“We have the collective belief, language, and actions that we will positively affect every student in our school. We make the difference for the kids!”
What WE Do Makes the Difference for the Kids in School
Resource of the Week
"Feedback has the potential to double the rate of learning"... If you are interested in maximizing the rate of learning in your classroom, this week's article about feedback will give you more tools in your tool belt that will help you increase the rate of learning in your class.
The end of Quarter 1 is quickly approaching, and is set for Thursday, November 4th.
Grades will be due by the end of the day on Wednesday (11/10), report cards printed on Thursday (11/11) morning, and mailed home afterwards. Students will review and reflect on their report card on Friday (11/12) in Homeroom. They'll then use the Puma Pride results on report cards to put tickets into possible events at our Fall Assembly which will take place on Tuesday (11/23) near the end of the day.
Staff Meeting Wrap-Up
Thanks everyone for your efforts during our staff meeting this past week...we'll continue to adjust to our new time, and the message of using Empowering Language with our students is an important one for us. Also, an opportunity to connect with a colleague or two that we don't typically get to connect with. We look forward to our meeting in November as Mrs. Crawford and Mr. Johnson may have a little extra to look forward to in our next morning together.
PD Day on Friday (11/5)
No school for students on Friday, and we look forward to an opportunity to come together to learn and plan. Anna sent out a general schedule, and I'll be filling in the details of our time on Friday here early in the week. We'll meet as a staff on Friday morning at 8:00, and then have various collaboration opportunities between our meeting in the morning and the afternoon training. On Friday afternoon, from 2:00-3:30, we'll get the opportunity to participate in Suicide Prevention Training...this is a timely topic, as we have had some students struggling with this topic in the first part of the year.
Student Recognition
Thank you to everyone who took a moment to recognize a student who has been excelling in the "Completes and Returns Work in a Timely Manner" standard on Friday. We started making positive phone calls home, and will shout-out the students on Monday. Here are the students this week:
Avalyn Albrecht
Emma Lindquist
Annelise Greenwood
Stehla Mabrey
Lily Schmitz
Kori Wakefield
Katelyn Missall
Tripp Theis
Trevor Day
Spencer Serwe
Albert Reyes
Etta Larson
Cora Larson or Alya Johnson
Cami Brinkman--always completes goals and reflections and is thoughtful in her responses!
Adam Busch
Paceler Moll
Adrian Thonesavanh
Ana Williams-Rodriguez
Feel free to congratulate these students on their continued excellence! Be on the lookout for the next opportunity to recognize the great work of our students.
Staff Shout-Outs
During my bi-weekly meeting rounds and other times, I've asked staff to tell me about a colleague that deserves a "shout-out" or has been really helpful to them. I've included the responses from this week below. Thanks to all of your for making up our great team! If you know feel compelled to share about someone that deserves a "shout-out", you don't have to wait for a Bi-Weekly meeting, you can share any time.
Ebony Zembrycki - She is always willing to step up and help. She does a great job of maintaining the books in the book room and trying new things.
Bonnie Walther - She is really working to meet the needs of students!
The assistants in my room - Liv Dahlke and Niki Alford - They are so patient, positive, and hard-working. They make a huge difference for the kids in my class.
Kerrie Bahr - She treats everyone with respect, is kind patient, and efficient down in the lunch room!
What WE Do Makes the Difference for the Kids in School
One more week in October! How did that happen? I love our staff and I love our school. Let's keep putting our very best forward for our kids everyday!!
Resource of the Week
Middle School is awesome! That is why I don't understand why many people I tell that I work with Middle School kids say things like, "bless your heart" or "oh...tough age". In our resource this week I wanted to share an article I came across that we all can relate to...enjoy!
A reminder that we'll meet as a Middle School teaching staff team this Wednesday at 7:15 am. We'll continue our focus on culture.
Guiding Coalition Meeting Wrap-Up
Big thank you goes out to the members of our Guiding Coalition team that met this past Thursday. We had a very productive first session and we'll work towards the goal of ensuring our PLC groups are on the right track towards the vision of having a successful Professional Learning Community.
Student Recognition
We have been searching for meaningful ways to recognize our students who are consistently demonstrating excellence. In a past blog post, I wrote about potential "Student of the Month" efforts that we could do to recognize students. Mrs. Moe and I have had ongoing conversations around ways to recognize students in an efficient, but effective manner. I think we have come up with a plan...
On Fridays, we'll send out a Google Form to teachers asking them to submit the name of a student who has been outstanding for them in a specific standard. Over the course of the following week, we'll recognize these students in the following ways: picture taken with certificate, positive call home from a Principal, and a recognition note placed in their locker.
We'll send an email each Friday with the form embedded in the email, and ask that teachers write their own name and the name of the student they'd like to recognize. We will start this next Friday (10/29)
End of Quarter 1 Planning
The end of Quarter 1 is quickly approaching, and is set for Thursday, November 4th. We'll have a PD Day on Friday, November 5th, where we'll meet as a Middle School team in the morning (8:00), meet in PLC groups, have classroom time, and end with QPR (suicide prevention) training from 2:00-3:30.
