Friday, August 29, 2025

PES Family Blog, September 2025

 Poynette Elementary School Staff are:

"Leaders in providing a positive, successful, and safe environment for ALL"

so our students can say,

"We are Pumas! I am learning and growing every day."

___________________________________________________________________________________

Start of the Year 2025
It was great getting to see so many of our students and families at our Great Start Conferences. Thank you to all of you who attended and please reach out if you ever have any questions or concerns.

School Times/ Bus Loading and Pick- Up

Just a reminder that our school day runs from 8:10 a.m.- 3:10 p.m.  Instructional minutes are very important to us and school attendance is an important factor in student achievement.  Please make every effort to keep your children here at school. Students arriving late or leaving early on a consistent basis can accumulate many lost instructional minutes.  We ask that students please do not arrive at school until 8:00 a.m., when the first bell rings and the buses unload.  


We also have staff who will be available to help students find their way and arrive at their classrooms. We ask that parents drop their students off in the vestibule or office area if necessary and not walk around the hallways. This can create a safety concern and so for every one's safety we do not have parents' walking to classrooms.


 Please take a look at this graphic for our student Pick Up procedures. Drop-off is a similar procedure, but does not seem to be as congested as after school. We really believe if everyone just stays in their vehicles and uses the loop it would go very smoothly.  Also, please contact Go Riteway at (800) 236-5450 or email Rebecca Talley at portagebus@goriteway.com if you have any questions or concerns about busing.  



Forms Coming Home the 1st Week Of School
Our classroom teachers will be sending some forms home for you to sign. The form is acknowledging that you have read our student handbook and the district's AUP (Acceptable Use Policy). The sheet also contains our school literacy commitments which is on the back side of it. We do need a parent signature for both of these items. Here are links to the handbook and the policy so you can read them ahead of time if you wish.



Attendance Information

We know that you have many hopes and dreams for your child’s success in school and beyond. To make sure those hopes and dreams are realized, we want to ask for your commitment to making sure your child attends school every day possible this year. The evidence is clear: children with good attendance are more likely to be successful in school. To accurately record attendance, we are asking that your child please bring a note from the doctor, dentist, or another designee to the office after an absence.  These absences will be marked MEDX and will not count towards your child’s absences. If your child is not feeling well, we do ask that you continue to keep your child home until they are feeling better. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to the office. 

Student Safety Request

Last minute changes can be tough for our staff to handle and miscommunication can occur when dealing with pick ups or bus riders. We ask you to please notify the office by 2:30 p.m. on days that your child may have a different plan for going home. After 2:30 p.m., children will be instructed to follow their normal procedures.   We understand that life happens, and plans change, but the more notice the better.  The end of the day is very busy for our great secretaries and any early notice would be great for them.  Also please follow our pick-up and drop-off procedures at the front of our building.   


School Directory

Our PAD Parents' Club who does great work for us, offers a student directory each year. If you would like your contact information to be available to other parents for birthday parties, playdates, etc., then you will want to get your name in the school directory. There were slips available at conferences to fill out, but if you missed them, there is still time to be a part of the directory. You can call the school office for more information. If you would like to be a part of our Parents' Club, please email the group at: Poynetteparentclub@gmail.com. They meet monthly at the Poynette Elementary School Cafeteria.

P.A.A.W.S. Program  (Poynette Area Adults Working with Students)

We are excited this year to again roll out this program that will encompass our school’s mentors, tutors, the WATCH D.O.G.S. and field trip volunteers.  We are really hoping to have a lot more adults participate this year! We can set up volunteer plans that are flexible, weekly, or day-long that will support our students.  Volunteers will have a T-shirt to wear for the day and also access to a free school lunch depending on your volunteer plan.  We have the saying on a wall in our school of “Strong Schools, Strong Communities”.  We would love to add your picture on our wall this year.  If you are intrigued by these offers or interested in volunteering at our school, please contact Mr. Hausser at 635-4347 ext. 100 or at jhaus@poynette.k12.wi.us.


In order to volunteer at our school or participate in a field trip, you need to pass our district background check.  These checks need to be completed every three years. Some of our parents/guardians will need an updated background check. If you are unsure of your status, you can contact the school office at 635-4347 ext. 107 or 109 to receive that information. The background check form is located on our website, here is the direct link:  Criminal Background Check for Volunteers.  We will seek additional volunteers in the Spring; continue to watch for communication updates.

We are so excited for the new school year and to see the learning and growth that will occur each and every day.  As always, please contact the school office if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you and Go Puma Nation!


