- In This Issue
- *PLD April 17
- *Employees of the Year
- *New Staff Laptops
- *Curriculum Writing
- *Summer School Teaching
- *Hall of Fame Inductees
- *Extracurricular Positions
- *EFN Grant Requests
- *Family Engagement Liasion
- *Blood Drive
- *SoleBurner
- Regular Features
- *Wellness Update
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- Board Meeting Recap
- The Board adopted policies in regards to community partnerships and received a presentation from Lakeview Elementary at its April 4 meeting.
Click here for the recap
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- Weekly Tech Tip
- Make sure you are ready for your new computer with a fancy new Password. Watch this week's tech tip for some recommendations on creating a strong password.
Click here to watch the video
Activities Update
- Spring sports get into full gear with numerous events during the upcoming week in Neenah High School Activities, including a rematch of last year's boys tennis state title match on Saturday morning.
Click here for the Full Update
- ELL Weekly Tip
- The following principles are meant to guide teachers, coaches, ELL specialists, curriculum leaders, school principals, and district administrators as they work to develop CCSS-aligned instruction for ELLs.
Click here for the link
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- Past Issues
- Miss something in a previous Rocket Roundup? They are archived on the staff resources page of the website.
Click here for past issues
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- Have News to Share?
- If you have any information for NJSD staff you would like included in the Rocket Roundup please send to:
jstrick@www.neenah.k12.wi.us
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April 5, 2017 - Issue #28
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Next PLD Set for April 17
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Our next PLD is Monday, April 17 (the day after Easter). Registration for this PLD will be ready on Friday, April 7 at approximately 3:30 p.m. All staff is encouraged to register for the day’s events by the end of the day Tuesday, April 11. Itineraries will be generated on Wednesday and emailed to each staff person by Thursday, April 13 or sooner. Remember, no school on Friday, April 14 for students and teachers.
The general schedule for the day for most staff is listed below:
8:00 - 8:55 AM Staff Wellness
9:00 - 9:50 AM Technology
10:00 - 11:55 AM Curriculum and Pupil Services
noon - 12:55 PM Lunch on your own and travel to sites
1:00 - 4:00 PM Site professional learning
Grades 6-12 math teachers will follow a slightly different schedule:
8:00 - 8:55 AM Staff Wellness
9:00 - 9:50 AM Technology
10:00 - 1:00 PM WSMI presentation (snacks will be included due to the late lunch time)
1:00 - 1:55 PM Lunch on your own and travel to sites
2:00 - 4:00 PM Site professional learning
4K and special ed teachers participating in AVMR training will follow this schedule:
8:00 - 8:55 AM Staff Wellness
9:00 - 11:55 AM AVMR session #5
noon - 12:55 PM Lunch on your own and travel to sites
1:00 - 4:00 PM Site professional learning
Please log into Schoology using this link to register on Friday afternoon: http://schoology.www.neenah.k12.wi.us/course/807107231/materials
Questions about the April 17 PLD schedule should be communicated to Susan Hull, Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
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Employee/Team of the Year Nominations Open
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It's that time of year again to recognize colleagues who have done exemplary work. Please submit nominations of Neenah Joint School District staff that should be considered for the Employee of the Year awards. The nominations are due by April 21, 2017. The recognition ceremony for the Employees of the Year will be held on Wed., May 10, 2017 from 3:45-5 p.m. at Bridgewood Conference Center.
For the second straight year a "Team of the Year" will be chosen. Please consider nominating groups of individuals who have collaborated during the past year. There is no specific criteria for what defines a "team." It may consist of any group within a school (but not an entire school) or across different buildings in the District.
Click here to submit an Employee/Team of the Year nomination
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New Staff Laptops are Coming Soon
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New laptops AND passwords are coming!
The new MacBook Air laptops have been delivered and we are now processing (un-crating, labeling, inventorying, etc.). A schedule is being developed for your building and that will be communicated to you when it is ready (there will be plenty of notice prior to delivery/swap day).
In general, plan on the week after your building finishes FORWARD testing.
