PES Puma Family Blog

Friday, April 28, 2023

Puma Nation and News- May, 2023

What's Up at School?

Public Service Announcement- We appreciate everyone's patience with our drop-off and pick-up procedures. We know that it can be tricky at times, but we still are able to have over 350 students vacate our building a very timely fashion. As a reminder, we do ask that you please do not park in the two parking stalls that are reserved for the school vans. Please do not park in those areas at any time since the vans are on the move all day long and also return at the end of the day and need to have those spots.

Thursday, May 4, 2023- Spring Concerts for 1st and 2nd graders(1st- 6 p.m./ 2nd- 7:00 p.m.)

We have our spring concerts coming up next week. We ask that students arrive 15 minutes before their concert start time and report to their classroom. First Grade parents/ guardians should please park in the front of the school. Second Grade parents/guardians should park in the bus loop parking lot behind the school.

Thursday, May 11, 2023- Literacy Night 5:30- 6:30 p.m.

We are excited to share about our upcoming Family Literacy Night. This year we will be hosting Tim Fox who is a Wisconsin author who has a passion for the Wisconsin Ice Age. Tim has authored 4 books, both books are a series geared toward 4th-8th grade. His novels chronicle the adventures of 12 and 10 year-old Wisconsin kids while embracing themes of personal growth, friendship, inclusion, anti-bullying, respect for nature, and animal conservation. Since his books are geared towards 4th-8th grade, this year we would like to extend an invitation to Middle School students and families to join. However, his school visits are interactive and geared toward both elementary and middle school students and families. The event will be held on Thursday, May 11th from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Poynette Elementary School Cafeteria.

If you are interested in previewing any of his books, the titles are: Journeys, An Ice Age Adventure; Journeys 2, An Ice Age Rescue; A Place for You and A Place to Grow.
If you are interested in purchasing books. The link to purchase his books is right here: Purchase Tim Foxx books

We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, May 11th. If you have any questions, please contact the school office at 635- 4347 at ext. 107 or 109.

Friday, May 12, 2023- Superhero Fun Run

On Friday, May 12th 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 professional motivational signage around the school, and furniture for an outdoor classroom. Donations for this fundraiser can be made at the following link:

PES Superhero Fun Run donation site.

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 this year. Teachers and staff members will also share photos of the day. We will have the rain date of Friday, May 19th.

Here is a link to the classroom schedule.

Upcoming Student Activities

May

1st - 👕 Tie Dye Day (National Tie Dye Day is April 30th!)
4th- HS Ag. Day for the third graders (10- 1 p.m.)
4th- Spring Concert (1st grade- 6 p.m./ 2nd grade 7 p.m.)
5th- Pastries for Pretty Ladies (Kinder only 8:15ish)
5th - No 4K Classes
11th- 2nd Grade Downtown Poynette Fieldtrip- 9:00- 10:45 a.m.
11th- Literacy Night- A Visit with Author Tim Fox- 5:30- 6:30 p.m.
12th - 👕 Superhero Day; No 4K Classes
12th- Kindergarten Field Trip to Aldo Leopold (8:30- 1:45 p.m.)
15th- 3rd grade filed trip to Olbrich Gardens (Knuteson/Timmerman) (8:45- 12:45 p.m.)
May 17th - Second Grade Field Trip to International Crane Foundation (9:10 - 2:00)
18th- 3rd grade filed trip to Olbrich Gardens (Collins/Lindert/Manzi) (8:45- 12:45 p.m.)
19th - No 4K Classes
25th - No 4K Classes
26th - 👕 Brewer Day
29th - NO SCHOOL (Memorial Day)

June

2nd - Last Day of 4K
8th - 👕 Puma Pride Day and Last Day of School & Early Release @ 12:30 p.m.

Looking to help out at our School?

