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Celebrating the Iowa City Community School District the OMMUNICATOR C October 2015 ~ Volume 88 Send items for The Communicator by email to Kristin Pedersen at [email protected] Grant Wood AEA Updates To read the latest issue of the INSTAGRAM TWIttER FACEBOOK YOUTUBE BOARD FACILITIES MEETINGS MASTER Grant Wood AEA’s The Linker PLANNING click the following link: GWAEA The Linker New Inclement Weather Guidelines The District’s Board of Directors has approved a new policy outlining the District’s inclement weather guidelines. The policy was created to better define school cancellation pro- cedures for parents, students and staff. The policy outlines how the District will handle schedule Professional changes, delays, early dismissals and cancellations related to inclement weather. The established Development standards will help parents know exactly what to The Professional Development expect when inclement weather hits. To view the calendar is housed on the District new guidelines, visit: http://bit.ly/1LAXtBw. website under the Curriculum Department. You will need to be logged in to Edline to view the calendar. Durham’s Adopt-A-School Program https://www.edline.net/pages/ICCSD/ The Durham School Services team, Departments/Curriculum/Calendar who manages the District’s transpor- Forgot your code? tation services, has selected Lucas Feel free to contact Lisa Mattingly at [email protected] Elementary as their Adopt-A-School for that information. for the 2015-2016 school year. Durham representatives presented the certificate October 16th at Lucas Elementary to Principal Ken Turnis. The group discussed the program, which includes, among other things, the donation of transportation for a student field trip this year. Congratulations! Staff Wellness Fair! Don’t forget to mark your calendars for the 4th annual Staff Wellness Fair! The fair will be held at Northwest Junior High on Thursday, October 22nd from 3:00 – 5:00 pm. Remember that this is one of the five staff wellness events that count toward the grand prize at the end of the year. Be sure to sign in at the registration table, as that will be the list used to determine participation for the drawing. There will be over 35 local health and wellness businesses offering discounts and incentives. Mer- cy Executive Chef Ron Hall will provide a cooking demonstration and will have recipes and nutrition tips available. There will be plenty of health and wellness samples and goodies to grab and don’t forget to register to win one of 10 VISA gift cards to be given away! There will also be a blood drive running during the fair operated by the Mississippi Valley Blood Center. If we get 20 people to successfully give blood, we are eligible to receive a grant to purchase school supplies for students in our District! Sign up to give blood at www.bloodcenterimpact.org and click on the Donate Blood button on the right side of the page. We hope to see you there! Little Hawk Nominated for Pacemaker newsLINKS Congratulations to Jonathan Rogers and City High’s Links to District-related stories newspaper, The Little Hawk! The publication has been currently in the news. named a finalist for the prestigious Pacemaker Award, which is given to the best high school newspapers in the United States. City High is one of only two Iowa high Runners, young and schools to be nominated. old, race for I.C. schools West Side Story Honors Four students on the 2014-2015 West Side Story staff are finalists in the National Scholastic Press Association’s Preparations under way 2015 Individual Award Contest. Two of the students are for new Hoover finalists for cartoon of the year and one 2015 graduate is a finalist for an editorial written last school year. Elementary West Side Story as a publication received a George H. Gallup award for the 2014-2015 year! The award is the highest honor from Quill and Scroll, the international Iowa City schools con- journalism honor society. Quill and Scroll gives the award due to excellence in sider future security coverage, visuals, business practices, writing and editing. measures in response The recommendation of several Quill and Scroll judges to alleged threat is needed before a paper can even qualify for the Gallup. Opening Day Event Photos ICCSD task force makes recommendations for use of insecticides Solar at schools to be focus of committee SUstainabilitY TiP: Use PowerPoints, SMART Boards, Google Docs, Elmos or other projection devises Iowa City Community Schools to present to classes. Students can take Sustainability Program notes on what they need, rather than printing out a copy of class materials for each student. A Healthy ... Simple Tips for Overall You Health & Wellness STAFF Wellness 2015-16 CALENDAR October 18, 2015 ‘Run for the Schools’ 5K Race October 22, 2015 Staff Wellness Fair Northwest Junior High January-February 2016 Biggest Loser Challenge, Sponsored by Scheels Feb. 22-Mar. 11, 2016 Staff Health Assessments* (multiple locations across District) Apr. 4-May 1, 2016 3rd Annual Step Challenge, Sponsored by Core Fitness Participation in any 4 of the 5 staff