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CommuniCatorthe Celebrating the Iowa City Community School District
March 2015 ~ Volume 84
Grant Wood AEA UpdatesTo read the latest issue of the
Grant Wood AEA’s The Linker click the following link:
Professional DevelopmentThe Professional Development
calendar is housed on the District website under the Curriculum
Department. You will need to be logged in to Edline to view the
calendar.www.edline.net/pages/ICCSD/
Departments/Curriculum
Forgot your code? Feel free to contact Lisa Mattingly at [email protected]
for that information.
Send items for The Communicator by email to Kristin Pedersen at [email protected]
TwiTTer Facebook YouTube board MeeTings
FaciliTies MasTer Planning
GWAEA The Linker Lucas Elementary Recipient of Award Money Retired Director of Elder Services, Joan Cook, was recognized at the 9 Who Care Jefferson Awards for Public Service ceremony. Joan worked with the Iowa City Community School District for many years, and she chose Lucas Elemen-tary as the recipient of her award money. Students at Lucas will benefit by receiving many new books. Attending the ceremony were Lucas teacher Laura Hill, Lucas Instructional Coach Helene Volkert, Joan Cook, SEJH teacher Jo McClure (nominated Joan for this award), and Lucas principal Karrie Merriweather.
Phyllis Yager Diversity Grant Recipients Congratulations to Northwest Junior High Literacy 7 instructors Anah Aus-tin and Jess Harris on being selected as recipients of the Phyllis Yager Diversity Teaching grant from the University of Iowa College of Education. They will receive the grant award of $500 at the April 10th College of Education Diversity Conference in lowa City. The Phyllis Yager Diversity Teaching Grant recognizes the wonderful work of teachers from the state of Iowa in furthering the knowledge and engagement of their students in the issues related to diversity. Congratulations Anah and Jess!
District Teams Take Over the Bowl for Kids’ Sake Event It was another successful year for the Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl for Kids’ Sake event! The Iowa City Community School District had an out-standing turnout for this year’s 80’s-themed bowling fundrais-er. District teams raised nearly $16,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters and ended up taking 2nd place for amount of money raised out of all participating companies and organizations! Congratulations and thank you to all of the 23 teams that took part across the District in support of the BBBS mentoring programs!
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Fuel UP to PLAY 60 Twelve schools have been actively involved in Fuel Up To Play 60 (FUTP60), since this past fall. Fuel Up to Play 60 is an in-school nutrition and physical activ-ity program launched by the National Dairy Council (NDC) and NFL, in collaboration with the USDA. It encourages youth to eat healthy and move more – and studies suggest that well-nourished physical active students are better learners. It is the largest in-school wellness program in the country. It is stu-dent-driven and empowers students to make small, positive changes in their schools Fuel Up To Play Schools and their program advi-sors are: Shimek (Frank Fiordellisi), Garner (Andrew Durham), Hills (Kris Mowatt), Horn (Josh Hildeb-rand), Lincoln (Joe Graf), Mann (Greg Brown), North Central (Andy Bell, Tonya McDonough, Sue Sax), North West (Sue Chelf, Jeff Kuepker), Penn (Tiffany Fishman), Southeast (Cindy Elmer, Marga-ret Beuter), Van Allen (Lisa Hildebrand), Wood (Jan Grenko Lehman). District-wide, 578 students have joined the pro-gram. Students log plays on their dashboards, earn points, and can win some neat prizes. Some fun activities FUTP60 students have led/been involved in include: yoga before school, fun runs, school-wide brain breaks, poster contests, what is our school’s favorite vegetable?, milk mustaches, NFL Day, and more. Recently, the district learned it received a $40,000 grant from FUTP60, which will be distributed among the participating schools, to promote healthy eat-ing and encourage physical activity. Look for more FUTP60 activities to come.
Iowa City Community SchoolsSustainability Program
SUstainabilitY TiP:Making class sets for in-class activities that are used year to year can save paper in the future, too. Also, having students take notes or write answers on a separate sheet of notebook paper means fewer copies have to be made of class activities.
newsLINKSLinks to District-related stories
currently in the news.
Amber Boyd will be new SEJH principal
Round 3 of high school boundary proposals released
Progress continues at Iowa City’s Alexander
Elementary
Third start date option proposed for
Iowa City schools
Iowa City school district expected to continue growing into the next decade
District Health Insurance Prescription Manager Update Beginning April 1, 2015 MedTrak Services will administer the prescription benefit plan for Iowa City Community School District. MedTrak is a Pharmacy Benefits Management (PBM) company located in Overland Park, Kansas. Since 1999, they have been committed to providing the best possible prescription benefits to their Clients and Members. You will be receiving a new health insurance card that will contain both UMR and MedTrak’s information. Please use this new card beginning April 1st. If you are continuing to use a local phar-macy, you will not need a new prescription. Simply show the pharmacy your new card to obtain your medication(s). Be sure to visit MedTrak’s website at www.medtrakservices.com to learn more. You will also be able to register for a MedTrak account beginning April 1st. Once you register, you’ll be able to access valuable information: • Search for a network pharmacy• Price a medication and find lower cost alternatives• Search for drugs located on your formulary• View plan information and much more! If you have questions about the new prescrip-tion plan or how to register for an account, please contact a MedTrak Pharmacy Benefit Advisor at 800.771.4648.
YOU ...A HealthySimple Tips for Overall Health & Wellness
Top 10 Health Benefits of Walking Every Daytescoliving.com(October 2013)
Oct. 20-Nov. 8, 201420-Day Health Challenge
Sponsored by Title Boxing Club
October 23, 2014Staff Wellness Fair: NWJH
January 2015 and June 2015District Blood Drives
Feb. 24-Mar. 13, 2015Staff Health Assessments
(multiple locations across District)
Apr. 6-May 3, 20152nd Annual Step Challenge, Sponsored by Core Fitness
As we get ready to kick-off the 2nd annual District Step Challenge, here is a reminder of some of the many reasons that walking is great for your health!
