January 2023 District Update | |
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UPCOMING NO-SCHOOL DAYS
- February 20 (Teacher Professional Development)
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Click the link above for current openings in the Central Springs School District
WEATHER ALERTS
Cancellations, postponements and other announcements will be sent via JMC. If you are not receiving these alerts, contact a school office!
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The new legislative session began on January 9 and Governor Reynolds outlined her priorities in her Condition of the State address on January 10. There were a number of education-related topics included.
Each year our Board of Education, along with support from the Iowa Association of School Boards, outlines advocacy topics. Below, I've included a link to our district's legislative priorities as well as a graphic that overviews how school district funding works.
Parents and community patrons have asked me how to get involved in advocacy or how to share opinions or recommendations about a specific initiative. Here are some tips:
1) Follow our legislator's social media pages or request that they include you in their communications such as newsletters
2) Reach out to legislators directly via email or a phone call
3) Attend forums
As always, if you have a question on an education-related topic, feel free to reach out to me.
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2023-24 ACADEMIC CALENDAR APPROVED | |
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The Central Springs School Board approved the 2023-24 academic calendar at the January 16 Board meeting. The school year will begin on August 23, 2023, and the last day of school is May 24, 2024, assuming there are no make-up days.
One thing to note about next year’s school year is that the calendar committee decided to bring back 2:05 p.m. dismissals every Wednesday. We trialed this concept in 2020. The early dismissal time will be used for staff professional development and potentially learning support for high school students on Wednesdays between the end of school and practice. This time will allow for teachers to focus on new learning that will benefit the educational system for all students and staff.
Other Wednesday calendar notes:
- There will be no Middle School practices on Wednesdays, and High School practices will begin at 3:45 p.m.
- The Daycare will be open as usual - until 5:30 pm
- Activity routes will run as normal
As a reminder, this calendar and the daily calendar of events (activity schedule) can be found on our website: www.centralsprings.net/district/calendar
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THANKS FOR NOT BEING A GRINCH! | |
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From Mr. Hoffman
The Middle School implemented a “caught doing something good” program in the 4-8 grades for the holidays.
“THANKS FOR NOT BEING A GRINCH” slips were handed to students who were not doing anything “grinchy” (being good, kind, helpful, showing on-task behaviors, etc.). Students who earned a slip, placed them in a bucket in my office to be part of a drawing for something fun.
Two names were drawn each day for a prize. Those students whose name was not drawn were invited to play BINGO for a chance to win a prize. Students could earn multiple slips. Teachers, paras, office staff, cooks, and bus drivers handed out 220 slips! Students were excited to turn in their slips and I enjoyed asking them how they earned them. We are looking forward to see the kindness and good spirits to continue into the new year.
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GENEROUS TRADITION CONTINUES | |
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From Mrs. Shafer and Ms. Hamand
For nearly 20 years, a generous, anonymous couple has hosted a Christmas shopping event for kindergarten students at Nora Springs.
This December students chose from a large selection of gifts to give their grownups at home. Middle School students helped them wrap the gifts and write gift tags.
After the gifts were wrapped and hot cider and muffins were enjoyed by all, the longtime event concluded with a rocket balloon launch.
What an awesome event that reminds us all; examples of kindness, generosity and selflessness are everywhere!
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Don't forget to order your Middle School yearbook! | |
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By Ms. Frandle and Mrs. Chatfield
Third Graders in Mrs. Chatfield’s and Ms. Frandle’s Classes have started Book Clubs! We started this after winter break and it will continue through the end of the school year. So, in addition to our Guided Reading Groups, we set aside time to read chapter books at our individual reading levels with peer partnerships. We have had the opportunity to set important Third Grade goals in guided reading so that our independent time is spent wisely based on things that students need to work on. Some of our students have decided to work on things like vocabulary or fluency.
A few of our goals are based on the qualities of great conversations. We are practicing keeping our conversations going back and forth, and using text evidence to support our ideas. Third Graders are coached to make higher-level predictions by always looking back at the text and using it to support their answers.
Students continue to work on making “thinking tracks” as they ask themselves to make connections, predictions, and ask questions about text as they read. Students have also been working on giving themselves comprehension checks by asking, “Who is in this part?” and “Does this fit with something that already happened, or is this new?”
We have also been working on our character study which asks students to think about how the characters and secondary characters in a story talk and act. They can then identify important character traits as they work on comprehension skills and talk about text. They are having a great time!
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Thank you to Manly Development Group and several other donors who sent money for lunch accounts for families in need. Your generosity is greatly appreciated! | |
First Graders in Nora Springs have been learning about sound and vibration in their science unit. They explored sound made from different instruments and materials and learned about vibration, how it makes sound, and how to stop the sound. They experimented with yarn harps! Students learned that the difference in the pressure applied and the position of the pressure makes different sounds. Experimenting with hands-on activities is how they learn best. | |
On December 20, 8th grade students were able to go to NIACC for Discover Day to explore career paths with speakers from the area. Students were mixed up according to their interest inventory results into realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional groups. Speakers included a historian/drone videographer from Waldorf University, physical trainers from Mason City, Henkel construction, Amy Fleming (previously of KIMT), and many more. Students were challenged to get out of their comfort zone to navigate where to go for their sessions and to be around students and adults they did not know. The group as a whole had a great time learning about some careers they maybe hadn't thought of before, and a few made some new decisions about what they want to do in the future. | |
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The fifth-grade guidance classes have been busy organizing and conducting acts of service, one of which was a bake sale on January 26. The students brainstormed and voted on ideas, decided to make posters to advertise, planned the date, and brought in baked goods from home. The sale was a huge success, and students had a lot of fun selling and raising money. In total, $162.25 was raised for the local fire station and city hall.
Other projects they are currently working on include posting positive locker notes to peers, a toy donation drive for the Salvation Army, and a pop tab drive for the Ronald McDonald House.
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