IOWA-GRANT SCHOOL DISTRICT 498 COUNTY IG LIVINGSTON, WI 53554 NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 1 Livingston, WI BOXHOLDER DECEMBER 2014 Newsletter MENINGITIS VACCINE—HS STUDENTS Meningitis is a serious infection of the covering of the brain and the spinal cord. This infection can be treated with antibiotics, however, many people who get this disease die and many others are affected for life. This vaccine is highly recommended for adolescents 11 through 18 years of age. This vaccine is important for people at highest risk, mainly college freshmen living in dormitories. Many colleges and vocational schools require or strongly encourage this vaccine. Two doses are recommended: the first dose at age 11 or 12 and then a booster dose at age 16. If the first dose is given after the 16th birthday, a booster is not needed. This vaccine will also be available at a school based clinic in February when the health department is here offering the tdap shot to our 5th graders. If you have any questions about this vaccine or if your child needs it, feel free to call me at 929-4525 Sharon Friederick RN School Nurse FRIENDLY REMINDER! The Iowa-Grant School District offers a healthy breakfast at each school daily for our students and staff! Cost: $1.45 for Early Childhood and 4K-Grade 5; $1.55 for Grades 6-12; $ .30 for students who qualify for reduced meals; Free to students who qualify for free meals; $2.25 for Adults ♦ December 2014 Dear District Residents: As 2014 draws to a close, I would like to take some space to reflect upon the changes seen over the year in this district and across the state. Our most visual change is of course the remodeling project that is finally nearing total completion. The majority of this project was completed between May 28 and September 2, and we were able to start school on time. Hundreds of people attended the September 19th open house or have stopped in for tours of the remodeled facilities. The AgriTech Center includes an expanded horticulture facility, a safe and ventilated small engine shop, a STEM computer lab and a clean room for robotics and wood project finishing. The music department has two new spaces with storage and practice rooms. The library and auditorium have been combined into one space with a computer room and a collaboration/distance learning room. It was used as a theater for the first time this past month for a wonderful production of Beauty and the Beast. Sound systems, lighting systems, performance space and movable library furniture make this dual use possible. Best of all, the remodeled spaces allow for a totally accessible building so that now all students and community members can attend any event in any location in the high school. We have a few things left to complete including sound baffling in the music rooms, athletic storage dividers, and a new trophy case for the entrance area. principal evaluation changes are in the forefront of educational changes. A common evaluation system is being implemented this year and all teachers and administrators in Wisconsin have had training in the process and procedures that need to be used starting this year. The evaluation process describes a rubric of professional and instructional standards that are assessed over a three-year period. In addition, teachers and principals need to create a Student Learning Objective (SLO) to address an identified deficit displayed by students. Student progress is measured in a pre- and post-assessment format with progress monitoring in between. The purpose of the SLO is to reduce the learning gap between sub-groups of students due to lagging achievement, learning disabilities, or poverty. The purpose of the new evaluation system is intended to accomplish two things: improvement of student achievement and improvement of professional practice. The number of tests that students must take on an annual basis has increased dramatically. All students in grades K4-11 are now tested every year, some grades twice per year. Many of these tests will now be administered through computers, reducing the amount of paper used and the length of time between administration and getting student results. There is a growing disagreement between those who want consistent accountability measures and those who say that an annual test is only a snapshot of student performance and cannot be a valid measure of a whole school or a district. It is also questionable how the tests can be used for instructional planning as the number of items included for each skill is necessarily limited. The amount of time spent in testing students also reduces the amount of actual instructional time and is very expensive for the state to administer. We will see what the future holds in this regard. We have received some donations to help support this project and are very grateful to those who have contributed. However, we are still in need of $200,000 to enable the district to limit the need for short-term borrowing to meet monthly bills. Contributions to the school are tax deductible. If you are looking for an end of the year tax deduction, please consider giving to the Iowa-Grant Building Project. You will receive a donation verification to be used for your tax preparation purposes. State tests are based upon the Common Across the