PES Family Blog, October 2024

 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."

___________________________________________________________________________________

Conferences on Thursday, Oct. 10th and Friday, Oct. 11th

We are excited to inform you that our second round of Family Conferences will be held on Thursday, October 10th from 1:30-7:00 p.m. and on Friday, October 11th from 8 a.m.- 12 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 have been. Please keep an eye out for an email from the district office with the links to your child's teachers and you can find the link below. Additionally, if you would like to schedule a conference with Encore teachers, feel free to sign up for them as well.

Here is the link to our: October Conferences Sign-Up

PAD Sponsored Scholastic Book Fair During Conferences

Our wonderful Parents' Club is hosting our Fall Book Fair. It will be next week Tuesday through Friday, Oct 8-11th.  Tuesday and Wednesday will be from 3:10-7PM and on Thursday and Friday it will be during conferences.  They will also have a small version of it at the Middle School during conferences on Thursday and Friday with Middle School aged books there. This is a great opportunity to purchase books and to also support reading in our schools. 

Halloween Dance

Our school's Halloween dance is scheduled for Saturday, October 26th from 5:30- 7 p.m. in our Gym and Cafeteria. Please note that the dance is only for Kindergarten through 4th grade students, as organized by the PAD Parents' Club. We will be having our Dress-Up as your Favorite Book Character Day on Thursday, 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.

A Call for Military Veterans

If you or a family member is a military veteran and would like to help our students out please contact the school office at 635-4347 ext. 4 or email Mr. Hausser at jhaus@poynette.k12.wi.us. We are looking to create a Veteran's Day experience on November 11th for our students. We are looking to have it be more informal and more of a question and answer format. Don't worry we will answer all of your questions prior to you committing. We will also spend time to prepare you for the experience. 

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.

The Student 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. 

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

October

• 4th - No 4K Classes

• 8th - Picture Day Make-Ups

• 10th - Early Release all grades @ 1:15 p.m.; 4K-12 Family-Teacher Conferences (1:30-7:00 p.m.)

• 11th - NO SCHOOL; Family-Teacher Conferences (8:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.)

• 18th - 👕 Badger / Favorite team dress-up day; No 4K Classes

• 24th - NO SCHOOL (Staff Professional Development)

• 25th - NO SCHOOL

• 26th - PAD Halloween Dance for K-4th grade students (5:30- 7:00 p.m.)

• 31st - 👕 Book Character Day 

November

• 1st - No 4K Classes

• 8th - No 4K Classes

• 15th - No 4K Classes

• 22nd - No 4K Classes

• 26th - 👕 Pajama Day; 1st Trimester Ends

• 27th, 28th, 29th - NO SCHOOL (Thanksgiving Break)

December

• 6th - 👕 Flannel Friday; No 4K Classes

• 13th - No 4K Classes

• 20th - 👕 Pajama Day or Festive Holiday Clothes; No 4K Classes

• 23rd - 31st - NO SCHOOL (Winter Break)

January

• 1st - NO SCHOOL

• 2nd - Classes Resume

• 3rd - 4K Classes Attend on a Friday

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

• 17th - No 4K Classes

• 20th - NO SCHOOL (Staff Professional Development)

• 24th - 4K Classes Attend on a Friday

• 31st - No 4K Classes

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 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!

1st Watch D.OG. of the Year- Thank you Mr. Tester!

PES Family Blog, Summer 2024

 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."

___________________________________________________________________________________

August 2024

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.

4K Orientation and Great Start Conferences

• We have our 4K orientation on Thursday, August 22nd at 6 p.m. It will take place in the PES cafeteria and parents do not need to bring their child's supplies. Those can be brought at the Great Start Conferences.

• Students should have already received their teacher letter with their class assignment. IF you have not received a letter, please contact the school office at 635-4347 ext. 107 or 109.

• We are hosting our Great Start Conferences on August 29th from 10am- 7pm.  We have sent the schedule out via email, please sign-up for a time if you have not done so already.

Forms for Great Start Conferences

Our classroom teachers will have a form for you to fill out at Great Start Conferences if you choose to do so. The form is acknowledging that you have read our student handbook and the district's new AUP (Acceptable Use Policy). 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.

2024-25 PES Student Handbook

School District AUP Policy

Packed with School Supplies Backpacks Available

You will hear from us throughout the year about how awesome our Parents' Club is. They start the year off with a bang, by offering fully packed backpacks. Our parents' club along with local businesses collect school supplies that our students need. The club then packs a with grade specific supplies and students can pick up the backpacks at Great Start Conferenes. If you would like to request a backpack, please call the school office at 608-635-4347 ext. 107 or 109.

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 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 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 this link and watch a 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 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

PES Family Blog May, 2024

We are Pumas, I am learning and growing everyday!

We have had some great activities happening here at school. A HUGE SHOUT OUT to Mrs. Ellis and our awesome Parents' Club. They have been fantastic to our students and staff this year. They just finished up some great Staff Appreciation activities this week and also led our "Pastries with Pretty Ladies" for kindergarteners on Friday, May 10, 2024. The PAD Parents' organization is a great group of people that have provided us with so many things this year, and they are not done yet!

What's Up at School?

BOGO Book Fair

Our wonderful Parents' Club is once again offering a Scholastic Book Fair. It features a buy one, get one free deal. We will be hosting the BOGO Scholastic Book Fair from May 21st to 23rd, from 3:10 PM to 7:30 PM each night. We have had so many successful events that the company wanted us to have even more. Thank you for supporting our literacy efforts and Parents' Club!

