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."
Poynette Elementary Continues to Strive for ExcellenceWe hope that you and your family had a great holiday break and enjoyed it as much as the 1st graders did watching some staff videos at our Winter Celebration. A huge THANK YOU to our Parents' Club for once again helping sponsor the cookies.
We are excited for what 2024 will bring for our staff and students. We were also very pleased with all of the hard work and effort that was put into 2023. We were extremely proud of our Significantly Exceeds Expectations that we received on our DPI School Report Card. At the same time, we know our work is not done and we will continue to be the best we can be while learning and growing every day!
Continuing to Grow in Math
In November 2023, Poynette 2nd - 5th grade students participated in the Noetic Math Learning Contest which is a national contest to emphasize that being talented at math is cool! Students answer 20 very challenging, out-of-the-box type questions in 45 minutes. Students in the Top 50% of the nation receive National Honorable Mention with a certificate and a ribbon. Students in the Top 10% of the nation receive the National Honor Roll with a medal. The top score in each grade also receives a team winner medal.
Congratulations are in order for the following students who all earned National Honorable Mention (Top 50%), except where noted for the Top 10%:
2nd grade:
Sophia H., Jase S., Charlotte Z., Joel S., Hazel L (Team Winner), Mae K., and Nora K.
3rd grade:
Crosby J. (Team Winner), Kirby S., Aiden M., Kira S., Sadie D., and Kelsey T.
4th grade:
Bella S., Austyn M., Lily M., Bristol R., Navelle D., Lyndzee J., Ella T., Quinn F., Liam E., Callen K., Harlan K. (Top 10%), Kaden K. (Top 10% and Team Winner), Argus V.
We are so proud of these students. Also, a special Thank You to Mrs. Kennedy for providing this opportnuity for our students.
Some New Assessments This Year!
We continue to look for ways to improve our students' academic success. We rely on data to help guide our instruction, and we have found some new ways to collect data.
IXL-3rd and 4th Graders
This year, our 3rd and 4th graders have been using a program called IXL. This assessment helps gather data on the literacy and math skills of our students. It also allows us to target specific skill activities that teachers can assign to individual students. There is also an option for students to practice the skills at home. These assessments and practice are done on a Chromebook. If you are interested, more information can be found at IXL.com.
Fastbridge- 4K-3rd Grade
Since we did not renew our contract with our old assessment, STAR, we are going to be using a new one this year. The teachers have and will continue to work hard to be trained in implementing this assessment correctly. This assessment is different in the fact that some of it is given knee-to-knee. This means that a computer is not used, and the student reads or answers questions directly for the teacher to hear. We are excited since this will provide us with better information about our students' math and literacy skills. There is also an intervention piece to this assessment that we believe will support our students who have not yet learned the information, as well as those who have. If interested, more information can be found at Illuminate Education.
Since these assessments are new to us, we ask for some grace and time. We will definitely be sharing the data and information with you, but we do not have a timetable right now. Our goal is to have the Fastbridge assessments administered to our students by the middle of February.
Report Cards
You should have received your child's report card in the mail in December. We will be mailing them out after each trimester. We hope that you take a look at them and if you have any questions, please contact your child's teacher or the school office.
Student Podcasts
We have a few more podcasts that we have made:
Student Podcast #5- Holiday Presents
Student Podcast #6-Pranks on People
Student Podcast #7-YouTubeCharacters
Student Podcast #8- Holiday Gifts
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.
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
January
1st - NO SCHOOL
2nd - Classes Resume
12th - 👕 Puma Pride / School Spirit Day & Reading Buddies
15th - NO SCHOOL (MLK Day)
22nd - NO SCHOOL (Staff Professional Development)
February
P.A.A.W.S. Program Still Looking for Volunteers
We have only 1 volunteer that is working with our students on a regular basis. We would sure love to have a lot 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.
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.
.png)