Thank you to all who took advantage of us, to help clean up files on your current desktop and hard drive. That will be very helpful to all of us as we are moving forward. We will be using a similar process for swapping laptops. Meaning, we will schedule days in each building and be available before school, during lunch and after school.
ALSO -- at the "clean up your laptop meetings," we discussed changing your password (you will pick your own) when the laptop switch is made. We are requiring that all staff change passwords this Spring and this will be the perfect time to do so! This is a necessary network security issue!
You will choose your own password. It will be a GREAT idea to use a combination that includes: lower case letters, UPPER CASE LETTERS, numbers (0123456789) and $y~bo!$ (@#$%&*).
Check out this week's Tech Tip for more on creating passwords
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Curriculum Writing Opportunities Offered
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Each year the District accepts summer curriculum writing proposals to address district as well as building needs related to curriculum development. District curriculum writing opportunities for classroom teachers this summer will include K-5 Project Lead the Way, K-8 Human Growth and Development, and K-5 College, Career, and Civic Life Framework for social studies (C3 Framework). Please watch for ways to participate in these District curriculum writing opportunities which will be advertised through the Rocket Roundup between now and the end of the school year.
Department chairs: please be sure you or someone in your department submits a curriculum writing proposal for each new course approved through the CADR process.
Teachers: use the link below to submit any additional district or building curriculum writing requests by May 1st at 8:00 AM. Please email Susan Hull if you have any questions about summer curriculum writing.
https://goo.gl/forms/dtD6QpowHm2MPWcv2
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Summer School Teachers Needed
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Many NJSD teachers have already signed up to teach Summer Academy classes this year. Great work everyone! However, there are still a few openings for those that might be interested:
* Hoover - Kindergarten Readiness, First Grade Readiness
* Roosevelt - Kindergarten Readiness
* Taft - Kindergarten Readiness, two sessions of First Grade Readiness, First Grade Remedial Reading/Math, Fourth Grade Remedial Reading/Math
* Wilson - two sessions of Kindergarten Readiness, Fourth Grade Remedial Reading/Math
If teaching K Readiness, you would need to have a K license. Contact April Keepers at Coolidge School (akeepers@www.neenah.k12.wi.us) if you have any questions, or you can contact the administrator at each school directly if you have an interest in teaching. Please be reminded that the salary for teaching summer school was increased as of last year, for NJSD employees. The salary is $31.72/hour, with additional pay added in for prep time.
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Five Individuals Selected to NJSD Hall of Fame
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Five prominent alumni and former staff members of the Neenah Joint School District will comprise the District’s third annual Hall of Fame class in 2017.
Longtime teacher Bill Dunwiddie (1948-83) will be inducted along with graduates Kathy Hagerstrom (1979), Robert Keller (1965), David McLaren (1989) and John Schneller (1929). The group brings the total members of the Hall of Fame to 22.
The inductees were selected by a committee of 15 individuals that included former and current employees and alumni. They will be honored at a banquet on Sat., Sept. 30 at 11:30 a.m. at Best Western Premier Bridgewood Resort Hotel and Conference Center in Neenah as part of the District’s homecoming festivities. Tickets will go on sale in July.
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Extracurricular Positions Posted
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The district is seeking applications for an Activities Director/Assistant Principal at Neenah High School. Interested applicants may apply through WECAN - Vacancy ID 5425. Application deadline is April 13.
Following are extracurricular vacancies for the 2017-18 school year. If you are interested in applying for one of the positions, please use this link. Application deadline is April 12.
BOYS' BASKETBALL - 8th Grade Coach
BOYS' BASKETBALL - Grade 7 Coach
BOYS' SWIMMING - Varsity Assistant Coach
BOYS' SOCCER - Varsity Coach
BOYS' WRESTLING - 7th/8th Grade Coach
DEBATE - Senior High Advisor
DEBATE - Senior High Assistant Advisor
GIRLS' BASKETBALL - 8th Grade Coach
GIRLS' BASKETBALL - 7th Grade Coach
GIRLS' SWIMMING - Varsity Assistant Coach
SEA CLUB - Senior High Assistant Advisor
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EFN Grant Requests Due April 5
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The next meeting of the Educational Foundation of Neenah (EFN) will take place on Thursday, April 13. Anyone interested in submitting a grant request should get it to Diane Haug no later than Wednesday, April 5. Information about the EFN and grant request forms may be found here: https://www.neenah.k12.wi.us/community/efn.cfm.