Thursday, May 16th and Friday, May 17, 2024- Superhero Fun Run

On Thursday, May 16th(4K) and  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 24th.

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.

Upcoming Student Activities

May  

• 13th- 3rd Grade Field Trip- Knuteson/ Timmerman Olbrich Garden

• 16th- Kindergarten Field Trip to Aldo Leopold (8:30- 1:45 p.m.)

• 17th - 👕 Superhero Day; No 4K Classes

• 20th- Young Authors' Conference

• 20th- 3rd grade filed trip to Olbrich Gardens (Collins/Lindert/Manzi) (8:45- 12:45 p.m.)

• 21st - 2nd Grade Walking Fieldtrip in Poynette (9-10:45 a.m.)

• 24th - 👕 Brewer Day

• 27th - NO SCHOOL (Memorial Day)

• 29th- 4th Grade Celebration Night (6-7 p.m.)

• 30th- 4K Fieldtrip to MacKenzie Center

• 31st- Poynette HS Senior Walk at the Elementary School (9:30ish)

• 31st - Sharing Writing Pieces with Reading Buddies

June

• 3rd- 3rd Grade Walking Fieldtrip (10- 12 p.m.)

• 3rd - Last Day of 4K

• 4th- 4th Grade Walk-In (8:10 a.m.)

• 4th - 👕 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

As we stated before, this 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 on the second Tuesday of the month during the school year.

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

PES Family Blog March 2024

 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."

It is hard to believe but time keeps flying. We surpassed the 100th day of school. There were special activities in some grade levels to celebrate this momentous occasion. We had another busy two months and look forward to finishing the year strong. We also have loved the nice weather for recess.

Conference Information 

• We do have conferences coming rather quickly on Thursday, March 7th.
• We are again using the District Google Document for sign-ups. The link is here.
• 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.
• District-wide, we are asking that staff schedule 7:30 p.m. as the last time slot for a conference.
• If you have any questions or need assistance with signing up, please call the school office.

Upcoming Spring Concerts (New Times listed)

Please join us at Poynette Elementary School for Spring Concerts! We are trying something new this year with all concerts in the same week. 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 12	5:45pm	6:00pm
2nd	Tues, March 12	6:45pm	7:00pm
3rd	Thurs, March 14	5:45pm	6:00pm
4th	Thurs, March 14	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 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 will also contain an opt out signature sheet. 

Scholastic Book Fair During Conferences

Our wonderful Parents' Club is hosting our Spring Book Fair. It will be March 4th-7th/ M-W 3:10- 7 PM,  Thursday 1:15-8:00 p.m. during conferences. This is a great opportunity to purchase books and to also support reading in our schools. Please take a look at the attached letter linked here for even more information.

Summer School

We are gearing up for a great Summer School 2024 learning experience for our students in the School District of Poynette! Summer School will be hosted June 10th through June 27th, 2024. 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. Teachers will be recommending courses at conferences and also following up with email as well. We hope that you seriously consider signing your child up for the recommended classes.
Registration Dates

• 4K-4th grade registration opens March 8st, 4pm and Closes March 22, 4pm
• Middle & High School registration opens April 1st, 4pm and Closes April 12, 4pm
• Swim Lesson registration opens April 22, 4pm and Closes May 3, 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. 

Student Podcasts

We have a few more podcasts that we have made:

Student Podcast/ Videocast #9- Cats and Packers

Student Podcast/ Videocast #10- Winter Activities

Student Podcast/ Videocast #11-Get To Know Officer Coleman

Student Podcast/Videocast #12-Get to Know Dr. Pritzl and Mrs. Schmudlach

Student Podcast/ Videocast #13- Get to Know Mrs. Kjorlie and Mr. Kartos

Student Podcast/Videocast#14- Famous People We Want to Meeet!

Important Dates Coming Up!

March - Youth Art Month

• 1st- Therapy Dogs Visit

• 4th- 7th- Scholastic Book Fair (after school)

• 7th - Second Trimester Ends (4K-4th); Early Release all grades @1:15 p.m.; P/T Conferences (1:30-8:00 p.m.)

• 8th - NO SCHOOL (Staff Professional Development)

• 11th - 👕 Primary Color Day (Wear red, blue, and/or yellow)

• 12th - 👕 Secondary Color Day (Wear orange, purple, and/or green)

• 12th- 1st Grade Concert at 6 p.m./ 2nd Grade Concert at 7 p.m.- PES Gymnasium

• 13th - 👕 Neutral Day (Wear brown, black, and/or white)

• 14th - 👕 Monochromatic Day (Wear as many shades of one color as you can!)

• 14th- 3rd Grade Concert at 6 p.m./ 4th Grade Concert at 7 p.m.-PES Gymnasium

• 15th - 👕 Pattern Day (Wear as many different patterns as possible)

• 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th - NO SCHOOL (Spring Break)

Watch D.O.G.S. is Back

We are bringing back a very popular program to our school. Watch D.O.G.S. or Dads of Great Students is back. We are challenging our students' Dads out there to come to school and help out. The schedule can be flexible and can be for a half or full day. Check with your employers and many times they will give you a paid day to come. If interested, you can contact the office at 608-635-4347 ext. 107 or 109 to sign- up today.

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 meets monthly the 2nd Tuesday of the Month.

What's for Breakfast or Lunch?

Breakfast/Lunch Menus