Week 11 Update

Parent Teacher Conferences

Although a primary purpose for Parent/Teacher Conferences is to report to parents on the academic and social/emotional progress of their child, it is important to do this in a "parent-friendly" way.  It helps to put yourself in the shoes of the parent, who may not be familiar with the assessments, levels, and other language that seems commonplace to us.  These are conversations about human beings, not numbers.  Below are some resources you can use to prepare for the conferences:

MMSD DATA USE GUIDE

PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES TIP SHEET (English and Spanish)

PALS 1-2 DATA USE GUIDE

Strengthening Family Engagement Through Parent-Teacher Conferences

*MAP DATA USE GUIDE WILL BE SENT TO 3-5 TEACHERS SEPARATELY

Remember that teachers are required to record P/T Conferences in Infinite Campus.  Click here for instructions.

All teachers should be available through 7:30pm on Wednesday, Nov. 19th.  The following Wednesday, Nov. 26th, teachers are not required to work as compensation for P/T Conference time.

Please let Anamaria know if you require interpretation during your Conferences.

KUDOS

• To Kristen Scott and Vanessa Sanchez who had 12:2 and 14:2 ratios (respectively) for positive reinforcements to redirections during observations this week!
• To Courtney Klaetsch and Kiersten Audy for being open to peer observation!
• To Lizette and Kristen for being the first grade level to complete assessments and enter data into the Warehouse.

Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

• K-5 teams can request a virtual visit from a Math Teacher Leader via Google Hangouts to provide timely and responsive support at the team level as they plan for core math instruction.   "Visits" can be specific to your team, or groups of teams across the district may hangout at the same time around a specific topic. You may even be able to connect across the district with like teams in order to create a longer-term planning support group.  Interested? Meet with your teams and fill out the Googleform to request a time. Teacher Leaders will then set up a Google Hangout time for a virtual visit. Teams are asked to inform their Math Lead and Principal of request.
• Please be sure to enter data into the Data Warehouse.  If you are unsure how to do this, consult with your grade level team.
• **Mon Nov 17 Math Workshop with Kerry Motoviloff**

PBS

Check out this cool website with all kinds of tools and resources around Positive Behavior Supports.

Week 9 Updates

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• Year to Date Attendance Rate: 97.67%
• Goal for 2014-2015: 97%

#1 in MMSD!

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The Code Red Drill was very well-done yesterday.  We were joined by 4 officers from Monona Police Department, who all left with a good impression of our school.  The kids were very quiet, it was impossible to tell which classrooms were empty and which were not, which is exactly the situation we want to create in the event of an armed intruder.  All door windows were blacked out, and all but one door was locked.  I want to take a minute to discuss the unlocked door.  Remember, in times of crisis, it is common for our brains to fail us.  When the Code Red was announced, a teacher panicked a bit and immediately went to lock her door.  The problem was that the door was already locked, and the teacher actually unlocked it unknowingly.  This is why routine and drill is important for safety in the case of an emergency situation.  If your door is always locked, you will not second guess yourself when a situation arises.  A good lesson was learned yesterday.  That is why we drill.

Kudos--Laura G. for her dedication to her students.

Reminders

• Teachers should return completed tallies to Cecilia by Monday Nov. 3
• 3-5 Teachers, click here for the Spanish version of the MAP progress report explanation sheet.
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SBLT--On Tuesday, Nov. 4th, the leadership team will be meeting to analyze MAP Reading data. All are welcome to attend, 3:30-5:00 in Sarah N.'s room.

Important Information

• Parent Teacher Conferences will be held on Nov. 19th. Students will be released at 11:35 on that day.  If you have parents who have not signed up for a conference, please contact them as soon as possible to set something up.  
• The make-up/compensatory day for the Fall and Spring P/T conference evenings is Nov. 26th.  More information here.
• Assessments: Josh has asked that fall fountas & pinnell, wrap, and mondo assessments as well as number development/fact fluency assessments be completed by the end of quarter 1 (Nov 7) Please be prepared to use either reading or math assessments in our data dig staff meeting Monday, Nov 10. WRAP Assessments: 3-5 teachers are co-creating a document with acceptable responses on comprehension. To input, click https://docs.google.com/a/madison.k12.wi.us/document/d/1aRLCTNuvGpq3D7w7q4b4viIduA6LeqmrYdAly74wZLs/edit
• Math: Singapur math workbooks are to be ordered for students to build fluency during independent work time. Emily is currently collecting requests for levels. To place your order, 1) administer Number development assessment 2)complete class profile located https://drive.google.com/a/madison.k12.wi.us/?tab=mo#folders/0B932mxg0ed0mRGw4ZkgwLXRGRGs 3) invite students to use the "try it" pages to ensure these are indeed the appropriate resource 4)input the amount of each book you'd like to order on this doc https://docs.google.com/a/madison.k12.wi.us/spreadsheets/d/1Dk_3kxislUnLbnpqcvGIshH9LFClgWRBY02q-YHLQq8/edit?usp=sharing
• Professional Development: GLT meetings first week in November: problem solving with students receiving intervention; Monday Nov 10: Data Dig; Friday Nov 14 half day: Anti-bullying, grr, and metalanguage
• Teachers can learn more about using MAP results during a live interactive webinar on Monday, Nov. 3, from 4-5 p.m. For more information visit the MAP website.

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• Please welcome Kyle Luedtke to our building as new computer tech. Kyle started this week.
• Also, a new SEA, Carlos Lozano will start on Tuesday, Nov. 4th. Please help me make Carlos feel welcome.
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Video of the Week:

• See Ross Greene's, author of The Explosive Child, Kids do Well if they Can.  

Week 8 Update

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Grade Level Team Meetings

• In a continued effort to support you with Educator Effectiveness, next week's meetings will be devoted to sharing your EE Plan with your team to get feedback.  This is a requirement for teachers who are in a Supporting Year, and suggested for teachers who are in a Summary Year.  I will send an agenda based on my meetings with summary-year teachers in a separate email.

• If your team has already done this, please contact Emily for other options for your meeting time.
• On Monday, an FAQ will be shared that was co-developed by MTI and district administration to clarify Monday structured planning time.  I feel that we as a school are really leveraging this time to be of most benefit for our students, thank you!

Kudos!

• To Lisa Smith for her enthusiasm and care when working with our students.  We are so happy to have you!
• To Bettina for her willingness to help staff and students alike.  Your work is so appreciated!
• To Megan Neveau for contributing to our music program and building relationships with kids during her student teaching time here.  You will be greatly missed, but we wish you the best of luck with your next assignment!

