Wildcat Pride December 1,
2016
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December brings lots of activity at the schools - music programs galore (check out the calendar) and checkout the children's choir
video from the first concert of the season; toy, food, and compassion collections across the district - check out the article with some details; and an article about two well-deserving teachers who will receive the Teacher of Excellence award at the upcoming TIES Conference. Finally, we're busy with the beginning of the winter sports season - which has already brought a
milestone. It's a great time to stop in and see what we're up to, starting with the
Secret Santa Workshop this Saturday at the Primary - Santa arrives @ 9:30.
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December Brings Food Drives, Toy Drives, Compassion Collections, and a Giving Tree
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| The Giving Tree at Taylors Falls Elementary School. |
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Every year around this time, our students and staff particpate in various drives and collections. Here are some of this year's:
At the high school and middle school, a Compassion Collection is starting up. Students compete in Advisements and everyone wins when collection totals are high. The goal is to collect some basic necessities, such as toothpaste, shampoo, and deodorant - along with a mountain of toilet paper. Collection runs from December 6-15. It's the 3rd annual collection run by student council, NHS, and Link Crew.
At Lakeside Elementary, the Toys for Teens Drive started this week - and by Tuesday they were halfway to their goal! The toy drive runs until Friday 12/2, so there's still time to contribute. Earlier this fall Lakeside and Primary students collected for the Birthday Box Project and for Thanksgiving Meal Baskets. Primary students collected enough cake mix and frosting to fill a truck...
At Taylors Falls Elementary, the Giving Tree is the center of drive for hats, mittens, canned goods, and toys. In November TF students and staff participated in Friends in November which raised money for the Family Pathways Food Shelf.
We appreciate how much support we receive from the Chisago Lakes community and love to watch our school community work together to give back!
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TIES Teachers of Excellence Awards Announced
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are the 2017 TIES Teachers of Excellence.
caption text here.
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Each year during the
Educational Technology conference put on by TIES, outstanding teachers are recognized for their leadership in working with technology - their creativity, hard work, and innovation that sets them apart and raises the bar for the students and staff that they work with. This year's winners Mark Johnson and Britta Zarbok will attend the conference later this month to receive their awards.
Additionally, more than 30 staff members - teachers, technology integrationists, administrators, and district office staff - will attend the conference. You can check out some of the
scheduled sessions to see what kind of learning will be taking place. In addition to the many options during the breakout sessions, there are also keynote addresses each day and exhibitors for teachers to visit to learn more about technology products.
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Food Waste Study Conducted at Lakeside Elementary -
and what kids throw away may surprise you...
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The students and staff at Lakeside Elementary School participated in a year-long study during the 2015-16 school year to reduce wasted food by students. The study was conducted by the University of Minnesota Technical Assistance Program in conjunction with a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The two items that seemed to be thrown away the most was half of the student's entrée and half or more of their milk.
One of the key findings of the study was that the Student Representative Group was very instrumental in reducing wasted food. By conducting taste testing with the student group and giving them the ability to choose the items that would be placed on the menu helped to reduce waste. They students were given the opportunity to taste and choose items from the five components that make up a school lunch. This included dairy products, fruits, vegetables, grain products, and entrees.
Another key finding was some of the reasons why students threw away food items. When some 5th graders were asked, "Why do we end up throwing food into bins for the pig farm?" the responses were: "We talk too much," "We have to take things we don't want to eat," We don't like some of the food," and "We don't feel hungry enough." When the students were given the option to choose what pizza they wanted to see on the menu, the wasted amount dropped from approximately 94 ounces to approximately 84 ounces, or 9%. We will continue to give students the option to help with choosing items for the menus and, hopefully, continue to reduce wasted food. We will also continue to encourage students to drink their milk. As for the talking, that might be up to the kids.
All in all, we were very pleased with the results of the study, and feel that the staff and students are doing a good job of help to reduce food waste and the impact it has on the environment.
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On the Calendar:
December 3: Holiday Band & Choir Scholarship Concert @ 7:00 in the PAC
December 5: Parent/Teacher Conferences at the High School from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
December 12: CLHS Holiday Choir Concert @ 7:00 p.m. in the PAC
December 13: CLMS Choir Concert in the PAC: 6th grade @ 5:45 p.m.
8th grade @ 7:00 p.m.
7th grade @ 8:15 p.m.
December 15: CLMS Band Concert in the PAC: 6th grade @ 6:30 p.m.
7th grade @ 7:15 p.m.
8th grade @ 8:00 p.m.
December 15: School Board Meeting at 6:30 in the District Office boardroom
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