CommuniCatorthe Celebrating the Iowa City Community School District

October 2015 ~ Volume 88

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.https://www.edline.net/pages/ICCSD/Departments/Curriculum/Calendar

Forgot your code? Feel free to contact Lisa Mattingly at mattingly.lisa@iowacityschools.org

for that information.

Send items for The Communicator by email to Kristin Pedersen at pedersen.kristin@iowacityschools.org

TwiTTer Facebook YouTube board MeeTings

FaciliTies MasTer Planning

insTagraM

GWAEA The Linker New Inclement Weather Guidelines The District’s Board of Directors has approved a new policy outlining the District’s inclement weather guidelines. The policy was created to better define school cancellation pro-cedures for parents, students and staff. The policy outlines how the District will handle schedule changes, delays, early dismissals and cancellations related to inclement weather. The established standards will help parents know exactly what to expect when inclement weather hits. To view the new guidelines, visit: http://bit.ly/1LAXtBw.

Durham’s Adopt-A-School Program The Durham School Services team, who manages the District’s transpor-tation services, has selected Lucas Elementary as their Adopt-A-School for the 2015-2016 school year. Durham representatives presented the certificate October 16th at Lucas Elementary to Principal Ken Turnis. The group discussed the program, which includes, among other things, the donation of transportation for a student field trip this year. Congratulations!

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for the 4th annual Staff Wellness Fair! The fair will be held at Northwest Junior High on Thursday, October 22nd from 3:00 – 5:00 pm. Remember that this is one of the five staff wellness events that count toward the grand prize at the end of the year. Be sure to sign in at the registration table, as that will be the list used to determine participation for the drawing. There will be over 35 local health and wellness businesses offering discounts and incentives. Mer-cy Executive Chef Ron Hall will provide a cooking demonstration and will have recipes and nutrition tips available. There will be plenty of health and wellness samples and goodies to grab and don’t forget to register to win one of 10 VISA gift cards to be given away! There will also be a blood drive running during the fair operated by the Mississippi Valley Blood Center. If we get 20 people to successfully give blood, we are eligible to receive a grant to purchase school supplies for students in our District! Sign up to give blood at www.bloodcenterimpact.org and click on the Donate Blood button on the right side of the page. We hope to see you there!

Staff Wellness Fair!

Iowa City Community SchoolsSustainability Program

SUstainabilitY TiP:Use PowerPoints, SMART Boards, Google Docs, Elmos or other projection devises to present to classes. Students can take notes on what they need, rather than printing out a copy of class materials for each student.

newsLINKSLinks to District-related stories

currently in the news.

Iowa City schools con-sider future security measures in response to alleged threat

Runners, young and old, race for I.C. schools

Preparations under way for new Hoover

Elementary

ICCSD task force makes recommendations for

use of insecticides

Solar at schools to be focus of committee

Little Hawk Nominated for Pacemaker Congratulations to Jonathan Rogers and City High’s newspaper, The Little Hawk! The publication has been named a finalist for the prestigious Pacemaker Award, which is given to the best high school newspapers in the United States. City High is one of only two Iowa high schools to be nominated.

West Side Story Honors Four students on the 2014-2015 West Side Story staff are finalists in the National Scholastic Press Association’s 2015 Individual Award Contest. Two of the students are finalists for cartoon of the year and one 2015 graduate is a finalist for an editorial written last school year. West Side Story as a publication received a George H. Gallup award for the 2014-2015 year! The award is the highest honor from Quill and Scroll, the international journalism honor society. Quill and Scroll gives the award due to excellence in coverage, visuals, business practices, writing and editing. The recommendation of several Quill and Scroll judges is needed before a paper can even qualify for the Gallup.

Opening Day Event Photos

A HealthyYou ...STAFF

CALENDAR

Participation in any 4 of the 5 staff wellness events listed above will

automatically earn you a spot in a drawing for two grand prize giveaways

to be announced in May.* Proof of completed annual physical

may be substituted for the staff health assessment.

Wellness

2015

-16

October 18, 2015‘Run for the Schools’ 5K Race

October 22, 2015Staff Wellness Fair Northwest Junior High

January-February 2016Biggest Loser Challenge, Sponsored by Scheels

Feb. 22-Mar. 11, 2016Staff Health Assessments*

(multiple locations across District)

Apr. 4-May 1, 20163rd Annual Step Challenge, Sponsored by Core Fitness

Well.Learn Well.Teach Well.Live

Simple Tips for Overall Health & Wellness

CHALLENGE

Did youknow?

yourself

Take the stairs

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.

September recipients include:J.J. Alberhasky Teacher, Hoover ElementaryJim Jordan Teacher, Twain Elementary

Steve Benson

Jim Jordan

Steve Benson Teacher, Garner Elementary

J.J. Alberhasky

E uityMattersInformation & Resources from

the District’s Equity Office

Please “BMindful”

http://www.iowacitycoralville.org/index.aspx?nid=631

Mrs. Saland, Modi-fied Special Education Teacher at Wickham, leading a “Different is Okay” lesson about students with Down’s Syndrome with Mrs. Leckliter’s Kindergar-ten Class to celebrate Down’s Syndrome Awareness Month in October.