Reminders

• Remember to complete the assessments for use on Nov. 10th. See last week's blog entry for more details.
• Code Red Drill scheduled for Thursday afternoon, Oct. 30. There will be a brief meeting to review procedures on Monday afternoon at 3:30, in the art room.
• See calendar on blog site for additional reminders.

Important Information

• Finalized Educator Effectiveness plans are due in Teachscape for all teaching staff a week from today (OCt. 31st).
• Click here for a blank template for your Student Learning Objective (SLO)

Video of the Week:

The Importance of Sleep--4 minute Ted Talk by Ariana Huffington about taking care of yourself through getting adequate sleep.

Week 7 Update

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Percentage of 3rd-5th grades proficient or advanced on Fall MAP: 

Reading: 20.27%--(Goal 30%)

• ELLs 7%--(Goal 15%)

Math: 26.35%--(Goal 37%)

Time to work our magic!

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Using Assessment in Instruction

Our beginning of year screeners (PALS and MAP) are nearly completed at this point. Now our attention must turn to assessing to inform differentiated instruction and to guide instructional moves.

At our November Staff PD, teachers will be asked to bring data for their class for the purposes of analyzing student needs and creating groups for guided instruction.  Please be prepared to bring the following data to that meeting:

• K-2 : Spanish Text Reading Levels (TRL) + MDA or Fact Fluency Interviews
• 3-5: English TRL for students scoring below proficienct on MAP Reading, Spanish TRL for all students + Fact Fluency Interviews

Using Assessment in Instruction

Our beginning of year screeners (PALS and MAP) are nearly completed at this point. Now our attention must turn to assessing to inform differentiated instruction and to guide instructional moves.

At our November Staff PD (Nov. 10th), teachers will be asked to bring data for the purposes of analyzing student needs and creating groups for guided instruction.  Please be prepared to bring the following data to that meeting:

• K-2 : Spanish Text Reading Levels (TRL) + MDA or Fact Fluency Interviews
• 3-5: English TRL for students scoring below proficient on MAP Reading, Spanish TRL for all students + Fact Fluency Interviews

Quarter 1 ends on Nov. 3rd.  These assessments will also provide you with important information for Parent/Teacher Conferences.

Kudos!

• Carolyn, José, Mary, and Lucia--for representing NMCS on Saturday morning for the UW football game fundraiser.

Reminders

• 
  

Important Information

• Educator Effectiveness Planning sessions will begin this week.  Please work on your PPG and SLO to get those completed on time.
• Click here for a blank template for your Student Learning Objective (SLO)


• If you are interested in having AmeriCorps volunteers come in to talk about healthy snacks please contact Natasha Smith at natashas@reapfoodgroup.org .
• Madison Capitols hockey opening night, teachers and staff can get free tickets, click here!

Week 6 Update

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----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Percentage of 2nd graders proficient on the PALS screener in Spanish: 

92.6%

It's nice to see data that reflects the culmination of our K-2 instruction!  You better believe I'll be shouting this from the mountain tops.



Feedback from Deep Dive

The feedback from the Deep Dive was overwhelmingly positive! We continue to see high levels of engagement in all classrooms. We observed a lot of "Preparense para leer" activities including poems and songs, videos from the Calle website, and language/vocabulary work.

Because the Deep Dive visits are merely a quick snap-shot of what is happening in the classroom, often at inopportune times in your schedule, it was difficult to get an consistent picture of common practices.  The SBLT will work to develop a better approach to the Deep Dive that will allow us to get a more accurate picture of how our SIP is coming alive in classrooms and how professional learning is being applied.

One potential take-away is that we are on the right track with our SIP in terms of centering our instructional learning around focus lessons and whole-group instruction.

Kudos!

• Luz Celedon for her zapateado during the Jose Luis Orozco assembly.
• Jane Danley for helping so many teachers be able to focus on teaching, by providing assessment support.
• Sarah Niesen for hosting a group of parents interested in starting a school garden

Reminders

• Please complete your binder for substitute teachers and place them in your mailbox. The binder should "live" in your mailbox so Subs can pick it up when they sign in. Correction to last blog entry: all SEAs had their sub folders ready by the deadline.
• Teacher Self-Review for teachers in "supporting year" is due Oct. 15th, in Teachscape.
• Picture Day Oct. 13 in the gym, sign up for a time slot on the google doc from Cecilia. (if rainy day, gym class will be held in classrooms)
• Liderazgo/PTO meeting Friday, Oct. 17th.  Topics include BEP and 1st/2nd grade parent panel.  Later I will be sharing a google doc to sign up for at least one Liderazgo meeting this year.  It would be ideal for your grade level team to sign up and attend together.  Please plan to attend at least one of these, you are welcome to attend any and all.
• UW Parking fundraiser this Saturday, 9-10:30am, in the Doyle parking lot.

Important Information

• Educator Effectiveness Planning sessions will begin this week.  Please work on your PPG and SLO to get those completed on time.
• Click here for a blank template for your Student Learning Objective (SLO)
• Anamaria has come up with a great idea to encourage all students leaving here dreaming of the college they will some day attend.  I agree it's never to early to start talking about this.  Her idea is that each teacher will post a "pendant" of the college they attended outside their door or in the classroom. I'm ordering a Tarleton State Texans pendant now!
• If you are interested in having AmeriCorps volunteers come in to talk about healthy snacks please contact Natasha Smith at natashas@reapfoodgroup.org .
• Madison Capitols hockey opening night, teachers and staff can get free tickets, click here!

Week 5 Update

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• September Attendance Rate: 96.86%
• Goal for 2014-2015: 97%

You engage students...THANK YOU!

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In yesterday's paper, I read that an elementary school in Syria had been bombed, killing up to 30 kids.  As I reflected on that terrible tragedy, I was reminded of the big picture of what we are trying to accomplish here at Nuestro Mundo. September was hard, no doubt about it.  So many new things to learn and adjust to, so many deadlines to meet, new kids to figure out.  But when I read about atrocities such as the one in Syria, it reminds me to rise above the difficulties of the everyday ins and outs of our job, and focus on how we can work to change things for future generations.  

Let's remember why we are doing this, what attracted us to this line of work in our early adulthood, and rekindle the belief that, as Nelson Mandela put it, "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

-Josh
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Next Monday morning we will have our first "Deep Dive" with Chief of Elementary Schools, Nancy Hanks.  The purpose of these deep dives is to review and monitor the implementation of our School Improvement Plan.  The agenda for the morning will look something like this:

• Review SIP and Student Achievement Data
• Classroom walk-throughs (9:30-10:30), in which we will be visiting classrooms and recording data based on our "look-fors" on iPads. I apologize if this seems clinical, but we'll be using a google form which will make data analysis much easier.   The "look-fors" will be sent in a separate email.  I know most of you will be doing "Prepárense a leer" activities, which is exactly what you should doing on a Monday morning.  Do not feel that you should change your plans b/c of the Deep Dive.
• Review walk-through data and develop next steps.