state, testing and teacher / Core Standards adopted in 2010. These standards in Math and Reading/Language Arts replace the 1996 Model Academic Standards. Those standards were written for grades 4, 8, and 12 and all schools had to figure out how to spread them across the grades so the proficiency could be achieved at each grade level. The WKCE tested those standards. The Common Core Standards are more rigorous and describe the standards by grade level so that all of that work has already been done. The Common Core Standards were initiated by the National Governors’ Conference and the State Chief School Officers. Business leaders, higher education professionals, parents, and teachers were involved in the process. The purpose was to identify the skills needed for global competition and success in the workforce as well as in post-secondary programs. The goal was known as College and Career Readiness. The learning and performance expectations were increased from the previous Model Academic Standards. As with all standards, there is no prescribed curriculum and there are no prescribed materials. Each district and community selects their own ways and means to accomplish the goals of the standards. The Common Core Standards are just that— core standards that represent the base expectations and are not meant to be everything that a school or community deems important for students to learn. They do, however, provide a common baseline for comparisons across districts and states. This issue is not well understood and will likely be a topic of legislative discussion. Another issue that merits our attention is the push for an increase in private school vouchers. State-wide vouchers put our state on the path of funding two separate educational systems, public and private. Private school vouchers necessarily take money out of the state coffers which reduces the amount of money available for public education or other public needs. Vouchers seem to be an issue with urban appeal, but the state government has applied this program across the state. This year, 73% of the voucher funds went to students who were already attending private schools rather than to those who were leaving public school for private school attendance. At over $7,500 per student, this will cost over $68 million this year. Can we really afford to subsidize private and parochial schools and still pay for public education? Rural schools are already strapped financially and have cut budgets and programs annually for the last 15 years. There is nothing left to cut without eliminating academic, support, and athletic programs or foregoing needed maintenance on aging buildings. We can forget about adding any educational or athletic opportunities or addressing safety or technology needs. Wisconsin is rapidly becoming a state of haves and have-nots where rural districts are dependent upon passing operational referenda just to stay afloat. This is unfair to our rural students who deserve the same educational opportunities as those students who live in urban and suburban areas. The voucher effort promises to make state funding even more skewed against rural school districts that have higher transportation costs and higher poverty rates. Forty-four percent of the schools in this state are considered rural, serving over 375,000 students; these schools are the backbone of our rural communities. Their preservation is essential. Linda Erickson, Superintendent ♦ fice. It is my goal for each student to reach their full potential and with everyone working together that goal will be reached. Requiring good student attendance, insisting on punctuality, supporting teacher expectations and monitoring class work are significant ways parents help to ensure student success. Great communication is a necessity, so please contact your child’s teachers or myself if you have any questions. Mr. Johannesen took Blake Butteris, Jaynie Rule, Bailey Fritsch, Noah Pennekamp, Hailey Klaas, Brandon Bickford, Brandon Graul and Carley Rider to the National FFA Convention on Oct. 28th through Oct. 30th. Please ask our students about their trip and experiences that they were part of as Iowa-Grant Panthers. Ms. Stolte and Mrs. Rosemeyer once again lead our students in this year’s musical. They were also helped out by Mrs. Gile. The musical is titled, Beauty and the Beast. The cast and crew are: Austin Miura, Malery Peat, Lyrica Daentl, Rebecca Gorsline, Brandon Bickford, Creedyn Fox, Tim Stoney, Seanna Grimm, Leah Brennum, Taylor Busse, Jennifer Moore, Tanner Coughlan, Ben Amend, Miranda Nichols-Rodriguez, Jaynie Rule, Isaac Anderson, Zach Campbell, Brett Welborn, Mariah Ginter, Angela Melby, Jack Reeves, Hannah Lindner, Ellie Fillback, Sophie Hill, Gerrit Hunt, Falisha Foreman, Elana Winders, Kelsie Hayes, Erica Thomas, Sydney Dobson, Gracelyn Silvers and Tessa Paradis They all did a wonderful job. Please congratulate Ms. Stolte, Mrs. Rosemeyer, Mrs. Gile and the entire cast and crew for their hard work and performance. PRINCIPAL’S CORNER Another year is already almost half over and we have had a great start of the year. The first quarter is already behind us and Christmas is fast approaching. We have many things going on at school so please make sure to check the school’s calendar, website and Facebook page and