The Middle Update 6/7/19

It's Friday, and I'm here in a quiet building, getting started on the process of reflecting on the past school year, gathering/analyzing data, and planning for next year.  This past school year has been really good in a lot of ways, and there were also certainly opportunities for learning.  It is my hope to take all that we learned and experienced to set the stage for an unbelievably positive school experience for all next year.  I hope each of you gets the chance to do what you need to/want to do in the summer months, and have a little eagerness inside you about the 19-20 school year.  With some great learning and planning that took place among our staff, I am excited for some of the adjustments we will make in our plan to help grow our culture that centers on providing a great daily student experience that strongly prepares them for the next steps in their life.  A special thanks to each of you for your contributions to our kids.

Opportunity for Personal/Professional Growth
I mentioned this in a staff meeting and in conversations over the past couple of months, but I wanted to point you in the direction of a website/resource/podcast that can be truly transformational for your life.  The Focus 3 podcast by Tim and Brian Kight is remarkable.  If you are engaged in some busy work (mowing lawn, driving, cleaning up around the house, etc), put in your earphones and give their podcast a listen.  The message can be described as "The heartbeat of Focus 3 is that we help organizations build better leaders, better culture, and better behavior."  We all choose our response in every situation, but how can we train ourselves to choose a response all the time that will positively affect our life and the life of all others in our worlds...The message is so strong not only for the work with our students, but also in all of the relationships and situations we encounter outside of school.  Check out the website, listen to the podcast, and I'd love to talk more about the message with anyone that is interested.  Below is a link to the latest podcast.  Give it a try.  Let me know if you need some support downloading or accessing the content.

"Mental Toughness"

"Discipline of Default"

The Middle Update 6/2/19

As we head into the last week of school, it's important for all of us to keep the same focus, expectations, and energy level as the very first week of school.  With well-planned, culminating lessons and activities, it is so much easier to get our students to be motivated and engaged right up until dismissal on Thursday.  It's always a great lesson and strategy to show the student the growth they've made over the course of the year.  If you have some writing samples or pieces of work from the beginning of the year to share, and compare it to their abilities now...we can reinforce what hard work can do for you.  Thank you in advance for your efforts to maintain a strong culture right up till the end.

Resource of the Week
A list this week that is very timely...I especially love #10!  Check it out.

"10 Things Not to Do the Last Weeks of School" -www.teach4theheart.com


Grades
This is a reminder to make sure grades in each standard are up to date.  This includes the at least the Puma Pride standard "Follows Classroom Expectations".  We will look to print report cards starting on Monday, June 10.  If you need to finish them up on Friday or over the weekend, no worries at all.

Assembly Tuesday
We will have our End of the Year Assembly on Tuesday.  On this day, students will report to 3rd block right away after lunch.  We'll then dismiss students to the gym at 2:15 for our Assembly.  We'll have our 3 winning Homeroom groups from last Thursday's battles square off for the right to claim the Carelli Cup.  We'll have our student recognition, like we discussed at our Staff Meeting (see document that Julie shared), and we'll send off our 8th graders.  Should be a memorable event for the kids.

8th Graders Last Day Plan
Our 8th graders will have their normal electives on Wednesday morning, and then head out for their field trip.  Their final Dance will take place from 6:30 to 8:30...all staff members are invited to attend with the 8th grade teachers to help them celebrate a Middle School career that is in the books.  There will be no 8th Grade classes on Thursday.

Last Day Schedule
We will run a modified schedule for the last day of school.  You can view that SCHEDULE HERE.

End of Year All Staff Celebration
Once the students are dismissed and out the door on the last day (6/6), we will gather as a whole staff around 1:00 in the High School cafeteria.  We'll have pizza, and other food options for everyone, and have a brief recognition ceremony.  Check-out procedures will start right after we wrap up our celebration.

Upcoming Events
Sunday - June 2 - PHS Graduation
Tuesday - June 4 - Assembly - 2:15 pm - Final Carelli Cup Homeroom Competitions - Student Recognition
Wednesday - June 5 - 8th Grade Field Trip/Dance (6:30 - 8:30)
Thursday - June 6 - Early Release at 12:30 - Staff Reception at 1:00 in HS Commons

The Middle Update 5/23/19

Resource of the Week
The Focus 3 website provides a lot of simple, practical discussion about how to be successful in everything that you encounter.  I recommend checking out the site, and subscribing to the podcast.  The short blog post highlighted this week is fascinating...the author discusses situations we encounter each day, and explains how our outlook makes all the difference in the world...Enjoy!

"The Law of Patience and Perseverance" - Tim Kight

Student Community Service
Members of our Student Leadership Team organized a Senior Citizen party at the Pioneer Place that took place this past Wednesday.  Many students performed, and the talents and efforts from our students were very well received by the residents of Pioneer Place.  A great way for our students to volunteer their time to make someone else's day better.

Math Meet Participants
Our 7th/8th grade Math Meet students made us all proud at the state Mega Math Meet this week.  They place 10th out of 21 teams.  Poynette Middle School was represented very well by these awesome students!