The walk-throughs are not evaluative of teachers in any way.  Teacher names are not gathered in the Google Form, nor are teacher names used in the subsequent discussion.  Teachers are not expected to do anything differently for deep dives, than what they would normally be doing based on grade level team planning.   The data and notes from the deep dive will be shared with staff promptly following the deep dive.

This time, observers will include:

• Josh
• Stephanie
• Rigo
• Lesli Taschwer, School Improvement Partner
• Nancy Hanks, Chief of Elementary Schools

Kudos!

• Jose Flores for being so flexible and willing to help out in a pinch.
• Anne Seeber for addressing minor issues before they become major problems.
• Lizette Altamirano for hosting the first restorative circle at Nuestro Mundo

A week of learning around "I can" statements:

Thanks to all teacher teams for the focus they put into their grade level p.d. this week. New learning came out of each of the meetings. Below are some insights that came up in different conversations that can help us better understand our work around I can statements...

- Preserve the magic of I Can by not over-using! At the PD a variety of I can's were presenting to show how universal they can be. Using too many can make the I Can get real old real quick. In general, you might consider 1 -2 I can statements for your whole group literacy teaching per week.

- I can statements are powerful when they are developed around the thinking we want kids to do. Refrain from I can's that are around benchmark (I can reach level x) or I can's that center around recall or item knowledge (I can know my doubles math facts, I can say sight words, I can learn short vowels or syllables ta/te, etc).  Consider instead I can's that get at strategic behaviors (I can notice when I'm stuck on a word and reread to help myself... or I can think about the purpose of a text to help me understand what I read...or I can say a word slowly and write the sounds I hear)

- I can is a piece of the standard, not the standard rewritten.  The standards are dense! Look at the standard and think: what steps does a child need to carry out in order to carry out the behavior described in the standard? We're breaking down the standard into manageable chunks for the kids through actionable I can statements.

Let's continue to keep the discussion open around lessons learned through creating/implementing I can statements!

Reminders

• Don't forget to turn in your Ready, Set, Go time sheets into me for approval.  Don't forget to indicate your Compensation Preference. 
• Please complete your binder for substitute teachers and place them in your mailbox. The binder should "live" in your mailbox so Subs can pick it up when they sign in. Thanks to Wendy, Kristen, Courtney, Susan, Bettina, Luz C., Imma, and Chris for having their binder ready by the deadline!
• There will be a Book Room "Open House" on Friday, Oct. 3rd during lunch.  Come learn how to properly use the book room resources to support your guided instruction.  This is a voluntary learning opportunity, but all are encouraged to stop by.  Snacks will be available!
• Movie Night is October 3rd, from 6:30-8:00pm.  Teachers are welcome to attend.  :-)
• Picture Day Oct. 13 in the gym, sign up for a time slot on the google doc from Cecilia. (if rainy day, gym class will be held in classrooms)
• NAMI Walk this Sunday, Oct. 5th.  More info coming to those who have indicated that they will attend.

Important Information

• Maxi has decided to take a year off from her duties in the cafeteria to care for her new baby, Vanessa.  Connie Mota will take over her duties preparing snack and assisting in the lunch room.  Welcome Connie to the team!
• Contrary to information provided at the Educator Effectiveness Open Workshop, teachers can use Spring data from the data warehouse as a baseline to develop your SLO.
• Click here for a blank template for your Student Learning Objective (SLO)
• Stephanie Herrera will serve as Principal Designee again this year.  This means that when I am out of the building, she will make decisions on my behalf and have authority over the day-to-day functions in the school.
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• José Luis Orozco will be visiting Nuestro Mundo on Wed. Oct. 8th at 9:00am!  He will play a concert for K-2nd graders that should last about an hour.  
• Nuestro Mundo has $833.00 available from the Foundation for Madison Public Schools Endowment Fund.  Look for an email later with directions on how to request a grant.  Grant applications due on October 15th.  Grant ideas should be "creative and innovative projects that are not funded within the core school budget."  
• There are also funds available through NMI, roughly $14,000.  Please contact Libbey Meister (libbey05@gmail.com) for more information (The application form will be shared with you via google docs).
• Please get all completed OMGE surveys to Cecilia or Anamaria by today.

Week 4 Update

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Educator Effectiveness Updates

Remember to attend one of the Open Workshops with Jorge Covarrubias, our Educator Effectiveness Strategist.  Dates and times for these workshops are:

• Tuesday, Sep. 30th, 3:30-4:15
• Monday, Oct. 6th, 2:30-3:30
• Thursday, Oct. 23rd, 3:30-4:15

Deadlines include:

• 9/30: Teacher Self-Review (Teachers in Summary Year)
• 10/15: Teacher Self-Review (Teachers in Supporting Year)
• 10/31: Educator Effectiveness Plan put into Teachscape and shared with principal (All Teachers, unless otherwise notified)

My (Josh) Educator Effectiveness Workflow:

• October--Beginning of year EE planning meetings with teachers in summary year.
• November--Short Observations (unannounced) for teachers in summary year.
• December--Short Observations (unannounced) for teachers in supporting year.
• January/February--Pre-conference, Long Observation (announced), and Post-conference for teachers in summary year.
• March--Middle of the year conferences with teachers in summary year.  Possible short observations (unannounced) for teachers in supporting year.
• April--Short Observations (unannounced) for teachers in summary year.
• May--End of Year Conferences with teachers in summary year. 

Kudos!

• Julia Ketterer for providing much needed literacy intervention for students in need in the first month of school.
• To Emily Zoeller for modeling our school's commitment to elevating the status of the Spanish language by conducting professional learning in her second langauge. 
• To Kristi Nelson for managing and coordinating the assessment madness during the first month of school. 
• Stephanie Herrera for putting together a great assembly last week.