Jay Hausser, Principal Lynn Sisco, Associate Principal






Monday, May 5, 2025

PES Family Blog Post May, 2025

Poynette Elementary School Staff are:

"Leaders in providing a positive, successful, and safe environment for ALL"

so our students can say,

"We are Pumas! I am learning and growing every day."

___________________________________________________________________________________


Mrs. Maurer on the News Literally!

  • Yes, a few weeks ago we held an assembly to suprise Mrs. Maurer by Leigh Mills that Mrs. Maurer had won a Crystal Apple Award. However, now we can talk about it.
  • Mrs. Maurer's Crystal Apple TV segment will air this Tuesday, May 6th on the 6 p.m. NBC 15 newscast at night.
  • Also on Wednesday, May 7th at 2 p.m. Mrs. Maurer is going to be appearing on a live news broadcast on the WMTV NBC 15 website. It is something new this year that the TV station is doing. The link to the program can be found at: https://www.wmtv15news.com/ and click on livestream. The segment is supposed to air for 30 minutes and so classes may choose to watch it if they would like. All 5 of the Crystal Apple Award winners will be on the show at the same time and Mrs. Maurer will be in studio with them.

 What's Up at School?

  • BOGO Book Fair- Our Awesome PAD Parent Club is excited to host an upcoming BOGO Scholastic Book Fair.  It's a great way to stock up on books for the summer!  The Book Fair will be held at the Elementary School from 3:10-7:00PM on May 19th, 20th, and 22nd.  We hope to see you there!  Note: The Book Fair will not be open on Wednesday, May 21st due to the Fourth Grade Celebration Night being held that evening. 

  • Thursday, May 15th and Friday, May 16, 2024- Superhero Fun Run- On Thursday, May 15th(4K) and  Friday, May 16th our (K- 4th grade) students will participate in our Superhero Fun Run. Students are encouraged to participate in the Fun Run and dress as a superhero for the day. The purpose of the run is to encourage healthy habits in our students and this is the only fundraiser that the school does for supporting any special projects at school. This year we hope to use the funds from this activity to add some furniture for an outdoor classroom. Donations for this fundraiser can be made at the following link:

  • PES Superhero Fun Run donation site (You will have to click the site a second time so it can open in a different window.)


    Students will be running around two loops at Poynette Elementary School. After they run, the students will have a healthy snack provided by our PAD Parents’ Club. Also, we will be able to have spectators again this year. Teachers and staff members will also share photos of the day. We will have the rain date of Friday, May 23rd.

    Here is a link to the classroom schedule

  • 4th Grade Walk-In- We are going to have a 4th-grade Walk-in on the last day of the school year. It will be similar to a walkout, but instead at the beginning of the day so families do not have to contend with end-of-the-day traffic. The community is invited to join us in the cafeteria to cheer on the 4th graders. The walk will commence shortly after 8:10 a.m.
  • Back Parking Lot- It has taken us a bit to get used to having two parking lots available. We apologize, but just wanted to let you know that we can use both of them. So if you arrive for field trips or other events during the day after 8:05 a.m. (when the buses are gone), you can definitely park behind the school in the bus loop. Please do not park in the fire lane at any time, but we can use both lots during the day and at night. Thanks for your patience, but we now have a routine down so the back doors are unlocked and supervised at these times. That way, you do not have to walk around the school to the front.
  • School Safety Information- Poynette School District participates in the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of School Safety (OSS) SPEAK UP, SPEAK OUT  program. This threat reporting system is available 24/7 and is free to all. Students, parents, school staff and community members can submit a school safety concern by downloading the SUSO app (Android and iOS), visiting speakup.widoj.gov or by calling 1-800-MY-SUSO-1. Resource Center staff work around-the-clock to respond to reports and to deploy a response. Please click on the link below if you have a safety concern that you would like to report anonymously. You can report the following concerns:
    • Bullying, harassment or intimidation
    • Student self harm concern
    • Alcohol, drug, or weapon concern
    • School safety concerns including all threats
    • Report a concern by visiting this link to SUSO at https://speakup.widoj.gov/  or  1-800-MY-SUSO-1
  • PAD Parent Club School Directory- Another service that our PAD Parents' Club who does great work for us, offers is a student directory each year. If you would like your contact information to be available to other parents for birthday parties, playdates, etc., then you will want to get your name in the school directory.

Breakfast/Lunch Menus


Student Events Coming Up!

May   

  • 9th- No 4K Classes

  • 15th- 4K Superhero Day and Fun Run

  • 16th  - 👕 Superhero Day & Fun Run 

  • 16th- No 4K Classes

  • 20th- 4th Grade Tour to Middle School (1:30- 3:00 p.m.)