Grades will be due by the end of the day on Wednesday (11/10), report cards printed on Thursday (11/11) morning, and mailed home afterwards. Students will review and reflect on their report card on Friday (11/12) in Homeroom. They'll then use the Puma Pride results on report cards to put tickets into possible events at our Fall Assembly which will take place on Tuesday (11/23) near the end of the day.
Mr. Schultz & Mrs. Graeve perform at lunch time
If you see the photo above, you can tell that the performance at lunch time on Friday by Mr. Schultz and Mrs. Graeve was awesome, and the kids loved it. I bring this up in this post, because we are beginning our assembly planning for 11/23. A few years back, we had a staff performance that brought the house down (baby shark, do do da do do do...) These types of things are so memorable for our students that if we can put something together again, that would be great...looking for some creativity and leadership from our staff to lead some fun for both the participants and the audience...
Staff Shout-Outs
During my bi-weekly meeting rounds and other times, I've asked staff to tell me about a colleague that deserves a "shout-out" or has been really helpful to them. I've included the responses from this week below. Thanks to all of your for making up our great team! If you know feel compelled to share about someone that deserves a "shout-out", you don't have to wait for a Bi-Weekly meeting, you can share any time.
Debbie Jackson - she's been an awesome collaborative partner in the front office
Bonnie Walther - She has been a great neighbor, has been very collaborative about what students on her caseload need from me. She is just fun to be neighbors with.
Katy Milewski - She is my ELA backbone, has taken charge of our PLC and has been a great leader for our PLC team.
Patti Hutchinson - She's done awesome at taking over in the office. She is extremely helpful and it's just nice to have her in that role.
Sara Wagner - As a substitute, she prepared the most extensive, helpful plans for me to follow. She is top notch.
Congratulations to Mr. Frehner and Mrs. Cross on leading the Puma Boy's Cross Country Team to another State Cross Country Meet after their 2nd place finish at Sectionals!
What WE Do Makes the Difference for the Kids in School
At the end of last week, I got the opportunity to attend the AWSA Elementary Principal's Convention. As the AWSA President, I got the opportunity to speak a little bit, present a couple of awards, and introduce some impressive speakers. I also got the opportunity to meet former State Superintendent Carolyn Stanford Taylor and current State Superintendent Jill Underly. I feel like along with these cool opportunities, I learned a lot and am excited to get back to school. A constant message and theme that I took away...In order for our kids to learn at the highest of levels, they need to feel connected, supported, and part of a welcoming school community...I believe we have built this type of environment in our classroom spaces...as the year goes on and stress and frustration can creep into our mindsets...we need to continue to center ourselves in this all important belief.
Resource of the Week
Some of you may have watched the series "Ted Lasso" on Apple TV, some may not have yet. In my opinion,Ted is a wise man and a great leader. One of the bits of insight that he shared really in a recent episode made a lot of sense to me. He argued that the world would be a lot better place if people were Curious vs. Judgmental. If you think about this, it goes along well with the U in our PUMA Way conversations...."as Pumas, we seek to understand different perspectives before making judgments". Watch the clip below, and as we work with students in different situations, this insight could really help us help our students be more curious.
Fall Conference Wrap-Up
Thank you for the work you put in to organize a strong round of Fall Conferences and build on those important relationships with parents that we started at the beginning of the school year. Tracking Conference attendance is really helpful, and data the board always asks about when it comes time for calendar planning. Teachers, could you please open the Conference Schedule, and highlight the students that did not have a person attend for them? Thank you!
Grades, Report Card Timeline, and Comments
We have 3 weeks left in the 1st quarter. (and to daylight savings time!) As we get closer to the end of the quarter, I wanted to review the timeline and expectations for the reporting of grades so that we are all on the same page and can deliver a consistent, effective approach to our report cards.
The end of Quarter 1 is on Thursday, November 4th. Grades will be due by the next Thursday (11/11) morning. We will start printing off report cards on 11/11, and mail them home as soon as we can.
On Friday, 11/12, students will review their Report Cards in Homeroom, and we will use this reflection as an opportunity to organize an activity that we'll host for our students on the afternoon of Tuesday (11/23). The students in our Leadership Group are working on organizing this activity. Students will receive a "ticket" for every ME on their report card in a Puma Pride standard, and then can distribute these tickets in a bucket in which they'll have an opportunity to be chosen for a variety of activities/prizes, etc.
For Report Card Comments, please utilize the following guidelines:
-Teachers do not need to provide an overview of what was learned in the 1st quarter.
-Core class teachers must provide a little written feedback about the performance of each student using the student's name (for example, Jonny's participation in class discussion was impressive). For teachers that see almost every student in the building, please provide comments in this form to as many students as you can. (both students in need or to students thriving)
Please let me know if you have any questions.
As We Work...a Reminder of the Agreeements We Have All Decided Are Important to Follow As We Go About Our Daily Interactions
Intruder/ Lockdown Drill on Monday (credit to Mr. Hausser for the organization of this info)
Each month we need to do a drill and this month/ on Monday we will practice a Lockdown situation. It is not the best way to start a week, but it is coordinated with the Poynette Police and this is a day that works for them. All of the buildings will be participating in one on Monday, and we will be sending home a message to our parents letting them know we practiced this drill. The drill is planned for Monday, October 18th at 8:30 a.m. Please talk with the students ahead of time and this month we can just focus on holding in place. We will practice again this year, and then we can talk more with the students about flexible options depending on the scenarios. Please read through the information below from our safety plan pertaining to this specific drill.