Important Reminders

• Don't forget to turn in your Ready, Set, Go time sheets into me for approval.  Don't forget to indicate your Compensation Preference. 
• Please complete your binder for substitute teachers and place them in your mailbox. The binder should "live" in your mailbox so Subs can pick it up when they sign in. These should be done by Oct. 1st.
• There will be a Book Room "Open House" on Friday, Oct. 3rd during lunch.  Come learn how to properly use the book room resources to support your guided instruction.  This is a voluntary learning opportunity, but all are encouraged to stop by.  Snacks will be available!
• Movie Night is October 3rd, from 6:30-8:00pm.  Teachers are welcome to attend.  :-)
• The NAMI (Nat'l Alliance for the Mentally Ill) walk to raise awareness and eliminate the stigma around mental illness is Sunday, Oct. 5th.  See Josh or Emily if you would like to join our group--The Super Pumas.  So far, we have 6 staff members signed up, and have raised over $1700!  
• Our school will take part in a school fundraiser on Saturday Oct. 11th, at the Doyle Admin Building parking lot.  We will take donations for Badger football fans to park.  Last year we made about $1,000 for about 4 hours of work.  If you show up, you get to decide how to spend the money!  Game time is still listed a TBD.  Please let Josh know if you can help out.
• Complete the Tech Survey and Legal/Social Tech Guidelines webinar by Sep. 30 (Make sure to notify Josh when you are done)
• 
  

Important Information

• José Luis Orozco will be visiting Nuestro Mundo on Wed. Oct. 8th at 9:00am!  He will play a concert for K-2nd graders that should last about an hour.  
• Nuestro Mundo has $833.00 available from the Foundation for Madison Public Schools Endowment Fund.  Look for an email later with directions on how to request a grant.  Grant applications due on October 15th.  Grant ideas should be "creative and innovative projects that are not funded within the core school budget."  
• There are also funds available through NMI, roughly $14,000.  Please contact Libbey Meister (libbey05@gmail.com) for more information (The application form will be shared with you via google docs).
• OMGE will be sending out surveys for parents next week.  They ask that we help distribute and collect them.  Please get all completed surveys to Anamaria by Oct. 6th.

Week Three Update

[To read this information in blog format and to access the calendar of important events, click the link at the bottom of this message]

Hi Everyone,

I want to begin by acknowledging that my focus has been somewhat scattered in these first few weeks of school, and for that I apologize.  As a principal, there are many things pulling at your attention at all times, just like a teacher really.  My promise to you from this point forward is to retrain my primary focus to be supporting your work as teachers and support staff.

I continue to be amazed at your hard work and dedication to this school, its students, their families, and to each other--your colleagues.  Change is hard, it's complex, and it's never perfect.  We have experienced a few hurdles to overcome early on in our restructuring efforts, particularly in the intermediate grades.  When times get tough, remember to reflect on what attracted you to this profession.  For me, it was a chance to make an impact on the world, fight injustice, and have an exciting, challenging career.

I am inspired at how you have supported each other, particularly those supporting our new teachers.  I am also inspired at how you have approached difficulties as they present themselves from a problem-solving, solutions-oriented perspective as opposed to mere complaining or venting.

Remember, it is important for me not to become one of those principals who is disconnected from the classroom.  I want to hear what your concerns are either directly or through your SBLT representative.

Thanks,
Josh

Kudos!

• To Valerie Klessig for being so driven and taking on challenges with grace and kindness. 
• To Anamaria for her speedy work with translations and all the behind the scenes work she does for our school. 
• Rainbow Rickey for tolerating Friday night Liderazgo/PTO meetings.

Important Reminders

• Please turn in all Parent Notification Forms (see email from Jane D.) to Jane as you receive them.  This is a state regulation that we now must comply with.  These must go to OMGE by the end of the week.
• Remember to dial always 0 for support. On call schedule differs for support staff and we want to honor the time they are off call for other important work. 
• Please complete your binder for substitute teachers and place them in your mailbox. The binder should "live" in your mailbox so Subs can pick it up when they sign in. These should be done by Oct. 1st.
• Feedback from several teachers that it is really nice when their class gets tickets from someone other than themselves. Let's celebrate each other and make an effort to give one puma ticket daily to another class. 
• There will be a Book Room "Open House" on Friday, Oct. 3rd during lunch.  Come learn how to properly use the book room resources to support your guided instruction.  This is a voluntary learning opportunity, but all are encouraged to stop by.  Snacks will be available!
• The NAMI (Nat'l Alliance for the Mentally Ill) walk to raise awareness and eliminate the stigma around mental illness is Sunday, Oct. 5th.  See Josh or Emily if you would like to join our group--The Super Pumas.
• Our school will take part in a school fundraiser on Saturday Oct. 11th, at the Doyle Admin Building parking lot.  We will take donations for Badger football fans to park.  Last year we made about $1,000 for about 4 hours of work.  If you show up, you get to decide how to spend the money!  Game time is still listed a TBD.  Please let Josh know if you can help out.
• Get your daily schedule to Cecilia by Sep. 15th (Cecilia should be able to find your class during the day Monday-Friday by consulting this schedule)
• Complete the Tech Survey and Legal/Social Tech Guidelines webinar by Sep. 30 (Make sure to notify Josh when you are done)
• All volunteers (even parents) who have direct contact with students should complete a background check form to be sent to Human Resources.  These forms can be found in the office.

Important Information

• The PD calendar and structured planning time has been altered to make things more predictable for teachers.  Now it will look like this:
• 1st Week of Month: Grade level consultation (w/ Stephanie and Kristi)
• 2nd Week of Month: All staff PD on Monday afternoon
• 3rd Week of Month: Extending the learning and planning with Emily
• 4th Week of Month: Extending the learning and planning with Emily
• To avoid putting one more thing on teachers' plates, the Homework Policy will not go into effect this fall.  The policy was shared with all staff via Google docs.  Please provide input by October 17th.  The plan is to launch the policy through the Spring Parent/Teacher conferences.
• Nuestro Mundo has $833.00 available from the Foundation for Madison Public Schools Endowment Fund.  Look for an email later with directions on how to request a grant.  Grant applications due on October 15th.  Grant ideas should be "creative and innovative projects that are not funded within the core school budget."  
• There are also funds available through NMI, roughly $14,000.  Please contact Libbey Meister (libbey05@gmail.com) for more information .

This Week's Quote:

• The measure of success isn’t whether you have a tough problem, but whether it’s the same problem you had last year.
  -John Foster Dulles

Updates from the SBLT (Site-based Leadership Team)

In an effort to make sure that all staff are kept informed of important topics discussed by the leadership team, I will be sending out a biweekly update summarizing the meetings.  Remember, all staff are able to attend these meetings, it is not an exclusive group.

