March - 2014 - Newton Community School District

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N e w to n Co m mu ni t y S c h o o l Di s t ri c t
V o l u m e 1 2 , I ss u e 7
MARCH
2 01 3 - 2 0 1 4
A URORA H EIGHTS
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Everyday Heroes Story
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Fourth Grade News
3
Fifth Grade Featured
4
Sixth Superheroes
5
AH Specials
6
LMC—Clute Clues
7
Guidance on Bullying
8
PTA Updates
9
NTAG
AH in Pictures
‘Super Chikan’ Blues Performer Impressed All
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11-12
Principal’s Ponderings
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South Skunk Blues Society brought “Blues in Our Schools” to entertain and enlighten AH students about blues, creating instruments from lunchboxes and more and lessons on perseverance.
Thanks to our AH PTA for sponsoring the assembly for all students earlier this month on February 3rd.
Kindergarten Round Up is coming….
Parent Night—March 11th at BE or TJ — 6:00 p.m. in the gym
District Mission
The NCSD will do
whatever it takes to
ensure all students learn to
think, innovate and succeed.
Round Up for Berg: April 2nd and 3rd (Parent conferences April
9th)
Round Up for TJ: April 7th and 8th (Parent conferences April 16th)
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P age 2
“I think a hero is an
ordinary individual
who finds strength to
persevere and endure
in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”
Christopher Reeve
Watch the Heart
Association Youtube
Video “Super Hero
Heart Healthy”
http://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=2rbI4
VhsSz0
“We are the hero
of our own
story.”
Mary McCarthy
V o l um e 1 2 , I s s ue 7
Mr. Steve Pearson, Physical Education
Teacher at Aurora Heights and Woodrow
Wilson Schools has promoted Jump Rope
for Heart for over twenty years. He believes in the cause of helping kids and
adults stay healthy through fitness and
eating right.
Join the American Heart Association
and AH as we strive to teach kids the importance of staying active and eating
healthy. Help your child live a stronger,
healthier life. Jump Rope for Heart also
supports heart research and awareness.
Thanks for your
donations to the
American Heart
Association and
Jump Rope for
Heart! We
proudly display
our banners each
year in our gym.
Kindergarten Round Up is coming….
Parent Night—March 11th at BE or TJ — 6:00 p.m. in the gym
Round Up for Berg: April 2nd and 3rd (Parent conferences April 9th)
Round Up for TJ: April 7th and 8th (Parent conferences April 16th)
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Featuring Fourth Grade
(From left to right: Kya Butler, Collin Dykstra, Trey Thomas)
(From left to right: Riley Lester, Kaylee Parks, Hunter Kennedy)
4S students had an opportunity this month to work on an open response math problem
in small groups. It was interesting to watch the different ways they communicated with
each other and on their strategies they used to solve the math problem. One group
used counters to explain to each other the problem while the other group took to paper
and pencil to explain. Lots of collaboration happening in 4S. The students were really
engaged and were sad to see math period end. By Mrs. Weaver for Fourth Grade
Following Fifth Grade
By Miss Freese for the Fifth Grade Team
Fifth grade students were invited to participate in an after school program arranged with the
DNR and Katie Cantu by fifth grade teacher, Mr. Law. The program consisted of learning to
identify birds based upon their physical characteristics including the size and shape of their
bills, coloration and markings, and eye rings. Following this the students positioned the deceased birds to inject them with a substance that solidifies and dries over time. Filling the
birds with this gel preserves them, and allows them to be used in classroom presentations
across the county.
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Sixth Grade Spotlight
By Mrs.Vanderlaan for the Sixth Grade Team
On Tuesday, February 18th, the entire 6th grade had the opportunity to watch the production Mad About
Money II - Pay Yourself First put on by The National Theatre for Children. The program was designed to
teach students about wages, saving and investing, advertising and opportunity costs. The 4 main points
that the skits focused on were:
1. Wages minus deductions equals take-home pay.
2. Saving and investing always have some risk involved.
3. Don’t let advertisers make your decisions for you.
4. What is opportunity cost?
Some of the students had the following to say about the production:
“ It was awesome!”
“ It was really funny and interesting.”
“ Now I understand what to do with my money.”
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AH Music
VOCAL CONCERT—2014—MRS. LYNN SCHWARCK
Date: February 25, 2014
Performance Time: 6:30 for 4th Grade, 7:00 for 5th Grade, 7:30 for 6th Grade
Location: Center for Performance, Newton High School
Thank you, Lynn Schwarck, Music Teacher and students for a GREAT PROGRAM!