Lockdown
Purpose: Used when there is a threat of violence or serious incident that could jeopardize the safety of students/staff (I.E. Intruder, shooting, hostage incident, gang fights, civil disturbance, etc.)
Principal and/or Designee:
•The Principal or designee will make the following announcement using the building
Public Address system:
“YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE. WE ARE IN A LOCKDOWN. TEACHERS, LOCK YOUR DOORS AND KEEP STUDENTS IN YOUR ROOM UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. STUDENTS OR STAFF SHOULD GO INTO TO THE NEAREST CLASSROOM OR OFFICE. IGNORE ALL ALARMS AND BELLS UNLESS ADVISED OTHERWISE.”
Please repeat the message three (3) times.
Please be aware of staff and students that are outside the building and will not hear the message. (recess, lunch, field trips) They must be advised of the Lockdown by other means.
•Designate someone to Call 9-1-1, identify the name and address of the school, describe the emergency, state the school is locking down, provide intruder description and weapon(s) if known, and identify the location of the school command post. Direct staff to stay on the phone to provide updates and additional information.
•Notify staff and classes outside to immediately move to (ENTER DISTRICT INFORMATION HERE - off-campus assembly area(s)), account for the students and be prepared to evacuate off-campus to a relocation site.
•Consider lockdown of adjacent building, if necessary.
•Direct staff to switch bells to manual mode and deactivate the fire alarm.
•Notify the transportation director or contractual bus service to stop all inbound buses and
redirect them to designated relocation site(s).
•Notify the district office and request activation of MEDIA functional protocol and available
parent notification systems, when appropriate.
Teachers:
•Clear the hallway and bathrooms by your room, moving everyone into the classroom.
•Lock your doors, turn off your lights, open your blinds to outside windows and close the
blinds to any hallway windows or doors
•Move students and staff away from the doors and windows.
•Have all persons sit down against an interior wall.
•If a life threatening situation exists (i.e. active shooter is in the room), exit immediately to
a place of safety.
•Ignore all bells and alarms unless otherwise instructed.
•Unless you have vital information regarding the threat, do not call the office.
•Take attendance and be prepared to notify the Incident Commander of missing students
or additional students, staff or guests sheltered in your classroom. The Principal and/or
Designee or Incident Commander may initiate a phone call for this information.
•Allow no one outside of the classroom until a uniformed officer or school administrator
releases you directly.
Office Staff:
•Stay by the phones to wait for additional procedures from the Principal and/or Designee
or Incident Commander.
•Communicate with classrooms via telephone, computer or other methods if necessary.
•Assist the Principal and/or Designee or Incident Commander in establishing the school
command post.
Custodians:
•Close and lock all delivery doors.
•Direct any contractors, delivery drivers, or vendor repairmen located inside the building
into a safe area and lock the door.
•Prevent vehicles and pedestrians from entering school grounds, if possible, until police
arrive.
Annual Meeting also on this Monday (again thanks to Mr. Hausser for authoring this information)
The District Annual Meeting is all set for Monday, October 18th up at the Elementary School. The regular Board meeting starts at 6 p.m. and the Annual meeting begins at 7 p.m. All of you are invited to attend, but only district residents can vote on any motions that are brought forth. The meeting usually lasts about an hour and there are administrative reports, voting on the board compensation, budget approval, transportation policies, among other things. I strongly encourage you to come and have your voice and vote be heard. Below is a link to a PDF that explains the annual meeting proceedings as well.
What WE Do Makes the Difference for the Kids in School
Resource of the Week
We are about a month into our journey to effectively utilize and execute Professional Learning Communities that will impact our instruction. We have learned quite a bit so far, have made a few adjustments, and will be looking to make a few more so that our set up is smooth and makes sense for everyone. If you have questions about the journey of your group, please talk with Miranda or me. Our resource this week outlines that characteristics that we should be moving towards in our PLCs. This one-pager is a short, but critical read for all of us.
As we continue our efforts to have more meaningful collaboration around the important 4 questions, it's natural that many of our PLC groups are in different places. We'll continue to work towards facilitating the focus that will lead to increased achievement for our students. Pictured below is an example of evidence collected and analyzed by our 5th/6th grade ELA group.
Guiding Coalition
We will be starting a Guiding Coalition group that will meet with the goal of continually improving the PLC processes at our school. I'll ask that we get one member from each PLC to participate on this team. Our first meeting will be on Thursday (10/21) from 7:15-7:45. At our first meeting, we'll establish the logistics for how we will operate. Our sole focus will be on the PLC processes that are happening within each group, and how we can learn from each other to make the most of everyone's collaborative time together. I'll be working throughout the week to get our participants lined up, so please let me know if you are interested in being your team representative. I am so appreciative of our team's willingness to do whatever it takes to be great for our kids.
