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WMS - Weekly Wauna Know

November 27, 2023

WMS - Weekly Wauna Know November 27, 2023

To check the most updated schedule for boys basketball, and wrestling, please click


Waunakee Middle School Sports Schedules for the week of November 27-December 1, 2023. Make sure you check it frequently for any changes.

UPCOMING DATES TO PUT ON YOUR CALENDAR UPCOMING DATES TO PUT ON YOUR CALENDAR

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Important Dates Coming up

7th Grade Winter Band Concert 12/5 6:30pm - High School PAC

8th Grade Winter Band Concert 12/5 7:30pm-High School PAC

Staff Meeting - 12/7

Winter Choir Concert - 12/12 - 7pm - High School PAC

Winter Break 12/23-1/1

Spotlight on PLC Spotlight on PLC

Teaching is Not Easy - by Sarah Siedschlag


“Teaching is not easy”- it’s the first thing my special education advisor said when I took an undergraduate class with her. “If your students are not learning, then you’re not teaching,” is the second thing she said. Those words remain with me and have become somewhat of a mantra for me. Although she did not use the term Professional Learning Community, it was, in essence, the beginning of my understanding of student-centered decision making based on data. My mantra can easily be drowned out by banter around schedule changes, paperwork fatigue, contentious meetings and logistical matters that are the nature of the business in which we work. This is when I come back to my first lesson, “Teaching is not easy.” It never has been, it never will be. Ensuring that students make academic growth while balancing all the other responsibilities of an educator is challenging. This is why the learning community is critical. We need our colleagues to make it work. Yes, teaching is not easy… but things that are meaningful never are.

BINGO - DO WE HAVE A WINNER YET? BINGO - DO WE HAVE A WINNER YET?

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BINGO

Each week you will receive 2 numbers. When you get a regular bingo (across, down, or diagonal) bring your card to the office for a prize. Look for your card in your mailbox. Good Luck.


This week's numbers:

B 9

O 61

WMS i-Ready Data WMS i-Ready Data

Below is a snapshot of some i-Ready instructional data from the whole school

  • Upper left is the percentage of lessons passed as a school by subject. Alerts will show up in the i-Ready dashboard if a student is not passing the same lesson topic multiple times.

  • Lower left is the total time and lessons passed as a school so far this school year, let’s see how big we can get them this year (could be fun to show your homeroom)!

  • Right side is a quick graph of how many students met their minutes goal for a previous week (i-Ready sees the best growth if students are above 30 minutes per subject per week). These percentages were calculated in a new way to more accurately reflect the percentage of students meeting goal minutes.

Let's Get Our Discovery Board Filled! Let's Get Our Discovery Board Filled!

Our board is looking good. Let's get more pictures on the board!

Give a Gift from the Warrior Corner Store Give a Gift from the Warrior Corner Store

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We are excited to launch an online Warrior Corner School Store option for you! As the district launched a new brand for both the school district and the high school/spirit, we want you to be able to sport the newest gear. There are many options for men, women, youth, spirit, and accessories. New items added - perfect for gift-giving!


Click here to access our online store: https://waunakeeholidayapparel23.itemorder.com/shop/home/


All items can be shipped directly to your home (shipping rates apply) or picked up at Trending Now Promotions (1120 Uniek Drive, Waunakee) at no extra cost to you. The deadline to order is Monday, December 4th, at which time all orders will be processed.


Thank you for your support of our Warrior Corner Store and the Marketing Education program by shopping locally.

Gratitude Challenge - How Many Boxes Have You Checked Off? Gratitude Challenge - How Many Boxes Have You Checked Off?

Challenge yourself during the Month of November to see how many ways you can show Gratitude.

We are joining again with WNC (Waunakee Neighborhood Connection) to provide recycling drop off locations at our schools. This recycling drive helps WNC raise a few dollars and also keeps non-renewable, recyclable resources out of the landfill.

Specifics:

Starts: November 16, 2023

Ends: January 31, 2023

There will be one WNC bin near each school office that will be regularly emptied

Acceptable Items:

Christmas lights, phone chargers, and any electrical cords

Leave plugs on

NO charger blocks

Please keep this drive in mind as you decorate and un-decorate this year! It may be a nice time to clean out other old cords and cables no longer in use both at home and in your school environment.


Please let me know with any questions and thank you for considering!


Jessica North


8th Grade Science

Coaches Corner Coaches Corner

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Did You Get the Signal?

Using signals can be critical to a smooth-running classroom. Signals are a way to gain attention, create seamless transitions, and are more efficient and respectful than calling students out. There’s a delicate balance between a signal being annoying or even distracting, like flipping the lights off and on, and it being effective. When we continually say, “Hey, students…” or the proverbial, “Shhhh…” they will often drone us out after the first few words, and we waste precious time.


Here are some alternatives to try:

  • “Give me 5” - simply raise your hand, pause in one spot, and have students do the same. You can move on once everyone is giving their attention.

  • Snap-in - begin snapping your fingers once a few students notice they snap-in until most have joined. Now, use your voice. Once most have acknowledged it, it’s time to give attention.

  • Clap once - When you need attention during a group exercise, say, “If you can hear me clap once (students clap), if you can hear me, clap twice.” You will rarely have to go to clap 3 times. The idea is to say the “If you can hear me” portion in a medium voice. This sets the tone for students to listen in.

