School Safety and School Makeup days

School Safety

There's been a lot in the news recently about school safety.  Unfortunately, this has been a result of recent events across the country.  We take this very seriously and have our Crisis Team reviewing and revising our Crisis Plan/Procedures based on new guidelines that are available.  As you know, our buildings are all secure and you must be buzzed in from the office when visiting during the day.  We have asked our office staff to be extra vigilant in knowing who they are allowing in.  This may result in additional questions when you come to school, but we hope you understand we are only trying to maintain a safe space for our children.  In addition, we've asked each of our teachers to review procedures and discuss what to do in the case of a crisis situation.  We used a video to prompt the discussion.  I would encourage you to visit with your child about what they discussed.  If your child hasn't yet discussed this in class, they should be doing so sometime in the next week or so.  

A key point in school safety is speaking up if you or your child sees or hears something.  As you visit with your child about school safety,  please take time to remind them that if they see or hear something to tell a parent, teacher, principal, police or other trusted adult.  Often our students are the first to be aware of something going on in the school.  They shouldn't assume it's a joke or blow it off as kids just talking.  They need to report it so it can be followed up with to make sure no danger exists.  This is for the safety of everyone.  Speaking of jokes, it's also important for your child to know it's important not to "joke" about school violence.  

There have been several schools across the state and two in our area who have had threats made on social media or in other ways directed at the school.  Making these types of threats, even in fun has serious consequences for the person making the threat, even if they are students.  Please take the time to visit with your child about the importance of not making any threats as a joke or in fun.  This includes in person or on any type of social media.  With all of the recent events, everyone is super aware of school safety as an issue.  This could create a lot of trouble for a student who may not understand the consequences that may result from making these statements.  

School Makeup Days

So far we have missed three days of school because of weather and one because of State Dual Team Wrestling.  Per the school calendar, we will make up these days on May 23rd, 24th, 25th and also on March 29th.  This means we will have a normal day of school on Wednesday, March 28th and we will have school on March 29th with a one-hour early dismissal.  If we have any additional missed days, they will be added on to the end of the year after Memorial Day.  If you have any questions on these makeup days, please contact the office where your child attends.  

Talking about Bullying/ Crisis Team Update/PD day

Talking about Bullying

This week both staff and students pK-12 were able to hear from New York Times Bestselling Author Jodee Blanco about her experiences being bullied in middle school and high school and the lessons she can share with us about how we treat each other.  All levels attended building specific presentations where Jodee openly shared her story and encouraged student to stay true to themselves and give love to others in any way they can.  There was also a parent presentation in the evening following the student gatherings.  Additional curriculum was shared by Jodee for our counseling department to work with throughout the year.

Crisis Team Update
The crisis team met this week for the third time this year and found it timely to update information on a variety of scenarios that could possible occur in schools and the community.  This is timely with our national events, but also an ongoing process of every school year as our world and buildings change.  The team will continue meeting monthly and has plans to work student and staff training into classroom time to prepare students and to continue to ensure a safe environment for learning.  In addition, the high school staff spent a portion of the professional development day Monday talking about high school specific scenarios and discussing the importance of relationships and knowing our students to the safety of the building.

PD Day
High School staff had the opportunity to learn from local business and industry leaders during professional development on Monday. Brian Quirk, Aaron Flugum, Denise Sinnwell, Mitch Laures, Kelcie Hanawalt, Lynn Hopp, Jason Kuennen, and Jason Speltz spoke about the needs in their industry and what they are looking for in employees.  NICC staff Holly O'Brien and Wendy Mihm-Herold in addition to Teresa Weber from ATEK moderated the conversation.  It is clear that we need to continue to build relationships and foster further opportunities for students while they are in high school so they leave us with a better idea of their future plans.

From the Middle: Week of February 26th

Parent Teacher Conferences This Week:

Staff welcomes parents to come and see the great things that have been happening at the Middle School!  Parents have had the opportunity to sign up for conferences on February 27th and March 1st from 1:45 pm- 8:00 pm.  Teachers look forward to sharing with you everything that has happened this quarter and all of the great things to come toward the end of the year.  Several displays will also be out in the hallways for parents to see. Thank you for your continued support.

Spotlight of the Week- Mrs. Cantu:

Mrs. Cantu is a music teacher at the elementary, middle school and high school.   She works hard to provide students with experiences to help them enjoy singing and the fine arts.  Lately, she has been working with Ms. Remmen at producing a middle school musical called Wipeout.  7th and 8th grade students in choir are expected to participate in the musical on March 15th and 16th.  Students have been learning parts and choreography to provide you with an entertaining event.  Tickets can be purchased at the Middle School office for $5 per ticket during conferences.  We hope to see you there!

