Friday Focus - May 24, 2019

The Final Countdown:
Tuesday - 4th quarter grades due by 7:30AM (reprints after any mistakes found will be in mailboxes by Thursday AM)
-yearbooks will be distributed. Make sure to plan a time for students to sign.
-4th quarter award nominations due by 3:30pm
*Make sure to have your kids clean out lockers by Thursday. Do NOT wait until Friday...we had lots of leftover locker "fun" last year (the custodians didn't find it fun!) I'll put garbage bags in classroom teacher mailboxes to use for locker cleanout.

Wednesday - last day for student iPad turn-in
-6pm Kindergarten graduation
Thursday - Report Cards distributed
Friday - The. Last. Day.
Book Fair in the library 7:30-1:00pm
4th Qtr Dodgeland Pride Assembly 10:50am
Picnic starts at 11:25, early dismissal at 12:20

*Yet to be scheduled-our track team rocked it at sectionals and will be off to state. I'll let you know when I know the state send-off day/time.

Sunday - Graduation is at 1:00pm in the HS gym. If you would like to come, all staff line up to shake hands with the seniors as they walk into the ceremony. Another great opportunity if you want to come and send them off to the next chapter in their lives. 

"Nuts & Bolts" Notes:

*EP End of Year reminders: Please make sure any unfinished items in your mylearningplan are complete: 

• Click "Acknowledge" on any forms that are waiting for you to review.
• If you do not submit your Alt. Comp form with the evidence of your pre-approved activities by June 15, the form will disappear for you to be able to do so.
• Self-Score your SLO and hit submit. If you're not on your summative year, we do not have to meet to discuss this, but we certainly can meet for a reflective conversation if you would like. Just let me know so we can schedule it.

Friday Focus - May 16, 2019

Great Things I Noticed this Week:
*Teacher-student conferences about their end of year iReady progress (and iReady pep talks prior to testing!)
*Students writing letters to their future self with reflection fo what they've learned this year, what goals they have for next year, and something they hope will happen.
*Multiple staff members pitching in to help out where coverage/support was needed...such an awesome tag team approach!

Upcoming Events: 
Monday -  "Kilowatt Kitchen" performance in the elem gym (rescheduled from a snow day)
 1:30-2 for grades K/1/3
 2:15-2:45 for grades 2/4/5

Tuesday - Carnival at recess put on by 7th graders (for students who paid and will be given tickets/bag to attend). 11:15-12 for grades 3-5/12:00-12:45 for grades K-2

Wednesday - District staff appreciation dinner

Thursday - 2:15 Bike Safety Presentation by Sargeant Borchardt in the elementary gym
Friday - Walkathon!!  Blue Zones will be here for a quick ribbon cutting ceremony to announce us being a Blue Zones school so if you have a Blue Zones shirt, please wear it.
*Revisions to elementary supply list due today

"Nuts & Bolts" Notes:
Reminder for iPad turn in:

As we look at planning the rest of our time this school year, here is some information about student iPad turn-in. There will be three dates that you can pick from to turn in your student iPads: Friday 24th, Tuesday 28th, or Wednesday 29th.  Here is the sign up sheet. Please pick one 15 minute time slot to bring your whole class down to the IMC. 

Before your turn in date and time: 

• Encourage students to go through their iPad and delete any unnecessary pictures (Photos) or files (Pages, Keynote, Notability).
• Make sure student name is on the lock screen. Here is a video on creating and adding a lock screen using Pages, Notebook, or Photos. Students can scan this QR code to see the video themselves and work through each step. 
• Files save automatically via iCloud, so do not worry about backing up files ‘by hand’ via Google. 
• Clean the screen of the iPad with cleaner. Please remember to spray the cloth and then wipe the screen clean- never spray the screen directly because moisture can get caught inside the case. If you are in need of a cloth or cleaner, please see Kari or another custodial staff member.

 

When you turn in iPads:

• Please have students come in alphabetical order. 
• I will check their name on the iPad, look for any intentional damage, power the device down, and place it in an envelope. 
• This process should take about 10-15 minutes.

