Legislative Advocacy

Legislative Advocacy

On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of going to Des Moines with two of our board members and our student board member along with representatives from 9 other area districts to meet with legislators on school related issues.  Our primary focus was advocating for extending the SAVE and Operational Sharing funding, Education Savings Accounts, and a little about Supplemental State Aid.  

The SAVE funding is important to the New Hampton District.  We use it for everything from purchasing buses, technology, and major repairs on our facilities to helping pay down the cost of the bonds on our new building.  It is set to expire in 2029 and everyone we talked to believes it will be extended as it is important to all districts.  We've heard this previously, so it was good to know that feeling is still out there.  Hopefully, they take care of it during this session.  

Operational Sharing is another item that is important for the New Hampton District.  The state provides an incentive to districts who share positions.  The goal is to encourage districts to work together to find ways to save funds and provide positive partnerships going forward.  In New Hampton, we share several positions including the superintendent.  The state gives us so many students for each position we share, for example, because we share the superintendent, we are given the funding equivalent to 8 additional students.  This year each of those students are worth $6,664 or $53,312 in additional funding.  The Turkey Valley district receives the same amount as well.  With declining enrollment and the funding concerns at the state, this helps both districts tremendously as we move forward.  Without it, the districts would probably not be sharing positions between districts.  

Education Savings Accounts are being considered by the state legislature.  These are strongly favored by school choice advocates as they believe every student should get to choose whatever school they want, including private schools.  Instead of private schools being open to only those who can afford to pay, they feel these accounts would allow more students into private schools who normally may not be able to afford them.  A little explanation is in order.  They used to talk about school vouchers, but those have generally been ruled unconstitutional as the state cannot give public funds directly to parochial schools.  To get around this, they have come up with the idea of Education Savings Accounts or ESAs in which the money is deposited in an account for each student/family and then the family can decide how the money is spent--following the guidelines and laws passed by the legislature.  I have a couple of concerns with this.  

First, I believe in school choice.  Parents are the only people who are truly qualified to determine what's right for their child when it comes to education.  I know many parents who homeschool their children and do a fabulous job at it.  They have selected a system that works for them and it works great.  I know many of you who choose to send your child to St. Joe's here in town.  That is a great school that does a great job for its students.  I'm really impressed in the way they work hard to find ways to get everyone into that school who wants to go there in spite of any financial concerns with the student's family.  I am familiar with other private schools in the state where that is not the case.  Which brings me to my first concern.  State finances are tight.  We are all aware of that and as a school leader I'm not expecting any additional funding from the state this year.  They only have so many dollars to work with and this year there is just not much.  By adding these savings accounts at this time, this will only add to the costs the state must bear and it will do nothing but increase over time.  If there is an idea to either raise taxes to pay for it or they have in mind some cuts that will be made to pay for it, then I'm willing to look at it.  However, it's dangerous to start paying for a new program with no plan on how to pay for it going forward.  I've read the initial legislation and see how they feel it will be minimal to start, but to keep it going will cost more dollars each year.  

Second, since these are taxpayer dollars which will indirectly be going to private schools I feel it's important that we're all on the same playing field.  In other words, all private schools should be required to have the same expectations as public schools.  Public schools welcome all students no matter their backgrounds and provide a wide variety of opportunities and experiences for them.  Will all private schools be required to do the same?  I feel our local parochial school does a great job of this, but there are others who only take "certain" students.  If a student is too much trouble or having difficulty, they currently can be sent back to the public school system.  I feel if public dollars are being used, this should no longer be an option.  In addition, we have public school building report cards where all public schools can be compared across the state to see how we're doing.  This is about transparency and a good thing.  I would assume with taxpayer dollars going to private schools the same information would be publicly shared about the private schools as well.  Otherwise, the accountability for the taxpayer funds is minimized.  

We have a great parochial school in St. Joe's and they do a great job with their students and it sure looks like they try to find a way for every student to attend who wants to.  We have a great relationship with them and work well together.  On the other side are private schools that do only take "certain" kids or put in place certain policies/procedures to keep some students out of their schools.  If Education Savings Account come into play and taxpayer funds start going to these schools, it only seems reasonable that the same oversight and expectations would be put in place for these schools as is done for public schools.  

