Principal’s Post
Beyond the Standards
I was in a 1st grade classroom conducting an instructional walk. The students were quietly working on their informative writing projects. They had researched a topic of choice, using strategies to read nonfiction texts. Now they were using their notes they had taken and were applying them to a writing project. I sat next to … Read More
Elementary School Book Swap
If there is one thing about buying books for my kids that is challenging, it might be how quickly they read them and then they are looking for the next one. Their rooms (and our home) have stacks of titles in many places. A few they will reread, yet many could find a new reader. If … Read More
Screen Time and Kids
by Elementary Principal Matt Renwick During these recent no school days due to inclement weather, it was hard to keep our own kids occupied, especially when it was bitterly cold. Our son even commented, “Are we getting too much screen time?” We assured him that once the weather warmed up, they would be able to … Read More
Civic Responsibility
It is hard to believe that November is already here! It’s been a busy two months of building our learning community at school, connecting with kids, staff and families, and discussing our goals. For this school year, we are focused as a faculty on reading instruction, specifically thinking about the text. This includes thinking critically … Read More
Fall Learning Opportunities at Elementary School
This post is to make you aware of a few learning opportunities for students this fall. Family Math Night On November 1, education students from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville along with their instructors will be hosting an evening of math games and activities. Family math night starts at 5 P.M. and runs until 7 P.M. … Read More
Parents Needed for Elementary School Team
One of our two school district goals is community engagement. Engagement within the context of education can be defined as developing trust and building relationships between home, school, and community. Of these two tenets of engagement, trust is a prerequisite for creating a school culture that recognizes and embraces family involvement. A powerful way of … Read More
Change is Constant
by Elementary Principal Matt Renwick The start of a school year is upon us. Many of us in education have been thinking about this new beginning for a while. For at least some of us, there is a mixed feeling of excitement and anxiety. My guess is the students have felt the same way. For … Read More
A Community of Readers
This post also served as part of my summer newsletter to staff. Our building goal this year is increase our collective knowledge around reading instruction; not to insinuate that we are lacking in this area, but rather to seek a common understanding about this discipline while continually advancing ourselves professionally. See you in September. When … Read More
What a Community Values
by Elementary Principal Matt Renwick One of the first things our family noticed about Mineral Point when we moved here in 2016 was all of the historical homes and sites. People proudly display plaques describing when a house or structure was built, along with the name of the original owner or business. When people speak … Read More
Reading Night 2018: Survivor
Reading Night at the elementary school will be Thursday, May 24 from 5-7 P.M. This year’s theme is “Survivor”. A variety of activities around literacy will be hosted in different classrooms. Students and their families are encouraged to join us for this fun and educational event! In addition, we are running our book fair in … Read More