Current core members include:

• Josh Forehand
• Leslie Taschwer, School Improvement Partner
• Emily Zoeller, Facilitator
• Kristi Nelson, Data Point Person
• Chris Powers, Time-Keeper and Related Arts rep
• Sarah Niesen, Recorder and 3rd grade rep
• Laura Gibson, Kindergarten rep
• Kiersten Audy, 2nd Grade rep
• Rigoberto Gallegos, 4th grade rep
• Kristen Scott, 5th grade rep
• Stephanie Herrera, PBS rep
• Peter Joyce, Parent and Nuestro Mundo, Inc. rep
• Pam McGillivray, Parent and NMI rep

The meetings will consist of a predictable agenda:

• Voices from the Field: in which grade level representatives can bring celebrations and concerns from their colleagues to the SBLT.
• Monitoring the SIP: Review student data and feedback from staff PDs, Deep Dives, teacher team assessments, etc.
• PD Calendar: discuss ongoing development of PD plan
• Decide Agenda for Next Meeting

Our first meeting of the school year was September 9th.  I will provide a summary of this meeting shortly.  We meet every other Tuesday in Sarah Niesen's room from 3:45-5:00pm.  Snacks are served at 3:30!

Our next meeting is on the 23rd of September, wherein the main topic will be the finalization of our School Improvement Plan, which is due on September 30th to Superintendent Cheatham.

Restraint and Seclusion

Hi Everyone,

Please make sure you read the district policy on Restraint and Seclusion, and follow the policy closely.  To make this easier for you, I've copied and pasted it here.

Generally speaking, only staff who have received the Crisis Management Intervention training should restrain a child.  This includes, principal, support staff, special educators, and SEAs.

Dial 0 and request behavior support before attempting to restrain a child in any way, unless there is an immediate threat of physical injury to the student or someone else.

Thank you for helping to make this a safe school for all.

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District Policy 4221

Use of Restraint and/or Seclusion

School discipline requires the guidance of pupils in a way which permits the orderly and efficient operation of the school. The BOARD does not condone the use of, restraint or seclusion by employees when dealing with pupils, and corporal punishment and unreasonable use of physical force are expressly prohibited. The BOARD recognizes, however, that it may be necessary for school personnel to use reasonable and appropriate restraint and/or seclusion when a student’s behavior presents a clear, present, and imminent risk to the physical safety of the student or others and it is the least restrictive intervention feasible.

PROCEDURE

CONDUCT

4221 Pupils

Use of Restraint and/or Seclusion

1. Reasonable Use of Restraint:
   1. Reasonable restraint may be used by school personnel when necessary to restrain, remove, or disarm pupils whose behavior presents a clear, present, and imminent risk to the physical safety of the pupil or others.
   2. Restraint is necessary only when it is the least restrictive intervention feasible.
   3. In determining whether the use of restraint is reasonable and necessary, all circumstances surrounding the incident shall be considered, including without limitation, the seriousness of the problem and the threat posed by the pupil, and the availability and use of other means of intervention not involving the use of restraint.
   4. The degree of force used and the duration of the restraint shall not exceed the degree and duration that are reasonable and necessary to resolve the clear, present, and imminent risk to the physical safety of the pupil or others.
2. Training related to the use of restraint:
   1. Except in circumstances set forth in 2.b., no District employee shall engage in restraint unless he or she has received training in the use of restraint.
   2. A District employee who has not received training in the use of restraint may engage in restraint only in an emergency and only if a District employee who has been trained in the use of restraint is not immediately available due the unforeseen nature of the emergency.
3. Reasonable Use of Seclusion:
   1. Seclusion may be used on a pupil if the pupil’s behavior presents a clear, present, and imminent risk to the physical safety of the pupil or others and is the least restrictive intervention feasible.
   2. Seclusion may be used only if a District employee maintains constant supervision of the pupil.
   3. Seclusion may be used only if the area or room used for seclusion is free of objects or fixtures that may injure the pupil.
   4. If a pupil is secluded in a room, no door connecting the room may be capable of being locked.
   5. If a student is secluded the pupil must have adequate access to bathroom facilities, drinking water, necessary medication, and regularly scheduled meals and the duration of the seclusion is only as long as necessary to resolve the clear, present, and imminent risk to the physical safety of the pupil or others.
4. Reasonable use of physical intervention:
   1. Physical intervention may be used on a pupil if the pupil’s behavior presents a clear, present, and imminent risk to the physical safety of the pupil or others and is the least restrictive intervention feasible.
   2. In determining whether the use of physical intervention is reasonable and necessary, all circumstances surrounding the incident shall be considered, including without limitation, the seriousness of the problem and the threat posed by the pupil, and the availability and use of other means of intervention not involving the use of physical intervention.
   3. Examples of physical intervention that could be reasonable and necessary include, but are not limited to, the following:
      1. Using physical intervention to quell a disturbance or prevent an act that threatens physical injury to any person;
      2. Using physical intervention to obtain possession of a weapon or other dangerous object within a pupil’s control;
      3. Using physical intervention for the purpose of self defense or the defense of others;
      4. Using physical intervention to prevent a pupil from inflicting harm on himself or herself.
5. Corporal Punishment and Unreasonable Use of Physical Intervention Prohibited:
   1. The unreasonable use of physical intervention occurs as a result of using physical intervention (1) when it is not necessary to use such physical intervention, or (2) when it is no longer necessary to use such physical intervention.
   2. Corporal punishment is the unreasonable and unnecessary use of physical intervention. It is defined as the intentional infliction of physical pain which is used as a means of discipline.
   3. Corporal punishment and the unreasonable use of physical intervention are prohibited.
   4. Examples of corporal punishment and the unreasonable use of physical intervention are as follows:
      1. Slapping;
      2. Paddling;
      3. Punching;
      4. Kicking;
      5. Pinching;
      6. Prolonged maintenance of physically painful position.
6. Reporting:
   1. Each incident of restraint or seclusion shall be reported to the Building Principal as soon as practicable after the incident of restraint or seclusion has ended.
   2. Each incident of restraint or seclusion shall be reported to a student’s parent no later than one business day after the incident.
   3. Each incident of restraint or seclusion shall be documented by school personnel in a written report within 2 days after the incident.
   4. Annually by September 1, beginning on September 1, 2013, each Principal shall submit to the Board of Education a report containing all the following:
      1. The total number of incidents of restraint and seclusion during the previous school year.
      2. The total number of pupils who were involved in incidents of restraint or seclusion.
      3. The number of children with disabilities who were involved in incidents of restraint or seclusion.
7. Definitions:
   1. In this Policy the following definitions apply:
      1. Restraint - a restriction that immobilizes or reduces the ability of a pupil to freely move his or her torso, arms, legs or head. The definition of restraint does not include briefly touching a pupil’s hand, arm, shoulder or back to calm, comfort, or redirect the pupil.
      2. Seclusion - involuntary confinement of a pupil, apart from others, in a room or area from which the pupil is physically prevented from leaving. The definition of seclusion does not include the following:
         1. Directing a pupil who is disruptive to temporarily separate himself or herself from the general activity in the classroom to allow the pupil to regain behavioral control and the employee to maintain or regain classroom order if the pupil is not confined to an area from which he or she is physically prevented from leaving.
         2. Directing a pupil to temporarily remain in the classroom to complete tasks while other pupils participate in activities outside the classroom if the pupil is not physically prevented from leaving the classroom.