Elementary

Live from State Wrestling

Live from State Wrestling

Mr. Schmitt and I draw straws and every year I win to be at state wrestling watching our wrestlers, managers, cheerleaders and coaches take over Des Moines.  This year I have the privilege of have both a cheerleader and a wrestler in our family on the floor which was super exciting!  Proud mom moment...

Of course by now you know that our team won the dual title for the 2nd year in a row.  We are lucky to be able to have our whole team participate in the dual tournament and carry the family philosophy set forth by Coach Hemann and our coaching staff.

We also took a day off school on Wednesday for us to celebrate and support the team.  We believe that high school and the experience of high school goes beyond the classroom to experience on the mat, floor, field, stage, and a wide variety of venues.  The support brought by the Chickasaws on Wednesday definitely outdid any other school that was in Wells Fargo for the day.  Great job!

As the week continues we watch our student-athletes continue to be successful.  As of Thursday afternoon, 8 of the 9 wrestlers who qualified for state are still wrestling. Five are in the championship bracket, Michael Blockhus, Noah Fye, Evan Rosonke, Cale Reicks and Areon Day, as three work their way back through the consolation bracket, Mason Cleveland, Max Babcock, and Noah Glaser. Whether you are in Des Moines or back in New Hampton, keep cheering on our Chickasaws!

From the Middle: Week of February 19

How do the Olympics relate to our school??

As I met with the LEAD students this week, I am reminded about what it means to be committed to something much larger than ourselves.  The Olympics have many parallels to a school and community.  It takes true commitment and vision to reaching our true potential and making our school the best it can be.  In the sports world, it is easy to not want to get out of bed in the morning and go to weights to get better and make your team better.  It is easy to sleep in late and not get up to eat breakfast and exercise your brain before the school day.  Olympians need to be at the peak of their game when it is time for competition.  All of the little work put in goes unnoticed by many, but is essential to reach the goal.  Our school is committed to creating a culture that emphasizes the learner.  The traditional school doesn't prepare our students for the obstacles they will face in the future.  We are comfortable with what we know and have experienced, but is that what is best for our kids?  We are committed to providing different learning opportunities to our students.  We have a great school at New Hampton, but we are committed to providing our students with better learning opportunities.  One of our greatest strengths as a community is our diversity of opportunities and support of the business sector.  We have been able to provide real life opportunities for our students in the community through Midmester, Career Week, Partners in Education, and classroom experiences.  Everyone that we visit with in our community is looking for employee's that have the skills to collaborate, communicate, be critical thinkers, and solve problems in a creative manner.  These skills need to continue to be developed within our students.  We are committed to this development within our students and look forward to further partnerships!

Spotlight of the Week- Mrs. Moore:

Mrs. Moore is a Pk-4 Physical Education teacher at New Hampton Middle School and Elementary.  One of her strengths as a teacher is the relationships she builds with students.  She encourages students to do their best each and everyday.  If a student is struggling, she will meet with that student and provide words of encouragement.  Mrs. Moore stresses the importance of being physically fit for the rest of student's lives.  She tries to inspire students to try different things.  Last year her Midmester class focused on all of the fun activities that take place during the winter.  Students were able to come up with their own activities and teach them to the class.  Mrs. Moore brings out the best in all students!

Elementary

State Wrestling/FFA Iowa Degree Work/How Are They Collaborating?

State Wrestling
Congratulations to Coach Hemann, his staff, and the Chickasaw wrestlers on winning the Regional Duals last night.  They will wrestle at 11 am next Wednesday at Wells Fargo Arena.  There will be no school next Wednesday, February 14, 2018.  We hope to see you in Des Moines supporting our student-athletes.  In addition, individual state wrestling is February 15-17 in Des Moines.  Students attending should return with ticket stubs to be exempted. District wrestling in Aplington-Parkersburg on Saturday will determine how many of our 12 qualifying sectional qualifying wrestlers will advance.

Also, the girls' and boys' basketball teams begin their road to the state tournament Saturday and Monday respectively, both teams competing against Union-LaPorte. Let take this chance to support all of our winter sport teams and athletes!




