The Middle Update 9/26/21

All Students Can Learn at High Levels

Students Do Well if They Can

What WE Do Makes the Difference for the Kids in School 

We continue to navigate another unique school year in so many ways.  Thank you for your dedication, patience, and consistent approach.  There have already been many students that may have struggled early, but staff worked with the student on a solution and have improved...there are some whom we've discovered new struggles that we'll work with them to solve, and there have been some who continue to work with at finding the solutions to help them be at their best consistently.

The COVID/quarantine realities have hit my house over the last two weeks, so my wife and I will be scrambling to cover the little one at home over the course of this week...many thanks to all of you for stepping in to help out when needed.  A reminder that both Miranda and I are "go-to's" when we are both in the building, and if one of us is out of the building the other one remains the "go-to" regardless of the matter.  We communicate often and operate as a team.

Resource of the Week

As we are learning more and more each day, it is sometimes hard to remember that this is the first real middle school experience for our 5th-7th graders.  They continue to get comfortable with new routines, and adjusting to life back at school.  Our resource this week provides a reminder for all of us about what our students have been through, and some simple strategies that we can use to help them and their mental health.

"Helping Students Cope With a Difficult Year" - Carolyn Curtis

Staff Meeting Wednesday (9/29) - 7:15am

We'll have our first during the school year staff meeting on Wednesday (9/29) morning at 7:15.  Let's plan to meet in the cafeteria.  We'll be focusing on school culture, sharing best practices, and the work of a PLC.

PLC Updates

Thank you all for your dedication and participation in our PLC groups to start the year.  We'll be taking a closer look at the work we've been doing so far, and the work that we'll be working towards getting.  Miranda and I will be looking at your PLC notes on Wednesday mornings and following up with groups or group leaders.  If you have a teacher or two that have emerged as leaders of your PLC, please let us know. 

Parent-Teacher Conferences (10/14, 2:00-8:00)

We'll be hosting our fall parent teacher conferences on Thursday, October 14 from 2:00-8:00.  We'll have an Early Release on this day for our students.  We'll follow this SCHEDULE on this date.  Please review the schedule keeping a special eye on what your day would look like.  If you notice a conflict for you, please let me know as soon as possible.

I'll have more information to share in a couple days regarding the format of our fall PT conferences (virtual or F2F, etc).

Substitute Teachers and Calling

I want to thank so many of you for stepping in and helping out when we've been short handed...your efforts are truly appreciated, and as a reminder, please stop down to see Patti for a time sheet in those instances.  I can't tell you how much it's appreciated when a teacher is willing to help us out, even though we all know it's not ideal.  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

Moving forward, if you end up calling Gary or Becky (see below) for a sub, if you could please also notify me either by email or via text (608 692 2088), so that I can begin the process of preparing for coverage if necessary.  A little extra time makes a big difference for me.  

As a reminder, our Sub Caller is Gary Laib and his phone number is 608.635.4879.  Please refer to his previous email from this week for the times you should call.  As a reminder from October 5th-October 23rd, please call Becky McFadden at 608.444.2305. 

Employee Handbooks

As per usual, I'll be posting regular sections from the Employee Handbook to keep those guidelines in the forefront of our thought processes throughout the year.

Confidentiality

Employees are responsible for protecting the confidentiality of all information concerning employees, students, clients, donors and organizations with which the District does business.

Student education records are treated as confidential under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 and Wisconsin state statutes, and District policy.  Policy 8330

When there is separation of employment, individuals must return all paper and/or electronic documents (including storage devices) containing any confidential or proprietary information.

Professional Appearance

Employees are expected to dress in a professional manner appropriate to their working conditions and type of work performed. Certain departments, such as Food Service and Buildings and Grounds require special attire for work.

Employees should consult their supervisor regarding dress code requirements specific to departments. For most instructional and secretarial staff, business casual is most appropriate. Casual dress is appropriate for certain field trips, shop experiences, lab experiments or times when clothing could become soiled. Piercings and/or tattoos cannot be distracting or contain inappropriate material. Administration may require removal of piercings or covering of tattoos.

Beach or “gel” style footwear (flip flops, shower shoes, Croc® style) are prohibited.

All employees are District representatives at co-curricular activities and conferences and should appear as such.

Copyright

The District expects all employees to model legal and ethical behavior. Therefore, all copyright, video, web publishing and internet laws and guidelines must be followed by all District employees. For additional information regarding Copyright, see Appendix C.