Participants: London Chapman, Lizzi Endres, Grace Hutchinson, Mika Bush, Tyler Snyder, Dylan Trudell, Mykolas Lyons, Anneliese Graeme

SLO/PPG/End of Year Evaluations
We continue to have awesome discussions about SLO and PPG results from the year.  If you do not have a time set up with me to review your SLO, please do so as soon as you can.

-Final Data organized
-SLO/PPG reflections complete
-SLO self-score complete (make a copy for yourself and share with me)

All SLO reflections and End of Year Meetings must be wrapped up prior to check-out on the last day.  I am also able to meet with teachers on Friday, June 7th if that works better for anyone.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Staff Meeting on Wednesday (5/29)
We will be taking a dive into some data from the past school year, recapping many of our successes this year, and celebrating our team.

4th Quarter Grades
This is a reminder to make sure grades in each standard are up to date.  This includes the at least the Puma Pride standard "Follows Classroom Expectations".  Also, continue to hold students accountable for getting their work done.

Homeroom Battles next Thursday!!
We will have a Modified Schedule on Thursday (5/30).  Please review the suggested schedule.  Teams can feel free to modify in a manner that makes sense.

Felicia Ritzke and Brooke Steinhorst are organizing our Wellness Day activities on this day as well.  They will have more specific information to share on Monday/Tuesday, however, our afternoon will follow a plan along the following lines: 
12:40 - 1:30 - Homeroom Activities...used to determine Carelli Cup Champion
1:30 - 2:47 - Various activities happening across campus - Students will sign up on Wednesday during - Staff will be assigned to a location to participate with/monitor students

Heading into the Home Stretch
As we enter the final two weeks of the school year, it's time to be thinking of how you will end the school year strong with your students.  Having students participate in lessons/activities that bring a culmination to their year/semester/quarter of hard work in your class.  Our students should be either putting the finishing touches on or presenting their work even on the last day of school in their classes.  With a long 3 month break for the kids, and the summer slide that occurs each summer, their time in our classrooms is vital for their growth.

Last Day Schedule
We will run a modified schedule for the last day of school.  You can view that SCHEDULE HERE.

End of Year All Staff Celebration
Once the students are dismissed and out the door on the last day (6/6), we will gather as a whole staff around 1:00 in the High School cafeteria.  We'll have pizza, and other food options for everyone, and have a brief recognition ceremony.  Check-out procedures will start right after we wrap up our celebration.


Upcoming EventsTuesday - May 28 - 7th Grade Field Trip to Mackenzie Center
Wednesday - May 29 - PMS Staff Meeting
Thursday - May 30 - Homeroom Battles/Student Choice Activities in the afternoon
Sunday - June 2 - PHS Graduation
Tuesday - June 4 - Assembly - 2:15 pm - Final Carelli Cup Homeroom Competitions - Student Recognition
Wednesday - June 5 - 8th Grade Field Trip/Dance (6:30 - 8:30)
Thursday - June 6 - Early Release at 12:30 - Staff Reception at 1:00 in HS Commons

The Middle Update 5/19/19

Resource of the Week
The article this week is about what it takes to set up a strong classroom culture.  I include this article now because it's a great time to reflect on these goals, and assess your own classroom culture now.  Using the 5 goals as a guidepost, it's a great time to work on improvement for the last 3 weeks of school, and also start the conversation about areas to focus on improving for next school year.

"5 Goals to Set This Year for a Strong Classroom Culture" - www.knowledgeworks.org

SLO/PPG/End of Year Evaluations
Thank you to those of you that have scheduled your final SLO/PPG review meetings with me.  At this point, I plan to use our remaining BW Meetings to review this data.  Feel free to send me an alternative time if you would like.  Please have the following completed prior to meeting with me:

-Final Data organized
-SLO/PPG reflections complete
-SLO self-score complete (make a copy for yourself and share with me)


All SLO reflections and End of Year Meetings must be wrapped up prior to check-out on the last day.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

4th Quarter Grades
This is a reminder to make sure grades in each standard are up to date.  This includes the at least the Puma Pride standard "Follows Classroom Expectations".  Also, continue to hold students accountable for getting their work done.

Homeroom Battles this Friday!!
We will have a Modified Schedule on Friday.  Please review the suggested schedule.  Teams can feel free to modify in a manner that makes sense.

Felicia Ritzke and Brooke Steinhorst are organizing our Wellness Day activities on this day as well.  They will have more specific information to share on Monday/Tuesday, however, our afternoon will follow a plan along the following lines: 
12:40 - 1:10 - Homeroom Lesson
1:10 - 1:45 - Homeroom Activities...used to determine Carelli Cup Champion
1:45 - 2:47 - Various activities happening across campus - Students will sign up on Wednesday during - Staff will be assigned to a location to participate with/monitor students

Heading into the Home Stretch
As we enter the final three weeks of the school year, it's time to be thinking of how you will end the school year strong with your students.  Having students participate in lessons/activities that bring a culmination to their year/semester/quarter of hard work in your class.  Our students should be either putting the finishing touches on or presenting their work even on the last day of school in their classes.  With a long 3 month break for the kids, and the summer slide that occurs each summer, their time in our classrooms is vital for their growth.