become involved with the many The spring season wrapped up Novemgreat things that the district has to offer. ber 8th with the football bowing out of the playoffs in Level 1 of the WIAA Parents/Guardians, please make sure you tournament. The football team, under are continually checking your child’s at- the direction of Coach Gary Allen, had tendance, grades and schedule on Pow- a very successful season. Coach MarerSchool. If you forgot how to access la Simon and the volleyball team made this important information, please con- it to the second round of the WIAA tact Ms. Brennum in the high school of- tournament before being defeated by a very good Wisconsin Heights volleyball team. Coach McCracken and the cross-country team did a wonderful job this year and worked very hard all year. Jordan Jenks made it back to state and finished 42nd out of 150 runners. Congratulations to Jordan on his awesome year. Please take the time to approach the coaching staff and our young men and women who participated this year in football, volleyball and cross-country and congratulate them on their seasons. I would also like to congratulate the Iowa-Grant cheerleaders for the wonderful job this year. The girls did a great job in cheering on our teams, preparing signs and posters and being good role models for the crowd. Often their hard work goes unnoticed although the put many hours in for our team and school district. Coach Jackie Benish and the girls worked very hard and deserve congratulations for their work this fall. To finish, I would like to thank Ms. Gile and the high school band for playing pep band for the home games. The band’s performance was outstanding and I always enjoy listening to them during home events. Winter sports have already started so please check the school website and the school’s Facebook page for events. Please stop out and enjoy the many offerings that Iowa-Grant has to offer. A special thank you goes out to the Iowa-Grant booster club who is always supporting our school district and all those who support the Iowa-Grant school district. Without great people and organizations like we have here in our district, many of the wonderful things we offer and do would not be possible. As hunting season is upon us, it is crucial that parents remind their student hunters to remove all ammunition and weapons from vehicles that will be on school grounds. School district policy 443.6 states, “No one shall possess a weapon on school property, on a school bus or at any school-sponsored activity.” For policy purposes, a weapon is defined as “any object that by its de- sign and/or use can cause bodily injury or property damage.” It further states, “students and employees violating this policy shall be subject to disciplinary action in accordance with established procedures and shall be referred to law enforcement officials for prosecution.“ Please make sure that your student has cleared vehicles, bags and pockets of any prohibited items. I would like to briefly talk about attendance. Attendance is a priority to ensure student success. The more class time a student misses the more difficult it is for him/her to keep up with the content in class. Not only is attendance a must for success, it is state law that students must be in school. State law allows parents/guardians to excuse their children from school in writing and in advance for a total of ten days during the entire school year. Please attempt to schedule appointments during times school is not in session. I do understand it is impossible to schedule everything outside of the school day, but the fewer days missed the less likely that your child will fall behind academically. After a parent/student has used up the ten allowed days, only doctor excuses will be accepted. School sponsored events do not count towards the ten days allowed. It has been a great start of the year. Please continue to be part of your child’s education and stress the importance of respect, communication, integrity, attendance, and working beyond capabilities and expectations. Every day we have Encore/Resource built into the schedule. This time was created to give students the ability to access teachers 20 minutes each day. Please stress the importance to your son/daughter to use this time to ask questions, seek out help, study for tests, complete homework and to gain a better understanding of the course materials. My office door is always open and please contact me at any time. Go Panthers! Chris Gotto, Principal/Athletic Dir ♦ 2015 4-H ENROLLMENT TIME!! Interested in joining Iowa County 4-H? 4-H teaches members basic governing skills, offers leadership opportunities, and volunteers for community service projects while developing talents in areas of interest for each individual member. There are several 4-H clubs in the Iowa-Grant Area. If interested, contact one of the following 4-H Club General Leaders in the Iowa-Grant area for more information on their club meeting times and dates. Cobb Busy Badgers - Paula Daentl 623-2731 Kountry Kousins - Karen Parish - 6232110 Rewey Lucky Stars - Shelly Osterndorff - 943-6492 ♦ FIRST QUARTER HONOR ROLL Congratulations to our 2014 First Quarter Honor Roll students for all your hard work! Distinguished Honors Freshman Paul Connolly Easton Dobson Max Eisele Rebecca Gorsline