  • 21st- 4th Grade Celebration Night (6-7 p.m.)

  • 22nd - 👕 Brewer Day

  • 23rd- No 4K Classes

  • 26th - NO SCHOOL (Memorial Day)

  • 28th- All library materials due

  • 28th - 3rd Grade Zoo Night Family Activity (3:20 p.m.-4:00 p.m)

  • 30th - Sharing Writing Pieces with Reading Buddies📚

  • 30th- No 4K Classes

June

  • 4th- Last Day of 4K Classes

  • 5th- 4th Grade Walk-In (Start of the School Day)

  • 5th - 👕 Puma Pride Day and Last Day of School & Early Release @ 12:30 p.m.

Friday, February 7, 2025

PES Family Blog February 2025

  Poynette Elementary School Staff are:

"Leaders in providing a positive, successful, and safe environment for ALL"

so our students can say,

"We are Pumas! I am learning and growing every day."

___________________________________________________________________________________


New Safety Procedure Going in Effect On Monday, February 10th

On Monday, February 10th we will be instituting an new safety procedure. We have installed a camera on the outside doors to our main vestibule that will be used to buzz visitors in. As a reminder, visitors should only be attempting to enter our school through the front doors. During school hours, visitors will need push the doorbell and an office staff member will ask your reason for needing to enter the building. They will then buzz the vistor into the main vestible and then into the office. The safety of our students and staff is paramount at all times and this new procedure further supports that. We ask for your patience as well roll this out. When the fob swipe is red, you will need to push the button and speak to an office staff member. If the light is green, as shown in this picture, you will be able to enter the builing with out being buzzed in. Thanks again for your cooperation in keeping our students and staff safe.

Conference Information 

  • We do have conferences coming rather quickly on Thursday, March 6th.
  • We are again using the District Google Document for sign-ups. Please watch for an email next week with the Teacher Calendars' linked so you can sign-up.
  • If you would like a conference please sign-up, and our teachers will honor it.
  • If a teacher has requested a conference, we would really encourage you to attend.
  • If you have any questions or need assistance with signing up, please call the school office.

Scholastic Book Fair During Conferences

The PAD Parent Club will be bringing the Scholastic Book Fair back to our Elementary and Middle Schools from Monday, March 3rd to Thursday, March 7th.  Stop by the book fair at the Elementary School from 3:10-7:00PM Monday through Wednesday, and at both the Elementary and Middle Schools during conferences on Thursday from 1:30-7:00PM.  We receive 50% of all sales to be used through Scholastic to buy books for our libraries, classrooms, and students.  Your support is very much appreciated and makes a big impact on getting books in the hands of our children. 

Upcoming Spring Concerts!

Please join us at Poynette Elementary School for Spring Concerts! Here is some more information:

  • Students should report to their classroom at the arrival time.
  • All concerts will be held in the elementary school gymnasium.
  • Each concert will run roughly 30 minutes. We ask that the gym is cleared as quickly as possible.
  • We will be utilizing both parking lots and door entrances to accommodate this system.
  • There will be a letter coming home with even more information.

Grade

Date

Student Arrival Time

Concert Start Time

1st 

Tues., March 11

5:45pm

6:00pm

2nd

Tues., March 11

7:00 pm

7:15pm

3rd

Tues., March 18

5:45pm

6:00pm

4th

Tues., March 18

7:00 pm

7:15pm

Upcoming Protective Behaviors Unit in Guidance Class

  • As we do every year, our Second Step SEL program has a protective behaviors unit.
  • This unit will be occurring in the last week of April and the beginning of May for all grades K-4th grade.
  • The topics are similar for each grade level, but the examples used are age appropriate. 
  • If you would like to see the lessons prior to your child participating please reach out to the school office.
  • We will be sending home a letter in the middle of March that will have more details and like always, if you have any questions or concerns please call the school office.

How to handle student illness? 

It is that time of year, when we see an uptick in illness around the state and our school.  Here is some great information from our district nurse, Mrs. Newell, about how to navigate this tricky time.

A child who is sick will not be able to perform well in school and is likely to spread the illness to other children and staff. We suggest making a plan for childcare ahead of time so you will not be caught without a comforting place for your child to stay if he/she is ill.


I would like to remind you of some guidelines about when to keep your child home from school.


When should I keep my student home from school?

