjust some lunch/recess/team study times to accommodate this adjustment....there is still a little work to be done before Thursday.

6th Grade will start their adjustment next Thursday (4/22).  We'll work out the finer details throughout the week.  5th grade will remain much the same, however there may be some adjustment to lunch/recess times which I'll communicate in the week ahead.

Forward Testing

Forward Testing begins next Monday (4/19) for all grades.  Each team is working on a grade specific plan for testing.  All students should have practiced with the Online Testing Tools during Homeroom this past week, and have started to talk about things they will most likely see on the exam during class times.

I'll be working with teachers to coordinate a little review for the students to work through prior to taking the test each day.  Our goal is to bring some important things that were in the "stored memory" portion of the student brain up to the "active memory" part of the brain, strengthening the synapse connection...this practice has shown to improve student performance on an exam.

Leaders of Learning Book Study Update

We completed Session #3 of our book study this past Thursday, and we had some good discussions around what a guaranteed & viable curriculum looks like and also about the ongoing monitoring of student learning.  This was perhaps the "messiest" part of the book study conversations, providing a starting point to guide the decisions about how we will spend our collaborative time with similar goal-oriented collaborators.  We built action steps, and will not work to refine our collaboration plan for next year.

Through many of the conversations with teachers afterwards, it is fun to hear about the invigorating ideas and thoughts about we can put this system in place, and really having focused, goal-oriented collaboration times. 

We have already started to institute some of the learning from this book into our practices, and will continue to refine this process with each remaining week, culminating with a collaboration plan for next year.  Our plan will undoubtedly be refined as we learn, and we'll have to monitor our group's effectiveness along the way, but certainly exciting steps ahead.  

We cannot be complacent with being just a "good" school....we must all strive and hunger to make research-based adjustments to our plan to be better than just "good"...the challenge involved going from "good to great" can be uncomfortable at times, but it ultimately makes our work more fun and rewarding. 

The Newest Addition to the Puma Family!

Congratulations to Morgan Serstad and her family on the addition of Sullivan Scott Serstad.  He arrived this past Monday evening!  She said everything went well and is going great now.  

Student Recognition

I'd like to try something new heading into the home stretch.  I will send out a Google Form to all staff (teachers, paras, cooks, custodians) and ask that you nominate a student to be recognized.  I'll ask that you name one student that you have been most proud of this school year and why.  We will read one recipient and reason on the announcements per day for the rest of the school year.  Thanks in advance for your participation! 

As a reminder, it's always a good time to give specific positive feedback to any student who you may like to recognize on a daily basis.