PES Family Blog Start of the School Year, August 2026

  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."

__________________________________________________________________

Here is the Link to our 2026-27 Welcome Video 

Start of the Year 2026

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

New Breakfast Plan This Year!

Here is the link to the letter we sent home about the Breakfast plan

Here is the link to the video

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. 

Our doors will automatically unlock at 8:00 a.m., when the first bell rings and the buses unload.  Students will then be able to enter the building and supervision will be available. So please do not drop students off early. Main St. Youngsters does provide before and after daycare to help support our parents.

Staff will be available to help students find their way and arrive at their classrooms. We ask that parents drop their students off out front and not walk students to the front door or to the classroom. This can create safety concerns and also bog down our drop off and pick up routines. We would like everyone to feel and be as safe as possible and we have plenty of staff to ensure that this can happen on school grounds.

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 correctly it will go very smoothly.    

New Bus Company This Year!

We are partnering with Kobussen Bus Company whose bus terminal for our district will be out of Lodi. If you have any questions or concerns about bussing please contact them at:

Kobussen phone #608-592-0551

Email: Lodi.dispatch@Kobussen.com

Form Coming Home the 1st Week Of School

Our classroom teachers will be sending a form home for you to sign. The form is acknowledging that you have read our student handbook. The sheet also contains our school literacy commitments which are on the back side of it. We do need a parent signature for both of these items. Here is the link to the handbook so you can read it ahead of time if you wish.

2026-27 PES Student Handbook

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. 

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. If you have filled out a slip in the past and there are no changes, you do not need to fill out a new one. However for new families, there are slips available at the office that can be filled out and passed along to the Parents Club. You can also 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. (Dads of Great Students) and new this year M.O.M.S (Mothers of Marvelous Students) 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 half-day or day-long ones that will support our students.  Volunteers will have a T-shirt to wear for the day along with their child wearing one. Watch D.O.G.S. and M.O.M.S. will also receive a free school lunch depending on your volunteer plan.  We have a saying on a wall in the front of our school that states “Strong Schools, Strong Communities”.  We would love to add your picture to our wall this year.  If you interested in volunteering at our school, please contact Mr. Hausser at 635-4347 ext. 100 or at jhaus@poynette.k12.wi.us.

At the same time, in order to volunteer at our school or participate in a field trip, you will need to pass our district background check.  These checks are good for up to three years. Which means, some parents/guardians may need an updated background check. If you are unsure of your status, you can contact the school office at 635-4347 ext. 4 to receive that information. The background check form is located on our website, here is the direct link:  Criminal Background Check for Volunteers. 

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

PES Family Blog May, 2026

 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."

___________________________________________________________________

What's Up at School?

Pumas on the Move in May!

Our students are going to be participating in some really neat extensions of the classroom in the month of May. One of these includes our High School students coming to school while the others will require a fieldtrip.

May 4th- AG Day for Third graders at the Poynette Elementary School led by our High School FFA students.

May 12th and 13th- 3rd grade visits Olbrich Botantical Gardens

May 18th- 2nd Grade will visit the Crane Foundation in Baraboo

May 19th- 3rd Grade is going to attend Symphony Soup at the Overture Center

May 20th- 4th Grade will be touring Poynette Middle School 

May 21st- 1st Grade will visit Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison

May 29th- Kindergarten will visit the Aldo Leopold Nature Center

May 29th- 4K students will visit the Baraboo Circus Museum

• 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 3:00-7:00PM on May 18th, 19th, and 20th.  We hope to see you there!  

• Thursday, May 14th and Friday, May 15, 2026- Superhero Fun Run- On Thursday, May 14th(4K) and  Friday, May 15th 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 indoor and outdoor recess activities along with another 3D printer. 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 22rd.

  Here is a link to the classroom schedule

• 3rd Grade Zoo Night- The 3rd graders have been busy researching different animals. At zoo night they present their hard work to the community. Please join us on Wednesday, May 27 from 3:30-4 p.m. in the Elementary big pod. If possible, please wait until 3:15 to come so our pick up process is all done.

• 4th Grade Celebration Night- We will also be hosting our 4th grade celebration night on May 27th from 6- 7 p.m. The 4th graders invite family and friends to check out the great things they have learned during their time at Poynette Elementary School.

• 4th Grade Walk-In- June 3rd Keeping with tradition, 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.

• Parking Lot Information- With all of the events coming up in May we wanted to remind you of our back parking lot. 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. We 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.

  • You can view the directory at any time at this link: Poynette ES & MS Directory
  • If any changes are needed at any time you can email poynetteparentclub@gmail.com, we would be happy to update the directory. 

Breakfast/Lunch Menus

Student Events Coming Up!

May   

• 1st - No 4K Classes

• 8th - No 4K Classes

• 14th - 4K Superhero Day and Fun Run

• 15th  - 👕 Superhero Day & Fun Run -No 4K Classes

• 22nd - 👕 Brewer Day- No 4K Classes

• 25th - NO SCHOOL 

• 27th - 4th Grade Celebration Night (6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.)

• 28th - All library materials due

• 29th -  4K Classes Attend

June

• 2nd - Last Day of 4K Classes

• 3rd - 👕 Puma Pride Day and Last Day of School & Early Release @ 12:30 p.m.

PES Family Blog, March 2026

 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."

___________________________________________________________________________________

Kindness Assembly! 

