Tuesday, December 24, 2013

If you think it was cold last night:

"NASA satellite data from east Antarctica shows Earth has set a new record for coldest temperature ever recorded... It happened in August 2010 when it hit -94.7C (-135.8F)."
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/10/coldest-temperature-recorded-earth-antarctica-guinness-book

Monday, December 23, 2013

Wisconsin Free Fishing Weekend Jan. 18-19, 2014

WI DNR release; Wisconsin’s second annual winter Free Fishing Weekend is set for Jan. 18-19, 2014. No fishing license or Great Lakes salmon stamp is needed to fish any Wisconsin water. This includes all inland waters and Wisconsin's side of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River and other boundary waters. Other fishing rules apply, such as limits on the number and size of fish anglers can keep and any seasons when anglers must release certain fish species.

“Ice fishing is a great way to get outside during the winter and to fish anywhere without a boat,” says Theresa Stabo, Wisconsin’s angler education director. “Free Fishing Weekend is a great time to discover what it’s all about – fun with friends and family and, of course, the fish.”

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Big Yellow School Bus is the safest way to travel:

"FACT: School buses are the safest mode of transportation for getting children back and forth to school". Source: U.S. Department of Transportation.

National studies show that "students are about 50 times more likely to arrive at school alive if they take the bus than if they drive themselves or ride with friends. But did you also know that your child is much safer riding the bus than being driven by you?" Click here to go to the National Highway Traffic Safety site

School Bus Fleet Fact Book statistics show that 554,000 Wisconsin Public School Students are transported by yellow buses. Nationwide the figure is 28,784,331 Students. Big yellow buses are efficient also; on average they last for 14.4 years in salted road states like Wisconsin, and 19.3 years on no-salt roads. Click here for more School Bus Fleet information

Monday, December 16, 2013

Governor Signs Concussion Education Amendment

From WIAA:

Gov. Scott Walker signed bill SB 258 into law Friday that will require parents and student-athletes to review and sign concussion education forms only once each school year. The change to the law eliminates much of the redundancy associated with the passing of the concussion law in 2012. Prior to the amendment, parents and student-athletes were required to sign concussion forms at the beginning of each interscholastic sport season.

The concussion law requires all youth athletic organizations to educate coaches, athletes and parents on the risks of concussions and head injuries and prohibits participation in a youth activity until the athlete and parent or guardian has returned a signed agreement sheet indicating they have reviewed the concussion and head injury informational materials. The law also requires immediate removal of an individual from a youth athletic activity if symptoms indicate a possible concussion has been sustained. A person who has been removed from an athletic activity because of a determined or suspected concussion or head injury may not participate again until he or she is evaluated by an approved health care provider and receives written clearance from the health care provider to return to the activity.

The WIAA has been a leader in concussion education, awareness and student-athlete well-being. The membership’s Executive Staff and Medical Advisory Committee contributed to the development of the concussion law. The WIAA website contains a video and substantial information regarding the signs and symptoms of concussions, as well as efforts to prevent and treat concussions. For more information, access the Concussions information page at: http://www.wiaawi.org/Health/Concussions.aspx.

PdC Public one-to-one Chromebooks are in for state testing!

Wisconsin Department of Instruction has definitively stated that Chromebooks will work on the upcoming state testing changes.

Phil Olsen, DPI Office of Student Assessment, stated "Yes, Chromebooks will be supported by all three of the assessment consortia in which Wisconsin participates: Smarter Balanced, Dynamic Learning Maps (for the alternate assessment), and ASSETS (for the English language learner assessment)."

Stuart Ciske, DPI Educational Consultant, also added this confirmation from Edutopia "Smarter Balanced and PARCC verified that Chromebooks meet hardware and operating system requirements for online student assessments in the 2014-2015 school year."

This is exceptionally great news for PdC Public Schools as we have one-to-one Chromebooks for all students in grades 5 to 12 and it would be difficult to reverse course to have enough other machines available just for testing.