October - Clarion - Goldfield

Clarion-Goldfield-Dows
Community School District
Cowboy Chronicles
OCTOBER 2015
From the Desk of the Sup erintend ent
D r. Rob er t Olson
Season Changes
We are well into the fall of the
year and we are turning another
page of the calendar. We are
approaching a time when we
need to be prepared for the winter season and the dangers it may
present.
It is the goal of the district to
provide parents with public service announcements in a timely
fashion to allow time for childcare
and other arrangements associated with the supervision and care
of children. When it is apparent
that potentially dangerous, inclement weather is imminent, we
will notify the media the evening
before. There are times we are not
sure of the severity of the weather
and we will start with a 90-minute
delay. This provides time to better
predict the path of an impending
storm and determine if it is safe
enough to hold classes. When the
district is in doubt, the district will
err on the side of safety.
The district attempts to inform local and statewide media
outlets. This includes KJYL Eagle
Grove-100.7PM, KQWC Webster
City-95.7FM, KLMJ Hampton104.9FM, KVFD Fort Dodge-1400AM, KGLO Mason City-1300AM,
KIMT Mason City-3, KCCI Des
Moines-8, WOI Des Moines-5,
WHO Des Moines-13, and Iowa
School Alerts.
Parents who wish to receive
email or text notifications of
changing school plans may sign
up on most of the television websites. Iowa School Alerts also
provides this service at https://
schoolalerts.iowa.gov/.
In addition to public service
notifications, it is important to
continue to listen or pay attention
to electronic messages that share
changes in the dismissal times.
There are times that weather patterns are unanticipated during
the day and classes and activities
are dismissed early or school activities are postponed/cancelled.
The district will make every
effort to make decisions regarding changes in school plans as
early as possible to allow parents
to make other arrangements for
their children.
Online Payments
Parents are now able to pay
for student meals online through
RevTrak, the program used during registration. RevTrak accepts
credit cards and debit cards. Payments are recorded and updated
daily on JMC (the district’s student information system that
parents are given access to view
family meal accounts, grades, assignments, etc). The district is
looking forward to using RevTrak
since it worked so well during reg-
istration. The district is working
toward providing online registration for families wishing to register at home rather than standing
in line at school on registration
day. Please don’t hesitate to contact the district office with ideas to
make the registration and online
services more customer friendly.
The district office contact options
are: in person at 319 Third Avenue
NE on the second floor of the
elementary building, by phone
at 515-532-3423, or contacting
Dr. Olson at rolson@clargold.org.
Thank You Board
We appreciate the dedication
of our school board members
who give of their time to oversee
the school’s educational program,
support services and facilities in
which learning occurs. Serving
as a board member requires time
from home and family, reading
to keep up with the latest trends
in education, develop, revise and
review policy, and monitor the
academic performance or our students. All this work is done with
no monetary compensation.
The district would like to thank
Missy Schultz for serving thirteen
years on the board, representing
District #1 and the area of the
original Goldfield School District.
From the Desk of the Superintendent
continued on next page
From the Desk of the Superintendent
Continued from page 1
Missy retired from the board this year and
Troy Seaba was elected to take her place.
Troy was a student of the Goldfield District
and will do a great job representing District
#1. The district also thanks others, although
not elected to the board that offered themselves as candidates for this position.
Clint Middleton was re-elected to the
board to represent District #2 that encompasses the majority of the original Clarion
School District. Others on the board who
also represent District #2 include Beth Jackson and Beth Severson.
Representing District #3 and the area of
the original Dows School District is Corey
Jacobson. Corey was also on the school
board in Dows prior to reorganization and
brings with him a rich history of that district.
The board elected the officers of the
board at its organizational meeting September 21st. Beth Severson was elected
as president. Corey Jacobson was elected
as vice-president. Appointments were also
made that include Anita Frye as board secretary, Susan Toftey as treasurer, Malloy Law
Firm and Rick Engel as school attorneys.