Finally, we talked a little about Supplemental State Aid.  As I previously mentioned, the state doesn't have a lot of money right now so it's not realistic to expect much if anything in new money for next year.  If you have any questions on any of this, please feel free to contact me via email or the superintendent's office.  j_jurrens@new-hampton.k12.ia.us or 641-392-2134.  

Cool Stuff Happening in 2nd Semester Already!

Welcome to 2nd semester 2017-18! Classes are well under way and students are moving through curriculum in core, CTE and fine arts as well as preparing for upcoming extra-curricular activities. I encourage you to keep an eye on our conference schedule at  http://northeastiaconference.org/public/genie/56/school/5/ for activities to help support and cheer on our activities department.  

What's Happening in Classrooms?

Reading is definitely the priority as we begin the semester.  Novels class is in full swing reading The Great Gatsby while English 10 is focused on The Things My Brother Knows. The standard is to read at grade level, but Mr. Connor hits the nail on the head with the standard, "Read like a boss..." .  Research shows that reading at grade level, whether that be literature or non-fiction text, leads to greater success in college, post-secondary training and the workforce.

Mr. McDonald's government class is also focused on their standards as they discuss as a group what meeting the standards means.  As part of APL strategies used throughout the building, students start each class after a bell ringer with a review of the standards agenda for the day.

Future Prep is a class all juniors are required to take.  During future prep, students work with 21st century skills, employability skills, life skills, and consumer math.  This week they are taking personality assessments to determine what personality they have and how that affects their personal, academic and professional life.  Student specifically focus on the Color assessment which assigns them blue, gold, green or orange as a personality color. Click here https://lonerwolf.com/true-colors-personality-test/ if you are interested in what color you are.

From the Middle: Week of January 29

How to Handle Adversity?

This past Monday MS LEAD met.  The topic of discussion was adversity.  Every student and adult will face adversity each and everyday.  The challenge is how you are going to handle the adversity and make positive choices that will make you better.  In athletics it can be tough to get up in the morning to lift weights that will help you become stronger and also help your team improve.  Some tasks are not always fun, but need to be done to get better.  This message also transfers into the classroom.  While doing homework may not always be fun, it is important to help build skills for success on tests and in future classes.  How students interact with each other can also be a challenge.  If students don't treat others in a caring and understanding manner then the culture of the school will also suffer and not reach it's full potential.  Our LEAD students are willing to step up and be leaders of our school culture and make those difficult decisions that may not always be what other peers may want to do.

Spotlight of the Week- Mrs. Aegerter:

Mrs. Aegerter is the first person you always see when you walk into the office or call on the phone.  She is always giving students, parents, and staff a smile and takes time to ask everyone how they are doing.  As a school secretary, the job can be very demanding.  She takes messages from parents who need to relay information to students in a quick and fast manner.  Her job can be very complicated if she is notified at the last minute, but she always is able to make any task happen. Even if she is having a challenging day, she doesn't show it.  Kids are always first for Mrs. Aegerter.  As a principal, I am very appreciative of a great secretary!  She is always in tune with what is happening in the building and able to solve problems quickly and efficiently.  One of her strengths is being caring.  She works hard to build relationships with everyone that walks in the door.  Next time you call in or need something, take a minute to thank her for all she does.

Elementary

Guest Post and Project Based Learning

Guest Post

Earlier this year, the district hired Mr. Kyle Hennessy to work a few hours each day to work with our social media sites, website, downtown sign, and other community relations task for the district.  I've asked Mr. Hennessy to share a few things about himself for this post:  

I am Kyle Hennessy, the community relations representative for the New Hampton Community School District. My job is to manage the sign that is located at the MS/ES, update the Facebook page and manage the school’s websites. I grew up in New Hampton and attended this school and graduated in 2007. For fun, I like to help coach fifth and sixth grade football for New Hampton Parks and Rec. I earned a black belt in Tae Kwon-do. I like to watch football games on TV and am a Minnesota Vikings fan. I like to track storms. I worked for Comprehensive System’s Treasure Chest for 10 years. I came to work at the school because I wanted to work with the students, teachers and other staff. I love the challenge of learning new things.