Week 2 Updates

[To read this information in blog format and to access the calendar of important events, click the link at the bottom of this message]

Last week you received an email from Emily reminding everyone of a fundamental element of a quality immersion program, i.e. privileging the minority language.  I fear that this is something that has gotten lost over the years, and especially with our restructuring for biliteracy, language boundaries (in terms of physical space and instructional times) have become less defined.  I know that I need to do more to model this in my interactions with staff and students.

Here are some ways in which we as a school can elevate the status of Spanish, the target language for our program:

• Teachers should adhere strictly to the language of instruction at any given point in the day (bridging and cross-language connection times are an exception)
• Take measures to ensure that students, parents, and other staff members know what is the language of instruction for each instructional block.  Some ideas to do this include: color-coded schedules posted prominently in the classroom, putting on a scarf (or other item of clothing) to indicate a particular language of instruction, have defined walls or spaces in the room devoted to each language.
• Encourage, motivate, and demand that students produce language in Spanish that you know they can produce.  
• Demand that students use strategies other than translation to convey a concept or word they don't know, e.g. circumlocution (describing the word they are trying to say).  Ex. Instead of "Pásame los scissors", encourage students to say something like, "Pásame la cosa que usamos para recortar papel."
• Demand precision in language structures, vocabulary, and accent (in a age and language acquisition developmentally appropriate way).  Don't except, "Yo tiene las tijeras."  Without a teachable moment correction.  Try to make the kids to do the thinking through the correction, don't always give them a recast (providing the correct language for them), rather respond with--"Yo tiene las tijeras?" indicating with your voice that something is incorrect and allow student to make the correction.

**Above all remember that students should never be made to feel embarrassed or inferior for producing a second language incorrectly (this is how we all learn language--making mistakes).

• Always put Spanish first in communications with families.
• Bilingual staff should communicate in Spanish in the hallways, cafeteria, etc. to the greatest degree possible.

Together, we can properly elevate the minority language, making our Latino students and families feel proud of their home language and culture, while improving the language skills of our Spanish Language Learners.

Kudos!:

• To Kiersten Audy  for being patient and proactive with challenging behaviors and collaborating with support staff
• To Lisa Newell for opening her classroom for our first assembly. Her flexibility is much appreciated!

Important Reminders

• We need to tighten up lunch and dismissal times.  Please see the Master Schedule for lunch times.  Dismissal time is 1:50 on Mondays and 3:22 on T-F.  The buses have gotten more punctual, we now have classes exiting the building several minutes after the last bus arrives.
• There will be a Book Room "Open House" on Monday, Oct. 6th, between 2:30-3:30.  Come learn how to properly use the book room resources to support your guided instruction.  This is a voluntary learning opportunity, but all are encouraged to stop by.  Snacks will be available!
• The NAMI (Nat'l Alliance for the Mentally Ill) walk to raise awareness and eliminate the stigma around mental illness is Sunday, Oct. 5th.  See Josh or Emily if you would like to join our group--The Super Pumas.
• Our school will take part in a school fundraiser on Saturday Oct. 11th, at the Doyle Admin Building parking lot.  We will take donations for Badger football fans to park.  Last year we made about $1,000 for about 4 hours of work.  If you show up, you get to decide how to spend the money!
• Get your daily schedule to Cecilia by Sep. 15th (Cecilia should be able to find your class during the day Monday-Friday by consulting this schedule)
• Complete the Tech Survey and Legal/Social Tech Guidelines webinar by Sep. 30 (Make sure to notify Josh when you are done)
• Open House is scheduled for Friday, Sep. 19, from 5:30-6:30.  Dinner, and the first Liderazgo: Parent/Teacher Organization begins thereafter from 6:30-8:00 in the cafeteria.  Please plan to attend Open House, and all are welcome to stay for the PTO meeting as well.
• All volunteers (even parents) who have direct contact with students should complete a background check form to be sent to Human Resources.  These forms can be found in the office.
• The Homework Policy work group will be meeting for the 3rd and final time on Tuesday, September 16th from 4-5 pm in the conference room.  All school staff are invited to attend.  

Important Information

• In addition to leveraging the power of teacher teams to help us meet our SIP goals, we as a school plan to harness the power of instructional coaching this year.  You will be receiving information from Emily, Stephanie, and Ana Salcido about how to sign up for a coaching cycle either as an individual or as a team.  While it does make sense to focus on teachers new to the building and teachers in their "summary year" for Ed. Effectiveness, everyone has room to grow as an educator.  Please respond as quickly as possible to Emily, Stephanie, and Ana's request.
• The school district is looking for teachers to join a group working to overhaul the current report card.  It is essential that Immersion teachers make their voice heard.  The time commitment is not yet clear, but if you are interested, please let me know.
• Teach Scape is now ready for Self-Assessments to be uploaded.  I will share the power point from last week, the directions are there.  These should be done as soon as possible.
• The District has had recent communication with MTI relative to the Teacher Self-Review due date of September 15th. We have agreed to extend the deadline for this process based on MTI's request.  The new deadline for teachers in their summary year will now be September 30th.  The revised deadline for teachers in their supporting year is October 15th.

Resources:

• Ideas for Open House from Teach Channel

First Weekly Update!

[To read this information in blog format and to access the calendar of important events, click the link at the bottom of this message]

What an amazing week!  I am supremely impressed by all the hard work, patience, flexibility, and dedication I've seen this week.  You really are the most incredible staff in MMSD...possibly the world!

A special congratulations to Valerie, Ester, Inma, Julia, Lisa, and Vicky for a great start to the school year. Cecilia and Anamaria have provided a lots of important behind-the-scenes support to keep the school running smoothly and increase communication with homes.  Lizette, Jane, Sarah M., and Emily have taken on their new roles with grace and tenacity.

Please get in the habit of reading this blog closely, as this is my main broadcast of communication during the school year.