2015-16 Cultural Competency Training

Multicultural Gender Fair Spotlight &

Over the summer, a local community group created “Bmind-ful.” Bmindful is a listing of holy days for each faith, days when congregants might not go to work or send their children to school and extra-curricular activities. This is not a listing of all the reli-gious holy days, rather, just the major holy days that may coincide with school or extra-curricular activities. The link below provides a list of these major holy days for this school year through 2018. Even though this year has already started, we wanted to make you aware of this list to plan accordingly and make scheduling chang-es to a conflicting date, if possible. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Discussion between Director of Equity Kingsley Botchway and South East Junior High students about the defi-nition and examples of bullying and harassment in our schools.

Teacher LeadershipTeacher LeadershipSpotlight on...

André EcholsMentor, Math Teacher West High School

André is entering his 8th year teaching math courses at West High School in the district. He teaches Algebra I, Geometry, Introduction to Algebra, Informal Geometry, and Algebra II. André is certified to teach Secondary Mathematics and Physics. Not only has André taught in the district, he also enjoyed his experience teaching at University Preparatory High School in Detroit. André had the opportunity to participate in the Real World Externship. He took that experience as an opportunity to teach his students about the importance of “real” mathematics working side-by-side with science and technology-related fields at the local business level.

Get to know André Echols...

André has been a Curriculum and Instructional Assistant for the Summer Engineering Academy in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

André has instructed Mathematics, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Aerospace Engineering for the Summer Engineering Academy in Ann Arbor, MI.

André received his Masters of Education from Marygrove College in Detroit, MI.

André participated in the Real World Externship through the University of Northern Iowa, Proctor and Gamble, and International Automotive Components.

André sponsors student run groups: Students Pursuing a Mission and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Teacher LeadershipTeacher LeadershipSpotlight on...

Dr. Sarah FairfieldGeneral Music Curriculum Coordinator, Elementary General Music Teacher

The role of District General Music Coordinator is new

for Sarah this year, but she's no stranger to the Iowa City

Community School District, having taught elementary

music for the past 16 years. In addition to numerous District

committees and building teams, Sarah is an instructor in music

education at the collegiate level. She has served on state boards

and committees and is frequently invited to present workshops

at national conferences and conventions.

Get to know Sarah Fairfield...

Sarah earned her MA and Ph.D. degrees in Music Education from The University of Iowa.

Sarah is an Instructor at Coe College for Elementary and Secondary Music Methods and Choral Techniques.

Sarah has been an Instructor at The University of Iowa for Music Practicum and Student Teaching Seminar.

Sarah has been an ICEA Building Representative since 2012.

Sarah traveled to Vienna, Austria, in the summer of 2014 to study Elemental Dance and Music Pedagogy at the Carl Orff Institute.

Teacher LeadershipTeacher LeadershipSpotlight on...

Beth HieronymusSpecial Education Instructional Design Strategist TREC, NWJH, SEJH

Beth Hieronymus has been an instructional coach for the past several years, working with special education teachers in multiple secondary buildings across the district. Before joining the Iowa City Community School District, Beth worked as the Mentoring and Induction Facilitator for the Cedar Rapids Community Schools. In that role, she developed and maintained a district mentoring program consistent with state standards and aligned with the district’s comprehensive school improvement plan. Beth is a highly reflective teacher and her colleagues commend her ability to provide encouragement and support while pushing them to improve their instructional practices for increased student achievement.

Get to know Beth Hieronymus...

Beth has taught at all grade levels from kindergarten through high school.

Beth is a Professional Development Instructor with the Iowa State Education Association and is a Lead Instructor for Classroom Management for Today’s Schools.

Beth is an Iowa Department of Education trainer for the Journey to Excellence mentoring program and has served as a mentor to new to the profession teachers.

Beth received National Board Certification of Professional Teaching Standards in 2008.

Teacher LeadershipTeacher LeadershipSpotlight on...

Patrick SnyderElementary Instructional Design Strategist Garner Elementary

Patrick is new to the role of an Instructional Design Strategist, however, he has been a member of the teaching staff of the Iowa Community School District since 2007. Patrick really is #homegrown, having grown up in Iowa City and graduating from Iowa City High School. In the years he has worked as a sixth grade teacher at Garner Elementary, he has proven himself as an outstanding educator and teaching partner by having a high-level involvement with data-based decisions in PLCs, differentiated instruction and growing his understanding of the Common Core Curriculum. He is well-known throughout his building as having a positive attitude and a willingness to collaborate with others to reflect on best practice.

Get to know Patrick Snyder...

Patrick serves as a Van Allen Science Teaching (VAST) Center Kit Facilitator at GWAEA.

Patrick is a member of the Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS) School Leadership Team.

Patrick has been a member of the Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) School Team.

Patrick was an Advisory Council Member at Graceland University, while attending Graduate School there.

When Patrick taught at Van Allen Elementary, he was a member of the Building Leadership Team and was the Team 4 Leader.