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Aurora Heights LMC - “Your Vote….Your Voice”
Mrs. Clute - LMC Director
Iowa Children’s Choice Award Voting Begins….
Students at Aurora Heights, who meet the required criteria,
will be voting for their favorite Iowa Children’s Choice nominated
book for the 2013-2014 school year. The Iowa award is designed to
encourage students to read more and better books, provide an avenue for positive dialogue between teachers, parents, and children
about books and authors, and give recognition to those who write
children’s books. Author, Peg Kehret has won this award four times
in the past eight years and is nominated again this year. Kehret’s
winning titles include, Escaping the Giant Wave, Abduction, Stolen
Children, and Runaway Twin. Her nominated title this year, Ghost
Dog Secrets is a favorite among AH students.
Mrs. Clute’s Prediction: I am predicting Brian Selznick’s Wonderstruck to be the 2013-2014 Iowa Children’s Choice Award winning
title.
Right Sites - and Google Drive
This month, Aurora Heights students used components of
Google Drive and Google Docs shared via Gmail to address the
following essential question:
How can you decide which informational websites are right for you?
Students accessed and evaluated the fictional website, http://allaboutexplorers.com/about/ They compared information from the fictonal site with the credible and reliable database Britannica Online. Students documented their findings on a Google Doc...via Google Drive to better understand the need to consider both quality and appeal when choosing credible and reliable informational websites. Their results
will be shared with classroom teachers.
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AH Guidance Corner
Mr.Trier, AH Counselor
Fourth and Fifth grade classes have completed two of the three Second Step
units and are now starting the final unit. The final unit discusses problem solving
steps by addressing: making a plan, solving playground problems, taking responsibility for your actions, and dealing with peer pressure. The final lessons of the
school year will focus on taking a look at careers. Pictured to the right is the poster
used for the classroom lessons and I encourage you to ask your student about the
steps as we learn them.
Sixth grade classes will also cover problem solving skills before moving on to substance abuse prevention. The final lessons of the school year will examine various
career interests and preparing for Middle School.
Student Council News
Student Council members have been elected for the second half of the year. Main and alternate representatives
are listed below.
Main Representatives
Alternate Representatives
5J - Emma Simpson
5L - Thomas Hodnett
5C - Emily Light
5K - Cody Swank
5F - Arabella Eide
6L - Lane Rose
6H - Zoe Hall
6AH - Taryn Lovan
6V - Lillian Busch
6O - Parker Sherwood
5J - Nykole Hernandez
5L - Jay McGuire
5C - Patience Farmer
5K - Allison Chamberlain
5F - Chloe Kibbee
6L - Angel Gregory
6H - Kamryn Arguello
6AH - Julian Hotchkin
6V - Kasandra Neal
6O - Miranda Linne
Each month the Student Council processes around 150 PBIS rewards for 4 th– 6th grades. Council members
help to determine school spirit days and select a community service project. Aurora Heights Student
Council sponsors the School talent show and helps prepare for Iowa testing by encouraging their fellow
students to do their best.
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A ur o r a H e i g h ts
Did you know that the Aurora
Heights PTA sponsors several events
each school year? Funding the expense
for an assembly is just one of the many
things our PTA does. Blues singer
“Chikan” was a big hit during Blues in
Our Schools in February, brought to
Jasper County by the South Skunk
Blues Society.
Each month PTA pays for the busing
expense to allow our monthly Kids of
Character to go to lunch at HyVee.
Thank you PTA for all you do!
A U R O R A H E I G H T S P TA — B O X T O P
OLPYMPICS—THE RACE IS ON AT AH!
Join us for regular PTA
Meetings the first Tuesday
of each month.
Each month there will be a
special featured class or
department.
Watch for the Annual Cookie Dough
Sales coming in March. We hope to
raise money for technology projects
and more for our school.
T H E R E ’ S A R AC E G O I N G
O N … . . AG A IN !! F I R ST
SEMESTER MRS.
B AU M G ART ’ S F O U R T H GR A D E C L A S S
C OLLE CT E D THE MO ST BOX TO PS AND
CAMPBELL SOUP LABELS. WHO WILL BE THE
SECOND SEMESTER OLYMPIC WINNER? HELP
O U T B Y S AV I N G Y O U R B O X T O P S A N D L A B E L S !
