Warhawk Nest

Next Week Pakala and Beatty both are attending AWSA Academies:

• Tuesday, Nov. 7th- Pakala is Out
• Wednesday, Nov. 8th- Beatty is Out
• Thursday, Nov. 9th- Beatty is Out

Upcoming Events:

• Staff Meetings - Nov 7 (Tuesday), 15 (Wednesday), 29
  
• Grading Opens - Oct 30-Nov 13
  
• Daylight Savings Time Ends - Nov 5
  
• Book Fair- Nov. 13-17
• Parent/Teacher Conferences - Nov 16 (half day)

Awesome staff,

As I reflect on our first quarter, I recognize the level of stress within our staff, students, and families. You are tasked with one of the hardest jobs ever, and we all have challenges we face outside of this building in our personal lives as well. That said, when we work with one another, utilize our strengths and expertise, and assume the best intentions in everyone, we will find that our job seems more manageable. The following will help support a team effort.

1. Read the Newsletter:

Each week, we create a newsletter in order to reduce the number of emails being sent out to staff. EVERY STAFF MEMBER should be taking the time to read the newsletter and complete any to dos listed.

2. Complete Surveys (Student & Staff)

With our different Solutions Teams all working to have a positive impact, there will be surveys that are used to collect data. These must be completed by the due dates. Without sufficient data, teams cannot not create effective plans.

3. Communicate with Our Special Ed. Team

There are times when a student may need the support of their case manager, including breaks, assessment/homework support, etc. If that is the case, please contact the case manager directly or call the office to page them, in order to ensure they are available to help in the moment. Please DO NOT, send students to their case manager's room without first talking with them, they may be in another classroom supporting another student. It is a safety concern having students sitting outside classrooms or in a classroom without supervision.

3. Communicate with Students & Families: Grading

Please remember IC is a communication tool for students and families that is to be used throughout the quarter. Homework (practice) & assessments should be posted frequently. This is a tool families use to gauge how their student is doing at any given time. When you only enter grades at the end of a quarter, it is a missed opportunity that leads to frustration for both students and their families.

4. Managing Behaviors & Calling a Code Blue

One of the most important things we can do is provide consistency. Consistency in our routines and procedures. Consistency in our response. Remember you have the authority in your classroom. When students know your expectations and know you are going to follow through with consequences (positive and negative) they will begin to navigate your classroom in a positive and productive manner. Parents also want to know how their child is doing, communicate with them when there struggles and when you have celebrations.

Finally, we are here to support you and our students. We have seen an increase in a lack of communication when our admin team comes to support you. When you call the office for support know we are going to expect a few things from you:

• You will meet us at the door to let us know, 1) your concern, 2) what you have tried, 3) how you would like us to support.

When we come to support we can support in different ways:

• Sit in your room with the student for a little while to coach in the moment.
• Cover your room, to allow you a moment to conference with the child and problem solve.
• Take the child for a short break and return the child.
• Take the student with us. Know that once the student comes with us, we will determine the consequences we see fit depending on the behavior.

If you are still unsure about what is the different between Classroom vs. Office-Managed Behaviors, please read this helpful resource. We are getting calls to support in classrooms, when it should be managed by the teacher. Example: student sleeping or head down. When in doubt ask yourself, "Can the learning of others continue in my classroom?" If yes, enter a referral and your response. If no, call the office for support. Remember the only thing admin can do that teachers cannot, would be to assign a suspension.

We also want to offer mini Behavior Support Meetings to staff. These sessions will be tailored to staff needs and all are welcome to join. For the month of Nov. we will hold two meeting opportunities focusing on the same topic. In December, we will focus on proactive and reactive behavior management strategies.

Topic: IC Referrals (When & How)

• Nov. 14th @ 7am
• Nov. 21st @ 3:15pm

Each year, the Manitowoc Public School District partners with the Manitowoc Police Department for the purpose of providing random K9 searches on school properties. The purpose of these searches is to support the training of the K9 units and to promote a safe learning environment for students and staff.

At approximately 8:10 a.m. on Thursday, Wilson Middle School went into a routine “HOLD” for the purpose of conducting a random K9 search of lockers. During the course of the search in the building, no drugs or illegal substances were found.

Every employee needs to complete the online Benefit Enrollment Form to either waive or select benefits. Debbie Rhein and Jess Primus are available to walk you through the online Benefit Enrollment process. The elections are done through Skyward Oct 23 - Nov 14. Otherwise, there is an interactive process document located at this link that will guide you through previewing/filling out the online form.

Spousal surcharge reminder - staff with a spouse on an MPSD health plan will be charged the spousal surcharge unless there is a spousal surcharge form on file with the business office. A copy of the spousal surcharge form is located in the open enrollment resources folder. If you completed the form last year and there are no changes, you do not need to do this again.

The records storage room has been re-keyed. If you need a CUM folder, please reach out to Becky Meyer (meyerr@mpsd.school), Debbie Rhein, or Jess Primus. Thanks!

Reminder to send sub plans to Debbie Rhein, Jess Primus, and RTwilson.

Also, if you're emailing Debbie, include Jess; if you're emailing Jess, include Debbie. Thanks!

We are welcoming Kyle Sackett to our Wilson team. Kyle will be teaching math in room 302. Kyle will be starting on Monday, Nov. 13th. Here is a message from Kyle:

I was born in Stevens Point, Wisconsin but have spent most of my life living in the Fond du Lac area. As a child, my father was a high school principal and my mother was an elementary and middle school art teacher, so some may say I was predestined to become an educator. The relationships you can build and the ability to make a positive impact on the lives of other people have kept me excited to attend work every day for the past eleven years where I have worked as a classroom teacher and soccer coach. For the first seven years of my career, I worked in Ripon teaching middle school, primarily mathematics but also all subjects within the STEM umbrella, and specialized in project-based learning. For the past four-plus years, I have taught high school mathematics at St. Mary’s Springs Academy in Fond du Lac. In addition to teaching, after about a decade in the classroom, I felt ready to continue my educational journey and decided to attend UW-Superior for my Master’s Degree and Principal Licensure which I completed last December.

On July 22, 2022, I was lucky enough to marry my wife, Elena. We currently have two dogs, Nala and August. We enjoy spending as much time as possible together, often taking day trips to different communities around the state and attending craft fairs, special local events, and flea/farmers markets. Seeing others share their talents and learning about the various community cultures around the state excites me to continue to explore new places and experiences. In addition to our journeys together, we try to spend time with family, especially our young niece and nephews. Over the past few years, I like to think my love of trivia and movies has rubbed off on my wife, although I have yet to be as successful with persuading her to love soccer as much as I do. I often wake up at 6:00 a.m. for kickoffs on weekends and enjoy starting my day with coffee and European soccer. I am very excited to be transitioning back into the world of middle school education, getting to know the students and staff of Wilson Middle School, and continuing to learn and grow as an educator.