Co-curricular Duties

Learning in our schools goes beyond the classroom. Employees are encouraged to attend co-curricular events. Teaching staff may receive assignments of supervision at school co-curricular activities.

Food Service Purchases

All staff are welcome to purchase a meal or a la carte items during scheduled meal hours. Meal hours vary by building and level. Purchases are made utilizing a District supplied identification number. ID numbers correspond to a personal lunch account. The account is a debit system; therefore, funds must be in the account prior to making a purchase. Cash is not accepted in the lunch line. All food service items must be paid for at time of service. Food service employees are eligible for one (1) meal per day at no cost on days when they work

General Rules of Conduct

Employees represent the District at all times and in all places. Employees are expected to model positive, effective behavior and to adhere to the highest standards of their professions.

Below are general guidelines for employee conduct. Many of these guidelines appear elsewhere in this Handbook.

These guidelines are by no means exhaustive or complete, but simply list examples of conduct that may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination. The District reserves the right to determine the appropriate discipline based on the circumstances of the individual incident.

Violations of policy include, but are not limited to:

1. Falsification or unauthorized altering, deletion or omissions of records

2. Unauthorized disclosure of confidential or privileged information

3. Unauthorized use and/or possession of intoxicating beverages, narcotics or drugs on District premises

4. Reporting to work under the influence of alcohol, narcotics or drugs. Misuse of prescription drugs.

5. Failure or refusal to report child abuse

6. Unauthorized use or misuse of electronic resources

7. Time theft: being late, leaving early, being absent from work without permission/prior notification, fraudulent requests for time off, fraudulent completion of time/duty cards, sleeping while on duty, etc.

8. Stealing or damage/destruction of property belonging to the District, other employees, or students/community members

9. Gambling on District premises

10. Violating or ignoring safety and sanitary standards and expectations

11. Failing to obtain or maintain a current license, certification or other qualification required by law or the District.

12. Promoting, encouraging, engaging in, or facilitating, any illegal strike slowdown, sickout, work stoppage, curtailment of work schedules, or refusal to perform customary and assigned duties

13. Refusal to follow a directive/carry out assigned duties

14. Insubordination

15. Physical assault

16. Use of obscenities and/or abusive language on District premises or at District events

17. Threatening, harassing, abusive or bullying behavior

18. Failing to fully cooperate in any District investigation

19. Failure to maintain professional or ethical standards

20. Failure to follow chain of authority

21. Failure to protect/Misuse of/Failure to follow proper procedure when dealing with District funds

22. Dishonesty

These rules do not trump or restrict legal rights and activities of employees.

The Middle Update 9/17/21

All Students Can Learn at High Levels

Students Do Well if They Can

What WE Do Makes the Difference for the Kids in School

Our first 5 day week of the school year was filled with great learning experiences.  It is fun to be a part of a mindset that centers around the belief that we are the difference for the kids, and we have an opportunity to impact our students in a positive way.  This impact happens both academically and teaching them crucial lessons centering around respect and empathy for others.  Thank you for continuing to bring this type of mindset to school every day...you can feel it in our culture.

Resource of the Week

Providing choice for our students has shown to improve engagement and learning in many different ways.  There are many examples in our own school with many different teachers....one example is in PE where efforts, led by Mr. Kartos, provided students choice in the activity they chose to accomplish the goal led to drastically improved student participation and engagement.  I'm sure there are many more to share, and I would love to share examples from each of you in future blog posts.  The post this week provides some more insight into what this could look like in both the elementary and secondary schools. 

"The Importance of Student Choice Across All Grade Levels" - Stephen Merrill, Sarah Gonser

COVID and Quarantines

I appreciate all of the efforts being made to help our students that are in quarantine situations keep up with the class as much as possible.  We sent out our the process that we will follow earlier this week, but will share again HERE.  

We continue to track every absence, symptom, test result, and are following the recommended CDC quarantine guidelines.  We have seen an uptick in COVID activity, but we also have seen students that have been sick that is not COVID.  Contact tracing is pretty involved and there are a lot of factors to consider in making the quarantine decisions, but we stick to the protocol that has been recommended.  Please contact me, Miranda, and Mr. Fischer if you have any questions about the process.  

I appreciate your communication with the office in situations where a student mentions they aren't feeling well, so that we can do our best to ensure that students that aren't in school who shouldn't be based on how they are feeling.  We have had to send students home in these situations.  Please continue to space out your desks/student spaces while they are learning, and work to keep students separated as much as possible.