Boxtops for
Education
help schools
purchase
needed
items!
Save those
Campbell
Soup labels
too!
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NTAG News
Mrs. Van Manen
NTAG students from Aurora Heights and Woodrow Wilson schools
had the opportunity to participate in an after school program during
the months of January and February. Six different stations were
offered, and students rotated each week to a new station. The ISU
Extension Office and Jasper County 4H Office partnered with us to
provide engaging STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math)
activities that encouraged kids to innovate, think outside the box,
and create. Fun was had by all, and much was learned along the way!
EcoBot Station
Rockets
Robotics Station
Antarctica
Marshmallow Catapult
Wind Energy
P age 1 1
Around AH in Pictures
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V o l um e 1 2 , I s s ue 7
March Kids of Character
Front Row: Colton Gifford, Maggie Williams, Maisa Simmons, Reid Keunnen, Brock Jordan, Hannah Schwickerath
Middle Row: Carson Potter, Kelly Wu, Chloe Kibbee , Drake Long, Makatlyn Anderson, Jaysea Miller
Back Row: Blake Baumgartner, Zayvier Arguello, Emma Ham, Alex Frymoyer, Luke Zaabel
Valentine’s Day Boxes
in sixth grade showed
creativity and effort!
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Da
ys PJ
ll enjo
e
d
n
a
Mr. Cr
y!
Reading WONDERS in 5J
Left to right: Brock Jordan, Kaleb Dydell, Parker Sherwood, Jullian Hotchkin, Dalton Altemier and Constance Grigsby
Basketball Heroes of AH—by Parker Sherwood
GO CARDS!
The first tournament was played at B.C. Berg Elementary and Middle School. The team had played 3 games
and won them all. It was a very successful tournament for the Cardinals as they went on to get their first tournament deal in two years.
In their latest tournament at Lynnville Sully Middle and High School, the Cardinals smoked the first and
second team and finally, Lynnville Sully in the final championship game. The Cardinals had no problem winning
their 3 games, and the gold medal on the road.
The cardinals have won 2 gold medals this year already, and still have one tournament to go.
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Principal’s Ponderings
A u r o r a H ei gh t S ch o o l
310 E. 23rd St. S.
Newton, Iowa 50208
641-792-7324
farverc@newton.k12.ia.us Principal
dunsbergenc@newton.k12.ia.us Assistant
AH
www.newton.k12.ia.us
Click on Schools
Then Aurora Heights
Birds in Mr. Law’s class—
an after school event that
highlights hands on learning for science has been a
popular choice the last
two years. Thanks to the
DNR and Mr. Law for organizing.
It is the policy of the Newton
Community School District
not to illegally discriminate
on the basis of race, color,
national origin, gender, disability, religion, creed, age (for
employment), marital status
(for programs), genetic information (for employment),
sexual orientation, gender
identity and socioeconomic
status (for programs) in its
educational programs and its
employment practices.
Dear Parents,
Well we have certainly had some difficult weather related delays
and cancellations of school. We hope to be on the mend now, so
that we can get some full weeks of learning accomplished. Thanks
for your patience as we have worked to keep students safe but here
as much as possible. Teachers are working diligently to make up for
lost time and make sure to cover critical curriculum content. Spring
has to be on the way!
Parent Teacher conferences will by March 18th and 20th. Please
be sure to respond as soon as possible to scheduling requests so
that we can get your conference on our calendar. This is a great opportunity to work together on behalf of your child. It’s a good idea
to write down specific questions you have before you get to your
conference, as the time goes by very quickly. We look forward to
this time to communicate.
We are sorry to report that Mrs. Freytag has resigned starting
on March 20th. Her husband has a great job opportunity that involves a move to Izmir, Turkey. We have loved having her as part of
the AH family and she will be greatly missed. We wish Katy and her
husband the very best in their new adventure. I am in the process
of filling the position for the remainder of the school year and your
children will be left in good hands.
Spring break will be March 21st through the 30th including
weekends. We hope that will be a time of renewal for your families,
Iowa Assessments begin the week of April 7th and go through the
11th. Thank you for your support during that time as we seek to
have each student show his/her very best effort on the exams.
Our students continue to grow academically. We want them to
believe it is okay to mistakes and that is how we learn. It also helps
tremendously when students know we sincerely value their effort
and commitment to task. That will go a long way toward becoming a
successful learner. Thanks for your support. Until APRIL, stay
warm.
Mrs. Farver