Parent-Teacher Conferences on Thursday
A sincere appreciation goes out to all of you that have worked hard to schedule the Fall Conferences. We'll welcome families and good conversation with families on Thursday (10/14) from 2:00 - 8:00. There is no school on Friday!
This is a great opportunity to showcase the great things that are students are working on at our school each day!
Early Release Schedule (1:15) - Thursday 10/14/21
On Thursday, we'll have a modified schedule that can be found at the following link:SCHEDULE.
Pritzl's PSA's
We would like to continue to share important reminders with students about important topics. Our first Pritzl PSA focused around safety when students are traveling to and from school. If you have some ideas or thoughts about future PSA topics, please send me an email or let me know when we see each other. We'll continue to provide opportunities to facilitate important discussions for students.
Pritzl Out of Building for some Tuesday/all Thursday
This year, I have the privilege of serving as the President of the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators (AWSA) (I'm still not sure how this happened). Part of my duties in this role requires me to attend a couple conferences during the year, and give the welcome, present awards, etc....I also will be leading the regular board meetings of this group throughout the year. With that being said, Miranda will be present in our building when I'm gone, and I'll be out for some of Tuesday and all Thursday due to these responsibilities. If you have any things that you need me for that cannot wait, Patti knows my schedule and can contact me immediately if needed.
What WE Do Makes the Difference for the Kids in School
Resource of the Week
The resource this week goes along with the resource the Mrs. Morton and Ms. Hamer shared at our staff meeting this week. Some small, but impactful strategies for managing a classroom for high impact.
A quick reflection on our staff meeting from Wednesday morning. Each day, we face a new opportunity filled with both successes and challenges, and many of our students find themselves in situations where they have to adjust to a different reality with high expectations. I appreciate how we have met students where they are...and have outlined the steps necessary to help them move forward. Like we discussed, despite the challenges, great opportunities lie ahead....with the right mindset, we'll persevere, finding ways to support our students.
Special shout-out to Gabe and Makenzie for sharing their knowledge and serving as a resource for all of us! You'll find a link to the handout that was referenced at the end of this sentence: Middle School Classroom Strategies for Successful Learning.
End of Day Bus Connection Time Help
In year's past, we referred to opportunities to be around students during lunch, recess, or bus times as "Duties". I like to think of these times as opportunities to build or grow relationships with students. Being present and talking with kids is what sets strong, welcoming cultures apart.
With that being said, we need some help during our after school bus loading routine. I'll need a couple of staff members present, building relationships out by the bus loading area after school each day. We need someone right as students are dismissed till the buses leave, which is about 3:22 each day. I'll ask that each of our teachers signs up for at least 2 weeks of these opportunities. You can sign up on the document below.
Below is a copy of the communication that was sent out to families earlier this week. The communication provides information about many things, including upcoming Parent-Teacher Conferences. If your team has any questions about Fall Conferences, please invite me to your meeting this week.
A big thank you to the students in our Middle School Leadership Team who organized our Dress-Up Days for the Week. We are looking forward to a little Homecoming Spirit in the air this week. Staff can feel free to join in the Dress-Up Opportunities with the students.
Poynette Middle School Students of the Month
We will be starting up our student of the month recognition program again. We won't be hosting the breakfast quite yet, but are working on a system to recognize students. We plan to post pictures and a description on our Facebook page and the Entrance TV. I'll ask one teacher per grade level team to recognize a student or two each month. We'll also have a sign-up for our Specials Teachers to take a month to nominate a student or two. Be on the lookout for more information on the specifics of our system here soon.
Outdoor Classroom
The district has purchases some outdoor furniture that can be utilized by teachers for classroom activities. The area is most easily accessible by the exterior door on the upper ramp. A google calendar will soon be shared for teachers to reserve this outdoor space.
Big Things Going on in PE!
Mr. Kartos and Mr. Romero have set up an Instagram page to highlight the great things going on with their students in their classroom. Check out their Instagram page: @poynettepumaspe
Co-Curricular Positions Open
Are you looking for another opportunity to have a positive impact on our students? We know that being in a co-curricular club has a strong correlation to school success, and we have a couple of paid opportunities available for staff to facilitate this experience for our students. There is no experience necessary. Please contact me with your interest in any of the following opportunities for our Middle School students:
Middle School Forensics Head Coach (2.0% of base)
Middle School Forensics Assistant Coach (1.5% of base)
Middle School Drama Advisor (1.5% of base)
Middle School Science Olympiad Coach (2.0% of base)
***percentages are based off of years of experience - starting percentages are shown
Newsela
This year we have subscribed to Newsela and are bringing it to your classrooms! Newsela helps you incorporate relevant and accessible content from authentic sources into your everyday curriculum. With Newsela, you can explore content by subject-specific standards or skills, easily differentiate instruction by setting reading levels, and see student performance with built-in activities and reporting.
To set you up for success with using Newsela, please take the following steps to activate your account for this school year:
Sign in to your Newsela account by clicking this link.
Next, click this link to sign up for a Newsela Teacher Workshop. During this time, you'll get:
An orientation on the content and instructional tools Newsela provides
Tips for gathering and assessing student work to make informed instructional decisions
Images from the Week
Mr. Schultz put on quite a performance for our 6th graders at lunch on Friday!