Once again, thank you for all the innovation you’ve done this year with your students! There were many moments of redefinition with technology this year- “Being a teacher is not a superpower; the way we teach is. It’s the mindset you bring into the classroom and to your school that can help change the world.” - George Couros

Blogs, Tweets & Pins...Oh My!!!

*Dreams and Nightmares - Who will you magically inspire today?

Friday Focus - May 10, 2019

Great Things I Noticed this Week:
*Kindergartners reading independently for 15 solid minutes.
*3rd graders filling up pages of interesting facts of information they've researched as they dug into new topics for nonfiction.
*Writing mini lesson with a few students sharing their introductions with the class. The teacher did a great job of sharing the great things the student did in their writing and then gave a suggestion as well...both responses were beneficial for all students to hear.
*Due to a student incident and staff shortage, this left our 4th graders unsupervised in the hallway from recess to lunch. This could have been a recipe for disaster, but do you know what they did? The kids lined up like normal, then took it upon themselves to roshambo to determine which order the classes would go to lunch. I could't believe it when they told me so I checked the cameras...you guys, they did it!  This is what happens when there are consistent routines/procedures and practicing of problem solving strategies.  WooooHoooo!!!!!

Events Next Week:
Monday - iReady Spring testing starts (remember, students cannot work in lessons until their testing is completed). Make sure you have your test pep talk with your kiddos before having them open up iReady.
Wednesday - Workout Wednesday and Staff meeting at 3:10 in IMC
 *If you see teachers in weird rooms, it's because it's the Chinese Firedrill Teacher Swap!!

Friday - I will be out of the building with our 5th graders on their first college tour to UW Madison.

"Nuts & Bolts" Notes:
*Please take a couple of moments to answer a few questions about our attendance work this year: Attendance Survey  Thank you!!1

Blogs, Tweets & Pins...Oh My!!!
*And What Do We End With?
*Decluttering Your Classroom - may be helpful as you are deciding what to keep/toss at the end of the year.

Friday Focus - May 3, 2019

Great Things I Noticed this Week:
*4/5th graders brainstorming for a letter about bullying. They discussed an identified problem, details to support the problem and how they think the bullying problem could be solved.
*1st graders practicing for next week's concert on their "practice risers" (simply a tape line on the floor, but such a great idea)! Every opportunity we give students to practice routines, the better they will do...anywhere in school!
*We had guests from another school visit to observe Playworks in action--they were so impressed with what they saw--organization, procedures and students rochamboing without conflict!
*I heard a few different stories about students that have been known to have meltdowns verbalizing "I need a break" or even using their brain hand symbols to show they were close to flipping their lid. It is so amazing to hear these stories of students recognizing where they were at emotionally and teachers supporting them to regulate!
*Staff stepping up to help out in the absence of many on Tuesday ---THANK YOU!!!!


Upcoming Events:
Today - Inflatable party in HS gym to celebrate the completion of Forward testing and having fun with our kiddos!
10:00-11 Grades K/1
12:30-1:30 Grades 4/5
1:45-2:45 Grades 2/3
3:10-3:30 Staff - I'm NOT kidding I will race you there from parking lot duty!!

Monday - new teachers meeting 3:15
  K-5 concert at 6:30 (students meeting in classrooms at 6:05)
Wednesday - budget requests due
Thursday - jeans day :)
Friday - Grandparents Day (all hands on deck to help if you're available) --we also need to remember to park as FAR AWAY from the elementary entrance as possible (on the athletic wing of the building if possible!)
*If you are doing ANYTHING with Grandparents Day (like they will see you) please dress professionally. Our guests don't see you every day, we always want their first impression to be amazing. You get to wear your jeans on Thursday instead. :)

-We are also hosting the Conference track meet Friday night so you will see MANY buses when you leave school!
*Please encourage kids to have a screen free weekend....get outside and enjoy nature, play board games with family or better yet---sign up for the Trojan Track meet for elementary students on Saturday!!!!