Thanks to all those individuals willing to
serve and their commitment to provide the
best possible educational experience for
our students.
Prom Info
After Prom plans are yet to be decided, but Prom is set for
Saturday, April 23, 2016. Times will be announced closer to
the date. The theme is “Footloose”. If anyone has a chalk
board, any tin buckets, burlap, pint mason jars or Footloose
posters that they would be willing to part with, please feel
free to drop those items off at the high school or contact
Ms. Roseburrough at troseburrough@clargold.org. Your
support is greatly appreciated, thank you!
Junior Prom Committee
CGD High School Yearbook Wants You!
Ms. Rusch
Got Pics?
Attention: Clarion-Goldfield-Dows community
members! The CGD high school yearbook staff
kindly requests your help! We need pictures for
this year’s yearbook! You can upload photos from
Clarion-Goldfield-Dows high school events, to an
app provided by our yearbook company, Jostens.
The app is called Replayit and can be found in app
stores now for FREE!
Don’t have a smartphone? You can also upload photos to replayit.com using your computer.
These photos are filtered by Jostens and come
straight to us right after. Once you either have the
app, or are online, you can search for our school at
“Clarion Goldfield Dows High School”. It will then
direct you to a page that asks for a password. Enter “koobraey” (yearbook spelled backwards). You
must provide your name, email, and create your
own password for your specific account. From there, you
will be able to see, search, upload, and take pictures. These
photos will be stored for you
to access for years to come!
Not all can be included in the
yearbook, but we’ll definitely
try to get the most we can out of this app! Thanks
for the help please keep photographing CGD HS
events! If you have any questions please contact
Ms. Rusch at hrusch@clargold.org.
Bring Your Boxtops!
Do you have Box Tops and don’t know
what to do with them? Bring your boxtops to CGD High School and the FFA
members will process them for you and
donate them to the elementary school.
Athletic News
Patty Stockman-Sann
Teammates Remember Joe
Bill Eaton, Bob Olson and Mac Willemssen “paid
it forward” by donating money for the purchase
of dumb bells for the high school weight room in
memory of the Joe Reyna (Class of 1965). The generous contribution comes at a time when the CGD
weight room has seen a number of improvements
and changes that will allow young people the opportunity to keep pace with their competition.
The donation is truly appreciated!
Special Thanks
Thank you to Sports Graphics for the new metal signs promoting sportsmanship and character
found on the football field fence.
Elementary
Enlightener
Four-Year-Old Preschool
Mrs. Carpenter & Mrs. Voigts
By Tricia Rosendahl
We are soaring into another great
year at the elementary school. Our
students and staff are back in full
swing and off to another unbelievable start. It is fun to see all the smiling faces entering the building each
morning. You wouldn’t believe the
number of hugs and high fives I get
each day. Our students are the best!
I hope they are doing the same at
home for you.
We want to say “thank you” to Erin
Halverson, Paul Hansch, and the high
school students for remembering
us during homecoming week. It is
always fun to see the cheerleaders,
homecoming court in their fancy
dresses/clothes, the football players, the volleyball players, the crosscountry runners and the dance team.
Miss Greenfield and the elementary students once again impressed
the high school students and their
coaches this year by knowing the
words to the school song. We all
learned the words and sang it with
pride the day of the pep rally.
This year the staff at the elementary are participating in a book study
on the Leader In Me. As we study this
concept many of us are dabbling in
offering leadership opportunities
to our students. We have jobs from
being the class greeter to returning
books to the library, to delivering
messages to the office. Many classrooms have jobs for each classmate
every day. Some of the older grades
even require applying for the positions with a letter of recommendation. Ask your student what leadership roles they have participated in
so far this year.
I am looking forward to another
great year! Remember to stop by,
email or call at any time. The key to
a successful education for your child
is TEAMWORK! It is going to be a
great year!
I Am Special!