FFA Iowa Degrees Due
Many Agriculture Education students are working on completing their applications for Iowa Degrees this week in preparation for state convention in Ames in April. This application requires student to outline their activity in FFA and Ag Ed during their high school career and the highlights of leadership throughout that time. Students receiving Iowa Degrees will be recognized at the State Convention this year.

How Are They Collaborating?
Collaboration in classrooms and in schools is one of the 4 Cs of Project Based Learning and also extends into all classroom work. Students at NHHS can be seen collaborating throughout the day in a variety of ways. Collaboration skills are one of the top skills wanted by colleges, training programs, and employers in the 21st century.  In fact, it has far surpassed competition as one of the skills needed in the work force. We see collaboration in classroom during lab work, group directed practice, questioning activities, and project work, just as a start. Collaboration requires that students are prepared and ready to work to become well informed, with the help of peers, to gain knowledge of the subject matter.  This often puts the learning directly in the hands of students as they assist one another in discovering information.

From the Middle: Week of February 12

Mummies in School?

One of the 6th grade standards in social studies is to analyze and explain explain the cultural, physical, and environmental characteristics of places and regions and how this affects the life of the people who live there.  The 6th graders have been learning about Ancient Egypt and how the culture has influenced the modern world.  Students have also learned about the mummification process and how those advances have led to modern science.   Part of the preservation process was to dehydrate the body.  Students are learning how the science of this works with an apple and salt. There are many connections to ancient society and today's society.  

Preparing for Parent Teacher Conferences!

Parent teacher conferences are coming up on February 27th and March 1st.  Conferences begin at 1:45 pm and end at 8:00 pm.   It is an important time of the year when teachers, parents, and students can discuss all of the great things being accomplished this year and make plans for next year. Signup materials have been sent home and is now open so please sign up.  We will also be having Solo contest from 5pm to 8pm on those dates.  Please come and support the school!

Spotlight of the Week- Ms. Brincks:

Ms. Brincks is the 7th/8th grade Instructional Strategist teacher at New Hampton Middle School.  She works with a variety of students and their needs.  One of her main focuses is to help students develop independence and the ability to be self advocates as they begin the transition to high school.  She works individually with students as well as in small groups.  She is in classrooms as well to help assist classroom teachers in a co-teaching model.  Ms. Brincks also cares about our students outside of the school day.  She can be seen at many extra curricular activities supporting current and past students.  Ms. Brincks is a valuable team member that helps all of our students!

Elementary

Negotiations

Negotiations

Each year the districts meets with representatives of the Teacher's Association and Support Staff Association to negotiate contract terms for the following year.  We began that process last night with the teachers.  We have a very positive relationship with our teaching staff and their representatives.  Negotiations is not always a comfortable time when talking about salary and benefits for staff, but it is something we have to do.  There were a lot of changes enacted last year by the legislature which does make the process look a little different, but it doesn't mean we value our teachers any less.  Teaching is the most rewarding thing a person can do, but it's also one of the most challenging.  Our teachers work hard and step up when needed to do everything they can for our students.  Off of my soapbox and back to negotiations. 

One of my first steps in negotiations is to begin looking at the district's financial situation, how our teacher salaries compare to other districts similar in size and also in our area, and also how our benefits compare.  The district's financial condition is looking okay right now, but we know if state funding continues to be low and enrollment declines further, that could change very rapidly.  We compare teacher salaries because we have to compete with other districts for the teachers that are out there.  In the past, it was not uncommon to have 100 applicants for an elementary teaching position and 15-30 for most high school positions.  Today, if we get 10 to 20 applicants for elementary we feel fortunate and some high school positions we hope to find a single candidate.  As I talk to other superintendents in the area and across the state, this is a common problem for everyone.  The number of candidates has fallen drastically and can be traced back to the colleges who tell us they have less students in education and less entering the education field then ever before.  Like most industries in Iowa, we are facing a worker (teacher) shortage.  

In order to attract the best and brightest, we must be competitive or applicants may choose another district.  The first chart below compares our average salary with those districts similar in size.  

Chart comparing average salary based on enrollment size

Our teachers are slightly below average compared to other schools based on enrollment.  We are also slightly above the average when it comes to experience of the staff.  

The next chart compares us to schools in our AEA.  It basically looks at 7 larger and 7 smaller in enrollment compared to us.  Because of the makeup of our AEA, the enrollment variance is much greater.  We are farther below the average in this case, but our school enrollment is also considerably below the average.  On this chart, I tend to look at individual schools to see how we compare as these are the schools we compete with for teachers in this area. 