Impressive Music Performance last Thursday!
A big shout-out to our Music Department on an amazing concert last week.  The gym was filled with pride, as our students continue to prove the strength of our music program.

End of Year All Staff Celebration
Once the students are dismissed and out the door on the last day (6/6), we will gather as a whole staff around 1:00 in the High School cafeteria.  We'll have pizza, and other food options for everyone, and have a brief recognition ceremony.  Check-out procedures will start right after we wrap up our celebration.

Superhero Run Wrap-Up
Thanks to everyone for your help pulling off our 2nd Annual Superhero Run last Friday.  Please remind students that they should be out collecting their donations/pledges, and bringing them to the office.  I wanted to share a message I received from one teacher about the run..."The superhero run went very well and kids loved it.  I heard encouraging words from students to other students!!  Love that!!"  Thanks again!

Upcoming Events
Monday - May 20 - Home Track Meet
Wednesday - May 22 - 6th Grade Track Meet in the Afternoon
Friday - May 24 - Homeroom Battles/Student Choice Activities in the afternoon
Wednesday - May 29 - PMS Staff Meeting
Sunday - June 2 - PHS Graduation
Tuesday - June 4 - Assembly - crown Carelli Cup Homeroom winners
Wednesday - June 5 - 8th Grade Field Trip/Dance (6:30 - 8:30)
Thursday - June 6 - Early Release at 12:30 - Staff Reception at 1:00 in HS Commons

The Middle Update 5/10/19

Resource of the Week
In most of our classrooms, the use of tools like Google Classroom has become commonplace, and a natural part of the classroom routine.  Not only can it be easier for us to stay organized and communicate, but the use also is helpful for our students who struggle with executive functioning skills.  The article this week provides a glimpse into how we can use these tools to help our students who struggle the most with organization.

"Helping Students with ADHD Stay Organized" - Ezra Werb

4th Quarter Progress Grades
We are finishing up the 5th week of the 4th Quarter already.  At this time, just a reminder that standard grades should be posted at this point.  Parents and students should be able to see their current grade per standard when looking at Infinite Campus.  Also, at this time, overall Puma Pride grades should be posted as well.  All classes should have the "Follows Classroom Expectations" standard posted, however, the Effort and Work Completion standard could also be reported on as well.  I will send a reminder to parents to check on 4th quarter grades on Monday.

Handbook Review Team
We had 6 teachers meet on Wednesday afternoon to review Handbook rules, and start the discussion for how we can improve upon the Handbook related practices that relate to school culture.  We discussed situations in our building that need improvement, and started the conversation about how we will work towards improvement.  There was an article that was published in this week's Educational Leadership edition, that went along well with our discussion.  Please let me know if you'd like a copy to read.  More updates to come on this front.

Superhero Run/Wellness Day on Friday!!
We will be running our 2nd annual Superhero Run this spring.  The run will be on Friday, May 17th and will follow a similar schedule as last year.  Just like last year, we'll need teachers down at the track to mark wristbands at the corners.  Everyone (staff/students) should dress in comfortable active wear for our day.  Students will be running at the track at the following times: 
8th Grade - 8:20 - 9:00         7th Grade - 9:07 - 9:52        6th Grade - 11:24 - 12:10

We will meet with Homeroom groups on Thursday during IE this week.
We will have a Modified Schedule on Friday.  Please review the suggested schedule.  Teams can feel free to modify in a manner that makes sense.

Felicia Ritzke and Brooke Steinhorst are organizing our Wellness Day activities on this day as well.  They will have more specific information to share on Monday/Tuesday, however, our afternoon will follow a plan along the following lines: 
12:45 - 1:45 - Homeroom activities/competitions
1:45 - 2:47 - Various activities happening across campus - Students will sign up on Tuesday/Wednesday - Staff will be assigned to a location to participate with/monitor students

Teacher Candidates in on Wednesday
We will have 3 teacher candidates for our 6th Grade Science/Math position in for interviews on Wednesday.  If you see a candidate around the building on a tour, feel free to say hello and welcome them to our school.

Heading into the Home Stretch
As we head down the stretch, it's important for us all to have the same mindset about how our final weeks of school will go.  Anytime we have a disruption to our routine (Forward Exam week/field trip), we sometimes see an uptick in challenging behavior.  Making the most of our class time every minute, every day, is an essential value that we all must uphold for our culture.  Having strong, engaging lessons right up to the last day of school is going to be an essential part of finishing the school year strong and strengthening a culture of high expectations for ALL, and the high achievement that naturally follows.

End of Year All Staff Celebration
This year we will be starting a new tradition.  At around 1:00 on the last day of school (Thursday, 6/6) in the High School cafeteria for all staff, we will serve pizza, and other options, for everyone, and have a brief recognition ceremony.  Check-out procedures will start right after we wrap up our celebration.