Students in Mrs. Carpenter and Mrs. Voigts’ four-year old preschool classes
have been keeping busy since the start of the school year. The students did
a “Me” unit and talked about being special, their families, and their house.
Students made a special snack using vegetables to make an edible face.
Welcome to the CGD Class of 2028!
Butterfly Tagging
First Grade
First graders were busy in the month of September learning about the life cycle of insects.
To help us in this learning we watched seven
Monarch butterfly caterpillars complete their life
cycles. We watched each of them eat and grow
bigger, make a chrysalis and hatch into a butterfly. Then Jake Schaben from the Wright County
Conservation Office came to school and helped
us to tag and release our butterflies. He showed
the students how to tell if a butterfly was male
or female and how to place the tag on a butterfly’s wing. Then he recorded the special numbers
from the tag. Now, if someone finds our butterflies, they can report that number and we can
track how far our butterflies went. It was exciting
to see them fly away! We wonder if they will make
it all the way to Mexico!
Making Friends - An Art?
Sarah Kakacek, Elem. School Counselor
The color “brown” doesn’t get used much in the
crayon box. “Brown” wants to be like everyone else
until he discovers his own uniqueness. “Brown” becomes comfortable by being kind and respectful to
the other colors. The first grade students enjoyed
the book, Making Friends is an Art by author Julia
Cook, drew pictures of things they like to do with
friends, and added comments about what it means
to be a good friend. The following come from the
mouths of students: “I would help brown out. All
the colors can be friends…just like us.”
Using a plate, milk, and drips of food coloring,
students discovered what happens when a dash
of dishwashing soap is added. Suddenly, the colors repel and separate from the added soap. We
connected this to healthy and hurtful friendships.
When students use unkind words or leave others
out, their classmates naturally want to stay away
and separate from hurtful students. When the colors blend together, the color brown is apparent. A
great reminder to us that it takes all colors and personalities to blend in well, work together, to make
beautiful art = FRIENDSHIPS!
ELL
Hannah McLaughlin
Remembering 9/11
Second Grade
Mrs. Smith and I are busy teaching the ELL
students at CGD. We currently serve 127 prep-k
through 12th ELL students. Many people wonder, “What is ELL? Do you have to speak other
languages to teach this class?” ELL is a class that
helps students who speak a different language as
their first language learn to speak the English they
need in the classroom. We are not fluent in other
languages, but we teach tons of different skills to
help students learn the English language.
What Makes a Person
a Hero?
Friday, September 11th the second grade classes talked about 9/11 and what makes a hero. The
classes discussed heroes in the Clarion community.
Many of the second graders named the police and
fighter fighters as our local heroes. To thank those
men and women for their service to our community, the second grade wrote thank you letters, and
met the chief of police and a police officer.
We have started the year with exciting lessons.
The prep-k students have been learning about
introductions and their names. They have been
working on naming body parts. You can see them
showing the parts of their potato head, such a fun
way to learn the parts of the body. Kindergarten,
first, and second graders have been working on
high frequency words and understanding words
that accompany their stories. We are working on
consonant blends and sounds that letters make
to build words. We have worked on synonyms.
The third graders are working through a unit
on exploring the continents. The fourth graders
are studying the different regions of the United
States. They will be creating a brochure to share
with their classmates about the region they are
studying. Fifth graders are in the process of doing
a choice learning project. The students will be giving Mrs. Smith ideas on topics they want to learn
about and then teach the class about their topics.
In the upper grades a lot of tutoring and working
through assignments is occurring. We are excited
for a great start to the school year in ELL.
Elementary PE at CGD
Jason Berning
Elementary PE at CGD is off to an awesome
start. We are enjoying the nice weather by doing
outdoor activities and games such as soccer. I am
looking forward to a fantastic year!
5th Grade Science News
Mrs. Jensen, Science Instructor
Solar Cookers
The 5th grade classes created their own solar
cookers using a Pringles can, a wooden skewer, and
Saran wrap. They each created their own cooker,
put marshmallows on the skewer to test the effectiveness of solar energy. The day we chose it was
96 degrees so it was a very effective.