Chart comparing average salary based on enrollment in our AEA

This final chart looks at average salaries compared to the Northeast Iowa Conference.  We are the smallest district in the conference based on enrollment, but we still compete with all of these schools for staff members.  In this chart we are well below the average, but higher than at least one school (Decorah) in total compensation.  

Chart comparing average salary in the Northeast Iowa Conference

In addition to this data, we compare benefits, salary schedules, financial conditions of the districts, and other relevant data.  

Our staff members are important to us and we look at what we can do for current staff members and also what we do to make this an attractive place for applicants to choose.  Of course, the board is always aware of its duty as overseer of the district's budget as it goes through this process.  In some ways, having the overwhelming majority of our funding based on an automatic formula is a good thing.  It gives us a solid number that we have to meet each year when going through this process.  If we go over that number, we have to make it up somewhere else. 

Look for more information in the newspaper on this important issue.  

Ag/Ind Tech Work/Using Empowerment/Homework?

As we say goodbye to January, we enter the shortest month of the school year which can sometimes feel like the longest as we wait for Spring to arrive. During the month of February, high school students will be working through school work, entering end of season tournaments for athletics, and preparing for the Sweetheart Dance.

Agriculture Education and Industrial Technology Program Building Skills
One of the goals of Career and Technical Education (CTE) is to foster 21st century and employability skills.  From manufacturing class to use of the new plasma table, the Agriculture Education and Industrial Technology departments are giving technical skills in addition to the critical thinking needed for success in the workplace.  Mr. Russ, Mr. Kuennen, and Ms. Mattke are spending time learning about our new tools in addition to giving foundation skills necessary in the market of ag and manufacturing.

Using Empowerment Study Hall
Empowerment study hall is a study tool available to all students at NHHS.  A smaller group of students works with either Mrs. Manson or Mr. Meisner for a variety of reasons, including needing a quieter place, looking for academic assistance, working with a course-alike group, or just requesting to be scheduled there.  Students, parents, and staff can recommend or request enrollment in Empowerment at any time during the school year.

What is the Purpose of Homework?
As a parent, I watch my own children work through homework and always ask, what is the purpose of the work they are doing? At this level, homework is given to students as as way to get repetition of work learned in class.  Many teachers use the beginning of class to review any concerns students had with their homework.  New learning is rarely done with homework as we believe new learning should occur during class or discovery so students can receive guidance from the teachers.  However, it is also important that students complete homework, even if they struggle some.  By struggling and failing forward, student retain information.  Please feel free to contact individual teachers about any homework concerns.  In addition, staff are available before and after school, during planning time and during intervention on Tuesdays and Thursdays to assist students outside of class.

From the Middle: Week of February 5

Geography Bee A Success!

On January 24th, students competed to be the New Hampton Geography Bee Champion.  All students in 4th through 8th grade had the opportunity to compete.  The competition began with a test in social studies class to narrow the field.  Finalists for each grade were then selected and then competed against each other.  There were several rounds to narrow the competitors into the final two. The final two went head to head for three questions.  The winner was Katie Steinlage, 8th grade.  She will be competing in the state competition soon.  Congratulations to everyone for their hard work making it a success!

Could Your House Survive An Earthquake?

Students in Mrs. Rodgers' class answered that very question in class.  Students began the unit by learning about earthquakes and waves.   Students then built a device to measure earthquakes.  The design was to have some of the same properties as a modern-day seismograph.  After students understood how earthquake waves move and are measured they had to construct a building out of cardboard and non-glue based materials.  Students had to learn about properties of foods and other substances to put these building together.  At the end of the week, students added the building to the test machine and then put weight on top of it to see if it would stand after an earthquake.  This whole process models how our teachers are implementing PBL tenants into our classrooms.

Spotlight of the Week- Mrs. Feldman:

Mrs. Feldman is the 7th grade ELA teacher at New Hampton Middle School.  Students have been setting goals to get better at reading this year with the implementation of the Accelerated Reading program.  Students are able to pick books they are interested in and read them for points.  This creates a challenge when each students sets an individual goal for the quarter and works hard to reach it.  Mrs. Feldman also uses Daily Language Review to get students thinking about all of the intricate parts of the English language.  Students then will apply learnings in various activities and writings in class.  One of our building goals is to get students to think in the growth mindset.  Mrs. Feldman has taught this to our 7th graders and demonstrates this philosophy as she wants to always be better tomorrow.

Elementary