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FOREST CITY HIGH SCHOOL
PRIDE TRIBE PULSE
September 2017
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Issue note: Different email clients have different displays. If you see a small box with dots in it, please click it and it will expand to view all of the articles
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Photo courtesy of Tracy Helgeson
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It is hard to believe that the first month of school has come and gone. Midterm (September 29) of the first trimester will soon be upon us!
Parent/Teacher/Student conferences will be held on Thursday, October 5, and Tuesday, October 10 from 5-8:30 p.m.
We have incorporated a new report card element this year called Academic and Employability ratings. Faculty and administration worked collaboratively with Farrah Olson, Central Rivers AEA Work Experience Coordinator, to develop categories and indicators for the evaluated areas.
It is our intention to communicate with students and parents the student's level of academic conduct and employment ready skills in the following areas: Works collaboratively, initiative/work ethic, working with adults and attendance.
Ratings given for Academic Conduct/Employability readiness are separate from letter grades issued by faculty. Please reference the
Criteria (Rubric)
.
This rubric will be available with the
midterm grades report and with report cards going forward.
Forest City High School students, faculty, and staff participated in a "hats for Texas" day earlier this month. For a donation of $1 or more, hats were allowed to worn for the day. Several hundred dollars was raised and donated to the American Red Cross to assist in the relief efforts. A similar day is being planned by the Student Council for Florida.
Sincerely,
Ken D. Baker
HS Principal
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Did you know Infinite Campus has an app? Check attendance, grades (MS & HS) and add to your lunch account balance.
Find it by searching for "Infinite Campus" in your app store!
Tip: There are three school-related apps that you can find in your app store: Infinite Campus, R School Activity Scheduler and SchoolWay. Group these three apps in a folder called "School" and you will be "in the know!"
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Please join us in welcoming Anna Tschida to the FCHS faculty. Ms. Tschida is teaching
English 1, Contemporary Issues, and Literature Skills this trimester.
Ms. Tschida grew up in Northeast Minneapolis and attended college at Minnesota State University, Mankato. In addition to studying, working and being involved in various campus activities, she played lacrosse and was part of two championship teams. Ms. Tschida taught in the Waseca and Fairbault (Minnesota) school districts prior to coming to Forest City.
"I've enjoyed the 9th grade level because the middle school to high school transition is an exciting time for students," said Ms. Tschida. "In just a few weeks with Contemporary Issues we have had some thought-provoking discussions. Literature Skills is a great dynamic because there are only six students so we can focus on developing specific skills."
Ms. Tshchida and her
fiancé
, Ben, are planning a June 2018 wedding. She enjoys running, camping and playing with their mini-goldendoodles.
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Please Use the New Calendar App!
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We are excited to share that our district has moved to a "single source" calendar!
Why the change?
Schedule changes, especially relating to athletic events, are often occurrences. We were trying to maintain multiple online and paper schedules, which led to confusion regarding which schedule was accurate.
What do you mean by "single source?"
We are using a calendar management program called "R School."
ALL
district events have now been inputted into this tool including sports schedules, activity schedules, early outs/no school days, meetings etc.
What do I need to know?
- Download and use the app. This will ensure you always have the most accurate information. When a change is made to the schedule, the app updates immediately and even shows that there has been a change.
- The schedule is also available at www.forestcity.k12.ia.us. Click "View More Events" to look at a specific date or a specific schedule.
What's the difference between this and SchoolWay?
SchoolWay is a separate application that we use to send messages and alerts.
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Download the calendar app by searching for "R School Activity Scheduler" in your App store. Once downloaded, choose Iowa/Forest City
To download events to your own personal calendar, see the instructions underneath the calendar at: www.forestcity.k12.ia.us.
Please note that sometimes events do not update immediately in calendars like Google as they will in the app or on our web site.
Contact Kristin Heidemann at kheidemann@forestcity.k12.ia.us if you need assistance!
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There’s an extra level of excitement around this year’s fall musical, which says a lot given the quality performances that are put on year after year. Forest City High School students will be the first group in the United States to perform the musical “The Battle of Boat”!