What WE Do Makes the Difference for the Kids in School
Resource of the Week
"Feedback has the potential to double the rate of learning"... If you are interested in maximizing the rate of learning in your classroom, this week's article about feedback will give you more tools in your tool belt that will help you increase the rate of learning in your class.
The end of Quarter 1 is quickly approaching, and is set for Thursday, November 4th.
Grades will be due by the end of the day on Wednesday (11/10), report cards printed on Thursday (11/11) morning, and mailed home afterwards. Students will review and reflect on their report card on Friday (11/12) in Homeroom. They'll then use the Puma Pride results on report cards to put tickets into possible events at our Fall Assembly which will take place on Tuesday (11/23) near the end of the day.
Staff Meeting Wrap-Up
Thanks everyone for your efforts during our staff meeting this past week...we'll continue to adjust to our new time, and the message of using Empowering Language with our students is an important one for us. Also, an opportunity to connect with a colleague or two that we don't typically get to connect with. We look forward to our meeting in November as Mrs. Crawford and Mr. Johnson may have a little extra to look forward to in our next morning together.
PD Day on Friday (11/5)
No school for students on Friday, and we look forward to an opportunity to come together to learn and plan. Anna sent out a general schedule, and I'll be filling in the details of our time on Friday here early in the week. We'll meet as a staff on Friday morning at 8:00, and then have various collaboration opportunities between our meeting in the morning and the afternoon training. On Friday afternoon, from 2:00-3:30, we'll get the opportunity to participate in Suicide Prevention Training...this is a timely topic, as we have had some students struggling with this topic in the first part of the year.
Student Recognition
Thank you to everyone who took a moment to recognize a student who has been excelling in the "Completes and Returns Work in a Timely Manner" standard on Friday. We started making positive phone calls home, and will shout-out the students on Monday. Here are the students this week:
Avalyn Albrecht
Emma Lindquist
Annelise Greenwood
Stehla Mabrey
Lily Schmitz
Kori Wakefield
Katelyn Missall
Tripp Theis
Trevor Day
Spencer Serwe
Albert Reyes
Etta Larson
Cora Larson or Alya Johnson
Cami Brinkman--always completes goals and reflections and is thoughtful in her responses!
Adam Busch
Paceler Moll
Adrian Thonesavanh
Ana Williams-Rodriguez
Feel free to congratulate these students on their continued excellence! Be on the lookout for the next opportunity to recognize the great work of our students.
Staff Shout-Outs
During my bi-weekly meeting rounds and other times, I've asked staff to tell me about a colleague that deserves a "shout-out" or has been really helpful to them. I've included the responses from this week below. Thanks to all of your for making up our great team! If you know feel compelled to share about someone that deserves a "shout-out", you don't have to wait for a Bi-Weekly meeting, you can share any time.
Ebony Zembrycki - She is always willing to step up and help. She does a great job of maintaining the books in the book room and trying new things.
Bonnie Walther - She is really working to meet the needs of students!
The assistants in my room - Liv Dahlke and Niki Alford - They are so patient, positive, and hard-working. They make a huge difference for the kids in my class.
Kerrie Bahr - She treats everyone with respect, is kind patient, and efficient down in the lunch room!
What WE Do Makes the Difference for the Kids in School
One more week in October! How did that happen? I love our staff and I love our school. Let's keep putting our very best forward for our kids everyday!!
Resource of the Week
Middle School is awesome! That is why I don't understand why many people I tell that I work with Middle School kids say things like, "bless your heart" or "oh...tough age". In our resource this week I wanted to share an article I came across that we all can relate to...enjoy!
A reminder that we'll meet as a Middle School teaching staff team this Wednesday at 7:15 am. We'll continue our focus on culture.
Guiding Coalition Meeting Wrap-Up
Big thank you goes out to the members of our Guiding Coalition team that met this past Thursday. We had a very productive first session and we'll work towards the goal of ensuring our PLC groups are on the right track towards the vision of having a successful Professional Learning Community.
Student Recognition
We have been searching for meaningful ways to recognize our students who are consistently demonstrating excellence. In a past blog post, I wrote about potential "Student of the Month" efforts that we could do to recognize students. Mrs. Moe and I have had ongoing conversations around ways to recognize students in an efficient, but effective manner. I think we have come up with a plan...
On Fridays, we'll send out a Google Form to teachers asking them to submit the name of a student who has been outstanding for them in a specific standard. Over the course of the following week, we'll recognize these students in the following ways: picture taken with certificate, positive call home from a Principal, and a recognition note placed in their locker.
We'll send an email each Friday with the form embedded in the email, and ask that teachers write their own name and the name of the student they'd like to recognize. We will start this next Friday (10/29)
End of Quarter 1 Planning
The end of Quarter 1 is quickly approaching, and is set for Thursday, November 4th. We'll have a PD Day on Friday, November 5th, where we'll meet as a Middle School team in the morning (8:00), meet in PLC groups, have classroom time, and end with QPR (suicide prevention) training from 2:00-3:30.