Great Energy Rock
Performances
Solar Energy
The 5th grade science students recently participated in live rock energy performances about solar
energy. The song was provided and the students
needed to bring props, learn their parts, and present to the class. Check out these great performers!!!
Learning about Shadows
The 5th grade science students started the solar energy unit out by learning about the sun and shadows.
They were given shadow challenges to complete, animals to create using shadows, and partner challenges.
Look at the educational fun we had in the sun and learning about a shadow’s shape and orientation.
What’s Up in the Art Room?
by Kaira Downing
So happy to be back! Another fun filled year
with my creative students! This year I am happy
to announce I am full time! I will be adding 7th
and 8th grade art to my roster!
First look into some of this year’s projects, I
will be shining the light on 5th grade! We started
the lesson by looking at the work of Keith Haring.
Keith Haring is an American artist apart of the
Pop art movement. We talked about how he was
inspired by graffiti artists. I showed them different large scale murals of his artwork, and we talked about how he used line to show movement.
Students were then paired up to create their own
large scale figure. The theme of our mural was
“A Keith Haring Dance Party.” Students picked
unique poses and traced their partners. We used
paint to make their figures stand out. This lesson
was such a success! I was so impressed with their
patience and willingness to experiment and explore this lesson. Next week they will be ready
to display and fill our hallways with fun color!
Awesome job 5th grade!
My 7th grade students started off this hex
by studying the seven elements of art! To show
off their knowledge of the elements, students
were to create a rainforest drawing using all
seven elements. I had each student look up different rainforest animals, and they were able to
pick their own. My only requirements were to fill
their space, have at least eight different plant life,
and to sketch out an interesting layout for their
composition. I demonstrated how to blend with
colored pencil and how to use value and texture
to make their drawings seem more life like! They
turned out amazing! I love how original each
piece is. Very creative and their hard work paid
off! Great job 7th grade!
Clarion-Goldfield-Dows
Student Wins Regional
Poster Contest
by Kaira Downing
One of our own CGD students has captured the spotlight. Nevan Foss was one of the
three district winners last year that created a
poster for the Wright County Soil and Water
Conservation poster Contest! His poster went
on to regionals and took 1st place for Division 3 (grades 4th-6th) He was presented
with a certificate and a $35 prize check from
Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company, a corporate sponsor of the contest! We are so proud
of him! Way to go Nevan!
Notes from the Middle School
and High School Music Department
By David Ackerman
CGD MIDDLE SCHOOL MUSIC
DEPARTMENT MAGZINE SALE
(Sept. 24-Oct. 6)
All middle school students
involved in band or chorus are
currently selling magazines to
raise money for the music department. The sale runs from
Thursday, Sept. 24th to Tuesday,
October 6th. If you are not contacted by a middle school student but would like to purchase
a magazine, please contact Mr.
Tom Klaver or Mr. David Ackerman at the middle school.
The middle school music department has been participating in this magazine drive for
several years, and the proceeds
have allowed us to purchase
many items for the music department. Please support our
students and keep music alive
in the school!!!
ALL-STATE AUDITIONS
(Oct. 24)
On Saturday, October 24th,
two CGD high school vocal students audition for the All-State
Chorus in Hampton: Max Powers and Amaya Watne. These
students have been rehearsing
every morning before school
with Mr. Ackerman. However,
All-State is an individual procedure, which means students
need to rehearse on their own.
They cannot rely on the group
rehearsals alone. All students
who attended Wartburg’s AllState camp should have a rehearsal CD that they need to
rehearse with on a daily basis.
Each All-State audition lasts seven minutes, and the students
have seven songs they need to
learn. The audition cuts will be
posted on Saturday, October
24th, and auditions begin at
9:00 a.m. Good luck to every vocal student auditioning!