Monday, May 13th -iReady spring diagnostic window opens
Wednesday, May 15th - Elementary staff meeting (all certified and paras) for our final meeting and trauma training


"Nuts & Bolts" Notes:
*If you want to participate in the Chinese Firedrill Teacher Swap, please submit your name by Monday! http://bit.ly/chinesefiredrill

*To help you plan ahead-student iPads will need to be turned in by Tuesday, May 28. This means that your final days of school learning activities will not be able to use iPads.
*Everyday we have left with students matters and we need to make them count. My hope is that you keep your calendar somewhere visible to see how precious your days left with our students are and what you can do: Days Left to Build Relationships

Blogs, Tweets & Pins...Oh My!!!
*End Your School Year with What Matters Most "Beginnings set the tone, but endings don't just come together on accident. There's something special about a narrative that ends really well."
How do you plan to end your year?

Friday Focus - April 26, 2019

Great Things I Noticed this Week:
*Kindergartners focused independently to write a persuasive letter with details in 3 sentences. (Yes, you read that right...kindergarten!)
*As 4th graders started a new PLTW unit, representatives from John Deere came for a visit to see our future engineers at work. They were so impressed with how engaged and collaborative our students were!
*Our students performing in the Talent Show each did an incredible job on stage sharing their passions with us. In addition, our incredible staff pulled together for yet another entertaining act to close out the night. You all never cease to amaze me! HUGE kudos out to the talent show committee for making this annual even such a great success!

Upcoming Events:
Monday - 3:15 EP Training *Optional* Doc Log/SLO work/support time in IMC
Tuesday - Mid-Quarter -please send progress reports home
  -I will be at the trauma training with the rest of the team attending this to bring back the learning
Wednesday - Elementary Staff meeting -this trauma training will be on the next 2 R's: Responsibility and Relationships
Friday - Crazy Socks Day/Inflatable Party in the HS Gym (the crazy socks day is so they all have socks on for the inflatables!) The party is put on by our fundraiser company, but I selected the date to be a great conclusion to our 3-5th graders taking the Forward test. Here are our times:
10-11:00 Grades K/1
12:30-1:30 Grades 4/5
1:45-2:45 Grades 2/3
3:10-3:30 STAFF :) :) :)

Monday, May 6 - Spring Concert for all grades K-5
Wednesday, May 8 - Budget requests due
Friday, May 10 - Grandparents Day

"Nuts & Bolts" Notes:
*Please complete the GG survey by April 30th if you haven't already:  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd95zCfc39PVRyWV1hVlKQ-iAMwGNtVox2DkemivPc__BFfyw/viewform


Blogs, Tweets & Pins...Oh My!!!
*How to Make a Quiz Work Harder for You
*End Your School Year with What Matters Most "Beginnings set the tone, but endings don't just come together on accident. There's something special about a narrative that ends really well."
How do you plan to end your year?

Thursday Throwdown - April 18. 2019

Great Things I Noticed this Week:
*Kindergartners engaged in their PLTW projects. When I asked each student what they were making, I was so impressed that they each went right into explaining the function of each part to me!
*3-5th graders applied their stamina, focus, and test taking strategies for Forward exam testing. We had some students that spent hours on writing one essay, because they wanted to do their best.  While this was happening I saw, but didn't hear, several K-2 classes walking through the hallways SO silently to help maintain focus for testing. Thank you!
Thank you also to everyone who helped make testing the most conducive for our students by switching specials/recess schedules, proctoring a small group, helping out with extra duties, etc.
*So many great ideas shared about helping students build their self-regulation skills in our staff meeting.

Events Next Week:
Monday - 3-5th graders are Forward testing throughout the mornings. Please keep hallways quiet!
-After school-Talent Show rehearsal

Tuesday - 3-5th graders are Forward testing throughout the mornings. Please keep hallways quiet!
2:30 Talent Show school preview

6:00pm Dodgeland's Got Talent!