1. It strengthens your heart. Regular walking has been shown to reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. It lowers levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol while increasing levels of HDL (good) cholesterol and keeps blood pressure in check. “Anything that raises your heart rate and gets your blood pumping is a workout for your heart and circulatory system,” says personal trainer Stuart Amory. According to the Stroke Association, walking briskly for up to 30 minutes can help prevent and control the high blood pressure that can cause strokes – reducing your risk by up to 27%.
2. It lowers disease risk. As well as heart disease, a walking habit can slash your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, asthma and some cancers. According to the charity Walking For Health, regular exercise such as walking could reduce risk of diabetes by up to 60%. Those of us who are active have around a 20% lower risk of developing cancer of the colon, breast and womb than those least active.
3. It keeps weight in check. “If you’re trying to lose weight, you need to burn about 600 calories a day more than you’re eating,” says Amory. “Putting one foot in front of the other is one of the easiest ways to do that. Walking also increases muscle mass and tone and the more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism – so the more calories you burn, even at rest,” he adds.
4. It can help prevent dementia. Dementia affects one in 14 people over age 65 and one in 6 over age 80. We know being active has a protective effect on brain function and regular exercise reduces demen-tia risk by up to 40%. In addition, older people who walk six miles or more per week could avoid brain shrinkage and preserve memory as the years pass.
5. ...and osteoporosis, too. “Walking counts as a weight-bearing activity,” says Amory. “It stimulates and strengthens bones, increasing their density – really important, especially for women. It also helps maintain healthy joints so may stave off conditions such as arthritis.”
6. It tones your body. A good walk can help strengthen and shape your legs. But if you really pay attention to your posture as you walk, it can tone your abs and whittle your waist, too. Fitness expert Joanna Hall is founder of the Walkactive method of ‘conscious’ walking. She says: “Think about lengthening up through your spine to create space between your earlobes and shoulders. Relax your shoulders, pull in your tummy and pelvic floor and imagine you have a cup of water balanced on top of each hip bone that you don’t want to spill. As you walk with this posture, your shoulders will naturally rotate and this works your oblique abdominal muscles – you’ll be taking inches off your waist with every step.”
7. Let’s not forget your arms. “Your speed when walking comes from your arms,” says Hall. “Hold them at a comfortable level, bent at the elbow, and swing them backwards and forwards as you walk. Swing them faster and you’ll automatically speed up. And all this movement tones your arms, shoul-ders and upper back.”
8. It boosts your vitamin D levels. If you’re walking outside in daylight, you’ll be boosting your body’s stores of vitamin D – a nutrient that plays a big role in everything from bone health to immunity.
9. It gives you energy. A brisk walk is one of the best natural energizers around. It boosts circulation and increases oxygen supply to each and every cell in your body, helping you to feel more alert and alive. It wakes up stiff joints and eases muscle tension so you feel less sluggish. Always have a mid-af-ternoon energy slump at work? Head out for a walk at lunchtime instead of sitting in a café or at your desk and see what a difference it makes.
10. It makes you happy. The ability of exercise to boost mood is undisputed. Studies have shown regular, moderate-intensity exercise (such as brisk walking) to be as effective as antidepressants in cases of mild to moderate depression. Getting active releases feel-good endorphins into the bloodstream, reducing stress and anxiety. And don’t forget it’s often a social activity – joining a walking group or meeting friends to walk and chat is a great way to banish feelings of isolation and loneliness.
The Iowa City Community School District Shine Award honors employees who go above and beyond for the students and schools in our community. Honorees positively influence, inspire, and leave a lasting impact in
the work that they do every day, helping to fulfill the overall District mission. District employees will be selected and honored throughout the school year to receive this prestigious honor.
Nominations can be submitted by students, parents, District employees, businesses, or community members at any time by visiting www.iowacityschools.org.
February recipients include:Dawn Herren-Wegman Teacher, HooverSue Ruxton Secretary, TwainCynthia Ukah Teacher, Lucas
Dawn Herren-Wegman
Sue Ruxton
Cynthia Ukah
PROFESSIONALISM AND LEGAL ISSUES IMPACTING TRANSGENDER IOWANS
(FREE CLE – APPROVED FOR 2 HOURS, INCLUDING 1 HOUR OF ETHICS)
Thursday, April 9 8:30 – 10:30 am.
University of Iowa College of Law, Levitt Auditorium
This free CLE will explore legal issues facing transgender individuals, including discrimination in the workplace, housing, public accommodations, and schools, as well as challenges transgender people face in accessing health care, criminal justice issues, and obtaining accurate legal identity documents. The CLE will also offer guidance for attorneys regarding how to effectively and ethically work with transgender clients. Please email rita.bettis@aclu-‐ia.org to register for this live CLE. SPEAKERS John Knight, national American Civil Liberties Union LGBT & HIV Project CLE CREDIT 2 hours, including 1 hour of ethics FEES FREE MATERIALS Materials will be provided electronically before the CLE. Sponsored by: ACLU LGBT & HIV Project, ACLU of Iowa, University of Iowa Clinical Law Programs Law and Policy In Action Project, UI LGBTQ Clinic, and the Journal of Gender, Race & Justice QUESTIONS? EMAIL ACLU of Iowa legal director Rita Bettis at rita.bettis@aclu-‐ia.org.
www.aclu-‐ia.org