I am confident this will be a great year, and I'm proud to work with such a great group of people!  

--Josh


Important Reminders

• First Fire Drill will be held on Sep. 11 in the morning.  We'll get together briefly the day before to review procedures.
• Get your daily schedule to Cecilia by Sep. 15th
• Complete the Tech Survey and Legal/Social Tech Guidelines webinar by Sep. 30
• Open House is scheduled for Friday, Sep. 19, from 5:30-6:30.  Dinner, and the first Liderazgo: Parent/Teacher Organization begins thereafter from 6:30-8:00 in the cafeteria.  Please plan to attend Open House, and all are welcome to stay for the PTO meeting as well.
• All volunteers (even parents) who have direct contact with students should complete a background check form to be sent to Human Resources.  These forms can be found in the office.
• The Homework Policy work group will be meeting for the 3rd and final time on Tuesday, September 23rd from 4-5 pm in the conference room.  All school staff are invited to attend.  

Important Information

• Teach Scape is now ready for Self-Assessments to be uploaded.  I will share the power point from last week, the directions are there.  These should be done as soon as possible.
• Grant opportunity through U.S. Cellular called "Calling all Teachers"-find out more here:  http://www.uscellular.com/about/community-outreach/calling-all-teachers.html
• The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) will begin next week on Tuesday.  The menu is on the FFVP fridge.  Grade level teams and/or building buddies, please fill in our new staff members on how this program works.  Thanks!
• Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) can now be viewed directly from Infinite Campus. There is a section in the IEP summary that lists all the responsibilities of any teacher that works with IEP students (reg. ed, related arts, etc.) . Remember, all teachers are responsible for supporting their students' IEP goals.  

Computer Cart Usage Guidelines

• The calendar is the only method used for checkout (amount and location listed on the event)
• Teachers physically take and return the laptops (or cart) with their class 
• No more sending individual students or groups of students down to take and return  laptops
• No laptops after or before school or weekends (experience shows that  they are not returned in time to use or left unplugged)
• No laptop or Chromebook checkout on Fridays or during assessments in the LMC
• If your students are using laptops then it is in your lesson plans (I got the impression that they were used last year to fill time)
• Last "one" who uses the carts locks them
• All staff is responsible for filling out a work order. If you write   "not working" note  on a computer then please indicate that a work order was completed on that machine

Resources:

• Teacher uses Mine Craft  to meet CCSS in Math class
• Ready to Learn: Creating a Positive Classroom Culture

Last Weekly Update!

**Two students in MMSD had to be administered Epipens yesterday.  Please be extremely careful with students with known allergies if you will have any end of year celebration today.**
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We made it!  Here we are 181 school days later--smarter, leaner.  We have really pulled together as a team this year, and you can see the impact it has made on our students academically, socially, and emotionally. We have a long way to go still in years to come, but I am confident in this school community's ability to meet any goal we set.

Our Restructuring for Biliteracy efforts will require you to really think about your teaching practices, challenge you to do some things new or some things differently, but in the end we will accomplish these goals as well, because we are a team and we support each other.

I'm now going to break a promise I made to some of you and bring back the Wisdom of Geese video. Corny, I know, but the message rings true.  Our long-term success will only be ensured by working as a team and supporting each other.  No islands.  No burn-out.

Let's get through these next 8 hours with no fights, major medical emergencies, probably some tears, and lots of love for these kids and each other.

Then let's go to Luz' house for margaritas.

Thank you all so much, it has been my pleasure to serve as your principal this year.  It's an experience I'll never forget.

Josh

Kudos

• Chris Powers for taking over on the Fun Run.  It was a huge success!
• Marissa Gehrke-Incredible work as our SOH Volunteer coordinator (See Updates)
• Gina Nolan for cleaning out the staff fridge, even while injured!

Updates

• I have seven parents who have indicated interest in forming a Homework Policy Group that will meet a couple of times over the summer to hammer out, once and for all, a K-5 policy for homework for our school.  I need teacher representation on the group.  Please let me know if you are interested, this will only work if parents and teachers come together.  Extended employment offered.
• From Marissa:  Last year at this time, SOH volunteers had logged 150 hours.  This year 415! Booyah!
• 
  

Important Dates

• 6/12 -- LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!!!!  (Full Day)
• 8/11-8/13 -- Leadership Institute 
• 8/14-8/15 -- Behavior Education Plan Institute
• 8/21 -- Registration 
• 8/25-8/26 -- New Educator Training
• 8/27-8/28 -- Professional Development Days (mandatory for all teachers)
• 8/29 -- All Staff Report to Schools -- Ice Cream Social and "Meet your Teacher, Drop off your Stuff" from in the p.m.
• 9/1 -- Labor Day (Schools Closed)
• 9/2 -- First Day of School!

Special: Updates to the Collective Bargaining Agreement

As many of you already know, the district and MTI agreed on a new contract for 2015-16 and the Board ratified it on Wednesday.  I will not review all of the changes, but want to tell you about one important change that we discussed at the principals' meeting.  The elementary schools in MMSD have been struggling for years to have a clear agreement on planning time and the use of Monday early release time for individual planning and team planning as well as professional development.  The new contract took all the old, confusing language out of the contract and started all over.  I think the new agreement will vastly improve our work as a school and the district.  Here are the key points:

1.  The changes around planning time are not only effective for the 2015-16 school year, but also apply to this coming school year (14-15).

2.  All teachers get 4.5 hours of planning time outside of the Monday early release.  This has not changed.  (As a note, at Nuestro Mundo we have worked with the schedule to maximize the amount of common planning time at each grade level).  However, this time is all individual planning time, but may be used to collaborate and plan as teams, at your discretion.  

3.  Each month, regardless of how many Mondays there are in the month, we will have one full early release available for professional development activities aligned to the SIP.  This is like our old staff meeting/PD sessions that currently occur on the first and third Mondays.  

4.  If there is a fifth Monday (there is only one this coming school year), that time is individual planning time.

5.  All other Monday will include:  10-15 minutes to safely exit students from school to buses, taxis, parents, etc., 1 hour of "structured team planning" activities, and the remaining 45-50 minutes is individual or team planning time.  The content of the one hour of structured team planning will be created by the principal with input from the School Based Leadership Team (SBLT).

6.  If there is a month (like December) with only three Mondays, one of those will be a SIP aligned full PD or collaboration session.

If you have any concerns or questions, you are invited to attend the SBLT meeting on Tuesday, June 10th from 3:30-4:00 to discuss the Monday schedule for next year.  Your feedback is welcome before we finalize our SIP and school PD plan.  

