Melissa Taft Honored with North Central Iowa STEM Teacher of the Year Award
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On Thursday, January 16, students and staff gathered to honor first-grade teacher, Melissa Taft. Mrs. Taft was selected as the 2020 North Iowa Region STEM Teacher of the Year! Mrs. Taft is the first teacher in our district to receive this honor.
Mrs. Taft received the first STEM Scale-Up program award for the elementary school five years ago. Since then, she has continued to apply and encourage and coordinate others to apply for funding. She works hard to make sure her first graders have access to technology and that our elementary students are exposed to STEM materials and experiences. She brings in community members and creates projects that involve real-life problems. Her work with STEM Big Buddies pairs 1st and 5th-grade students so that they can be creative and learn together. Beyond her work with students and staff, she has worked hard to showcase the hard work of our teachers by presenting at Central Rivers AEA Student Technology Conference and hosting a booth at STEM festivals.
This award is sponsored by Kemin Industries. Each year, one teacher is selected from each of the six regions in Iowa. More than 700 teachers have been nominated since the award began six years ago.
Kelly Bergman, regional STEM coordinator for North Iowa, and Forest City graduate Eugene Rodberg, who is a senior product manager for Kemin Animal Nutrition and Health, presented Mrs. Taft with the award. A $3,000 cash prize to split between personal use and her classroom accompanies the honor.
Congratulations Mrs. Taft!
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New "Virtual Backpack" icon added to the Forest City CSD app shares family-focused programs and events
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We are fortunate to live in a community where there are so many programs and events for children and families. To help in sharing these opportunities, the district added a new icon called "Virtual Backpack" to our new Forest City CSD app.
Check the icon frequently so that you don't miss out on programming and event opportunities from organizations such as the Y, Park & Rec, Waldorf, Brickstreet Theater and others!
This will replace paper flyers being sent home in Friday folders.
If you'd like to submit an event or program, please email Kristin Heidemann at kheidemann@forestcity.k12.ia.us.
Remember our new Forest City CSD works like a mobile website and has 3 pages (swipe left) of one-click icons such as a staff directory, daily calendar of events, news, announcements, handbooks and more! We also submit notifications through this app. Existing students and families also need the SchoolMessenger app to receive updates from teachers, coaches, and administrators.
If you don't have this app yet, look for it in your app store. It's called "Forest City CSD."
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Students Practice "Mindfulness Meditation"
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By Nancy Prohaska
Elementary Guidance Counselor
Our kids' brains are tired, and children of all ages really need opportunities where they can take time out each day "unplugged" to relax and focus. Meditation offers this break and helps kids function more effectively and clearly in the classroom.
Children today also have reportedly high-stress levels. To help them take a break, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) encourages parents to share meditation with their children—and teachers to incorporate mindfulness training into their lesson plans.
The simple act of teaching children how to stop, focus, and just breathe could be one of the greatest gifts we can give them.
A number of studies in school settings also show improved attention and behavior. Some research has shown benefits for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, depression, school performance, sleep, behavior problems, and eating disorders. For example, a trial of 300 low-income, minority urban middle-schoolers using school-based mindfulness instruction led to improved psychological functioning and lower levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.
There are also physical benefits as it calms the nervous system and decreases stress hormones. Studies have shown benefits for gastrointestinal symptoms, obesity, headaches, high blood pressure, pain sensitivity, and immune function. For example, a trial looking at the effect of mindful breathing meditation at a summer camp of 166 teens at risk for cardiovascular disease found that breathing awareness produced a reduction in blood pressure and heart rate.
All students in the morning preschool and in grades 2-4 are currently practicing this method during the classroom guidance sessions each cycle.
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App Notifications
If you're not receiving a notification (a sound, a banner message) from the SchoolMessenger app on your phone, do the following: Go to the app menu (upper left)<Settings<Turn notifications on. Also, check your phone notifications settings.
Text Notifications
Weather-related announcements are always sent via email and text (if you have provided permission to receive texts) and you will receive a notification from the SchoolMessenger app.
To authorize text messages (you have to have the SchoolMessenger app) text "Y" or "yes" to 67587. Also, in the app, go to preferences set your message preferences.
We encourage you to contact Kristin Heidemann, Communications Director, with any questions so we can ensure you are not missing important messages:
kheidemann@forestcity.k12.ia.us
641-585-2323 x2207
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Indian Pals Make Big Impact
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This trimester Mrs. Prohaska enjoyed working with eight high school students who were part of the Indian Pals mentoring Program. The students spent 1:1 time with elementary students doing activities together. Eating lunch together, playing games, and assisting in completing classwork are just a couple of the ways the older and younger students interacted.
Mrs. Prohaska shared, “Elementary students just naturally look up to high school-aged students. Therefore, turning older students into mentors is a great way to capitalize on helping younger students develop important social skills, along with the special feeling they receive from having the extra attention from the older student.”
The students may not remember to bring their library book to school; however, they always know which day the high school student will visit them!
“Helping older students get to know the younger ones, and not merely see them as “little kids,” is also an effective way to build a positive school culture," said Mrs. Prohaska.
A BIG thanks to Robin Aberg and Mr. Ziesmer for sharing their high school students with us here at Forest City elementary. They make a BIG DIFFERENCE in our students’ days!
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New K-2 Playground Coming This Summer
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We Love our Partners in Education!
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By Michelle Bunger
FCEA Giving Tree Committee
In addition to all the gracious donations and people in the community who took tags for the FCEA Giving tree, we had an extra special donation last year! The Forest City Rotary Club donated $2,000 to the Giving Tree. Due to the amazing support, gift tags were filled completely and shoes, socks, and underwear were also made available to families during the gift pick up night. More than 160 children benefitted. Thank you!
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Our elementary school received a $1,000 donation from TSB Bank! The money will be used toward the year-end PBIS Carnival celebration. Evan Fritz, TSB chief marketing officer, shared that TSB employees hold various internal fundraisers throughout the year to support area organizations. "Our employees were thrilled to be able to provide this donation to the Forest City Elementary School to support the kids and teachers," said Fritz.
TSB Bank comes to the Elementary school each month for the Save for America program. Through this program, kids can make deposits of any amount to a savings account.
Evan Fritz and Michelle Giesen look forward to seeing the students and the students are very proud to make their deposits.
"We have fun and celebrate every deposit no matter the amount. We tell students that it may not seem like a lot today, but if they keep saving, it will really add up by the time they graduate," said Fritz.
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Iowa Select Farms and the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation’s, Jennifer Crall, delivered PowerSnack teacher kits to Forest City Community Schools.
Power Snack Teacher Kits contain pork sticks and four Power Snack coupon booklets for each child containing coupons for deli ham and for a loaf of whole wheat bread—the ingredients for food-insecure students to make their own “Power Snacks” at home.
The Forest City CSD received 800 Power Snacks—a donation valued at $6,400 and enough resources to make 9,600 ham sandwich Power Snacks. Thank you Iowa Select Farms for providing Forest City families with a healthy food choice!
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FOREST CITY ELEMENTARY
641-585-2670
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