Mr. Hennessy shares office space at the high school with Mr. Cantu. If you have any questions about the district's website, social media accounts, or the downtown sign, please feel free to email Kyle directly at: ky_hennessy@new-hampton.k12.ia.us

Project Based Learning

Thanks to all the teachers, students and especially to those of you who came to the J-Term Showcase at the high school. It was a great experience for our students to have the opportunity to dig deeper into an area of interest to them.

This was the first time the high school staff had done this with the students. We had some challenges getting started, but in the end it came out great!

When I was a teacher, I did a lot of projects in my classroom, but never really understood what project based learning was. My projects were more of a demonstration of the things they had learned. Most can relate to it as a hands-on test. The Buck Institute defines Project Based Learning as:

Project Based Learning is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an authentic, engaging and complex question, problem, or challenge. In Gold Standard PBL, projects are focused on student learning goals and include Essential Project Design Elements:

• Key Knowledge, Understanding, and Success Skills
• Challenging Problem or Question
• Sustained Inquiry 
• Authenticity 
• Student Voice & Choice
• Reflection 
• Critique & Revision
• Public Product

In other words, the learning comes from the completion of the project.  The students become more responsible for their own learning and learn and use real world skills in solving problems, knowing what questions to ask, collaborating with others and many more.  In addition, these projects require them to use and often expand their knowledge of academic skills to be successful.  There is extensive research out there and being done that shows this is an effective way to learn and also the students like this a lot more.  

It is quite a transition for our teachers as they are used to being in charge of most learning and this changes their role to being more a guide for the students who helps point them in directions as they work through their projects.  Do we have all of the Essential Project Design Elements in place?  Definitely not, but this is the first try at this.  We will get better each time.  If you have children, grandchildren, or neighbors in school.  Ask them how it went.  If you would like to find out more, here's a couple of resources for you to check out:  

Buck Institute for Education

Edutopia Resources on PBL

Educational Leadership Article

High Tech High Projects   A school devoted to PBL

It's an exciting time to be in education and as we get better the excitement will grow.  Be on the lookout for Midmester Academy coming up at the middle school later this spring.  If you have any questions, comments, or would like to know more, please feel free to contact me directly.  

Final Reflections on J-term and looking foward

Final Reflections on J-term

If you were not able to make it to the Inaugural J-term Showcase this week, I hope you were able to talk to your students about it and also see the pictures posted on social media. 12 hours later, I am still amazed at what our students and staff accomplished in 10 days!  The products of the Project Based Learning for the last two weeks far exceeded my expectations and showed what students can do when driven to go deeper with their curriculum and find a passion for the classroom.

As I spoke to students, staff and families Wednesday afternoon, the theme of the conversations was around excitement and engagement of the students.  I watched students stay long beyond their required time because they wanted to see what other classes had done.  I heard students explaining their projects and classes to families and community members with such gusto that I truly believe many students will continue to learn about their subjects far past the 10 days they have already invested.  I observed staff beam with pride at the knowledge and understanding that was created in students.

One of the top highlights for me on Showcase Night was the Fashion Show.  It was amazing to me how the young ladies in the Project Runway class not only picked out clothes to model, but also were able to sew complete outfits in less than 10 days.  They are a great example of how engaging Project Based Learning can be as they were also in school last Saturday and during the teacher work day this week to work on their projects. I was so proud of their presentation and the poise they showed during the Fashion Show.

The turn out was so good on Wednesday night that we exceeded the number of people we generally have at parent teacher conferences.  This is an indication to me that we need to revamp conferences and talk about how we can share with families what students are learning and doing every day in our classes. If you have any ideas on how to tackle this-- please feel free to contact me.

So What's Next?

First, we will continue to have the J-term experience. We will be gathering data from students and staff and we had a parent survey on Wednesday night.  If you did not get a chance to fill out the parent survey, please give me a call or email and I will get that to you.  Your feedback is very important.  Although it will be difficult to get quantitative data, we are looking for qualitative, perceptual data since we know students' attitude toward school do affect their performance. We will begin planning for next year right away and will be adjusting as needed to better meet the need of students, including expanded and different courses and working through some scheduling issues. We welcome any feedback and/or suggestions you can give us!

From The Middle: Week of January 22

What Do Teachers Do On An Inservice Day?