Matthew Hill Andrew Johnson Bailey Lindner Hannah Lindner Brady Peat Jalen Schmitz William Spurley Sophomores Ron Allen Morgan Eisele Madison Harmening Caleb Hill Gerrit Hunt Emma Liddicoat Taylor Liddicoat Maranda McCarthy William McLeer Jennifer Moore Malery Peat Jessica Pluemer Erik Raimer Sawyer Sarbacker Payton Simon Chad Thomas Elana Winders Juniors Taylor Busse Zachary Campbell Benjamin Connolly Dustin Epright Kennedy Kitelinger Tessa Paradis Jack Reeves Sawyer Stuckey Seniors Brittany Brennum Elizabeth Buckhaus Lyrica Daentl Jeffrey Danz Bailey Fritsch Shelbi Fritsch Sophia Hill Taylor Jackson Jordan Jenks Brea Johnson Lucas Nowak Rulyana Pereira Brett Pluemer Carley Richards Brea Stanton Elizabeth Wernimont High Honors Freshman Kaleb Barr Blake Butteris Callie Rickard Carley Rider Rose Webster Sophomores Travis Arndt Tanner Coughlan Ellie Fillback Angel Flynn Jaclyn Johnson Charles Richards Jaynie Rule Hannah Stevens Juniors Isaac Anderson Autumn Flynn Kaelyn Merkle Jacob Soman Katie Witzig Haley Yelinek Casandra Zimmerman Leah Brennum Tad Spurley Seniors Ivy Kitelinger Erica Thomas Honors Freshman Clayton Kite Kaleb Liddicoat Shae McIntyre Sophomores Tanner Casper Charles Christianson Thomas Reuter Juniors Sydney Dobson Kelsie Hayes Katelyn Hebgen Austin Miura Chelsea Reger Ethan Schmitz Dominique Stanton Seniors Trenton Arndt Kyle Faull Joshua Haase Ethan McCracken Trent Milliken Kylie Moneypenny Kelly Reynolds Shania Sarbacker ♦ Panther Press Page 5 Happy December! It is amazing to me that I am sending out the December newsletter – it feels like the first third of the year passed by so quickly! Quarter 1 came to an end and quarter 2 is off to a great start. We still have challenges to address, and goals to accomplish, we look ahead into the New Year with great anticipation. This is the time of year for rejoicing and rededication. A quote from Nelson Mandela says it well: “Education is the most powerful weapon which we can use to change the world.” I would like to extend a huge thank you to all of you that attended our September and October family nights. I know I speak for all staff here when I say it means a lot that you would take time out of your busy schedules to come out here and support what we do with your children. The 4th and 8th grade students have finished another fall of WKCE testing (Wisconsin Knowledge & Concepts Exam) for social studies and science. Thank you to all the students for their hard work with their exams. Parent/Teacher conferences were a great success this fall, we appreciate all of you that were able to come out to the district and meet with your child’s teacher. If you were unable to attend conferences please still feel free to call or stop in to speak with us. A parent/teacher relationship is such an important aspect to making the school year a success. Student success is our ultimate goal here at IGEMS and we really need your help as a parent/guardian. The following will help us reach that success:  Getting to school on a daily basis and being on timeStudent’s need to be at school and on time for class in order September- Responsibility to get the optimal level of October- Respect understanding through subject November & December- Caring and matter. Material missed in Kindness class is difficult to duplicate. January- Trustworthiness  Healthy Breakfast/Lunch- If February- Fairness you are packing lunch for your March & April- Citizenship child please make certain that it May & June- All pillars reflected is a healthy option. We always encourage the use of our school We can all work together breakfast/lunch program; we to instill these values in the have healthy food choices for your child. Contact Linda Klaas students of IGEMS! with questions.  HomeworkPlease look through your child’s bag at home, and ask questions. Most of our students will have some form of daily homework. It may be an actual written assignment, or it may be a reading passage. Please show interest in this work, it will lead to student success in completing the work. If there is no homework in the Winter is approaching so please bag, encourage your child to encourage your IGEMS student to wear appropriate winter clothing. All READ, READ, READ! students here at IGEMS 4K-4 will be going outside for recess. Warm coats, hats, and gloves (multiple pairs if possible) are a minimum to what they should be wearing outside. When the snow falls and students are outside, we will also require warm winter boots and snow pants. Students in grades 5-8 that choose to go outside for lunch recess will also need to have the appropriate winter clothing. Character Education Thank you for your continued support here at IGEMS! Here at IGEMS our students are striving to be their best. We are focusing on the Tiffany Dums pillars of character education. Monthly Elementary/Middle School Principal ♦ we speak to the students about their pillar of character for the month. We are requiring our students to reflect upon the importance of all of the following values, and how they play into their everyday lives. Page 2 5TH GRADE STUDENTS – TDAP VACCINATION REQUIRED ART NEWS Current Art Contests: Please check the IGEMS art website for more details or talk to Ms. Hoppenjan • Grant County Conservation, Sanitation, and Zoning Department – Conservation