Upcoming Events
Wednesday - May 15 - 10:45 - 12:10 - Choir Rehearsals for Spring Concert
Wednesday - May 15 - Retirement Open House - 3:30 - 4:30 (HS IMC)
Wednesday - May 15 - School Board Meeting
Thursday - May 16 - Spring Concert
Thursday - May 16 - 7th Graders Field Trip to Mackenzie Center
Friday - May 17 - Superhero Run/Wellness Day
Wednesday - May 22 - 6th Grade Track Meet in the Afternoon
Thursday - May 23 - Home Track Meet
Wednesday - May 29 - PMS Staff Meeting
Friday - May 31 - End of Year Assembly - crown Carelli Cup Homeroom winners
Sunday - June 2 - PHS Graduation
Wednesday - June 5 - 8th Grade Field Trip/Dance
Thursday - June 6 - Early Release at 12:30 - Staff Reception at 1:00 in HS Commons

The Middle Update 5/3/19

Resource of the Week
In our continuous efforts to become the best educators we can be, a source that can help us greatly, may not be an obvious one.  As blogger Jennifer Gonzalez writes, "If you’ve never asked students for serious, honest feedback, you’re missing something. If you ask the right questions and give students the time and encouragement to supply quality answers, student feedback can benefit you in so many ways. Some teachers in our building regularly ask students to give them some feedback about their experiences in the classroom, and it has helped to provide perspective on the experience.  The post this week shines a light on this practice.  If you already give students a survey at the end of the year, I'd love to hear about it.

"5 Reasons You Should Seek Your OWN Student Feedback" - Jennifer Gonzalez

"3 Ways of Getting Student Feedback to Improve Your Teaching" - Vicki Davis

Hallways/Hats/Hoods/etc. etc.
As we review our current practices, policies, and procedures, I think it would be beneficial for a group of us to get together and review our handbook policies and practices.  If you are interested in joining this discussion, please join us on Wednesday (5/8) at 2:55 in my office.

Heading into the Home Stretch
As we head down the stretch, it's important for us all to have the same mindset about how our final weeks of school will go.  Anytime we have a disruption to our routine (Forward Exam week/field trip), we sometimes see an uptick in challenging behavior.  Making the most of our class time every minute, every day, is an essential value that we all must uphold for our culture.  Having strong, engaging lessons right up to the last day of school is going to be an essential part of finishing the school year strong and strengthening a culture of high expectations for ALL, and the high achievement that naturally follows.

Student of the Month Breakfast This Week
Congrats to our students that stood out among their peers!  It was a great morning with our highest turnout of the year.  Thanks to our teachers for presenting this month!

Staff Meeting Recap
I enjoyed our time together on Wednesday afternoon.  Thanks to our Equity Team for sharing their knowledge with all of us, and for your leadership in guiding our school to include more equitable practices for our students.

Ground-Breaking for PES
The ground-breaking ceremony for the new elementary school was Friday.  This signified the start of the work that will begin to unfold over the course of the next year.  You'll start to see ground moving around the site as construction begins.  It truly is a historic time for our school district.

Superhero Run Fundraiser
We will be running our 2nd annual Superhero Run this spring.  The run will be on Friday, May 17th and will follow a similar schedule as last year.  Our students are organizing part of our Wellness Day activities on this day as well.  More details will be forthcoming.

End of Year All Staff Celebration
This year we will be starting a new tradition.  At around 1:00 on the last day of school (Thursday, 6/6) in the High School cafeteria for all staff, we will serve pizza, and other options, for everyone, and have a brief recognition ceremony.  Check-out procedures will start right after we wrap up our celebration.


Upcoming Events
Monday - May 6 - 3:00 - 4:00 - Insurance Informational Meeting
Wednesday - May 15 - 10:45 - 12:10 - Choir Rehearsals for Spring Concert
Wednesday - May 15 - Retirement Open House - 3:30 - 4:30 (HS IMC)
Wednesday - May 15 - School Board Meeting
Thursday - May 16 - Spring Concert
Thursday - May 16 - 7th Graders Field Trip to Mackenzie Center
Friday - May 17 - Superhero Run/Wellness Day
Wednesday - May 22 - 6th Grade Track Meet in the Afternoon
Thursday - May 23 - Home Track Meet
Wednesday - May 29 - PMS Staff Meeting
Sunday - June 2 - PHS Graduation
Wednesday - June 5 - 8th Grade Field Trip/Dance
Thursday - June 6 - Early Release at 12:30 - Staff Reception at 1:00 in HS Commons

Forward Exam Item Review Opportunity for Staff
See below for an opportunity to be engaged in the planning for items on the Forward Exam.

Good day:

DPI’s Office of Student Assessment is looking for a diverse group of educators from all over Wisconsin (including EL and special education teachers) to participate in the Summer “New Item Review” for the Forward Exam.  This is a great opportunity to be a part of assessment development, provide valuable feedback, have detailed input about the items on the Forward Exam, and take knowledge back to the district about the process.

Attached you will find a flyer with more information about the meetings including dates, logistics, and application information.  Please make this flyer available to all Educators 3-8 and 10 in your district. Their input is invaluable during this stage of item development.   