Grades will be due by the end of the day on Wednesday (11/10), report cards printed on Thursday (11/11) morning, and mailed home afterwards. Students will review and reflect on their report card on Friday (11/12) in Homeroom. They'll then use the Puma Pride results on report cards to put tickets into possible events at our Fall Assembly which will take place on Tuesday (11/23) near the end of the day.
Mr. Schultz & Mrs. Graeve perform at lunch time
If you see the photo above, you can tell that the performance at lunch time on Friday by Mr. Schultz and Mrs. Graeve was awesome, and the kids loved it. I bring this up in this post, because we are beginning our assembly planning for 11/23. A few years back, we had a staff performance that brought the house down (baby shark, do do da do do do...) These types of things are so memorable for our students that if we can put something together again, that would be great...looking for some creativity and leadership from our staff to lead some fun for both the participants and the audience...
Staff Shout-Outs
During my bi-weekly meeting rounds and other times, I've asked staff to tell me about a colleague that deserves a "shout-out" or has been really helpful to them. I've included the responses from this week below. Thanks to all of your for making up our great team! If you know feel compelled to share about someone that deserves a "shout-out", you don't have to wait for a Bi-Weekly meeting, you can share any time.
Debbie Jackson - she's been an awesome collaborative partner in the front office
Bonnie Walther - She has been a great neighbor, has been very collaborative about what students on her caseload need from me. She is just fun to be neighbors with.
Katy Milewski - She is my ELA backbone, has taken charge of our PLC and has been a great leader for our PLC team.
Patti Hutchinson - She's done awesome at taking over in the office. She is extremely helpful and it's just nice to have her in that role.
Sara Wagner - As a substitute, she prepared the most extensive, helpful plans for me to follow. She is top notch.
Congratulations to Mr. Frehner and Mrs. Cross on leading the Puma Boy's Cross Country Team to another State Cross Country Meet after their 2nd place finish at Sectionals!
What WE Do Makes the Difference for the Kids in School
At the end of last week, I got the opportunity to attend the AWSA Elementary Principal's Convention. As the AWSA President, I got the opportunity to speak a little bit, present a couple of awards, and introduce some impressive speakers. I also got the opportunity to meet former State Superintendent Carolyn Stanford Taylor and current State Superintendent Jill Underly. I feel like along with these cool opportunities, I learned a lot and am excited to get back to school. A constant message and theme that I took away...In order for our kids to learn at the highest of levels, they need to feel connected, supported, and part of a welcoming school community...I believe we have built this type of environment in our classroom spaces...as the year goes on and stress and frustration can creep into our mindsets...we need to continue to center ourselves in this all important belief.
Resource of the Week
Some of you may have watched the series "Ted Lasso" on Apple TV, some may not have yet. In my opinion,Ted is a wise man and a great leader. One of the bits of insight that he shared really in a recent episode made a lot of sense to me. He argued that the world would be a lot better place if people were Curious vs. Judgmental. If you think about this, it goes along well with the U in our PUMA Way conversations...."as Pumas, we seek to understand different perspectives before making judgments". Watch the clip below, and as we work with students in different situations, this insight could really help us help our students be more curious.
Fall Conference Wrap-Up
Thank you for the work you put in to organize a strong round of Fall Conferences and build on those important relationships with parents that we started at the beginning of the school year. Tracking Conference attendance is really helpful, and data the board always asks about when it comes time for calendar planning. Teachers, could you please open the Conference Schedule, and highlight the students that did not have a person attend for them? Thank you!
Grades, Report Card Timeline, and Comments
We have 3 weeks left in the 1st quarter. (and to daylight savings time!) As we get closer to the end of the quarter, I wanted to review the timeline and expectations for the reporting of grades so that we are all on the same page and can deliver a consistent, effective approach to our report cards.
The end of Quarter 1 is on Thursday, November 4th. Grades will be due by the next Thursday (11/11) morning. We will start printing off report cards on 11/11, and mail them home as soon as we can.
On Friday, 11/12, students will review their Report Cards in Homeroom, and we will use this reflection as an opportunity to organize an activity that we'll host for our students on the afternoon of Tuesday (11/23). The students in our Leadership Group are working on organizing this activity. Students will receive a "ticket" for every ME on their report card in a Puma Pride standard, and then can distribute these tickets in a bucket in which they'll have an opportunity to be chosen for a variety of activities/prizes, etc.
For Report Card Comments, please utilize the following guidelines:
-Teachers do not need to provide an overview of what was learned in the 1st quarter.
-Core class teachers must provide a little written feedback about the performance of each student using the student's name (for example, Jonny's participation in class discussion was impressive). For teachers that see almost every student in the building, please provide comments in this form to as many students as you can. (both students in need or to students thriving)
Please let me know if you have any questions.
As We Work...a Reminder of the Agreeements We Have All Decided Are Important to Follow As We Go About Our Daily Interactions
Intruder/ Lockdown Drill on Monday (credit to Mr. Hausser for the organization of this info)
Each month we need to do a drill and this month/ on Monday we will practice a Lockdown situation. It is not the best way to start a week, but it is coordinated with the Poynette Police and this is a day that works for them. All of the buildings will be participating in one on Monday, and we will be sending home a message to our parents letting them know we practiced this drill. The drill is planned for Monday, October 18th at 8:30 a.m. Please talk with the students ahead of time and this month we can just focus on holding in place. We will practice again this year, and then we can talk more with the students about flexible options depending on the scenarios. Please read through the information below from our safety plan pertaining to this specific drill.