That’s right! We are premiering this musical in the United States!
Practice is underway and Co-Directors Josh Sparrgrove and Stacie LaMoore, along with Musical Director Trent Teske and Choreographer Molly Schrade, are busy putting all of the pieces together to bring this story to the stage.
“The Battle of Boat” is a musical by Composer Ethan Lewis Maltby and Lyricist Jenna Donnelly. Set in World War I, it follows the adventures of a group of children trying to find their place in a world at war. The musical has received praise for being heartwarming, funny, emotional and exciting. Three performances are planned (7 p.m.) on Nov. 2, Nov. 3 and Nov. 4.
“We had a group of students perform some of the music a couple of years ago for Large Group Speech. We enjoyed the music so much that we have kept in contact with the composer to see when it would become available to perform,”said Sparrgrove. LaMoore added, “We have a large group of very talented singers so we wanted to find a musical that could showcase many students. This is it and we couldn’t be more excited to be the first high school to perform it.”
Lead roles were cast in the spring so that the students could begin to familiarize themselves with the musical and music. It’s now grown to a cast of 65 students who are putting in a lot of hours, along with the directors and supporting crew.
Sparrgrove explained that this year, they have asked students to take on roles such as costume design, make-up, lighting, stage management and publicity. This allows even more students to be involved. These students, along with the performers, could also be recognized by the Iowa High School Musical Theater Awards (IHSMTA) organization.
Both directors expressed that they are appreciative of volunteers and can plug people into any of the supporting crew areas. Contact Mr. Sparrgrove at the high school if you can help.
Congratulations to all associated with the fall musical. We can’t wait to see the performance!
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Who should attend: Parents, guardians and grandparents
Wednesday, September 27
6:30 - 7:45 p.m.
Forest City High School Auditorium
Several organizations and resources are teaming up to bring Forest City CSD parents and guardians up-to-speed on a very important topic, Internet Safety.
Please make it priority to attend this short presentation. Dangerous things are happening right here in our community!
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S
eptember is Suicide Prevention Month
Suicidal thoughts, much like mental health conditions, can affect anyone regardless of age, gender or background.
It is important as Forest City community members that we are aware of warning signs, risks, and ways to support students dealing with thoughts of suicide. Please know there is support out there.
Derek Ziesmer
High School Guidance Counselor
641-585-2324
dziesmer@forestcity.k12.ia.us
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Counseling Updates:
- Indian Pals (peer mentor program) has grown; we now have 17 students interested
- Student Assistance Team (SAT) will begin the end of this month to help identify students needing extra support
- High School Staff will be learning about Trauma and Mental Health barriers students face during Professional Development time
- Senior meetings to discuss individual plans for after high school
- Individual and Group Counseling
- PSAT and the ASVAB will be administered October 11
- Iowa Assessments will be administered November 20-22
- NIACC Explore event will be held for Sophomores on November 1
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Check out social media through the counseling office for updates and important information available to help all students at Forest City:
Please subscribe to “FCHS Counseling” on SchoolWay
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Waldorf University athletes came out to support the Forest City volleyball team. Thanks for your support!
The FCHS Marching Band contains 105 members (grades 8-12). Nearly nine hours per week is spent preparing for this
year's show titled "Forging the Blade". The show features selections from "Game of Thrones", "Pirates of the Caribbean", "Mask of Zorro", and "Chronicles of Narnia". The band performs at two field competitions, (Algona Band Day and State Contest in Fort Dodge) as well as during the football games.
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Photo courtesy of Forest City Summit
Forest City Seniors "Indian XC runners 'more like a family than a team'"
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It is increasing difficult for parents and educators to keep up with the ways our children are using new and ever changing technologies. In each newsletter issue, Forest City Schools Technology Director, Mike Van Oort, will share information on important digital citizenship topics. Contact Mike with any questions at 585-2324 or mvanoort@forestcity.k12.ia.us.
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17 Apps and Websites Kids Are Heading to After Facebook
Social media apps that let teens do it all -- text, chat, meet people, and share their pics and videos -- often fly under parents' radars. By
Christine Elgersma
7/15/2017
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