Field Trips and Volunteer Opportunities

We are excited that with Spring arriving we are going to be able to take some fieldtrips. However, it has been a while and so we wanted to remind you of the procedures. In order to volunteer at our school or go on a field trip, you need to pass our district background check. These checks need to be done every three years and some of our parents/ guardians are done with their last three-year window. If you are unsure of your status, you can contact the school office at 635-4347 ext. 107 or 109 to receive that information. If you have not filled out a form ever, then you can find one on our school district website.

Click Here: Criminal Background Check for Volunteers

PAD Parent Club

This is an outstanding organization that supports our schools in many different ways. They have donated/ provided many items from Chromebooks to road signs and so much more. This group is always looking for new members and meet monthly.

Resource of the Month (Thank you, Mrs. Dzioba)

Just sharing this book recommendation with you. I started following this blog recently, Everyday Reading and loved this book recommendation the author of the blog shared called, The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections With Your Kids by Sarah Mackenzie. I have not personally read the book, but love the description on Amazon. How great it would be to recommend this book to parents!!!

Book: The Read-Aloud Family

Follow Us On Social Media

Poynette Elementary School can be found on Instagram at: pes_pumas. Please follow us.
The School District of Poynette also has a Facebook page for District information.

What's for Breakfast or Lunch?

Click Here: Breakfast/Lunch Menus

Images of the Month

Tuesday, April 4, 2023

Puma Nation News and Notes- April 2023

Recap

We had another busy month at PES.
Our schoolwas invaded by Lumberjacks (4th grade) who did a lot of Lumberjack learning and met with an author of a book they read.
Our third graders had a read-in which brought in many community members to share their love of books with our students. Thank you!
We had some students compete at the Math 24 Contest in the Dells and had Jack S. take 6th place overall in the fourth grade portion of the competition.
Our staff participated in an exercise of gift giving to one another as Secret Leprechauns.
Our students continue to work hard on the skills necessary for them to be successful in any career path they choose.

What's Coming Up at School?

Our 3rd and 4th graders have begun the State of Wisconsin Forward Assessment and will continue to do so this month. Parents if you have questions please contact Mr. Hausser.
We are starting field trip season. (Each grade level goes somewhere in the Spring)
The Daddy Daughter Dance sponsored by our awesome PAD parent club will be on Sunday April 23, 2023 from 4-5:30 p.m.
Our Spring Concerts for 1st and 2nd graders are coming up on May 5th. (1st- 6 p.m./ 2nd- 7:00 p.m.)
We will be hosting our Superhero Fun Run on May 12th. Please watch email for updates about this. It is a school- organized fundraiser along with our Parents' Club and a day we practice healthy habits.
Summer School- The online portion of summer school registration is over. However, you can still register by calling the Elementary School office or emailing the summer school principal. Mr. Ferkovich is the summer school principal this year. Please contact us at 608-635-4347 x411 or email Mr. Joel Ferkovich at jferk@poynette.k12.wi.us with any questions.

Upcoming Student Activities

April

3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th - NO SCHOOL (Spring Break)
10th - Regular School Day (Originally a PD Day)
11th- Parents' Club Meeting (6:30 p.m.- Elem. Cafeteria)
21st - No 4K Classes
23rd- Daddy Daughter Dance (4-5:30 p.m.) Elementary Gym
28th- Ace Therapy Dog Visit
28th - No 4K Classes

May

1st - 👕 Tie Dye Day (National Tie Dye Day is April 30th!)
4th- Spring Concert (1st grade- 6 p.m./ 2nd grade 7 p.m.)
5th- Pastries for Pretty Ladies (Kinder only 8:15ish)
5th - No 4K Classes
12th - 👕 Superhero Day; No 4K Classes
12th- Kindergarten Field Trip to Aldo Leopold (8:30- 1:45 p.m.)
19th - No 4K Classes
25th - No 4K Classes
26th - 👕 Brewer Day
29th - NO SCHOOL (Memorial Day)

Looking to help out at our School?