wellness events listed above will automatically earn you a spot in a drawing for two grand prize giveaways to be announced in May. * Proof of completed annual physical may be substituted for the staff health assessment. CHALLENGE yourself Take the stairs Did you know? LearnWell.TeachWell.LiveWell. The Iowa City Community School District Shine Award honors employees who go above and beyond for the students and schools in our community. Honorees positively influence, inspire, and leave a lasting impact in the work that they do every day, helping to fulfill the overall District mission. District employees will be selected and honored throughout the school year to receive this prestigious honor. Nominations can be submitted by students, parents, District employees, businesses, or community members at any time by visiting www.iowacityschools.org. September recipients include: J.J. Alberhasky Teacher, Hoover Elementary Steve Benson Teacher, Garner Elementary Jim Jordan Teacher, Twain Elementary J.J. Alberhasky Steve Benson Jim Jordan MATTERS E uity Information & Resources from the District’s Equity Office Please “BMindful” 2015-16 Cultural Over the summer, a local community group created “Bmind- Competency Training ful.” Bmindful is a listing of holy days for each faith, days when congregants might not go to work or send their children to school and extra-curricular activities. This is not a listing of all the reli- gious holy days, rather, just the major holy days that may coincide with school or extra-curricular activities. The link below provides a list of these major holy days for this school year through 2018. Even though this year has already started, we wanted to make you aware of this list to plan accordingly and make scheduling chang- es to a conflicting date, if possible. Please let me know if you have any questions. http://www.iowacitycoralville.org/index.aspx?nid=631 Discussion between Director of Equity Kingsley Botchway and South East Junior High students about the defi- nition and examples of bullying and harassment in our schools. Multicultural & Gender Fair Spotlight Mrs. Saland, Modi- fied Special Education Teacher at Wickham, leading a “Different is Okay” lesson about students with Down’s Syndrome with Mrs. Leckliter’s Kindergar- ten Class to celebrate Down’s Syndrome Awareness Month in October. Spotlight on... TeacherTeacher LeadershipLeadership André Echols Mentor, Math Teacher West High School André is entering his 8th year teaching math courses at West High School in the district. He teaches Algebra I, Geometry, Introduction to Algebra, Informal Geometry, and Algebra II. André is certified to teach Secondary Mathematics and Physics. Not only has André taught in the district, he also enjoyed his experience teaching at University Preparatory High School in Detroit. André had the opportunity to participate in the Real World Externship. He took that experience as an opportunity to teach his students about the importance of “real” mathematics working side-by-side with science and technology-related fields at the local business level. Get to know André Echols... André has been a Curriculum and Instructional Assistant for the Summer Engineering Academy in Ann Arbor, Michigan. André has instructed Mathematics, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Aerospace Engineering for the Summer Engineering Academy in Ann Arbor, MI. André received his Masters of Education from Marygrove College in Detroit, MI. André participated in the Real World Externship through the University of Northern Iowa, Proctor and Gamble, and International Automotive Components. André sponsors student run groups: Students Pursuing a Mission and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Spotlight on... TeacherTeacher LeadershipLeadership Dr. Sarah Fairfield General Music Curriculum Coordinator, Elementary General Music Teacher The role of District General Music Coordinator is new for Sarah this year, but she's no stranger to the Iowa City Community School District, having taught elementary music for the past 16 years. In addition to numerous District committees and building teams, Sarah is an instructor in music education at the collegiate level. She has served on state boards and committees and is frequently invited to present workshops at national conferences and conventions. Get to know Sarah Fairfield... Sarah earned her MA and Ph.D. degrees in Music Education from The University of Iowa. Sarah is an Instructor at Coe College for Elementary and Secondary Music Methods and Choral Techniques. Sarah has been an Instructor at The University of Iowa for Music Practicum and Student Teaching Seminar. Sarah has been an ICEA Building Representative since 2012. Sarah traveled to Vienna, Austria, in the summer of 2014 to study Elemental Dance and Music Pedagogy at the Carl Orff Institute. Spotlight on... TeacherTeacher LeadershipLeadership Beth Hieronymus Special Education Instructional Design Strategist TREC, NWJH, SEJH Beth Hieronymus has been an instructional coach for the past several years, working with special education teachers in multiple secondary buildings across the district.