Lockdown
Purpose: Used when there is a threat of violence or serious incident that could jeopardize the safety of students/staff (I.E. Intruder, shooting, hostage incident, gang fights, civil disturbance, etc.)
Principal and/or Designee:
•The Principal or designee will make the following announcement using the building
Public Address system:
“YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE. WE ARE IN A LOCKDOWN. TEACHERS, LOCK YOUR DOORS AND KEEP STUDENTS IN YOUR ROOM UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. STUDENTS OR STAFF SHOULD GO INTO TO THE NEAREST CLASSROOM OR OFFICE. IGNORE ALL ALARMS AND BELLS UNLESS ADVISED OTHERWISE.”
Please repeat the message three (3) times.
Please be aware of staff and students that are outside the building and will not hear the message. (recess, lunch, field trips) They must be advised of the Lockdown by other means.
•Designate someone to Call 9-1-1, identify the name and address of the school, describe the emergency, state the school is locking down, provide intruder description and weapon(s) if known, and identify the location of the school command post. Direct staff to stay on the phone to provide updates and additional information.
•Notify staff and classes outside to immediately move to (ENTER DISTRICT INFORMATION HERE - off-campus assembly area(s)), account for the students and be prepared to evacuate off-campus to a relocation site.
•Consider lockdown of adjacent building, if necessary.
•Direct staff to switch bells to manual mode and deactivate the fire alarm.
•Notify the transportation director or contractual bus service to stop all inbound buses and
redirect them to designated relocation site(s).
•Notify the district office and request activation of MEDIA functional protocol and available
parent notification systems, when appropriate.
Teachers:
•Clear the hallway and bathrooms by your room, moving everyone into the classroom.
•Lock your doors, turn off your lights, open your blinds to outside windows and close the
blinds to any hallway windows or doors
•Move students and staff away from the doors and windows.
•Have all persons sit down against an interior wall.
•If a life threatening situation exists (i.e. active shooter is in the room), exit immediately to
a place of safety.
•Ignore all bells and alarms unless otherwise instructed.
•Unless you have vital information regarding the threat, do not call the office.
•Take attendance and be prepared to notify the Incident Commander of missing students
or additional students, staff or guests sheltered in your classroom. The Principal and/or
Designee or Incident Commander may initiate a phone call for this information.
•Allow no one outside of the classroom until a uniformed officer or school administrator
releases you directly.
Office Staff:
•Stay by the phones to wait for additional procedures from the Principal and/or Designee
or Incident Commander.
•Communicate with classrooms via telephone, computer or other methods if necessary.
•Assist the Principal and/or Designee or Incident Commander in establishing the school
command post.
Custodians:
•Close and lock all delivery doors.
•Direct any contractors, delivery drivers, or vendor repairmen located inside the building
into a safe area and lock the door.
•Prevent vehicles and pedestrians from entering school grounds, if possible, until police
arrive.
Annual Meeting also on this Monday (again thanks to Mr. Hausser for authoring this information)
The District Annual Meeting is all set for Monday, October 18th up at the Elementary School. The regular Board meeting starts at 6 p.m. and the Annual meeting begins at 7 p.m. All of you are invited to attend, but only district residents can vote on any motions that are brought forth. The meeting usually lasts about an hour and there are administrative reports, voting on the board compensation, budget approval, transportation policies, among other things. I strongly encourage you to come and have your voice and vote be heard. Below is a link to a PDF that explains the annual meeting proceedings as well.
What WE Do Makes the Difference for the Kids in School
Resource of the Week
We are about a month into our journey to effectively utilize and execute Professional Learning Communities that will impact our instruction. We have learned quite a bit so far, have made a few adjustments, and will be looking to make a few more so that our set up is smooth and makes sense for everyone. If you have questions about the journey of your group, please talk with Miranda or me. Our resource this week outlines that characteristics that we should be moving towards in our PLCs. This one-pager is a short, but critical read for all of us.
As we continue our efforts to have more meaningful collaboration around the important 4 questions, it's natural that many of our PLC groups are in different places. We'll continue to work towards facilitating the focus that will lead to increased achievement for our students. Pictured below is an example of evidence collected and analyzed by our 5th/6th grade ELA group.
Guiding Coalition
We will be starting a Guiding Coalition group that will meet with the goal of continually improving the PLC processes at our school. I'll ask that we get one member from each PLC to participate on this team. Our first meeting will be on Thursday (10/21) from 7:15-7:45. At our first meeting, we'll establish the logistics for how we will operate. Our sole focus will be on the PLC processes that are happening within each group, and how we can learn from each other to make the most of everyone's collaborative time together. I'll be working throughout the week to get our participants lined up, so please let me know if you are interested in being your team representative. I am so appreciative of our team's willingness to do whatever it takes to be great for our kids.