A big shout-out goes to Debbie, Ryan, Cassie, and Randy in the lunchroom for their work to be diligent about our lunch time spacing procedures.  Also to Dean, Lisa, and Ebony for facilitating a safe, engaging outside experience for the kids.

Grades (Mid-Term is almost here!)

As we approach the end of the third week since school started, we notice that the middle of the quarter is almost here.  Please have standard grades posted in the assessed standards by the end of next week (9/24).  As always, please review student evidence, and determine the rubric level that has been demonstrated by the student.

Also a reminder of our Puma Pride grade posting guidelines.  If you have not, please review and update grades accordingly.  Please let me know if you have any grading/posting questions.

Employee Handbook Reminders

As per usual, I'll be posting regular sections from the Employee Handbook to keep those guidelines in the forefront of our thought processes throughout the year.

Work Day

Employee workdays will be established by the District Administrator according to building and district needs.

Calendar

The school calendar shall be determined by the Board. The determination of the structure of the days (instructional, work days, etc.) shall be at the discretion of Administration.

Professional Development/Training Programs (In-service)

As a learning and teaching institution, the District expects all employees to model continuous learning to develop professional skills and personal growth. The District provides periodic In-service and training opportunities that are required for staff depending on assignment and role. Leave will not be approved on professional development or in-service days. Extenuating circumstance (i.e. emergent, bereavement, etc.) may be approved by administration with appropriate documentation.

Meetings

Each supervisor will determine the times and frequencies of staff meetings. Efforts will be made to share the schedule in a timely manner. Employees must attend all meetings as called by administration or supervisors. In general, absences will be excused for emergencies only and must be granted by the administrator/supervisor calling the meeting.

The District Administrator may, from time to time, call all-staff meetings when need is determined.

Injuries to Employees

Employees who are injured at work must complete a First Report of Injury form within twenty-four (24) hours of the injury whenever feasible. This form is located in the Business Office and must be completed with a Business Office official.

All incidents must be reported immediately to building administration or immediate supervisor.

Injuries to Students

All student injuries should be reported to the building principal/direct supervisor immediately.

Attention should be given to all injuries, however minor. An accident report must be filled out for all injuries and submitted to the building principal within twenty –four (24) hours or the next scheduled District workday. The building administrator will submit the completed form to the business office as soon as possible. Forms are located in the front office.

Images from the Week

The Middle Update 9/10/21

All Students Can Learn at High Levels

Students Do Well if They Can

What WE Do Makes the Difference for the Kids in School

Two weeks in the books and the routines needed to maximize learning are starting to take shapes in classrooms around the building.  After a year off of normally routine procedures, there has been and there continues to be a little learning curve of getting back into the smooth operation of things like passing time, nutrition break, lunch time, etc...  We'll continue to analyze reality of our procedures, ask for feedback, and work to maximize the efficiency of these important parts of the school day.

Procedures

Passes - During the 19-20 school year, we introduced the plastic clipboard for students to use as a pass to leave the classroom.  Last year, we didn't use passes at all because students were in the same classroom and easier to keep tabs on.  As the 21-22 school year has gotten started, we have a mix of clipboard passes, yellow passes, or no passes being used.

We must know where each student is located at all times, so we need a system...There are some significant concerns about the sanitation of the plastic clipboard pass system as they enter and exit restrooms/stalls, etc.  Please talk through this situation as a grade level or specials team, and be ready to share your thoughts on the best system for our school.  I'll follow up on this topic in individual meetings over the next two weeks.   Until then, please ensure you have a system for knowing where all of your students are.

Attendance - Like passes, last year was different in terms of attendance.  For this year, we'll ask that you take attendance as part of your beginning of class routine.  We monitor attendance as a team each morning and will mark out students that are excused, so it's a matter of tracking if students are where they are supposed to be.  We are starting to see a little more of students enjoying the freedom of going from class to class and taking a bit too much time, so we'd like to have data that shows us if any students need support in this area.  If a student is noticeably late to your class, please mark them "Tardy".  If a student comes with an excused pass, you can remove the tardy.

Students Sent to Office - If a situation comes up where a teacher determines the best course of action is having a student take a break in the office, we ask that an adult calls down to the office to notify us a student is on the way, and what the student needs (a 5 minute reset...finish an assessment, etc.).  If a student shows up without your knowledge, we'll call up to ensure communication takes place.

Morning Homeroom - Please work with your students to build the habit of bringing materials for their first class of the day to Homeroom.  We can eliminate a locker stop that sometimes can result in the likelihood of unsupervised transit.