CGD H.S. VOCAL MUSIC
DEPARTMENT PRESENTS
CINDERELLA
(Nov. 6 / Nov. 7)
The high school vocal music
department presents the musical Cinderella, written by Rodgers and Hammerstein on Friday,
Nov. 6th and Saturday, Nov.
7th at 7:00 p.m. Approximately
55 high school vocal students
plan to be involved in this year’s
musical. Mr. David Ackerman
and Mrs. Tessa Yackle are codirectors for the show, and they
are both very excited about directing this show.
Tickets for Cinderella are $7
for adults and $5 for students
(Note: Activity Passes cannot be
honored for the musical). The
show begins at 7:00 p.m. both
nights, and doors will open at
6:30 p.m. All tickets are available at the door. The CGD Music
Boosters plan to serve refreshments during the intermission.
Please mark your calendars so
you don’t miss this great show!!!
NORTH CENTRAL DISTRICT
HONOR CHOIR
(Nov. 13)
On Friday, November 13th,
the North Central District of
Iowa will host a very large honor choir for students in grades
7-12. Approximately 500-600
vocal students from north
central Iowa will participate
in this awesome vocal music
opportunity.
This concert includes four
honor choirs: 7th/8th grade
girls’: 7th/8th grade boys’:
9th/10th grade mixed, and high
school students who have auditioned for the All-State Chorus
on October 24th. Mr. Ackerman
will be discussing these honor
choirs during class, and any 7th12th grade student (currently
enrolled in chorus) may participate in these honor choirs.
Each 7th/8th grade honor
choir has a limit of eight students from each school. The
9th/10th grade mixed choir and
the All-State choir DO NOT have
a limit for students.
Rehearsals for 7th/8th grade
choir will begin Monday, Oct.
26th. (3:30-5:00 p.m.)
Rehearsals for 9th/10th grade
choir will begin Monday, October 26th from 7:30-8:15 a.m.
Thank you to all of you who helped to make the 2015-­‐2016 school year a success for the music program at Clarion-­‐Goldfield/Dows schools. Your support for the students in all their music endeavors really does make a difference. Annually, funds are raised through our Music Booster membership drive at registration, and the an nual Club’s Choice frozen food sale which the students help with. Our annual budget each year is approximately $9,000. Your donations received each year help to fund: •
Purchases requested by the Music Departments •
Chairs for Pre-­‐K through 12 t h grade for Music Departments •
End of the Year Awards (Plaques, Contest Ribbons, Medals, etc.) •
New Band Instruments for Band Departments •
2 -­‐ $500 Scholarships •
Chanhassen Dinner Theatre Senior Award trip for 4-­‐year Music Students •
Uniforms & Uniform Maintenance •
$75 per student toward music related camp fees We thank you as you consider what level of membership you would like to help with for the coming school year. Checks can be made payable to “Clarion-­‐Goldfield-­‐Dows Music Boosters” and can be given to any Music Booster board member, dropped off at one of the school offices, or mailed to board member Kim Marker. Music Booster Board Amy Reiter, Jody Johnson, Kelly Langfitt, Julie Klaver, Cathy Farwell, Kim Marker Director........... $150 & Up I/We would like to help by volunteering: _____Cookie/Bars _____Service on the Board Section Leader.... $25-­‐$74 Booster …….…….... $10-­‐24 Member …………... $5-­‐ $9 Kim Marker, 931 2 St SE, Clarion, IA 50525 NAME: ______________________________________________ Soloist……….…. $75 -­‐ $149 _____Time _____Donation Please Return by November 15th to: nd
MAIL: _______________________________________________ THANK YOU! Your support is greatly appreciated! FFA News
Angela Charlson
The CGD FFA chapter traveled to the District Soils competition. The students were able to apply knowledge
learned in the classroom into the real world application of evaluating soil.
The CGD FFA traveled to ICCC to participate in the District Greenhand Fireup. Chapters from around the area
gathered to attend a workshop atmosphere put on by district and state FFA officers.
