In Strong School Cultures, People Articulate the Following CORE Beliefs Through How They Behave:
All Students Can Learn at High Levels
All Students Will Learn Because of What We Do
Students Do Well if They Can
What WE Do Makes the Difference for the Kids in School
We Never Give Up On Kids
Resource of the Week
The resource this week provides some thoughts to consider when we are looking at the question, "What should kids who finish early do?"
"What Can You Recommend For Students Who Finish Their Work Early?" -teachthought.com
Staff Meeting (Forward Training) Follow-Up
A few items to clarify from our time together on Wednesday morning:
-Students will start the day in normal Homeroom groups. Breakfast will be ready just like a Late Start Day, so we should encourage students to go right away to the cafeteria and bring their food back to the classroom. Students will remain in Homeroom groups for a review/prep activity and head to their testing groups at 8:15.
-Something Different, Please Note - We sought clarification from DPI after the proctor training about electronic device use for everyone in the testing session, and this is what we received in regards to staff use of devices during testing: Test administrators should not be doing other work during testing sessions, as it is really difficult to monitor students at the same time. Proctors should be monitoring students the entire testing session.
-7th and 8th Grade students will have a shortened elective schedule on each day of school-wide testing. It will depend on the length of the testing session. I will share those details early next week.
-I sent a note out to families asking for their student to bring in a pair of wires headphones if they have them very soon. Please be on the lookout for those, and we can keep them at school till the day of the testing session.
-Mrs. Moe will be coordinating a proctor training for all other staff that will be proctoring a test, that have not been trained yet.
Math Curriculum Update
For the 2nd time this year, we had a coach from our Math Curriculum (CPM) visit to conduct classroom visits in our Math classes and provide us some feedback on how we are doing. He was so impressed with the quality of implementation that is happening in all of our Math classrooms. I wanted to include a couple of quotes from him during our debrief session.
"I was so impressed with what I saw."
"If I were to have a team visit a 1st year implementation school, I would definitely bring them here."
"In the co-taught sections I could not tell which students had an IEP and which did not."
"The engagement was so high. To have more than 90% of students highly engaged and working collaboratively is something I just don't see everywhere."
"Team roles are established and students do a great job of communicating and working together to find solutions"
"It is very evident that your teachers have built relationships and trust in the classroom. It looks like students feel safe and comfortable to make mistakes."
A big shout-out and kudos to our Math team and their efforts this year to implement the CPM curriculum in such an impressive fashion...one thing we heard from visits prior to adopting the curriculum was how it was not easy to do. It goes to show that this team has used their PLC time to collaborate and share best practices with each other. Please give them props when you see them!
Forensics Showcase Night
A big thank you to Ms. Stark and Ms. Moe for hosting a Forensics showcase night for our students and their families. Students were able to perform their event for a welcoming crowd of families and friends. We had a great turnout and it's so awesome to have our student talents on display! This is a great example of how we can showcase the hard work and excellence of our students and teachers.
5th Grade History Night
Our 5th graders will have their hard work on display on Monday (4/4) night starting at 6:00. Our students will be presenting their work, and families will be present to learn about the historical contributions of many different people. Feel free to come out and learn some things yourself and support our 5th grade students and teachers.
New Gaga Ball Pit
Thanks to a generous donation from the PAD Parent's Club, we now have a new Gaga Ball Pit on our playground. It has been a big hit to say the least. Now, we have some students working on establishing some PMS specific rules to help govern the fun.
Tornado Awareness Week
Next week is Tornado Awareness Week in Wisconsin. There has been some tornado activity throughout the country that has been in the news recently. We will be conducting a tornado drill on Thursday, April 7th at 1:45 pm to coincide with the state tornado drill. Please review the locations and procedures (from your orange safety pamphlet) with your students a few times prior to the tornado drill.
Next PMS Assembly
Our student leadership team has been busy planning our next Assembly. On Friday morning, during our typical report card reflection activity, students received tickets for any "ME" on their report card, and got to see what the potential drawings/activities we will be having during the next assembly. We are still working on finalizing the date of the assembly, but you can expect it to be sometime in late April/early May
Hoops 4 Heart Basketball Game
Our student leadership team has also been busy organizing our annual Hoops 4 Heart Basketball Game. Thanks to any and all staff that plan to participate. I'm so happy we'll be able to have this event come back, and am looking forward to some friendly competition and fun! The event will take place on Thursday, April 14th, starting at 5:00 at the PMS Gym.
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