This past Monday, teachers worked hard at getting ready for Midmester.  Teachers looked at class lists and began to line up materials, transportation and other parts of each course.  This year we have many teachers working with other teachers to create student opportunities between classes.  In addition to Midmester, teachers worked in teams to plan future experiences for our students.  We will be having our students visiting many different places this semester to enhance the classroom curriculum.  Teachers also took the opportunity to work on curriculum and interventions to make learning more personal.

7th Grade Science Students Learn About Seismology Through PBL:

Mrs. Rodgers has introduced students to the different forces of motion on the Earth.  Students have learned how the different layers of the Earth create unique features.  Students were asked to solve the driving question about how a seismograph works and create a working model.  Below are some of the student's work that demonstrates creativity, collaboration, critical thinking and communication.

Spotlight of the Week- Mrs. Bear :

Mrs. Bear is our middle school At-Risk teacher.  Don't let that title fool you, she is an intricate part of supporting all students.  Each day, Mrs. Bear's works with any student that is struggling or needs some extra help.  Mrs. Bear focuses many of her interventions on skill building in literacy and math; however, she will also work with students that need social or organizational help.  In addition, she also runs our after school program where she will help students with homework or other skills deemed necessary by teachers and parents.  Mrs. Bear spends a lot of time building relationships with students and helping them build confidence. 

Elementary

Can't Stop Talking About J-term

If you have seen me anywhere in the last week, there is one theme, and one theme only, to what I want to talk about. J-term. It is hands-down the most educational cutting-edge initiative I have been able to be a part of in my 20 year career as a teacher, counselor and administrator. My twitter (@sarah_updegraff),  the high school Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/NewHamptonHighSchool/) , this blog, and any other communication I have had has centered specifically around J-term, engagement of students and staff and the 4 Cs of project based learning.

But before I start showing more and talking about individual classes, please accept an invitation to the FIRST ANNUAL J-TERM SHOWCASE from 4-6 pm at the High School gym and lobby on Wednesday, January 17.  This showcase is an opportunity for students to show their families, the community, and any interested parties, how they have answered the driving question of their course and the learning they discovered along the way. It is an open house format so come and go as you please.  The Main Street West Show Choir will perform at approximately 5 and the Project Runway fashion show is at 5:30, both on the gym stage.

This week I have seen classes go from beginning knowledge to in depth work in many areas.  The Eating Your Way Through the Food Industry created garnish for the Rotary meeting this week including chocolate garnishes for dessert.

The Clay and Glass class spent a day at Kirkwood learning how to blow glass and created glass flowers.  In addition, they continue to work with glass and clay in a variety of ways in the classroom, including a variety of pottery items.

Project Runway has students using sewing machines for the first time after visiting fabric stores and thrift stores to find the most inexpensive yet efficient way to put together their pieces.  Local volunteers including retired FCS teacher Donna Schmeidel have volunteered to come help students with sewing skills.

Students in Play Ball! are connecting how baseball has affected and interacted with US history. They have each chosen a specific part of history to discover the connection to baseball.

Exploring Athletic Careers has put students in the shoes of adults they spend much time with, coaches.  They worked one day this week on developing a practice schedule and training from the perspective of a head coach.

Keep watching our social media accounts for more great things happening! Hope to see you at the Showcase next week!

From the Middle: Week of January 15

6th Grade Compares and Contrasts a Novel:

Students finished reading the book Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt.  It is about a family who drinks magical water from a spring and lives forever. The Tuck family lives trying to blend in without getting noticed until ten year old Winnie Foster stumbles on their secret. The Tucks take her to their home to try to convince her not to tell their secret. The kids went to watch the Tuck Everlasting movie so that they could compare and contrast what they read and pictured in their mind to how it was portrayed on-screen.  Below are some pictures of the students working on their project:

Spotlight of the Week- Mrs. Egemo :

Mrs. Egemo is the 8th grade ELA teacher NHMS.  Her class infuses reading and language arts into activities that help get students ready for writing that will be done outside of school.  The past week, students learned about writing informative essays.  Mrs. Egemo uses graphic organizers to help students organize thoughts and write an essay that is logical and succinct.  Students were to pick an invention that has benefited their lives.  Some students wrote about cell phones, washing machines, dvd players, Netflix, YouTube, cameras, or microwaves. The next unit Mrs. Egemo will be starting is a PBL unit with Mr. Rude focusing on Anne Frank and WWII.  Look for more updates on Facebook and this blog!