Poster Contest Ms. Hoppenjan will mail in entries on Monday, December 14, 2014. • Wisconsin Aviation Poster Contest Ms. Hoppenjan will mail in completed entries on Monday, January 19, 2015. Beginning in 2008, the Wisconsin student immunization law requires one dose of Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertusis) vaccine for students entering 6th grade. To assist parents with getting this vaccination done and help avoid taking time off from work and having an office co-pay, the Iowa County Health Dept will be coming to our school in February to offer this immunization free of charge to all 5th grade students, regardless of insurance status. An information sheet and permission form will be coming home in January. Hannah McCracken Samantha Richards Parker Roth Ethan Rundell Parker Velte Kylie Washburn The great ladies that helped out at the Book Fair. Lynn Batko Mary Sue Divine Joan Faull Tracy Fillback Karen Fisher Linda Gard Ginny Gorsline Suzanne Howe Judy James Kay Messling Mary Schroeder Jean Slack Jen Volenec The health department will also be offering the Meningitis vaccine to all middle and high school students as well, THANK YOU to the families that free of charge, regardless of insurance visited and purchased books. Every status. dollar spent at the Fall Book Fair benefits our school. The Scholastic Any questions please feel free to call Dollars earned from the fair will fill me. Youth Art Month IGEMS with new educational products! March is just around the corner. The Our goal is to increase non-fiction regional youth art show will take place Sharon Friederick RN reading with books, magazines and ♦ in January or February, and this year’s digital subscriptions. State Youth Art Month Celebration will SIR READ-A-LOT’S KINGDOM take place at the Capitol in Madison on Save the dates! Buy One Get One OF BOOKS A HUGE SUCCESS! Friday, March 6, 2015. Free Fair coming March 24-27, THANK YOU Volunteers! The book 2015! The Iowa-Grant 4th Annual Fine Arts ♦ fair would not be possible without you! Night will be held on Tuesday, March 10, A special thanks to Mrs. Belken and the 2015 in the High School Gymnasium. FLU CLINICS enthusiastic Junior Crew members. ♦ Elizabeth Biddick If you missed our flu clinic and are Lexie Busse interested in getting your child or even Hannah Cammack yourself immunized against the flu, Haylee Casper please call the Iowa County Health Rhyan Cockcroft Department. They have an abundance Alyson Cullen of vaccine, both the nasal mist and Nathan Daniels the injectable. There is no cost for Keaton Durni children 4 years – 18 years old. Their Arianna Gilman phone number is 930-9871 to make an Carter Grimm appointment. Any questions, please Hope Grimm call that same number. Lauren Harmening ♦ Madalyn Hunt Page 3 IOWA-GRANT MIDDLE SCHOOL 1ST QUARTER HONOR ROLL High Honors MILLIONAIRE STUDENTS These three Iowa-Grant Middle School students reached the millionaire status for the 1st quarter of school. Each of these students read one million words already this school year, which is equivalent to 12-14 books in nine weeks of school! Congratulations to these readers. Pictured (L-R) are Grayson Stivarius, Tatum Kite, & Nick Connolly. ♦ IGEMS PARENT/TEACHER CLUB FIRST GRADE CHRISTMAS STORE The IGEMS first graders will once again be sponsoring a CHRISTMAS STORE. This store allows all elementary students to buy a gift for Mom and a gift for Dad for only 25 cents each. If you have any small items that you would like to donate to our store, we would gladly accept your donations. The Christmas Store will be open the week of December 1st, so we would like the items to be dropped off at IGEMS office We would like to recognize our top anytime before that date. If you have sellers: Riley L (4K), Will F (1st), Isaac any questions, please call. H (6th), Delaney R (1st), Ryan T (4K), Thank you for your generosity! Gretta S (2nd), and Kenneth H (4K). Sandy Herges, Heidi Pierick, Brenda THANK YOU again for helping us help Wasley & Jill Zajicek ♦ our school! ♦ The IGEMS PTC would like to say “THANKS” for your continued support. Our recent wrapping paper fundraiser will add $1,500 to our funds, letting us continue to support our school and staff. This year so far, we have helped with field trips and charging stations in the middle school, and will help each teacher with “extras” in their classrooms. REMINDER Please put initials on clothing-coats, snow pants, etc. of your child and check the lost and found clothing when you visit school. Also please list first and last names on bus or pick up notes and if picking kids up list which door pick up will take place at front or back. We need you to call before 2:00 p.m. for student messages, picking up or bus notes. BIDDICK, ELIZABETH 8 BUCKHAUS, SARAH 8 BUSSE, ALEXIS 8 CASPER, HAYLEE 8 CULLEN, ALLYSON 8 GRIM, CARTER 8 HUNT, MADELYN 8 KOHLENBERG, DAKOTA 8 RICHARDS, SAMANTHA 8 STIVARIUS, GRAYSON 8 VELTE, PARKER 8 WASHBURN, KYLIE 8 ZIMMER, ALEC 8 ANDERSON, FORREST 7 CHRISTIANSON, CARTER 7 DOBSON, SAWYER 7 LIDDICOAT, OLIVIA 7 LUNDELL, SYDNEY 7 SPURLEY, JOANNA 7 VIVIAN, GABRIEL 7 Honors HARMENING, LAUREN 8 MAUGHAN, THOMAS 8 ROTH, PARKER 8 SILVERS, HUNTER 8 ALBAUGH, ISAAC 7 CARTWRIGHT, FAYLEA 7 MCLEER, SAMANTHA 7 ROCKWELL, GRACIE 7 SCHAEFER, JAY 7 STEFFL, COLIN 7 WINDERS, MATTHEW 7 ♦