Weekly Update: September 29, 2017
Weekly Update: September 29, 2017
Happy Homecoming Weekend! October 1st is Sunday? It is hard to believe that October is upon us. I hope you enjoy this week's update. Remember that teachers will be in Professional Development on Monday with our Marzano group throughout the day. Students do not have school on Monday.
BP Listening Tour:
Our AmeriCorp Representatives met with our Bailey Park Staff to seek input regarding the components of the AmeriCorp grant and how we can continue to meet our student’s needs under the grant. We are grateful for their support and continued efforts to ensure that our student’s needs are being met.
Sessions with CMBA:
This week the administrative team, staff, third and fourth grade students, middle school students and high school students met with our CMBA representatives to discuss needs and priorities in the district related to facilities and learning environments. The Administrative team identified priorities toward a facility concept plan. The students collaborated in groups to examine ways and present ideas on how they learn best. The connection between instruction and learning spaces quickly became evident during these valuable discussions. Many engagement activities occurred over the course of this week.
Steering Committee for Facility Planning:
The purpose of the steering committee is to engage with the Administrative team and Architects to offer feedback to concepts regarding a new facility plan that will be recommended to the Board of Education. The steering committee consists of members of the community that serve in leadership capacities, business leaders, farmers, staff, parents, the Chamber and Grinnell College. The membership is not final at this time as we are recruiting a few more members in order to capture the Grinnell Community make-up.
Board Meeting:
This week our board turned over, and our new members took their seats for the first time. I would like to say thank you to those stepping down from the board for your dedication to our district and your years of service.
Board Reorganization:
Helen Redmond- Board President, Director District 2
Meg Jones Bair- Board Vice President, Director At-Large
Barbara Brown- Director At-Large
Dustin Smith- Director District 4
Stephen Sieck- Director At-Large
Emily Guenther- Director District 3
Laurel Tuggle- Director District 1
Retiring Members:
Jeff Smith (8 years)
Jonathan Nance (4 years)
Doug Cameron (interim member)
Elementary Homecoming Assembly
Elementary students enjoyed an assembly just for them, that included performances from the band, our cheerleaders, and the Tigerpaws.
New State Assessments
The Iowa Department of Education announced the winning bidder for new statewide assessments of student progress in English language arts, mathematics and science to be given in the 2018-19 school year. A formal notice of intent to award was issued naming a proposal from American Institutes for Research, an independent nonprofit organization. AIR’s proposal for an assessment called Independent College and Career Readiness Solution scored highest overall in a competitive-bidding process that followed criteria set by Iowa lawmakers this year.
A contract for new statewide assessments is expected to run one year and eight months – the time needed to prepare for and administer a new state test -- with an option to renew annually for four more years. Iowa students will take new state assessments for the first time in the spring semester of the 2018-19 school year.
Homecoming Parade:
The Homecoming Parade was another spectacular event this week. I hope that you had a chance to see our students gearing up for Homecoming Weekend.
Congratulations to our Homecoming Queen, Kameron Moore and King, Preston Sholley. The Coronation ceremony was wonderful. Congratulations to the entire Homecoming Court, Cecelia Bagnoli, Sienna Durr, Emma Harrington, Kameron Moore and Danica Nolton, Alex Farmer, Ethan Kirby, Trenton Miller, Palmer Schulte and Preston Sholley. All of our student performers did an excellent job showcasing their talent at the Coronation ceremony!
For all our high school students attending the homecoming dance tomorrow night, be safe and have a great time!
Upcoming Events: Please visit the Calendar page on our website for further details
October 2 - No School, Professional Development
October 3 - High School Picture Day
October 4 - Middle School Listening Tour
October 11 - Meeting of the Board of Education
October 25- Meeting of the Board of Education tentative
October 26 - 2 Hour Early Dismissal for Parent Teacher Conferences (2:00-8:00 p.m.)
October 27 - No School, Parent Teacher Conferences (8:00 a.m.-Noon)
Please remember to check our district’s Virtual Backpack for activities and events!
Good luck tonight to all our football players. I hope to see everyone at the game cheering on our team. Gooooooo tigers!
Sincerely,
Janet
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Dr. Janet M. Stutz
Superintendent
Grinnell Newburg Schools