Jennifer Teasdale
Education Program Specialist
Office of Student Assessment

Images from the Week

The Middle Update 4/27/19

Resource of the Week
E + R = O  (Event + Response = Outcome)
Everyone experiences multiple events in in our life every day.  Many of the events that we experience we cannot control.  What we can control, however, is how we respond.  How we respond will determine the outcome.  A disciplined response will lead to a favorable outcome.  This concept is important in our work as educators, as we work to improve our practice, and in our work with students.  The short resource this week explains this simple, but "game-changing" concept in our life.

"E+R=O: Why Your Response is Deeply Personal and Never Private" - Brian Kight

Heading into the Home Stretch
As we head down the stretch, it's important for us all to have the same mindset about how our final weeks of school will go.  Anytime we have a disruption to our routine (Forward Exam week/field trip), we sometimes see an uptick in challenging behavior.  Making the most of our class time every minute,  every day, is an essential value that we all must uphold for our culture.  Having strong, engaging lessons right up to the last day of school is going to be an essential part of finishing the school year strong and strengthening a culture of high expectations for ALL, and the high achievement that naturally follows.

Forward Testing Update
Thank you all for your flexibility in helping make sure all of our students got tested.  We have only 3 students left to test.  We will have those students finish up on Monday morning.

For anyone that was involved in the execution of the Forward Exam, please take a brief minute to provide some FEEDBACK about our process.

Student of the Month Breakfast This Week
Our next Student of the Month Breakfast is on this coming Thursday (5/2) starting at 7:00 in the IMC.  This is another great opportunity to welcome families into our building and recognize great effort and achievement from our students.  Congratulations to this month's recipients:

Miles Matz     Izzy Steffenhagen     Matthew Lannoye Cayvery LaSarge
Noah Broderick Shayna Cox Dayne Bednarik Gracie Bredeson

Staff Meeting on Wednesday (5/1)
We will be meeting as a staff this Wednesday starting at 2:55 in Mrs. Rogness' room.  We will learn from our colleagues more about equity in schools, and review the group's action plan for how we will work to improve in this area.  We will also continue our focus on our school's culture.

Upcoming Events
Monday - April 29 - Home Track Meet
Wednesday - May 1 - PMS Staff Meeting
Thursday - May 2 - PMS Student of the Month Recognition Breakfast
Wednesday - May 15 - Choir Rehearsals for Spring Concert
Wednesday - May 15 - Retirement Open House - 3:30 - 4:30 (HS IMC)
Wednesday - May 15 - School Board Meeting
Thursday - May 16 - Spring Concert
Thursday - May 16 - 7th Graders Field Trip to Mackenzie Center
Friday - May 17 - Superhero Run/Wellness Day
Thursday - May 23 - Home Track Meet
Wednesday - May 29 - PMS Staff Meeting
Sunday - June 2 - PHS Graduation
Wednesday - June 5 - 8th Grade Field Trip/Dance
Thursday - June 6 - Early Release at 12:30 - Staff Reception at 1:00 in HS Commons

Images from the Week

The Middle Update - 4/21/19

Resource of the Week
This week's resource provides a solid reminder of ways to finish the school year strong.  As we head down the final stretch, getting the most out of each class period, each day is so vital...especially when you think about the lost instructional days that our students missed out on due to the volatile winter weather.  Keeping students focused and on track are critical pieces to having a smooth, well-managed end of the school year.  Our leadership students are working on some opportunities to further strengthen our community in the next stretch of the school year as well.

"Home Stretch: Finish the End of the School Year Strong" - Jennifer Gunn

Forward Exam Update
Thanks to all for the successful administration of the Forward Exam.  I believe we had a strong culture of effort, and students and staff worked hard to make sure we have the best snapshot of student abilities that we could have.  We had our best attendance days of the year last week!!

We still have our 8th graders testing on Monday and Tuesday...finishing up Social Studies and Science.  We will also be administering make-up tests for any student that missed a day or two last week.

Middle School Play
Congratulations to Mrs. Petersen and the cast of our Middle School Play this year on their successful performance they put on last week for the public and for our student body.  An impressive amount of talent was on display. It was a great show!

Superhero Run Fundraiser
We will be running our 2nd annual Superhero Run this spring.  The run will be on Friday, May 17th and will follow a similar schedule as last year.  Our students are organizing part of our Wellness Day activities on this day as well.  More details will be forthcoming.

End of Year All Staff Celebration
This year we will be starting a new tradition.  At around 1:00 on the last day of school (Thursday, 6/6) in the High School cafeteria for all staff, we will serve pizza, and other options, for everyone, and have a brief recognition ceremony.  Check-out procedures will start right after we wrap up our celebration.

Student of the Month Breakfast Updates
We will have one more recognition breakfast on Thursday, May 2nd.  Thanks to everyone for submitting your nominations.  If anyone else has a student that is shining and they would like to be recognized, please let me know...we could make some arrangements.  Congratulations to this month's nominees.