On Friday, February 27th, we wrapped up our February Kindness activities with an assembly. We were joined by volunteers from the Poynette Food Pantry. Diane Tessmer, Ruthann and Melvin Waugh, along with Tom and Clara Gilles came and picked up all of the items that were donated. Our students brought in almost 1,000 items for the food pantry to show kindness to our community and to also celebrate the 100th day of school. We aspire to show kindness every day, but it was nice to have some fun and positive activities for our students to participate in during the month of February.

Scholastic Book Fair This Week!

Our wonderful PAD parent club is again running a Scholastic Book Fair this Spring during conferences. It runs from Monday, March 2nd through Thursday, March 5th.  Monday through Wednesday it will be open from 3:10-7PM, and Thursday will be from 1:30-7PM. The Book Fair will be held in the Poynette Elementary School STEAM area.

Conference Information 

• We do have conferences coming rather quickly on Thursday, March 5th. We will begin dismissing students at 1:00 p.m. so the buses can get to the MS/HS by 1:15 p.m. These are scheduled conferences and many have been signed up already.
• 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.

Report Cards
Our trimester ends on Thursday, March 5th. We will be reporting out our grades to our families. Final grades will be available in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal on Thursday, March 12th. We will be mailing out the report cards starting on March 13th, so parents can easily see the marks and the teacher comments. Please let us know if you do not receive your child's report card in the mail.

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	Thur., March 19	5:30pm	5:45pm
2nd	Thur., March 19	6:45pm	7:00pm
3rd	Thur., March 26	5:30pm	5:45pm
4th	Thur., March 26	6:45pm	7:00pm

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 starting on March 9th in all of our guidance classes for grades Kindergarten- 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 February that will have more details and like always, if you have any questions or concerns please call the school office.

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, WATCH D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) and field trip volunteers.  We are really hoping to 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 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.

What's for Breakfast or Lunch?

Breakfast/Lunch Menus

Student Events Coming Up!

March  

Youth Art Month 

• 5th - Second Trimester Ends (4K-4th); Early Release all grades @1:15 p.m.; P/T Conferences (1:30-7:00 p.m.)

• 6th - NO SCHOOL for all Students  

• 9th - 👕 Primary Colors Day (Wear red, blue, and/or yellow)

• 10th - 👕 Secondary Colors Day (Wear orange, purple, and/or green)

• 11th - 👕 Neutral Colors Day (Wear brown, black, and/or white)

• 12th - 👕 Monochromatic Day (Wear as many shades of one color as you can!)

• 13th - 👕 Pattern Day (Wear as many different patterns as possible)- No 4K Classes

• 19th- Music Concerts grades 1-2 (5:45 p.m. and 7 p.m. start time)

• 20th - No 4K Classes

• 26th- Music Concerts  grades 3-4 (5:45 p.m. and 7 p.m. start time)

• 27th - No 4K Classes

• 30th/31st - NO SCHOOL (Spring Break)

April

• 1st-3rd - NO SCHOOL (Spring Break)

• 10th - 👕 Puma Pride / School Spirit Day- No 4K Classes

• 17th - No 4K Classes

• 20th - NO SCHOOL 

• 24th - 4K Classes Attend

• 30th - 👕 Tie Dye Day (National Tie Dye Day is April 30th!)

May   

• 1st - No 4K Classes

• 8th - No 4K Classes

• 14th - 4K Superhero Day and Fun Run

• 15th  - 👕 Superhero Day & Fun Run -No 4K Classes

• 22nd - 👕 Brewer Day- No 4K Classes

• 25th - NO SCHOOL 

• 27th - 4th Grade Celebration Night (6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.)

• 28th - All library materials due

• 29th -  4K Classes Attend

June

• 2nd - Last Day of 4K Classes

• 3rd - 👕 Puma Pride Day and Last Day of School & Early Release @ 12:30 p.m.

PES Family Blog February, 2026

 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."

___________________________________________________________________________________

Even though it is still going to be cold, we are planning to go outside on Thursday and Friday of this week. Please send warm clothes with the kids. Thank you!

Conference Information 

• We do have conferences coming rather quickly on Thursday, March 5th.
• 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.

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	Thur., March 19	5:30pm	5:45pm
2nd	Thur., March 19	6:45pm	7:00pm
3rd	Thur., March 26	5:30pm	5:45pm
4th	Thur., March 26	6:45pm	7:00pm

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 starting on March 9th in all of our guidance classes for grades Kindergarten- 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 February 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!

KINDNESS MONTH 2026

Weekly Themes:

• Week 1 (Feb. 2nd-6th) - KINDNESS TO OUR COMMUNITY 

• Friday, February 6th → “Shine Bright for Kindness” → Wear Neon Colors

• Week 2 (Feb. 9th-13th) - KINDNESS TO OTHERS 

• Friday, February 13th → “Dress to Impress” → Wear Red or Pink

• Week 3 (Feb. 16th-20th) - KINDNESS TO SELF 

• Friday, February 20th → “Cozy up to Kindness” → Wear Pajamas or Comfy Clothes

• Week 4 (Feb. 23rd-27th) - KINDNESS TO OUR WORLD

• Friday, February 27th → Puma Pride Day → Wear Orange & Black 

By the 100th day of school, February 10th, our goal is to have each grade level bring in 100 non-perishable items to donate to the food pantry. Items cannot be expired, damaged, or homemade. Items must be clearly labeled with nutritional information. Pantries often need peanut butter, canned protein, canned vegetables, canned fruit, canned beans, pasta, and rice. Toiletries, such as toothpaste and facial tissues, are also helpful. Thank you for your support!