Click Here: Criminal Background Check for Volunteers

PAD Parent Club

Resource of the Month

We continue to work very hard on improving our students' literacy skills. This month our Reading Specialist Mrs. Dzioba recommended this article for our parents.

Click Here: 6 Tips to Make Reading Fun. Not Frustrating.

Follow Us On Social Media

Poynette Elementary School can be found on Instagram at: pes_pumas. Please follow us.
The School District of Poynette also has a Facebook page for District information.

What's for Breakfast or Lunch?

Click Here: Breakfast/Lunch Menus

Images of the Month

Monday, February 20, 2023

February/ March News and Notes

We are Pumas, I am learning and growing every day!

It has been another busy month for our students. Our kindergartners celebrated our 100th day of school among other great learning experiences. We continue to balance the academics with the activities that help build our school community connections.

What's Coming Up at School?

Scholastic Book Fair (Hosted by our PAD Parent Club)

We will be having the spring (although not quite spring yet) Scholastic Book Fair in two weeks. The in-person fair will go from Monday, Feb 27 through Thursday, March 3rd (P/T conference day). It’s for 4k-8th grades.

It will be in the Elementary School as usual. I’ll start it right as school and go until 7pm M-W and until 8:30 on Thursday. Flyers have been or will be sent home soon with students. So parents schools keep an eye out for that in their child’s backpack. Please contact the school office if you have any questions.

Conferences

We will be holding another night of conferences on Thursday, March 2nd from 2- 8 p.m. Thank you to those of you who have already scheduled a conference. If you have not done so yet, please contact your student's teacher or call the Elementary School office at 635-4347 ext. 107 or 109. We are holding both in-person and virtual conferences with our parents’ selecting their preference.

Square 1 Art Timeline (Contributed by Mrs. Schmudlach)

Our spring Square 1 Art timeline is upon us. Many students have started their artwork for this special fundraiser!

Every student in grades K-4 creates a piece of art in class, and families then have an opportunity to purchase keepsake products with their child's artwork on it!

Students have already brought home a promotional flyer!

Here is the timeline:
Artwork will be completed in school by February 24.
Order packets arrive on March 17 (watch for an e-mail communication) Everyone gets free stickers with their artwork on it - the kids love this!
Orders will be due March 31 (this is the Friday before our spring break)

This fundraiser is ONLINE only!
Please watch for communication about shipping and pick-up.

Contact Mrs. Schmudlach with any questions!
lschm@poynette.k12.wi.us
608-635-4347 ext. 335

Summer School

We are gearing up for a great Summer School 2023 learning experience for our students in the School District of Poynette! Summer School will be hosted June 12th through June 29th, 2023. Some of our summer courses run for longer amounts of time or outside of our three-week summer school session. Be sure to pay attention to dates, meeting days and schedules when reviewing our course offerings online. We also offer Swimming lessons and Summer Reading programs.
Registration Dates

4K-4th grade registration opens March 1st, 4pm and Closes March 15, 4pm
Middle & High School registration opens March 20, 4pm and Closes March 31, 4pm
Swim Lesson registration opens April 24, 4pm and Closes May 5, 4pm

We hope by the 2nd week of April parents will know what their child’s elementary school schedule will be.
Registration and course requests for summer school are conducted via the Infinite Campus Portal. In order to be able to request courses, ensure that you are able to access the portal. For those families that have yet to create a portal account, visit this section of our website for more information on how to register: Creating a Portal Account. After the window closes, our team will load the requested courses to schedule students in sections, add any sections where feasible and notify families when courses are full. If you need help while registering for classes, you can view the Help documents for registration or view this help video. Mr. Ferkovich is the summer school principal this year. Please contact us at 608-635-4347 x411 or email Mr. Joel Ferkovich at jferk@poynette.k12.wi.us with any questions. We look forward to serving you.