Parent's Club Generosity
The PAD Parent's Club annually will reimburse teachers for up to $100 for expenses they have purchased for the benefit of their classroom.  There is a form available for this, and receipts must be attached and submitted to the club for any of these purchases.  The end of the school year is the deadline for requests to be reimbursed.  If you have questions, please contact Jennifer Williams (jennw1110@yahoo.com)

Vaping Informational Session Coming Up
We will be hosting an informational session about Vaping...a newer trend that is causing vaping use to be on the rise with teenagers across the country.  The session will be located in the Poynette High School IMC on Wednesday, 4/24 at 6:00pm.  This session is open to any staff member, student, parent, or community member.

Next Staff Meeting
Mark your calendars for our next Middle School Staff Meeting on Wednesday, May 1 at 2:55 in Mrs. Rogness' classroom.  We will be continuing our analysis of data, turning our focus to how we can improve in areas of need.  Also, we will be learning more about educational equity, and areas that could use improvement in our school.

Forward Exam Item Review Opportunity for Staff
See below for an opportunity to be engaged in the planning for items on the Forward Exam.

Good day:

DPI’s Office of Student Assessment is looking for a diverse group of educators from all over Wisconsin (including EL and special education teachers) to participate in the Summer “New Item Review” for the Forward Exam.  This is a great opportunity to be a part of assessment development, provide valuable feedback, have detailed input about the items on the Forward Exam, and take knowledge back to the district about the process.

Attached you will find a flyer with more information about the meetings including dates, logistics, and application information.  Please make this flyer available to all Educators 3-8 and 10 in your district. Their input is invaluable during this stage of item development.   

Jennifer Teasdale
Education Program Specialist
Office of Student Assessment

The Middle Update 4/12/19

Resource of the Week
The Building Equity book study team has wrapped up their reading of the book and face to face meetings.  As a result of the learning, the group has narrowed their focus on a couple of areas to work towards making our school a more equitable place for all.  We will be hearing about our plans at our upcoming staff meeting, and in individual BW meetings coming up.  The resource this week provides a a clear, solid overview of what it's all about.

Equity in Education: What it is and why it matters - by thinkingmaps.com

Forward Exam Preparation
It's Forward Exam Week!  A big week for our school.  Our first day of testing will be on Tuesday (4/16) and continue school-wide through Thursday (4/18).  Students will report right to their testing locations on Tuesday through Thursday.  Each test proctor will get everyone checked in, computers ready to go, and then go through a review for the specific test session that will be administered.  I will email out the details of things for each teacher to review with the students prior to releasing them to Nutrition Break at 7:50.  After about a 7-10 minute break, students will report back to their testing room and begin the test.  Please see the attached information for more details.  Also, check out the video that students and staff starred in to get help establish confidence.

Modified Bell Schedule
Schedule of Tests and Times
Testing Groups
Hype Video

Middle School Play Coming Up
Many of our students have been hard at work getting ready for our annual play performance.  The students will be performing for the public on Tuesday, April 16th at 6:00 pm.  The performance will be on display for all of our students at roughly 2:10 (subject to change) on Thursday, April 18th.

Middle School Track Meets
The Middle School Track and Field season already underway.  We are hosting meets on Monday, 4/29 and Thursday, 5/23.  If you are able, it would be great to have as many of our staff members sign up to work this meet to be there for our kids.  Last year, we had a great turnout and great weather, and I'm assuming the weather will be great again.  Check out the Extra Duty Opportunity document to sign up if interested.  It looks like we need about 3 or 4 people yet to fill up our worker team.

Also, there are many other spring events that could use some help and support with workers.  Please consider signing up to help out.

Student of the Month Breakfast Updates
We will have one more recognition breakfast on Thursday, May 2nd.  Thanks to everyone for submitting your nominations.  If anyone else has a student that is shining and they would like to be recognized, please let me know...we could make some arrangements.

Parent's Club Generosity
The PAD Parent's Club annually will reimburse teachers for up to $100 for expenses they have purchased for the benefit of their classroom.  There is a form available for this, and receipts must be attached and submitted to the club for any of these purchases.  The end of the school year is the deadline for requests to be reimbursed.  If you have questions, please contact Jennifer Williams (jennw1110@yahoo.com)

Vaping Informational Session Coming Up
We will be hosting an informational session about Vaping...a newer trend that is causing vaping use to be on the rise with teenagers across the country.  The session will be located in the Poynette High School IMC on Wednesday, 4/24 at 6:00pm.  This session is open to any staff member, student, parent, or community member.

Next Staff Meeting
Mark your calendars for our next Middle School Staff Meeting on Wednesday, May 1 at 2:55 in Mrs. Rogness' classroom.  We will be continuing our analysis of data, turning our focus to how we can improve in areas of need.  Also, we will be learning more about educational equity, and areas that could use improvement in our school.

The Middle Update 4/5/19

Resource of the Week
Coming up very soon, Mr. Fischer, Ms. Hellmich, and I will be leading a book study on the book titled Lost at School by Ross Greene.  Our resource this week gives an overview of what this book is all about, but just reading provides some perspective on what works and what doesn't for some of our students that can be challenging to us in different ways.  Check it out, and look for the book study information that is soon to be shared.

