May 17, 2017 - Issue #33

The final PLD of the school year will be held on Friday, May 26.  Registration will be open by 3:00 p.m. on Friday, May 12 and available in our Schoology NJSD PLD:2016-17 course. Itineraries will be generated and emailed to each registrant on Monday, May 22.

The schedule for the day includes:  

Staff wellness session:  Each certified staff member, both teachers and building level administrators, will participate in the medical training that is required annually.  This training is usually completed over the summer or during pre-session, but this year we are trying something new by scheduling the medical training during PLD.  Each certified staff member (teacher and building admin) will be assigned to one of three sessions held during the morning of May 26. Administrative assistants assigned to schools will participate in a medical training during May’s PLD  in the afternoon.  Educational Assistants will have their medical training in the fall at the start of the school year.  

Any staff person who is not required to complete medical training during May’s PLD is encouraged to take an hour out of their day on May 26 for a wellness activity of their choosing.

Technology session:  There will be a one-hour technology session.  Small grade level and department groups will be organized to review and share thoughts on certain aspects of our BrightBytes data results from this winter.

Curriculum/pupil services session:  K-5 classroom teachers will begin their orientation for Project Lead the Way (PLTW).  K-12 departments, 6-12 departments, 7-12 departments will complete data analysis #3 for their selected common assessment.  4K and selected special education teachers K-12 will finish AVMR Course 1 with session 6. Other pupil services groups and curriculum groups will receive more information during the registration process related to their activities.

Non-certifed staff sessions:  Staff wellness activity on-your-own unless participating in the medical training in the PM.  Look for more information during the registration process.

The first table below provides a general description of the schedule for May’s PLD. Group assignments are listed in the second table below.

Rocco Marchionda will again be acting as a third party holder of your responses in our yearly District Performance Feedback Survey. Be confident that no personally identifiable information is required or even collected. Your time and honest feedback are sincerely appreciated in our effort to improve our buildings and our district. If you have any questions about this process, please feel free to contact Rocco.

Thank you to the 246 staff members who have responded to the survey so far. We are hoping to have at least 500 responses in order to ensure that a majority of staff feedback and opinions are heard.

Please take a few moments to take our yearly NJSD Performance Feedback Survey

The Neenah Joint School District, in conjunction with Post-Crescent Media, will host a panel discussion for parents, staff, students and concerned community members to address the issues raised by the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why and to talk about ways to prevent suicide and build resilience for children. The event takes place on Thursday, May 25 at 7 p.m. in the Neenah High School Cafeteria. Speakers on the panel will include mental health experts with expertise in suicide prevention as well as students with lived mental health experience.

The recent Netflix series 13 Reasons Why has raised concerns among school personnel and suicide prevention experts. Many kids are binge watching without adult guidance and support, which could raise the risks for suicide for some of our youth. The series graphically depicts a suicide death and rape. In addition, several difficult topics are addressed including cyberbullying, drunk driving, objectifying and shaming girls and revenge fantasies.

Youth who are experiencing difficult emotions benefit from messages of hope that also give them strategies and resources for helping them through difficult times. Youth often miss these messages in shows such as 13 Reasons Why that sensationalize serious topics such as suicide.  

Come join us on May 25 to learn how we can replace messages of shock and despair with voices of validation and hope for our youth. The event will also be streamed live and archived on postcrescent.com.

More information is also available at the event's Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1908147619428899/

Neenah High School will host a three-day Project Based Learning training through the Think Global PBL Academy on July 12-14. The event is the only Think Global PBL training session being held this summer throughout the Midwest.

Cost is $699 for Neenah staff, which is a $100 discount off the regular price. Those attending must attend all three days of the training. All K-12 educators and administrators are invited to attend.

To sign up go to:
http://events.eventzilla.net/e/wisconsin-regional-think-global-pbl-academy-and-think-global-pbl-leadership-2138890287 

USE DISCOUNT CODE: INVNeenah - this will allow the teacher to sign up for free and then the organization will send a bill to your site after July 1. Note: the teacher will have to indicate which site will be billed and the address of that site

Project Based Learning is recognized as an advanced pedagogical approach that has led to academic success, higher college enrollment and completion, and a strong school culture. Advanced Reasoning Global PBL Academies are the leaders in providing a dynamic training that guides teachers and administrators through the process of designing, assessing, and successfully implementing projects that are based on state standards and 21st century learning skills. 

Administrator and Certified Staff contracts will be arriving by the end of the week. Please keep one copy with your professional records.  Please sign and return the second copy to your school's Administrative Assistant before June 2, 2017. Please do not return your individual contract to Human Resources. The school Administrative Assistant will send all contracts to Human Resources at the close of the school year. Thank you in advance!

Staff members are reminded that Friday, June 2 will be a day off for all District employees. Dr. Pfeiffer made this announcement at the winter convocation. The last day of school will be Thursday, June 1. This will be a half day for students, but will be a full day for staff members. Enjoy your extra day off!

During the summer of 2017, Neenah Joint School District will be assembling curriculum writing groups for Human Growth and Development (K-8); College, Career and Civic Life Framework (C3) for Social Studies K-8; Science Curriculum Review K-5; and Math Performance Tasks K-5.  Please indicate your interest in participating in any or all of these opportunities by completing the attached survey.  From the list of interested participants, we will assemble a representative group to complete the work.  Thank you for your interest - Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Department.

https://goo.gl/forms/OZDJRq9C6FQTkSG63

In order to better understand European Exploration in the Americas, 7th grade students in Samantha Johnson's social studies class were assigned with the task of creating a news broadcast. In small groups, students researched and wrote scripts, and then created video recordings of their interviews with accomplished explorers from Europe. Click here to view one of the student videos created by Jesse, Jonah, Bruce, and Jackson using iMovie!