  • Common cold – irritated throat, watery discharge from the nose or eyes, sneezing, chills and/or general body aches. Keep your child home if symptoms are serious enough to interfere with your child’s ability to learn. Seek care from the doctor if symptoms persist beyond 7-10 days, fever or cough producing phlegm develops, or nasal discharge becomes yellow or green.

  • Vomits two or more times or has diarrhea in the last 24 hours

  • Oral temperature equal or higher than 100 degrees (before taking medication such as Tylenol or Advil) Must be fever free for 24 hours without the aid of a fever reducing agent before returning to school.

  • Coughs almost constantly or complains of difficulty breathing or rapid breathing

  • Sores on skin or mouth that are crusty, yellow, or draining(Impetigo)

  • Symptoms of a contagious illness such as hand,foot and mouth disease,chicken pox, mumps, pertussis (whooping cough). May return as directed after evaluation by healthcare provider

  • Constant runny nose with green or yellow discharge

  • Unexplained skin rash (any location on body) unless evaluated by a healthcare provider with permission to return to school

  • Skin rash with a fever

  • Red eye(s) with crusting or green or yellow discharge drainage

  • Diagnosed contagious illness (such as, but not limited to, strep throat or pertussis) until antibiotics are taken for 24 hours or as otherwise directed by healthcare provider

  • Chicken pox – all lesions must be crusted over – no draining lesions

School Safety Information

Poynette School District participates in the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of School Safety (OSS) SPEAK UP, SPEAK OUT  program. This threat reporting system is available 24/7 and is free to all. Students, parents, school staff and community members can submit a school safety concern by downloading the SUSO app (Android and iOS), visiting speakup.widoj.gov or by calling 1-800-MY-SUSO-1. Resource Center staff work around-the-clock to respond to reports and to deploy a response. Please click on the link below if you have a safety concern that you would like to report anonymously. You can report the following concerns:

  • Bullying, harassment or intimidation
  • Student self harm concern
  • Alcohol, drug, or weapon concern
  • School safety concerns including all threats
  • Report a concern by visiting this link to SUSO at https://speakup.widoj.gov/  or  1-800-MY-SUSO-1

Breakfast/Lunch Menus

Student Events Coming Up!

FEBRUARY KINDNESS MONTH 2025

Teacher information/checklist

Weekly themes:

Week 1 - Feb. 3-7 - KINDNESS TO OUR COMMUNITY (family, school, etc) Introduce Food Pantry Collection & Valentines with Reading Buddies

Friday, February 7 - “Shine Bright for Kindness” - Wear Neon Colors


Week 2 - Feb. 10-14 - KINDNESS TO OTHERS (Feb. 11 - 100th Day of School Celebration - School-wide & Valentine’s Day card exchange in individual classrooms)

Friday, February 14-  “Dress to Impress” Red & Pink Dress Up Day


Week 3 - Feb. 17-21 - KINDNESS TO SELF - Character traits like being respectful, responsible, following our rules to stay safe, celebrating diversity (Heart with a kind note to self to be put in cubby)

Friday, February 21 -  “Cozy up to Kindness” Wear PJ’s 


Week 4 - Feb. 24-28 - KINDNESS TO OUR WORLD - Caring for our environment, celebrating diversity

Friday, February 28 - Puma Pride dress up day

  • Assembly on Friday morning- food pantry donation, staff activity. 


March

  • 6th - Second Trimester Ends (4K-4th); Early Release all grades @1:15 p.m.; P/T Conferences (1:30-7:00 p.m.)

  • 7th - NO SCHOOL (Staff Professional Development)

  • 10th - 👕 Primary Color Day (Wear red, blue, and/or yellow)

  • 11th - 👕 Secondary Color Day (Wear orange, purple, and/or green)

  • 11th- 1st and 2nd Grade Spring Concerts

  • 12th - 👕 Neutral Day (Wear brown, black, and/or white)

  • 13th - 👕 Monochromatic Day (Wear as many shades of one color as you can!)

  • 14th - 👕 Pattern Day (Wear as many different patterns as possible); No 4K Classes

  • 18th- 3rd and 4th Grade Spring Concerts

  • 21st - No 4K Classes

  • 24th - 28th - NO SCHOOL (Spring Break)


April

  • 4th - 👕 Puma Pride / School Spirit Day; No 4K Classes

  • 11th - No 4K Classes

  • 18th - NO SCHOOL

  • 21st - NO SCHOOL (Staff Professional Development)

  • 25th - 4K Classes attend on Friday

  • 30th - 👕 Tie Dye Day 





PES Family Blog, September 2025

  Poynette Elementary School Staff are: "Leaders in providing a positive, successful, and safe environment for ALL" so our student...