"Lost at School" preview

End of Quarter 3 Information
We are already at the end of the 3rd quarter!  As a reminder, 3rd quarter grades are due by Wednesday (4/10) morning.  We will plan to review report cards with students during Homeroom again next Friday.  We will also have ice cream treats available in the cafeteria at the end of the day on Friday, students can redeem a report card that shows all 5 "Meets Expectations" in their overall Puma Pride scores for a frozen treat of their choice.

Forward Exam Preparation
Thanks to all of you who participated in our Forward Exam Proctor Training this past Wednesday.  Our first day of testing will be on Tuesday (4/16) and continue school-wide through Thursday (4/18).  Please see the attached information for more details.  Also, check out the video that students and staff starred in to get help establish confidence.

Modified Bell Schedule
Schedule of Tests and Times
Testing Groups
Hype Video

"Mix-It-Up Day Recap"
Congrats to our MS Leadership students who organized a successful "Mix-It-Up" event over our lunch period on Friday.  Thanks to the teachers who helped them, and came over to interact with the kids and witness a very entertaining trivia competition between Mr. Williams and Mr. Johnson.  Special thanks to Ms. Pittner and Ms. Schmelzer for helping guide the students to pulling off a successful event.

Forensics Team Update (from Mrs. Rogness)
The middle school forensics team had a successful season that just wrapped up at the end of March.  The students worked hard for several months to prepare their pieces and presented them for judging at 2 meets; one held at McFarland Middle School, and the other at Lodi Middle School.  

(Not pictured: Emily W. and Izzy S.)

Middle School Play Coming Up
Many of our students have been hard at work getting ready for our annual play performance.  The students will be performing for the public on Tuesday, April 16th at 6:00 pm.  The performance will be on display for all of our students at roughly 2:00 (subject to change) on Thursday, April 18th.

Middle School Track Meets
Middle School Track and Field starts up on Monday, 4/8 with practice.  We are hosting meets on Monday, 4/29 and Thursday, 5/23.  If you are able, it would be great to have as many of our staff members sign up to work this meet to be there for our kids.  Last year, we had a great turnout and great weather, and I'm assuming the weather will be great again.  Check out the Extra Duty Opportunity document to sign up if interested.  It looks like we need about 3 or 4 people yet to fill up our worker team.

Student of the Month Breakfast Updates
Due to a number of scheduling conflicts, we have adjusted our remaining SOM breakfast schedule.  We will have one more recognition breakfast on Thursday, May 2nd.  Mr. Hazard has already submitted his selections.  Teams should submit their nominations to Robin by the end of next week.  If anyone else has a student that is shining and they would like to be recognized, please let me know...we could make some arrangements.


Parent's Club Generosity
The PAD Parent's Club annually will reimburse teachers for up to $100 for expenses they have purchased for the benefit of their classroom.  There is a form available for this, and receipts must be attached and submitted to the club for any of these purchases.  The end of the school year is the deadline for requests to be reimbursed.  If you have questions, please contact Jennifer Williams (jennw1110@yahoo.com)

Vaping Informational Session Coming Up
We will be hosting an informational session about Vaping...a newer trend that is causing vaping use to be on the rise with teenagers across the country.  The session will be located in the Poynette High School IMC on Wednesday, 4/24 at 6:00pm.  This session is open to any staff member, student, parent, or community member.

Next Staff Meeting
Mark your calendars for our next Middle School Staff Meeting on Wednesday, May 1 at 2:55 in Mrs. Rogness' classroom.

The Middle Update 3/22/19

I hope everyone has a nice, relaxing, enjoyable spring break.  When we come back on April 1st, we'll only have 10 weeks left to leave a lasting impression on our kids.  We'll be moving fast and furious when we get back, as there is 1 week left in the 3rd quarter, Forward Testing on the horizon, and working feverishly to not let the days missed due to weather have an impact on the learning of our kids!

Math Dominance Continues
This week our 7th/8th Grade Math teams participated in their Regional Competition.  Like we are growing accustomed to as of late, they took home 1st Place!  They have earned the rite to participate in the State Mega Math Meet in May!  Please congratulate them when you see them.


Staff Meeting Recap
At our MS Staff Meeting this past Wednesday, we were able to hear about Educational Equity from our teachers participating in the Equity Book Study, and we were able to analyze a snapshot of our student performance data.  I believe the conversations were great, and the baseline knowledge of areas we are doing well in, and areas we need to grow upon, will serve us well in our future work, focusing on constantly trying to get better in all that we do.  Thank you for each of your contributions.

Forward Testing Training
We will be meeting on Wednesday (4/3) at 2:55 for our Forward Exam Training.  DPI has a more formal presentation for our training, so we'll all get to experience that together on Wednesday afternoon.  We will meet in Mrs. Rogness' classroom.

Budget Process
Thank you to all of you for getting your budget requests to me.  I'll be reviewing the requisitions over break, and following up after break if there are questions or things that needed to be adjusted.

Virtual Author Visit
Mr. Johnson's class got a special visit from one of the class' favorite authors, Bethany Wiggins.  She is the author of the noted Dystopian novels, "Stung" and "Cured".  The class was really excited to hear from her, and learn about some of the backstory to how she wrote the books most have already read.  She also shared about her journey to becoming an author.  It was an exciting learning experience!