Parent-Teacher Conferences on Thursday
A sincere appreciation goes out to all of you that have worked hard to schedule the Fall Conferences. We'll welcome families and good conversation with families on Thursday (10/14) from 2:00 - 8:00. There is no school on Friday!
This is a great opportunity to showcase the great things that are students are working on at our school each day!
Early Release Schedule (1:15) - Thursday 10/14/21
On Thursday, we'll have a modified schedule that can be found at the following link:SCHEDULE.
Pritzl's PSA's
We would like to continue to share important reminders with students about important topics. Our first Pritzl PSA focused around safety when students are traveling to and from school. If you have some ideas or thoughts about future PSA topics, please send me an email or let me know when we see each other. We'll continue to provide opportunities to facilitate important discussions for students.
Pritzl Out of Building for some Tuesday/all Thursday
This year, I have the privilege of serving as the President of the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators (AWSA) (I'm still not sure how this happened). Part of my duties in this role requires me to attend a couple conferences during the year, and give the welcome, present awards, etc....I also will be leading the regular board meetings of this group throughout the year. With that being said, Miranda will be present in our building when I'm gone, and I'll be out for some of Tuesday and all Thursday due to these responsibilities. If you have any things that you need me for that cannot wait, Patti knows my schedule and can contact me immediately if needed.
What WE Do Makes the Difference for the Kids in School
Resource of the Week
The resource this week goes along with the resource the Mrs. Morton and Ms. Hamer shared at our staff meeting this week. Some small, but impactful strategies for managing a classroom for high impact.
A quick reflection on our staff meeting from Wednesday morning. Each day, we face a new opportunity filled with both successes and challenges, and many of our students find themselves in situations where they have to adjust to a different reality with high expectations. I appreciate how we have met students where they are...and have outlined the steps necessary to help them move forward. Like we discussed, despite the challenges, great opportunities lie ahead....with the right mindset, we'll persevere, finding ways to support our students.
Special shout-out to Gabe and Makenzie for sharing their knowledge and serving as a resource for all of us! You'll find a link to the handout that was referenced at the end of this sentence: Middle School Classroom Strategies for Successful Learning.
End of Day Bus Connection Time Help
In year's past, we referred to opportunities to be around students during lunch, recess, or bus times as "Duties". I like to think of these times as opportunities to build or grow relationships with students. Being present and talking with kids is what sets strong, welcoming cultures apart.
With that being said, we need some help during our after school bus loading routine. I'll need a couple of staff members present, building relationships out by the bus loading area after school each day. We need someone right as students are dismissed till the buses leave, which is about 3:22 each day. I'll ask that each of our teachers signs up for at least 2 weeks of these opportunities. You can sign up on the document below.
Below is a copy of the communication that was sent out to families earlier this week. The communication provides information about many things, including upcoming Parent-Teacher Conferences. If your team has any questions about Fall Conferences, please invite me to your meeting this week.
A big thank you to the students in our Middle School Leadership Team who organized our Dress-Up Days for the Week. We are looking forward to a little Homecoming Spirit in the air this week. Staff can feel free to join in the Dress-Up Opportunities with the students.
Poynette Middle School Students of the Month
We will be starting up our student of the month recognition program again. We won't be hosting the breakfast quite yet, but are working on a system to recognize students. We plan to post pictures and a description on our Facebook page and the Entrance TV. I'll ask one teacher per grade level team to recognize a student or two each month. We'll also have a sign-up for our Specials Teachers to take a month to nominate a student or two. Be on the lookout for more information on the specifics of our system here soon.
Outdoor Classroom
The district has purchases some outdoor furniture that can be utilized by teachers for classroom activities. The area is most easily accessible by the exterior door on the upper ramp. A google calendar will soon be shared for teachers to reserve this outdoor space.
Big Things Going on in PE!
Mr. Kartos and Mr. Romero have set up an Instagram page to highlight the great things going on with their students in their classroom. Check out their Instagram page: @poynettepumaspe
Co-Curricular Positions Open
Are you looking for another opportunity to have a positive impact on our students? We know that being in a co-curricular club has a strong correlation to school success, and we have a couple of paid opportunities available for staff to facilitate this experience for our students. There is no experience necessary. Please contact me with your interest in any of the following opportunities for our Middle School students:
Middle School Forensics Head Coach (2.0% of base)
Middle School Forensics Assistant Coach (1.5% of base)
Middle School Drama Advisor (1.5% of base)
Middle School Science Olympiad Coach (2.0% of base)
***percentages are based off of years of experience - starting percentages are shown
Newsela
This year we have subscribed to Newsela and are bringing it to your classrooms! Newsela helps you incorporate relevant and accessible content from authentic sources into your everyday curriculum. With Newsela, you can explore content by subject-specific standards or skills, easily differentiate instruction by setting reading levels, and see student performance with built-in activities and reporting.
To set you up for success with using Newsela, please take the following steps to activate your account for this school year:
Sign in to your Newsela account by clicking this link.
Next, click this link to sign up for a Newsela Teacher Workshop. During this time, you'll get:
An orientation on the content and instructional tools Newsela provides
Tips for gathering and assessing student work to make informed instructional decisions
Images from the Week
Mr. Schultz put on quite a performance for our 6th graders at lunch on Friday!