Upcoming Student Activities

February

24th - No 4K Classes

March - Youth Art Month

2nd - Second Trimester Ends (4K-4th); Early Release all grades @1:15 p.m.; P/T Conferences (1:30-8:00 p.m.)
3rd - NO SCHOOL (Staff Professional Development)
10th - No 4K Classes
13th - 👕 Primary Color Day (Wear red, blue, and/or yellow)
14th - 👕 Secondary Color Day (Wear orange, purple, and/or green)
15th - 👕 Neutral Day (Wear brown, black, and/or white)
16th - 👕 Monochromatic Day (Wear as many shades of one color as you can!)
17th - 👕 Pattern Day (Wear as many different patterns as possible); No 4K Classes
24th - No 4K Classes
31st - 👕 Puma Pride Day; No 4K Classes

Looking to help out at our School?

Criminal Background Check for Volunteers

P.A.A.W.S. Program Still Looking for Volunteers

We have had 3 committed volunteers so far, but will always take more. If you are interested in working with students under our P.A.A.W.S. (Poynette Area Adults Working with Students) program, please contact our school office. The schedule can be flexilbe. You can contact the office at 608-635-4347 ext. 107 or 109 to sign- up today. We are hoping that some of our "Dudes" that came last month for a doughnut would be willing to come in and be a Watch DOG for a day or half day.

PAD Parent Club

What's for Breakfast or Lunch?

Breakfast/Lunch Menus

Images of the Month

Monday, January 16, 2023

Puma Nation January News and Notes

Congratulations to these hard-working Pumas!

Poynette students in grades 2 -5 participated in the Noetic Math Contest in November under the direction of Mrs. Kennedy. Students answer 20 out-of-the-box challenging math questions in 45 minutes. This is a national contest, and students who score in the top 50% of the nation, receive National Honorable Mention. Students who score in the top 10% of the nation, receive National Honor Roll.

Pictured are 4th graders:

Front Row L to R: Jack S., Brock R.

Back Row L to R: Lucas E., Mason M., Sophia H., Taylon A., Cade K.

Pictured are 3rd graders:

Front Row L to R: Argus V., Liam E., Kaden K., Harlan K., Cassidy E., Brynn B.

Back Row L to R: Ella T., Lily M., Quinn F., Lyndzee J., Hunter H., Gretchen H.

Pictured are 2nd graders:

Front Row L to R: Oliver V., Mady M., Nadia R., Kelsey T.

Back Row L to R: Landon S., Crosby J., Delle G., Sadie D., and Kira S.

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

High School Intern Program

This year we have new program in collaboration with our high school. High School students who are interested in education, childcare, psychology, etc. can apply to be a intern at our school. They are paid by the district and provide some great student support. Here is an update that Ms. Sisco wrote for our staff and that we wanted to share it with you as well.

High School Intern Update

We've enjoyed having our two high school interns, Emma and Felicia, with us for the first semester and appreciate all the help that they have provided. We wish them well on their next adventure! For the second semester (1/24/23), we will have two new high school student interns, Abigail H. and Hadley W.

Abigail H.

Abigail is a Junior in High School and after school she’s hoping to go to a 4-year university and major in Elementary Education! Outside of school she participates in dance classes and works in a local bakery! She also enjoys going ice skating in the winter! A fun fact about her is that she has always wanted to travel. She and her family have not done a lot of traveling, but one day she hopes to be able to travel across Europe and the US! She is excited to get experience with the workings of an elementary school, and to be able to interact with kids everyday!

Hadley W.

Hadley is currently a senior and as of right now she plans on attending University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, and majoring in education and minoring in psychology. She likes to play basketball and volleyball, but when she doesn’t have practice or a game she likes to color or do some sort of crafty thing while watching tv. She is the youngest of 5 kids and likes to believe she’s the favorite ;) She is really excited to work with kids and help them learn, as well as watch them grow mentally and physically.

Upcoming Student Activities

January