End of Day Homeroom - This has been a topic of much conversation over the course of the first two weeks.  We are finding the shorter time in the schedule is making it difficult to host a meaningful check-out time with each student.  Also, it's been difficult to get the students to report directly to Homeroom without stopping at their locker after their last class.  We have a couple primary goals for this important part of our schedule:

    -Have a system where students drop off and plug in their Chromebook (this is essential to our system)

    -Have a connection point with a trusted adult before each student leaves for the day (big goal)

    -Have a system set up for any student that has a "check in/check out" plan

As of Friday afternoon, we are still searching for a clear, efficient, and executable plan.  We'll continue conversations in BW meetings, but also if teams could work through possible solutions that will accomplish our goals for each student in each Homeroom group for this time of the day.

PLC Meetings

We had our first round of PLC meetings last Wednesday morning.  I enjoyed both the conversations in those I attended and also reviewing the meeting notes from each group that met.  This will be an important system to facilitate the data review/professional conversations that will enhance student learning by continuing to work on answers to the 4 questions to guide the work of exceptional schools:

1.  What do we want our students to learn?

2.  How do we know if they learned it?

3.  What do we do if students don't learn it?

4.  What do we do if students learn it quickly?

We'll meet as a teaching staff on the last Wednesday of every month from 7:15 to 7:50.  We'll meet in the Professional Development room.  Our first meeting will be on Wednesday, September 29th.

Employee Handbooks

As per usual, I'll be posting regular sections from the Employee Handbook to keep those guidelines in the forefront of our thought processes throughout the year.

General Practices

Attendance

Employees are expected to make every effort to be present for work and adhere to their assigned schedule. Teachers are expected to report to work at least 15 minutes before student arrival time; subject to building administration needs. Employees who are unable to report to work shall follow their department/building procedures for reporting and recording absences.

On days when school is cancelled due to inclement weather, most staff do not report. Custodial and Secretarial staff should make reasonable efforts to attend. If, however, they cannot, these groups may utilize up to three (3) days of leave and/or Leave Without Pay (with written authorization) or a vacation day (if eligible). Nine and 12-month hourly employees (paraprofessionals, secretaries, food service, administrative assistants, and custodians) may utilize up to three (3) days of leave during district weather cancellations with the approval of his/her supervisor. One day being defined as regularly scheduled duty hours. Accommodations must be made through immediate supervisor and, in the event of Leave Without Pay, the District Administrator. Teachers may be required to administer their classes remotely (Teacher Virtually) on cancelled days.

For times when school is delayed, staff is to report according to the delay. Teaching staff must report in a reasonable time to be prepared for student arrivals and the school day, usually at least 15 minutes before student arrival to class.  Support staff working in the buildings must arrive 15 minutes prior to student arrival. Food service staff must arrive as close to their scheduled start time as possible.

Although the District performs better when all employees are in attendance, the District recognizes the occasional need to be away from work for illness, illness of a family member, funerals, or urgent personal matters. For this reason, the District provides paid time away from work (leave). Please note: leave time is not intended to be used as vacation. In general, leave falls into three broad categories: medical (illness/appointments, etc.), bereavement (attending a wake, funeral, celebration of life, etc.), or personal (Times when the employee has no control over the schedule; i.e. weddings, college graduation, etc.). Personal leave is meant for extraordinary circumstances. The District reserves the right to request verification for any time used.

Leave is allocated at the beginning of each fiscal/school year and is to be used as a protection from loss of income.  All leave must be requested and approved by a supervisor. All attempts should be made to make appointments outside of regularly assigned hours. Details about leave are located in Appendix A (Teachers) and B (Support Staff).

Good attendance is an essential element of employment. Poor attendance can lead to disciplinary action:

Any employee who is absent without notice and/or approval for three (3) consecutive work days is deemed to have resigned without proper notice (job abandonment).

Employees who fail to provide adequate notice of tardiness and incur instances of unexcused tardiness as a result may be subject to discipline. Any employee who incurs excessive tardiness may be disciplined up to and including termination.

Employees who fail to provide adequate notice of absences and incur unexcused absences as a result, may be subject to discipline up to and including termination.

The Middle Update 9/5/2021

What a week!  After this week, I feel like I was able to connect with students in such a more meaningful authentic manner....I really enjoyed being back in the rhythm of school with having the main focus on learning.  Make no mistake...COVID 19 is around us and will most likely impact our instruction at points throughout the year...but I'm optimistic, learning experiences like we experienced in week 1 will be the norm for our kids.

