The Middle Update - June 30, 2021

Not a long post this week...I wanted to share a little information before August is officially here on Sunday...  We've had a quite a few staff members in working on curriculum, and it's been refreshing to be a part of their collaborative planning for the school year ahead!

Welcome New Staff Members!

We are excited to welcome the new members of our team.  

-Mrs. Miranda Moe will be joining our team as the Elementary/Middle School Associate Principal

     (there is no relation to Ms. Rachel Moe in case you were wondering...)

-Ms. Katie Kooistra will be joining our team as our new 7th/8th Grade Science Teacher

-Mr. Carib Romero Rivera will be joining our team as our new 7th/8th Grade Phy Ed. Teacher

-Ms. Lexie Stark will be joining us full time on our 6th grade team

-Ms. Niki Alford will be back in her role as an awesome Paraprofessional

We are very lucky to have such great people joining our team.  In blogs to come I'll be sharing more information about each one of our new team members, but starting today you can read a note from Mrs. Moe (credit for this idea and taking the steps to get the information from Miranda goes to Mr. Hausser).

Hello!

My name is Miranda Moe and I am so excited to be the Associate Principal at the elementary and middle schools.  I have been in education for the last 20 years as a classroom teacher, interventionist, mentor, instructional coach, and interim principal.  I have worked in Waunakee for the last 15 years and can’t wait to be part of the Poynette School District.  My husband Josh and I live in Dane and have three daughters, Gracyn who will be a freshman, Elayna who will be in 6th grade, and Rylan who will be in 4th grade.  We also have a chocolate lab named Porter.  I love to read, swim, garden and spend time with my family. I look forward to meeting all of you in the near future.  I do have a school email so feel free to reach out, mmoe@poynette.k12.wi.us.

Summer Update Message to Families

We sent a message home to Middle School families on Friday sharing some information about the upcoming school year.  Here is the VIDEO, and the list of FAQ's that was shared as well.

Updated Directory

We have had a few teachers moving to different roles heading into this school year.  We are working on updating the Staff Directory with pictures, however, this linked document can give you a good idea of the teaching roles that everyone on our team will be filling for this coming school year.  Please let me know if you notice an error...it's still in draft mode.

Floating Inservice Days

If you have not yet communicated with me, please let me know what days you are planning to come for your Floating Inservice Days.  I will be scheduling an individual meeting with each teacher on one of your days...we'll be meeting to discuss your Educator Effectiveness Plan for the year.

I hope you are still in the middle of enjoying your summer days!  I'm looking forward to being back together as a team making an impact on the lives of our kids!  

The Middle Update (Early July Edition)

In the midst of all of the planning that takes place over the summer, one key principle keeps rising to the top of my mind, and all of the logistical things we do day in and day out don't necessarily make as much of an impact if we all don't encompass the following understanding:

"Our beliefs shape our actions"

When you think about it beyond the surface level, there is so much truth to that statement, what we believe will drive what we say and do each minute of each day, especially in the days and months after the newness of a school year wears off.  In this post I wanted to share a couple of the fundamental beliefs that we have discussed as a staff, but also that are cornerstones of high performing schools.  I believe these are some beliefs we all need to know, talk about, reflect on, and embody to be the best place possible for our kids.

"All kids can learn at high levels"

"Kids will do well if they can"

"My number one priority, as a staff member, while I'm at school is to do anything I can to serve my students"

"I, as a staff member, make a positive difference in the life of each kid I interact with"

"Our school will be a steady, reliable important part of the life for EVERY kid"

Summer Updates

Listen HERE to a podcast with some recent news that will affect our day to day school day operations.

-I forgot to add a section in the podcast on construction.  We are well underway with the rooms that are being renovated...new carpet, paint, and ceilings in 5 classrooms, and new carpet in 5 additional rooms!