We will be providing a lot more information and details on this plan when we have our welcome back professional development in August as well as our first Monday meetings in September.  

It is an exciting time for our collaborative work.  

Josh

June 6 Updates

One more week to go! Keep those kids engaged and stay vigilant.  Remember to get permission and inhalers if you are leaving the school grounds.

K and 5th grade promotions were a smashing success yesterday.  I feel really good, and you should too, about the young men and women we are sending on to middle school.

I am behind on email once again, please use the code words in the subject line, especially if something needs immediate attention.

Thanks for all the hard work you do everyday.

Josh

Updates

• Daniela Ocampo has accepted a position at Sandburg Elementary School for the 2014-2015 school year.  Daniela has played an integral part in the functioning of the school for many years, including the separation from and Frank Allis and the big move to Monona, five 5th grade graduation ceremonies, seven Kindergarten graduations, the Tamalada, and countless other cultural celebrations.  Please be respectful of Daniela's time and space for the remainder of the school year so that she can wrap things up here at Nuestro Mundo.  Please join me in thanking her for her years of service to Nuestro Mundo. We wish her the very best at Sandburg!
• The Foundation for Madison Public Schools has made $883 available for grants from Nuestro Mundo's account for the 2014-2015 school year.  Please submit grant ideas to me by August 29, 2014.
• If anyone has an extra kidney table in their room please let me know.  We need one for Julia Lippi-Guerron, our new interventionist.
• 3rd-5th grade teachers see these instructions for Keyboarding for next year.

Kudos to...

• Daniela for all the behind the scenes things she does for Nuestro Mundo.
• Romina for her tireless dedication to our students and school community.

Important Dates

• 6/6 -- Fire Drill 9:15 (Last one!)
• 6/10 -- La Follette Dancers--8:30-9:40
• 6/11 -- Field Day
• 6/12 -- LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!!!!  (Full Day)

June 3 Updates

I would like to take a moment to address the recent issue of the lack of substitute teachers, particularly when related arts teachers are out.  I know this is not ideal and requires classroom teachers to lose sacred planning time, I remember what this feels like.  Please know that when sub positions are not filled, Daniela and I make every possible effort to get those jobs filled.  Emily Moe and Rachel Donahue in the sub office know us by name because we almost always call to make a personal request when sub jobs are not filled.  For example on Tuesday of last week, when we were short 7 subs in the building, I called Rachel and she told me that there was one sub who had an appt in the morning, and that she would be available after 10:00.  Because I made that phone call, she was sent here despite the fact that there were a number of schools in a similar situation.

When related arts teachers do not get subs, that means that substitute teachers with that certification, Art for example, have already taken other jobs due to a district-wide shortage of subs that we are currently in.  It is a hassle for everyone and a safety concern when we are understaffed, I greatly appreciate your flexibility and dedication to the safety of the kids when you give up your planning time in these situations.  We really do make every effort possible to avoid this situation.

Daniela will send you a confirmation email when your compensation time has been entered for losing planning time.

Thanks,
Josh


Updates

• Thursday is K and 5th grade promotion.  To allow for set-up and decorating, all lunches will be served in the breezeway and students will eat their lunch out on the blacktop.  Lucia has ordered cold lunches for that day.  Please line kids up and take them to the breezeway at the normal time. Teacher's are welcome, but not required, to enjoy lunch with their students.
• Due to our meeting all of our growth goals on the MAP and being #1 in the district for attendance, Chris Powers and I will get Mohawks in front of the kids at Breakfast on Friday Morning!
• Remember to take inhalers with you on field trips, even to Dream Park.

Important Dates

• 6/5 -- Deep Dive with Asst. Superintendent Nancy Hanks (10:30-1:00)
• 6/5 -- Kindergarten Promotion (at the end of the school day)
• 6/5 -- 5th Grade Promotion 6:00-8:00pm
• 6/6 -- Fire Drill 2:35 (Last one!)
• 6/10 -- La Follette Dancers--8:30-9:40
• 6/11 -- Field Day
• 6/12 -- LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!!!!

May 16 Updates

As I dig out from being out of the building for 3 days, I wanted to at least provide some quick updates for you all.  Keep those kids engaged, up to the very end!

Thanks for all you do!

--Josh

Staff Updates

• Cassandra Fox has accepted a position as a 3rd Grade Teacher at Huegel Elementary School. 
• Emma Brennan has accepted a full time position teaching Special Education at Midvale Elementary School.
• Please join me in thanking these teachers for their years of hard work and dedication for our students. We wish you all the best, and will miss you greatly!
• Emily Zoeller has accepted the full-time IRT position here at Nuestro Mundo!
• Erin Davenport has accepted a position as a Program Support Teacher with Student Services. Luckily, Nuestro Mundo is one of the schools she will be supporting.
• Jane Danley and Sarah Meier will be serving as Bilingual Resource Teachers as of next school year. Jane will be supporting K-2 and Sarah 3-5, though the specifics of the role are still be conceptualized.
• Anamaria Peralta will be joining our staff as our first ever BRS!  Anamaria comes to us highly recommended from Lowell Elementary School.

General Updates

• Memorial Day Parade is tomorrow morning in Monona.  All are invited to join us!
• Thursday June 12th will be a full school day due to the days taken for extreme temperatures in the winter.
• Class Roster Templates for next year have been shared with you.  Please be sure to make a copy (click File --> Make a Copy) and rename before you edit.  Please work together as a team to have these completed by June 6th.
• Instructional Technology Mini-Conferences.  Instructional staff can pick up their laptops early and engage in a 3 hour mini-conference with breakout sessions.  Tomorrow, May 16 is the last day to register before people can sign up for more than 1.  Register soon as one mini-conference already has a waitlist.  

• See this important information about Medication Administration on Field Trips.
• See this information about Keyboarding expectations for next year.

Important Dates

• 5/26 -- NO SCHOOL for Memorial Day
• 5/27 -- Calle PD Date
• 5/28 -- Josh, Erin, Emily, and Kristi out of the building all day
• 5/30 -- Fire Drill, 2:35
• 6/2 -- Staff Meeting (Oracy chapter from the Esamilla book)  Related arts teachers and support staff should attend. 
• 6/5 -- Fire Drill 9:35
• 6/5 -- Deep Dive with Asst. Superintendent Nancy Hanks (10:30-1:00)
• 6/5 -- Kindergarten Promotion (at the end of the school day)
• 6/5 -- 5th Grade Promotion 6:00-8:00pm
• 6/10 -- La Follette Dancers--8:30-9:40
• 6/12 -- LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!!!!