Students Do Well if They Can
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.
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