The CGD FFA has had a busy start to the year with traveling to the National Barrow Show to judge. Also, the
first chapter meeting had 46 anticipated members and two guests. We were able to have two of the state
officers attend our meeting (see below) and join together the chapter with a leadership activity.
English 10 Intellectual Freedom Unit
Tessa Yackle
English 10 has been working on a unit called
Intellectual Freedom. The unit encompasses the
idea that all have the right to choose what they
want to listen to, read, and watch, according
to personal interests and the First Amendment
rights. We began with discussing what freedom
of speech was and how it impacted our daily lives,
in the areas of listening, reading, and viewing.
Students were able to see how challenged and
banned books, as well as literature, can change
the face of society and education. They were
able to look at American Literature authors, who
helped shape our literature and provided our rich
academic scaffolding, to determine how they
would feel if they knew their works were being
challenged in today’s 21st century society.
Students were then introduced to four challenged/banned children’s books. They wrote
formal essays, detailing why the books should
or should not be challenged or banned. The students were then able to formulate debate teams
and debate the books, using their newly acquired
information pertaining to intellectual freedom,
censorship, the first amendment, freedom of
speech, banned books, and challenged books.
Currently, the students are in the process of
conducting formal research for a paper they will
be writing. Their final project will be to create an
iMovie, which details the many aspects of this unit
and its affects on their academic and future lives.
Zach Martin (left) and Tabetha Waller (right) were
among the students presenting.
High School PE News
Karen Staples
On August 31 and September 1, the high school
physical education classes had the opportunity to
zip line during class. Staff Sergeant Poncy, a recruiter with the Iowa National Guard, reserved the
zip line for area schools. This was the first time
the zip line came to Clarion-Goldfield-Dows. The
zip line was set up in the parking lot of the high
school. It was approximately 40 feet high and 225
feet long. Students had the choice to participate
and the majority took advantage of the opportunity. It was a great experience for everyone and
the students are excited for the zip line to return
in the future.
Preschool Homecoming Fun
Mrs. Carpenter & Mrs. Voigts
The four-year old preschool classes celebrated Homecoming with the cheerleaders and a pep rally. The
Clarion-Goldfield-Dows high school cheerleaders came to visit the four-year old preschool morning class. The
cheerleaders demonstrated cheers and helped the preschoolers do mounts. The afternoon preschool class
went to the elementary pep rally. We had a fun Homecoming at preschool!
Elementary Homecoming - A Whole Week of Excitement
Mrs. Jensen
Homecoming
WEEK
The elementary building was busy with Homecoming activities this year.
Monday we had a “KICKOFF TO HOMECOMING”
assembly. The students were given the preview of
Homecoming week, participated in a kickoff contest
and had fun getting pumped up for a great week.
Tuesday we had a theme of “BLOW THEM AWAY”
and decorated locker decorations and could chew
gum. Wednesday was “CRAZY WITH SCHOOL SPIRIT”
and we dressed crazy. Thursday was “POPPING WITH
SCHOOL SPIRIT” and we enjoyed popcorn popped
for us by volunteer retired teachers Julie Dodds, Barb
Wicks, and Cathy Cramer. Friday we had a pep assembly and met with our buddy classroom and decorated cookies.
THANKS TO TAP WHO FUNDED
THESE FUN DAYS!!!
Elementary Homecoming - A Whole Week of Excitement (Cont.)
Pep rallies, cookie decorating, dress-up days and more!
Homecoming WEEK
Snapshots
Middle School Homecoming Spirit at the Pep Rally
Steve Haberman
The CGD Middle School was out in full force for the Homecoming pep rally. Every Homebase brought their
own flavor of school spirit. The excitement was palpable!
We’ve Got
Spirit
yes we do!
Homecoming at the High School
Photos provided by Wright County Monitor
Homecoming Court
Early School Dismissals and No School Days
OCTOBER 7 — Early Out @ 1:30 pm~ Professional Development
OCTOBER 21 — Early Out @ 1:30 pm~ Professional Development