Poynette Elementary Family Blog. 10.4.2023

      

 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."

October 23, 2023

Thanks for your help!

As we continue to navigate through the school year, we encourage you to stay engaged with your child's learning journey. Regularly check their assignments, communicate with their teachers, and encourage them to read and explore new topics beyond the classroom. Together, we can create a strong foundation for their success.

Once again, we extend our deepest appreciation to each and every one of you for your unwavering support. Our school community thrives because of the incredible families like yours. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

Conferences on Thursday, October 12th

We are excited to inform you that our second round of Family Conferences will be held on Thursday, October 12th from 2-8 p.m. These conferences provide a valuable opportunity for you to meet with your child's teachers and discuss their progress and areas of growth. To make the sign-up process convenient for you, we will be using the same online sign-up system as we did for the Great Start Conferences. Please keep an eye out for an email from the district office with the links to your child's teachers. Additionally, if you would like to schedule a conference with Encore teachers, feel free to sign up for them as well.

Book Fair Coming Up!

Get ready! The Scholastic Book Fair is coming our way (YAY!). Choosing their own books
empowers kids and inspires them on their journey to becoming lifelong readers. AND—as
always—every purchase at the Fair benefits our school.

Here’s what you need to know about the big event, which will take place from October 9-12th. Monday-Wednesday 3:10-7PM, Thursday 1:15-8PM at Poynette Elementary School. Say goodbye to cash and hello to eWallet—your child’s digital payment account. Before the Fair, set up eWallet for worry-free, cash-free purchases. Anyone can contribute! Share each child’s eWallet so friends and family can add funds and give your kids more books to enjoy.

If you can’t make it to the Fair, then shop at our school’s Book Fair online. All orders ship directly to your home, and shipping is free for book orders over $25. Every online purchase will also benefit our school.
Visit our Book Fair homepage to learn more and get started with eWallet and online shopping:

https://www.scholastic.com/bf/poynette

Halloween Dance

Our school's Halloween dance is scheduled for Friday, October 27th. Please note that the dance is only for Kindergarten through 4th grade students, as organized by the Parents Club. Please do not have your student wear their costume on Friday. We will be having our Dress-Up as your Favorite Book Character Day on Tuesday, October 31st. Please make sure that the students only wear appropriate cosutmes and bring props that are appropriate for school. If you have any questions, please contact the school office.

Celebrations

In the spirit of celebration, we recently had two wonderful events at our school. Grandparents Day was a heartwarming occasion where our students had the chance to honor and spend time with their beloved grandparents. The smiles and laughter shared were truly heartwarming. We also had Reading Buddies Day, where older students paired up with younger ones to read together and foster a love for books and storytelling. It was a joy to witness the bonds formed between our students during this special day.

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 former WATCH Dogs 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 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!

Upcoming Dates 

• 12th - Early Release all grades @ 1:15 p.m.; 4K-12 Parent-Teacher Conferences (1:30-8:00 p.m.)

• 13th - NO SCHOOL 

• 20th - 👕 Badger / Favorite team dress-up day

• 31st - 👕 Book Character Day & Reading Buddies

November

• 6th - NO SCHOOL (Staff Professional Development)

• 10th - Make cards for Veterans with Reading Buddies

• 20th - 👕 Pajama Day (National Pajama Day is November 20th)

• 22nd, 23rd, 24th - NO SCHOOL (Thanksgiving Break)

Puma Nation News- Time to start school!

August, 2023

 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 growing and learning every day."

We are so excited to see you again!  Last school year was great year and we continue to love learning and growing everyday. Thank you to the community for your continued support! We will continue to have a strong focus on student achievement and the development of all of our students across many areas. Following is some information about the upcoming school year. We look forward to working with you and your child(ren) this year.

Great Start Conferences

Thank you to everyone who attended a great start conference! This was something new and it was great to see the excitement around our building. We had almost 100% participation, but if you did not make it that is okay. We will have lots of staff members around the first day to make sure all of our students find their way.

School Directory

Our awesome PAD Parents' Club who does great work for us, is offering a student directory this 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 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.

School Dress Up Days and Calendar of Activities

Here is the link to our school calendar for Dress-Up and Special Occasions.

2023-24 PES Calendar of Activities

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 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 click the link and watch this video about our Drop off and Pick up procedures at the front of our school. 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.  

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.   

Insurance Option

Also, this year we have many field trips and great events planned.  We would like all of our students to be safe and protected. The School District offers Student Accident Insurance for any student who does not have medical insurance. Again you can contact the school office or district office for more information.

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 former WATCH Dogs 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 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!

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

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?

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

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

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?

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. 

  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

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.

What's for Breakfast or Lunch?

Breakfast/Lunch Menus

Images of the Month