Thursday - I will be out of the building
Thursday/Friday - 4K screening

Mark your calendars for Friday, May 3rd Inflatable Day (in HS gym):

10:00-11:00 grades k/1

12:30-1:30 grades 4/5
1:45-2:45 grades 2/3
3:10 STAFF!!!! :) :) :) I am not kidding...they are going to keep them running for us to have fun!!!!

"Nuts & Bolts" Notes:
*We have some smelly lockers...please have students clean theirs out before the 3 day weekend. The custodians found a few VERY old snack pack bags. Yuck!!!

*We could use parent helpers for the inflatable day. I'd love it if you could post the date/time for your grade to your Class Dojo to see if you have any interested parents. They can call/email/message me on Dojo. Thank you!

Blogs, Tweets & Pins...Oh My!!!
*We Must Maslow Before We Bloom

Friday Focus - April 12, 2019

Great Things I Noticed this Week:
*4K students reading books by memory---5K teachers you've got readers coming your way next year!
*1st graders made posters for our lunch room to encourage all students to clean up after themselves, because they want our lunch room to look nicer (this was their choice in their current Lucy writing unit!)
*3rd graders incredibly engaged in coding during their PLTW time, coming up with creative touches to their coding while still completing their requirements for each and then writing about it.
*4th graders put all the knowledge they learned in PLTW about energy into creating a vehicle restraint system for an egg with the intent to not crack the egg as it rolled down an incline plane intot he wall. My favorite was watching their slow motion videos they used to see what went wrong so they could tweak it (learning from failure!)
*All of you brought the excitement for the state send off! I had a high school student tell me after that we made it so much more fun!

Upcoming Events:
Today - rescheduled Tornado drill at 1:45 (pm recess will need to end a little early)
   2:30 3rd quarter pride assembly - have your teacher iPads ready for another fun Class Kahoot challenge!

Monday - Wednesday: State Forward testing for 3-5th graders throughout the mornings. Keep the hallways quiet please!

Monday - Brewer Day (yes, jeans too!)
Wednesday - Workout Wednesday, Elementary staff meeting
Thursday - A videographer will be here throughout the day to record in some classrooms, at recess, in the halls and on a walking field trip for Blue Zones (this got rescheduled thanks to the April blizzard)
Friday - No School. Rest up. Relax. Rejuvenate, because the fast roller coaster ride to the end of the year is approaching! 

"Nuts & Bolts" Notes:
*Just a reminder to complete the survey sent about by Dr. Thompson last Monday regarding trauma informed practices for schools (before you leave for your 3 day weekend).

Blogs, Tweets & Pins...Oh My!!!!
*No Student is Unreachable

Friday Focus - April 5, 2019

Great Things I Noticed this Week:
*5th graders presenting to the class about the career they researched. They learned about new interesting career possibilities and eliminated some they know they won't like!
*4th graders in a "teacher" math center where they got to take turns sitting in the teacher chair (they used rochambo to decide) and gave their small group of students a problem to solve and check before trading with a new "teacher."
*Students sharing videos of their PLTW project with the class, along with what they learned from their mistakes/what they would do differently.
*3rd graders showing reading stamina and test taking strategies to tackle tricky reading passages to practice for the upcoming Forward exam.


Events Next Week:
Monday - New Teachers/Mentors meetings (separate, but at the same 3:15 time)
Tuesday - I'll announce students of the month at 8:05
 9:30-11:25 4th Grade Forward testing Shhhh-quiet in the halls!

Wednesday -  9:30-11:25 4th Grade Forward testing Shhhh-quiet in the halls!

Thursday - FYI: A videographer will be here throughout the day to record in some classrooms, at recess, in the halls and on a walking field trip for Blue Zones.