Images from the Week

The Middle Update 3/15/19

Resource of the Week
Closing the achievement gap is a critical focus area for schools.  Our school is no different...on our last school report card, we scored our lowest score in recent years in the "Closing Gaps" category.  The Equity Book Study Group is learning more in depth about what equitable practices are and look like in schools.  This week's article shares more information about how we, and others, can do to continue to close this gap.  In our school, data points to lower performance among our students with low socioeconomic status, students with disabilities, and also gender (male) and their counterparts.  We will continue to work towards identifying the barriers that can cause these gaps and removing them.  Check out this week's article to learn more!

"Closing the Achievement Gap - All Students Can Learn" - Larry Leverett

""All children can learn." We also know that certain things must be in place for this to happen, including, but not limited to, varying instructional approaches to match the learning styles of students, differentiating instruction, providing access to high-quality preschool programs, consistently exposing students to high-quality instruction, generating support from families and communities, and consistently scaling up implementation of best-practice instructional strategies and approaches in all classrooms and in all content areas."

Equity Book Study Update
We have over 20 teachers in our district participating in a book study about the book, "Building Equity".  We met on Tuesday evening for our first in-person session.  Good discussion was had, and we'll have an update from our work at Wednesday's Staff Meeting.

Staff Meeting Next Week
We will meet as a Middle School Staff this coming Wednesday (3/20).  We'll get started at 2:55 in Mrs. Rogness' room.

Couple of Achievements to Brag About
5th/6th Grade Math Teams - 1st and 3rd Place at this week's meet

Leadership Group Students Working to Set Up a Senior Citizen Party at Pioneer Place

Hoops 4 Heart Tuesday Night
Our annual battle on the hardwood will take place on Tuesday night.  Tip-off is set for 5:00pm.  I'm sure another epic battle that students will talk about for a long time is certain to take place.  Thanks to all that have agreed to participate and will attend.

Pictures for Yearbook
If you have some pictures that you have taken, please share them to the MS Pictures Folder.  Our Parent's Club is working on organizing another great yearbook, and the more pictures they have to use, the better the yearbook will be.  Thanks in advance for your contributions.

Budget Reminder
This is a reminder to please have department budget requests to me by next Friday.  I will be reviewing over Spring Break and following up afterwards with teachers if necessary.

Safety Drill Next Week
We will be conducting a Safety Drill this coming week.  More details to follow.

Images from the Week

The Middle Update 3/8/19

Resource of the Week
We have a high number of our staff members engaged in our "Educational Equity" book study.  As the book study group learns more in depth about what educational equity looks like in schools, and reflects on our practices along the way, I thought I'd share a brief article about highlighting what equity in schools is all about.

"What Equity Really Means in Schools" by Jennifer Gunn

Forward Exam on the Horizon
We are a little more than a month away from the annual Forward Exam.  We will be doing some test prep in an upcoming Homeroom and built in to some classes.  Our testing format will be different this year than last year.  All students will be testing at the same time, and we'll utilize all of our teachers as proctors to ensure small, focused, testing groups.  You can see a draft of our Testing Schedule HERE.  Testing groups will be based off of Homeroom groups, but will be modified slightly to accommodate the need for some small testing groups.  Please note our Proctor Training date of Wednesday, April 3rd.

Budget Process
Budget packets and information was shared earlier this week.  Please have your requisitions and summary sheets submitted to me by March 20th.  Please let me know if you have any questions about the budget process.

Some Staffing News
As we prepare for next year, there are a couple of staff shifts to announce.  Starting next year, Mrs. Weckerly will be taking over the 6th/8th Grade Math position currently taught by Mrs. Andringa.  Mrs. Andringa will slide back into her Special Education teaching role, and we will be welcoming Mrs. Rebecca Smith to our Middle School team in Mrs. Weckerly's current 6th Science/7th Math position.  Mrs. Smith currently teaches 5th graders and is excited about the opportunity to focus on teaching Math and Science.  If you see Mrs. Smith, welcome her to our team!

Spring Parent-Teacher Conferences Wrap-Up
Thank you for your efforts on our Spring Parent-Teacher Conference Night.  It seemed like a busy night, with many focused conferences aimed at working with parents to help guide their child to more success.  I hosted a couple of sessions focused on helping parents understand how to fully track their child's progress in school.  I was also able to share assessments with them so they can better interpret their child's performance in each class.  While we only had 3 students represented, I felt it was a great place to build future communications like that in the future.  Also, special thanks to Mr. Hazard and Mrs. Graeve for their work in setting up some student performances in the cafeteria.  The performances brought in more people into our building and highlighted our students in a positive way!

Ms. Pittner Sharing her Work with Other Educators
Maria Pittner presented at the Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers State Conference this past Thursday.  She presented on the use of phenomenon-based instruction in the Science classroom.  She represented herself and our school tremendously.  Great job Maria!

 

Upcoming MS Staff Meeting
Please mark your calendars for our next Staff Meeting, which will be on Wednesday, March 20th at 2:55 in Mrs. Rogness' Classroom.

Images from the Week