The week just proved how awesome of a staff that we have.  Nearly all of the students I talked with are having a great experience, and the focus on getting to know all of our students, what makes them tick, and how they learn sets the tone for a strong culture and effective learning experiences.  Thank each one of you for your role in shaping this culture in our school.  I'm already excited for next week!!

Friday WIN Time

We had a little confusion among the students about Friday WIN time...so I wanted to clarify in this post.  This time is truly a time for students to take a breath and have an opportunity to catch up if needed, and for teachers to work with specific students that may need a little extra time with outside of class or regular WIN time.  The expectation is that this is a quiet work time in classrooms, and if students are caught up, they should be reading a good book.  The groups are centered around Homeroom or Class Groups, but have some variation depending on teacher availability.  You can see the groups HERE.  

Teachers can request to have students report to them by using this DOCUMENT.  This document should be updated by Friday morning each week, and Homeroom teachers should communicate with students about where they should report that Friday WIN time. 

Puma Pride Reporting

We revised our Puma Pride standards so that there are four of them now.  These standards can be really important feedback for students and parents, and we already use (and have the potential to use) the data from the results in many different ways.  To help have our students get consistent feedback they can count on, we have proposed a system of expectations for the reporting of student progress within the 4 Puma Pride standards.  Please take a moment to review a DRAFT of the expectations for the reporting of Puma Pride standards.  I have sought some feedback from teachers during August EE meetings, and will seek some more feedback before putting a plan in place by the end of the week.

Bi-Weekly Meeting Schedule Coming Soon

Invites for BW Meetings will be hitting the inbox of teachers soon...we'll use this time to check in, review Educator Effectiveness Plans, and give teachers a chance to get questions answered.  BW Meetings will take place in teacher classrooms and either myself of Miranda will be there.  Please let me know if you have a preference for your BW meeting time.

PLC Meetings Starting Up Soon

Now that we have 3 days under our belt and have started to collect some data our PLC meetings will be starting up soon.  Thanks to all for setting up your meeting schedule.  I'll be working to set up our staff meeting schedule for the year, along with larger department check-ins in the next week.

I'll ask each PLC group to check the document for meeting times, and update them with more specific times (for example...2nd and 4th Wednesday, or every Wednesday morning).  I'll schedule larger group meetings around those dates.  Also, I need two of the grade level teams to update their weekly meeting time and locations.

Employee Handbooks

As per usual, I'll be posting regular sections from the Employee Handbook to keep those guidelines in the forefront of our thought processes throughout the year.

Conflict of Interest and Ethical Standards (page 15)

It is imperative that our professional organization not create the perception of favoritism or special privilege. Employees are not permitted to gain monetarily by their position within the district. Employees are prohibited by Wis. Stat. §118.12 from receiving anything of value for their own benefit that results from selling, soliciting, or promoting the sale of any goods or services to any public school pupil while on school property or at school-sponsored events.  (Policy 3230, 4230)

Whenever possible, staff will not have instructional responsibility for their own children, guardians, or blood relatives.  Employees are expected to avoid situations in which their personal interests, activities and associations may conflict with the interest of the District.

Outside Employment (page 16)

Employment with the School District of Poynette must be considered pre-eminent. Outside employment must not interfere with the employee’s performance or work schedule. Employees may not perform any duties for an outside employer during regularly scheduled working hours or during additional hours required for professional responsibilities.

Personal Data Changes (page 16)

All changes in personal information, including changes of name, address, telephone numbers, education, marital status, dependent status, etc. should be updated with the Business Office in a timely manner.

Political Activities of Staff (page 16)

Because political activities may be disruptive, divisive and distracting to a positive learning environment, such activities are not appropriate within the school setting. The Board prohibits political activities on all District owned and used property, within all school buildings and at all school sponsored activities unless part of a Board approved teaching unit.

Information from Shelley Kaschinske about Muscular Dystrophy

A message from Shelley below...

I have attached a handout that I prepared for teachers in 2020 on DMD (Muscular Dystrophy). It would be helpful to forward to all of the teachers, and encore teachers, office staff, etc, that may work/interact with the student(s) at the Elementary and Middle schools.

I am happy to answer any questions staff have about these students. Generally, if there are behaviors, we assess/consider fatigue and build in and encourage more rest/sleep breaks and encourage wheelchair use to limit fatigue from walking within the school environment. 

Here is the Handout LINK

Images from the Week