-Statewide tornado drill 1:45
-Talent show auditions after school

Friday -3rd quarter Pride assembly starting at 2:30. Classroom teachers-please be ready with your iPads for the class Kahoot challenge :)

Future date: Friday, May 3rd is Inflatable Party Day!!! We will have 2 grade levels at a time in the gym for the party :)

"Nuts & Bolts" Notes:
*Our attendance rates took a big hit in March, but we can get it back up. Thank you to everyone in your work to help make students want to be in school (greeting at the door, hugs, high fives, and genuine concern reaching out to families when students are absent).  Just a reminder that each class is competing for the top class of ALL HERE by earning those flowers that will go up on the board next to your grade level.  Please also help promote this in your classroom and on your class Dojo or Facebook pages. 

Blogs, Tweets & Pins...Oh My!!!
*Label Our Clothing, Not Our Students

Friday Focus - March 22, 2019

Great Things I Noticed this Week:
*Kindergartners using the SMARTNotebook app on their iPads at math time. They were so engaged on the carpet to solve the problems the teacher displayed on the smartboard.
*Kudos to the 3-5th grade teachers in preparing their students for the upcoming Forward exam. I've seen teachers thinking outloud for students to learn how to use process of elimination to answer a question that they don't feel they have the answer to. I've seen a teacher model how to read every answer choice to make sure they pick the right answer and not answer too quickly. I also saw students analyzing sample writing with a scoring rubric to understand what is expected of them in the writing portion of the Froward exam. During this, they made a list of "tips and tricks" for when they will be completing the writing session of the Forward.
*I've seen so many classrooms having conversations about colleges (or I saw the work after, like college pennants or student goals for college). I've had several students tell me at lunch time about the colleges they were researching. And of course I am in LOVE with the pictures of students in their future jobs. And if that wasn't cute enough, here is a picture from the Class of 2034...

Upcoming Events:
Wed-Friday Spring Break!!!  Rest, relax, rejuvenate!
Monday, April 1 - grades due by 7:30am (no joke for April fools day, that's for real!)
-EP Training (doc log/slo)
Tuesday, April 2 - Forward Proctor training (I don't have groups ready yet. If you've proctored before, plan on proctoring again. Please come to the training!)

Wednesday, April 3 - report cards to be distributed
 -Elementary staff meeting (including support staff) on trauma invested practices




"Nuts & Bolts" Notes:

*Make sure to put in your "back from spring break plans" to spend time rehearsing procedures and making time for relationship building. Don't forget the "Significant 72." By the way....I still have Greg's book if you want it!

*One of the questions in your feedback was regarding consistent expectations for coats at recess. I know that a black or white policy would make it easy for everyone, however,  that also creates battles with kids. Why? Because everyone feels different at the same temperature. I am freezing in my house at 68 degrees and my husband is warm. We all bundle up at 45 degrees in October, yet I've seen many already pull out sandals at 45 degrees now.

We are OK with kids taking their coats off at recess. If they are playing hard they start sweating and it's ok to take it off. Just think back to hard you played in our back to school Playworks training, how hot and sweaty you got. Now imagine putting your coat on.   We want kids to learn how to self-regulate their emotions...we can have them self-regulate if they need the coat on or off too.

If kids are cold, they will put the coat back on.

Don't sweat the small stuff. :)




Blogs, Tweets & Pins...Oh My
*I Got Nothing Done and It Was Great

Student names go on the back side of the post-it so you know how they're feeling

Friday Focus - March 15, 2019

Great Things I Noticed this Week:
*4th graders celebrating the end of their writing unit by walking around to read each other's published pieces. (Secret tip-they got to have the treat of a tootsie pop, which meant they were all silent too!)
*Students reflecting individually on their recorded readings, evaluating themselves for their fluency and expression. 
*Students in writing partners, providing each other with feedback and questions to help each other revise their writing to add in descriptive details.

Events Next Week: College and Career Awareness week (remember-if you participate in our color dress up you get to wear jeans while promoting college/career awareness!)
Monday - Red
Tuesday - Blue
Wednesday - Green
-Elementary Staff meeting at 3:10 (I'll send an email regarding the agenda)
Thursday - Yellow
Friday - Purple

Blogs, Tweets & Pins...Oh My!!!
*Whatifs on How Adults Interact with Kids - Challenge to you all - do more Whatiffing!!