  • “Please Pause” - It sounds very simplistic, but it is respectful and works. Simply stand in place and, with a credible voice, say, “Please, pause.”

  • “Quiet in 3…2…1…0” -Allow your voice to get softer as you count down. When groups are working, and they are highly engaged, start from 5, and if needed, add some humor at 1, such as .75, .5, etc.

  • Music - The great motivator and connector for everyone…play a few seconds of a popular song. Music works great for transitions and cleaning up, too.

  • Chimes, sound effects, and timers - are always good options.


Most importantly, model and practice. Students need to have explicit directions around whatever method you are using. Consistency is also vital. When we want smooth transitions from one activity to the next, we want our students to know we won’t press on until the classroom is ready. Setting up these routines takes time but saves time in the long run.


November is Homelessness Awareness Month! November is Homelessness Awareness Month!

Middle School Building Goals 2023-2024 Middle School Building Goals 2023-2024

Waunakee Community Middle School 2023-2024 Building Goals


At Waunakee Community Middle School, we are committed to helping each student reach their full potential. To guide our efforts, our school improvement team meets annually during an activity we call our School Improvement Institute, or SII. During the summer of 2023, a team of teachers, administrators, and other school staff from Waunakee Community Middle School gathered together at SII to review data and create our School Improvement Plan for the 2023-2024 school year. Operating under the umbrella of our Waunakee Community School District’s strategic priorities, we developed two goals for continuous improvement for the 2023-2024 school year.


  • By June of 2024, we will improve our student growth in reading and literacy by having 80% of our students meet their yearly literacy growth goal as measured by our i-Ready data.

  • By June of 2024, 75% of all Waunakee Community Middle School staff will report that there has been improvement in building climate so that it reflects movement towards the desired state for our professional building culture.

We believe these two goals will help create an environment where all students can thrive academically and develop as independent learners. To achieve this, we value the support and involvement of parents. Please reach out to your child's teachers to learn more about how you can support learning at home. Please visit the district website for additional information and resources related to our school improvement efforts this year.



With our dedicated staff and engaged families working together, we know we can make great progress to support each student's growth and success this school year!

NOVEMBER IS NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH NOVEMBER IS NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

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For the month of November, you will see the Ho-Chunk flag flying at each school. The Board of Education (BOE) approved recognition per a resolution adopted a few years ago to commemorate Native American Heritage Month. The resolution by the Board of Education can be found on our district website.

AM/PM SUPERVISION AM/PM SUPERVISION

AM/PM Supervision Reminder - Week of 11/27-12/1

Raymond---- AM**Flagpole - Direct students to the playground

Grabarski ----AM**Bus Loop - Direct students to go to the back of the school to enter

Jones ---- AM**West Door #7 OR Entryway outside Gym (inclement or cold weather days)

North---AM **West Door #7 OR Entryway outside Gym (inclement or cold weather days)

Cornelio---AM**West Door #6 OR Cafe (inclement or cold weather days)

Wagner-Marx---AM**West Door #6 OR Cafe (inclement or cold weather days)

Steck ---- PM**Bike Racks

Burgess ----- PM**Bus Loop (near where the second to last bus lines up)

Walter---PM**Bus Loop (near the fire hydrant)

Stachour ---- PM**Flagpole (outside the main entrance)

Please Submit Pictures For Our Yearbook Please Submit Pictures For Our Yearbook

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Did you take a Great Picture? We'd Love to Use it in our Yearbook!

Attention Teachers,


If you are taking pictures of students in your classroom or attending school events and have a great picture, please use this QR Code to submit them to us for review and possibly use in our yearbook! We'd greatly appreciate it! The QR code should allow up to 10 photo uploads, and you can submit multiple times.

BIRTHDAYS BIRTHDAYS

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Student Birthdays 11/28-12/3

Kevin Komar 11/28

Carter Hellickson 11/29

Jake Hellickson 11/29

Levi Knaack 11/29

Cassidy Jensema 11/30

Addison Kerska 11/30

Naomi Lewis 11/30

Cason Kosmicki 11/30

Callie Lawler 12/1

Luke Leder 12/1

Celeste Madden-Thomas 12/1

Easton Brunet 12/1

Chloe Duttkin 12/1

Alex Salzieder 12/2

Isabella Salzieder 12/2

Kellan Bauer 12/3

Hope Niemuth 12/3

Caroline Belcher 12/3

Hadley Foss 12/3

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December Staff Birthdays

November

Paul Nesbitt 11/25

Monica Dogru 11/29


December

Matt Withrow 12/5

Hailey Bond 12/8

Michael Zibell 12/11

Claudia Bright 12/21

Rebecca Murray 12/23

Need Tech Help??? Need Tech Help???

TEACHER CHALLENGE TEACHER CHALLENGE

90 DAY CHALLENGE 90 DAY CHALLENGE

Please fill out this form each time you visit a colleagues classroom! Thanks for taking part in promoting a culture of learning for staff and students!

Past Newsletters Past Newsletters

September 4, 2023

September 11, 2023

September 18, 2023

September 25, 2023

October 9, 2023

October 16, 2023

October 23, 2023

October 30, 2023

November 6, 2023

November 13, 2023

November 20, 2023

Lynn Miller
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