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Introducing Our Family Engagement Liasion
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As most of us are well aware, the special education process is legally complicated and can be confusing. This is especially true for parents who are new to the process or have questions. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has established a network of special education Family Engagement Liaisons. These liaisons are members of the district communities they serve and also the parents of a special needs child that attends school in that district. They receive specialized training through DPI so they can serve as informational resources to both parents and district staff when it comes to special education and can also help both parties problem-solve issues related to special education. We are pleased to introduce NJSD's Family Engagement Liaison for Special Education - Danyel Missall. She can be reached at: danyel.missall@www.neenah.k12.wi.us.
From Danyel - "I am the mother of three wonderful boys. Two of my sons attend NJSD, and my middle son is Autistic. Since my son's diagnosis, I have learned the skill of patience, the blessings in achievements (big and small), and I have especially learned that knowledge is power. I am a founding member of the APLL Group (Autism Partnership for Learning & Life), a group started to exchange information and ideas with parents and staff in the hopes of creating an all-around better learning experience for our children. It is my hope that as a Family Engagement Liaison for the NJSD Special Education Department, that I can be helpful by discussing your thoughts and ideas, and guide teaching staff, parents and community members to any helpful resources they may need to enrich our children's school experience. I look forward to helping out in any way I can!"
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Honor Society Blood Drive Set for April 12
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The Neenah High School National Honor Society and Community Blood Center will host a Blood Drive on Wednesday, April 12 from 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. in the Apollo Commons. Enter through Door 6. To schedule an appointment, please go to www.communityblood.org and enter sponsor code N024. Be sure to bring a photo ID, drink lots of water and eat a hearty meal.
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Join Team NJSD at the Annual SoleBurner
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Please consider joining Team NJSD for the 2017 SoleBurner Run on Saturday, May 13 at 9 a.m. at City Park in Appleton. The event is worth 250 Go365 points and can be a run or a walk. Please contact Mary Shandonay with any questions at mshandonay@www.neenah.k12.wi.us or 751-6900 ext. 16012.
To signup for the SoleBurner, go to www.soleburner.org
1. Click on Register
2. Pick Guest (This is a new site for all.)
3. Fill out personal info...Name
4. Agree to Terms
5. Initial to Verify
6. Join Existing Group
Type in Neenah Joint School District
7. Click on NJSD (Mary Shandonay, Captain)
click next
8. Fill out Address ~ click next
9. Emergency Contact ~ click next
10. Choose to donate....you don't have to...
11. Choose shirt size
12. Go through the choices to hit CHECKOUT
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Wellness Updates
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1. Healthy You District Cookbook:
"Have you tried any fun and healthy recipes lately? We would love for you to share your secrets! Your recipes will be featured in a district-wide "Healthy Cookbook" made for and by the staff of Neenah Joint School District. E-mail jessica.baumann@www.neenah.k12.wi.us with your creations!
2. The Community Blood Center will be conducting a blood drive during the PLD on April 17 from 7:30-10:30 a.m. To schedule your life-saving appointment, please choose BLOOD DRIVE as your wellness PLD session. You will be prompted to select an appointment time.
3. Healthy You Suggestions Box:
Do you have a great PLD wellness idea? Perhaps you have a new leisure interest you'd like to learn more about or a wonderful talent you'd like to share with NJSD staff? Maybe you'd like to be invovled in a specific wellness challenge? We want to know!
Please share your great ideas and resources with the Healthy You Team by completing this very short online suggestion card:
Healthy You Online Suggestions Box
Don't be shy, feel free to fill out multiple cards throughout the year! The more we know, the better we can serve!
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