Elementary

J-term and all it's wonders!

J-term at New Hampton High School has officially begun.  Although it may look like fun from the outside and students are definitely enjoying themselves, there is real learning happening through the 4 Cs of Project Based Learning discussed in this blog early first semester.

As a reminder, the 4 Cs include:

1. Collaboration
2. Critical Thinking
3. Creativity
4. Communication

You will note that these are skills students are required to have as they transition into the adult world, may that be college, training, or the workforce, in addition to the Core curriculum of academic, CTE, and fine arts courses.

J-term is structured to meet needs of both a larger class with a specific project based, student centered curriculum and also 2 shorter classes to cover required time of NICC courses, band, and choir.  The shorter classes, "skinnys",  and the larger J-term courses are also intended to expose students to subjects that they would not necessary encounter in traditional curriculum.

Please take some time to look at the coursebook and see again what students were able to take for classes. Each class is based around 21st century standards, the 4 Cs, and curricular standards,

NHHS J-term coursebook

One of the great perks to J-term is having a variety of guest speakers regarding class topics.  On Day 2, we already had both community members and alumni available to speak to and receive questions from students.

Please keep an eye on the High School Facebook page
 https://www.facebook.com/NewHamptonHighSchool/  and my twitter @sarah_updegraff
for pictures and updates during J-term.  In addition, the gallery night showcasing the work of students is January 17 from 4-6 pm at the high school and open to the public.

BUT WHAT DO KIDS THINK? WHAT ARE THEY GETTING FROM IT?

After a couple days, students have lots to say about their classes:

"I learned how to make a mistake into something better," Eating thru the Industry student.

"I'm super excited about how we learned to work on the wheel, and I love it. I wouldn't have been able to learn any other place! I'm also excited about my Marketing Media class because I'm super interested in it," Clay and Glass student.

"I enjoy how the class isn't set up like normal classes.  I enjoyed going to the hospital and looking at the Physical Therapy and Athletic Training department because it is possibly a career I would think about doing in my future," Exploring Athletic Careers student.

"I love that we are coming back to school and starting with J-term.  It gets us back into the routine but not in a super stressed way," Crusin' Colleges student.

"I liked having our own choice on what we wanted to create," Eating thru the Industry student.

"Just from the first two days, I enjoy how we are being exposed to different athletic careers that I previously would have never looked into.  It was fun listening to Mr. Fenske's sports journalism stories and understanding in more detail what his job is like," Exploring Athletic Careers student.

"I like having the opportunity to learn about different colleges now rather than graduating without a clue of what I want to do," Cruisin' Colleges student.

"I liked it because it challenged me to do something new," Eating thru the Industry student.

"I like having the opportunity to learn about different colleges now rather than graduating without a clue of what I want to do," Cruisin' Colleges student.

Trenton Hubka--"I like that it isn't in a classroom setting where everything is preplanned, and I'm learning about things I can take outside the classroom."

From the Middle: Week of January 8

Welcome Back Students:

Students came back on January 3 to an all school assembly.  Students reviewed PBIS expectations and the data from the first half of the year.  One of the highest areas of minors in the middle school is incomplete homework.  The PBIS team has come up with an incentive to reward students who don't have any incomplete homework for the week.  Five students from each grade level will be drawn each week for the first month of the third semester to receive an extra reward.  If students have fewer than a 100 minors in the first month then the entire student body will earn a movie over lunch.  Students were excited to hear about the new ideas and a few lucky students were also drawn to have breakfast at Klunders based on tribe tickets turned in last semester.  Below is a fun video some of the staff made to review our plan in addition to the lucky breakfast winners!

Spotlight of the Week- Mrs. McAvoy :

Mrs. McAvoy is guidance counselor NHMS.  She works on student concerns on a daily basis from how to get along with others, career planing, coping skills, interventions, and other concerns.  She is a very caring person that wants what is best for all students.  A very important role for Mrs. McAvoy is to help get our students ready for the next step into high school.  She meets with all students to complete a 4 year plan of classes they will need to take in high school and the requirements for post secondary education or the workforce.  She also provides a guidance program to each level of students in the middle school.  She has worked with the Chickasaw Connections group to implement the All Stars Program to our 7th grade students.  

Elementary